Splatter Paintings

Today we did some splatter paintings in our craft time. I saw these in one of the links/blogs that I follow for toddler craft ideas and thought they sounded like fun! The kids like to make noise, a mess and to paint so it seemed to combine all of these into one!

I started off by gathering my materials: 2 large-sized yogurt containers with lids (one for each kid); poster paints (we use the Clementine Art natural paints but something with a little thickness to it would work); broken crayons; paper (cut to fit inside the containers); and tape.  I taped the paper into the containers and set out the rest of the supplies for the kids.

They got to choose the colours of paints they wanted to use (Wee Man chose green, navy blue and orange; Little A chose orange, red and yellow) and they dipped the crayon pieces into the paint and then dropped the crayons into the containers.

Then the fun began - we pumped up the music and got to dancing around while shaking our containers - Wee Man thought that this was just possibly the most fun he's ever had and totally got into it!

When the song was over I popped the lids off of the containers and the kids got to see the works of art they had created. Little A's (left, in the image above) crayons were delicately dipped in the paint and had a little less vigorous shaking done to them - and the result was a gorgeous splatter painting in bright, cheery colours. Wee Man (right, in the image above) chose darker colours and didn't just dip his crayons, but came up with fully painted hands which dripped into the container as he dropped each crayon (ha!) and then he fully enjoyed shaking his container (I seriously was worried the lid might pop off!) so his was a little less 'splattered' and the colours blended together more to create a swampy look. Both were awesome though and the kids were super excited to see what had happened.

I'm definitely going to try this activity again - the kids loved it and the end result was really cool! Highly recommended for anyone who is looking for a little different kind of painting activity. Aside from the dipping of crayons, this is a relatively low-mess activity and takes no time at all if you're looking for something artsy to do to fill a small block of time!


This activity could also be used at the pre-school/elementary level to teach primary and secondary colours. Using 2 primary colours children could explore what happens when the two mix, creating secondary colours (ie: red + yellow = orange). A great way to introduce secondary colours in a fun way and get the kids exploring and talking about colours.

I think I may try this activity again using glitter in the mix as well, how fun would it be to have a glittered splatter painting without the mess that a glitter shaker held over paper results in?! Perhaps for an Easter craft I'll cut the paper into the shape of eggs, put out some bright, Spring-like colours of paint and some glitter and we'll make splatter-painted Easter Eggs!

What were they thinking?!

Have you heard about the Huggies campaign that was shut down by families who were offended by the 1950s stereotype a recent commercial offered? Here's a link to an article I read about the campaign: http://www.examiner.com/advertising-in-richmond/angry-dads-outrage-gets-huggies-ad-campaign-pulled-from-television  and a link to a facebook page where you can watch the ad: https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=3019575761858

If you haven't heard about it/seen it, this was the basis: Huggies put 5 dads in one house with their babies and gave the moms "time off" for 5 days. The "test" was to see if the Huggies diapers could stand up to "the toughest test imaginable - dads". The end of the commercial shows a woman saying, "Good luck babe". The commercial suggests that dads don't know what they are doing when it comes to caring for their young children.

99% of the comments I have read about this ad have been negative, with a vast majority of them talking about people boycotting the brand and product itself. It's amazing to me as to why they thought this campaign was a good idea?! Everything about this campaign is offensive.

I find that advertising for disposable diapers frustrate me in general. The ads that claim their diapers can cut down in the number of changes needed or will hold in moisture for 12 hours make me want to scream. I've seen studies in which a large group of parents or caregivers admit to leaving children in wet diapers for extended periods of time or for more than one wet elimination because they know their product is made to hold more. I've seen people I know do the same - cupping the crotch of their child's diaper and saying things like "oh, it can hold more - I'll wait to change him/her". I can only imagine what this is doing to the fragile skin of these poor little children, and would be willing to bet that the diaper cream industry probably makes billions every year because of this! In fact, I remember being very offended in the hospital when the nurse put Wee Man in his first diaper (yes, a disposable) and told us that they had a yellow line on the front of the diaper that would change colour when he was wet so we would know when it was time to change him. What?! Have we become that stupid as a society that we wouldn't know when to change our little ones so they have to add these types of features!?!

This latest campaign is just added to my list of why-I-hate disposable diapers!

