Kid Camera

Spud's aunties gave him this swishy digital camera for Christmas and we are all still having so much fun with it.



It's very well designed. It's symmetrical and meant to be held with two kid-sized grips. Good idea. And the view finder is for two eyes. There's no need to expect a little one to squint one eye while looking through the other. It also comes with some games and is surprisingly easy for him to navigate, without any help from us.

Here are some of his arty shots ...


A self portrait ...


Another self portrait ... of sorts


At the playground ...


And a shot between his pj'd knees while watching The Incredibles on movie night ...

Birthday Party: Robot Picnic

So far Spud has had a cowboy party, train party, jungle party, and a paint splatter party. Well, we have his 5th birthday party theme established. Finally. And now it's planning time! My favourite! First the invite...

Stay tuned for posts of robot party links and other updates.

Snow Day

ONE OF SPUD'S FAVOURITE OUTDOOR THINGS TO DO | VANCOUVER
Well, there were other things we probably should have been doing but with such a beautiful sunny day and so few snow days left, we decided to drive to one of our local mountains today, Cypress.

First we went for an hour long snowshoe. What a treat. We've been waiting for Spud to grow up enough to snowshoe. It's been a long time since he fit in a carrier on daddy's back.



He really did a great job and seemed to like it too.



Needless to say, there was a fair amount of rest time along the way.



And then rewarded with some tobagganing ...



And icicle hunting ...



All in all, a smashing day.

Photo Friday #9

FESTIVAL DU BOIS | NEAR VANCOUVER, CANADA

Spud enjoying some, fresh off the snow, maple syrup candy. Makes my teeth ache a little just looking at it.



For other travel pics, check out my favourite family travel site Delicious Baby. Or go there to share your travel photos on Fridays too.

Height Predictor

Ever wonder how tall your kids will grow up to be? Well, I thought this was cute ... child height predictor ... until it told me Spud is going to 6'6" at 17 years old!



Wow. Too bad he's not showing any b-ball skills. The boy is really quite tall for his age but I have to say, I'm a bit skeptical at the prediction.

So then I tested it on myself because I can remember my height and weight when I was 11 years old [for some reason] ... and it was bang on! It says that I would grow up to be 5'8" [I think I'm 5'8 1/2"!].

This might lead to another blog ... the term "wee" seems a little erroneous right now
...
wink.

Festival du Bois

Spud's Favourite Annual Events: FESTIVAL DU BOIS | NEAR VANCOUVER

Maillardville, BC is in fact, the only identifiable French settlement west of the Rockies, they say. This wee community, inside the city of Coquitlam [near Vancouver], hosts the "Flaunt your Frenchness" festival annually and we hate to miss it. The weather is hit or miss. Usually miss. Today it even snowed, which was a first for us. But it didn't stop us from really enjoying both the kid and grown up entertainment from around the world.





In addition, we always spend some quality time in the poutine line up; an essential part of every visit. That's right, when else can you eat french fries smothered with gravy and topped with cheese curds and feel ok about it?!



And for dessert you ask? Well, there's sugar pie and crepes of course but we always check out the sugar shack for some maple syrup candy which includes lively musical entertainment.

DIY Pop-Up Birthday Card

So, on the weekend we had a birthday party for one of Spud's little preschool friends. I grabbed some of the UNICEF cards that I try to always have on hand and Spud chose this one.



He insisted he would only like it, though, if it had pop-up inside. What a cool idea, I thought!



First we made a little present [to match the front of the card, somewhat], then a little bunny [to match the present which was a bunny-shaped box with a puzzle in it] and then a robot [ummm ... well ... because Spud loves robots].



Then Hubs started some of the architecture. Thin card stock strips plus glue stick did the trick.



Then we glued the cutouts onto each platform so that when you open the card they ... pop up!





In the end it would have been nice to have more drawing or colouring from Spud but he just wasn't in the mood today. C'est la vie.

Photo Friday #8

PANAMA | TRAVELS WITH KID
Getting in a little hammock time ... with a spotter.



For other travel pics, check out my favourite family travel site Delicious Baby. Or go there to share your travel photos on Fridays too.

"An Awesome Book"

This came in the mail today. And it makes me so happy. This book is where fun, whimsical writing and great illustrations come together. With an inspiring message and fantastical, detailed artwork, this book has already become a family favourite.

