Craft Idea - Hallowe'en Handprints

We are in full autumn mode!  We've been doing for lots of fall walks, enjoying the last warm-ish days, and sadly packing away all things summer.  Fall has also crept into our diet with more apples and squash.  So, as Little Smiling Man naps and Mini Muffin plays with orange playdough while we wait for our pumpkin oatmeal muffins to cool, it seems like a great time to share a little handprint craft we did the other day.  It makes a great seasonal decoration, is small to store, and will be super cute to pull out again next year and see how much Mini Muffin has grown.

Before the toddler phase, arts and crafts were certainly a long way behind me.  As in, I'm pretty sure I left arts and crafts behind in elementary school.  So, I've been doing a lot of learning... and a lot of idea gathering on Pintrest!  This idea was just too cute to miss!



Eek!

As you can see, it was mostly a mommy craft with a bit of toddler input.  Mini Muffin thinks "her spider" is pretty cool, and loves the webs created around it in purple (her favourite colour).  And, mommy had some fun doing something crafty during naptime. 
A little bit more about the process -

I chose to work on canvas for longevity and display purposes, but you could very easily work on paper.  I also used tempera paints to keep everything non-toxic and easy to clean. 

Since we didn't have any orange paint on hand, I mixed some up and prepped the canvas while Mini Muffin was napping.  I applied a couple of layers with a sponge brush, and then dabbed with a sponge to even out the texture.  Once it was dry, we painted Mini Muffin's hands and pressed them down one at a time to make our spider.  The next day (also during her nap), I broke out the purple and a fine paint brush to finished it off.  She was so surprised to see the end result when she woke up, and I had so much fun painting.  As I said, it's been years!

I had a few learnings through the process, which the very crafty would find basic.  When I mixed the orange, I was completely off with the red/yellow proportion.  For the record, Hallowe'en orange is mostly yellow.  I ended up with so much orange as I added more and more yellow to find the right shade!  I also found the by using a foam brush (which is all I had on hand), I ended up with a really streaky canvas.  It looked kind of cool, but wasn't the look I was going for.  Hence, improvising with the sponge.  I love the mottled texture of the final product!

So, there's a fun handprint Hallowe'en idea.  Now, on to create one for Little Smiling Man!

Simply Delicious - Cauliflower Soup for Everyone!

I've been learning a bit more about cauliflower recently.  I'd always written it off due to its colour - I mean how could a white vegetable contain much in the way of nutrients?  Well, cauliflower is really back in vogue these days.  And, it turns out that it's super healthy!  It's a great source of vitamin C, folate, and vitamin K, as well as fibre.

Unfortunately, I'm not a huge fan of plain old boiled or steamed cauliflower, and adding cheese sauce seems to sort of defeat the purpose.  So, after talking to a friend about an amazing cauliflower soup she threw together for her baby, I decided to see if I could come up with my own version.  It was so easy and simple, I forgot to even take a picture of it before it was all gobbled up or frozen into baby cubes.

Here's the recipe, should you choose to give it a whirl -

Cauliflower Carrot Soup

1 medium head of cauliflower
2 large carrots
1 medium onion
2 medium cloves garlic
1 tbsp butter
4 cups low sodium chicken stock

1.  Melt butter in a large pot, and add chopped onion and crushed garlic.  Cook over medium heat until onion is translucent.
2.  Add stock, chopped carrots, and cauliflower flowerets.  Bring to a boil.
3.  Cook covered, over medium heat until cauliflower is fall-apart cooked.
4.  Blend until smooth, adding water if too thick.
5.  Serve and enjoy!

Everyone in my family enjoyed this soup, especially Little Smiling Man. I'd even say that it's his favourite food so far!  It was versatile and delicious, and so very easy to make.  This one will definitely reappear on our table to help us all enjoy more cauliflower!

Magic Happens at Daycare

Magic happens at daycare!  A friend of mine coined this phrase to explain why our children seem to be completely different people when in the care of someone outside of the home.

Here are some "magical" cases:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Case 1:
Mini Muffin fights naps to the bitter end at home.  A nap can literally take hours to start, regardless of how much physical and/or mental stimulation she's had, time, routine or sleeping environment.  It takes forever, and a lot of mental fortitude from her parents so that we can avoid getting frustrated with her and making the situation worse.  Left to her own devices she does everything she can to keep herself awake and has never fallen asleep for a nap unattended.  With a parent in the room, she also does everything she can to keep herself awake, but can sometimes be lulled to sleep by a persistent parent. 

