Barbara's Picks: Practical Stuff

	Up, Up, Up I Go - a growth chart by Eric Carle We've kept a growth chart for years - it is so much fun for the kids to see how tall they've grown. I wish we had had this one because it's taller than most - over six feet fo mom and dad and taller teens can still be part of the family growth chronology. Great idea for a baby present too!

	Best athletic shoe for walking/running moms When I decided to get serious about my exercise, I wanted to find the best shoe - within my budget - to protect my feet, ankles, knees and legs. I researched and decided to give these a try - Amazon's price was very good plus free shipping and no tax. I've had my shoes for six months and am AMAZED at what a difference it makes in my walking each day. Both my daughters have ordered them - they have different colors - and are very very happy with them too. If you've been putting off buying new shoes because it's so confusing, I hope this helps a little.

	Dishwasher Magic This stuff works! See how it saved me $3000 here. :)

	The Lord's Table: Biblical Approach to Weight Loss I have not used this myself - a reader recommended it. but reviewing their site and the user reviews at amazon, it seems like these folks have come to the same conclusion I did on my own weight loss journey (75 pounds lost in 2006 and still off today) - that gluttony is a spiritual issue and needs a multifaceted approach: a no-compromise diet, exercise, getting real spiritually and allowing God to work on the areas in which you need to be set free.

	Eats, Shoots and Leaves A great book about grammar - thought it's written by a Brit and there are a few differences between ours and theirs - and hilarious read.

	Bodum Columbia 8-Cup Stainless-Steel Thermal Press Pot Tripp and I've tried SO many coffee makers in our 24 years of marriage, and found that the French press method of brewing is the best. The problem is the fragile glass carafe, which we've had to replace it several times. When I found this (while ordering yet another replacement carafe) I hardly needed convincing. Not only does it answer the breakage problem, but it also keeps coffee warm for up to two hours. Time to snuggle up and sip through my Beth Moore Bible study (she's the best too!)

	Roaster How we cook our Thanksgiving turkey - and roast chickens and spareribs and other large quantites for a large family all-year 'round.

	Briwax Found out about this great product from Meredith at Like Merchant Ships. Read what she says here.

	The Safe Side Read the editorial reviews at amazon to see why this DVD is a best-seller. A blessing for parents who want to empower their kids to deal with the very real dangers in the world around us - while not causing them unecessary anxiety. From amazon: offers seven specific safety tips to keep kids safe and, with the help of real kids, details simple, concrete actions and phrases that empower kids in a variety of potentially dangerous situations. Best of all, the presentation is never scary, but always extremely funny--that means that kids ages 2 to 10 will actually enjoy learning about safety. Kudos to Julie Clark (creator of Baby Einstein) and John Walsh (host of America's Most Wanted) for creating a safety video that's highly entertaining, informative, and practical.

	Lemon juicer Under construction

	How Are You Feeling Today? A great resource for developing emotional intelligence in your kids. Kids do better when they have a label to put on their feelings: "Oh, are you angry about Susie sitting on your sandwich?" This poster helps them not take themselves so seriously. Also, if you go through the feelings - naming them and making the appropriate faces together in the mirror - it really can show children that they are to some extent in control of how they express their feelings.

	Tweezerman Stainless Scissors Along with the hair clipper kit, these scissors have done a great job on my kids' hair! Let's face it - if you give enough haircuts, you'll eventually get pretty good at it! My big boys still prefer Mom to a barber - though they'll eventually have to turn it over to their wives or a barber :)

	Wahl Hair Clipper Kit The best $25 I ever invested was in a Wahl hair clipper kit fifteen years ago when I had four sons under 6. Since then, I figure I've given something like 900 haircuts to those four sons, the four that came later, and my dear hubby, thus saving $9000- 18,000 for the Curtis household. It's really easy to learn to cut boys' hair. The Wahl kit comes with a video. I also invested in a really good pair of scissors and learned to cut longer hair that way. I don't have the patience to be as precise as a barber, but I developed my own style of grabbing sections of hair between my fingers (without doing the comb sectioning thing) and cutting at a uniform length. Be brave!

	Laminator A splurge item that will pay for itself eventually - especially if you have more than one child. A laminating machine will enable you to laminate some of your child's learning materials - matching cards, for example - to give them a longer life. I also laminate pictures from National Geographic and display them like art or color code by continent, keeping an envelope for each continent - giving my children a visual sweep of what life is like in other lands.

All written content is © Barbara Curtis www.mommylife.net

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Montessori megamom serves up smorgasbord of parenting, cultural, political, and spiritual wisdom. Because she can.

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