MostlyMommies - Games, activities, resources

Bear in the Big Blue House

2010-09-10T06:59:00.000-07:00

Hi Mommies!

Hunting around for a fun game for my boy this morning, I came across the Disney Babies site and found a whole bunch of great games for toddlers and preschoolers! The list includes Winnie the Pooh games, Handy Mandy and HigglyTown.

I found this one to be cute though! It is one of many Bear in the Big Blue house games available on the site.

Bear in the Big Blue house

Enjoy!
MostlyMommy

A new game for preschoolers and toddlers

2010-09-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Today's game is: Fun With Spot
I can't believe it - Fun with Spot has been around since I first became a big sister close to 30 years ago... longer even, according to the site's Happy Birthday logo!

My kids love Spot, too. I enjoyed the books and now I love the game, too.

Enjoy and tell me what you think!

Mostly Mommies is now on Facebook

2010-09-09T20:13:00.000-07:00

I am hoping to take Mostly Mommies to the next level of public awareness. Yes, we have game links but we also have a lot to share. Please visit and join out group of Mommies! I'm leaving the membership and posting privileges open unless that gets abused. I hope to see you there!

Just when I thought my baby "just needed less sleep" than the others...

2009-02-20T16:43:00.001-08:00

I read the following article by Elizabeth Pantley, author of the popular No-Cry Solution series. Visit her website to learn more about her techniques and you'll see right away why she is a trusted expert far and wide.

Why Short Cat-Naps Are Not Good Enough
By Elizabeth Pantley, Author of The No-Cry Nap Solution

If your child's naps are shorter than an hour and a half in length, you may have wondered if these brief naps provide enough rest for your little one. You might suspect that these catnaps aren't meeting your child's sleep needs - and you would be right. The science of sleep explains why a short nap takes the edge off, but doesn't offer the same physical and mental nourishment that a longer nap provides.

It takes between 90 and 120 minutes for your child to move through one entire sleep cycle, resulting in a Perfect Nap. It has been discovered that each stage of sleep brings a different benefit to the sleeper. Imagine, if you will, magic gifts that are awarded at each new stage of sleep:

Stage 1 - Very light sleep
Lasts 5 to 15 minutes
The gifts:
Prepares body for sleep
Reduces feelings of sleepiness

Stage 2 - Light to moderate sleep
Lasts up 15 minutes
The gifts:
Increases alertness
Improves motor skills
Stabilizes mood
Slightly reduces homeostatic sleep pressure (The biological process that creates fatigue and irritability.)

Stage 3 - Deep sleep
Lasts up to 15 minutes
The gifts:
Strengthens memory
Release of growth hormone
Repair of bones, tissues and muscles
Fortification of immune system
Regulates appetite
Releases bottled up stress
Restores energy
Reduces homeostatic sleep pressure

Stage 4 - Deepest sleep
Lasts up to 15 minutes
The gifts:
Same benefits as Stage 3, but enhanced

Next Stage - Dreaming
Lasts up to 9 to 30 minutes
The gifts:
Transfers short-term memory into long-term memory
Organizes thoughts
Secures new learning
Enhances brain connections
Sharpens visual and perceptual skills
Processes emotions
Relieves stress
Inspires creativity
Boosts energy
Reduces homeostatic sleep pressure

Longer naps
For as long as your child sleeps
The gifts:
Repeat all of the above stages in cycles

In order for your child to receive all of these wonderful gifts he must sleep long enough to pass at least once through each stage of sleep. Longer naps will encompass additional sleep cycles and provide a continuous presentation of gifts.

Newborn babies have unique cycles that slowly mature over time. A newborn sleep cycle is about 40 to 60 minutes long, and an infant enters dream sleep quickly, skipping several sleep stages. Infants need several sleep cycles to receive their full allotment of gifts. If your infant is sleeping only 40-60 minutes at naptime it is an indication that your baby is waking between cycles instead of returning to sleep on his own. We'll cover a plethora of ideas to help your baby learn to go back to sleep without your intervention.

