The Missing Afternoon Nap

Aiden is teetering between the two-naps-to-one-nap-a-day continuum. This is really a good thing as it's a sign that he's growing up, but the one nap days can wreck havoc on a well-tuned schedule that is based on two naps a day. Those are the days that force me to flex my creative muscles and come up with more activities for the little guy. And I have no choice but to be up for the challenge. I've found that these spontaneous moments of creative projects are usually the best ones, and give Aiden and I a chance to build some more stellar memories that I'm sure I'll cling to when he's all about sports and girls and hanging with his buddies!

Earlier this week we had one of those afternoons. When I realized that my attempts at getting Aiden down for his afternoon nap were going absolutely and positively nowhere I had to come up with some activities on the fly.

The first activity we did was a very scientific science experiment figuring out what sinks and what floats in Aiden's water table. For this, we filled up the water table, grabbed some random toys - a plastic bunny, a lemon squeeze bottle, a mini water gun, a couple of boats, and some ice cubes, and dropped them in the water. We watched to see which one sank and which ones floated. And then we raced boats around the table seeing how we could make them move across the water. Yes, I told you, very scientific!

The other activity we choose to do was some face/body painting. As we were already dressed in shorts and t-shirts I decided to quickly whip up some homemade face paints (recipe below), move us into the bathroom, grab some q-tips as brushes and paint each other red, yellow and blue. This was a huge hit and kept us entertained for the better part of an hour. The cleanup was also quite quick as I kept us in the bathroom. I wouldn't recommend these types of paints if you have pictures or need to look smart in the near future as the paints didn't come off right away.

Here's the recipe I used:
1 tsp. corn starch
1/2 tsp. water
1/2 tsp. cold cream
Food coloring

Mix together in small containers (I used an ice cube tray) as many as you want colours.

Now however, Aiden is taking a second nap, so I will bid you adieu so I can snooze too.

Happy napping or non-napping as the case may be,
Creatively yours,
Maya:)

Impromptu Colour Mixing

Earlier this week, while we were eating lunch, Aiden spied out of the corner of his big brown eyes a rogue marker lying on the counter top. As soon as my little observer spotted the incredibly-awesome-potential-mess-making vehicle he couldn't resist and said "Marker hold". I weighed my options and decided that although we were still eating our lunch taking a short interlude to make some impromptu art was worth the disruption, so I gave Aiden the marker and a few others that were lying around on the counter too. We didn't have any paper in the near vicinity, but Aiden, being the resourceful little guy that he is, grabbed a piece of paper towel that was on the table and started to dab the markers on the towel.

As you can imagine, the paper towel soaked up the ink from the markers and as Aiden used different colours, the ink mixed and created new colours. This was an excellent exercise in colour mixing, and even better as we were watching "Three Primary Colours" by OK Go. When Aiden finished his creations we put them up on the fridge for everyone to see. They really are quite stunning or as Aiden says when he walks by the fridge "Pretty". Here's the step-by-step if you want to try it yourself:

Paper Towel Pictures
Supplies
Paper towels
Washable markers
Directions
1. Provide your little person with a sheet of paper towel and some markers.
2. Show your little person how to colour on the paper towel if they are new to markers.
3. As your little person makes marks on the paper towel, the ink will spread causing the colours to mix. Talk to your little person about the colours and how new ones are created when the ink mixes.
4. Hang up your little person's creation and marvel at it every time you walk by it.

Happy colour mixing,
Creatively yours,
Maya:)

For The Birds

From the word go Aiden's Dad and I have always said that Aiden can be whatever he wants to be when he grows up. We just have two requirements - whatever he ends up doing he should do something that he loves and has a passion for, and that overall he is a kind, caring and good person. He's already got the second requirement down and I'm pretty confident he'll have the first one taken care of when he gets to the stage of figuring out his life path.

