"Car!"
29 November 2008
27 November 2008
Photo Friday #2
PEGGY'S COVE, NOVA SCOTIA | TRAVELS WITH KID
Blatantly picturesque fishing village in Atlantic Canada ...
... boasting one of Nova Scotia's more photographed lighthouses ...
... beautiful coastline ...
And cliffs so crazy, it makes a mama's heart stop.
You'll find other links to travel pics at my favourite family travel site Delicious Baby. Or go there to share your travel photos on Fridays too.
Blatantly picturesque fishing village in Atlantic Canada ...
... boasting one of Nova Scotia's more photographed lighthouses ...
... beautiful coastline ...
And cliffs so crazy, it makes a mama's heart stop.
You'll find other links to travel pics at my favourite family travel site Delicious Baby. Or go there to share your travel photos on Fridays too.
22 November 2008
A Bit of a Collection
NOSTALGIA AT MEALTIME | PUTTING THE BUNNIKINS TO USE
This is hubs' bowl from when he was wee.
This is Hubs' dad's pitcher from when HE was wee which we just recently acquired.
And my bowl from when I was wee. I remember wanting to eat all of my soup so that I could see the picture on the bottom of my bowl. And the bunnies running around the edge always intrigued me.
It's so tempting to squirrel these away to keep them safe ... I don't know why ... so future generations can put them away in their cupboards? Silliness. When I let go of the tendency to be precious about them, I get great joy watching our little guy enjoying them at mealtime.
This is hubs' bowl from when he was wee.
This is Hubs' dad's pitcher from when HE was wee which we just recently acquired.
And my bowl from when I was wee. I remember wanting to eat all of my soup so that I could see the picture on the bottom of my bowl. And the bunnies running around the edge always intrigued me.
It's so tempting to squirrel these away to keep them safe ... I don't know why ... so future generations can put them away in their cupboards? Silliness. When I let go of the tendency to be precious about them, I get great joy watching our little guy enjoying them at mealtime.
21 November 2008
Photo Friday #1
CUBA | TRAVELS WITH KID
From the gorgeous little colonial town of Trinidad to the white sand beaches of Cayo Coco was a long 4 hour drive on Cuban roads. This warranted a little "juice" break for everyone at a local cafe along the way.
You'll find other links to travel pics at Delicious Baby.
From the gorgeous little colonial town of Trinidad to the white sand beaches of Cayo Coco was a long 4 hour drive on Cuban roads. This warranted a little "juice" break for everyone at a local cafe along the way.
You'll find other links to travel pics at Delicious Baby.
18 November 2008
15 November 2008
Ice Cream Sandwiches
WHITE CHOCOLATE OATMEAL COOKIES | VANILLA ICE CREAM
First we made the cookies.
3/4 C. brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 C. rolled oats
3/4 C. brown flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 C. sliced almonds
3/4 C. white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and beat well. Add oats, flour, baking powder, almonds, and chocolate and combine. Spoon on to prepared cookie sheet with parchment paper and press down slightly to flatten. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
And this is the genius part, as found on flip flops and applesauce, we sandwiched a blob of vanilla ice cream between two of the cookies. Next we wrapped them in plastic wrap and put them back the freezer for a bit until the ice cream was hard. So yummy!
And next time, I might try adding a little caramel sauce to the inside of the cookie before adding the ice cream. That would go nicely with the white chocolate and vanilla I think.
And if you are in a hurry, go out and buy the cookies! The kids will think it's just as special and it's even easier.
First we made the cookies.
3/4 C. brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 C. rolled oats
3/4 C. brown flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 C. sliced almonds
3/4 C. white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and beat well. Add oats, flour, baking powder, almonds, and chocolate and combine. Spoon on to prepared cookie sheet with parchment paper and press down slightly to flatten. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
And this is the genius part, as found on flip flops and applesauce, we sandwiched a blob of vanilla ice cream between two of the cookies. Next we wrapped them in plastic wrap and put them back the freezer for a bit until the ice cream was hard. So yummy!
And next time, I might try adding a little caramel sauce to the inside of the cookie before adding the ice cream. That would go nicely with the white chocolate and vanilla I think.
And if you are in a hurry, go out and buy the cookies! The kids will think it's just as special and it's even easier.
10 November 2008
Cutie-Patootie Sandwiches
And what do you do with those leftover cutouts from your Bird in a Nest? We saved a few to make mini, triple-decker sandwiches for lunch.