Maybe I'm extremely lucky with a very hands-on husband?! There was never any hesitation from him when I said I wanted to cloth diaper from the very beginning. Now, I will say because we chose the pre-fold route he was a little apprehensive as it did require a couple extra steps, but a demo/training session from me before Wee Man was born seemed to be enough and he was right in there from day one changing diapers and doing all of the other parenting responsibilities that come with having a child. In fact, for the first couple of weeks I would say he may have changed more diapers than me (he went back to work when Wee Man was 10 days old and that changed slightly during the week days for obvious reasons)! Neither of us love this task - especially now as we're potty training Wee Man and are dealing with cloth training pants that don't have an easy-access side open, so soiled undies are especially tricky to get off without mess! But we both do it, because we are parents - in this together - and dedicated in caring for our son in the best way we know how.
     My husband changes diapers, gives baths, clothes, feeds and cares for Wee Man in every way needed. He does laundry, cleans bathrooms, cooks and participates in all aspects of caring for our home as well. This is the norm - we chose to parent together and both take equal responsibility for all of the tasks in our home. There is no "helping" by my husband - he just does it. I hate that word. We learn and experience it all together.

Are there really still dads out there that choose not to change diapers and that are that clueless in the parenting of their children?! I honestly don't think one of my friends has this type of a husband - in fact many of them will be the first to get up and go change the little ones' diapers when we're visiting or out and about together. Walking through the malls or along the paths outside I see dads pushing strollers, carrying their children or baby wearing every day. I know people who have stay-at-home-dad headed households. Who is it that these ads are trying to cater to?! I get it that they were trying to use humour with this ad campaign but this has obviously not worked. No one is laughing.

So I'm curious to hear what you think about this advertising campaign? Did you find it humorous or offensive - or something in between?

Kony 2012 - an update

No doubt by now you've heard about the Kony 2012 movement and perhaps even watched the 29 minute video yourself (http://www.youtube.com/user/invisiblechildreninc). With all the hype I've seen through social media and the traditional media lately, I decided to sit down tonight and see what it was all about. The video is well-made and definitely makes a person want to do something - anything - to help the suffering of these children.

As a parent, I can't imagine the horror of knowing the strong likelihood that any night my child could be abducted from my home and forced into a life of violence, rape and abuse; to send my child off every night kilometres away to a "safe" area to sleep with dozens upon dozens of other children in the hopes that safety in numbers will save him for one more day; to know if my child was taken that it would be likely that the next time I would see him he would be re-programmed by monsters to come and kill or mutilate me and the rest of my loved ones.

As a human being, I'm floored that this has been happening for decades and that decision makers the world over have continued to turn a blind eye because the horrors aren't happening to our people, or won't make an impact on our national security or economy, so it doesn't matter to us.

The impact of social media in the past year or so has proven to be extremely impactful in making change. Just watching the dictators around the globe being put out of power by masses of young people gathering together to make a change has been incredible. And while I'm not a big supporter of violence or military action, I know that both are a reality in making big changes most of the time.

The Kony 2012 movement is already making changes - I can only imagine what is going to happen if the goals of the movement continue to be reached as the year goes on. On Facebook and Twitter I am seeing "regular people" and celebrities alike making reference to the video and movement. It made me stop and pay attention.

While I'm not going to be participating on April 20th in plastering my city with posters, stickers and other paraphernalia to get the 'Kony 2012' message out (I'm not big on any political propaganda or signage littering neighbourhoods - 3Rs people!), I am blogging about it,  I posted a link to the video on my Facebook page, and the video itself has caused me to go and do more research on the plight of children in Uganda and other surrounding African countries that Kony and his army are attacking in the hopes that by educating myself on some of the issues I can get a better understanding of what I can do to help or make a difference.

I don't claim to know much about this issue - yet. I know that both Kony's army and the Ugandan army (that Invisible Children Inc. is working with) have both done many things to hurt, injure and destroy children and their families. But I do know that knowledge is power - and only by movements like this are people going to become aware of global issues such as these and start making choices and changes to better the lives of our brothers and sisters around the globe.

My wish is that all children around the world, whether in Uganda or Canada, can go to bed knowing that they are safe. I hope that in Wee Man's lifetime he sees an end to suffering, wars, hunger and disease the world over. Invisible Children's video seems to be one more step in the right direction......

L.O.V.E


UPDATE:

After writing my blog last night, I couldn't stop thinking about this movement, the video and the issues at hand. I continued doing some reading online and found some interesting articles, websites and blog postings that further investigate the Kony 2012 movement and made me feel a little better about my initial feelings that while Kony is a horrible man - just getting his name out, plastering my city with signage and other mass-produced forms of graffiti, and wearing a red thong bracelet isn't necessarily going to make a change - and that the video really had a strong ethnocentric and imperialistic feel to it.

