Today was a good day. The weather was nice so we were able to get outside for a bit, the kids were (relatively) behaved, we had a healthy lunch that everyone ate, and I had some grown-up time because of a wonderful invention called Skype!
Last year, when I was "officially" off on maternity leave, I was fortunate enough to have a handful of friends who were also on maternity leave as well. Including Wee Man there were 9 children born in our circle of friends and family around that same year, so there was lots of opportunity for grown-up interaction and socialization for both Mama and Wee Man. This year - not so much. In fact, I think I've only had one play date since September when a most of my mama-friends went back to work. Being a stay-at-home-mom can be very isolating...and while I've never been a big one for huge social occasions, I do have to say that I crave adult conversation and interaction regularly!
Two good friends of mine live in other provinces. Both are also stay-at-home-moms and have little ones around the age of Wee Man (yes, they are included in the 9 children mentioned above). So in order to stay in touch, see each others little ones, and have some adult conversation (ie: sentences over 5 words long!) I have started doing Skype dates with them both from time to time.
I love Skype. What a fabulous invention. Today was so much fun! Wee Man and Little A were both so excited to see Little M and her mama on the computer screen and it was fun to see the kids interact with each other. Once the initial excitement over the people in the computer talking to them passed, we were able to have a conversation while the little ones played around us. Every once in a while Wee Man would come back and look at the computer and say "hi" (just to see if he'd get a response back, I think) or Little A would come sit on my lap to see what was going on, but it was a fabulous way to connect with another grown-up while still letting the kids have fun and play around us!
A couple of weeks ago my other out-of-province friend and her two kids joined us for lunch via Skype. That was a little more interesting of an experience, as trying to carry on a conversation with 4 kids who were more interested in what was going on in the computer than what was in front of them on their plates didn't go as well as you would have thought! haha. But it was still fun to connect with them - and see their new home! The joys of laptops - her daughter wanted to show us her new Princess Room (she's almost 3) and so we tagged along while they made the trip upstairs into her room and got to see her awesome Disney Princess stencils on the wall!
So while my adventures in play dates outside of the home have definitely decreased this year over last, I am happy to say that with a little technology and creativity, I'm able to curb my craving for adult interaction from time to time and look forward to the next Skype date(s) with my dear friends! With these regular Skype dates and some potential future play dates with a friend who just had her first little one this past weekend (we'll give her a month or so to get into the swing of things! haha!) I think the rest of this year will be much less isolating than the latter part of 2011!
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Monday, 30 January 2012
Cloth Diapering
Lately, it seems, I've been getting a lot of questions from friends about cloth diapering - they're interested, thinking about it, or know someone who is and have questions. As a family who has cloth diapered pretty much exclusively since week one, and someone who is extremely passionate about it, I am always more than happy to answer questions and try to help other families make the right decision for them.
In the beginning my knowledge on the subject was pretty limited and I didn't have a preference either way. I didn't love the pins, plastic pants and stinky wet diaper pails in nurseries (or dunking the poopy diapers in the toilet to get the mess off) - that had been my experience with cloth diapering (now I am showing my true age ;-p) - but I liked the fact there was little to no garbage and they could be reused, passed on or re-purposed as something else later on.
Years ago - close to 8 of them, I believe - I worked for an independent local baby store that sold cloth diapers (among other things) and it was through that job that my love for them began. The modern cloth diapers aren't necessarily the cotton squares of the past. There are so many options for different, and easy, ways to cloth diaper that it was so easy to get excited about them.
So when my husband and I got pregnant and were starting the purchases for Wee Man I started more research on the topic. While shopping for all of the baby things we needed we had some rules: we wanted to keep our long-term expenses down to a minimum; we knew it was likely our family would grow in the future so the purchases we did make we wanted to be ones that would last; everything had to be gender neutral (because we didn't know what we were having, or what subsequent children may be); and we didn't want oodles of things in our small home - our square footage is limited! Cloth diapers fit right into most of these "rules".
Thankfully my husband didn't have a preference for anything we bought. He was happy to let me research (I'd usually bring him 2 or 3 options of what I liked in each category to look over and his answer every time was "I don't care - I trust you - just show me how it works when you decide") and then come with me to the store to buy/pick things out. Since I used to sell it all, he knew that I would be making informed decisions about strollers, car seats, cribs, diapers and the like.
Diaper research turned out to be probably the most confusing and stressful thing out of the bunch. Pockets, All-In-Ones, Pre-folds, combinations of all the above, Snappis, Pins, etc....the list went on and on. I had a couple of cloth-diapering friends so I chatted to them. The consensus out in my group of friends were All-In-Ones and Pockets were the way to go. I wasn't so sure. I thought $18-24 a diaper was insane and didn't really want to buy used from strangers, and also wanted to cloth diaper from birth to potty training, so I wasn't sold on the one-size-fits-all models. So I started looking into the pre-fold route. Bummis seemed to be the best option and so hubby and I went to my old store to explore our options.
I have to say my husband was super nervous about the pre-folds at first - they seemed to him to be really complicated to fold - and as someone who'd never changed a diaper before our son was born, he didn't know if he'd be able to do it with a wriggly newborn. I was proud of him for still going through with his commitment to cloth diapering, and for the first couple of months (in my determination to make it easy for him so he'd continue to believe it was a good choice!) I'd pre-fold them in the drawer so all he had to do was pull them out and Velcro the cover around them on the Wee Man! After the first month we could both pretty much do it with our eyes closed - something all new parents know is a reality at those 3am diaper changes!
Initially I bought the Bummis (size small) starter kit. It had 24 cotton pre-fold diapers, about 5 or 6 waterproof covers, some disposable liners, a set (5) of micro-fleece reusable liners, a large-sized wet bag, and a sample of cloth-diaper safe (ie: no zinc) bum balm. After about a month I ended up adding about 12 more pre-folds to our mix and a couple covers. The small sized pre-folds & covers lasted for us (in size) until Wee Man was about 10 months old. At that time we went and purchased about 30 more large sized pre-folds and 8 waterproof covers (caving at this point and getting a couple of "boy" prints in addition to 6 gender-neutral ones....I couldn't resist the rocket ship and car patterns....they were so cute!).
We did buy some All-In-One/Pocket diapers as well. We call these our "travel diapers" as they are the ones we use when we go out of the house....shopping, friends/family's houses, etc. I found while pre-folds are pretty easy at home, they are a little more tricky when we're out and about - more just because there are more pieces to carry around in the diaper bag and are another step or two when diaper changing. In public Wee Man turns into a squirmy distracted little guy and it was much easier to slap on a quick one-piece diaper and move along than dealing with the folding while trying to balance him up on one of those narrow changing tables that flip down from a wall! We opted for Bummis-distributed Easy Fit all-in-one pockets and bought about 10 of them.
