Found this board over on Soulemama today and have had something similar in my head for a while.
Some kind of centrally located, all knowing, all encompassing sort of board would be lovely. Part of that is just so we can keep track of where daddy is, what we're doing that day, and what is who's responsibility. Granted, RE is a little bit young for all this, but I think teaching responsibility early is super important. And having a visual reminder might make it easier to remember to do things like brush teeth, wash face and hands, and get dressed in the AM. Might at least make it smoother!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Tiny Dancer
I cannot believe I just signed my baby up for her first dance class, bought her first ballet shoes and her first leotard. Sounds silly, but it's a milestone. I danced for years...all through my childhood, and on and off during adulthood. I was even taking ballet right before I got pregnant with RE. Dance, and in particular, ballet, have always been a part of my life. Once upon a time, I dreamt of being a prima ballerina, but puberty got the better of me (boobs and booty are NOT the stuff ballerinas are made of).
Now, before you go getting all irate on me, I promise not to be that crazy stage mom, dressing my child in whore-y costumes and enough makeup for a drag queen. Promise. Always hated those moms and have no desire to make RE into the next JonBenet (except maybe for halloween...). But, I do see a little girl who loves to dance, talks non-stop about ballet, ballet parties, ballet shoes and tutus, though she's only ever seen it on TV (and the occasional times mommy has put on the pointe shoes for fun). So we found a very low-key tap/ballet combo class at the local community center, and starting April 8th, she's off to ballet once a week!
I will post pics as soon as her garb arrives in the post...no doubt she won't want to take it off anyway.
Now, before you go getting all irate on me, I promise not to be that crazy stage mom, dressing my child in whore-y costumes and enough makeup for a drag queen. Promise. Always hated those moms and have no desire to make RE into the next JonBenet (except maybe for halloween...). But, I do see a little girl who loves to dance, talks non-stop about ballet, ballet parties, ballet shoes and tutus, though she's only ever seen it on TV (and the occasional times mommy has put on the pointe shoes for fun). So we found a very low-key tap/ballet combo class at the local community center, and starting April 8th, she's off to ballet once a week!
I will post pics as soon as her garb arrives in the post...no doubt she won't want to take it off anyway.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
A few recent projects
A dress for RE to wear someday...the pattern ran a little large. I think it'll fit her when she's 10!
A dress that does fit her, and used to be a shirt of mine...
A skirt for her that used to be a skirt of mine...but, alas, it was rather short for me. Too bad for me, yay for her.
She refused to model it for me...insisted on it being something she ought to have her arms in.
A baby for new baby "B" who ought to arrive anytime after Monday, right Linds?
And a sling for big "B" to wear his baby in...
Projects in the works...
Just wanted to share what's up next in my little crafty world:
This tute for cute organizer bins. I'm very excited to make several of these for my craft area in the living room...not sure what all I have left, but I may even be able to incorporate scraps of the awesome curtain fabrics into them.
And...I just ordered Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross, and I'm already itching to make a few of the projects! I figured, for Amazon's price (only $18.50), that's cheaper than the three patterns I for sure want to make, and no doubt I'll find even more things to make in there!
This little girls dress
This mama top
And the cover skirt
Best part is, because I'm me, and I've been hoarding fabric for as long as I can remember (it must be genetic, I told you about the wool fabric I got from Gran that's unused from the 60s, right?), I've already got fabric plotted for the skirt, and the little girls dress, and I'm pretty sure I'll even have enough for the top. Woot!
As for the wool fabric, there's a buttload of it, and it may also become one of those skirts (winter-y wrap skirt?), but it will for certain become a coat for RE. I think this might be the winner...
Unless you have another suggestion? I'll have to get that wool out in the sunshine and get a picture of it. It's to die for...really.
This tute for cute organizer bins. I'm very excited to make several of these for my craft area in the living room...not sure what all I have left, but I may even be able to incorporate scraps of the awesome curtain fabrics into them.
And...I just ordered Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross, and I'm already itching to make a few of the projects! I figured, for Amazon's price (only $18.50), that's cheaper than the three patterns I for sure want to make, and no doubt I'll find even more things to make in there!
This little girls dress
This mama top
And the cover skirt
Best part is, because I'm me, and I've been hoarding fabric for as long as I can remember (it must be genetic, I told you about the wool fabric I got from Gran that's unused from the 60s, right?), I've already got fabric plotted for the skirt, and the little girls dress, and I'm pretty sure I'll even have enough for the top. Woot!
As for the wool fabric, there's a buttload of it, and it may also become one of those skirts (winter-y wrap skirt?), but it will for certain become a coat for RE. I think this might be the winner...
Unless you have another suggestion? I'll have to get that wool out in the sunshine and get a picture of it. It's to die for...really.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
100 things
I made this for someone else, but I have to make one for myself...for those days that I need a little extra inspiration.
http://www.kerismith.com/funstuff/100ideas.htm
Crafty stuff with kids...
