Have you heard? ListenAlongStoryBook.com podcasts popular picturebooks for free!

In the 70s, my favorite rack in the public library held plastic bags with books and records. Over my childhood Arnold Lobel's Stone Soup evolved into Sterling North's Rascal while the records were gradually usurped by cassette tapes. Today, the mention of those authors' names conjure memories of laying on the green shag carpet in front of the stereo and engaging in those well-told tales.

Following the Raptor's toddling path through the library last week, I found that the library still has a small collection of those books on cassette (and now CD), but I suspect that those kids' audiobook are becoming a less common feature in libraries today. The audio mediums are more prone to breakage than print materials, so the collections require more patron care and general maintenance.

One children's publisher (Sterling Children's Books) is making it possible for excellent dramatic performance to be a childhood standard yet again.

On March 1st, Sterling launched ListenAlongStoryBook.com which offers live streaming and podcasts of their most popular picture books.

Sterling's publicist sent us a copy of Cesar Takes a Break by Susan Collins Thoms (MRSP: $14.95), so 4 year old Ranger could experience the podcast with the book.

Cesar Takes a Break is a very timely choice for kids about to take a Spring Break. Cesar, a classroom iguana, decides to explore the school when the children of the class leave for vacation. Ranger is in his second year of preschool, but every break seems to surprise him. This story seems a good way to make him mindful of the upcoming week's opportunities.

Jim thinks the book's varied characters (the school's other class pets) lend themselves to expressive reading. Ranger loves it when Jim reads this story as well.

The high quality podcast entails excellent and expressive readings (by Sterling Children's Book staffers) and original music.

Ranger loved the Cesar Takes a Break podcast with and without the book. His reading skills at 4.5 leave him a bit baffled about when to the turn the page. The story pleases him even without the book in hand. We would love to see a subtle signal added to cue page turns as it would allow pre-readers to follow along with greater independence.

Listen-Along Storybook's first 8 podcasts include the classic folktale Jack & the Beanstalk and new releases like Perfectly Arugula.

Ranger and I will get the books from the library so we can follow along with the vibrant illustrations, but YOU have a chance to win the 8 book set from Sterling Children's Books.

Sterling Children's Books has offered to give each of THREE lucky Baby Toolkit readers (in the U.S. or Canada) all 8 books currently featured on the podcast site.

[Contest closed.]
(Contest entries close at 11:59 PM Thursday, 3/18/2010. Winners will be notified by email.)

For a peek behind the production curtain check out the making of Cesar Takes a Break:


Sterling has also launched a Jokecast for the younger set. WARNING: These are serious groaners, and I know Ranger is going to love telling them to me HUNDREDS of times.

***Baby Toolkit is the brain dump of two Midwestern bibliophile geek parents with opinions on almost everything. We received a free copy of Cesar Takes a Break from Sterling Children's Books (~$15 value). While free books are a decent route to our bookworm hearts, we wouldn't bother telling you (at least not in non-lambasting tones) about something we didn't like.

More Muppets: Ringing of the Bells

I'm stifling the urge to wake the Raptor (the biggest Muppet maniac in the household). A new Muppet video was released tonight, and it rocks.

The Nerdist observes "this wave of new vids make the Muppets feel like The Muppet Show again."



Muppet Studios' YouTube channel is well worth a subscription.

***Baby Toolkit is the independent opinion of a couple of geek parents. We have no financial interest in or relationship with the Muppets or their parent company (who we actively dislike). However back in 1990, Adrienne did pull off the expressway to cry after hearing of Jim Henson's untimely death.

Word on Sesame Street: Free eBooks!

Ranger and I spent part of the afternoon listening to lovable, furry old Grover read the audio eBook There is a Monster at the End of this Book. Each word is highlighted as Grover narrates. The audio effects cracked Ranger up.

To celebrate its 40th birthday, Sesame Workshop issued its most popular title ever in ebook form [trivia: There is a Monster at the End of this Book hasn't been out of print since its original printing]. They plan of offering a new free ebook every week. Some of the ebooks will have audio and interactive capabilities. Early in 2010, Sesame Street and Impelsys (the technology provider) plan on offering even more titles for individual purchase and subscription.