When Mini Muffin started in the "big kid" room at daycare, I naturally asked how she had napped.  I was told that she had a good sleep, but was the last kid to fall asleep.  I thought "Aha!  So it's not just me!", only to have my bubble burst immediately thereafter.  Carer: "Yes, she was the very last one to fall asleep, but she did it completely on her own - no back rubbing or anything.  She fell asleep at a quarter to one."  Me (knowing their schedule): "I'm sorry, pardon?  A quarter to one?" "Yes." "As in 12:45?" "Yes (looking at me like I'm simple because I don't know what a quarter to one means).  We start settling for nap at 12:30 and she fell asleep on her own at 12:45.  Oh, and we make the room conducive to sleep - it's dark and we play nature sounds."

Seriously!?!?  Fifteen minutes!?!?!  Between naps and bedtime, some days I feel like I do nothing but try to settle her for sleep.  Magic happens at daycare.

Case 2:
Mini Muffin is quite particular on her diet.  We try not to make too big a deal out of what she will and will not eat, to avoid it turning into more of a power struggle.  She actually tastes more things when we pretty much leave her to her own devices.  That being said, I'm very familiar with her refusing to eat foods that most kids love (e.g. pasta, scrambled eggs, ketchup or any kind of sauce being among them).

I picked her up one day to hear that she refuses to eat cheese.  Yes, I'm well aware.  She will eat it melted; but normal, cold, delicious cheese?  No way.  Oh, but she ate her crackers (a steadfast favourite of hers at home), ham and pickles, she just left the cheese.  What!?!?!  She ate ham?  And pickles?  Huh?  Then I was told that they make their snacks fun - cubes of ham, triangles of cheese, round pickles and rectangular crackers.  Hmmm.... I suppose I could try to make snacks more fun. 

I replicated the snack at home a few weeks later.  Mini Muffin ate the crackers, and built houses and towers out of the rest.  Not a crumb passed her lips, even when asked.  So much for fun.  Magic happens at daycare.

Case 3:
My friend's toddler went through a stage of throwing her plate on the floor when she didn't want any more, didn't like the offerings, or sometimes just for fun. 

One day at pick up, she was told that her daughter had thrown her plate on the floor.  The carer explained that she'd asked her to pick up the food and carry her plate over to the garbage to throw out her wasted food, and then return to the table to wait for the others to finish - which is exactly what this little toddler did. 

And, for the record, she never again threw her plate on the floor.... at daycare anyway.  Magic happens at daycare.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm still not sure how I feel about this phenomenon.  I'm happy that my little person is well behaved when I'm not around, and that she seems to be stepping outside her comfort zone.  She also seems to push boundaries much harder at home.  I'd like to think that it's because home is a safe place for her to grow and learn and that she knows we'll love her unconditionally, and not because she sees me as a push over.  For the record, I don't think she sees me as a push over; I think she just has a need to continually confirm that the boundaries haven't shifted, and by extension that I haven't suddenly morphed into a push over. 

In conclusion, magic does indeed seem to happen at daycare.  And, it sure would be nice if once in a while Mini Muffin would share some of that daycare napping magic with me.   

Easy Mommy Win - Carrots!

You may perhaps recall that Mini Muffin is a bit of a picky eater.  In addition to continuing to offer her healthy, whole foods including a variety of vegetables (which are usually declined), I'm always on the lookout for ways to sneak the nutrients she needs into foods she'll enjoy.

Carrots have always been a tough one.  Despite being sweet and delicious, Mini Muffin is determined to avoid them.  And, their bright colour can make them tricky to disguise.  Not long ago she tried Motts fruit and veggie sauce, which is essentially applesauce with some peach and what I can only assume is a token amount of carrot (based on its place in the ingredient list).  She loved it, and it soon became known as "orange applesauce".

The other day, Mini Muffin was requesting orange applesauce and we were all out.  She and I decided that mommy should try to make some.  And so, a healthier version of orange applesauce was born.

Orange Applesauce

3 apples (any sweet variety)
1/2 large carrot

1.  Cook carrot by desired method (boiling, steaming, etc).  This is also a great opportunity to use up left over carrot - which is exactly what I did! 

2.  Place peeled, cored and chopped apple, along with carrot in a medium saucepan. 

3.  Add water until apples and carrots are almost covered.  Ensure all carrots are under water.

4.  Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until apple is fall-apart cooked and carrot is very soft.  Almost all water will have boiled off.  If water is boiled off before carrot and apple are thoroughly cooked, add boiling water.

