Life, Gluten Free

5 Fun & Educational Gifts for Kids

Still doing your christmas shopping and need a gift for a kiddo in your life? Look no further.

I visited The Stubby Pencil Studio and put together 5 great gifts that are fun, educational, non-toxic and inspire creativity. Gifts that you can feel good about giving!

Here is a sample of what you will find there:

Do-It-Yourself Kaleidoscope Kit - ages 3+

Tea Party Puzzle - made from 90% reycled paper, ages 2+

Creative Scissor Pack - Ages 3+

Glob Natural Blends Paint - biodegradable botanical ingredients, ages 3+

Finger Printing Art Kit - ages 3+

Honestly, it was hard picking just five items! I could go on and on.

Okay just one more. Real quick. #6 Jumbo Felt Pens. I may have to break down and get these soon! What a fun stocking stuffer.

Visit The Stubby Pencil Studio and check it out for yourself, while you are there be sure to check their bonus + specials.

You will be pleased, I guarantee it!

*PLEASE NOTE*: I was not asked to blog about The Stubby Pencil Studio. I have ordered from there in the past, I love the product selection they offer and I want to support them by spreading the word. This post was my idea, and it was not sponsored in anyway.

Let children play

"You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing.  What!  Is it nothing to be happy?  Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long?  Never in his life will he be so busy again." Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762

Walden Ponds

I had a really great mother's day and I hope all the mother's reading this had a wonderful day too! We went to Walden Ponds Wildlife Area, where we spotted turtles, water snakes, geese quarreling, lichen and several different species of birds.

But before that, I was treated to some really tasty grain-free (and egg-free) pancakes with mango sauce.

They were superb. And they had blended plantains, one of the many things you can do with plantains.

We had a lot of fun and later that day, we went to another park because neighbors told us that they spotted an owl family there. We took the map they drew us and sure enough we found the owls. We saw one adult owl and two baby owls, in all their cute fluffyness.

There is something that my mom used to say when I was a kid, that I never quite could understand. She would tell people that she learned a lot from me. I didn't know what that meant. I mean, aren't children supposed to learn from their parents - not the other way around?

Now I know what she meant, because I am a mom and I've learned a lot from my daughter. She allows herself to be fully present in every moment and she is so sweet, loving and accepting of everyone. She has taught me to revel in the beauty of all things, to slow down and enjoy each moment and to remember that life is about living.

We all have special memories that we've tucked away safely into a special place. It's in those moments where life truly lives. The moments that make your life what it is. My daughter has taught me to place more importance on those life events than others and to make a point of making more of those special memories, the ones where laughter reigns and your heart is flooded with love and gratitude.

And a big thanks to my mom. The compassion and understanding she gave me as a child has given me the strength and guidance to parent my daughter in the same way. Now she is one great Grandma to one special little girl.

Hand Play with Toddlers

I remember when I was kid, we used to play a lot of hand play games (or clapping games). One thing I remember specifically is going on a trip with one of my cousins and, to occupy our time in the car, we played many different hand clapping games. And of course, we played I spy - which is also a huge hit with my daughter.

Below are some of the hand games / clapping games that we've been having fun with lately. Sophie also likes to stack objects and sort colors. In the pictures, she is playing with a set of dominoes by eBoo. It's a versitile set because you can do a lot of different things with it beyond playing dominoes (stack, sort, build!).

Lemonade

lemonade (clap 3x)

crunchy ice (clap 3x)

sip it once (clap 3x)

sip it twice (clap 3x)

lemonade (clap once)

crunchy ice (clap once)

sip it once (clap once)

sip it twice (clap once)

FREEZE! (say "freeze" and then freeze your body)

Open, shut

open, shut them (say that while opening and shutting your hands)

give a little clap, clap, clap! (clap as you say each "clap")

lay them in your lap, lap, lap (clap as you say each "lap" while your hands are in your lap)

creep them, creep them, slowly creep them (while creeping your fingers up your arm)

right up to your chin (stop at mouth)

open wide! (say this and open mouth)

(quickly sing) but do not let them in! (race your fingers down your arm)

Herman the Worm

I was sitting on my fence post, chewing on a carrot: chomp chomp chomp (make noise of chewing)

Playing with my yo-yo, down up, down up (make up down movements with hands)

When along came Herman the Worm and he was this big (hands small distance apart)

and I said to him "Herman how did you get that way?" and he said "I swallowed a fly"

repeat until "I swallowed" then change to different animal as hands get progressively further and further apart.

I swallowed a dog, alligator, cow, horse, elephant, etc.

Then hands go back to small distance apart (5cm) "Herman how did you get that way?"

And Herman says: "I burped".

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

My daughter picked this book out at the library, another adaptation of Goldilocks and The Three Bears. Often times, when we think of story re-writes, we think they must be missing valid story elements. I've come across some stories that aren't as good as the original by any means. But this book surprised me. I really enjoyed reading it to my daughter and she enjoyed the story and the photos in the book.

As Goldilocks picked herself up off the floor, she caught sight of the twisty wooden stairs.

"Stairs. I wonder why I didn't notice those before."

The answer is because she was too busy eating other people's porridge and breaking other people's furniture to have possibly noticed the little staircase winding up through the house.

Do you have a favorite kids book?

-heather

Power Struggles

I am reading a book about how to be your child's emotion coach and avoid power struggles. Mary Sheedy Kurcinka is the author of Kids, Parents and Power Struggles. 