I get all sorts of questions and objections about cloth diapering when people see/hear I do it. Here are a few of them, and my responses:
18 months later I am still thrilled with our decision to cloth diaper and choosing the pre-fold route. We're currently potty training so in our house we're almost done our cloth diapering days. I think that cloth diapers have helped (in our house) with the early potty training, and I can happily say that our cost savings have been in the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. To diaper our child in his first 2 years of life (and any other kids we may decide to have!) we have spent less than $750. How many other parents can say that?! :-)
In the beginning my knowledge on the subject was pretty limited and I didn't have a preference either way. I didn't love the pins, plastic pants and stinky wet diaper pails in nurseries (or dunking the poopy diapers in the toilet to get the mess off) - that had been my experience with cloth diapering (now I am showing my true age ;-p) - but I liked the fact there was little to no garbage and they could be reused, passed on or re-purposed as something else later on.
Years ago - close to 8 of them, I believe - I worked for an independent local baby store that sold cloth diapers (among other things) and it was through that job that my love for them began. The modern cloth diapers aren't necessarily the cotton squares of the past. There are so many options for different, and easy, ways to cloth diaper that it was so easy to get excited about them.
So when my husband and I got pregnant and were starting the purchases for Wee Man I started more research on the topic. While shopping for all of the baby things we needed we had some rules: we wanted to keep our long-term expenses down to a minimum; we knew it was likely our family would grow in the future so the purchases we did make we wanted to be ones that would last; everything had to be gender neutral (because we didn't know what we were having, or what subsequent children may be); and we didn't want oodles of things in our small home - our square footage is limited! Cloth diapers fit right into most of these "rules".
Thankfully my husband didn't have a preference for anything we bought. He was happy to let me research (I'd usually bring him 2 or 3 options of what I liked in each category to look over and his answer every time was "I don't care - I trust you - just show me how it works when you decide") and then come with me to the store to buy/pick things out. Since I used to sell it all, he knew that I would be making informed decisions about strollers, car seats, cribs, diapers and the like.
Diaper research turned out to be probably the most confusing and stressful thing out of the bunch. Pockets, All-In-Ones, Pre-folds, combinations of all the above, Snappis, Pins, etc....the list went on and on. I had a couple of cloth-diapering friends so I chatted to them. The consensus out in my group of friends were All-In-Ones and Pockets were the way to go. I wasn't so sure. I thought $18-24 a diaper was insane and didn't really want to buy used from strangers, and also wanted to cloth diaper from birth to potty training, so I wasn't sold on the one-size-fits-all models. So I started looking into the pre-fold route. Bummis seemed to be the best option and so hubby and I went to my old store to explore our options.
I have to say my husband was super nervous about the pre-folds at first - they seemed to him to be really complicated to fold - and as someone who'd never changed a diaper before our son was born, he didn't know if he'd be able to do it with a wriggly newborn. I was proud of him for still going through with his commitment to cloth diapering, and for the first couple of months (in my determination to make it easy for him so he'd continue to believe it was a good choice!) I'd pre-fold them in the drawer so all he had to do was pull them out and Velcro the cover around them on the Wee Man! After the first month we could both pretty much do it with our eyes closed - something all new parents know is a reality at those 3am diaper changes!
Initially I bought the Bummis (size small) starter kit. It had 24 cotton pre-fold diapers, about 5 or 6 waterproof covers, some disposable liners, a set (5) of micro-fleece reusable liners, a large-sized wet bag, and a sample of cloth-diaper safe (ie: no zinc) bum balm. After about a month I ended up adding about 12 more pre-folds to our mix and a couple covers. The small sized pre-folds & covers lasted for us (in size) until Wee Man was about 10 months old. At that time we went and purchased about 30 more large sized pre-folds and 8 waterproof covers (caving at this point and getting a couple of "boy" prints in addition to 6 gender-neutral ones....I couldn't resist the rocket ship and car patterns....they were so cute!).
We did buy some All-In-One/Pocket diapers as well. We call these our "travel diapers" as they are the ones we use when we go out of the house....shopping, friends/family's houses, etc. I found while pre-folds are pretty easy at home, they are a little more tricky when we're out and about - more just because there are more pieces to carry around in the diaper bag and are another step or two when diaper changing. In public Wee Man turns into a squirmy distracted little guy and it was much easier to slap on a quick one-piece diaper and move along than dealing with the folding while trying to balance him up on one of those narrow changing tables that flip down from a wall! We opted for Bummis-distributed Easy Fit all-in-one pockets and bought about 10 of them.
I get all sorts of questions and objections about cloth diapering when people see/hear I do it. Here are a few of them, and my responses:
- Cloth diapers are so expensive. There's no way we could afford to do it. - While initially I agree that the costs are higher, averaging it out over the entire time your child will be in diapers you are saving hundreds of dollars. Couple that with the fact that cloth diapers can be used over and over for more children, you're saving even more. Our costs were around $700 in total (I rounded to the nearest dollar): Bummi's Infant Starter Kit $180; 24 additional small sized pre-folds $60; additional fleece liners $7; 30 Bummis Large pre-folds $80; 6 medium sized covers $75; 10 all-in-one diapers $300. We do choose to use disposable inserts when we're out ($6.99 for a roll of 100) as this helps prevent us from having to carry poop around in our wet bag because you can pick up the liner and flush it, so we buy one roll every 3-4 months or so adding slightly to our expenses. At home we don't use this. When you consider how much disposable diapers cost all of this is a drop in the bucket in terms of expenses!
- I hate doing laundry - you must be doing it all the time with cloth diapers!? - With the current stash that we have (about 30 pre-folds and 10 all-in-ones) I do a load of diapers about every other day. That's about 3 extra loads of laundry a week. The more diapers you have, the less laundry you would do. With electric washers and dryers (I don't know anyone with a washboard that has to sit and scrub their laundry over a tub of water!) this isn't a big task. I throw my soiled diapers into the wash, set it on rinse/spin to get rid of the initial soiled messes (all solids are put into the toilet, so this is more just residue) and then put it on a hot water wash. When the washer is done it's magic they go into the dryer. If I didn't have a washer/dryer in my home this would be more of a concern. Since I'm fortunate enough that I do....not a big deal. We typically do 7-8 loads a laundry a week - this includes bedding, towels, clothes and diapers for a family of 3. I don't think that's excessive.
