Favorite Hints and Tricks

[Texasmujer]

The Bath is Drawn---I give my two- and four- year-olds a small amount of shaving cream to slather on the bathroom tiles during bath time. After creating a "canvas," they use their fingers to draw letters , numbers, and pictures in the cream. Afterward they erase everything and start over again. Bath time is over when the shaving cream is dissolved.---N.H., Bonita Springs. FL

Book "Mark"---My bookmark often slips out of the book I'm reading, which makes it difficult to find my place. So now instead ofusing a bookmark, I write the number of the last page I've read, in pencil, on the inside cover. This way I don't waste time searching for my place and I can continue reading with pleasure.

Magnetic Amusement---To keep her 21-month-old occupied in the car, my sister-in-law brings along a cookie tin filled with arge refrigeraator magnets. He loves spending time stidking the magnets all over the outside of the tin.---P.W., Bolingbrook, IL

Shortening Solution---Do you have trouble keeping parchment paper in place on your baking sheet? Dab a bit of solid shortening on each corner of the sheet, then place the pardhment paper on top. Smooth it down over the dabs of shortening and presto---flat paper!!---E.D., East McKeesport, PA


A Grand Idea---When our granddaughter, Abby, started to read, we began "Grandma and Grandpa's Book of the Month Club." Each month we send her a book and a "certificate" announcing the month's selection. Sometimes we include a bookmark as a bonus. She looks forward to each book and to becoming a better reader.---J.B., New Port, FL

Errands Made Easy---To save time, gas and our sanity, my friend and I do many of oour weekly errands together. While one of us is in the store, the other stays in the car with the kids. This way we don't have to keep taking them in and out of their car seats, and we also avoid the stress of shopping with them in tow. The kids love it too. They enjoy speniding time together and aren't as cranky as they would normally be after countless stops.---N.L'A., Austin, TX

Easy as A, B, C---I made a personalized alphabet book for my son's fourth birthday. I took pictures of his favorite people, places, toys, and arranged them alphabetically with one page for each letter of the alphabet. Example: The "K/k" page contained a picture of Ben's friend KATE, one of him flying a KITE and one of Grandpa's KITTEN. After gluing the photos to the page, I laminated each one with clear Con-Tac paper, then used a hole punch and shoelaces to tie the pages together. Ben took the book everywhere with him, learning the ABC's along the way.---L.H., Grand Ledge, MI

Off The Cuff---If you wear rubber gloves to clean the house, fold over the bottoms to form a cuff at the wrist. This will stop any liquid soap or cleanser from running down your arms.---D.K., Romeo, MI

Board Game Know-How---Whenever I buy a new board game for the family, I tape the instrucitons to the inside cover. This makes it easy to orefer back to them should we forget a specific rule of the game.---F.M.C., Lihue. HW