Just the other day I got an email from my friend Katy telling me to check out the Tiny Art Director because it reminded so much of her daughter Max (who happens to be my Godchild). Maxine is an angelic looking 3 year old, who likes watching Igor in the morning and just had to have some scary dinosaurs at her birthday tea party. Katy said that she and her husband laughed, then breathed a sigh of relief when they read this blog, thinking that Max “Was not such a weirdo after all“.
And I totally agree with them, because my Nat was just like that at age 2,3,4. She even has a photo when she was around 3 where her expression and hair (and the angle) made her look just like that terrifying kid in the Ring. Her first word was “Wow” and she was such a tough, eloquent and opinionated little girl. She was sassy and certainly NOT your girly pink princess-loving little girl- and still is. That face on the book pictured above is very, very familiar to me, and I still get it now and then, despite her being in 1st grade.
More »
At least one or twice a week, my husband and I hear little footsteps in the dead of night, traversing from across the hall and into our bedroom, with “Mommy, I had a bad dream”. Usually, we are both too exhausted to take them back, so we end up with one (sometimes two) little bodies squeezed in between us. And putting them to bed is even more of an issue, with claims of “Mommy I’m scared”, “Mom I don’t want to be alone” (even if they aren’t alone, “Mommy I have bad dreams” etc etc., making the bedtime ritual stretch out even longer until bone tired Mom is about to pass out on the bunk with them.
So when I saw this product on My Daily Om, I thought, What a clever idea, I wish I thought of it!….followed by… I have to get one!. Formulated by a Mom, this fabulous spray gets rid of those bedtime monsters both physically and psychologically. Physically, because it uses essential oils and works it’s magic through aromatherapy, and psychologically, well, you know. We Moms are all amateur doctors, right?
More »
Recently, my sister sent me a link to download a new browser for kids, called KIDO’Z Browser.
My nearly-4 Ollie is budding computer geek, and would stay home and play on the computer or Wii all day if he could. After the long Christmas break it was a bit of a daily struggle to stick to the ” Friday rule” (which means he can only play on the weekends), but he’s a good little boy and now doesn’t make a fuss. Without much help from me, online he learned how to go through the bookmark folder I set up for him, with all his favourite sites like Sesame Street, Nick jr. etc. He even learned how to write his name on his own, and learn shapes, colors and so on, especially on Sesame. He never strays to “off limits” sites, nor does his sister, who also just sticks to their “Nat & Ollie” folder on my computer.
But I downloaded this KIDO’Z anyway, mainly because I trust my sister, who is good about giving appropriate, no viruses, non-spyware etc. things online (it won the 100% clean award!). And, it had really cute graphics!
Needless to say, both my kids LOVED it, as it is so easy to use. There is even a YouTube channel for kids videos, and they add new things regularly, which they claim are all child-friendly and safe (am still a little skeptical, so I check when I don’t know the site). Aside from a little bit of crashing the first day or so after I installed it on my Mac, we haven’t had any complaints.
Secret Santa Mail
It’s all about Christmas these days, and since this is the first year that my daughter Nat has actually written to Santa on her own (in the past we’ve just “emailed“- and I did all the writing!), I thought it would be a special treat for her and her brother Ollie to receive a real letter from Santa. It is also the first Christmas where her reading skills have improved so much that she is finally able to read it herself – and best of all, and still believe! (my 3-year-old on the other hand, will be thrilled with that fact that something in the mail is actually for him)…..And what is Christmas without a bit of magic?
Online there are loads of places where you can get this sort of “Santa” letter, but the one I am using is owned by a stay-at-home-Mom like myself, called Secret Santa Mail.
It is pretty straightforward and easy (you can pay by PayPal, which I always prefer over using my credit card online), and all you have to do is to supply them with some information about your child, accomplishments and what they want for Christmas. They also offer two packages, both of which come with little extras if you choose, like Christmas stickers or a Santa teddy bear – a lovely touch that makes it more special, I think!
So with bated breath, I’ll be waiting for the letters to arrive….most especially to see my children’s faces when they open them!
Flu Shot
After the excitement of the Halloween festivities, we’ve all come down with colds in the past week or so. And I say “colds” in the plural because there have been more than one, when we seem to have gotten over one, another arrives.
I still can’t get over the fact that my two elder kids, who both had the flu shot this summer, seem to get over it incredibly quickly or don’t get it at all. For example last week, Ollie simply had a runny nose for a day or two, and Nat was fine. This week Nat had a cough for a couple of days, and Ollie a runny nose for a day. Today, both kids are fine. What matters was that nothing really came of it, no prolonged symptoms or worse, fever. Poor baby Wills, who obviously couldn’t get the shot, has had it pretty bad. Coupled with heavy teething (his top two came out this week, and one more is breaking too), he’s had a tough time. And so has Mommy, with a bad cold last week and again this week for round two.
