Moms Talk

Moms Talk is a new feature on Dix Hills Patch that is part of a new initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to moms and families.

Dix Hills Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in the Half Hollow Hills community.

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions.

Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community will have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children.

Moms Talk will also be the place to drop in for a talk about the latest parenting hot topic. Do you know of local moms raising their children in the Tiger Mother's way and is it the best way? Where can we get information on local flu shot clinics for children? How do we talk to our children about the Tucson shootings? How can we help our children's schools weather their budget cutbacks?

So grab a cup of coffee (or tea, if you're me!) and settle in as we start the conversation today with a question from a new mom who wanted to remain anonymous.

This mom said that she's stuck inside with her toddler because of the mountains of snow everywhere and she doesn't know what to do with her daughter, how to keep her occupied without them both going crazy or without watching TV all day.

I'm sure many of you can relate to that. I know I can. I have four daughters and luckily they all go to school all day, but I remember very well when my twin daughters (who are now 17 and will be graduating from high school this June!) were toddlers. They woke up at 5:30 a.m. every morning and were raring to go, full of energy. 

Of course, no stores are open that early and back then, all we had for entertainment was PBS. There was no Nickelodeon, no Disney Channel...Yes, yes, get to the point. 

Okay, luckily for me, my mother is a preschool teacher, and she would come over, armed with arts and crafts to keep everyone busy for hours. 

By far, their favorite craft was making no-cook playdough, because they got to make it themselves. Yes, it can be a mess, but they made it themselves and then had fun playing with it for hours. And once a week we would make a new batch, in a new color. Cheap, easy entertainment. And here's our recipe: