Make Play Doh and do it often!

I have discovered the secret to long bursts of quiet enjoyment with my little one - Make play doh - it is simple and can provide hours of play. I encourage you to make this salt dough with your little ones, let them help as much as possible measuring and pouring ingredients. Add food colors and enjoy color mixing and modeling with it. Get out your cookie cutters, rolling pins and play bakery! The possibilities for this dough are endless! One of the favorite attractions of this is the warm feeling when it is fresh out of pot.

Homemade Play Dough (aka Salt Dough)

1 cup Flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
food colors

1. Combine all ingredients, except food colors in a pot.
2. Cook over low to medium heat. Stirring for approximately 10 minutes, or until smooth
3. Remove from heat and add food color
4. Turn out onto table and start playing!

ps: this is not the salt dough that dries hard

Tot Spot

Children Need time to be creative without parental influence, just let your little ones enjjoy their time at the art table. DO NOT worry about the mess or keeping hands and clothes clean, comments about being neat go unheard or quash creativity. If you can't abide by a mess get out aprons, other cover ups, or designate specific clothes for messy activities. since I have a large collection of supples and space designated for art. I now offer classes for 2 to 5 year olds in my studio. Children and their grown up are free to work on their own or join in a guided activity aimed at developing fine motor skills, and creativity in very young artists.

Mnemosyne and Zeus

Well we are expecting the first of our muses, Zeus hasn't changed a bit - still on the road constantly. When he is back at the Olympia we spend time trying to decide on a name looks like it will be Primo. Don't get me wrong every mortal and immortal you know will have a suggestion, it is crazy making. My advice be polite and then forget about them - it is your baby! We have a baby book with names we like high-lighted, at least we know if it is a boy or a girl (but we are not Telling! You, dear reader will have to wait) and have been able to eliminate an entire half of the book. Still no agreement. As you probably have guessed Zeus likes things to go his way, luckily for me, I can be inspiring.

So this Pregnant Women goes into a Coffee shop......

.....and the over-zealous barista says we make a great decaf!
We have all heard the tales of perfect strangers reacting to pregnancy in the most inappropriate manner, to me none is more annoying than the concern over my caffeine intake. As if when you get pregnant all of your ability to be rational goes out the nearest window. Please dear reader note: I readily admit to being extremely emotional from the day I found myself pregnant, however my understanding of what I read and what the doctor says has not diminished. Reading too much can lead to anxiety, do yourself a favor throw out What To Expect When You Are Expecting! I can only relate one tale of belly touching or parenting by the general public, it wasn't upsetting. On one of my last days in NYC I went to the movie with the girl gang. One of our group is an elderly Japanese-American women, Miné Okubo, who spent her life single (actually married to her Art) she put her frail hands on my belly and told me, " your are very fortunate."

Miné is the Author of Citizen 13660, a pictorial chronicle of her experience as, citizen 13660, in an internment camp at Topaz.