But back to the flu vaccine. The Moms at my son’s preschool are divided on this. And until last year, I agreed that it made sense to go “au naturel”, of the let-them-get-sick-it-builds-their-immunity kind of thinking. But last year was a particularly bad flu season for us, with my son missing A LOT of school days which did him no good at all. So when a Mom raved that her son got through the season virtually unscathed because of the vaccine, I thought I’d try it out this year. Now I’m a convert. Even my husband, who’s had a miserable week coughing and sneezing, has grumbled,”why didn’t you make me get the shot??!” Well, next year one thing is for sure, we’re ALL getting flu shots.
Here are some key facts about the vaccine:
The single best way to protect against the flu is to get vaccinated each year.
There are two types of vaccines:
* The “flu shot”— an inactivated vaccine (containing killed virus) that is given with a needle, usually in the arm. The flu shot is approved for use in people older than 6 months, including healthy people and people with chronic medical conditions.
* The nasal-spray flu vaccine — a vaccine made with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause the flu (sometimes called LAIV for “live attenuated influenza vaccine” or FluMist®). LAIV (FluMist®) is approved for use in healthy* people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant.
Each vaccine contains three influenza viruses-one A (H3N2) virus, one A (H1N1) virus, and one B virus. The viruses in the vaccine change each year based on international surveillance and scientists’ estimations about which types and strains of viruses will circulate in a given year.
About 2 weeks after vaccination, antibodies that provide protection against influenza virus infection develop in the body.
Photo via P. Swansen
Mini Donald
is huge in our household. Since the 1st of October, we’ve had our Halloween decorations out and increasing (who can resist a “Halloween Tree” I found at a sale last week? Picture a pumpkin on a spider web, black, with spiders, black cats and ghouls hanging from it- adorable!). There are orange lanterns with jack-o-lantern and witch faces dotting our house, giant spiderwebs with spiders, bats and bloody hands on our windows, a rather large “witch” wind banner blowing in the garage, an assortment of spooky garden stakes in the front lawn (with glow-in-the-dark eyes), and a “face” for our tree at the front of the house which makes it look like the apple-pelting ones in the
Wizard of Oz.
We threw a Halloween Party last Friday after school. Nothing fancy, just games and snacks for around 15 kids, and potent Bloody Mary’s for the grownups courtesy of my hubby, who’s perfected the art of the Bloody Mary. My three went as Wizardess, Cowboy and Superman, and there was Darth, Sandy from Grease, a Pirate, a Mermaid, 3 Rambos, a Fairy, a Spider and a kid who boringly went as himself with his skateboard.
On Friday my kids have their second set of costumes (except baby Wills), Wednesday Addams and Peter Pan (a gift from my Aunt), and we’ll have a little pizza party at home after the Trick or Treating. Exciting! If you aren’t a Halloween-obsessed Mom like me, and still haven’t decided on a Halloween costume for your little ones, here are some of my favourites.
1. Donald Trump (pictured above) – You have to love the hair! This costume makes the Donald look absolutely adorable.
2. Fire Breathing Dragon – A crafty Mom can put this together easily, and create a fantastic magical costume sure to be a showstopper.
3. Baby Yoda- Ok, its not the most original, but when I see a little one in this costume it makes me melt.
4. DJ Lance- He’s the funky guy from Yo Gabba Gabba and if my 3-year-old son didn’t have a costume already, this would be it.
5. Sushi Roll – My 6 year old loves sushi, so again, if I didn’t already have 2 costumes for her, and if I got myself organized a lot earlier, I would have made this her costume for Halloween. Oh so clever.
Written by Lara on October 28th, 2008. 4 Comments »
Filed under Activities, Babies, Crafts, Fun and Games, Holidays, Inspiration, Moms, Preschoolers, Shopping, Toddlers.
Slow Down
The word “busy” seems to be a by-word for “Mom” these days. I recently went to a meeting called by my son’s preschool, for the parents to discuss the “United Nations” day booth which we organize every year. Out of the 18 or so Moms or Dads who were meant to be there – only 2 showed up. In fact I bumped into one of the Moms the next day (who is not a working Mom, mind you) and when I mentioned that she was missed at the meeting, she simply said, “Oh, I was just too busy!”.
Now I’m sure most of them had their perfectly valid reasons, as I do too sometimes, but for me, when “busyness” starts making you miss out on aspects of your child’s life, something is wrong. My 3-year-old son’s days have been busy preparing for this event, practicing the songs and dances they’ll perform for us, making the decorations and costumes themselves. It’s a big day for him, and if I can be a part of it, I will as much as I am able to.
So when I got this “Daily OM” from my Aunt, I thought it was indeed appropriate for all of us immersed in our “busyness“. Our kids our growing up so fast, we just have to try and slow down so that we don’t miss a thing.
Now please read this…. SLOWLY!
Enjoying a Snail’s Pace
Doing Things Slowly
Life can often feel like it’s zipping by in fast forward. We feel obliged to accelerate our own speed along with it, until our productivity turns into frenzied accomplishment. We find ourselves cramming as much activity as possible into the shortest periods of time. We disregard our natural rhythms because it seems we have to just to keep up. In truth, rushing never gets you anywhere but on to the next activity or goal.
