Finger painting can be a messy experience, which is probably why I have not introduced it to my daughter yet. I've been afraid that she might stain the carpet or the couches... But with it being so nice outside lately, I've been thinking about letting her go to town out there. That way she can't ruin anything inside!

Better yet, I came across a simple recipe for homemade washable finger paints. It's really simple! Here's what you do:

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 cups cold water
1/4 cup liquid dishwashing soap
Food coloring or tempera paints

Directions: Mix sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan, and slowly add the cold water. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until you have a clear, smooth gel. Cool and then stir in dish soap. Separate into smaller portions and stir in food coloring or tempera paints to create colors.

Since this is easy to wash off, I'll be introducing this to my daughter in the near future. After all, sometimes you have to let kids be kids, and that can include making a mess! - Trisha

I have four kids ranging in age from 11 to 1, which means we’ve had our share of bouncer seats, bungee-style jumping chairs and exersaucers. I’ve come to believe a good baby activity seat, one that can sooth, entertain and even help develop motor skills, is worth the investment. That’s why I love what I see in The First Years’ new Kickin' Coaster, even with its $90 price tag.

The Kickin’ Coaster is a new baby seat from The First Years and is designed with a unique kick plate at the base that creates a back-and-forth glide exercise, perfect for helping baby develop motor skills and strengthening core and leg muscles. The motion is a natural one for babies even at a very early age.

Like other baby seats the Kickin' Coaster also has entertaining visuals and interactive lights and sounds. And when your baby has done enough kicking you can choose the stationary setting, which helps soothe him to sleep with vibrations and twinkling lights. The Kickin' Coaster has eight adjustable positions, a removable infant head support, multi-level volume control (one of my must-have features), a removable teether and is ideal for infants from birth to 25 pounds.

Though there are more affordable bouncer seats/activity centers out there, I'm thinking this has to be one of the most fun and physically stimulating for a growing baby. All my babies loved kicking their legs, whether it was in a bouncer seat, on mom’s lap or in their Evenflo Jump Up (only an option a few months down the road). They would have really enjoyed this seat had it been available. You can purchase The First Years' Kickin' Coaster for $90 (includes free shipping) from Amazon.com.

Does your baby have an entertaining bouncer seat/activity center? What are its best or worst features? - Emily H.

Over the last few weeks, I have been read a lot about Project 365. People around the world are participating in this "project" for which they take a picture a day for a full year.

To me, this sounds like a great way to document the life of a child. Just a few of what you could document: Feet jumping under a jumper, eating cereal, hands holding a bottle, swinging at the park, going for a walk, snuggling with mom... The options are endless, and with the series of photographs, parents will later be able to show their child what a year of their life was like.

You can find out more about Project 365 through the article "Project 365: How to Take a Photo a Day and See Your Life in a Whole New Way" on Photojojo. A quick Google search of Project 365 also brings up other blogs and Flickr groups taking part in the project.

As for me, I have been interested in this project since I heard about it, and I have decided to jump right in. Want to follow my family's adventures with Project 365? Check it out at A Year in the Life. Please let me know if you decide to participate, too - I would love to follow along! - Sara I.

When a new baby arrives, it is hard to figure out exactly what you should do. What can a young baby do? Where can you go? It oftentimes doesn't get much easier as the child ages, either. This is where the Rookie Moms come in.

Two moms, Whitney and Heather, compiled a list of things for moms to do with young children and by themselves, as well. The list started covering the first year of a child's life and now encompasses activities that appeal to kids ranging from newborns through preschoolers, with over 1,000 different ideas listed on the Rookie Moms website. They also wrote a book which has become for many people a staple of their repertoire for baby shower gifts: The Rookie Mom's Handbook: 250 Activities to Do with (and Without!) Your Baby.

I am a big fan of their recently-redesigned website, which makes it easy to find activities based on your child's age. Just click the appropriate age button on the home page and - voila! - you have ideas of things to do with your child. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Activity #295: Write a "did-do" list - There are many days as a mom where I feel like my to-do list is neverending and that I can't accomplish more than one or two things off of it each day - if any at all! The idea behind writing a did-do list is to list all of the things you did accomplish during the day. Everything counts. Shower? Fantastic - write that down! When I did this activity, it made me feel better, actually made me motivated to get more done so I could put it on the list, and allowed me to look back at the day laughing as I read things like "read books in the bathroom for 45 minutes with potty-training toddlers" and "changed poopiest diaper ever seen."


• Activity #324: Photograph a day in the life - Although many of the activities that moms and babies do seem mundane, especially during the first few months of life, it is precisely those activities that make up life at this age. Documenting them with photographs is a great way to celebrate life with young chidren, and although feeding the baby a bottle might not seem all that exciting now, it will be a heartwarming image to look back upon.


• Activity #1034: Count the days with a paper chain - A great, visual way to help children count down to a special day or activity is with a paper chain. Sure, you can count down to big events like birthdays or holidays, but don't forget other fun activities, too! You and your child can count down to the chance to wear underwear, the move to a big kid bed, or a special trip to grandma and grandpa's house. Right now, we are counting down until our vacation to Arizona in a couple of weeks.

These are just three of the many great activity ideas on Rookie Moms. Thanks to Heather and Whitney, moms of kids of all ages will find ways to have some fun! - Sara I.

Finding out you're pregnant is such an exciting time. Sometimes it's hard to keep it to yourself. If you want to share the news in a fun way, I found a whole topic on the MotheringDotCommunity forums discussing fun and creative ways to share that you're pregnant.

We didn't do anything special for my in-laws, but we did when we told my parents. My daughter is their first and only grandchild, and we live a few states away, so we wanted to do something fun. We took a party invitation and filled it out using information about my due date, etc. It said, "You're invited to: the birth of your first grandchild! When: May 17th, Where: The hospital." We mailed it to my family right before Thanksgiving and thought they would call us when they got it. They always go to my grandma's for Thanksgiving so we weren't sure if they would get it before they left or not, so we didn't say anything about it at all when we talked to them. Turns out they got it, and didn't call us! I found out when my sister who was in town for Thanksgiving called me to find out why I hadn't told her!

Have any readers shared the news in a fun and unusual way?
- Trisha