The eBooks can be viewed through a web browser, but do not seem to have a download option (please let me know if I'm overlooking something).

Users can print pages from coloring and activity books like the seasonally appropriate Celebrate.

Sesame Street ebooks can be found at http://ebooks.sesamestreet.org.

For more information about the future of Sesame Street's eBooks, read Impelsys' recent press release.

***Baby Tookit is the independent opinion of a couple geek parents. We have no fiscal, social, or familial relationship with Sesame Street, Children's Television Workshop, PBS, or Impelsys. Heck, we're actually suspicious of newfangled characters like Elmo and Abby Cadabby and we feel like Big Bird doesn't get enough air time, but these eBooks are cool- especially while they're free.

In addition, we are Amazon.com affiliates, so if you click through the picture above and buy the book (or other stuff), a small percentage of the sale will go to support Baby Toolkit (thanks!). We do own this book, and Ranger loves to hear it read by Jim even more than the ebook (sorry, Grover).

Help the planet (and your bottom line) with online auctions: shopgoodwill.com

Like an angler with a bountiful fishing hole, bargain hunters like to keep their best sources secret. While I'm sure to draw the ire of other cheapskates, it seems wrong not to tell people about this cornucopia of savings.

All proceeds benefit a charitable non-profit. Buying resale items keeps usable goods out of landfills (longer) and prevents redundant manufacturing. It can also save consumers a fortune.

We married young, so in the first years of our marriage, Jim and I were lucky to buy the essentials. By the time he got the first professional job in our family, even a single dollar had meaning. Around that time I discovered antique malls and consignment sales. After a while I started looking into thrift shops. Now, over a decade later, I answer most "Where did you get that?" inquiries with some form of resale or reuse answer (thrift shop, yard sale, consignment, gift, loan from a friend).

When we're clearing out the house, I like to give usable to goods to friends and some of my favorite charity shops. It was at one of these drop-offs, when I stumbled upon shopgoodwill.com.

In its early days, I visited and found mostly tchotchkes requiring dusting, dolls that give me nightmares, and handbags. Beyond the amusement of the occasional suggestive monkey teapot, I didn't think it had much promise. But I didn't think the Web would catch on either (didn't Gopher already offer everything minus the images and sound? Is that really such a big deal? In my defense the early web featured the blink tag WAY TOO much).

In the time since my initial introduction shopgoodwill.com has grown into a real beauty.

The savings are mind-blowing. This cool metal dollhouse's current bid is $10.99, while an identical dollhouse (possibly with fewer furniture pieces) sold online for $130 at an antique shop. The antique store has better lighting and photographs, but are they really worth the additional $119.01?

Not only can you find many of the original Fisher Price Little People buildings- from the barn to the A-frame house (that I wanted to live in) to the great merry-go-round to the school, you can also buy NEW stuff and current electronics.

Just cruising through I've found new in package games for systems ranging from Leapster to DS to Xbox 360 to PS3 to didj to PSP.

Want a DS or a Leapster?

Are you shopping for someone who likes Lego, American Girl, Hannah Montana, Star Wars, or Sesame Street?

And who doesn't love this vintage Fisher Price tabletop kitchen stove (presently with a $6 bid)?

Shipping seems to be reasonable. If you are willing to drive to the selling Goodwill, you can often arrange for pickup.

I can trust you to keep this under your hat, right? We wouldn't want the place overrun with hipsters looking for Elvis memorabilia.

***Baby Toolkit is a couple of geek parents with more opinions than should be shared. While we shop at Goodwill Industries and drop off lots of unwanted stuff there (including review samples), we are not affiliated with Goodwill Industries nor have we received any compensation for this review (beyond the joy of sharing something awesome with our readers).

Beautiful URLs: Some Favorite Links, August 1

We were off enjoying some sun, sand, and 60 degree temperatures in Michigan. Friends and family kept us too occupied to really mind that didn't have Internet access.

In the meantime, my feed reader filled with bloggy goodness.

Here are some recent favorites:

• Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule (by Paul Graham) explains a lot about how my life works (or doesn't work). Babies and kids don't really understand either kind of schedule, but the Raptor definitely wants a manager momma which makes blogging (and many other activities) complicated. (thanks, Z Recs)

• Craftster superstar Vegbee and family are moving into an RV and hitting the road. Her post about letting go of accumulated stuff inspires me to address my own troubled relationship with disused objects (particularly gifts).