Heart-shaped Cherry Tomato, Cheese and Mayo sandwich:
Round Almond Butter and Blackberry Jam sandwich:
Heart-shaped Cherry Tomato, Cheese and Mayo sandwich:
Round Almond Butter and Blackberry Jam sandwich:
09 November 2008
I Heart You
NOSTALGIA AT MEALTIME | A BIRD IN A NEST FOR BREAKFAST
Hubs fondly remembers this classic for breaky. Spud was right on board from the beginning and has had it two mornings in a row now.
INGREDIENTS
Bread [and cookie cutter]
Egg
Butter
METHOD
Cookie cutter out the centre with whatever shape you fancy. With a bit of butter in the pan, toast up one side of the bread for a minute or two.
Flip the bread over and crack one egg into the whole. Cook for another minute or two depending on how hard or soft your wee one likes it.
If you toast up the cutout piece too, serve it as a yolk dipper. Or save them for cutie-patootie sandwiches later.
It turns out my mom was raised on this as well; my Grandma made it for her in the leftover bacon fat and called in 'Toad in the Hole'. I think it must be a North American variation on the English version which I believe is a sausage in a Yorkshire pudding. I plan on researching that one, and testing it, soon.
Hubs fondly remembers this classic for breaky. Spud was right on board from the beginning and has had it two mornings in a row now.
INGREDIENTS
Bread [and cookie cutter]
Egg
Butter
METHOD
Cookie cutter out the centre with whatever shape you fancy. With a bit of butter in the pan, toast up one side of the bread for a minute or two.
Flip the bread over and crack one egg into the whole. Cook for another minute or two depending on how hard or soft your wee one likes it.
If you toast up the cutout piece too, serve it as a yolk dipper. Or save them for cutie-patootie sandwiches later.
It turns out my mom was raised on this as well; my Grandma made it for her in the leftover bacon fat and called in 'Toad in the Hole'. I think it must be a North American variation on the English version which I believe is a sausage in a Yorkshire pudding. I plan on researching that one, and testing it, soon.
05 November 2008
Sprinkle Milkshakes
A SHOWY MILKSHAKE | FUN IN THE KITCHEN
1. Lightly brush simple syrup on the inside of your glasses
To make simple syrup:
Add 2 parts sugar to 1 part boiling water. Stir until dissolved. And set aside to cool. Keep leftovers in the fridge.
2. Pour 1/4 cup of sprinkles into glass
3. Roll the sprinkles around to coat the inside. Repeat with 3 more glasses.
4. Make milkshake in blender:
1 C. frozen peaches and strawberries
6 scoops vanilla ice cream
2 C. milk
5. Blend until smooth and pour into glasses.
6. Serve immediately to avoid the colour of the sprinkles running into the shake. Makes 4 kid-sized shakes.
1. Lightly brush simple syrup on the inside of your glasses
To make simple syrup:
Add 2 parts sugar to 1 part boiling water. Stir until dissolved. And set aside to cool. Keep leftovers in the fridge.
2. Pour 1/4 cup of sprinkles into glass
3. Roll the sprinkles around to coat the inside. Repeat with 3 more glasses.
4. Make milkshake in blender:
1 C. frozen peaches and strawberries
6 scoops vanilla ice cream
2 C. milk
5. Blend until smooth and pour into glasses.
6. Serve immediately to avoid the colour of the sprinkles running into the shake. Makes 4 kid-sized shakes.
04 November 2008
Birthday Party: Indiana Jones
An afternoon spent digging for treasure, dodging boulders and poison arrows and romping through the jungle; it doesn't get any better than that for a 5 year-old's birthday party. A couple extremely creative and cool friends of ours [shout out to Elaine and Jason!] put on a super fun Indiana Jones party for their son's 5th birthday a few weeks back and we were invited! Spud had the time of his life.
ACTIVITIES
Obstacle Course
The star of the party led the troops through the course to show them how it worked [he had been practicing all week so there was no stage fright]. The course was active and full of action, suspense, and imagination. It had it all.
1. balance on 2 x 4 into driveway
2. weave in and out of hedge bushes
3. run down drive way, dodging the large boulder [silver exercise ball] flying at you
4. follow a garden hose maze while dodging poison arrows [chopsticks tossed with purposefully bad aim by volunteer parent]
4. run to tree and swing over long rivers of lava [carefully raked leaves]
Treasure Hunt
Jewels in the sandbox could be found easily with sifters and small shovels. Those honing their bigger observation skills were rewarded with shiny, golden skulls [spray painted dollar store items] and small, smooth rocks cleverly hidden in trees, under bushes and on ledges throughout the backyard.