Now you can clearly see why a short nap doesn't provide your baby or young child the best benefits of napping. You can also see why a mini-nap can fool you into thinking it is enough - since the very first five to fifteen minutes reduce feelings of sleepiness and bring that whoosh of second-wind energy that dissipates quickly, resulting is fussiness, crying, crankiness, tantrums and whining.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
This is a copyrighted excerpt from The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed
Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems by Elizabeth Pantley.
(McGraw-Hill, December 2008).

You may reproduce this on your website or in your work. Please include my
name and book title. More excerpts (available for reprint) are posted on my
website.
http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth

More online games for todllers and kids

2009-02-19T09:16:00.001-08:00

Aven's Corner -
We are always happy to hear from fans but even more so when they send a new games page!
n
Aven's daddy built this site for him but I'm betting all the kids out there will enjoy the work he's put in.

I'll be adding this to our regular games page - I'm working on a new surprise for the mommies so check back again soon!

Jennifer

St Valentine's Day (or is it just Valentines Day now?) for toddlers and kids

2009-02-10T09:32:00.000-08:00

I am pretty sure there used to be a 'saint' involved!

Today I'm planning ways for my 3 kids to celebrate Valentines Day. I'm open to everything fun but I lean towards the 'cleaner' crafts - I have 3 artists to clean up after.

This one I'll try though - clean or not!
Faux stained glass - heart themed idea for Valentines Day - all you need is food coloring, plain 'ol white glue and waxed paper.

Kaboose Valentines Day coloring pages - absolutely PURRfect graphics for kids to colour in and they even provide different sizes so you can make foldable mini-cards, too!

Free Valentines Day online coloring book - this online coloring book is great because they let you send your colored in creation to an adoring gramdmother across the continent.

As always, you can visit MostlyMommies free games page to find all your favorite toddlers and kids' games online.

Entertain a 7 month old - Gummy Bear

2008-12-10T16:24:00.001-08:00

There's a short version out there, too AND... some people may be mildly taken aback at the Gummy's dance but I have to say, when my boy sees the bear pop out, he gets so excited and I can't deny him that!

The Gummy Bear Song - Long English Version

I may even use it as he gets older to introduce other languages - they have it in French:

Je m'appelle Funny Bear - Full French Version

and German:

Gummy bear Long Version in German

Possibly even others.... enjoy!

Free games for babies, toddlers and a few for mostlymommies, too!

2008-10-29T15:31:00.001-07:00

Wow - new site to add to the permanent free games page!

Kodomo Games
These free games for babies and toddlers are all "bash games", meaning the games are played by hitting any key(s) on the keyboard. The screen will react no matter what the baby has pressed and it's usually accompanied by fun sounds and colorful actions. I really like the game Shape Matcher - eye catching and educational.

Enjoy and many thanks for the site contribution! My 6 month old was very entertained during this review and we'll be back!

Word comprehension and vocabulary game that also teaches donating and "global hunger"

2008-10-24T07:26:00.001-07:00

I came across this site while trying to find a way to encourage a little more spelling time. While the kids learn the meanings and spellings of words (levels 1 - 60 provide the ability for those as young as 7 or 8 to start enjoying this game) and when they are correct they see 20 grains of rice added to the bowl on the right. Once you have 100 grains, the bowl is emptied into a bag which you see beside the bowl. You have a visual representation of how well you're doing BUT those grains of rice on the screen represent actual grains of rice that will be donated through the UN World Food Program. Yes, there's an FAQ which explains why, if they have rice available, they don't just donate it without making us play their game. Thank goodness because that was the first question my 8 year old asked. Turns out the game was written by a guy who wanted to help his son study for the SATs!

