Monday, June 21, 2010

The Little Looster Review

Okay, this little step stool has saved my Munchkins butt. Seriously. It's called the Little Looster and I received it to review a few weeks ago. It has kept it's place of honor in our wash-closet since then and I have no intention of removing it. This thing is GREAT!! Here are some of the best features about it:

*Sitting on the Potty for little kiddo's can actually be comfortable!! No more dangling legs. 

*It helps potty training kiddo's feel more secure...and there is no need for a potty SEAT. They can practice the art of perching on the precipice with perfect poise. :-)   (Couldn't resist.)

*No more gripping the dirty seat to stop themselves from falling in. This booster is high and wide enough to give them much better balance and keep their hands free!! 

*It's only $39.99!! One of those cheap-o stepstools  usually goes for around $14.00 and this product is like 3 stepstools in one very great shape, perectly fitted to give great balance and support.

In my mind the best parts of this "booster for the loo" is that it gives confidence to children who are learning or practicing the art of potty training. I only wish I'd had this when my Munchkin first learned....we had quite a struggle transitioning from the little potty to the "big kids potty"....and I really think it had everything to do with the fact that there was no feeling of support when sitting on the big potty. The little looster helps to have your feet securely supported (on more than just a tiny step stool) and keep your knee's higher (rather than feet dangling) which is a better position for your body to relieve itself. I love that the Munchkin can practice sitting on the big seat and not use the potty seat on top of it....because, honestly, those things aren't that easy to clean. When asked what the munchkin thought of the Little Looster:
"It's so BIG!!"
 And, yes, it is large....but still convenient in the bathroom for adults. It does not get in the way of adult use of the restroom, and I can't say the same for the little step stool we were using before. We constantly had to move it out of the way because the way it had to be situated for the munchkin to use it left it right in the middle of things.This Looster stays tucked away neatly by the toliet, accessible for little feet and out of the way of the big feet.

If you would like to learn more about the Little Looster check out these links:


or find Monica Mylet (the designer) on Twitter and follow the Companys grwoth and be a part of exciting contest:


I received this product for free to review and all parts of my review are 100% my opinion. Believe me when I say that if I don't like something, YOU WILL KNOW IT. If I didn't like this product, I would have made it perfectly clear. Therefore, you can and should assume that I absolutely love this product and if Monica made it for adults I would buy one for myself.;-)



 




Saturday, June 12, 2010

Tin Can 4th Craft

Disclosure: I receive payments for referrals to Social Spark and you can too if you sign up! See below!


With summer just about here, I am finding it hard to get to bed at an early time.... there's too many crafts to do!! I am especially excited about the 4th of July.  I did a little twist on the usual tin can hole art and I added some paper on the inside to give it some color. It was so simple and fun!! 
You need:
Tin can
White paint
Red, Blue Vellum Paper
Nails of different sizes
Hammer
Wood Punch
Floral wire

~ Clean the can and fill it with water and put it in the freezer. Allow to freeze fully. This will prevent the can from denting when you punch holes in it. 
~Make your design by sketching or freehanding it. I used different sized nails and a wooden punch to make the holes for the star. Add two holes on opposite sides of each other for the floral wire handle.  
~Paint it white (I had a nice antique white I used) and let it dry. I gave it two coats 'cause the first one just didn't cover it all.

~ Use something pointy, like a needle, to clear out the dried paint from the holes.
~ Cut your vellum in the shape of the object you want to cover. 
~Place the vellum on the inside and press it against the punctured metal (be CAREFUL, it is sharp!!) and it will hold the paper in place.
~For the star, I use two different colors. One larger blue star shape for the outside and a red star shape for the inside. 
~Take the floral wire and thread it through the two holes on opposite sides of each other.
~Wrap the ends of the wire around a light bulb that is cool and has been off for a while and it should hold just fine. With the light shining down on it, the vellum truly stands out!!
This next picture was taken with a flashlight shining down on tin can. I tried some different ways of lighting it up....little battery lights, flashlights, and finally suspending it below a light bulb. The only thing you should not do is put a candle in it....that paper would catch on fire quickly and it would not be safe.

Here it is in the daytime under a light bulb....I was too impatient to wait for night time to finish this post. :-)
 I'm going to be a review for CSN stores soon too. So keep an eye out and I'll let you know when and what it will be. 

I also wanted to tell you about the awesomest blog advertising company out there:
Social Spark is great. 
I totally recommend it!
Disclosure: I receive payments for people referred (and you will too if you use Social Spark!)


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Saturday, June 5, 2010

Dorodango

Dorodango are polished spheres, formed out of mud and the skill of your hands. They are a traditional past time of children in Japan. They are an exercise in patience and a great tool for meditation. The translation of the phrase Dorodango is doro: mud and dango: a type of round rice flour dumpling. Here's what you need to make your own (also HERE is a link to the site where I learned to do it.....this person has done MANY....this is the only one I have done....you may want to refer to this link *wink*) :
  DIRT!!!!
You want some dirt with a good amount of clay (that's what holds the whole project together). Add some water to make a mud ball and shape it into a sphere. Once it hold the shape, add some dry dirt to it and use the curve of your thumb to begin shaping it into a ball. Like THIS:
Add dirt, but you want to avoid getting to the paint where cracks start to form. If that does happen just add a little water and it should reform. Once you've reached that stopping point, put the ball in a  ziplock bag and set it down on something soft (so it will retain a round shape) in the shade. The moisture will come out of it and line the bag. Take it out after a while (maybe an hour) and repeat the last step.  Set it in the shade again and let the moisture wick out of it again. I kept mine it the bag overnight after that. The next day I took some extra fine sand and added it to the ball. Then I put in in a ziplock and put it in the fridge (this pulls the water out much faster) for 20 minutes. I repeated that step as many times as I could until when you bring it out of the bag that wasn't any moisture left in the bag. I sifted on the finest dirt I could get and began the process of polishing. Using a piece of satin (you want the softest cloth you can find), I polished it until it got to the highest shine I could make. You want to be careful because it is possible to over-polish it and work right down to the layer of sand beneath. Some dorodango can get to a really high shine and some will only make it a little of the way. The trick is to get the finest dirt possible for the last layer that is placed upon it.

When we went on vacation in April we were on the beach and I first tried this craft as I was plunked down on the sand. It is possible to get some really fun hard sand spheres....but they will not get shiny....it's the clay that really makes it all work. 
It was still a lot of fun, though!! If you have the inclination the next time you are on the beach, you should make some of these and just leave them around. You will no doubt bewilder the next people to pass that spot on the sand. :-)
All this dirt came right from my garden. Pretty cool, huh?? I plan to find a variety of different colored dirt and make some other dorodango....all the colors of the rainbow. Here are some of the many possibilities....look how shiny this artist makes them. I've got a lot of work to do. :-)
Here are some of the parties I linked up to, check them out and be inspired!!



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