5.  Put apple-carrot mixture through blender until very smooth.  Add warm water if consistency is too thick for your taste.  If you want a chunkier sauce you could mash it, however the carrots will not be hidden in this case.  I used my Magic Bullet, and made sure every last chunk was gone - it came out to be almost exactly like store bought texture, maybe even a little bit smoother.

The final result, was a brilliant orange and sweet applesauce, with no added sweetener required and no preservatives.  The test came when I gave it to Mini Muffin for dessert.  Three servings later, we had to convince her to wait for breakfast to enjoy more!  It's official, mommy's orange applesauce is more popular than the store bought variety.  Even better, it's also completely baby appropriate!

And that, is my easy mommy win for carrots.  Next on the agenda... figuring out which greens I can hide in applesauce! 

Milk Cubes - Why didn't I think of this sooner!?!

I have been very fortunate to be able to exclusively breastfeed both my babies.  It's been, and continues to be, amazing.  Little Smiling Man is seven months old today, and is therefore also about a month into experiencing solids.  Well, actually purées, but I digress... So far he's enjoyed cereals, egg yolks and quite an array of vegetables.  He seems pretty enthusiastic about the whole concept!

As many a smart mama will tell you, if you're making puréed baby food for your little angel, freezing it in an ice cube tray is super convenient.  Once frozen, just pop it out and into a freezer bag, label and away you go!  We still use this technique to freeze homemade soups in small portions for Mini Muffin, and with trying to give Little Smiling Man lots of variety, I'm in baby cube making mode!

Since I chose to introduce iron fortified baby cereals, and he's never had formula, our dietitian recommended using "mix with breastmilk", as opposed to "mix with water" cereals.  The mix with water variety are super convenient, but contain several ingredients that formula fed babies would have been exposed to, but breastfed babies would not. So, to keep things simple for their tummies, and to make it easy to identify any potential food intolerance, we use only the mix with breastmilk variety of baby cereal.

Here comes the challenging part: Managing milk inventories to mix cereal.  Breastmilk doesn't keep long in the fridge, and especially in the early days of introducing solids you use so little to mix cereal.  Sometimes we waste pumped milk because we don't use enough.  Sometimes Little Smiling Man nurses so much (e.g. during teething) that I have nothing to spare for cereal.  Sometimes we're busy and finding time to pump is difficult.  Sometimes I have excess supply and pump a whole bottle, so freeze it to avoid wastage.  But, the frozen bag can only be defrosted in its entirety, and so leads to wasted milk in the end since my little guy also refuses the bottle.  All of this to say, we seem to constantly be in a state of having too much or too little breastmilk for mixing cereal.

And so, after two years of freezing cubes of all sorts of things, it suddenly dawned on me... milk cubes!  When I'm able to pump a whole bottle, instead of using a too-big bag, just freeze it in an ice cube tray.  Then, if we're short on milk, I can just take out a single serve cube, defrost, mix, and the wastage is minimal.  Sweet and simple.



Almost ready - defrosting indirectly with hot water

The question I therefore have to ask is....  Why on earth didn't I think of this two years ago!?!?!

Simpy Delicious - Special Banana Pancakes

I'm all about an easy dinner after a busy Friday!  So, yesterday I drew on one of my tried and true toddler dinners - "Special Banana Pancakes".

These pancakes came about when Mini Muffin was about nine months old.  I was desperately trying to find some form of protein that she would actually eat, aside from milk.  Eggs seemed like a reasonable alternative to the meat she refused, but she really didn't take to them.  So, I came up with her very own special banana pancakes - banana mashed with egg and cooked in a bit of butter like a pancake.  She LOVED them from the get go, and to this day she'll gobble down two eggs in one sitting!

Now, I thought I was being all novel and inventive coming up with these pancakes.  However, I soon came across a banana egg scramble variation on an online community.  Then, I received an email from Self magazine touting gluten free pancakes... which were essentially my recipe with a bit of baking soda!  So, I must concede, they are not what you would call novel, but they are what I would call a quick, easy and awesome way to get egg into a baby or toddler!

And, the 'recipe' -

Special Banana Pancakes

1 very ripe banana (well mashed)
2 eggs

1.  Scramble eggs and combine with banana.
2.  Melt a small amount of butter in a frying pan. 
3.  When butter is bubbly, drop batter into pan.  I suggest pancakes be on the small side (one spoonful per pancake) because they can be a bit tricky to turn.  Flip when reasonably set.

We serve these plain - the banana flavour comes through strongly and makes them sweet so they really don't need anything!  They also reheat fairly well, so I try to make a bit extra for a quick and easy snack the next day.  Enjoy!