FreeRice.com - You can change the level underneath the list of choices (start at 1 and it will progress based on how well you answer) and don't forget to show them how to click on the little speaker thingy to HEAR how the word is pronounced. Right or wrong, the word will appear with its definition at the top. When you get the word again, you'll know it - sometimes... hahaha - and hey Moms, isn't it nice to exercise your own brain at a grownup level once in a while? The levels past 30 or 40 can hold challenges for you, too. Push your own vocab up to the 60 level and I'm sure it'll trickle down.

Free games for kids to teach math and logic

2008-10-24T07:12:00.001-07:00

Wow - my kid came home from school raving about this site. I went to check it out and promptly lost 45 minutes playing...
Now, be warned - the site is in French but is graphic based - you should be able to find something you like and that your kids enjoy in no time at all.
It's educational, too! Really, you won't believe how much time your kid will enjoy learning when it's presented with color and fun.

GoMaths - educational math and logic games for kids

Traffic Jam - this is the game I lost all the time on... I never would have known what to do without my kids so I'll tell you. You have to get the red car out the door. Move the other vehicles blocking the way - they only move back and forth in the direction they are pointing. You'll need to rearrange the other vehicles in order to provide a clear path for the little red car. Play with your child for the first 5 minutes and you'll find them instructing you. This will be followed quickly by "here, let me do it" at which point you lose all input. If this time works out to sneak away and make Oppycakes for days' worth of healthy eating, you're ahead of the game.

Of course, if you want to take a nice bubble bath, too, I won't tell. You deserve it.

It's time for another "good idea, bad idea"

2008-10-23T09:06:00.001-07:00

Okay - I rarely (never, even) put anything personal on this site. But this is too priceless not to share and involves only myself. If I can save even one person the following, it'll be worth the few people I actually "know" reading this. They'll get a huge laugh anyway.

Since my third child, I've suffered with this... itching, burny feeling around the bum area. Now, maybe some of you know right away what I mean but I didn't. It comes and goes. I thought maybe it was spicy foods or something. But after a little research (and I will NOT get into that aspect of it at all) I think it may be hemorrhoids. 'Nuff said.

I'm sitting in the bathroom, wondering how can I make this go away? Out of the corner of my eye, I spot the tiny bottle of clove oil my DH and I bought trying to go natural with teething pain relief. That's another thing I won't try again - my poor Boy!!! You should have seen his face and his reaction to the clove oil. Wow - that stuff is powerful. But once the taste is gone, you sure are numb! So... PERFECT! My bum doesn't have taste buds so I won't need to suffer through the taste, I'll skip right to the numb! Hopes answered, right?

NO!
No!
aaaaahhhhhhh!!!!
NOOOOO!

It took about 3 seconds for the immediate implications and inital tingly feeling to kick in. I sat on the toilet and silently screamed (DH and The Boy were just outside the door) for about 5 minutes - until that initial "bad taste" period passed. I washed (gently) and, once it was over, laughed silently to myself for the rest of the day. I'm still laughing now actually. It was a cheap source of entertainment that I won't try again but will remind myself of the next time I find myself asking the kids "what were you thinking, putting that there???"
{Hey, mom, remember the clove oil incident?}

That's my lesson for the day, girls. Sorry I don't have a new game for you to play. Just this advice: do not make homemade hemorrhoid cures unless you have some facts to go on.

I do not detract at all from the benefits of clove oil - they are numerous. Like I said, it's a powerful substance. Use it - it's natural and you can see / feel benefits right away. Just don't put it near your face, eyes, open cuts, nasal passages... or your bum.

Have a happy day!

Healthy Kid Friendly pancake recipe

2008-10-06T16:02:00.001-07:00

or... "how to get omega 3s and whole grains into your kid - with a smile".

So, after several reworks of the original recipe, here is the final version. Until next time I make them.

2 1/2 cups quick cook oats
2 cups plain yogurt
2 cups milk
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
---------
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup flax meal
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
---------
4 eggs

I put those little dashed lines in for a reason! Mix section 1 together in a large mixing bowl. (oats, milk, yoghurt, applesauce) Mix section 2 together in a different bowl.

*** dish saving tip - before you measure the liquid ingredients into section 1, use your still dry measuring cup to measure out the section 2 ingredients. Also, once you've added section 2 to section 1, use the same bowl to beat the eggs before adding them.

On a preheated griddle (or in my case, frying pan) plop down about a 1/4 cup of the batter. I always let them cook a little long because the texture makes me think they're not done. But they are - they're supposed to have an inner consistency similar to oatmeal. The kids love them that way.

I keep stacks in the fridge now (why not with those ingredients?) and one likes to pop 'em in the toaster and eat them with syrup and the other likes 'em cold with applesauce.

Well, enjoy!

Feeding a 5 month old baby - how?

2008-09-24T09:11:00.001-07:00

Here I was thinking there was nothing new under the sun since I had my younger daughter 6 years ago. Fast forward to now, with the newest addition being 5 months old now. And I have found so many new things are under the sun after all!

This is one of my favorite new fangled baby ideas...
The Sassy Teething Feeder - The Boy adores his. I've only put ice cubes in so far but they've certainly done the trick when it comes to soothing the aches in his mouth and distracting him from the whining... thank goodness.

Anyone got other "new" ideas for me? I'd love to hear about them.

Cute and cheap back to school shirt

2008-09-24T08:59:00.001-07:00

This year, we're at an awkward size stage where nothing in the stores seems to fit quite right. That may be due, in part, to our small-ish town not having loads of shopping options...
My 8 year old daughter's t-shirts fit properly but she doesn't want plain jane t-shirts now! I found these two ideas for t-shirt alterations. I love the first one especially but the second one in addition to another layer as seen in this FABulous new trend - Modesty, ie. layering t-shirts and tank tops - we've got a great new look that will take us well into fall. Winter... we'll see what I can come up with.
Found a truly great deal on tights a while back - they were so cheap, I bought some in my size, too! Back to my youth - even then, I KNEW should have kept my leg warmers and tights! :-)

(Oh, by the way, yesterday I made a second batch in as many days of the pancakes below... with a few changes which I'll post later. They are disappearing fast! One daughter likes 'em warmed up so she just pops them in the toaster. Thank goodness for these pancakes! I love the ingredients. I think I'll even put them in their lunches!!! My BF was asking me about an alternative to sandwiches for her daughter ... I've got an idea for her now.)

We'll see what this post is called when I'm done...

2008-09-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what's going on with that other post about the pancakes! I edited it and lost bunches of post! Silly mommy!

I'm back from shopping for what I needed to complete the ingedients list for the Awesome Oatmeal pancakes. If they're as awesome as they sound, you'll see the link! {I'm betting they are, mommies know!}

Official start time - 3 pm.
- saved a draft copy... not going through that again!

By 3:20 I had the first set of pancakes, now called Mommy's Oppy-cakes, on the griddle. Had to step out to meet the school bus at 3:40 - kept them warm and the girls loved 'em! I had more on the griddle but they were done with that first batch and cryin' for more before they were done!

One likes them without syrup - my dear who dislikes sugar - and the other likes them with, of course. BUT, without exception, everyone in the family likes them and I feel like a *good mom* having fed them omegas, whole grains, eggs and no stuff I can't pronounce! Wow!

Yay! A great day in the household.

MostlyMommy

Awesome kid and family friendly recipes alert!

2008-09-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

I never seem to stop searching for food everyone will eat. As many times as I say "this is not a restaurant, dinner is dinner - eat!" almost invariably, the next night I'm making everyone different things. It's gotten down to making my Guy what he likes too... ACK!

So, here are some healthy, delicious to-one-and-all recipes. Some of them take more time but if they'll all eat the same thing for a change, it's actually saving time! (Think fewer dishes, less coordination of boiling, baking and chopping all to arrive on the table simultaneously... priceless.)