I've been asked by a dear friend to write about craft projects that can be done with kids...while I no doubt haven't enough for a book (thanks for the vote of confidence, Krystal), I do have enough for a blog post!
Many of these ideas have been taken from other blogs, books and websites...where I can, I'll reference those. But, several are from my own brain...and my own, very creative child who often initiates things I wouldn't fathom.
One project we have on the "to do" list is a cardboard robot. We're saving toilet paper rolls, tissue boxes, smaller boxes, etc...once we've got enough (whatever that looks like to your family), we'll construct a robot. We'll post pics when we have it all done. Need a few more rolls of toilet paper (luckily, we go through it FAST!).
I've also, inspired by one of my favorite blogs (www.soulemama.com), set up an art area in the common room of our home. Most of RE's toys are in her room...I can't stand the mess all over the place. But the art stuff has a special home in a bookshelf. It all even looks pretty, in recycled glass jars, tea tins, coffee tins, etc. It's very accessible, and she often reaches for her crayons, markers and scissors when she's bored, or I'm working (she'll "work" too).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We love homemade playdough...that's another favorite, and the best part is that it'll take the whole afternoon, between picking colors, making it, letting it cool, and then PLAYING with it!
<2 cup flour
2 cup warm water
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 teaspoon oil
1/2 cup salt
food coloring
Mix all ingredients, adding food coloring last. Stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from pan and knead until blended smooth. (I use the dough hook on my kitchenaid mixer for this, because it's so hot, I can't knead it) Place in plastic bag or airtight container when cooled. Will last for months.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We've also made homemade watercolors, which is fun not only because you get fun homemade water colors, but also because you get to mix vinegar and baking soda, which is good times in and of itself!
Watercolors
3 Tbs. baking soda
3 Tbs. corn starch
3 Tbs. white vinegar
1-1/2 tsp. light corn syrup
food coloring
Steps:
1. Mix vinegar, baking soda, corn starch and corn syrup together in a small bowl.
2. Divide the mixture into several small plastic tubs or jar lids.
3. Add six to eight drops of food coloring to each tub or lid then mix.
4. Use these as they are or let them dry into hard cakes of paint. If you use them while they're dry, be sure to wet the paintbrush before painting.
(Original author unknown)
Tips:
Use paste food coloring if you want especially vivid colors and lots of color choices. Some oil based food coloring will not stir in well, but it will blend perfectly by the time it's dry.
Take the opportunity to teach little ones about color mixing. We made purple, green and orange and then went a step further to make mixtures like red-violet and blue-green by adding one part of one primary color to two parts of another. Mix all three primary colors to make brown.
You can make a larger batch and make the paints in an old ice cube tray. Other possible containers are empty watercolor kits and pill boxes (the kind with a compartment for each day of the week).
The more food coloring you add, the more vivid the paints will be.
These take a long time to dry! Ours were in small lids and took about 24 hours.
If you make them in bottlecaps, you can store the dry paints in a plastic baggie or even tie a few of them in a small cloth with a ribbon as a sweet gift.
source: http://www.magicalchildhood.com/crafts/watercolors.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the kids get older, you can let them cut bits and pieces out of magazine or catalogs and glue them onto a bigger sheet of paper. Bonus that your kids get to practice fine motor skills.
My favorite place to buy art supplies for kids is www.stubbypencilstudio.com. Nope, it's not super cheap, but they have really great quality stuff. Our favorites include the crayon rocks, the watercolor pencils and soy crayons. The notecards are darling, and though RE doesn't "color in the lines" (who'd want her too?), they look darling.
Speaking of notecards, with RE's birthday and the holidays just passing, we've had a lot of Thank Yous to write of late. I decided that, instead of making her color on card after card, I'd just recycle some of her older art that's been on the "art wall" for a while. I cut them up into smallish squares and wrote out our thoughts on the back. That way, the gift giver got a little of RE back.
For now, that's it...oh, but our "art wall". I love our art wall. For the holidays, RE and I decorated basic clothespins with glitter (pour glitter on a paper plate, dip clothespin in glue, dip in glitter, let dry) and hung our holiday cards from friends and family across a ribbon with the sparkley clips. After the holidays, we decided that the clips were too awesome to pack up, and thought we'd use them to hang RE's art...it's right near her bedroom, and features a rotating gallery. Not only does it celebrate the artwork of the toddler, but it's a fun way to encourage them to keep it up!
Many of these ideas have been taken from other blogs, books and websites...where I can, I'll reference those. But, several are from my own brain...and my own, very creative child who often initiates things I wouldn't fathom.
