Thoughts on Parenting

Best Book for Expecting Parents

It seems that everyone is having a baby these days, and I'm not just referring to the latest rash of Hollywood arrivals. With so many of our friends embarking on the journey of parenthood, it seemed to me that is was a good time to dispense with some very, very valuable advice for first time parents.

What is the most important book you need to own as a first time parent?

Some would surely say What to Expect When You're Expecting (dubbed by Duane as What to Freak Out About When You're Expecting). Others would say you can't live without Dr. Spock, Dr. Brazelton or Dr. Sears. The list could go on.

With a few years of perspective now behind us, Duane and I have come to agree that Baby Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields was the best book we bought for our expensive entry into the parenting world! With the billion dollar parental industrial complex getting more and more ridiculous by the day, this book is so helpful in knowing what you need and what you don't need as a first time parent. For the things you actually do need, this book has great advice on getting these things for the best price. It not only saved us tons of money, it saved our sanity by outlining simple things like how many onesies one child can actually wear and how many crib sheets you'll really use.

So if you're expecting (or even if you have one already), our best advice is that you shouldn't set one foot inside your local baby superstore without a copy of this book in your hands!

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An interesting side note: Baby products change quickly as new technologies are developed and safer and better products are introduced. Denise and Alan Fields offer downloads of the most current reviews for items such as car seats, strollers, high chairs, etc. You can find them here.

Cheap and Easy Preschool Bookshelves

Our previous post on this topic has been one of our most popular. I too, am still quite impressed with my wife's moment of brilliant inspiration. These inexpensive bookshelves are perfect for toddlers and preschoolers who can't quite handle the dexterity it takes to use a traditional bookshelf. So many people have wanted to know exactly how to do this project, I thought I would explain just how easy it is.

Your local hardware superstore sells PVC rain gutters, probably in 10' sections. We bought one 10' section, six end-caps, and six mounting brackets.

We used a simple hacksaw to cut the gutter into three 3' sections. We then attached the mounting brackets and the end caps (you could secure the end caps with glue if you wanted to), and then mounted the gutters to the wall with wall anchors.

It's really that simple. And it only cost about $30.

Easy Preschool Bookshelves

I have to share the greatest project Elisa and I have done in a long time...

We have been looking for preschool-type "face out" bookshelves for some time, but we could only find them in specialty catalogs for a hefty price. Recently in Chattanooga, TN we visited the Children's Discovery Museum. In their library section Elisa saw some amazing built-in bookshelves made of...

...you'll never guess...

rain gutters!

When we got home, we quickly went to the hardware store and for a grand total of $35 in parts we now have some nifty built-in, face-out bookshelves that are just the right size for our kids!!!

(By the way, as long as I'm on the subject, Chattanooga is probably the COOLEST place we've ever been with our kids (and we're pretty well-traveled). There is a TON of stuff to do and the kids love it. We could probably spend a whole week there. So, if you're looking for a great place to take your kids, try Chattanooga!)

Oh, and here are the pictures of the shelves...

My Kitchen Helper

A fight broke out among my kids this morning. Shocking, I know. The usual whining and pointing of fingers occurred. But there was something truly out of the ordinary about this fight. My kids were fighting over who got to wash the dishes! (Dramatic pause while you catch your breath.) I’m not kidding and this not some  super crazy hook to get you to read this blog post. It’s the gosh darn honest truth!

Why were my children fighting over the dishes? Well, we have a kitchen helper in our house and the children love to do the dishes with the kitchen helper. I know what you’re thinking, “Boy! I wish I could hire a maid!” Our Kitchen Helper is not human, though the things it encourages my kids to do could qualify as super-human!

The Kitchen Helper is a really fancy step stool. It’s a platform that elevates kids to the right height for kitchen counters and enables them to do meaningful work in the life of our family. It is completely enclosed so they can’t fall off the stool, and it has really changed our lives for the better around here. My 3 year-old even made scrambled eggs the other day!

Our version of this stool folds away because we have a tiny kitchen. Another non-folding version of this stool is called the Learning Tower and is a bit more pricey. I think both are well-worth the investment. Just one little disclaimer about the one we bought. It was apparently put together in a very non-detail oriented factory in China. The hardware didn’t match up and a few things were missing. Duane is pretty handy though, so after a few trips to Lowe’s ours is good to go. Despite the assembly flaws, I still whole-heartedly recommend our version.