Jungle Trek
Through the back of the flower bed, against the fence, through some bushes, to the creek in the back yard and toward the bog. Not for the faint of heart.
FAVOURS
Canvas sack with small adventurer snack [jelly beans] and a whip [whittled stick and brown ribbon]. Each kid filled the sack with all their findings from the Treasure Hunt. So smart. Spud couldn't wait to take his booty to show-and-tell at school and before long he had the teachers put on a treasure hunt of their own for the students that same afternoon!
ON THE MENU
Barbecue of course. Hot dogs for all. Tropical fruit. Tropical juice. Ants on a log [black ants AND red ants!]
THE CAKE
The Temple of Doom. Made out of chocolate mud icing. And love. Decorated with candy skulls and rock candy. Complete with altar, ramp and large boulder [sucker] for the birthday boy.
ACTIVITIES
Obstacle Course
The star of the party led the troops through the course to show them how it worked [he had been practicing all week so there was no stage fright]. The course was active and full of action, suspense, and imagination. It had it all.
1. balance on 2 x 4 into driveway
2. weave in and out of hedge bushes
3. run down drive way, dodging the large boulder [silver exercise ball] flying at you
4. follow a garden hose maze while dodging poison arrows [chopsticks tossed with purposefully bad aim by volunteer parent]
4. run to tree and swing over long rivers of lava [carefully raked leaves]
Treasure Hunt
Jewels in the sandbox could be found easily with sifters and small shovels. Those honing their bigger observation skills were rewarded with shiny, golden skulls [spray painted dollar store items] and small, smooth rocks cleverly hidden in trees, under bushes and on ledges throughout the backyard.
Jungle Trek
Through the back of the flower bed, against the fence, through some bushes, to the creek in the back yard and toward the bog. Not for the faint of heart.
FAVOURS
Canvas sack with small adventurer snack [jelly beans] and a whip [whittled stick and brown ribbon]. Each kid filled the sack with all their findings from the Treasure Hunt. So smart. Spud couldn't wait to take his booty to show-and-tell at school and before long he had the teachers put on a treasure hunt of their own for the students that same afternoon!
ON THE MENU
Barbecue of course. Hot dogs for all. Tropical fruit. Tropical juice. Ants on a log [black ants AND red ants!]
THE CAKE
The Temple of Doom. Made out of chocolate mud icing. And love. Decorated with candy skulls and rock candy. Complete with altar, ramp and large boulder [sucker] for the birthday boy.
03 November 2008
Musical Glasses
All you need is ...
A tub
3 or 4 glasses of varying sizes and shapes
A metal spoon
Some water
I remember this activity fondly when I was a kid. And, it turns out, I still like it today. It kept Spud busy for 20 minutes, tinging and clanging, filling our apartment with some pretty avant garde sounds. Fun for everyone.
01 November 2008
Oh, So Many Cars
This morning was a bit of a purger. It's time to sort out and toss out a whack of Spud's stuff. I was floored to see how many cars he's accumulated. I mean, it's not like we haven't done a 'car purge' before ... at least two times before. I don't even think this is all of them. There's another stash I'm missing ... probably in the back of the closet somewhere.
He was surprisingly open to the idea of "giving some cars you don't like anymore to kids who don't have toys". He embraced the idea of having two boxes; one for keepers and one for giving away and making the call as to which went where. "Let's get rid of the ugly ones. Maybe the other kids won't think they're ugly". His criteria for ugly was pretty funny, apparently black is an ugly colour for cars. Well today anyway. Can he be my kid?
Anyway, in the end, I was pretty proud of him. Of his own free will he parted with a couple of dozen cars. But it's just a drop in the bucket.
I would love to hear others' tips on how to manage the flow and accumulation of toys. Prevent them from entering the door in the first place? Mule out loads of them when your child's asleep and act dumb when they wonder where a specific toy is? Or buy a bigger house. Help.
He was surprisingly open to the idea of "giving some cars you don't like anymore to kids who don't have toys". He embraced the idea of having two boxes; one for keepers and one for giving away and making the call as to which went where. "Let's get rid of the ugly ones. Maybe the other kids won't think they're ugly". His criteria for ugly was pretty funny, apparently black is an ugly colour for cars. Well today anyway. Can he be my kid?
Anyway, in the end, I was pretty proud of him. Of his own free will he parted with a couple of dozen cars. But it's just a drop in the bucket.
I would love to hear others' tips on how to manage the flow and accumulation of toys. Prevent them from entering the door in the first place? Mule out loads of them when your child's asleep and act dumb when they wonder where a specific toy is? Or buy a bigger house. Help.