Blissful Moment

Little Smiling Man cut his first tooth yesterday!  Amazingly, he remained his usual smiling self throughout the process, with perhaps only slightly more disrupted sleep than normal, and a few extra cuddles.  He's such an amazing little guy!

Sleep, however has been at a premium lately.  Little Smiling Man being up an extra time each night was just the tip of the iceberg.  Mini Muffin has been struggling with a cough and cold which has been keeping her up, waking her frequently, and causing very early risings.  Everyone is sleep deprived!

But last night, in and amongst the fatigue, I had a truly blissful moment.  Little Smiling Man got up for his usual one o'clock nurse, and then less than an hour later there were squeaks and squeals coming from his nursery.  Groaning and bleary eyed, I rolled out of bed once again.  When I approached his crib, he smiled at me, and as soon as I picked him up he burrowed into my shoulder.  He had no interest in nursing, he was just looking for a cuddle!  We settled into the glider and I got to hold my peaceful, happy baby while he settled back to sleep, content with the world.  We rocked and cuddled, for what I can still only describe as a blissful time.  I watched him as he slept in my arms, and felt an overwhelming sense of peace and calm.  The fatigue even slipped away!  After a time, he was happy to settle back into his crib, and I got to sleep undisturbed for three-ish hours until Mini Muffin was up for the day.

Babies are little for such a short time.  He's already so big - as of last week, he's 2.5 times his birth weight and well and truly into 9 month sized clothing at just six months old!  As exciting as it is, I've also been a bit sad about his first tooth coming through.  It really is an undeniable sign that time is passing and he's not my little newborn anymore.  But, last night I could clearly see that he's still my little baby, cuddled up in my arms and finding comfort there.  And, it reminds me that even on difficult days, I really am the happiest I've ever been with these two little blossoms! 

Good Morning!

I love singing.  Mini Muffin loves singing.  Even my husband gets in on the action!  We love songs with actions, songs with funny rhymes, songs to help distract the littles while we're waiting, songs to bring a smile to the face, songs to get the sillies out - the list is endless.

When Mini Muffin was born I knew very minimal kids songs.  As in, basics like Bingo, Isty Bitsy Spider and just a handful of others.  Through mothers groups, both my and Mini Muffin's repertoires expanded, and happily Little Smiling Man is now also being exposed to some pretty fun songs.

One time we always sing is in the morning.  I greet each child in the morning with a good morning song; basically to the tune of Happy Birthday, just like my mom used to sing to me.  My husband has his own good morning song that his dad used to sing when he was a kid.  Mini Muffin has started singing a version of my good morning song to Little Smiling Man as well - heart warming to say the least!

However, lately yet another good morning song has emerged in our home.  And, it's so popular we've been singing it morning, noon, and... well... not night since we're (hopefully) all fast asleep in our beds.  It's called the Good Morning Train, and is far and away Mini Muffin's favourite song at the moment.  You can hear a rendition of it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8_CCseQW7c

We have lots of fun with all the "choo choo" sound effects, especially since Mini Muffin is a huge train fan these days.  We also make a point of naming people in our extended family and friends that we don't see too often as a way to think of them and include them in our day.  It's fantastic when Mini Muffin stops me to inform me that she will be singing it, and proceeds to name anyone that's on her mind - each with a VERY enthusiastic "choo choo!" afterwards.

What's your favourite song to start off the day?  

"Two Minutes!"

"Two minutes" is a phrase we now hear often in our house... very often.  Neither hubby, nor I, realised that we said it.  Then, this fabulous little mirror who regularly lets us know what we really look and sound like (aka Mini Muffin) picked it up.  All of a sudden, she started telling us "I be right be back... two minutes!" (only to pop back around the corner ten seconds later, loudly announcing that she'd returned - love her!).  At first we were confused; where on earth did that come from?  Then, I started noticing myself telling her we would be leaving in two minutes, or that I'd be back in two minutes from a run to basement pantry, etc.  Then, I started noticing my husband using similar phrases.  I guess we just live in a two minute household.

And that, I think, is partly why an article I recently read on decluttering stuck with me.  Sadly, I forgot to bookmark it and it seems to be lost forever.  However, amongst all the usual stuff (make your bed, mess attracts mess, etc), was a little gem that I've been putting to the test with pretty solid results.  This article proposed that if a task would take two minutes or less, do it immediately; if it will take more than two minutes you can put it off if you want to. 