An excerpt from the book:

"Recognizing those emotions is the key to stopping power struggles before they even start. Responding to those emotions builds the relationship that makes your child want to work with you."

She also wrote Raising Your Spirited Child, which is next on my list to read.

There is definitely a current power struggle going on between us right now and I am trying to figure out the emotion behind it. It started suddenly and I hoping it will be short-lived. Here is an example, I am getting ready to change her diaper and she says "no! daddy! change it!" This means, she doesn't want me to change her diaper, she wants her dad to. She'll also ask for grandma, if she is around. This will also happen if my husband is the one being the "monster," so it seems, and then I am called in.

It also happens (sometimes) when me or my husband try to get her dressed or undressed. And it's not like we do it forcefully. We always talk about what we're doing, and why. For instance, I'll say that we are getting dressed because we are going out (to the park, to the library, or wherever).

So why is she doing it.... It can be very exasperating. I don't know if it is just her exerting her independence and showing that she has her own preference. Even still, there is some emotion behind it. I am going to be applying some of the concepts that I have learned so far in the book Kids, Parents and Power Struggles and will update then.

-heather

Recipes Written in Crayon

Although we have many pens to choose from, they are never in the draw or anywhere to be found when you need them.

Was it the gnomes?

Perhaps.

You see, where we lived previously, we had a large laundry cart in our closet. It contained three bags. One for whites, one for darks and one for our daughter's clothes. Pretty easy, right?

Unless you have gnomes...

My husband said that the reason his clothes always ended up laying over the cart or near it on the floor, was a direct result of what he called "gnomes."

Pesky little buggers. Since we moved here, they must have followed us and decided that they needed a new hobby: pens.

This has been an ongoing issue, and many of my recipes have been scrawled in crayon.

And I am guessing, that the popcorn that I stepped in while photographing the recipe, was more than likely those same gnomes!

Because, clearly, my daughter didn't do it. She loves to clean and help.

And she's very good at it too.

Show your kids that housework can be fun. It doesn't have to be a bore! 

-heather

Well, that was hard.

Parenting isn't always easy. I just thought I'd let you know.

A baby is a blessing. <-- that's true

A baby grows into a toddler. <-- very true

There is such a thing as terrible two's. <-- well, maybe

I don't like to use the label terrible two's, because it seems demeaning to me. This is just a developmental phase that a child goes through, kind of like teenager years.

I wasn't a difficult teenager.

Ask my mom. I'm really serious.

My parents actually raised me in an attachment parenting style, they just didn't know it was called that.

I was respected, trusted and nurtured. So, I didn't rebel. 

Really.

Positive - or - attachment parenting doesn't mean that your toddler or child will never get upset. But it means that there will be fewer issues. Your child will learn to manage his or her emotions.

Today was a tough day. We have been inside a lot lately because of the cold weather. Sophie didn't want to go down for her nap. She was overtired and got to the point that she really didn't know what she wanted.

I decided to take her upstairs, she had to take her nap soon, as it was getting too late in the day. 

She wasn't sure at first, but she cooperated. She really was tired. I gave her a dropper of Valerian Super Calm by Herbs for Kids. She nursed, and within mere minutes she was fast asleep.

A part of attachment parenting, is knowing that your child has reached his or her limits. Then you respond in a loving and understanding way. After all, we have all been there... We have times when we are really tired but just - for whatever reason - can't relax and wind down.

-heather

Positive Parenting

she loves to help :)

When I was pregnant with our daughter, my husband and I already knew some things for sure (though not her gender, we waited until the birth to find that out).

We knew that we were going to parent her in a positive way - ie, attachment parenting.

And that no matter what, we would always love her. We want her to be who she is and feel confident being herself.

And yes, no spanking. or threatening. or demeaning her.

It wasn't until I got some books that I knew our philosphy had a name, attachment parenting. This phrase was coined by Dr. Sears and his wife.

When Sophie was still around 8 months old, I had purchased a book on Amazon called:

The Discipline Book: How to Have a Better-Behaved Child From Birth to Age Ten 

When I received it, I thumbed through it lightly and put it aside. I guess I felt like I really didn't need to read it then.

But yesterday, I just got the book out of the garage and started reading it.

It made me feel good, because I felt like it was validation that I was already on the right track with her.

I already knew, through reading other books on positive discipline, that when your child is doing something they are not suppose to do, you say something like "no don't do that" and if he or she doesn't stop, then you need to remove them from the situation.

Not forcefully, not meanly. Just gently. 

So yesterday, when Sophie attempted to play with the LED christmas lights - regretting my decision to buy them and put them up - I gently plucked her up and set her down else where. She quickly became engaged in a different activity, with no grunts or screams. I reinforced my "no" by removing her from the situation.

And the other day, we were at a thrift store, and she started trying to get an ornament out of a package that they were selling, I told her no, but her attempt was continuous. I took her hand away, and she growled at me. I decided to use another positive discipline technique:

Remove from situation and replace with something else.

I took her and showed her something else that was safe to look at, and she was fine.

Sometimes it takes a few more minutes, sometimes just mere seconds, but positive discipline is worth it. You feel more connected to your child and your child learns to trust you. 

And they learn to manage their emotions. This is another hot topic, how to raise a child with a high EQ. But more about that later :)

After reading part of that book last night, it gave me an inspiration to start blogging about our positive parenting experiences so be sure to check back for more on this topic!

-heather