For now my job is to provide him with as many unique and interesting activities as possible so he can discover what he's passionate about and to encourage his natural goodness. Part of that is caring for others - both human and non-human others. So earlier in the week we decided to show our feathered friends some love and made them some bird treats. Here's how we made them:

Bread Bird Feeders
Supplies
Day old bread
Cookie cutters
Peanut butter
Bird seed
Yarn
Spoon
Plate

Instructions
1. Cut the bread into shapes using cookie cutters. You might need to help your little person with this if the bread is hard.
2. Make a small hole in the top of each bread shape.
3. Thread the yarn through the hole and tie a knot.
4. Spread peanut butter on one side of the bread shapes. If you don't mind the mess, your little person can spread it on with a spoon or their fingers.
5. Pour some bird seed onto a plate. Have your little person dip the bread shape into the seed.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 on the other side of the bread.
7. Hang your bird treats in a tree in a sheltered spot for your bird friends to enjoy.

Happy bird watching,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

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 :)

A Box of Miscellaneous Stuff

It never ceases to amaze me how the simplest, non-toy-factory-made things can keep a little person entertained for hours (ok, hours is an exaggeration but you get my drift).

Take the other day for instance, Aiden and I were in Mom and Dad's room and he found an old box of mine that I was meaning to sort through. He figured out how open it and suddenly I heard "Wow" followed by "Coin" and then "Ball". In amongst old necklaces and earrings, Aiden had discovered some coins, a little yellow bouncy ball and some small erasers. He was in little-treasure-hunter heaven. As he dove further an further into his newly claimed treasure chest he found paper clips, bobby pins, various figurines, photos and an old watch. With every new trinket he found, he'd take it out of the box, examine it as if he were deciding on its value on the open market and either put it back into the box or put it in his pile of loot. It was amazing watching him sort through all of the items and make a conscious choice of which ones he liked and which ones he didn't like. Once he had his pile of goodies, we spent some time going through the items, naming them and talking about their colours, shapes and textures. It was a wonderful, impromptu, unplanned activity which kept us occupied for a good forty-five minutes (which I'd say is the equivalent of hours in big people time).

I encourage you all to put out an old box of miscellaneous stuff for your little person to discover so you too can marvel at your little person's capacity for decision making and curiosity.

Happy treasure finding,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

A Monstrous Afternoon

While Aiden was napping earlier this week I came across an interesting article on how to calm little people's fears about monsters. So far Aiden loves monsters (Elmo being his favorite) so I don't think I will need to put the strategies listed in the article into action. But the article did give me an idea to have a monster themed afternoon.

Here's a list of the things I came up with for our monstrous afternoon:

Monster Activities
1. Play five little monsters jumping on the bed with Elmo, Cookie Monster, Snuffy, Aiden Monster and Mommy Monster.
2. Catch an Aiden Monster with a monster catching sheet: Make an open space in your playroom. Using a colourful bed sheet, place one side of the sheet underneath you and put the rest of the sheet over your shoulders. Have your little monster run towards you while you throw the sheet over top of both of you like a parachute.
3. Play monster tag, Mommy monster versus Aiden Monster.
4. Dress up like monster hunters. Aiden was the blue monster hunter and Mom was the red monster hunter.
5. Go on a hunt for the monsters that were hiding in the basement.
6. Have a Monster Moves Danceathon: Play some music and dance like monsters.
7. Go on a monster parade: Grab some instruments and play them while marching through the house.
8. Create a monster identification poster: Draw the monsters that we encountered.

Happy Monstering,
Creatively yours,
Maya

Music Video Monday: Find The Letter A

The Rundown
Alright, so I'm taking a bit of poetic license here with the term "music video" as this one is not so much a music video but is more of a general sesame street video with a music track. But it is a good one so I wanted to include it in our selections.

In this short video a letter A is hidden somewhere in the yard, but it's not your typical written or cut out A. The kids (through voice over) try to see if they can spot the letter A.

Why We Love It
We love this video because it teaches little people and reminds big people that letters can be found anywhere, not just on the printed or digital page. The video points out the fact that things are not always as they seem and if we are observant enough we will find wondrous examples of letters, shapes and numbers in our everyday world.

Creative Extension Activities
1. Go on a letter or number hunt while you are out for the day with your little person. Challenge yourselves to find the most creative example of your chosen letter or number. Aiden has managed to find a Y in the crease of a seat cushion at Grandma and Grandpa's house.
2. Create letter or number shapes out of unusual items in your house.
3. Make letters or numbers out of food items that are on your little person's plate at breakfast, lunch or dinner, e.g. make a letter A out of rice grains or a letter Y out of pretzels. This is especially good if you have a picky or antsy eater in your house - this can keep them entertained long enough for them to actually get a few bites in before they want to leave the table.

