Science book for 10-yr-old
 

Got nothing on the 10 year old, but consider something out of the Taggies line. They're blankets and other similar items with dozens of little tags (like care tags) on them. Little kids love them. The baltspawn would always just play with the tag part of whatever when they were that age.

They are available elsewhere, including probably Amazon, the link above was just the first one that popped up when I googled.

Science book for 10-yr-old
 

Try this one and use the lawtalkers link.

science book

Try this for the three month old:

baby blocks

and try these out for you:

spree: adult toy products

BTW
 

I'm already taking ginger capsules and B6 daily, and wearing the anti-nausea bracelets. I have ginger Altoids and Tums in my purse, and a sippy bottle of Powerade close by. The doc gave me a scrip for Compazine, which I will take in case of emergency (they're rectal suppositories--yay).

So far the best way to keep from feeling sick during the day is to make sure I have a fruit-yogurt smoothie for breakfast. The days I've felt sickest are the days I didn't have an ingredient for the smoothie and had something else.

tm

20 Month Old Eating Thin Crust Pizza
 

A play in One Act.

* Place Pizza Before Child.

* Child Removes Cheeze, Ingests. Success Rate Just Above Mendoza Line. That which is not Ingested is Smeared.

* Child Licks Crust of all Sauce. What Remains Faintly Resembles A Soggy Matza Wafer.

* Child Methodically Punches Holes In Crust, Eventually Ingests.

[Director's note: Above is conducted with Slurping, Smacking and General Zest.
The Child Does not Eat the Pizza , so much as Devour its Essence.]

[Nod in acknowledgement of Applause.]

[For the Post-Show Party, Child is Dipped in Suds, Repeatedly, until Tomato Hue Fades.]

Best toys
 

http://www.backtobasicstoys.com

This catalog has the most wonderful toys. Someone got mini-me the Hungry Pelican, and he adores it. I just got an old-style tricycle for my nephew.

http://www.backtobasicstoys.com/images/3829.jpg

Just in time for the holidays -

Best toys
 

Which reminds me--any advice on shopping for a first bike for an almost-4 1/2 year old?

Any any idea where I can get plain Hot Wheels track or something equivalent, without all the fancy loops and motors, etc.?

tm

BTW
 

http://www.preggiepop.com/

BTW, with all this m/s, you know you're having another boy, right? ;)

Help!
 

Any suggestions on a fun magazine subscription for a 11yo boy and a 13yo girl. I thought maybe Teen People for the girl, but the boy??? (And I've already ruled out porn, Hank, but thanks anyway.) If not a magazine for the boy - any other suggestions? I am not looking to spend more than about $20 on each kid.

On the 10yo - I've got nothing except maybe a science magazine might be more interesting than a book?

For the 3mo old I would suggest a nice board book he or she can read/chew starting now through the next year or two. My kid loves the Happy Baby series and they have survived a LOT of drool. We have Happy Baby Animals, Faces, Colors, and Numbers. I like Faces and Colors the best, but they are all nice and very suitable for even the youngest baby.

Help!
 

Play to their interests. Does the boy like science fiction? Sports? There are a number of science fiction magazines out there, and for sports a sports illustrated subscription (OK, a bit more than your $20, but don't be cheap, now) is arguably not about porn but sports. You know the girl better than we do - but my 10 year old would not go in for Teen People - she does like Time for Kids, loves the horse magazines in her aunt's bathroom when we visit, and has expressed interest in finding a kids poetry magazine (anyone know one?). But, some of her friends would probably love Teen People (especially if there's a feature on Avril Lavigne - who I was recently informed is WAY better than Hilary Duff).

Help!
 

Buy him Artemis Fowl- a series of 3 novels about a 12 year old genius criminal who tricks the Fairy World into giving up its gold. They are better liked than Harry Potter himself by a 12 year old boy I know quite well. Harry was born magic, Artemis has to do it with smarts.

Help!
 

My son loves those! They are good fun.

Help!
 

I take it they are british?

Help!
 

