Busy Boards for Busy Babies!

My daughter has lots of flashing, blinking, singing, moving and talking toys designed and engineered especially for babies. And what does she prefer to play with? My car keys. 

Upon making this observation, I started thinking about constructing an activity board that would hold a collection of household items for Hannah to work on and explore. I raided our junk drawer and then headed to our local hardware store for a few select items. 

I gathered my stash. Hinges, latches, bells, whistles, wheels, and handles were just the beginning. As I began gluing and screwing them onto my wooden canvas, I started imagining all kinds of features that Hannah would be curious about. Mirrors, textiles, and spinning knobs joined the display. Magnets, beads, and chains came next.  Then I add a shoelace activity.

Every night when Hannah was asleep in her crib, I would add an item or two. The next morning, she would awaken to find that there were new gizmos and gadgets to discover. She would quickly locate the latest addition and go right to work on it. 

I initially worried that once the novelty of the 4' wore off, she would tire of it and seek other forms of entertainment. Not so!

Hannah uses her board at least once a day and still finds new ways to manipulate the features. 

And, we can easily swap out old items for new ones to keep it fresh and exciting.  I do believe I had as much fun making this board as she does playing with it. 

Click here to see my entire collection of busy boards, coming soon for sale on etsy!

Hannah's Rug

My baby girl is learning to crawl, so our hardwood floors needed a rug. Sounds simple right? Wrong. When you have a baby, buying a rug, like everything else, is no small task. It begins with research.

Because my baby will be rolling and tumbling and face-planting all over this rug, it has to be free of toxic chemicals, soft yet sturdy, and easy to clean for all those little "accidents" that come hand in hand with tiny tots.

You can easily find a rug that meets these requirements, but it will likely be WAY more than you planned on spending. It was for me, anyway. A lot more expensive than I thought.

I fretted about how I could afford one without dipping in to Hannah's college fund, and whenever I worry, I tend to pick up my crochet hook and start stitching myself into a zen-like state of consciousness.

And that's when it hit me. Hannah will have her rug, and not only will it be non-toxic, sturdy and beautiful, it will also be FREE.

With these two hands, I cried in exultation, raising them in the air, I will crochet us a rug, and it will be GOOD! 

Bring me my size 11" MEGA hook! I screamed to my imaginary assistant.

And then I sat down to work.

3 weeks, 22 skeins of yarn, and 25 rows later, the rug was complete. And it was everything I had hoped it would be! Soft, yet durable, and delightfully colorful.

Here is the finished product! I can't wait to get started on my next one!