• Speaking of stuff, Z Recommends adopts and explains a new Keep No Stuff review policy. Jim and I have been discussing our own review policy. We currently disclose any free review samples and vested interest in companies (it's pretty simple, we're far too lazy to invest). When I get a little maker time, we'll discuss our own review, advertising, and privacy policies.

• Ranger, the Raptor, and I have been frequenting the local spray parks, but I think we may have to build our own mist sprayer/bike wash from this great instructables tutorial.

• I've always wondered how people could maturely combat real life trolls like hatemonger Fred Phelps, and this solution seems divinely inspired. Thank you, Bill Childs.

• By the way, if you're not listening to Bill, Ella, and Liam Childs on their excellent kids' radio show Spare the Rock, you are most certainly missing out. [podcast feed]

• Another hankie doll you can make in a pinch with only a handkerchief and a ring or a piece of string. [earlier]

• Best birth location story.

• Anyone going to the GenCon Indy in a couple weeks? It's a great gaming convention in the heart of Indianapolis. Check out their family day and its great price then make plans to meet us there!

What posts have drawn your attention lately?

I Get Around: Recent Guest Posts

To Ranger's utter horror, the Raptor started crawling (right toward his favorite toys). Her newfound mobility challenges me too. But between negotiating minor turf wars, I've enjoyed writing posts for two of my favorite blogs.

• Z Recommends gave us a chance to review bumbleride's Queen B pram style stroller.

• Dot at Dabbled.org invited me to write a guest post during her vacation. You might remember her open source robot party invitations that we used for Ranger's birthday and the decorate-it-yourself bakery cake they inspired. Check out some of our favorite summer books and make sure to click through to Dot's AWESOME dragon cake.
  
  (If you've already subscribed to Dabbled's feed, please check to make sure it's still active. Dabbled's recent transition to WordPress left a number of subscribers behind.)

Thanks for reading Baby Toolkit!

Beautiful URLs: Some Favorite Links, May 30

Bewitching perspectives from around the web:

• Apgar is more than just a score. A brief look at the incredible woman behind the idea. (Wall Street Journal, via Goodyblog)

• With summer, I'm spending more time thinking about spending less time on tasks. In this New York Times article, Mark Bittman offers tips for freezing food.

• Handkerchiefs are pretty handy with kids, so I usually carry one or two in my bag. This easily folded doll (The Common Room) turns out to be their killer app for the Raptor. She loves to pull and chew on these little gals. I'm having trouble figuring out the guy instructions, so if anyone figures it out, please send me a picture.

• Thrifty Fun offers up a sewing tutorial for an adorable bandana bonnet. Beginners, this project is a perfect starter.

• Don't miss the opportunity to send your handmade doll to Casa Bernabe Orphanage in Nicaragua in Craft Hope's second project. There's still enough time to meet the June 13th arrival date, but the dolls will need to be in the mail soon.
  

What do you think? Seen any great posts lately?

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream Socials!

The timing on this is much like a pop quiz, but wouldn't you love to win a 100 person ice cream party for your neighborhood?

Don't miss tonight's 11:59 PM (ET) deadline, to enter Edy's Slow-Churned Neighborhood Salute.

In a 1 minute (or less) digital video or a short paragraph (350 word maximum), explain why your neighborhood or community group should win one of the 1,500 ice cream parties Edy's is giving away.

Sorry about the short notice. I kept forgetting to add this to earlier Beautiful URLs, but we both know you would have put it off until the last minute anyway.

Beautiful URLs: Some Favorite Links, May 24

Look what followed me home from the Interwebs:

• Princess pedestal: How many girls are on one? (AP) dicusses how some families have growing concerns about princess thinking in a turbulent economy. Though the Raptor is only 6 months, we make conscious effort not to call her angel or princess. Jim keeps talking to her about cryptography. Princess play will be fine here when she chooses it, but then she'll meet the real (hard-working, socially conscious) princesses (and queens) from The Daring Book for Girls rather than the Disney variety.

