Sunday, December 26, 2010

Haiku #127


#127

Christmas 20-10
is brought to you by Pixar...
...and Woody and Buzz

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Haiku #126


#126

I'm sorry, Eli...
warehouse shopping is not fun
but it's not that bad

Haiku #125


#125

What is fuzzier:
my recall of taking this
or the cloudy view?

Friday, December 17, 2010

Haiku #124

Haiku #124

When he shares his toys
he is not messing around...
he shares all of them!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Haiku #123

Haiku #123

It's time for a cut
when your son looks like Bieber
or a samurai

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Haiku #122

Haiku #122

A heart on his shirt
and a halo of brown hair
always make me smile

Monday, December 13, 2010

Haiku #121


Haiku #121

A goofy snowman
displayed proudly on the fridge--
snowy day project

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Toddler Snow Globe


Holiday decorations are out and it's time for our snow globes to see the light of day again. I've always loved them... there's just something magical about a snow globe. Eli adores them as well and wants to shake them all the time... and I let him under supervision. Last week we made a few toddler-friendly snow globes.

Step 1: Find a child safe container. We used an empty almond butter jar - I spent a ridiculous amount of time peeling the label off :-/ I also used a small plastic milk bottle and a good old Ball jar. Yes, it's glass... but they're hefty.

Step 2: Collect small waterproof objects. For the stationary object we used a Curious George cake decoration. For interest we added seed & stone beads, a small ceramic bunny and glitter. Lots of glitter.















Step 3: Hot glue the stationary object to the bottom of the lid.

Step 4. Watch happy fingers sprinkle glitter and add tiny special beads to the jar.

































Step 5: Fill container with water















Step 6: Screw on cap. I added a bead of hot glue to the inside of the cap to ensure it would not come off and nothing would leak out.



















We had fun building our snow globes and I have lots of ideas for future projects. Eli loves shaking them and searching out the tiny objects we added. Fun fun!

Oh, and here's our Ball jar globe with plastic trees and glitter.


Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Haiku #120

#120

His train family:
mommy, boys and two daddies-
he's so progressive

Monday, December 6, 2010

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Haiku #118


#118

Before waking up
he dreams of toots and whistles;
bridges and tunnels

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Haiku #117


#117

He can't turn away
from the crazy Christmas house-
but really, who can?


Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Rainy Day Fun

Cold weather is approaching (hard to believe - it was almost 75 today just 2 days before Thanksgiving!). I put together a "bin o' fun" for those chilly, rainy, snowy days ahead. I used an underbed storage container and a 25 pound bag of rice I bought at BJs for $10.99. Add an assortment of sand-type toys, animals, kitchen utensils - easy peasy.




















For more color I put a few squirts of red, blue and green food coloring with a few tablespoons of water in small containers. We added rice to this colorful mixture, gave it a stir as it drank up the water and then put the grains back in the bin.
















Festive!















Eli might argue the best part of the rice bin is cleaning it up. He's good about keeping the mess to a minimum but inevitably there are a few runaways. Eli loves the vacuum...and does a very thorough job for a pipsqueak!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Haiku #116


#116

Looking for the moon?
The view from Daddy's shoulders
is the best around.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Haiku #115


#115

In the house or out
the baby loves a good swing
and a silly song

Friday, November 19, 2010

Haiku #114


#114

He doesn't know this
but for each rock he tossed in
I whispered a wish

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Sorting Fun

Recycled Crayons!

I had a bag of nubby, old crayons I've been wanting to recycle. Now that Eli is recognizing colors and interested in sorting I thought I'd take advantage and get cracking! Here's how we made our chunky crayons.


Step 1: Sort naked crayons by color. Break big bits into smaller bits--oh, so much fun!


















Step 2: Spray a muffin tin with Pam. Fill with crayon bits.













Step 3: Bake at 275 degrees for about 10 minutes.
















Step 4: Let cool. Fridge or freezer helps speed things up.














Step 5: Knock chunky crayons from the muffin tin. Admire. Use. Love.












Additional notes:

-Crayon wrappers are much easier to remove after soaking in water over night.

-The muffin tin I used is now designated as a "craft" item. Wax melted into tiny crevices in the muffin tin and I don't feel comfortable using it for baking again. While this wasn't my original plan muffin tins are great for distributing paint and for sorting small items like rocks, marbles and buttons.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Haiku #113


#113

"No, no ham! No train!
No green eggs! No fox! No box!
No goat! No house! No!"

Eli reads "Green Eggs & Ham" aloud to himself. "No" comes so naturally to him.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Haiku #112


#112

He can see a face
on the top of the cracker--
can you see it too?

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Haiku #111


#111

When they run away
to perform in the circus
will they send postcards?

Friday, November 12, 2010

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Haiku #108


#108

He doesn't look thrilled
to be the keeper of leaves
on our autumn walk

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Haiku #107


#107

Rainy day playground
made of water, bowls and spoons--
fun for the dog too

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Haiku #106


#106

"Look, Mama, I'm sad."
But I know he's just teasing--
this is his fake frown

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Haiku #105


#105

The bashful miner
hides his face under the hat
out of the spotlight

Haiku #104


#104

The purple crayon
was better used for eating
than drawing a moon

Happy First Halloween, Lucas!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Haiku #103


#103

He's not in combat
but now he's army crawling
like a green beret

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Haiku #102


#102

He's left unimpressed
by the fountain to his right -
puddles are more fun

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Baking with a Two Year Old - The Joy of Spoons


Eli is an exceptionally selective eater. In an effort to get him more interested in a variety of foods I'm trying to get him involved in food preparation. Today we made spiced apple sauce cake using the apples we picked last weekend at Carter Mountain. The recipe is courtesy of Smitten Kitchen and turned out so well!

Step 1: We peeled the apples using this wacky peeler I'd inherited (and never used) that I found buried in the cabinet. It was a-w-e-s-o-m-e and broke after apple #6. Boo.

































Step 2: Add water and boil apples for about 20 minutes. Drain. I put the cooled apples in a ziploc bag so Eli could smoosh them while they were safely contained. We also took the apple peels and fed the birds. Or squirrels. Or whatever.



















Step 3: Nap time. I put the ingredients in separate bowls in a sort of mis en place (oui oui) so they would be ready to mix when the boys woke up. I also made the frosting at this time.















Step 4: Mix according to recipe. Add freshly smooshed apples. Eli didn't want to smoosh the apples so Lucas helped out with this bit.


































Step 5: Bake. Cool. Frost. Add sprinkles. Everything's better with sprinkles, right?




















In the end, Eli loved stirring and mixing, playing the spoons and distributing and eating sprinkles...but not eating cake. Sigh. It did, however, turn out beautifully and was a project to remember!

Eli confronts the fork. To eat or not to eat.















Eli and the spoons. "Look, Mama, Y!" "Look, Mama, crab!"







Monday, October 25, 2010

Haiku #101


#101

Eyes, nose, ears & mouth
add a few shapes and some glue --
Voila! Masterpiece!

Happy Birthday, Picasso!