When I read it, I thought "Hmmm... interesting..." and promptly moved on.  The next day, as I put a broken down box into a pile on the counter to later go out to the recycling bin, it popped into my head.  The twenty steps or so would definitely take less than two minutes, so I took it straight to the bin.  One less thing on the counter.  I caught myself the same way, putting some rogue barrettes in a pile on the table to be taken upstairs later.  Approximately 30 seconds later they were away and not causing clutter on the table. 

It's also worked to help push me to complete every day tasks when I see they need doing as opposed to the dreaded "later".  After all, it only takes two minutes, so why wait?  Corralling shoes at the front door, making the bed, straightening up Little Smiling Man's diaper changing stuff, putting away the shirt that was hanging to dry, and the list goes on.  Each thing in itself is small, yet those two minutes give a small sense of accomplishment and spur on more two minute projects.  Bit by bit, I can honestly say that I've noticed a difference... even if it is just the lack of recycling items accumulating on the kitchen counter!

DIY - Cozy Baby Blanket

Sweater season is officially back, and with it comes the need to make sure Little Smiling Man is as cozy as can be.  This week, I found myself pulling out the receiving blankets I made for him before birth more often.  I'm so glad I took the time - they truly are my go-to blanket!

Let me tell you a bit about them, because these aren't any old receiving blankets.  These are a) made with love, b) extra cozy without being too bulky, and c) perfect for someone (like me) just learning how to sew.  In fact, this blanket pattern was my very first sewing project, and the prototype was quickly claimed by Mini Muffin.  It continues to be her comfort item at bedtime, I love that she's comforted by something I made!

It all started a couple of years ago, with a very experienced quilter from work telling me about making receiving blankets for a colleague that was expecting.  It sounded so simple - one yard each of two complementary flannels.  Cut one 30" square and one 40" square from each, and through some sewing magic create two beautiful blankets that are a cross between a basic receiving blanket and a simple quilt.  Sounds interesting, right?  She called them "twenty minute receiving blankets", but ascertained that even with her experience it took her a bit longer.  Fast forward to my expecting Little Smiling Man, and several others in my social set also expecting babies around the same time.  I thought it would be lovely for Little Smiling Man to have something made especially for him, and to give these as gifts to some of the other new arrivals.  I literally googled twenty minute receiving blanket and came across a free online tutorial from the Missouri Star Quilt Company (here: http://shops.missouriquiltco.com/product/self-binding-baby-blanket-pattern/).  It turns out that it's the same tutorial my coworker had used!  What took her an hour or so, took me longer.  The first one took two evenings.  The second one took a single evening, and eventually I got it down to a couple of hours during which I could escape from the outside world and focus on a simple, enjoyable project.

With hindsight, the time spent on these blankets was very well spent!  I find them so versatile.  Being about three feet square, they're great for carseats, swaddling newborns, rolling on when we're out and about, can still be used as receiving blankets and to clean up messes, are thick enough to be perfect for spring and fall weather, and are both soft and durable.  Since Little Smiling Man was a March baby, we used them often over the first few months, and I suspect I'll also be using them frequently over the coming months as well.

At this point I've made a half dozen or so, so here are my tips (to supplement the fantastic tutorial above) -

1.  Don't skip the prewashing... or the ironing.
Flannel shrinks.  A lot.  Putting your uncut flannel through the wash means that it won't go all wonky on you later.  After it comes out of the dryer, ironing will make cutting so much easier!

2.  Perfect squares do matter. 
I'm pretty sure it takes me about as long to cut the fabric as it does to pin and sew.  But, if you're not square, it's definitely a problem, so it's worth the time.

3.  Exact measurements, however, don't matter. 
If one of your squares is slightly bigger or smaller, it really doesn't matter, it just changes the width of the border and the overall size of the blanket. 

4.  Sometimes, if you're new to sewing, the top stitching goes a bit funny in places. 
Don't sweat it, no one will notice (and if they do, they won't say anything!).  When I made my first blanket, I was very caught up in it being perfect.  It wasn't.  And, it's still very well loved.  Just enjoy the process, and it'll all work out in the end.  And, I find that each subsequent blanket gets a little bit closer to perfect.



5.  Thread a new bobbin before starting the top stitching. 
If you want to go start to finish without stopping, you'll need a full bobbin.  Trust me.

6.  If you plan to use these for yourself, make several.
In the spring, these were literally the only blanket we used for swaddling due to the chilly weather (and their perfect size).  Plus they were used for going out, snuggling, etc.  We loved using them so much that they always seemed to be in the wash!  Having several meant that we were rarely caught without one.     

And, that's my little summary and review of one fantastically simple, handmade baby blanket, that I adore. 

Enjoy!!