• kidsbowlfree.com is a group of US bowling alleys offering kids 2 free games of bowling DAILY during the summer. This is the best deal for kids with bowling shoes (shoe rental is $3.75 here), it's a good deal even for a casual bowler (it's $4/game at our favorite alley). Register your kids online to participate. Want to bowl along with your kids? For $24 you can get a family bowling pass that allows two games daily (all summer) for an adult (additional packages available for 2, 3, and 4 adults). Thanks to Cara at Working Moms Against Guilt for sharing this program!

• Want to watch an interesting nest from your living room? Jonah Lisa at the Toby Show is offering daily Nest Cam photos of a robins' nest on her beautiful Utah porch (I can see why the robins chose to build there). If you're feeling more like drinking from the visual information firehose, the Indianapolis Star has a live feed from a falcon's nest high above Monument Circle. This grittier feed (the birds brush against the lens) currently offers fluffy fledglings looking to leave the nest. If you want to know what's happening in the nest, just check out the falcons' blog. (via Indy citizen, weight loss blogger, and world traveler: Pasta Queen).

• Looking into the future with marshmallows? Can't hardly wait: A self-control experiment for 4-year-olds (Tranquil Parent by ZRecommends) is an interesting summary of parents home testing their 4-year-olds' self control after reading research on self-control and academic success featured in the New York Times. There's now a wave of home marshmallow experiments being posted online. While conducting the experiment at home is tempting, I would caution any parent from reading too much into the child's response. You and your child already have established patterns about food, so those patterns may be entirely different than those achieved by a less familiar research administrator in a controlled environment.

• Musical foreshadowing? What was the #1 hit on the day of your birth? (Thanks, Kim!)

• I dread the day naptimes end here. Muses of Megret brilliantly suggests making quiet time CDs to keep the natives peacable so caregivers can get a much-needed midday break.
  

What do you think? What posts have caught your imagination this week?

Beautiful URLs: Some Favorite Links

A few favorite links from this week:

• Why I Feed Formula at adjunctmom reminds me why judging other moms, especially strangers, is bad business. This article resonates with me because I was hospitalized during Ranger's first year. While I had to completely curtail breastfeeding for my own survival, Jim and Ranger struggled with cold turkey weaning. Those were dark, sad, trying days for our family, yet they are nothing compared to adjunctmom's experience. (related: The Boob Wars)

• A case of mistaken identity at the grocery store turns into a great new cookie recipe at Crumbs on My Kitchen Floor. Not only are they tasty, they're also a great substitute for those with peanut allergies! Aimee's blog is a great source of ideas and culinary inspiration.

• Hands Up! It's a fun and simple gift for moms, dads, grandparents, and godparents. I'll post more about this project before Father's Day (as Jim wants one), but for now stop by Mimi-n-Moe's Mom for some handprints you won't mind seeing on your walls. Karen has a fearlessness when it comes to kids & art supplies that I truly envy.
  

• Young Americans Losing Their Religion (ABC News): Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone, presents his new research regarding a distinctive move away from faith communities in America starting with Gen X. The reasons for the change are interesting, though probably not startling to those in and after Gen X. Are we on the cusp of "religious innovation" as Putnam suggests? Either way, his observations seem like a roadmap for someone wanting to grow a younger faith community.
  

• Dot @ Dabbled.org is a great blog about drawing, art, and kids. Dabbled is a wealth of great ideas and generousity. Last year we used her wonderful copyleft robot invitations and art for Ranger's 3rd birthday and adapted her sweet bots to fondant for Ranger's cake. She's running an awesome contest to win 500 postcards of your own design from UPrinting.com. All you have to do is comment with a creative use for self-printed postcards. Enter now, the contest ends very soon (Monday)! If you win, send us a postcard!
  

• To gift, re-gift, or not gift at all? Join the birthday present debate at Thingamababy. If the weekend goes smoothly, we'll be posting our approach quite soon.

• If I haven't accosted you in person already, every parent should read Malcolm Gladwell's newest book Outliers. I read it during those first early AM feedings with the Raptor. Even if you haven't read it, you should check out Gladwell's recent New Yorker article on How David Beats Goliath. Jim and I classify it among parenting must-reads like Po Bronson's How Not to Talk to Your Kids.
  