I don't think so -- but I'm pretending to be. Is it working?

Help!
 

As well as it does for your chum Madonna.

Help!
 

Brilliant!

Help!
 

I believe you mean Esther.

Best toys
 

When we did this recently (fourth-birthday present*), someone told us that it was a good idea to go to a bike store to ensure proper fit, so we did. One of us went sans kids to scope things out, etc., and then we returned avec kids. That plan doesn't work as well at Xmas, though.

* As opposed to a fourth birthday present, which a bike decidedly is not.

Best toys
 

This catalog is designed for unfrozen caveman grandparents. It's perfect for imposing on your grandchildren the 1950s childhood that even your children didn't have to endure.

For a more practical, durable tricycle that doesn't come from the J. Peterman meets Restoration Hardware school of toy design, try this:

http://store1.yimg.com/I/yhst-955571...819_117023379]

Best toys
 

I would only get that kind of a trike if you live in a flat neighborhood. We live in a very hilly neighborhood, and we needed to be able to help push him up and keep him from speeding away on the down. We got a Radio Flyer Steer & Stroll, and have been very happy with it. It has an adjustable seat position, so he can still ride it at 4, and he loves stashing stuff in the "trunk."

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...CLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

tm

Best toys
 

Oh, never mind. This is the parents' board, after all.

Best toys
 

I had a trike just like it the old fashioned I was growing up, and I adored it Besides, that catalog has bagpipes!

Then again, we all know I was probably unfrozen at some point.

BR(considering getting those bagpipes for my sister's kid - it would be great revenge for years of sibling BS)C

Think this would fit in the living room? http://www.backtobasicstoys.com/images/5070.jpg

We have someone in the neighborhood who each winter constructs an outdoor rink in their back yard. It takes up their whole back yard, which they had bulldozed flat to make this possible. They build a frame, lay down a double lining, flood the thing, and let it freeze.

Pretty serious about their hockey.

Don't they spent a lot of time chasing down errant pucks?

The kids are still too young to really send em flying. They have about a 6 inch lip above the ice and that's it. We'll see what happens as the kids grow.

They don't carry so well across ground.

Besides, just get a bucket of 'em and clean up later.

My dad used to make a backyard rink for us each year. If the yard is fenced in, there is no errant puck problem.

CBS
 

Adoption special tonight:
http://wwwimage.cbs.com/cbs_video/in...ay04/home1.jpg (clip)

U.S. children available for adoption:
http://www.adoptuskids.org/servlet/p...chema=PORTAL30

Christmas Morning . . .
 

. . . .with a 2 year old is a wonderful experience. I think it will be even better next year.

S_A_M:D

Christmas Morning . . .
 

I remember Christmas with the Wonk Princess when she was that age. It is a wonderful experience and you're right, next year will be even better. Of course, in ten years, it'll be over in about five minutes.

Christmas Morning . . .
 

The 7 month old was a little underwhelmed, but he was really, really REALLY happy with all the wrapping paper produced. Didn't even eat that much of it. He did like his new set of wooden building blocks - they are easy to grab, colorful, chewable, and make lots of noise when knocked over. He also managed to give Santa's beard a tweak, just like mommy's hair, which was fun. (Less so for Santa - it was a real beard. Poor Santas, no wonder they drink.)

The retro tricycle went over very well, incidentally. My nephew apparently decided it was the gift of choice and has tried propelling it through some snow drifts already.

Christmas Morning . . .
 

Four-year old Magnus was excited about almost all of his presents, and his second favorite was a new set of Hot Wheels. His top fave by far, though, was a second-grade math workbook picked out by his grandmother and aunt. It's become his new security blanket, and he's discovering the joys of subtraction. Heaven help us--he doesn't even start kindergarten until the fall!

tm

Christmas Morning . . .
 

The 13mo old Lexling didn't open gifts until bedtime due to all the shuffling to get to grandma and grandpa's house etc. He took no interest in the wrapping, but enjoyed the toys. The kitten we are fostering for a shelter took great pleasure in the wrapping and boxes, so my wrapping effort was not wasted. The Lexling's fav toy is a truck that you sort shapes in and makes bruum bruum noises. We (I mean Santa) only got him a couple toys (none of which need batteries!) and a few books. I am proud to say we did not go overboard at all.

