The Toddler's Guide To Successful Toddlering

If you are reading this, you are probably between 10 and 36 months old and are doubting your potential to be a successful toddler. 

Let me guess? You see other toddlers throw themselves on the ground and behave as if the end of the world is nigh only to be scooped up moments later by a parent or minder and given the thing they want? You want that too but you haven't been able to achieve it? You parents are not driven entirely crazy by your behaviour but all your friends' parents are losing the plot?

Don't worry. You can do it too. By following these simple rules, you can reach your potential before it is too late. 

1. There is no phase: We've all heard the muttering between parents when their toddlers seem impossible to manage, "It is just a phase". Don't let them fool you. There is no phase. YOU are in charge. YOU have the power to decide whether or not you get what you want out of todderhood.

2. Learn from your mistakes: Your first attempt at a tantrum was scuppered by a know-it-all mother who fooled you into calming down? So what? Learn from your mistakes. Now that you know her tricks, you just have to repeat the performance and stick to your guns. She has been lulled into a false sense of security and believes the same tricks will work on you again. Oh no, think again lady! 

3. Repetition is key: Remember, tantrums are not your only weapon. Repetition of what parents consider unsuitable behaviour is a powerful tool. Climbing onto the kitchen table when no one is looking, emptying the cupboards of their contents, playing with the toilet brush - these are all examples of easy-to-perform activities which, if repeated often enough, will drive your parents to the levels of frustration you always hoped to achieve. 

4. Trust your instincts: Don't listen to the contant cries of "No" and "Don't do that!". Remember that you were born to be a toddler. It is a natural progression from babyhood. All that lying around in your pram wasn't a waste of time. It allowed you to gather information, to soak up the behaviour of the adults and children around you. It has allowed you to learn which buttons to push to get your way. Trust your instincts and go with what you feel. If you can get near a phone or tablet, disable it in some way. Your mind will guide you and let you know the exact combination of buttons to press to set it to a foreign language or turn the screen sideways. 

Following these guidelines will set you on the path to becoming the kind of toddler that other mothers gossip about. Goody two shoes pre-schoolers may even look to you for inspiration. But don't underestimate the amount of work involved. At first it may seem not to be worth it, but once you get a taste of getting your way, you won't regret having put in the effort. 

Easy Peasy Easter Art for Toddlers

Toddlers love sticking their fingers into stuff and making a mess, so why not let them at it and make a bit of Easter art out of it? This is how easy it is.

You will need:
Paper
Paint
A small amount of water
At least one child
A waterproof fine point black marker pen

Step 1: Get out some paints (poster paints are good but even those little watercolur sets work too) and a little plastic cup of water. Put an apron or bib on your child to avoid them getting paint on their clothes when they inevitably wipe their hands on what they are wearing.

Step 2: Lay a few sheets of paper on the table. White or pastel colours show up the paint best, I find. 

Step 3: Have your child dip their index fingertip into the water then into the paint. If you are using poster paints it is a good idea to put a small amount onto a plate. If you are using watercolours, get the child to rub their wet finger on their chosen colour of paint until it is well coated with colour.

Step 4: Make fingerprints scattered all over the pages, reloading the fingers with fresh paint as needed.

Step 5: Leave the paint to dry. Wash the child's hands and put away the water and paints. 

Step 6:  For chicks - draw eyes, beaks and wings on the fingerprints
For bunnies - draw eyes, nose, mouth, ears and a fluffy tail on the fingerprints

Step 7: Now you can decide what to do with your little works of art. The ideas I like are:
- Hang the pages up as they are

- Cut out the best creatures and make Easter cards

 - Cut out some of your favourites and glue them to little paper bags. You can then fill these with chocolate eggs and give them as gifts at Easter. As an alternative, you can do the fingerprints straight onto the bag, as we did here:

Projektschmiede Second Hand Wonderland

Last Friday, in my 5 under €5 post, I mentioned my new favourite second hand shop. Anyone who is a regular reader will know that 

anything old is my kind of thing. So, finding a new place where I can look at and buy old stuff is always a good thing. 

Projektschmiede in Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany is not so much a shop as a warehouse. We have been in Rothenburg dozens of times over the past ten years but never noticed Projektschmiede until the weekend before last when we were in town to watch our nephew in a football tournament. 

Now, I am not a sports fan but I have never been happier to have been to a football match than I was that day! Having spotted the warehouse while stopped at the lights on the way to the sports hall, I waited till a gap in matches and snuck off with Number Three to check out Projektschmiede.

Before I even got in the door of the place, I was thrilled. Outside the entrance was shelf upon shelf of jars in all shapes and sizes. But when I turned around and saw all these plant pot holders arranged by colour, I knew I had found a special place.
  

Inside I was not disappointed. First of all, there was the building itself - huge arched windows letting in tons of natural light, a red brick vaulted ceiling and a maze of rooms. 

In the first couple of rooms the walls are lined with white shelving stacked with china and glassware of all kinds. From soup tureens to serving platters, sherry glasses to dinner plates, it is all there. 

I didn't buy this cute little tea set but I wish I had. €5! A steal.

There were more glasses than I have ever seen before in one place, and such pretty ones. I am definitely going to back. I simply could not decide which ones to buy.  

What I really liked about the place was that the staff seemed to enjoy working there and they cared about the way the goods were displayed. Just look at this coffee pot display. (I admit the photo is not the best, but I had a toddler struggling to get off my hip as I took it). 

The next room was bursting with furniture - a whole mix of stuff, a lot of it not my taste. But there were a few really nice pieces with potential - these wardrobes, a set of chairs with woven ratten backs (€24 each), a set of bedside lockers (€40 each).

There was even one room of toys, which included this gorgeous cot. It is actually a baby cot rather than a toy and, while the veneer was damaged in a few places, it had beautiful paintwork. €28 is all it cost. I had a difficult time not buying it, I can tell you. 

The book section was laid out like a library with aisles of shelves stuffed with books, sorted properly into categories. There was even a wood-burning stove lit to cosy the place up!

This bookshelf caught my eye. I can imagine that a few coats of chalk paint in a smokey blue-grey, it could be beautiful.

I am so pleased to have come across this place and am going to have to set aside a little budget for my next visit.