- Does your house smell like a diaper pail? I remember the smell of the diaper pail when we were young. - This one always makes me chuckle - I totally remember the smell of the blue water diapers used to soak in in diaper pails. No one uses a watery solution in their diaper pails anymore. I don't even know if they still sell it. We use a wet bag (the large sized one that came in our Bummis Starter Kit) in my son's room for wet diapers. It sits on the floor (zipped up) - not in a pail or closed container - and there is no smell. For the poopy diapers we use a diaper sprayer and remove the solid mess and then the diaper is placed in a dry diaper pail (it is essentially a plastic garbage can with a lid that sits on - no rubber edging to seal it) in the bathroom until laundry day. There is no smell in there either. In fact, I've had several people comment about the fact that Wee Man's room and the bathroom don't smell like diapers....
- It's too much cost up-front - I don't know what style would work best or if I'll like it. - This is one I agree with. Hence my own stress at first when researching. $24 for 1 diaper is pretty steep, especially if you don't know if you'll like the style or aren't sold on the whole cloth diaper commitment. That's why I LOVE Parenting By Nature (check my links at the right - I've linked to them). They have starter sets with 6 diapers or so of different brands where you can try out different styles - pockets, pre-folds, all-in-ones, etc. without committing to a large number of one in your stash. When you find a style/brand you love then you can go any buy more to complete your collection. I didn't choose this route but I know others who have and were really glad they did. There are also lots of local moms selling used cloth diapers on places like Kijiji, or Craig's List. I also have to put a shout-out for a friend that makes cloth diapers locally here in Calgary (check out my link to Gardenpetal Designs on the right) --- super cute customizable patterns, beautifully made and great pocket diapers. Had I known about her when I was buying them, I wouldn't have done my Easy Fits and would have bought them all from her instead. I prefer to support local and Canadian whenever possible. Both these links are Canadian! Parenting By Nature is a small mama-owned business out of the GTA. They ship quickly and for a decent price (free with $149 orders or more!).
- I want to start. What do I need? - First, find a brand/style you like and then this is my suggestion:
- A minimum of 24 diapers....this will mean laundry every 1-2 days. The more diapers, the less laundry.
- A wet bag and/or a diaper pail - somewhere to put the dirty ones in between washes. We use a large Bummis wet bag in Wee Man's room for wet diapers, and a small diaper pail in the bathroom for soiled diapers. I know people that use one large diaper pail or well-sealing garbage can.
- A wet bag for your diaper bag - you'll want to go out from time to time. A cloth diapering wet bag will keep smells and leaks out of your diaper bag - as opposed to using a large size Ziploc bag or something. Bummis make good small ones (you can use it for wet swim suits later on when your cloth diapering days are over!) but there are lots of other brands out there, too. We have a super cute one I picked up at a local sale when I was pregant - it's got guitars all over it in funky colours. Thought it would be something we could re-use for swimming lessons when he's older!
- Wipes - we use baby wash cloths (I bought a pack of 50) and then you can reuse them over and over. I wash them with my diapers and they go in their corresponding wet bags/diaper pail with the diapers. Some mamas prefer disposable ones....but then you need a garbage can close at hand, too, because they don't wash well! ;-) We use disposable when we're out. It's easier. One pack will last me months, because they're used so infrequently. I buy the more expensive no-chemical/alcohol/dyes/perfume ones because of this!
- Bum balm/cream - *Note* zinc ruins cloth diapers - prevents them from absorbing, since that's the purpose of the mineral - and makes them stink! Find a natural balm that helps to wick moisture away from the skin. Unlike disposables, your baby will have moisture against their skin all the time with cloth diapers. In 18 months we've only had 1 bad diaper rash, and a little redness from time to time. We use Bo Bebe brand rash rescue (it's a local Calgary company), but there are tons of others out there - Dimpleskins Bum Bum Balm is another great brand we've used. Since you change cloth diapers more frequently, there is less incidences of diaper rash. When you find redness, strip your diapers (rinse several times in hot hot water).
- Other things that aren't necessary but are nice to have:
- A diaper sprayer (Parenting by Nature sells them) - hooks up to your toilet so you can spray the solid mess off diapers and makes laundry and diaper changes much more pleasant! Best $55 I've ever spent!
- Disposable liners - makes clean up easier. Most of them are flushable so you can get rid of solid messes much easier - helps prevent major stains in your diapers, too.
- Reusable liners - there are tons of options. If you have a heavy wetter, and additional liner will help with absorbtion, micro-fibre ones help to wick some of the moisture away from baby's skin (we use these at night!). Also helps prevent major stains in your diapers!
- A wipes warmer - we have one and it was my one frivolous purchase when I was pregnant. Ours is the Prince Lionheart one, it has a nightlight on it - which is nice - and keeps wipes moist and warm (we don't use any solution in ours - just their little cushion that needs moistening every 3-4 days and replacing every 6 months or so). Our Wee Man's room isn't attached to a bathroom and we don't use disposable wipes on him, so it prevents running to a sink to moisten a wipe. When he was little it was also much easier to do nighttime diaper changes when we didn't have a freezing cold wipe on his bum! I love it. Another $50 I was happy to have spent!
18 months later I am still thrilled with our decision to cloth diaper and choosing the pre-fold route. We're currently potty training so in our house we're almost done our cloth diapering days. I think that cloth diapers have helped (in our house) with the early potty training, and I can happily say that our cost savings have been in the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. To diaper our child in his first 2 years of life (and any other kids we may decide to have!) we have spent less than $750. How many other parents can say that?! :-)
Friday, 27 January 2012
Family Literacy Day
Today is Family Literacy Day and so to celebrate, I thought this would be a good topic for my blog entry today.
In our household reading has a special place in all of our hearts. Books to me are so wonderful and I love everything that they represent - I'm proud to display a collection of favourites (some so dog-eared and taped-together that you can almost tell how many times they've been re-read just by looking at the spine on the shelf) in our living room and nearly every room in the house has at least one book or magazine waiting to be picked up. There's nothing like digging into a great new book and taking adventures or learning about new places, people and things. My husband is the same - he's an avid reader and has just about as many books in the shelves as I do - although his tend to be more focused on non-fiction topics than the fictional novels that I typically prefer to read.
It's only natural that Wee Man has become a book lover himself. We have our dedicated "story time" every day (usually that 20 minute period between snack and nap where I want the kids to settle down and get a little quiet and calm) and before bed each night, but all throughout the day both Wee Man and Little A bring me a book or two and with a little "peees" (please), "bookt" (book) and "sit" we snuggle down to read a story or two before they're up and running around like crazies again. I love those moments and am so proud I have a child who has shown a love of literature at an early age.
