Saturday, September 27, 2008
Simple, Quick Fun
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Word Verification
Afternoon Dance Party
I remember my Mama always being fit and strong when I was little. When I was five, I used to go to yoga class with her to babysit my 6 month old brother, who actually spent most of the class draped over her anyway. I think doing some yoga around the house probably would amuse my active girl and I really should try it again soon. I haven't done yoga since I was pregnant.
My current method of exercise though is dancing to whatever music happens through our house. Our resident toddler loves music, and we're often playing cds or singing as we play. I also have a small Ellen Degeneres obsession and have watched her talk show nearly daily since Abigail was about six months old and I sprained both ankles (not a fun thing to have happen with a small baby - although I'm glad she wasn't a toddler at the time). If you don't know, Ellen not only has a 2 minute dance time on her show (which we always dance to) but each time a guest comes on there is a musical introduction too. Everytime she hears the music, Abigail's eyes light up, she stops what she's doing and boogies.
So, that's my new cardio workout. Boogeying down with my baby girl. Wish me luck!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Why Fun Mama?
That was the day that I realized that I wanted to provide fun experiences for my daughter whenever possible. I didn't have to buy the lemonade, but it made the child selling it happy. And we didn't have to watch the dump truck. I had plenty of other things to do. But she enjoyed sitting on the porch with me and watching and waving at the driver.
Not long after that, I saw Stacy Julian on Scrapbook Memories (PBS scrapbooking show) and she talked about making the little things special. Like putting sprinkles on your child's yogurt or oatmeal, and spending the extra dollar on character bandages.
I've been stocking up on sprinkles when I find them on clearance, and I picked up a few character bandages of characters that I don't mind (Curious George and Strawberry Shortcake specifically). I try to make sure that we have fun on a regular basis. I don't think that planning to have fun is going to be a bad thing. I believe that fun is an important part of life and I hope to teach my child to find the fun just like my Mama taught me.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Toddler Art group
Since I read Young At Art, I've been looking through various blogs about arts and crafting with toddlers and preschoolers. One that I've come to enjoy is The Artful Parent.
One of the most helpful posts I've found on the The Artful Parent is how to start a children's art group. I'm not sure if I could find enough people who would be interested in this kind of playgroup, but I love the idea of having a group of kids and parents working together on art with no expectation of a particular product.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
More Play Food
Chenille food at Etsy. I love the way these look!
Food made of fabric. I think this is cool, but I'm not sure how a toddler will feel about it. Maybe if the fabric looked closer to the actual food item?
Another felt food find at Cynet Small. I think the fried eggs look so cool.
Does you have any other ideas for homemade play food?
Friday, September 5, 2008
Experiencing the Present Moment
So I won't be blogging regularly for the next few weeks. I do have some posts that are scheduled and I may even post my pages or some photos of projects we're doing. I just want to slow down and experience this moment. She won't be this little forever.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Stacy Julian interview at Little Mismatched
Even if you are not a scrapbooker, Stacy has an inspiring philosophy of life. I hope you enjoy the interview.
Safer Play Food
My bigger concern with the play food is that she actually "eats" it. This shouldn't surprise me, since she's 19 months old and has always been into chewing her toys. She does realize that she is playing with the food, but she seems to believe that mouthing is part of the play (it is food after all). We're starting to notice paint missing, and since we're not sure of the safety of the items, we've taken some of them away from her.
I know Abigail loves playing kitchen and pretending to eat, so I've been searching out safer alternatives to plastic play food. At first, I thought that wooden food, like the stuff at Magic Cabin, was a perfect replacement, until I realized that it's still painted. Beyond the possibility of lead in the paint, there are other chemicals to consider. I'm now looking into knitted, crocheted, and felt food. The problem with these play foods is that they're fuzzy and she will still put them in her mouth. Perhaps only once though.
My first introduction to felt play food was at Pottery Barn Kids. Abigail played tea party at the kids table that was set up and she put one of the chocolate chip cookies in her mouth. A few weeks later, I saw a segment on Creative Juice (on DIY network) where they were making doll accessories, and some of those accessories were play food. These food items looked doable and fun, but they seem a little old for a young toddler.
Since I’ve been on a quest to find alternative sources of play food over the last week I’ve discovered a whole new world. There are free patterns, patterns for sale, tutorials, play food for sale at Etsy, and even a Flickr site devoted to sharing homemade play food. I’m really excited about trying some of these ideas, and thought I’d share a few of my sources. I’m not sure when I’ll get around to making any of this, but I hope it’s soon.
I just found these at Chasing Cheerios today, and I think they're so cute.
A whole bag of "groceries" by Homemade by Jill
A sugar cookie tutorial on Make and Takes
And two posts from Crunchy Parent: links to other blogs and directions and a discussion of materials to use
I hope these ideas help someone else. Hopefully I'll be able to get busy on some play food soon or find another suitable alternative for my munchy girl.