• Offline, if you have the June issue of Parents Magazine, please turn to page 76 and see Jeremiah and Zella of Z Recommends. As a friend observed, it's pretty cool to see a blogging dad mentioned with the likes of Brad Pitt and Jack Black.

What do you think? What posts have caught your eye and imagination this week?

Menu Planning for New Eaters: Babyfood101.com

At 6 months, the Raptor can easily be described as an enthusiastic eater. It's a joy and a relief after years of struggling with Ranger over food.

I recently stumbled onto babyfood101.com (I cannot figure out how I got there, so please let me know who I owe credit for this). This amazing site is great for the confounded parents of early eaters.

Babyfood101 offers a weekly email outlining two new foods for baby (see week 2). The email instructs on the selection and preparation of the foods, the appropriate age for introduction, homemade baby food recipes, storage, whether or not the food is sold in jars, if buying organic is worthwhile, and adult recipes for the same ingredient.

It's like Relish for babies!

The emails start with recommendations for the earliest eaters and progresses to more complex foods over time.

Babyfood101's web site is also searchable by food, recommends gear (starting hilariously with the finger), offers a grocery guide, discussing making baby food, foods to avoid, recommended books and web sites, and a first feedings question and answer section.

Bon appetit, mes petit amis!

Maximize Your Educational Time: LeapFrog Announces New Dream & Learn Orb

We're in love with LeapFrog educational products for young children. As I prepare to announce the winner in our LeapFrog National Reading Month contest I just received word of a new study aid to be released later this year (alongside the Tag Jr. and Text & Learn).

Anyway, here's the skinny (direct from the press release):

LEAPFROG® DREAM & LEARN™ SMART ORB MAKES KIDS

SLEEP SMARTER AND WAKE UP BRIGHTER

“Study While You Slumber” Product Will Make Every Kid Valedictorian

EMERYVILLE, CA—April 1, 2009—Today LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: LF) proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that learning can happen anytime, anyplace—with satisfaction guaranteed. After a decade of top-secret, government-funded testing at underground research facilities in several undisclosed locations, LeapFrog has released the revolutionary Dream & Learn Smart Orb. Dream & Learn is the first product to harness the unique ability of children’s brains to absorb raw intelligence delivered via high frequency sound waves. Now all kids (and the occasional cocker spaniel) can instantly comprehend difficult-to-learn concepts—while they sleep!

“Every child sleeps an average of nine hours a night, so why not turn this normally wasted time into a painless study session—and ace that chemistry final?” said Nancy MacIntyre, executive vice president, product, innovation and marketing. “Parents who despair that their child will ever grasp the quadratic formula, Zeno’s Paradox or the answer to ‘how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?’ will now rest easy. We’re happy to say that, thanks to our space-age engineering, having the brightest kid on the block is no longer just a dream.”

Turning centuries of educational theory on their head, the patented smartification technology embedded within Dream & Learn—Subjective Neurological Osmosis Retention & Entertainment (S.N.O.R.E.)—allows children to go to sleep as usual and simply wake up noticeably smarter (albeit, in approximately 10 per cent of test cases, somewhat groggy). The Dream & Learn’s (http://www.leapfrog.com/en/shop/dreamandlearn.html) compact size, sleek spherical shape and hermetically sealed shell allow it to be nestled safely and unobtrusively next to any standard-sized pillow. And the ”infinity dial” of subjects lets parents choose exactly which Amazing Knowledge Archive (how to calculate a molar solution; baking a perfect pie crust—every time!; exactly who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?) will grow their little one’s brain each night.

Fighting Over Homework—Never Again!

Dream & Learn eliminates the need for any parent ever again to nag their child to finish homework. Parents simply set the Dream & Learn dial to the topic of their choice, place the device near their child’s pillow and off the little one goes into productive slumber. The S.N.O.R.E.’s proprietary sonic algorithms infiltrate and effectively “hijack” the child’s unconscious and download the selected information directly to the appropriate lobes of the brain. A satisfied parent said, “My son used to fail every math quiz he took. But now, at only eight years old, he is heading to Antarctica to do stuff my wife and I can’t even pronounce, let alone understand. Thanks, LeapFrog!”