I recently read an article (I can't recall where now - but it was another blog) written by a man who didn't think that reading to newborns and young infants (I believe he wrote infants 6 months and younger) was important. He said he didn't believe it made any difference in their language acquisition or in their interest in literature and reading when they were older. He said it was more important for parents to be communicating with their children in other ways --- I believe he was talking about cooing, playing "this little piggy" and other games like that had more eye-contact and sing-songy type interaction. He said having a child sitting in a parent's arms in a rocking chair, or lying in their crib, listening to a voice reading a book wasn't a good way to introduce language or early communication. I don't know that I agree.
While I do believe that hands-on interaction, eye-contact and the like with songs and games for infants is extremely important in helping for parents and children to bond, I think reading from birth (or even before) is another important way to teach language to a child. Books - especially ones that target young children - have a rhythmic way about them that helps to ease children into language. It grabs their attention and helps them stop and focus. Music does much the same thing (and I'm always amazed at the words Wee Man picks out in songs...now I'm a little more careful to pay attention to what I'm playing on the stereo while he's awake!), but I think that reading from birth is important to teaching language - exploring vocabulary - and helping children to hear the proper way of grammar and language conventions, since so many people (myself included at times) tend to use slang or improper grammar when we speak.
From his first weeks of life I started a bedtime routine with Wee Man. We found that bath time when he was really young was not a relaxing event (he is a water lover, but prefers to splash and carry on in the water) so sitting in the rocking chair in his room with the lights dimmed and reading was a good way to calm him down and prepare him for bed. Since I was breastfeeding in the first year, it was easy to snuggle him up on the breastfeeding pillow, have one hand on him and the other holding a book. Because he was too young to look at pictures, I didn't typically read children's picture books, but instead novels that I thought would be interesting for both of us. In his first 6 months of life I read the entire Narnia series, a handful of Dr. Seuss books, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland and Winnie The Pooh (what fun that was, re-reading beloved classics from my own childhood!). After about 6 months of age we started to get more into picture books, board books and nursery rhymes that he could help turn the pages and see colourful pictures in, but I think that his love of books and reading was partly shaped by our special quiet-time together those 6 months where we shared adventures through books. Even now though, he is happy to patiently listen to a children's novel at bedtime from time to time - although we tend to choose those that have a couple pictures embedded within the chapters.
At 17 months of age Wee Man is talking up a storm. I'm amazed at the words he comes up with on a daily basis and the understanding that he is capable of. Is this because of literature, because we don't believe in talking "baby talk" to him, or just a natural development that would have happened? I know we'll never know the full answer (both my husband and I were early talkers according to anecdotes from both of our mothers so there is likely some biology to it), but I'd like to believe that books have played a bit of a role in shaping his vocabulary and comprehension.
As a teacher (and someone who has studied at length on the subject of boys and literacy), I know that boys tend to struggle more with language and reading than girls do, but with a father who loves to read as positive role-model in his life, a great love and respect for books at an early age, and my own dedication at making sure that reading is not only fun but a regular part of growing and learning, I think that it is likely he will continue through life with a love of reading.
As an aside, Today's Parent has released a list of 100 children's books for wee ones through teens on their website. How many of these have you read? I know our collection contains some of these....and others I may consider next time I make a trip to the library or book store!
http://www.todaysparent.com/activities/top-100-childrens-books
Happy Reading!
In our household reading has a special place in all of our hearts. Books to me are so wonderful and I love everything that they represent - I'm proud to display a collection of favourites (some so dog-eared and taped-together that you can almost tell how many times they've been re-read just by looking at the spine on the shelf) in our living room and nearly every room in the house has at least one book or magazine waiting to be picked up. There's nothing like digging into a great new book and taking adventures or learning about new places, people and things. My husband is the same - he's an avid reader and has just about as many books in the shelves as I do - although his tend to be more focused on non-fiction topics than the fictional novels that I typically prefer to read.
It's only natural that Wee Man has become a book lover himself. We have our dedicated "story time" every day (usually that 20 minute period between snack and nap where I want the kids to settle down and get a little quiet and calm) and before bed each night, but all throughout the day both Wee Man and Little A bring me a book or two and with a little "peees" (please), "bookt" (book) and "sit" we snuggle down to read a story or two before they're up and running around like crazies again. I love those moments and am so proud I have a child who has shown a love of literature at an early age.
I recently read an article (I can't recall where now - but it was another blog) written by a man who didn't think that reading to newborns and young infants (I believe he wrote infants 6 months and younger) was important. He said he didn't believe it made any difference in their language acquisition or in their interest in literature and reading when they were older. He said it was more important for parents to be communicating with their children in other ways --- I believe he was talking about cooing, playing "this little piggy" and other games like that had more eye-contact and sing-songy type interaction. He said having a child sitting in a parent's arms in a rocking chair, or lying in their crib, listening to a voice reading a book wasn't a good way to introduce language or early communication. I don't know that I agree.
While I do believe that hands-on interaction, eye-contact and the like with songs and games for infants is extremely important in helping for parents and children to bond, I think reading from birth (or even before) is another important way to teach language to a child. Books - especially ones that target young children - have a rhythmic way about them that helps to ease children into language. It grabs their attention and helps them stop and focus. Music does much the same thing (and I'm always amazed at the words Wee Man picks out in songs...now I'm a little more careful to pay attention to what I'm playing on the stereo while he's awake!), but I think that reading from birth is important to teaching language - exploring vocabulary - and helping children to hear the proper way of grammar and language conventions, since so many people (myself included at times) tend to use slang or improper grammar when we speak.
From his first weeks of life I started a bedtime routine with Wee Man. We found that bath time when he was really young was not a relaxing event (he is a water lover, but prefers to splash and carry on in the water) so sitting in the rocking chair in his room with the lights dimmed and reading was a good way to calm him down and prepare him for bed. Since I was breastfeeding in the first year, it was easy to snuggle him up on the breastfeeding pillow, have one hand on him and the other holding a book. Because he was too young to look at pictures, I didn't typically read children's picture books, but instead novels that I thought would be interesting for both of us. In his first 6 months of life I read the entire Narnia series, a handful of Dr. Seuss books, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland and Winnie The Pooh (what fun that was, re-reading beloved classics from my own childhood!). After about 6 months of age we started to get more into picture books, board books and nursery rhymes that he could help turn the pages and see colourful pictures in, but I think that his love of books and reading was partly shaped by our special quiet-time together those 6 months where we shared adventures through books. Even now though, he is happy to patiently listen to a children's novel at bedtime from time to time - although we tend to choose those that have a couple pictures embedded within the chapters.
At 17 months of age Wee Man is talking up a storm. I'm amazed at the words he comes up with on a daily basis and the understanding that he is capable of. Is this because of literature, because we don't believe in talking "baby talk" to him, or just a natural development that would have happened? I know we'll never know the full answer (both my husband and I were early talkers according to anecdotes from both of our mothers so there is likely some biology to it), but I'd like to believe that books have played a bit of a role in shaping his vocabulary and comprehension.