One project we have on the "to do" list is a cardboard robot. We're saving toilet paper rolls, tissue boxes, smaller boxes, etc...once we've got enough (whatever that looks like to your family), we'll construct a robot. We'll post pics when we have it all done. Need a few more rolls of toilet paper (luckily, we go through it FAST!).
I've also, inspired by one of my favorite blogs (www.soulemama.com), set up an art area in the common room of our home. Most of RE's toys are in her room...I can't stand the mess all over the place. But the art stuff has a special home in a bookshelf. It all even looks pretty, in recycled glass jars, tea tins, coffee tins, etc. It's very accessible, and she often reaches for her crayons, markers and scissors when she's bored, or I'm working (she'll "work" too).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We love homemade playdough...that's another favorite, and the best part is that it'll take the whole afternoon, between picking colors, making it, letting it cool, and then PLAYING with it!
<2 cup flour
2 cup warm water
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 teaspoon oil
1/2 cup salt
food coloring
Mix all ingredients, adding food coloring last. Stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from pan and knead until blended smooth. (I use the dough hook on my kitchenaid mixer for this, because it's so hot, I can't knead it) Place in plastic bag or airtight container when cooled. Will last for months.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We've also made homemade watercolors, which is fun not only because you get fun homemade water colors, but also because you get to mix vinegar and baking soda, which is good times in and of itself!
Watercolors
3 Tbs. baking soda
3 Tbs. corn starch
3 Tbs. white vinegar
1-1/2 tsp. light corn syrup
food coloring
Steps:
1. Mix vinegar, baking soda, corn starch and corn syrup together in a small bowl.
2. Divide the mixture into several small plastic tubs or jar lids.
3. Add six to eight drops of food coloring to each tub or lid then mix.
4. Use these as they are or let them dry into hard cakes of paint. If you use them while they're dry, be sure to wet the paintbrush before painting.
(Original author unknown)
Tips:
Use paste food coloring if you want especially vivid colors and lots of color choices. Some oil based food coloring will not stir in well, but it will blend perfectly by the time it's dry.
Take the opportunity to teach little ones about color mixing. We made purple, green and orange and then went a step further to make mixtures like red-violet and blue-green by adding one part of one primary color to two parts of another. Mix all three primary colors to make brown.
You can make a larger batch and make the paints in an old ice cube tray. Other possible containers are empty watercolor kits and pill boxes (the kind with a compartment for each day of the week).
The more food coloring you add, the more vivid the paints will be.
These take a long time to dry! Ours were in small lids and took about 24 hours.
If you make them in bottlecaps, you can store the dry paints in a plastic baggie or even tie a few of them in a small cloth with a ribbon as a sweet gift.
source: http://www.magicalchildhood.com/crafts/watercolors.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the kids get older, you can let them cut bits and pieces out of magazine or catalogs and glue them onto a bigger sheet of paper. Bonus that your kids get to practice fine motor skills.
My favorite place to buy art supplies for kids is www.stubbypencilstudio.com. Nope, it's not super cheap, but they have really great quality stuff. Our favorites include the crayon rocks, the watercolor pencils and soy crayons. The notecards are darling, and though RE doesn't "color in the lines" (who'd want her too?), they look darling.
Speaking of notecards, with RE's birthday and the holidays just passing, we've had a lot of Thank Yous to write of late. I decided that, instead of making her color on card after card, I'd just recycle some of her older art that's been on the "art wall" for a while. I cut them up into smallish squares and wrote out our thoughts on the back. That way, the gift giver got a little of RE back.
For now, that's it...oh, but our "art wall". I love our art wall. For the holidays, RE and I decorated basic clothespins with glitter (pour glitter on a paper plate, dip clothespin in glue, dip in glitter, let dry) and hung our holiday cards from friends and family across a ribbon with the sparkley clips. After the holidays, we decided that the clips were too awesome to pack up, and thought we'd use them to hang RE's art...it's right near her bedroom, and features a rotating gallery. Not only does it celebrate the artwork of the toddler, but it's a fun way to encourage them to keep it up!
3 Going on Thirteen
Wow. Someone once told me that three was worse than two. I didn't believe them. I thought I'd gotten off scot free on those "terrible twos". RE was an awesome two year old: inquisitive, clever, funny, entertaining, eager to please. But at three? And only a month into it? I'm going insane. Most days, she's still RE, and is clever and fun and engaging. But others, like today, I'm not so sure who's in there. She's like a whole different person. And I know that it's developmental, and that she's exercising her independence, testing limits, and seeing how far she can push me, but man, it's hard!
Each moment, it's like a test, and I have to wonder if I'm passing or failing. As I'm the one home with her all day, it's mostly up to me (during the day at least) to deal with the doling of discipline, and the celebrations of successes. It's hard to know what's right though...am I letting her win if I've threatened to call off a play date and she's responded that she didn't want to go anyway, and I do call it off? Or would it be more of a punishment to make her go? And is it worth the fight getting her into clean clothing (that she didn't sleep in last night) to force her to get in the car and go play? When all she really wants to do is play dollies at home with mommy? And then, I get to feel horribly guilty for clearly doing too much, and not allowing for time to "just be" and play dollies with mommy.
