2 Questions... Art and Teeth Brushing

art: I have no clue.

Teethbrushing: He is pretty young to have mastered the "art" of spitting after brushing. lol It will come. Just try to keep the mess to a minimum for now. :)
Use only the tiniest bit of toothpaste (a pea sized is WAY plenty). If you also use a "toddler" type of toothpaste, they don't foam up as much. They are designed that way on purpose, and also so that swallowing isn't a hazard. "Kid toothpaste" on the other hand, has fluoride in it and shouldn't be swallowed. So be sure the read the label on whatever you are using.

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=0&...
start with curators at local galleries, they are going to have the best contacts, first I would go to the galleries and see who has a simmilar eye/taste in art as you then begin the converstation.

I would practice spitting with a mouthful of just plain water when not brushing teeth... keep using the "toddler" paste that is safe to swallow then when they are better at spitting the water have them practice with the "safe paste" then move into the regular stuff ... eventually it will happen no matter how you go about it.

Hi-
I'm gearing my answer to your art question...we're in the same boat! I've tried local auction houses (Bunches Auctions in Chadds Ford, PA is pretty good) and most of them seem to have specific sales that are for art only. I've called several auction houses in my area and they all seem to ask you to email pictures of the art and any information you may have about each piece - ie artist, certificate of authenticity, etc. Hope that helps! Good luck!

Teeth: This sounds odd, but it worked for our boys. We would use a tall stool to have them stand with their heads over the sink. By tilting their heads down (which does, I admit, make it harder for me to brush all their teeth without getting toothpaste everywhere), we practiced letting everything just drip into the sink until I was comfortable that they could control their swallow relex. They also would spit out what was left in their mouths - very little at first - down into the sink (instead of forward onto the fixtures, mirror, etc.) Over time, we worked up to leveling their heads during the brushing process, then to really controlled spitting. The only challenge with this method is brushing somewhere other than home - it was easiest if my husband and I worked together, one of us lifting a child to the right height while the other took care of the brushing...

In response to the teeth brushing: my son is 2 1/2 and it was only a few months ago that he would let me brush his teeth and start to get the hang of it. First we had the baby training toothpaste and all he wanted to do was suck on the brush and freaked if I tried to brush for him. Eventually, he wanted to use my brush (to suck on) and see the 'big' toothpaste because he liked the mint taste and he started to imitate me when I brushed my teeth. I got him a fun light up Spiderman toothbrush and toddler toothpaste and together we would brush our teeth (and sometimes I hold up the mirror so he can see what he's doing), he still sucks on the brush, but what I started doing was telling him that I needed to help him so we can brush off all the candy/cookies he ate. If he refused, then I would tell him that he can't have anymore treats and I guess he wanted all his teeth to fall out because he wouldn't brush. That was enough incentive for him. I never forced him or yelled at him since I wanted it to be a P. experience. I also showed him the fillings in my mouth and explained that the dentist had to put them in because I didn't take care of my teeth good enough. He looks so cute as we brush together and he 'tries' to spit (he can't figure that one out yet) and I give him a small cup of water to 'rinse' (even tho he can't spit it out). I just don't put alot of toothpaste on his brush so there's not much to spit out anyway. Make sure the process is routine and don't force. And brush with him (get down to his level and do it together).. it needs to be fun. Eventually, he'll get it. My boy did.

Can't address the first one....

As far as tooth brushing, we do it all together. We go to bed at the same time and brush our teeth together, we started very young because my son got his first two teeth around 4 months...so that helps because he loves it. He thinks it's fun and asks to do it. we buy the Colgate Toddler safety paste, so it's okay for him to swallow and we're just now learning to spit and rinse at 22 months old. All I can say is this is an example thing...make it a routine and a fun time. It helps that he has a special toothbrush holder of his own and a stool to reach the counter, it's all part of the experience. Messes won't hurt anyone, so just try and gently show him the correct way.

About the art get TWO appraisals, and prefereably get them appraised by at least 2 individuals. An "insurance" appraisal from both appraisers, and a general appraisal by one or both individuals.

The insurance appraisal will be for more than the piece is worth, but not typically by a lot. (They DO always start off by asking what you paid for it in an insurance appraisal, because that equals the base... when the insurance and market appraisals differ is when a piece was bought for more than it's worth to begin with... like being underwater on a house). What it WILL do is give you a general idea of how much it's worth. Once you have that you can avoid unscrupulous appraisals by someone who has a vested interest in having it appraise low (because they have an interest in buying it. My grandmother had a Degas (and we knew it), but the SHEER number of lowball appraisals we got really highlighted how, um, biased some people are.

DO be prepared for it appraising for less than you bought it, or that the frame is worth more than the piece itself. To buy art as an investment, one usually has to either buy well known and dead, or be in the business itself (art value fluctuates quite wildly).

How we've had our art appraised is to look up appraisers (yellow pages or referrals through galleries), and have them come out and do an insurance appraisal. AFTER that, ask for what it would typically be worth on the open market. We've had pieces appraise in the 10's of thousands that were bought for $50, and we've had pieces we've paid 250-500 for that appraise for 50.