After the first read Spud yelled "read it again! read it again!" The page with the candy-o-matic 5000 alone is enough to keep his interest for 5 minutes as he traces the path of the candy canes in as many ways as he can imagine.



Check out very awesome world to flip through the book yourself page by page.

Photo Friday #7

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA | TRAVELS WITH KID
Driving over the bridge of the Americas ... linking two continents.



For other travel pics, check out my favourite family travel site Delicious Baby. Or go there to share your travel photos on Fridays too.

Sweet Little Cozy

Nana made this little blanket/play mat for Spud which came in the mail for Valentine's Day.



The darling little car buttons and hearts are such a sweet touch.

Toad in the Hole

NOSTALGIA AT MEALTIME | YORSHIRE PUDDING + SAUSAGE
I modified this from Jamie Oliver's recipe, as tipped off to me by Julie on my Bird in the Nest post.



Yorkshire Pudding Batter
1 1/3 C. milk
1 C. Flour, all purpose
Salt
3 eggs

Mix the batter ingredients together and set aside.

Toad in the Hole
Sunflower oil
6 Quality sausages, large
6 Sprig sections of fresh rosemary

Put just under 1/2" of sunflower oil into each muffin tin cup and place on the middle shelf of the oven at its highest setting, 475°F. Place a large tray underneath to catch any oil splatter that happens during cooking. In order for this to work everything needs to be nice and hot so there will probably be some bubbling and spitting.

When the oil is very hot, add your sausages. Keep an eye on them allowing them to become just lightly golden. At this point pour batter over each sausage.





Throw a rosemary sprig section into each cup. Close the door and do not open again for at least 20 minutes, as rising Yorkshire puddings are temperamental wee things. Remove from the oven when golden and crisp.

Gravy
1 Red onion, peeled and sliced
2 Cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
2 T. Butter
6 T. Balsamic vinegar
1 T. Vegetable stock powder

For the onion gravy, simply fry off your onions and garlic in the butter on a medium heat for about 5 minutes until sweet and translucent. Add thyme. Next, add balsamic vinegar and cook down to half. Add veggie stock powder with a little water. Bring to a simmer.

We served this with mashed cauliflower and a green salad.

Banana Sprinkle Mini Pies

DO-IT-YOURSELF DESSERT


I found this adorable idea at A bit of this and a bit of that and we tried it tonight. It made a nice little intermission from our movie night.

We gave Spud:
Butter knife and cutting board
Banana, peeled
Nutella [warmed in the microwave for 20 seconds]
Sprinkles

He did the rest. Slice, dip, dip, slurp. And then he named them mini pies after declaring his perpetual love for them.

Hearts

VALENTINE'S DAY



Simple little Valentines for Spud's day care mates. These little hearts are made with a little white paint and my index finger. An idea I got from Martha that suited me fine because I had all the ingredients at home.

Red construction paper
White paint
Ribbon
Circular die cut
Hole punch
Treats

They were supposed to be made with Spud's little fingers, but he fell asleep an hour early tonight. This evening's swimming lesson wiped him out, I guess. I hope he approves when he sees them tomorrow morning.

Photo Friday #6: PEI

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, CANADA | TRAVELS WITH KID

On a warm and windy fall day, Grandpa takes Spud for a little walk on the red beaches of PEI.

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.

Seattle: Half Day of Trundling Around

TRAVELS WITH KID

We found this hotel, Hotel Monaco on hotwire which is great for finding last minute hotel deals. We got the room for one night for $99, saving over $100.



Our adventure began with a map from the hotel. Where's the library?



It's kitty corner to our hotel! On 4th and Spring.


View Larger Map.

Killer architecture.



Fantastic kids section. We brought our laptops and squeezed in some quality adult time using their free wireless, while the little one played with the puzzles, toys and computer games.




After a 10 block-trundle, we browsed Pike Place Market.





Watched the famous fish tossing ...



Crossed the street to watch them make cheese and bought a small tub of squeeky cheese for the road trip home.



Watched them line up out the door for freshly baked piroshkies. We'll hit that place on our next visit here for sure.



Settled on brunch at Etta's in the next block.



The kid quesadilla wasn't very cheesy but the fries were great and the platter was smartly garnished with crisp apple wedges which were a hit with Spud.



Mmm. Chipotle hollandaise benny with spinach and crab.



And a fine huevos rancheros.