The Video

Happy watching and observing,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Alphabet Detectives and The Case of the Missing Letter M

It was a dark and quiet Friday morning...too quiet if you ask me. A little boy and his Mom were in the living room eating breakfast and colouring.

Meanwhile, upstairs an evil villain was up to no good. He was rearranging all the letters on the boy's alphabet mat and hiding some of the letters around the house all in an attempt to divert attention away from his real dastardly crime...stealing the letter M.

The evil villain thought he had committed the perfect crime. You see he stole the letter M while it was fast asleep so it couldn't cry out for help, or so the evil villain thought. In truth the letter M was just pretending to be asleep. While the evil villain was not looking the letter M scribbled a note for the boy and his Mom:
"Help, I have been letter-napped by an evil villain. I don't know where he is taking Me but I will leave clues for you. I heard the evil villain say something about needing a snack. Please find Me."

The letter M didn't have time to sign the note but he was pretty sure that the boy and his Mom would figure it out. He left the note on the boy's dresser, knowing that the boy would find it when he got dressed for the day.

Sure enough the boy found the note. He enlisted the help of the Amazing Alphabet Detectives: Detective A and Detective M.

Detectives A and M got straight to work. They devised a fool-proof, find the missing letter plan:

1. Dress up in our detective gear.
2. Make detective badges.
3. Secure the crime scene with a cloud of evil villain fighting bubbles.
4. Make a poster of all the letters in the alphabet and review them to make sure we know all the letters.
5. Take an inventory of all the letters present and accounted for in the room.
6. Go on a preliminary search for the rest of the letters. Check the letter off the list when they have been found.
7. Determine which letter is missing.
8. Use our senses to figure out any clues from the note.
9. Follow the clues to find the missing letter and catch the villain.

Detectives A and M, being the brilliant minds that they are, followed the clues.

First they went to the kitchen to see if the evil villain had left any evidence from his snack. All they could find was a banana peel and a few banana chips on a plate. Detective A looked closer at the banana chips. The banana chips were left in the shape of the letter M. They had discovered that the letter M was missing or was the letter M another clue?

Then Detective M discovered some round footprints on the ground. The footprints went all the way to the basement door. They went to the door and noticed that the door handle was sticky and smelled like bananas. Hmm, the evil villain must really love eating bananas.

As they opened the door and looked down the stairs Detective A found some brown fur.

"Hmm" said Detective M "What do brown fur, bananas, the letter M and round footprints have in common?"
"Monkey" yelled out Detective A.
"Yes. And where would a monkey be?" asked Detective M.
"Treehouse" yelled Detective A.

They quickly ran down to the treehouse in the basement. Sure enough they found Thelonius T Monkey in the treehouse with the letter M.

"Rats, I've been foiled again" said Thelonius T Monkey.

Detectives A and M took Theolnius T Monkey into custody and returned the letter M to the alphabet mat with his other letter friends.

And that was our alphabet detective adventure!

Happy sleuthing,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Choose Your Own Activity Advent Calendars

Alright, so I know it's way past the point of creating advent calendars but this brilliant idea, via Dawn McManus, floated into my inbox yesterday and I felt I had to share it with you.

Choose Your Own Activity Advent Calendar
Materials
Poster board
Construction paper
Glue
Sticky tack
Markers
Various art supplies

Directions
1. With your little person draw your chosen Christmas themed scene on your poster board. Decorate the scene using various art supplies.
2. Cut out 25 shapes that go with the scene (e.g. Tree decorations for a Christmas tree). Have your little person decorate one side of these. Number each shape from 1-25.
3. On the other side of the shape wrote down a special activity. Enlist your little person to come up with ideas. Examples: Decorate gingerbread men, go sledding, go to an indoor playground etc.
4. Stick the shapes to the scene using tack.
5. Each day have your little person take down the appropriate shape. Rear the activity and make time in the day to complete the activity.

