[Best loved toys for girls 4-6]

Definitely dress up stuff. One of my girls wore out several cheap cowgirl hats. She usually paired a hat with an old tutu and "yee-hawed" around the yard on a broomstick horse my dad made. Some days she had on the cowgirl boots, somedays the clunky plastic high heels. Too funny!

 

They all spent years playing with a toy kitchen and accompanying dishes, mixer, microwave, etc. LOVED the plastic veggies and fruits that were split in the middle and stuck together with velcro. Same child used to play infomercial with all the kitchen gadgets. Ka-Whack!! went the plastic "Ginsu" knife.

 

They all loved hotwheels and the orange track pieces. TheKid still buys them. And carries them to church in her purse next to her chapstick.

 

(BTW, I am absolutely crushed that our pink bucket of Legos still sits on the shelf barely used! Shocking after seeing how much our son loved Legos. The girls loved Magnetix, though.) So, something to build with.

 

Books. Art supplies. Many, many pounds of each!

[OLD dog question]

Aww, we have an old guy, too. As you mentioned, not looking forward to the inevitable decisions to be made. I don't think ribs showing is a problem in and of itself, is it? Not sure. And you say the ribs showing is sudden?

 

Our dog has lost a lot of muscle mass the last year. You know, like all old guys do. So he's a lot smaller than he used to be. Amazing to me. But he doesn't ever seem to be in pain. We thought we'd use pain as one guide to know what to do. Hugs to you and your doggie.

[Need some nutritional help for VERY INCREDIBLY picky eaters!]

Here's how I handle picky eaters:

 

Involve them in food prep. I ask their opinion on seasonings, recipes, condiments to set out, anything at all. "Do you think the applesauce needs more cinnamon?"

 

Hand them a sharp knife and let them chop something up. Lots of us feel empowered by getting to use The Sharp Knife, especially if we've never had the chance yet. (Heck, I still get excited and I've been in charge of the knife drawer for years!) If a knife isn't a good choice, at least give them a whisk. "Would you cut these apples into slices crosswise so we can look for the star in the middle? 3yo will think that's pretty cool."

 

Serve buffet style. Something about walking around the island or down the countertop holding a plate and making choices for yourself can be a new, empowering experience for some kids. I might make a suggestion to try a dish, but don't apply pressure. (Not saying you do, at all.) As in "Hey, you want a glob of peanut butter to dip those pretzels in?"

 

Sit together and enjoy the company! I like to compliment my own cooking and smack my lips in satisfaction if the kids are too quiet. Oh, yes...everybody cleans up, also. No matter how bad I want to cringe at the "help" I'm receiving. :D

 

In short, I think I just try to make the eating itself a non-issue. I am a chubby, jolly woman in the kitchen because most of the time I love being there, and I love sharing the space with helpers. With time, it seems the picky eaters start wanting to branch out. Maybe it's just a matter of exposure, not sure.

 

Allrighty, I am new and don't really know anything, so take what you can use and ignore the rest. You're doing good, DB!

[free Greek alphabet resource]

There's a lot of good stuff on there! I think TheKid will have fun learning to form the Greek letters. Love having the pronunciations right there, also.

 

Stuck it in my favorites, and looking forward to downloading the mp3's of readings.

 

Thanks for letting us know.

[Test]

Sooo...whataya think? Signature line's a little goofy to me, but I will keep it for now. Must look for a picture, too.

 

Thanks for letting me barge in!

 

(Uh-oh, looks like the first order of business should be learning to edit...I see I skipped a word...)

[Test]

LOL, you are cracking me up talking to yourself. Now it's my turn....

Hope you don't mind me testing on your awesome thread here.