Slowing down allows you to not only savor your experiences, but also it allows you to fully focus your attention and energy on the task at hand. Moving at a slower place lets you get things done more efficiently, while rushing diminishes the quality of your work and your relationships. Slowing down also lets you be more mindful, deliberate, and fully present. When we slow down, we are giving ourselves the opportunity to reacquaint ourselves to our natural rhythms. We let go of the “fast forward” stress, and allow our bodies to remain centered and grounded. Slowing down is inherent to fully savoring anything in life. Rushing to take a bath can feel like an uncomfortable dunk in hot water, while taking a slow hot bath can be luxuriant and relaxing. A student cramming for a test will often feel tired and unsure, whereas someone who really absorbs the information will be more confident and relaxed. Cooking, eating, reading, and writing can become pleasurable when done slowly. ! Slowing down lets you become more absorbed in whatever it is you are doing. The food you eat tastes better, and the stories you read become more alive.
Slowing down allows you to disconnect from the frenzied pace buzzing around you so you can begin moving at your own pace. The moments we choose to live in fast forward motion then become a conscious choice rather than an involuntary action. Learning to slow down in our fast-moving world can take practice, but if you slow down long enough to try it, you may surprise yourself with how natural and organic living at this pace can be.
Photo via TranBC
We are an animal-loving family. In our household, we have 3 dogs, 5 cats and two turtles. Two years ago, our male basset hound, Pancho passed away, bitten by a vicious snake who had gotten into our garden. Pancho had a terrible temper, but did have a sweet side of him. As he got older, his temper got worse, so when he passed away, we consoled ourselves that perhaps it was for the best, as we had a new baby in the house then, with O just a few months old.
Pancho was my husband’s dog, really, and he was the only one in the household who Pancho actually listened to, and never dared bite (yes, he bit us all- nothing serious though). So since he died, it was my husband who missed him most, and whenever we’d see a basset with his blackish-tri-colour markings, it was very apparent.
Then last week, my sister (who’s even more animal crazy than we are, with over 50 cats and two labs who are treated like humans) sends me a link to a petfinder site, showing photos of a litter of bassets who were born earlier this year, two days after N’s birthday, three days after O’s!
On top of the nice birthday coincidence, which scores high points in our family (Jasper, our persian, has the same birthday as O, and Otto, our golden retriever, the same as my husband!), one of the puppies also had very similar markings to Pancho!
So on Saturday, N and I went to see the breeder ( a nice couple who obviously loved dogs), and met the puppy, who was the friendliest of the litter. N and I both fell in love (how can you not? look at her photo!) and promptly laid a deposit. We’ll be picking her up in a few weeks – in perfect timing for my husband’s birthday!
I don’t know if you would agree with me but sometimes, our culture puts too much premium on little boys being tough and brave. Boys shouldn’t cry. Boys shouldn’t be afraid of the dark. Boys shouldn’t be afraid of thunder and lightning. And the list goes on and on.
I am sure, though, that parents of little boys know better than that. Children are children and when they get exposed to something that they find scary, they can either become braver or more scared. This topic of children being scared came to mind earlier this week. I was just dredging up some memories and suddenly thought of how some parents try to shelter their children from anything remotely scary.
Television shows are strictly regulated and so are books, movies, and other media. While I do agree with this regulation (for other reasons), I believe that children should be exposed to “reasonably” scary material from time to time. The truth is that our children will be exposed to scary things and events no matter how much we shelter them.
If they are of school age, they will certainly hear about and maybe experience scary things outside of the home. Same thing if the children go outside to play. We just cannot control certain things! So how are we to handle this issue? What if your little boy is a scaredy cat?
I haven’t had a serious problem with this but in my experience, reassuring your child about his safety and at the same time making him aware of the realities of the situation works. How about you, what do you do to help your child with his fears?
In our family, once June comes around, we start thinking about birthday parties for the kids. From the month of June to August, we have several birthdays to celebrate. Sometimes, I think that the adults are even more excited than the kids are, especially if the celebrant is still very young.
The preparations and all the fuss that surrounds birthday time was brought to mind again while I was reading this blog post by Kori Rodley Irons. She wrote:
Organizing and coordinating the perfect party has become an obsession with the average family-at least it can seem that way. We want our child to have a great day, sure, but we may also get caught up in trying to give the standard party for our socio-economic level, meet neighborhood and peer group expectations, and make sure that our child doesn’t feel slighted. What can get lost in the whole quest for the perfect party is just exactly who the party is supposed to be for anyway!
Indeed, I cannot count how many birthday parties – children’s birthday parties, mind you – that I have been to wherein more than half of the visitors were adults! Sometimes, in our excitement, we forget who the real star of the party is. We forget who the party is really for.
I got an idea – maybe this time around, we will ask the kids first. What do you want to do for your birthday? Maybe they won’t even want a party!