Dawn said that this is the second year that her colleague has done this project. Her little guy loved it so much the first year that he asked if they would be doing it again this year.

I wish I had heard about this one before the season started but I will definitely do it next year. And if I can't wait that long I just might make a birthday advent calendar for Aiden in June.

Happy calendar making,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Taking Time To Enjoy Your Little Person

In this frantic last week before Christmas, filled with episodes of "Yay, our Christmas shopping is done!"while removing boots, coats, toques and mitts of your thoroughly bundled little person, followed promptly with "Oh wait, did we get something for Cousin Bob?...no?...ugh...back to the stores we go", having only then to re-bundle your squirming, I've-had-enough-of-the-car/mall-for-a-lifetime, little person, it is crucial that we all take a moment to just be with our little people.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the I-want-to-host-dinner-this-year-but-we-always-do-it-at-my-place-exactly-that's-why-we-should-do-it-at-my-place-this-year-it's-only-fair family drama (or your version thereof) of this joyous season that we lose sight of the real heart and soul of Christmas. Religious or not, to me Christmas is about celebrating all the wonderful people in our lives and finding the perfect gift for each of them so that they will know how special they are to us. And what better gift to give your little person than your complete, undivided attention.

Here are a few things you can do with your little person, in between the Christmas rush, to give them that all-important, one-on-one attention:

One-on-One Activities
1. On the way back from one of your many shopping excursions, stop at the library and choose some books together. When you come home, make some hot chocolate, curl up together in your bean bag chairs and read a book together. Look for all the fun, tiny details in the pictures and get your little person to point out certain things when they hear them in the story.
2. Go to a Gymboree class or an indoor playground. Be with your little person and talk with them the whole time. Find something that they do that is impressive (not very hard as these little people are amazing!) and tell them how great they are getting at doing x, y or z.
3. When you unload the groceries enlist your little person's help. Get down to their level and give them small objects to put away. Talk to them about what they are putting away. Describe the textures, colours, shapes etc of the item. And be sure to thank your little person for their help.
4. Do an activity like pudding painting with your little person. (Put pre-made vanilla flavored pudding in several cups. Add food colouring to each cup. Lay out some wax paper in your art centre. Put your little person in their art smock and put dollops of the pudding paint on the paper. Let your artist dive in and paint with their hands). Get in there with them and explore the media together. Talk to your little person about the feel and the smell and the taste of the pudding. And don't worry about the mess - you can clean up later once you've both finished your creations.
5. At the mall, stop into a book store that had a kids section with your little person. Go to the train table or the princess castle or whatever they have laid out for the kids to play with and play with your little person. Get on their level and play with the toys too.
6. At the grocery store put your little one in the cart facing you. Chat with them about what you see in the store. Ask them questions about whatever it is that they like to talk about and really listen to their response. By the time you've finished your grocery shop you will have given your little person at least 30 minutes of undivided attention that will be cherished by both you and your little one.
7. Anything that involves being on the same level as your little on and being engaged in whatever activity they are doing. The little moments are really the most important ones.

Happy giving,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Mud Pie Fossil Madness

As I was looking through my photos from the summer I came across this one of our adventures in making mud pie fossils.

This was a very special project for me as I was sharing a first with Aiden - both of our first time making mud pies. (Yes, I managed to live for 33 years without making a single mud pie!). It was extremely messy and ended up turning more into mud soup than mud pies but it was oodles of fun. Here's the recipe:

Marvelous Mud Pie Fossils
Ingredients:
Soil (either from your yard or from your leftover potting soil)
Water
Pasta shapes
Digging tools (spoons, trowels, cups etc.)
Container for the soil (foil roasting pans work well)
Felt square

1. Pour soil into a container.
2. Pour water into the container and have your little person stir it up.
3. Let your little person add pasta shapes to the mud mixture.
4. When your little person has made a pie, transfer it to a felt square. Let the mud dry.
Voila, you have yourself a mud pie fossil!

Tips
This is a wonderful project for outdoors, but it can be done indoors. It was very windy on the day we did this project so I set up Aiden's paddling pool in the kitchen and let him sit in the pool while making his fossils. Clean up was easy as I just had to hose off the pool and clean off Aiden.

The Review
This one was buckets of fun! Aiden had a great time mixing the soil and scooping it out to make his pies. We will definitely be doing this one again.

Happy mud pie baking,
Creatively yours,
Maya:)

Now I Know My ABCs

Please be forewarned: This post contains some extremely annoying, prouder than proud Mom statements!

I have a pretty smart kid. At seventeen and a half months Aiden know about fifty words, knows all his major body parts and recognizes ten out of twenty-six letters. I'd love to take credit for his cleverness (ok I'll take a bit) but most of his letter and number (he knows the number 2) recognition is due to his love of sesame street (what a fantastic show by the way, although I have the song "Why oh why do I love Y" stuck in my head on repeat right now!).

What I can take credit for is encouraging his superb language skills. I've read to him everyday since birth and I've always talked to him as I'd he understands everything. And now that he can identify letters and numbers (which he loves doing) I try to incorporate language activities into our regular adventures.

Here's a list of some of the things we've done and you can do to encourage your letter detectives:

ABC Activities
1. Buy an alphabet play mat to put down in your play room. Ask your little person to find certain letters or numbers and bring them to you.
2. Find small items, like toys and household items, that begin with the same letter. Place them in a bucket or container. Have your little person pull each item out of the container, one by one, and have them tell you what it is. Remind them what letter the item begins with each time.
3. Draw a letter on a big piece of paper. Have your little one colour and collage the letter. Look through magazines to find pictures of things that begin with the letter you drew. Cut out the pictures and stick them to the letter poster.
4. Go on an alphabet walk: As you walk with your little person point out things that begin with a certain letter.
5. In the grocery store, as you are waiting to pay, ask your little person to point out different letters on the magazines. (This also gives you a chance to catch up on the latest celebrity gossip!)
6. Try on some dress up clothes or have your little person dress up. When you are both dressed up tell your little one what you are wearing that begins with a certain letter, e.g. Mom is wearing a hat and hat begins with the letter H.
7. Make letter puppets by drawing letters on card stock and attaching them to Popsicle sticks. Decorate the puppets, giving them faces and googly eyes. Then create stories using the letter puppets based on the letters, e.g. A's Amazing Adventure to Alaska.
8. Hide letter blocks around your play room (in fairly obvious places). Have your little on search for and find different letters.
9. Read, read and read some more to your little one. Ask them to point out letters that they know in the book.
10. Clap, cheer, hoot and holler when your little person identifies letters when you are out and about. A little encouragement goes a long way.

Happy letter learning,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

My Substitute Gym

Aside from freezing fingers and cold toes, the main reason why I strongly dislike cold weather is because I can't go outside to play/exercise with Aiden. One of my favorite things to do with Aiden is to go for a walk or a run through the playground, but alas, no more as the temperatures have drop into the minuses with a nasty wind-chill factor. And one of the reasons I like being outside with Aiden is that it gives us the chance to exercise.

I should explain one thing, before I became Aiden's Mom, I was addicted to the gym. I was lucky enough to work in a place that had a magnificent gym so most days I'd go on my lunch break and after work for two workouts a day. But since having Aiden I seem to not have enough time in the day to do the laundry or keep the house neat and tidy let alone make it to the gym, so I substituted my gym time with walks and runs and play time outdoors.

However, now that the weather has turned I need to come up with ways to exercise indoors while entertaining my little man. Here's a list of things I've come up with so far:

Indoor Non-Gym Workout Activities
1. Turn on the radio or iPod or stereo to some upbeat dance music and have a 15 minute dance party. Do this 4 times throughout the day and you've clocked in an hour cardio session.
2. Run up and down the stairs while carrying your little person.
3. Do crunches and pelvic tilts while your little person sits on you for extra resistance. You can teach your little one counting and numbers at the same time.
4. Play rocket ships with your little person: Do a count up (1, 2, 3, blast off) and lift them up into the air above your head. Do this 10 or 12 times and you've got a killer arm workout.
5. Play giant tag with your little person: Be a giant by taking wide, lunging steps. Chase your little one around the house for a fabulous lower body workout.
6. Play jumping frogs with your little one: Squat down low and jump up like a frog. Do this 10-12 times and you've down a set of squats.
7. Set up an indoor obstacle course using chairs and tunnels and hoops and balls and whatever equipment. (child-friendly of course) that you have lying around. Do the obstacle course with your little person for a quick cardio session.
8. Take your little one carpet tobogganing: Place a rug on a hard wood or laminate floor. Put your little one on the rug and pull them around the house. Not only is this super fun for your little person but you also get a great total body workout.
9. Get a video game like Dance Workout 3 (just got it for my bday) or NFL training camp. Stick it in the game player and do the game with your little person. Aiden loves the Dance Workout game so much that when we go into the living room he brings me the wii-mote and starts singing "oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh-oh" from the California Girls song, and as soon as I put the game on his face lights up as he starts to dance along with the game.
10. Go on a parade around the house with your little one. Using a drum or shakers or some kind of instrument march around the house to the beat of your music. Change the tempo for some great interval training.

Happy exercising,
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 :)

I Love You Always Forever, Near and Far, Closer Together

Since becoming a Mom there are many things that have surprised me. Some of these things include my mastery of one-handed tasks like cooking a family style ham and cheese omelet complete with a side of homemade sweet potato fries using only one hand while holding Aiden with the other hand, my capability to function in the day after an exhausting night spent "sleeping" on the rocking chair with my sick little man, and my ability to make a multitude of boy-style sound effects including cars, trains, planes, rocket ships, animals, robots, dinosaurs and even wookies.

But a surprise that snuck up on my yesterday is my sudden ineptitude at saying goodbye to loved ones without turning into an absolute puddle if tear-filled mush.

I discovered this as I was driving home from my Dad's house from our last visit with him until at least March of next year when he'll be done his locuum. Aiden was sound asleep in the car and the song "Last Christmas, I gave you my heart..." came on the radio. I glanced in the rear view mirror at my sweet little man and tears immediately welled in my eyes as I realized how much Aiden will miss his Grandpa and how much I'll miss my Dad. And as the tears started rolling down my cheeks I thought "Huh, this is strange." Now if read my post about what makes me unique you will understand that I have had a lot of practice saying goodbye to my Dad, so it doesn't usually phase me when he leaves, but for whatever reason (alright, let's get real here - the reason is Aiden...poor little guy won't be able to understand that Grandpa is coming back!), this time it hit me hard.

So to turn this feeling into a more positive one, here's a list of things that Aiden and I will do keep our loved ones close even when they are far away:

Keeping Our Loved Ones Close Activities
1. Make a care package for the loved one. Find a box, decorate the box and fill it with all of their favorite things. Take it to the post office and let your little person choose the stamps and mail it.
2. Write a story about your little one's adventures with the loved one. Illustrate the story with photos of your little person and your loved one. Make a copy to send to your loved one.
3. Make a day-in-the-life video of your little person. Have your loved one do the same. Exchange videos via email and play them frequently.
4. Exchange teddy bears or stuffed animals with your loved one. Anytime your little person misses your loved one, give them the teddy bear or animal to hug.
5. Have your teddy bear write letters to the other bear and get your loved one to respond on behalf of the bear.
6. Look on the map where your loved one is. Put a marker in the map where you are and where they are. Attach the two points with string and go on an imaginary journey to the other place.
7. Go to the library and find books about where your loved one is. Find a recipe from that country and make it for dinner. You and your loved one will then be eating the same thing.
8. Skype, FaceTime and video chat as much as possible.

Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Cleanliness is next to fun?!

I can honestly say that I strongly dislike cleaning our house. I strongly like when our house is clean mind you, but the actual act of cleaning is not high on my list of fun things to do in the day. So I began thinking how can I make this necessary thing that consumes so much of our time as enjoyable as possible and involve Aiden in the process. I suppose this was my creative problem. Here's what I came up with:

The Making Cleaning Fun List
1. Go on a stealth mission to the garbage: Hide behind trees, scamper between cars, sneak along the sidewalk and make a mad dash to the garbage before the bad guys get you, all while singing the mission impossible theme song.
2. Take up indoor duster tobogganing: Put a large duster on the floors and put your little one on top of it, like a toboggan. Pull them around as fast as is safe to clean the floors.
3. Bubble paint the floors: Get a tub of warm, soapy water and sponges. Cover the surface of the floor with soap bubbles and draw in the bubbles with your little person. Give them sponges and paint brushes to paint the floors and move throughout the house as you do this. You'll have clean floors in no time.
4. Play a sock matching game: Unload your cleanly laundered socks onto the floor. Pick out a distinctly patterned or coloured sock and have your little person find the matching sock from the pile. Repeat until all the socks are matched and folded.
5. Set up a sweeping slalom course: Place various items, like toys and chairs and empty cereal boxes, throughout the area that needs sweeping. Give your little one a broom or brush and a ball that they need to sweep through the course. Show them how to go through the course. Clean floors here we come!
6. Have a dirty laundry toss: Put a pile of laundry that needs cleaning on one side of the room and two different coloured laundry baskets on the other side of the room. Designate one colour of laundry basket for whites and one for darks. Give your little one an item of laundry and see if they can toss the laundry into the correct basket. Repeat until all the laundry is sorted for washing.
7. Make blanket caves on the beds: While making beds sit with your little one on the stripped bed and then pull one of the sheets over your head to make a cave.
8. Have a cleaning dance-a-thon :Give your little person kid-sized versions of your cleaning gear and spray bottles filled with water. Turn on some music and dance your faces off while dusting, sweeping, mopping and scrubbing.

Happy cleaning,
Creatively yours,
Maya:)

Family Photo Flash Cards

Aiden is very fortunate to have fabulous relatives both near and far. We try to visit with his Grandma and Grandpa and his Grandpa Doc (when he's in town) at least once a week but sometimes life gets in the way and we don't get to see everyone as much as we'd like. Aiden also has a Granny who lives in Scotland (who is arriving tomorrow!), an Auntie in London and an Uncle, Auntie and Cousins in California that he rarely gets to see. So
Aiden is at the stage where he is a bit weary of people he doesn't know or doesn't see on a regular basis and with the holidays coming up and family coming into town we want to prepare Aiden for strange family faces as much as possible. Enter family photo flash cards.

Family Photo Flash Cards
1. Find or take digital pictures of important family members or other people you want your little person to remember. Be sure to include photos of Mom and Dad and your little person. You can even include photos of your little person's lovey, like Aiden's monkey.
2. Shrink them to index card size.
3. Print the photos out on paper or card stock.
4. Cut the photos out and laminate them.
5. Stack the photos and punch a hole through the top left corner. Secure the stack with a binder ring.
6. Go through the stack of pictures with your little person during the day naming each person or asking your little person who the photo is. You can also play a memory game with the cards: Lay the cards out on the floor face down. Ask your little person to find a relative. Then they will turn over the cards until they find the relative. Repeat until you have gone through all the cards.

The Review
Aiden loves his stack, so much so that he asks to see "Papa" or "Dada" periodically throughout the day. He also laughs like crazy when we get to the picture of his monkey bombing our photo. And in terms of recognizing family and being comfortable with them when he hasn't seen them for awhile, so far so good, but I guess the real test will be when he sees Granny tomorrow for the first time since May.

Happy flashing,
Creatively yours,
Maya:)

Sick Day

Like many households in November sickness came knocking at the door and we opened the door to let it in - silly us. Fortunately Aiden got over his cold/cough pretty quickly and is now back to 100%. His Dad and I are not so lucky and are both feeling pretty crummy, but his Dad is much worse than I am. So the question is how do you entertain a busy, active toddler who's going full tilt when you are feeling less than stellar?

The Sick Day Activity List
1. Make get well cards for the sick people in the house using crayons, markers, paper, glue, stickers and any other materials you can find.
2. Make a special treat for the sick person. Let your little person help out by fetching items from the pantry, pouring ingredients into the bowls, stirring the mixture and wiping up any spills. Aiden and I made cheesecake for his Dad.
3. Choose a story to read together and then act it out using stuffed animals and puppets. Hold a show on the bed for the sick person.
4. Make a puzzle or board game or matching game using various art supplies. Play the game with the sick person. Aiden and I made a family portrait matching game (see post next week for instructions).
5. Take your non-sick little person out to a playground or to the mall or to a swimming pool or anywhere for that matter so that the sick person can rest in peace and quiet!

Stay healthy and don't answer the door if sickness comes knocking,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Happy Birthday Auntie Rachie!

Today is my sister and Aiden's Auntie Rachie's birthday. Auntie Rachie lives in London, England, so we can't celebrate with her today. However, in honour of her special day Aiden and I have planned some Rachie/Birthday themed activities for the day.

The Birthday Celebration List
1. Make a Happy Birthday banner and decorate it with crayons, markers, stickers and paint.
2. Make birthday hats from paper, cardboard, miscellaneous recyclables, Lego, stuffed animals, and any other materials we can find.
3. Go on a parade while wearing our various birthday hats.
4. Wear outfits in the favorite colour of the birthday person. If you don't know the favorite colour of the birthday person, wear outfits in a colour that begins with the same letter as the birthday person's name, for example Aiden and I are wearing red today.
5. Sing Happy Birthday to the birthday person's photo as many times as they are old during the day.
6. Create a special birthday song using various musical instruments and/or pots and pans and kitchen gadgets. Hold a concert for all the stuffed animals to debut the song.
7. Go on a Birthday Alphabet Walk: on your walk point out as many things as you can that begin with the first letter of the birthday person's name.
8. Play birthday games like musical chairs or pass the parcel in honour of the birthday person.
9. Make portraits of the birthday person or birthday cakes out of play dough.
10. Have a meal eating only things that begin with the first letter of the birthday person's name...lucky us, we get risotto!

Happy Birthday Auntie Rachie!
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Fun with Finger Painting

As a former art teacher and avid painter I was definitely looking forward to the day I could share my love of painting with Aiden. Although I wanted to paint with him from day one, I knew I had to be patient and wait until he could understand what we were doing and more importantly that he shouldn't eat the paint so that he could fully appreciate the activity and explore the medium without having to be reminded every 5 seconds to not eat the paint. Well, that day came a few weeks ago when we tried finger painting for the very first time.

I have to say that I was a bit apprehensive before we started because I was nervous that he wouldn't enjoy it. But I told myself that if he didn't like finger painting it would be ok, maybe he's not ready for it yet and at least he's being exposed to something new which is most important.

So one afternoon, after nap time, I set up our creativity centre with some long sheets of newsprint paper, some cups for print making and some paper towels to clean up any spills. I put Aiden into his art shirt and spooned out some paint on the paper. I watched him examine the gloppy mixture that was sitting on top of the paper and then he dove in with both of his hands, swirling the paint around his canvas. He squelched the paint through his fingers, squealing with joy as he wiped the paint that was in his hands all over his clean art shirt. When he ran out of paint on the paper he said "More, more, more". And then he got back to it, discovering what happens when he mixes the colours together and how he can make different impressions on the paper depending on what part of his hand/body he uses.

When he was done I took his artworks and put them in the kitchen to dry.
To preserve Aiden's first painting experience he and I chose part of his mural to frame. We hung it up in the hallway and unveiled his art in his very first art show with his Dad as the guest of honor. And now, everyday, when we walk through the hallway we can admire his creative genius, which I hope will give him the confidence to use his creativity to the max in a world that sometimes doesn't appreciate a creative soul.

Here's the finger paint recipe I used:

Washable Finger Paint
1/2 cup liquid dish soap
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup water
Several drops of food colouring

1. Mix dish soap, flour and water in a bowl until a thick, creamy paint-like paste forms.
2. Separate mixture into 3 or 4 smaller containers. I used small IKEA plastic cups.
3. Add a different colour of food colouring to each container.
4. Cover and refrigerate until needed.


The Review
Like many things that I worry about as a Mom, I didn't need to worry as much as I did that Aiden would not enjoy this activity. He loved finger painting, yelling "More, more, more" everytime the paint ran out.

The Tips
This is obviously a messy project so be prepared for this and allow your little person to paint with wild abandon as there is nothing that a little paper towel and water won't clean up. I also plonked Aiden in the bath after the activity to clean him off as inevitably the finger paint turned into body paint.

Happy painting,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)