Like anything that's worthwhile, parenting is tough stuff. Most days, you walk a tightrope, trying so hard to stay on, stay balance, not lose your cool, because if you do, you'll fall off, and no one wants to fall off. But, on those rare moments that you can see the other side, or that you actually get to the other side, the high is not something you can explain to anyone who hasn't parented a child. Seeing your kid "get it" is priceless. Much like the first time your baby uses a potty, or returns a sign to you, or says "mama" or "dada" when you walk into a room, the rewards are endless. As is the challenge. But, that's half the fun, isn't it?
Each moment, it's like a test, and I have to wonder if I'm passing or failing. As I'm the one home with her all day, it's mostly up to me (during the day at least) to deal with the doling of discipline, and the celebrations of successes. It's hard to know what's right though...am I letting her win if I've threatened to call off a play date and she's responded that she didn't want to go anyway, and I do call it off? Or would it be more of a punishment to make her go? And is it worth the fight getting her into clean clothing (that she didn't sleep in last night) to force her to get in the car and go play? When all she really wants to do is play dollies at home with mommy? And then, I get to feel horribly guilty for clearly doing too much, and not allowing for time to "just be" and play dollies with mommy.
Like anything that's worthwhile, parenting is tough stuff. Most days, you walk a tightrope, trying so hard to stay on, stay balance, not lose your cool, because if you do, you'll fall off, and no one wants to fall off. But, on those rare moments that you can see the other side, or that you actually get to the other side, the high is not something you can explain to anyone who hasn't parented a child. Seeing your kid "get it" is priceless. Much like the first time your baby uses a potty, or returns a sign to you, or says "mama" or "dada" when you walk into a room, the rewards are endless. As is the challenge. But, that's half the fun, isn't it?
Granola Bars
Yum. I love granola bars. But I hate reading the ingredients and being totally grossed out. So, I borrowed the Sneaky Chef cookbook from a friend (thanks Mari!) and adapted her granola bar recipe for my own personal gain. And, upon request from many of you, here it is.
2/3 C rolled oats, ground in a food processor
1/2 C almonds, ground in a food processor (if allergic, add another 1/2 C rolled oats)
1/4 C wheat germ (again, could sub oats if wanting gluten free)
1 C crispy brown rice (I couldn't find this, so I subbed ghetto rice krispies)
1 C nonfat dry milk (the most vintage thing one can purchase at the grocery store)
1/2 t Cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/2 canola oil
2/3 C brown rice syrup (found in the frou frou section of the grocery store)
1 t vanilla extract
Optional add-ins: 1/4 C chocolate chips, raisins, craisins, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, really, just about anything, though I'd suggest just ONE of these, not all at once.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a 9" square baking pan (or similar) completely with parchment (or foil, but you have to butter that).
In a medium bowl, combine oats, almonds, wheat germ, dry milk, cinnamon and salt. Mix in the canola oil, brown rice syrup, vanilla extract and add-ins. Mix well, then pour into the prepared baking pan. Press down with palm of the hand, evenly distributing mixture into the corners of the dish. It should be well pressed into the dish.
Bake for 15-18 minutes. My oven stinks and I had to bake for closer to 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes or so, just until it's set up. Using the parchment or foil, lift from the pan. While it's still warm, cut into small bars.
Store in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze in plastic baggies.
2/3 C rolled oats, ground in a food processor
1/2 C almonds, ground in a food processor (if allergic, add another 1/2 C rolled oats)
1/4 C wheat germ (again, could sub oats if wanting gluten free)
1 C crispy brown rice (I couldn't find this, so I subbed ghetto rice krispies)
1 C nonfat dry milk (the most vintage thing one can purchase at the grocery store)
1/2 t Cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/2 canola oil
2/3 C brown rice syrup (found in the frou frou section of the grocery store)
1 t vanilla extract
Optional add-ins: 1/4 C chocolate chips, raisins, craisins, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, really, just about anything, though I'd suggest just ONE of these, not all at once.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a 9" square baking pan (or similar) completely with parchment (or foil, but you have to butter that).
In a medium bowl, combine oats, almonds, wheat germ, dry milk, cinnamon and salt. Mix in the canola oil, brown rice syrup, vanilla extract and add-ins. Mix well, then pour into the prepared baking pan. Press down with palm of the hand, evenly distributing mixture into the corners of the dish. It should be well pressed into the dish.
Bake for 15-18 minutes. My oven stinks and I had to bake for closer to 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes or so, just until it's set up. Using the parchment or foil, lift from the pan. While it's still warm, cut into small bars.
Store in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze in plastic baggies.
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