I have only two kids in elementary school, but between them they’ve gone to a couple dozen birthday parties so far. When the other three are in school—-whooooo, that’s a lot of parties to bring gifts to.

My goal is to spend about $10 for a party gift, and I can get a pretty good gift for that, even though I’m a somewhat fretful person and so my mission is complicated by my wishes to please the child and to please the child’s parents; to give a gift that won’t make a huge mess or end up with little tiny pieces lost all over the house or require intense parental involvement; to avoid sending the message that we watch too much TV and/or that we make inappropriate gender generalizations and/or that we are cheap cheap cheap. Ideally, I like the gift to be the child’s favorite present from the whole party, but also to send the message that we are a Quality Family.  And did I already say I want all that for about $10?

Here are some gifts that have been pleasing successes:
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First, a quick shout-out to all of you who gave me ideas and atta-girl you-can-do-it comments about traveling with my preschooler—everything worked out perfectly, and we had an absolutely wonderful time. Thank you so much!

Today I’d like to talk about evening routines, and what sorts of things help mitigate the chaos. As a quick primer to my thrilling home life, we have two boys: a 3.5 year old and a 15-month-old. Here’s our typical end-of-day routine, along with the items I’ve come to rely on:
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I have always been scared of having to take my kids on a plane. We’ve never done it, because our family is close enough to visit by car, and every time I fly on my own I surreptitiously stare at other parents trying to manage small kids and strollers and bags and think to myself, oh thank GOD that’s not me.

The time has come, however, for me to nut up and face my fears, because I have the opportunity to take my 3.5-year-old on a trip to Washington DC at the end of this month. It will be just the two of us, and I am both thrilled about the adventure and, um, COMPLETELY FREAKED OUT.

We’ve been talking a lot about the trip and watching YouTube videos of planes taking off and so on; I feel like I’m doing an okay job on preparing him as best I can. He’s super excited about everything, but I know the fickle nature of a preschooler: it’s inevitable there will be some challenges along the way. So, what sorts of gear can help make it all a little easier? I’m hoping you guys can help me out, especially those of you with experience traveling with children. Here are some items I’m looking at:
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Lately I’ve been realizing that even though we’re trying to cut back on our expenses, it’s worth the cost to plan for eating dinner somewhere other than our house at least a couple times per week.

I don’t know about your household, but mine drops straight down the rabbit hole between 5-8 PM or so. The kids are restless, the baby is cranky, my husband and I are wiped out, and yet life must march on, hopefully with a minimum of screaming. So it’s in our best interest to get the heck out of Dodge, and since spending time outside isn’t a great option yet, this usually means heading out for a meal.

We usually go to a nearby mall, because that’s the easiest place to manage small, loud, messy children, but even in the noise and chaos of a food court it’s a real challenge to keep the kids at least marginally entertained (and stationary) long enough for the adults to bolt our teriyaki bowls or whatever. Assuming we ever ate in a real restaurant like civilized people, I’m sure it would be even harder to keep the distractions coming, and as most of you probably know a baby will only play quietly with a spoon for so long before everything goes to hell in a (tantruming) handbasket.

So, are there products that can help make dining in public with kids a little easier? Happily, the answer is yes:
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I was thinking about writing a Milk & Cookies article on different stroller brands, and it occurred to me that instead of all that tedious research, I could just ask some of my fellow parents what they thought about their own strollers. Using the highly scientific method of posting a call for help on Twitter, here’s some real-world feedback on strollers:
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Fall is officially here, and at least for those of us living in the Pacific Northwest, that means a lot of wet weather between now and next summer. A WHOLE LOT. *sob*

It’s easier to focus on adorable kid-themed rain-gear than it is to contemplate nine solid months of grey skies, so let’s get to it: cute stuff that keeps your child dry.
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I’m sure some children’s rooms are perfectly decorated to be a magical fairyland of wonder and joy, but in our house the kids’ rooms just seem to be cluttered repositories for toys, books, piles of clothes — both laundered and dirty — and the lingering nose-assaulting remains of poopy diapers. There’s some artwork on the walls, but not much. The vibe is less Pottern Barn Kids and more . . . well, Messy Storage Area Where the Highchair is Stuffed in the Corner and a Box of Outgrown Clothes Gathers Dust.

I love the idea of a kid’s wall hung with wonderful artwork, though. Maybe someday I’ll decorate our boys’ rooms more than they currently are. Or maybe I’ll just keep a dreamy collection of kid’s art bookmarks along with my folders of gourmet kitchen appliances, built-in wooden bookshelves with integrated library ladder, and marble bathroom vanity tops.

If you like collecting things from Etsy artists — and who doesn’t? — here are some amazing prints that would be perfect for a nursery or little kid’s room:
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My oldest two kids are technically old enough to brush their own teeth now, but they do a crappy job. Our compromise is this: they brush their own teeth in the morning before school (with me calling out from the other room, “Are you getting the BACKS? Get EVERY surface of EVERY tooth please!”), and I brush their teeth for them before bed. And then there are three more kids, so the Toothbrushing Line is a significant chunk of our bedtime routine.

One thing that’s made things easier for me is having the kids LIE DOWN while I brush their teeth. I got this idea from the dentist—not in that he suggested it, but in that I noticed that’s how HE did it. And indeed, it is way superior: the toothpaste doesn’t drizzle down their chins, it’s easier to see the top and back teeth and to get at them, it’s easier for the kids to open their mouths wide, it’s easier to keep their heads still.
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My boy Riley is going to be three years old at the end of this month, which sort of freaks me out every time I think about it. He’s getting so BIG! And wait, I thought all this bratty behavior we’ve been experiencing recently has to do with being three, are you saying I’ve got more than a YEAR of this to go?

With birthday presents in mind, here are the things we’re planning to gift his way this year:
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My kids’ school (and I hope it’ll excuse me for saying so) is a big, no-fun poophead.  Every year I look forward to back-to-school shopping, every year I wait eagerly for the back-to-school shopping list—and every year it’s all “One box 24-count (NOT 48-count!) crayons, one box #2 pencils, two dry-erase markers (one must be black; the other may be red or blue or black), NO Trapper-Keepers, NO pencil boxes.”  Tell me this, then:  what can I do with all this awesome back-to-school stuff from Etsy?

Aqua retro floral pencil pouch.  I want to eat it on toast.
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