I have my second nasty cold in the last 3 weeks - ugh - and I am loathe to take the tree down - is there any rule that says it can't stay up all year?

Christmas Morning . . .
 

We leave ours up through Twelfth Night - Jan 6. That's our excuse, anyway.

A couple of years ago, I pulled a Russian Tea Room and left some of the other decorations up all year just out of sheer laziness.

Christmas Morning . . .
 

My parents do that too and we probably will as well. The baby has his own little 3' tree in the living room (he can't get to the big one - it's behind 2 couches) and I really hate to take that one down especially - he loves it so much. Every morning he stands there squeaking at it and waits for me to turn the lights on.

Mr. Lex's crazy aunt left hers up for at least 15yrs. And yes, it was a real tree. When the needles fell off, she just spray-painted the whole thing silver (in the living room). For all we know, it might still be up. (Do you all see why I keep the baby away from his people?)

Christmas Morning . . .
 

That's interesting. While I was in Viet Nam, Sis got me a 2 feet high number with lights twinkling different colors. We arrived 2 days before Xmas and Vietbabe loved the lights so much - they became her hypnosis for naptime. I kept the tree on a little pedastal for over a year. She loved it. Who cares what people think?

Christmas Eve day: Vietbabe got the stomach virus and barfed everywhere but was fine Christmas day. It was a blast. Age 2 is great because they love everything they get and also you can do a really hasty, botched-up wrapping job and they don't care. For something different, I asked a gourmet type baker to create a tiny, round cake decorated pretty and Christmas-like. It came out great and was not that expensive. I froze it until Christmas morning and then hauled out the old highchair and plopped Vietbabe in it which she got a kick out of. I stuck a candle in the cake, turned out the lights, and sang "Merry Christmas to You" and plopped it on the high chair. Oila, breakfast. She thinks I am a really cool Mom now. In a few years, though, she'll know I'm more like Mr. Lex's Aunt. Carpe Diem.

VM (who has the stomach virus today)

Christmas Morning . . .
 

Pretty funny. I got a virus Chirstmas Eve Day (I was feeling a bit tackey for a couple days before that but was basically working too hard to get sick, and then on the 24th I almost literally couldn't get out of bed), but I was much better Christmas Day. (Or not - I feel much better today than I did on either the 25th or 26th, but everone who's seen me says "wow, you're sick, huh?" And I thought I looked so pulled together.) Nanny also fell suddenly ill with the same bug on Christmas Eve day, but she's still down with it.

Meanwhile, the kiddo has had a slight runny nose off and on since the beginning of last week, and coughed a few times over the weekend. That's it. I think he picked up the original bug, a mini-Patient Zero, and it mutated and now he's infected the rest of us with some killer strain of something. Fortunately, Trepidation_Dad seems immune, so there is hope for the rescue of humanity once the heroic and improbably blonde CDC doctor smuggles herself past quarantine to make a serum from his blood ... or, wait, was that something I saw on SciFi this weekend while running a fever?

Christmas Morning . . .
 

I would be careful and assume T Dad will get it and plan things with that in mind. At my parents house, every one of the holiday week inhabitants got it in some form or another over the course of 5 days: Mom, Dad, Me, Sis 1, Sis 2, all five grandkids, cousin 1 and cousin 2. Gramps and Gram came down with it today after having visited Christmas Eve. Unless the house has something in it making us all sick (isn't THAT a movie on Sci Fi channel?) this thing is mighty contagious.

I thought everyone did this?

(And then we wonder why our backyard grass always looks like hell.)

Christmas Morning . . .
 

Wait until the oldest is fifteen, you've spent more than you spent on your first four cars, and then they wander away to play with their Ipods/phones/snowboards, and you don't see them again for days.

Come to think of it, it IS a wonderful experience.