As a teacher (and someone who has studied at length on the subject of boys and literacy), I know that boys tend to struggle more with language and reading than girls do, but with a father who loves to read as positive role-model in his life, a great love and respect for books at an early age, and my own dedication at making sure that reading is not only fun but a regular part of growing and learning, I think that it is likely he will continue through life with a love of reading.
As an aside, Today's Parent has released a list of 100 children's books for wee ones through teens on their website. How many of these have you read? I know our collection contains some of these....and others I may consider next time I make a trip to the library or book store!
http://www.todaysparent.com/activities/top-100-childrens-books
Happy Reading!
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
This isn't child cruelty....
I saw this video (http://www.parenting.com/blogs/show-and-tell/kate-parentingcom/mom-arrested-taking-10-year-old-son-get-tattoo?src=soc&dom=fb) the other day and was baffled....a mom charged with child cruelty for letting her child get a tattoo? My initial thoughts were that we're not getting the full story through this video and article, but it really made me think.
I understand that the mom, who has tattoos herself so obviously isn't opposed to them, thought that the gesture her younger son wanted to make towards the memory of his older brother was a positive one. What better way to remember someone then to make part of their memory something that is always with you? I agree with the mom on that side of things - as she said, it's not like he was asking for Sponge Bob or some other pop-icon that will dwindle away into the memories of childhood as he ages. I also see the other side of the issue - the kid is 10. It was against the law (I do believe her when she said she didn't know that was the case though - and think that the tattoo artist should have some responsibility here; does he/she not know the laws that govern his/her trade? He/She should! That is the person that should have been charged!)
As a parent sometimes we have to make difficult decisions when it comes to our kids. Sometimes we have to say no when they give us every reason (in their minds) why it's unfair to them. This might be one of those times.
In our household tattoos are acceptable. My husband has 5. Four of them he got as a young adult and while don't necessarily represent anything sentimental, they are relatively small, easily concealable when he needs to dress up or go to a job interview, and are not offencive (two are Celtic symbols and the other two are cool designs). The fifth is one I consider very special. When our son was born he decided he wanted to get a tattoo representing wee man. For a week he sat at the kitchen table perfecting his design. It ended up being a lion (both he and wee man are Leos); the mane has wee man's name written at the top hidden in the hair, at the bottom his birth date, on it's forehead the Chinese symbol for Year of the Tiger. It's gorgeous - and holds many special meanings within it. It was well thought out, artistically designed, and something that will never be a regret. This is, in my mind, what a tattoo should be. This is why I don't have one (although I've been mighty tempted to get this same one somewhere on my own body). This is what I would encourage my own son to do should he decide one day he'd like to have one....something that means something deep down - not a passing fancy or something from a wall/book in a tattoo studio. However, I still wouldn't want him to do it until he was at least 18. Just to be sure.
I think it was wrong for the mother in this story to be charged. I can't say whether I think she made a wrong decision - that is really something that is personal to each family and situation. I agree that this is a positive way to celebrate the memory of a loved one. If it had been my own son coming to me at 10, I probably would have encouraged him to wait - think about a design representative of his brother for a couple of years, looked into the laws/rules to find an appropriate age to have him go and get the tattoo (14?, 16? 18?), and determined the best place for him to place it on his body that will not turn people off in the future in terms of jobs and other opportunities that tattoos may not be welcome in. However, having never lost a child myself, perhaps I would be sitting next to my 10-year-old getting matching tattoos remembering a loved one in the midst of my grief. We can't judge. I sure as heck would be proud of him for remembering his brother in a positive way, not going out hurting himself or others in angry retaliation of a young life lost.
What are your thoughts on this story?
I understand that the mom, who has tattoos herself so obviously isn't opposed to them, thought that the gesture her younger son wanted to make towards the memory of his older brother was a positive one. What better way to remember someone then to make part of their memory something that is always with you? I agree with the mom on that side of things - as she said, it's not like he was asking for Sponge Bob or some other pop-icon that will dwindle away into the memories of childhood as he ages. I also see the other side of the issue - the kid is 10. It was against the law (I do believe her when she said she didn't know that was the case though - and think that the tattoo artist should have some responsibility here; does he/she not know the laws that govern his/her trade? He/She should! That is the person that should have been charged!)
As a parent sometimes we have to make difficult decisions when it comes to our kids. Sometimes we have to say no when they give us every reason (in their minds) why it's unfair to them. This might be one of those times.
In our household tattoos are acceptable. My husband has 5. Four of them he got as a young adult and while don't necessarily represent anything sentimental, they are relatively small, easily concealable when he needs to dress up or go to a job interview, and are not offencive (two are Celtic symbols and the other two are cool designs). The fifth is one I consider very special. When our son was born he decided he wanted to get a tattoo representing wee man. For a week he sat at the kitchen table perfecting his design. It ended up being a lion (both he and wee man are Leos); the mane has wee man's name written at the top hidden in the hair, at the bottom his birth date, on it's forehead the Chinese symbol for Year of the Tiger. It's gorgeous - and holds many special meanings within it. It was well thought out, artistically designed, and something that will never be a regret. This is, in my mind, what a tattoo should be. This is why I don't have one (although I've been mighty tempted to get this same one somewhere on my own body). This is what I would encourage my own son to do should he decide one day he'd like to have one....something that means something deep down - not a passing fancy or something from a wall/book in a tattoo studio. However, I still wouldn't want him to do it until he was at least 18. Just to be sure.
I think it was wrong for the mother in this story to be charged. I can't say whether I think she made a wrong decision - that is really something that is personal to each family and situation. I agree that this is a positive way to celebrate the memory of a loved one. If it had been my own son coming to me at 10, I probably would have encouraged him to wait - think about a design representative of his brother for a couple of years, looked into the laws/rules to find an appropriate age to have him go and get the tattoo (14?, 16? 18?), and determined the best place for him to place it on his body that will not turn people off in the future in terms of jobs and other opportunities that tattoos may not be welcome in. However, having never lost a child myself, perhaps I would be sitting next to my 10-year-old getting matching tattoos remembering a loved one in the midst of my grief. We can't judge. I sure as heck would be proud of him for remembering his brother in a positive way, not going out hurting himself or others in angry retaliation of a young life lost.
What are your thoughts on this story?
Monday, 23 January 2012
Bringing Outside In - A Winter Sensory Bin
Last week was possibly one of the coldest weeks I have felt in a long time. -20C was our high most days and with the wind chill I don't even want to remember what our temperature got to. Needless to say our daily trip to the park or stroll outside didn't happen, and so I decided it was a great week to start our Sensory Bin project!
