The Drawing on the Coffee Table

There are several things that are pre-requisites for being a little person. Some of these things include not wanting to put on coats, jackets, shoes, toques or mitts before going outside (they just get in the way anyways), wanting to touch and/or put things in electrical sockets and a desire to draw/paint on any surface but a piece of paper.

In my effort to have a peaceful, happy household with an equally peaceful and happy toddler, I decided to encourage my little Picasso's love of creating his masterpieces on alternate canvases. Yes, this may backfire on day, but for now, when we have washable art materials, I say let the wild rumpus begin!

And how, you ask, did we do this? Window writers and bathtub crayons. I have to say, we have had an amazing time creating all kinds of artwork on our mirrors, glass top coffee table and bathtub. And seeing the look of sheer joy and excitement on Aiden's face as he colours these alternate surfaces is worth the few extra minutes it takes to windex the table, mirrors and tub.

Happy colouring,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Little Chef

For the past few months one of Aiden's favorite activities has been imaginary cooking. He is a little chef, measuring, mixing, stirring and seasoning his creations. Lately his preference has been making soup or something spicy and hot.

To encourage his budding chef skills we toyed with the idea of getting him a play kitchen for Christmas. We decided against it as we don't have enough space for another big item and I think, if I'm absolutely 100% honest, Aiden's Dad and I were concerned with the gender stereotyping associated with kitchen play-sets. Don't get me wrong here, I am in no way, shape or form suggesting that cooking is a girls thing or that boys should only play with so-called boys toys and vice versa. I think we were both worried about what his buddies would say later in life if he told them that he had a play kitchen when he was little. Silly in this day and age to worry about things like that, I know, but it was a worry nonetheless. And if you have a play kitchen for your little guy or a train set for you little girl, all the power to you, you go for it!

So in lieu of a play kitchen I decided to make a chef station for him in our kitchen. Here's what I did:
Homemade Little Chef Station
1. Clear the bottom shelf of your pantry or a low cupboard that has a shelf at your little person's height.
2. Fill the shelf with old spoons, measuring cups, plastic bowls, empty cereal boxes, pastry brushes and various containers.
3. Fill old spice jars with rice or pasta or Cheerios or cereals that your little person can use to make their concoctions. Put these on the shelf.
4. Make imaginary food out of construction paper. I just tore up pieces and placed them on the shelf in a container for Aiden to imagine whatever he wanted them to be.
5. Show your little person their new chef station and ask them to make you a snack...you'll be amazed at what they create.

This activity not only encourages your little person to use their imagination and teaches them about measuring and food preparation, it is also a great way to keep them entertained while you prepare breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Happy chef-ing,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Covert Veggie Ops

I mentioned in my post about breakfast picnics that Aiden is not a huge fan of food, or anything that requires him to sit for long periods of time for that matter. And in my never ending search to up the nutritional content of his and his Dad's meals, I came across a fabulous resource for all you Mom's and Dad's who are on the same quest: The Sneaky Chef.

The Sneaky Chef, a.k.a Missy Chase Lapine, is a chef and a Mom, who has come up with some ingenious and delicious ways to sneak fruits, veggies, whole grains and fibre into some kid and family favorites.

I started incorporating her system into our meals last weekend and I am now hooked. So far this week we've had Chicken Parm pops, Sneaky Kraft Dinner, Tropical Twist Ice Cream, and Bonus Burgers, and each one has been a huge hit. I'm looking forward to trying the other recipes in her books and seeing just how many veggies I can sneak in before I am busted!

It really does feel fantastic knowing that I am providing my loved ones with good, nutritious and delicious food. And because of this I am addicted. I have even made my own sneaky creations, like Elmo Fruit-Wiches:
1. Toast a piece of bread
2. Using a cookie cutter, cut a circle out of the toast
3. Spread Nutella or Peanut Butter or Jam on the bread
4. Use two blueberries for eyes, half a grape for a nose and a nectarine slice for a mouth.

So for all of you who are in a similar boat, with a little or a big person who doesn't like or doesn't want to eat their veggies, check out The Sneaky Chef series: http://www.thesneakychef.com

Happy sneaking,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Prepping for Santa

In a previous post (Family Photo Flash Cards I think) I mentioned that Aiden is in the "I'm not so keen about being around strangers" stage. Because of this we decided to forgo the visit with Santa in the mall this year as I think for Aiden the visit would be the equivalent of making me hold a big, hairy spider (I hate spiders) and the photo would be akin to Munch's Scream painting.