Already in development are next-gen products that will actually allow a child to sleep around the clock—and get smarter, faster, than possible while awake. And depending on their particular parenting philosophies, moms and dads can even choose not to tell their child he or she is “Dream & Learn”-ing, placing the orb after bedtime and removing it in the wee hours of the morning. The child will awaken smarter—but none the wiser.

Availability and Money-back Guarantee

Dream & Learn Smart Pod is now available from LeapFrog’s web site. If within ten days your child is not a seven-language-speaking viola virtuoso leading NASA’s mission to DNA profile the rings of Saturn, you are guaranteed a full refund of the purchase price plus applicable shipping and handling charges.

...and yes, LeapFrog did actually send out this release today.

Happy April Fool's Day!
Check out The Toby Show and Google Maps' street view icon for more 4/1 fun.

Chalking Things Up: Guest Stroller Review On Z Recommends

People kept asking me about this image on my driveway.

Utility warnings? Hobo symbols? Geometry vandals?

Nope. Stroller physics.

Check our review (fortified with chalky physics) out at Z Recommends and don't miss the second post where I install the infant carrier properly.

My Baby She Wrote Me A Letter: PictureItPostage

Okay, 2.5 month old Raptor can't write yet, but she's already sending mail.

For Christmas we gave Grandma some custom photo stamps from PictureItPostage, and since then the Raptor has been appearing in mailboxes across the country (to great acclaim).

The stamps are a great quality material, so they don't easily get scratched, scuffed, or knocked off during mailing. With a display area of 2" by 1.25",they're larger than standard postage (which is great because the photos really stand out). The reproduction quality is very good (much better than my hasty, randomly lit photo suggests) and equal to a photographic print of the same size.

Shipping of the stamps was prompt, and they were packaged to prevent damage in mostly recyclable materials (only 1 thin plastic sleeve was non-recyclable).

Custom postage makes a great, practical gift for parents or grandparents or a great addition to mailings from your kids (Valentines, party invitations, thank you notes, announcements, etc.).

20 first class stamps (2- 8.5" x 5.5" sheets of self-adhesive stamps) cost $18.95. 20 postcard stamps are $15.95. Additional postage rates are available. Orders of more than one set qualify for discounts.

PictureItPostage is a fun way to send a little loveliness this Valentine's Day!

Dinner Renaissance: How Relish! Changed Our Lives

At our house the phrase "home cooking" has long been a punch line. While we cooked in the early days of our marriage (potatoes, lots of potatoes), we quickly transitioned to eating out, take out, and heat and serve as soon as our budget allowed.

Over a decade later, we still enjoyed the ease of take out, but were completely bored with the restaurant options. We were paying a premium in money and family time for meals we had long ceased to enjoy. Ranger always looked a little lost in his play kitchen. He'd usually pop a couple things in the microwave and then carry them into the living room.

Shortly before the Raptor was born (late in '08), I became intrigued with a menu planning service featured by Cool Mom Picks. Relish! (at relishrelish.com) features a composite shopping list and meals that take around 30 minutes to prepare and cost about $95 a week (4 people, 5 meals).

We signed up for a 3 month subscription ($21). There were options that cost less than $7 a month, but they required longer subscription terms. A voice in my head (or maybe the collective voice of my unused kitchen gear) grounded my expectations: "A unused 3 month subscription ultimately costs less than an unused 12 month subscription."

When I chose our first week's menu (5 out of 15 options), Jim (buoyed by the prospect of delicious sounding dishes) offered to go to the store. Awesome! In the past I've gone to the store because I especially hate trying to make a shopping list. Then I hate being at the store because I cannot think of thing to make. I used to end up coming home with a random assortment of things that couldn't be assembled to make any actual meals. Shopping really bummed me out.

Now I just keep a post-it note of additional groceries to attach to the Relish! shopping list. Jim and Ranger go or I go when the kids are with other adults. The grocery store has lost its sting. The list itself gets plenty of attention at the grocery store. Strangers track us down to say things like "Wow, you must be organized" (which I love to hear even if it's totally inaccurate) or "Where did you get that list?"

