Crunchy Bananas

While I'm sure Clara and I aren't the first to enjoy this yummy snack, we may be the first to crush up the graham crackers while singing, "We Want Gymbo" (or "We Will Rock You," to those of you who are not toddlers).  

What you need:

1 banana

Peanut butter

1-2 graham crackers

plastic sandwich bag

What you do:

Slice banana into coins.  Spread a thin layer of peanut butter onto each.  Place graham cracker in plastic bag and close tightly so that air is out of the bag and no graham cracker pieces can escape.  Hand bag over to small child and watch uncomfortably as child gleefully crushes graham cracker (suddenly, The Lord of the Files makes so much more sense).  Sprinkle crushed graham cracker onto banana and enjoy.  

5 Wonderful Ways to Celebrate Children's Book Week

1.  Donate a book locally (hospital, library, church, school, etc.) or globally (one example - and my favorite - is First Book).  

2.  Go on the Children's Book Council website and download a (free!) bookmark.  Or order a Children's Book Week poster - your only cost is the shipping (practically free!).

3.  Send fan mail to your favorite children's author or illustrator.  Many have their own websites through which you can write them, and most can be contacted through their publishers.  All it takes is a Google search.

4.  Go on location.  Cozy up to the tulips and hydrangeas in your backyard and read The Secret Garden.  Spread a blanket on the sand and read On the Way to the Beach.  If you have a little more room in your budget and a lot of extra time, you could take a book lover's pilgrimage (my personal favorite is Prince Edward Island, but that may require a bit of planning).

5.  Throw a book-themed party.  Wildly popular themes are Harry Potter and American Girls, but with some imagination and creativity, you can celebrate just about any book.  Your menu - perhaps the most essential element to any good party - doesn't have to be limited to the usual cookies and punch.  There exists book-related cookbooks for everything from Little House to Star Wars.  More Wookiee Cookies, anyone? 

Grass Guy

Q: What is Grass Guy's favorite TV show?  

A:  Lawn and Order

What you need:

Potting soil

Grass seed

Styrofoam cups

Markers

What you do:

Fill cup 1/2 full of potting soil.  Generously sprinkle grass seed.  Cover with more potting soil.  Using markers, add face.  Water occasionally, and watch his green hair grow.  

Sleepyhead Rhyme

My daughter isn't much for rising and shining.  Her rosy time of day is somewhere around 9:30 at night, or whatever time it is that I'm trying to get her to go to sleep.  Here's a little rhyme that I do in the morning that (hopefully) brings a smile to her sleepy face.

(Begin curled up in bed, and slowly lift yourself out from the covers)  

Brightly shining is the sun!

The waking world has just begun

To stretch and yawn and lift its head...

(YAWN!)

But I think I'll go back to bed!

(Flop dramatically back onto pillow, close eyes and snore)

Fascinating Creatures

Not too long ago, I got one of those Amazon.com recommendations that tells me, "you bought this, so you'll probably like this." I typically delete these emails, since most of my Amazon.com purchases have been gifts for others and many of their recommended titles miss the mark for me (another World War II memoir? Season four of South Park? Hmmm...). But the All-Knowing Amazon did manage to allure me to buy Frances England's Fascinating Creatures, and thank goodness it did. My heart goes out to any parent who has not yet discovered this lovely, talented artist.

Ms. England, whose earthy, indie-folk style makes me sometimes forget I'm listening to a children's album, bills her CDs as "music for the whole family." She and I have never met, but I think she really means music for MY family since each track seems to be a song about my child. In fact, her lyrics are so universally kidpossible that I doubt a mom or dad could listen to them and NOT find a bit of their own little "fascinating creature" within the lyrics. The album, created as a fundraiser for her son's preschool, includes a song about a kid who loves diggin' in the dirt, an anthem praising a child's beloved books, and a busy bee who would rather not bother with bedtime, thank you very much. My personal favorite, Daddy-O, makes me wish brides everywhere would ditch the terrible "Butterfly Kisses" song at their wedding receptions and give this one a twirl.

If her Amazon.com reviews are any indication, Ms. England is living up to her motto - kids are gobbling up her music and parents are unabashedly adding her to their own iPods. And why not? She's that good. And for kids and parents to have a bond like that because of music...well, to me, that's fascinating!