The first 'theme' I wanted to do was Winter anyway, so when we couldn't go outside we brought outside in to us!
For this sensory bin we had ice cubes, fresh snow and a bunch of different things to dig in the snow with (shovels, spoons of different sizes & shapes, and Discovery Toys Cups and Pots). The kids also each had a pair of gloves/mitts to help protect their hands from playing in continuous cold. I had hidden a few things in some of the ice cubes (Lego blocks, little men, etc.) but we didn't play long enough for these to melt and be discovered. You could see them through the ice cubes, but the kids either didn't notice or care...
I borrowed the idea of coloured ice cubes from a good friend of mine, and used some IKEA ice cube trays (fish, flowers and stars) to add to the different shapes of ice cubes we had to play with (I did also use regular trays for some variation in size and shapes). This first image is our table all set up and ready to go:
Before I continue, I have to say seeing the kids watch me get this ready was almost as fun as watching their reactions as they first started playing. I told them it was too cold to go outside (yet again), but that we were still going to play in the snow inside - in the kitchen! When I popped out the front door to collect snow from a little ledge that we have near our BBQ they both watched in awe and were so excited to see me bring it inside! I couldn't help but laugh!
We started out with both kids wearing their mitts/gloves. They were both a little confused on why we were wearing gloves inside but had no jackets on (in fact both of them asked at different times for their jackets while I was setting it up and putting their mitts/gloves on), but I think this soon became apparent to them when we started playing.
Little A quickly decided she wanted her gloves off (they're tricky to handle spoons and such!) and to touch the snow.... she got very concerned her hands were wet and cold, but wanted to touch the brightly coloured ice so badly! Wee man decided that if she had her gloves off then he didn't want his on either, but he was even more concerned about the cold and so started the constant rotation of glove-no glove - mitt-no mitt - one glove-one bare hand - and so on! The final result was that each kid decided one glove and one bare hand was the way to go, AND we had to have a towel at-the-ready so that they could dry their hands every couple of minutes.
I tried to do some snowballs and show them we could build things with the snow, and also put some water on the snow to show we could melt it, but they were both much happier to use the spoons and cups and dump the snow and ice from one container to another - which was fine by me! After about 15 or 20 minutes they'd both had enough (and were covered in snow from head to toe), and the kitchen floor was soaked from all the melting snow that didn't make it into the containers, but we'd all had a fun distraction from the brutal cold outside!
I'd have to say my first attempt at a Sensory Bin was fun and a success --- I look forward to trying more in the coming weeks and months. I think a sand one (or the flour/baby oil mix) would be great for these two - they both really wanted to get their hands in it, but the cold was a bit much for them and the gloves/mitts were just a hindrance to what they really wanted to do with their hands. Rice, dried beans or other similar materials might be good, too, because really they love to just transfer materials from one container to another!
Here are a few images from our adventures with the Winter Sensory Bin:
Starting out - Wee Man discovers it's fun to dump snow into the pot! Little A watches closely.
Little A looses the mitts, but finds that the shovel prevents her hands from getting cold & wet! Let the fun begin!
Nearing the end of our adventures - all mitts are off, snow is everywhere, but there are still exciting things to be found buried in the snow! A whole pot of ice cubes is waiting to melt into a colourful mess of water. :-)
Saturday, 14 January 2012
Sensory Bins
I've heard a lot about sensory bins and was looking for something fun to do with the kids during those cold winter days when we're all sick and tired of the toys, being cooped up in this small condo, and looking for something new to do. Is it bad to wish the kids were a couple years older so I'd have more ideas on what to do with them on an hour to hour basis!?! The teacher in me wants to be working on colours, numbers, ABCs and all that sort of stuff, but what we need to focus on right now is much more fundamental....so this is where I thought I might be able to create some teachable moments, build on vocabulary - and overall have some FUN with sensory bins.
A good friend of mine recently posted a picture on her facebook page of her little one playing with coloured ice cubes....I thought it was an awesome idea - and so that will be my first sensory bin, I think. And then yesterday I decided to do a Google search on the topic and came up with so many awesome ideas that I'm not sure I'm going to be able to contain myself when putting these together! :-)
The teacher in me starting thinking in terms of themes and how to expand on the learning experience --- I could do crafts, stories, baking, and other activities throughout the month that would build on the vocabulary started with the sensory bin and further explore the "theme". When holidays occur around that time I'll make that the 'theme', but more often than not they'll just based on something I think will be fun, engaging and a great experience for the kids. The following is a list of some of my ideas. Most will be solidified after a trip through our craft supplies, toy stash and the Dollar Store....but I plan on posting the final result (with pictures) each time I make them:
A good friend of mine recently posted a picture on her facebook page of her little one playing with coloured ice cubes....I thought it was an awesome idea - and so that will be my first sensory bin, I think. And then yesterday I decided to do a Google search on the topic and came up with so many awesome ideas that I'm not sure I'm going to be able to contain myself when putting these together! :-)
The teacher in me starting thinking in terms of themes and how to expand on the learning experience --- I could do crafts, stories, baking, and other activities throughout the month that would build on the vocabulary started with the sensory bin and further explore the "theme". When holidays occur around that time I'll make that the 'theme', but more often than not they'll just based on something I think will be fun, engaging and a great experience for the kids. The following is a list of some of my ideas. Most will be solidified after a trip through our craft supplies, toy stash and the Dollar Store....but I plan on posting the final result (with pictures) each time I make them:
- Winter Theme:
- Sensory Bin: coloured ice-cubes of various sizes & shapes - some with things in them (lego pieces, little figures, pine cones, and other 'winter themed' things from nature, etc.)
- Craft: Painting with "snowballs" - using cotton balls as our paintbrush. We may even use some to make snowmen on the page and then decorate them with paper hats, scarves, gloves, and boots to work on winter clothing vocabulary.
- Sounds Theme:
- Sensory Bin: plastic containers with different contents (rice, beans, dried pasta, etc.), instruments, etc.
- Craft: Shake & Paint - line an empty yogurt container with paper. Dip broken crayons into different colours of paint and then close the container. Make some "music" by shaking the containers and when finished take the paper out - a work of art!
- Valentine's Day Theme:
- Sensory Bin: Different materials of red, white & pink colours (felt, lace, paper, material scraps, etc.); heart shapes
- Craft: Valentine's Cards? --- not sure, any ideas would be awesome. I think I might incorporate some of the materials from the bin into cards...we'll see!
- Baking - we'll be making heart-shaped sugar cookies and decorating them
- Eewey-Gooey Theme:
- Sensory Bin: Jello! - with different things molded inside. Not sure what, but we'll peek through the Dollar Store and the toy stash here and find something fun! It'll also include spoons and cups; things to dig the stuff out!