And our fridge is no longer a place where food goes to expire... Before kids, our fridge was the condiment and take-out box museum indicative of workaholics. After Ranger, I bought food out of guilt and good intentions, but usually didn't muster the courage to assemble it while it was edible. On the rare occasions I tried to make something, we were inevitably out of an essential ingredient so some meals were abandoned midstream.

The wasted food hit an all-time high early last summer after we joined a CSA project. After a few weeks our fridge threatened to become an organic compost heap, so we started distributing all of our share among friends. Jim was driving an extra 30 minutes each week to get food that just made me feel wasteful.

Now we buy what we eat, and we eat what we buy. It's a clean feeling to throw out empty packages rather than expired food.

Our life is more ordered too. We sit down for meals together and clean up together. In the last week, we've had guests for four meals. It's easy to invite people over, even at the last minute, when you know something good is in the works.

Jim and I clean up together most nights, and it gives life a nice rhythm. Ranger seems to like sitting at the table with us and is eating at a less glacial pace. The Raptor has a bouncer in the kitchen were she keeps me company while I cook.

There are so many ways Relish! has changed our quality of life. We have more conversational time, more money, less guilt, and more happiness. And that is before we even broach the meals themselves.

Last night my mom summed it up with "You eat like kings!" We do, maybe better depending upon the kingdom and the era.

We've cooked dishes and ingredients I never would have tried, and we've had great results with everything (which is notable when you look at our storied history of cooking failures). Shiny, unused kitchen implements have become instruments of weekly, if not daily, use.

Our menu for the last week was:

• Italian sausage heroes with apple coleslaw
• Nutty cucumber sandwiches with homemade baked potato chips
• Pumpkin-bean soup with cranberry & feta salad
• Mexian scrambled eggs with pomegranate & pear salad
• Gourmet chicken chili with jack quesadillas

The meals are so suitable for each season. The winter has been full of sumptuously warm meals that contrast the spare weather and atmosphere outdoors. After some chicken and dumplings, Jim and I marvelled over the rich flavor contributed by well cooked carrots. Carrots. The orange kind.

Relish also offers a freezer cooking menu once a month and special menus for holidays, lunches, deserts, and events like the Superbowl and themed movie nights. Around the holidays, the freezer menu included a number of make-ahead appetizers and hors d'ouevres to simplify the season.

I am proud to report that we just renewed our subscription after 3 months. This time I signed up for a full year... a delightful, delicious year.

WIN A YEAR OF RELISH!

Relish! founders Karen Hutcherson and Anne Bender have generously offered a one year subscription ($58.80 value) to one lucky Baby Toolkit reader.

To enter the contest please tell us (in a few sentences) why you think a year of Relish! would be a good fit for you and your family. We'll randomly select a winner. Email your entries to babytoolkitcontests[at]gmail.com by 11:59 PM CST, February 1, 2009. We'll announce the winner on Groundhog's Day. One entry per household please.

Not So Tiny Bubbles: Cheap Wands and DIY Solution

If you're not reading Mom Advice, you're probably missing out on some great ideas. I don't know how Amy does it all, but her frugal living site has a great breadth of coverage. I particularly look forward to her Thursday Amy's Notebook posts that highlight lots of great ideas from around the web.

Her post on bubble wands from Target's Dollar Spot and link to a DIY bubble solution recipe inspired a lot of fun here.

After a trip to Target's Dollar Spot for some giant bubble wands and glycerin ($2.69 for 4 ounces; they hold it behind the pharmacy counter at our Target so you have to ask for it; CVS puts it with the scar treatment ointments), we mixed up a gallon of Sparkle Power's homemade bubbles in an empty milk jug (tip to avoid a frothy mess while filling: first fill the jug with warm water; then add the dish soap and glycerin; roll or shake sealed jug gently to mix. Label the jug lest your family mistake the substance for beverages).

For our playgroup at the local spray park, Ranger and I loaded the car with two Target bubble wands ($1/each), a gallon of bubble mix, and a third giant SuperBubble wand from Toys R Us ($3, and don't bother- it's awful). The bubble wands were so easy to use that the toddlers (2 & 3 year olds) spent as much time playing with the bubbles as running through the water sprayers.