Well, next weekend we have a kids Christmas party that's being held by Aiden's Dad's work. It a pretty big deal - we've heard that there's horses, cookie decorating, face painting, games, treats, and a present from none other that the big guy in the red suit. The catch though is that Aiden will need to visit Santa in order to get his gift. We want Aiden to enjoy his experience there as much as possible and not scar him for life with his first encounter with St. Nick, so over the last week or so I have been doing my best to prepare Aiden for his all important meet and greet. Here's a list of what we have done to prep for Santa and things you can do if you are in a similar situation:

The Prepping for Santa List
1. Make a personalized video from Santa for your little person. I used the Magic Santa app. Play the video at least once a day to get your little one used to seeing Santa.
2. Read stories about Santa. Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs is excellent.
3. Make Santa hats out of construction paper for your little person and their animals.
4. Write a letter to Santa with your little person. Make a special trip to the post office to mail it.
5. Get or make an advent calendar with a picture of Santa on it. (Aiden now associates Santa with the little chocolate he gets every morning when we open a door).
6. Walk past the mall Santa a few times on different days before your official Santa photo day. Wave to him and maybe he'll wave back.
7. Make Santa puppets and act out stories using the puppets. We made Santa into a secret agent super spy and also a time traveller who hangs out with Aiden's dinosaurs when he's not needed in the north pole.

I'm happy to report that our preparations for Santa are going well. Our preparations are going so well that when we were in the mall the other day and Aiden saw an older gentleman with a full, white beard who looked remarkably like Santa he yelled out "Danta". Thankfully plain clothes Santa was an excellent sport and chuckled in a very Santa-like way and said "Why yes I am!" Here's hoping that Saturday goes as well!

Happy Santa-ing,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

So What Do You Do?

This evening Aiden's Dad and I are going to his work Christmas party. This is a pretty big deal as this will be the first time we leave Aiden in the evening with someone else (thankfully the someone else is Grandma and Grandpa who he adores so he should have a ton of fun). It's also the first event I am going to since becoming a full-time stay-at-home-mom.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love being a SAHM and having the opportunity to hang out with Aiden and watch him grow up, but one thing that I've been thinking about, as trivial as it sounds, is what to say when people ask "So what do you do?". The first thought that comes to my head is "Everything and anything" followed promptly by the long list of what "Everything and anything" entails. I know that's not really what people are asking; What they are really asking is "If I were filling in a form about you and I came to the box that said "Occupation" what would I write in that box for you?". And yes, the easy answer would be "I'm a stay-at-home-mom" (which is nothing to be ashamed of at all by the way), but it doesn't feel as creative as it could be and somehow doesn't give enough justice to what we SAHM's actually do. So here is my list of alternate job titles.

Alternate Job Titles for Stay-At-Home-Mom's (or Dad's)
1. Domestic Goddess (as suggested by my fab British pal Charlie!)
2. CEO/CFO/CMO of Anderson (or "INSERT FAMILY NAME HERE") Family inc.
3. Camp Anderson/Run-A-Muck Director
4. Anderson Family Wellness/Activities Director
5. Court Jester for the court King Aiden the Great
6. Referee/Coach/Team Manager for the AFL (Anderson Family League)
7. Dean of the Anderson School of Life
8. Ring Master (Mistress?) of Circus Anderson
9. Captain of the Anderson Family Cruise Ship
10. Girl Friday for Aiden Anderson (let's face it, he's the real boss!)

Ok, so I'll probably go with "I'm a stay-at-home-mom to the most wonderful and magnificent little boy and I love every minute of it." But a fun exercise nonetheless.

Happy naming,
Creatively yours,
Maya

All dressed up and somewhere to go!

Family Photo Flash Card Update and Review

Well friendly ones, the family photo flash cards worked. If you recall I made family photo flash cards to help Aiden remember family members names and faces. Aiden's Granny came to visit last week (hence the lack of posts for the past few days) which was going to be the test of the project. Admittedly Aiden does have an impeccable memory - anytime we go somewhere for a second or third time Aiden lists off all the things we did there last time, for example at Cross Iron Mills mall he says "Guitar" for the guitar store, "Ampa" when we are in the guitar store as his Grandpa has oodles of guitars that they always play and "Piano" for the toys store with the little piano he can sit at and play - so the test wasn't going to be too difficult.

Although the last time Aiden had seen his Granny was in May, I expected him to remember her due to his fabulous memory and the flash cards. And sure enough, when he saw her he said "Ganny". What I didn't expect was him to be as comfortable with her as he was. Aiden is usually a bit hesitant to go to people he hasn't seen for awhile but when he saw "Ganny" he wanted up to her right away, letting her hold him within minutes of their reunion. She even got a kiss later in the day! And yes, perhaps this was due to the bond that they formed when she was here in the spring, but I think the flash cards helped ease the transition.

So if you are worried about family and friends coming into town this holiday season and more specifically how your little person will react to them I'd say give the flash cards a shot. Your little person might not remember their names, but at least their faces won't seem as strange as they would without the cards. They also make a great keepsake for later on in life.

Happy flashing!
Creatively yours,
Maya :)