- Craft: Glue paintings - with white glue we'll make shapes and designs on paper and then we'll take containers filled with different coloured & shaped confetti and glitter and make works of art!
- Easter Theme:
- Sensory Bin: Egg-shaped rattlers (rice, pasta, beans, bells, etc.), Easter grass, bunnies, ducks and other Easter-themed materials.
- Craft: Thinking of dyeing eggs, but we'll see! ;-)
- Baking - we'll make & decorate cookies or cupcakes
- Sense of Touch Theme:
- Sensory Bin: Different textures (sponges, sandpaper, cotton balls, velvet, satin ribbons, etc.)
- Craft: Texture drawings - I'll layer paper over different materials (stencils, sandpaper, material scraps, etc.) and we'll do crayon rubbings to explore the designs textures make.
- Garden Theme:
- Sensory Bin: a bucket full of dirt, "seeds" (I'm thinking something big like dried Lima beans), gardening gloves, shovels, cups, plastic veggies -- this will be an outside activity in the spring!
- Craft: Not sure yet....ideas?!
- "Sand" Box - 8 cups of flour and 1 cup of baby oil combined together is supposed to make really cool mold able "sand" that feels like regular flour when you run your hand through it. This will make a really cool cold/rainy-day activity!
- Water sensory bags - coloured and clear water inside of large-sized freezer bags. You can add foam pieces and other things for the kids to move around in the water! I might also try this with vanilla pudding, food colouring and little treats - like Smarties, raisins, chocolate chips, etc. After we're done playing we can have a snack!
- Window Clings / Sun-catchers - Tape a sticky contact sheet on a window and the kids can use pieces of paper, coloured match-sticks, etc to create pictures - sticky side out towards them so their materials stick when placed on. I saw ideas about sun-catchers using a similar idea as well....seal them up when done (fold in half?!), poke a hole in the top and add a string to hang. Voila! A sun-catcher! Since our windows are all about 4 feet from the ground, we may just do these on the table....or move outside on a nice day and make them from the outside where windows will be at just the right level for them!
A new workout...
Prior to the wee man arriving into our lives I was an avid runner. I'd probably go out at least 4 times a week through most of the year and do between 2 and 5km each time. I really enjoyed it - running was my stress release, my "me time", something to clear my mind, get my creative juices flowing and kept me fit, healthy and happy. I was fortunate enough to have a relatively healthy pregnancy, and while running soon became completely impossible with my particular pregnancy (lower back pain/strain quickly became a regular thing with any high-impact exercise); I was able to walk several kms almost every single day including the day before wee man was born (some of those final walks got some pretty freaky looking stares from passersby who I'm sure thought I was going to go into labour in the middle of the paths)!
I was one of those people that said, "as soon as I get the clear from the doctor, I'm going to be back out there running again!". Originally I thought that by October/November I'd be back out doing little runs (wee man is an August baby), and by the following Spring my regular routine would be back. How wrong was I!? 17 months later I still haven't gotten the all-clear from the doctor (I suffered a pelvic prolapse with wee man's birth and had over 6 months of pelvic physiotherapy resulting in the likelihood of me ever running again down to zilch without surgery) and so I'm struggling to find a workout regimen that is both free (I'm cheap, broke and refuse to pay those ridiculous gym membership fees & then childcare on top of it!), and something that gives me that same euphoric feeling that tieing on a pair of runners and hitting the paths around my home did!
Let me start with saying I hate working out indoors - loath it, in fact. I'm not a treadmill, stationary bike, yoga, or aerobics fan. I don't like gyms. I'm not opposed to doing some of those activities from time to time (and have also been known to use indoor tracks from time to time on those freezing winter weeks), but staying put in one place just bores me to death. After about 15 minutes on a treadmill or stationary bike I can't handle it anymore and typically have to force myself to complete a workout; usually resulting in a quick 30 minute workout and then abandoning the idea until it's nice enough to get back out on the paths.
Last winter we bought the Wii Fit thinking maybe it would be something for me to do to begin getting back into working out. I don't love it, but it does get me moving (a bit) - I still can't really find an activity that makes me break a sweat though. However, this past week I got back on it - dusting off about 6 months worth of dust - and decided I am going to do at least 30 minutes on it 5-6 days a week and then do some exercises from my physiotherapist, weights, and such to make up a 60 minute daily workout.
Yesterday wee man decided he wasn't going to have a morning nap, so I invited him to join me in the latter part of my routine after listening to him call to me from his crib while I did my Wii Fit activities. Well, I might as well have not even bothered working out.....I spent almost the entire time bent over laughing out loud at his silliness! From the eyes of a 17-month-old, this is what the final part of my work out looks like:
~ Push Ups: Get on all 4s (don't judge - I don't have the strength back yet to do a "proper" push-up, so I do the cheaty version of having my knees down), place your face to the yoga mat and blow raspberries (zerberts, for any Cosby fans out there!). Pause after about 2 zerberts and look up and breathe out very loudly....maybe make another zerbert in the air. Repeat.
(I did about 5 push ups and then was laying on my side laughing watching him. Very ineffective for working the arms! Also, the yoga mat I was using was covered in spit....yuck! haha)
~ Sit ups: Lay on your back and stick your legs straight up in the air (I honestly don't do this!) - kick or pump your legs and occasionally grunt. (My sit up count was about 10. I couldn't stop laughing...which of course made him continue all the more....he was very proud of his beautiful sit ups!)
~ I have a physio exercise in which I have a thera-band tied around my upper thighs and have to walk sideways back and forth for about 4 minutes. (Supposed to work your hip flexers. Hurts like hell, but very effective!). Wee man's version was: Take a string (ours is from a kitty toy) and put it around your waist, if it falls move it to your shoulders. Run very fast back and forth but turn your head sideways -- avoid the walls when possible, ricochet off on occasion --- laugh continuously. Once in a while try walking sideways. Fall down. Repeat.
...the weights he wasn't all that interested in. Did more push ups...those get a good laugh!
So while my workouts aren't what they once were, and I have resigned myself to the fact that I will never again have that cute, tight little body that I once did, I guess I have discovered that there are more important things in life that also make me very happy! I will have to find another method of working out that will help me get back into a shape that will be the new "me" and make me feel happy, healthy and comfortable in this new body that motherhood has given me. I'm thinking that this Spring I may venture into trying something new like in line skating or cycling (I know how to cycle, I just don't do it very often), or perhaps power walking. For now I'll continue with my Wii Fit and physio exercises.