The glycerin makes the bubbles rather easy to produce and resilient. The wands have many openings, so they produce many bubbles with one swipe of the arm. We found that the yellow flower wand tended to produce a single giant cluster bubble, while the orange wand with the hearts and star border made lots of small to mid-sized individual bubbles.

The bubble solution has easily won the admiration of playgroup families and Ranger's grandparents.

I can't wait to try it with our Klutz Giant Bubble Maker. It might inspire us to make Mentor Mom's DIY mega bubble wand.

Thanks, Amy, for the great recommendations!

RefundPlease.com: Polite and Effective

Though we like to shop locally, sometimes the things we want aren't always available from local businesses. As a result, I end up shopping via Amazon for everything from specialty sugar to the world's best rechargeable NiMH batteries to earthquake straps.

Until recently, I wasn't aware that Amazon has a 30 day price-drop guarantee that if the price of something you buy drops within the next 30 days, you can get a refund on the price difference (if you request it). Or that there are some great online tools (like RefundPlease.com) that will watch the prices for you. (Thanks, Parent Hacks!)

So, after six weeks of registering Amazon purchases at RefundsPlease.com, I've recieved $11.15 in rebates on $137 in purchases. That's an additional 8% savings and all I had to do was fill out a couple forms (registering purchases and requesting refunds). The whole process of registering and getting the refunds has taken less time than writing this short post.

And what mom doesn't smile a domain name with manners?

For the Love of the Game: Board Game Resources

If you have read Baby Toolkit for a while, you know that we like to play board games. We particularly love games that are typically classed as "German games" or "Euro games,".

The only problem is that there are so many and they are often kind of pricey. We can have a talk later about whether a game is worth such a price (we think they are given the amount of entertainment you will receive in the time that you play versus the price you pay). With the advent of podcasting and blogging in all its forms, there are quite a few resources that you can use in selecting your next purchase.

Four particularly good resources that we recently found are "Board Games with Scott" and three podcasts, "Family Night," "The Game Kennel" and "King's Court," from the Pulp Gamer site.

"Board Games with Scott" is a regularly updated video podcast in which the host, Scott Nicholson, usually focuses on highlighting one game, its components, the basic rules, general gameplay and provides a mini-review about who the game might appeal to.

To get an idea of the types of games that all these resources are talking about, Scott created a handy Board Games 101 episode that gives an overview (with MANY examples) of what these types of games are all about.




Pulp Gamer produces a number of excellent quality game-related audio podcasts; each focusing on a different audience. Generally they discuss the components of the game, the general quality, the cost, general game play, and give a starred score (using a scale that they repeat in each episode), and a justification for the score. "Family Night" focuses on family oriented titles and activities that they think will help entertain the family as a whole. "The Game Kennel" is a general game review podcast as is "The King's Court."

For all of these resources, it is worth checking out the back catalog of episodes if your reader doesn't pick them up.

If you have any board game resources that you enjoy, let us know in the comments. If you have any games that you have recently tried and enjoyed, let us know that as well.

Happy gaming.

Toys & Toxins: New Resource

Toys have many parents worried.. and for good reason. Some companies are arguing that it's okay for their toys to contain illegal levels of lead (like this RED blood-pressure cuff) as long it's not on the surface of the product. Relatedly, Fisher-Price (a Mattel company) refuses to pull lead tainted toys exceeding federal standards in states other than Illinois (from Consumer Reports blog).

Well, here's a little good news. Ecology Group, a Michigan environmental group is independently testing toys for 9 toxins that can be viewed through x-ray fluorescence. They report their findings in a great database at HealthyToys.org. I whiled away a couple hours cruising through this great site. You can even proposed more toys for them to test and subscribe to database updates.

I was relieved to see one of Ranger's favorite chewable baby toys get a pretty clean bill of health even though he quit chewing on it some time ago. And we crossed Wedgits off his Christmas list until they're PVC free.

Confused About Polycarbonate Bottles? Zrecs has answers

If you're concerned about Bisphenol-A in baby bottles and sippy cups, then you should definitely visit Zrecs.com's comprehensive overview of major manufacturers' products and attitudes. This directory is a great new resource.

Plus, the Zrecs folks are offering some BPA-free products from BornFree in Prizey's current giveaway: