A long Couple o' Weeks Ahead of Us...

From the City...

So the boys left for the west today.  The very packed van was gassed up, outfitted with new tires, snacks, movies, music, laptops, books and I'm sure no shortage of conversation that only boys in bands say to one another..I shudder at the thought.  The first leg of their trip is the longest, two 16 hour days to the first show in Winnipeg.  After Winnipeg, it's off to Regina, then Saskatoon, then Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and home.  

So it's up to Theo and I to hold down the fort until the Papa bear gets home...so what to do?? A girls weekend coming up which should be nice, some dinner with friends, a duty parent day at daycare, work (ugh),  balcony gardening and hopefully a sleepover here in the city with my sister...are you reading this Laur???

I'm also on the hunt for some kid friendly vegan recipes for the daycare as I am now the Thursday lunch person so if you have anything good up your sleeve, please send them my way.

-amelia

Oh hi there!

From the City...

So it was my birthday yesterday and I've been pretty down and out the past couple of days with a nasty case of mastitis ( I know right, a year of bfeeding and I get it now???) so if this beautiful little ditty didn't just brighten my day right on up...a simply lovely little pendant with my little ones name and birthstone.  

Laura and I have a constant gift giving cry challenge whereby we give a gift hoping that we'll make the other person cry (twisted, right?) and I won't lie, she just might have gotten me with this one, or maybe it was just dust, that's it, dust.  

To get one for yourself (likely with someone else's name on it, cause it might be weird if you got mine), go here and check out Belleza Mia's shop. 

Theo and I have a constant mitten battle these days.  I put them on, he takes them off and this goes on for about the entirety of our walk until I finally just give up let him fend for himself.  A little harsh huh?  While I'm letting my kids hands freeze I notice that my friend and walking companion has these amazing mitten sock combination things.  So I decided to whip up a pair and share it with you.  They work pretty well, I must say so myself.

Point 1: me. Point 0: Theo

Materials needed:

Mittens (0.50 at goodwille, yesssss!)

1 pair of adorable socks that you can't give up cause you love them but they don't fit anymore

scissors

notions

sewing machine

1. Marvel at your materials

2. Snip off the tip of the socks

3. Sew the inside of the sock to the inside of the mitt, challenging but do-able.  

I won't lie, I swore a little bit during this step but I got it done.  

4. Hand stitch the last little part which you were unable to finish on the machine (about an inch0  

5. Put them on your kid and do a little dance because you won.  

-amelia

Love Letters

From the country...

a picture of me in pink tending to the crops.

A love letter from Nate- his world is a little more exciting now that he has learned to read and write.

For all the kiddies in the crowd...

From the City....

On the hunt for a juicy kids album that YOU actually want to listen to? Well here it is. My husband and two of his bandmates along with our incredibly savvy business woman friend wrote, recorded and marketed this incredible kids album that you can now purchase on itunes!

Here's the link so you can preview and then purchase this album, cause trust me, you will.

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/cheeky-monkey-ep/id441772617

Super Great Play Dough Recipe

From the country...

Yesterday my youngest, Luca was longing to play with his bro, Nate (who is in Kindergarten). Luc was struggling with a cold, which in his case leads to asthma and I was looking for a mellow low energy activity for him to do. I was on top of the fridge fidgeting with something and I came across a crusty, dried up ball of homemade play dough. What a great idea! I will make him some play dough! That will tie him over until Nate comes home so they can snuggle on the couch and watch some television (they do it almost every day- it is super cute!).

This play dough recipe is really easy and only takes a few minutes to make. I pick up bulk ingredients for the recipe at the bulk store when I can remember that our supplies are low. It will last for a long time when wrapped in a plastic bag. If you use gel food colouring you can really get some great vibrant colours.

The kids play with it for hours. They like to pretend to make cookies, breads and pies while sticking their concoctions in their wooden play oven to bake. Luca dropped his ball of dough in the real oven this morning and then raced to the bathroom to wash it off, returning with a slimy ball of goo. It is great fun for these guys and a nice diversion when all they want to do wrestle and throw toys (although right now they have made a fort in the living room and Nate is reading Luca a book about monster trucks..too cute)

Stove Top Play Dough
(adapted from Feed Me I’m Yours by Vicki Lansky)

1-cup white flour (I didn’t have white so I used whole wheat which worked out fine…)
¼ cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1-cup water
1 teaspoon food colouring (or less if using gel food colouring)
1-tablespoon vegetable oil

Mix flour, salt and cream of tartar in a medium sized pot. Add water, food colouring and oil. Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Mixture will look like a globby mess, and you will be sure it is not turning out, but it will. When it forms a ball in the center of the pot, turn out and knead on a lightly floured surface (you can add more flour if dough is sticky, a little at a time) Wrap in plastic to store.

…and voila a culinary masterpiece (well the kids think it is). This is a great alternative for birthday gifts etc. I am personally not into the culture of buying cheap toys made of plastic, so if I can make something as an alternative all the better. I have been asked for this recipe before by other parents, so enjoy! (I know the kids will…)