...and also I think that I need to workout when my child is sleeping! ;-)
I was one of those people that said, "as soon as I get the clear from the doctor, I'm going to be back out there running again!". Originally I thought that by October/November I'd be back out doing little runs (wee man is an August baby), and by the following Spring my regular routine would be back. How wrong was I!? 17 months later I still haven't gotten the all-clear from the doctor (I suffered a pelvic prolapse with wee man's birth and had over 6 months of pelvic physiotherapy resulting in the likelihood of me ever running again down to zilch without surgery) and so I'm struggling to find a workout regimen that is both free (I'm cheap, broke and refuse to pay those ridiculous gym membership fees & then childcare on top of it!), and something that gives me that same euphoric feeling that tieing on a pair of runners and hitting the paths around my home did!
Let me start with saying I hate working out indoors - loath it, in fact. I'm not a treadmill, stationary bike, yoga, or aerobics fan. I don't like gyms. I'm not opposed to doing some of those activities from time to time (and have also been known to use indoor tracks from time to time on those freezing winter weeks), but staying put in one place just bores me to death. After about 15 minutes on a treadmill or stationary bike I can't handle it anymore and typically have to force myself to complete a workout; usually resulting in a quick 30 minute workout and then abandoning the idea until it's nice enough to get back out on the paths.
Last winter we bought the Wii Fit thinking maybe it would be something for me to do to begin getting back into working out. I don't love it, but it does get me moving (a bit) - I still can't really find an activity that makes me break a sweat though. However, this past week I got back on it - dusting off about 6 months worth of dust - and decided I am going to do at least 30 minutes on it 5-6 days a week and then do some exercises from my physiotherapist, weights, and such to make up a 60 minute daily workout.
Yesterday wee man decided he wasn't going to have a morning nap, so I invited him to join me in the latter part of my routine after listening to him call to me from his crib while I did my Wii Fit activities. Well, I might as well have not even bothered working out.....I spent almost the entire time bent over laughing out loud at his silliness! From the eyes of a 17-month-old, this is what the final part of my work out looks like:
~ Push Ups: Get on all 4s (don't judge - I don't have the strength back yet to do a "proper" push-up, so I do the cheaty version of having my knees down), place your face to the yoga mat and blow raspberries (zerberts, for any Cosby fans out there!). Pause after about 2 zerberts and look up and breathe out very loudly....maybe make another zerbert in the air. Repeat.
(I did about 5 push ups and then was laying on my side laughing watching him. Very ineffective for working the arms! Also, the yoga mat I was using was covered in spit....yuck! haha)
~ Sit ups: Lay on your back and stick your legs straight up in the air (I honestly don't do this!) - kick or pump your legs and occasionally grunt. (My sit up count was about 10. I couldn't stop laughing...which of course made him continue all the more....he was very proud of his beautiful sit ups!)
~ I have a physio exercise in which I have a thera-band tied around my upper thighs and have to walk sideways back and forth for about 4 minutes. (Supposed to work your hip flexers. Hurts like hell, but very effective!). Wee man's version was: Take a string (ours is from a kitty toy) and put it around your waist, if it falls move it to your shoulders. Run very fast back and forth but turn your head sideways -- avoid the walls when possible, ricochet off on occasion --- laugh continuously. Once in a while try walking sideways. Fall down. Repeat.
...the weights he wasn't all that interested in. Did more push ups...those get a good laugh!
So while my workouts aren't what they once were, and I have resigned myself to the fact that I will never again have that cute, tight little body that I once did, I guess I have discovered that there are more important things in life that also make me very happy! I will have to find another method of working out that will help me get back into a shape that will be the new "me" and make me feel happy, healthy and comfortable in this new body that motherhood has given me. I'm thinking that this Spring I may venture into trying something new like in line skating or cycling (I know how to cycle, I just don't do it very often), or perhaps power walking. For now I'll continue with my Wii Fit and physio exercises.
...and also I think that I need to workout when my child is sleeping! ;-)
Thursday, 12 January 2012
An online journal?
I used to keep a journal - something to scribble down my thoughts throughout or at the end of the day. I started as a child and periodically went back to doing one from time to time as a teenager and then again as an adult. I found it refreshing (when I actually used it!) and a way to jot down ideas to reflect on and go back to at a later time. What I hated was the amount of space they would take up, and the fact that I never really did go back to them. In our last move I think I chucked almost all of them - keeping a couple from different trips for sentimental reasons. Again, they're just tucked away in a box in a closet....
I've been tossing around the idea of a blog for several months now, thinking that I should be keeping some of these cute sayings and things that wee man comes up with jotted down somewhere because I know I won't remember them 10 years from now! And then yesterday - after a posting on my facebook page resulted in a comment from a good friend suggesting I should start a blog to share some of my ideas (this one was about my excitement surrounding research on sensory bins) - I thought that perhaps it was time. I want to remember these years. And what a better way to do so than by potentially interacting with other mamas at the same time!
So this blog is set up for that purpose: to share ideas, good resources, thoughts, frustrations, and other adventures as I navigate my way through Mama-Land and life in general. Mostly though, it's just a way to get back into writing again. To use part of my brain that seems to have long been forgotten --- to share things I've found interesting or exciting with some of my mama-friends, and jot them down for myself for later.
If you know me, and you're following this blog - thanks for being a part of my journey, friend! If you stumbled upon this blog randomly - welcome - I hope it provides you with a momentary distraction, and maybe some resources or ideas as well as you take your own journey! I hope each of you will take the time to comment and share ideas and resources you've found particularly helpful (or not). I find that Mama-Land can be an extremely isolating place if we don't reach out to one another...
...happy reading!
I've been tossing around the idea of a blog for several months now, thinking that I should be keeping some of these cute sayings and things that wee man comes up with jotted down somewhere because I know I won't remember them 10 years from now! And then yesterday - after a posting on my facebook page resulted in a comment from a good friend suggesting I should start a blog to share some of my ideas (this one was about my excitement surrounding research on sensory bins) - I thought that perhaps it was time. I want to remember these years. And what a better way to do so than by potentially interacting with other mamas at the same time!
So this blog is set up for that purpose: to share ideas, good resources, thoughts, frustrations, and other adventures as I navigate my way through Mama-Land and life in general. Mostly though, it's just a way to get back into writing again. To use part of my brain that seems to have long been forgotten --- to share things I've found interesting or exciting with some of my mama-friends, and jot them down for myself for later.
If you know me, and you're following this blog - thanks for being a part of my journey, friend! If you stumbled upon this blog randomly - welcome - I hope it provides you with a momentary distraction, and maybe some resources or ideas as well as you take your own journey! I hope each of you will take the time to comment and share ideas and resources you've found particularly helpful (or not). I find that Mama-Land can be an extremely isolating place if we don't reach out to one another...
...happy reading!
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