Mama Manifesto: So Much Better Than IHOP Oatmeal Pancakes!!! I am trying these tonight. I'll report back but they look so good...

More Homemade Halloween costumes

2008-09-17T09:40:00.001-07:00

Alright, still refining my "here's what you can choose from" list...
This site - Disney FamilyFun Halloween costume ideas - has a VERY big list of ideas. And they are pretty unique ideas, too! Thank goodness, since the last thing my 8 year old daughter wants is to have the same costume as someone else. Here they even have a video of how to create the Bubble Bather costume which I really like!

Here's a thought - two boxes, one on top of the other, painted white - with black dots - ... a pair of dice!?! I could be that... maybe I could even get some faux fur to put around the edges and be fuzzy dice!

Now, much along the same lines as the Bubble Bather costume above, this Basket of laundry costume for kids or grownups is IDEAL for our house... we only have to cut the hole in the bottom of one of the many laundry baskets around and we're done! ;-)

I've said too much - hahahaha - if I were doing laundry, how could I get you this list???

Here is one for either of my daughters 6 or 8 years old - Cotton Candy - super easy to do (or so it would seem) and the girls have been begging for some of the actual stuff... missing summer already, they are!

Well, thank goodness the kids are at school. I've got to prep some dinner and run through a load of laundry (need to free up a basket for the Halloween costume!) so I'll be back with more ideas later. I try to think stuff up while I clean - why waste good "mind time"?

MostlyMommies - WebMom

Quick post for a new game for kids

2008-09-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

We received an email a few weeks back, telling us about this cute website:
Bunny Bread games for kids - there is a memory game for younger (maybe 4 or 5?) kids but the Numbers game will definitely be for kids 8 and up. You start from a square with a number on it that says how many squares you can move - and it gets more complex from there.

Okay - I didn't want to let down our contributors who actually take the time to send us a game link! We truly appreciate the help finding games for kids - and I love having my kids review them! :-) I'll try to add this to MostlyMommies games page asap.

MostlyMommies - WebMommy

Homemade Halloween costumes

2008-09-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

Sure, it sounds easy enough and oh-so back to basics, making your child a Halloween costume at home. Obviously, you want one that stands out and makes your child proud! Don't even get me started on the whole "inappropriate costumes for girls" concept here... I can dedicate a whole post some other time. Suffice it to say, none that you'll find here will add "tartification" to your family's Halloween.

I've been searching for years - YEARS - for the best costumes that I can make at home. I am not an advanced seamstress but I can and do sew and I am a wannabe master at papier mache projects. (Art Attack - still my favorite craft site after all these years!) I also like knitting but I can't complete projects in a timely manner!

This is a great find -
Homemade Halloween makeup, blood and bruises - I hate putting on waxy, mystery substance makeup on the girls' faces. They get rashy a little too easily for that. I think I'll feel better about this kind.

Bubble bath costume - awww.... I hope I can get one of the girls to try this one out in 2008. It looks easy and unique. I think if I really promote the glitter and balloons, I may be able to get my 8 year old girl to take this one on.

Dresser or chest of drawers - as long as it's not too heavy, this could be cool. I don't think it would be school friendly though. The school bus ride alone would be awkward, never mind navigating such a boxy costume into a desk! But - for around the neighbourhood - a rockin' idea.

Okay, saving the best for last - or should I say - what MOMMY can do at the last minute to get dressed up for Halloween, too! One year, I was invited to a family friendly Halloween party and I got the girls' costumes all together and done up and we were all set to go when I realized I didn't have any costume for myself! I had seen it once at a party when I was in my... hmmm... younger years let's say ;-)) - I raced to the kitchen, grabbed the tin foil and wrapped my arms and torso - if you DO have a minute, get a friend to help. Then I fashioned a hat (you know, one of those "aliens are beaming thoughts into my head and this stops them" kind of caps?) and set it on my head. Voila - I was Leftovers. So fitting for a non-stop mom! Alright, it was kind of cheesy, pun intended, but it was a costume and I partied with my kids and friends. I couldn't ask for more.

