Our little cardshark

Two years ago my husband Jason and I went to a gaming convention in Columbus, Ohio, with some friends. Among the free loot we scored were quite a few sample decks and booster packs for collectible card games we had no intention of ever playing. Some were sold to gullible kids at a yardsale we had last summer, but a few have been languishing in a drawer, collecting dust. That is, they were languishing, until last weekend when I tried to play a card game while holding our 9-month-old daughter on my lap. She kept grabbing for my cards, so in a moment of inspired parenting (otherwise known as "distract the kid long enough to let you finish what you want to be doing instead of paying attention to the kid") I dug out a pack of freebies and let her go to town on them. Ever since then we've been using them to keep her busy in her high chair while we fix dinner:

They're the perfect medium for a teething paper-ripper like Liza: small enough that she can get a good grip on them, but strong enough that she still hasn't managed to tear one.

And even better, I can wipe the slime off of them when she's done playing, so there's one less sticky surface in my house.