SALT LAKE CITY — With my older kids heading to school after the especially long summer, my three toddlers are left to fend for themselves.

Yes, I knew the departure of my big kid helpers was imminent, but I am not ready to be the sole entertainer day in and day out. Alas, here we are, and with 16 years of baby/toddler experience under my belt, I think it’s safe to say that I have a few survival tips up my sleeve for the long days ahead, including some of the following:

Sidewalk chalk for the win(ish)

There’s nothing quite like the excitement of a fresh box of sidewalk chalk, and it beckons me every time when I see it sitting on the shelf at the store. Not unlike its crayon cousins, the sharp tips and vibrant colors communicate "I am going to draw you pretty pictures without you even knowing how to draw" (which is key when dealing with toddlers).

With one stroke of the chalk on the cement, if not sooner, the chalk begins to break. And when toddlers see something that is easily breakable, breaking things now becomes the name of the game. Suddenly, all the chalk is broken into crumbly bits all over the driveway, and sweeping it up only adds to the mess.

Never mind. Don’t get chalk.

Daily walks around the neighborhood are calming (sort of)

A walk around the neighborhood to point out birds and trees and other nature-type things is often something I look forward to with my toddlers — until about a quarter of the way through the walk when things begin to go awry.

There’s only so much "Look at that tree," or "Oh, look! A birdie," before every tree and bird looks the same. Popping wheelies with the stroller to divert the boredom is fun for some and downright terrifying for others, and you’re soon left with a mixture of screams and giggles. If you put a stop to the hind-wheeled adventure, the former gigglers now become screamers as they beg for more.

If you have a toddler with a strong opposable thumb, you officially have yourself an escape artist, and the walk soon becomes a herding excursion with you being the frazzled shepherd.

Yeah, skip the walk.

Paper, scissors and glue, oh my!

As a former kindergarten and preschool teacher, I am a big fan of all things creative and artistic — not only for the exercising of the right side of a child’s brain but for the fine-motor skills acquired in the process. What I am not a fan of is the undertaking that consists of getting out all the art supplies for a ratio of 10 minutes of actual creative play to 60 minutes of cleaning up. My toddlers go straight from art time to bath time, while I go straight to using my adult tears to clean up the marker stain that somehow ended up all over the walls.

While I won’t totally nix the arts, I will say that this sort of activity must come with a lot of preparation, patience and slow, deep breaths with painted-on smiles.

Planned play dates

Never mind. Don’t add any more toddlers to the mix. It will only make things worse.

Planned mommy-and-me play dates

Never mind. Don’t add any more adults to the mix. It will only make things worse.

Confine yourselves in enclosed spaces for the duration until help arrives

Whether it’s your fenced-in backyard, playroom or home office with barriers around your respective selves, keeping yourself isolated together will limit the surprise messes scattered throughout. When toddlers are involved, your very survival depends on control of your environment.

And when help arrives in the form of more fun, more energetic older siblings, spread those momma wings and fly all the way to your bedroom closet's far left shelf where you keep your stash of chocolate.

Mmmm … chocolate.

What are your toddler survival tips? Let us know in the comments.

More from Arianne Brown:

Lessons learned during the literal longest summer vacation ever

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