More homemade costumes to come...

MostlyMommy

MostlyMommies - our new blog

2008-09-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

Hi!

Welcome to MostlyMommies' blog. It's mostly by me but I often use suggestions from my kids for our games page. It's one of the best list of free online games for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and up that you can find right now, if I may toot my own horn. Then again, I've been creating and maintaining the MostlyMommies.com website through its many changes and recreations since... wow... 2001 when it was hosted as a subsite. It grew, almost like my kids have! About 5 months ago, our family grew again so I can promise you this - future additions to the site will have more "boy" leanings as our newest addition is also my first boy! My girls absolutely adore and cherish the new "little man" and I already fear for how spoiled for girly attention he's getting. ;-)

I used to have a much broader scope on the site and I'm hoping now to return to a focus on crafting with kids and for kids as the games page was supposed to be one way to entertain kids while you craft... not necessarily the goal of the whole website.

So, since the blog part of MostlyMommies is new, I just want to point out, I'll be adding links to games here, too, but for the full list, you'll want to go to MostlyMommies free games page. We have some game reviews as well and I'm hoping to launch... ack... I don't dare say it in a public forum or it will pressure me to go through with it sooner rather than later.... rest assured, if I DO go through with it, it will be worth the wait.

And who knows when that will be? After all, I AMMM....
MostlyMommy

Halloween is coming!

2008-09-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

Okay - THIS is the year. The year where I finally get my act together in early...ish September and start planning Halloween. Costumes, candy, timing...

With 3 kids to consider now, it won't be easy but with this much time, I should be able to... right?

I'm posting some links to costumes here but I need more help - got any info to share? I'm putting in links to Homemade costumes below and have included "pre fab", arrive at your door, ready to go costumes here: (Definitely, if you're at all crafty, scroll up or down (depending on when I got time to actually go through with the promise) for some great homemade costume ideas.)

Costumes for an 8 year old girl:
Asian princess - super cute
Cute Little Mermaid costume
Costumes for my 8 year old daughter that are age appropriate are hard to find. Even more so if I let her have TOO much say in the choice. I'm "short listing" costumes and then she can choose from the ones I've chosen. {please, let that work!!!} Again, I'm looking at homemade as the best response to the "tartification" of available costumes.

Costumes for a 6 year old girl:
(My 6 year old daughter is not a girly-girl so I don't need to worry that she'll be in something I won't approve of - she's more into being Spiderman or Scooby Doo but I imagine most people are looking for something at least a little girly...) As far as more feminine (but NOT inappropriate!) costumes go, I've found a couple:
Barbie as Mariposa
Sleeping Beauty - girls costume

Costumes for an infant boy:
You HAVE to check this one out - you won't be sorry - it's that funny! And, ahem, I won't tell anyone if you make it yourself...
Best baby boy Halloween costume - promise!
Now you see what I mean, right? Maybe your guy isn't quite as "windy" as mine but if my guy manages to be his usual gassy self while wearing that, it will all be part of the fun instead of ... having to blame the dog!

Our new neighbourhood is "the" Halloween place locally. I'm already researching how to take part in the neighbourhood festivities and while I didn't find costumes I'm interested in, I did find some amazing ideas at this site: Coolest Halloween Party Ideas - I like the Floating Ghosts idea and the Hands Floating in Blood beverage idea. The ghosts I may even try on my front lawn with an anchor of some sort. (Take helium balloons and drap a sheet over them, loosely tie the bottom of the sheet - TA DA - instant floating ghost... don't need to store one of those inflatable jobs over the year and I think it could be super effective if you paint the sheet with some glow paint ... or something!)

PB (precious boy) is waking up so I'd better get a move on if I want to eat something myself before the day is officially launched!

Homemade costume post will be up later on! Famous words... they won't be my last!
MostlyMommy