Some of the things I wondered about when I watched the video have become bigger concerns to me as I have continued to read some of the critiques of the Kony 2012 video:

• What is the money that people are donating going toward? They talk about schools, shelters, and help to the Ugandan army, but I wondered about the costs of the mass-production of posters & other print materials they plan on sweeping the globe with, 'action kits', and other overhead costs that are the reality of any non-profit. I now understand their admin/overhead/travel and production costs have been in excess of $3million. That seems a little intense, and makes me wonder about where money I might have donated would truly be going. I'm sure there are dozens of grass-roots organisations in  Uganda and surrounding countries with less over-head, and run by locals who have a greater understanding of the issues surrounding the larger picture of Kony's army and the unrest in the area.
• Eeeek - so much of his son and his life is shown in the video hoping to reach millions of people around the globe!  As a parent, I'm very protective of my son. You'll notice that this blog - in which I have little control of the privacy settings - never has an image of his face nor have I given his (or my) real name. Yes, on Facebook I do post video and pictures of him but my privacy settings are at the highest they can go and I have only friended people on there that are a part of my every-day life that I would happily invite into my home. I'm sure that using the cute little blond Gavin in the video is likely done to tug on the heart-strings of anyone watching and was done with much thought and consideration, but I can't imagine doing something so public with my own child. I don't agree with the people criticising the use of the child in the video in the sense that they think children should be shielded from these types of issues. I disagree. While I do believe that parents and educators need to be cognisant of the way they go about talking about issues such as these, it is important for us to be open and honest about things with our children. The father in this video has made it his life to push the Kony 2012 movement and so in their home I do believe Gavin needs to know about what is going on, even at his young age.
• Why support the Ugandan Army? Isn't there any peaceful way to put an end to Kony? What's happening at a local level? I'm not a supporter of guns, violence or armies. I understand the need and desire to protect and secure one's country and am thankful for the people that do give their lives for my country by joining our military. I just wish that there were peaceful ways to go about it. This is my issue with this whole Kony 2012 movement and the national security position of the U.S.A and other countries.....the Invisible Children are funding an army in a country where Kony is no longer operating. My curiousity - and again, I know very little on the issues at hand or Uganda and surrounding countries - surrounds the decision of supporting an army as opposed to other more peaceful organisations or methods. As I watched the video last night, and again this morning, dozens of questions came flooding into my mind: Will funding an army not ultimately result in more children being hurt or killed? Are they not fighting against an army of children brainwashed and reprogrammed by Kony to protect him and his cause? What happens when Kony is caught and tried - is money being put into aftercare programs and counselling for these children now? What are the locals doing - how corrupt is the local government - and what other methods could be used to stop him besides continued violence?

Now, I'm not saying that the Kony 2012 movement isn't a good one. I've said before the knowledge is power and that social media has proven to be instrumental in helping to spread information and change, but I do hope that people don't just blindly follow 'Kony 2012' because it has become "cool" to do so. I hope that anyone posting the images from the Invisible Children organisation takes the time to learn more about the issues at hand. In doing a quick Facebook search I noticed there are several copycat pages and groups set up already. In fact most of my facebook friends that have 'liked' the movement have not actually linked themselves with the Invisible Children page, but a random group set up likely by followers of the movement. (oops!) We are guilty in North America and western society of looking at issues like this through an ethnocentric lens of "us vs. them". I know while I won't be donating money to Invisible Children, I will continue to follow this movement and learn more about what I can do to help...Kony, and the LRA, need to be stopped.

To read more, here are a few critiques I have found that I found interesting:

- "Think Twice Before Donating To Kony 2012, the Charitable Meme-du-Jour" by Katie J.M. Baker: http://jezebel.com/5891269/think-twice-before-donating-to-kony-2012-the-meme-du-jour
- Visible Children: http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/
- A Cautionary Tale: Kony 2012 - The Backlash by Under the Banyan: http://underthebanyan.wordpress.com/2012/03/07/a-cautionary-tale-kony-2012-the-backlash/
- "Stop Kony, Yes, But Don't Stop Asking Questions" by Musa Okwonga: http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/03/07/stop-kony-yes-but-dont-stop-asking-questions/?tw_p=twt

Adjusting Nicely

I wrote recently how I've gone back to work in a part-time role at a local baby shop. My first shift was a 3-hour Friday night shift, so for Wee Man it wasn't much out of the normal routine. Occasionally either my husband or I will go out for an evening, leaving him alone with one or the other of us and we slightly deviate from the norm, so I think in his eyes it was much the same. There was about 5 seconds of tears as I got on my coat and he realised he wasn't coming, but he was easily distracted by Daddy and had a good night.

My second shift was an 8-hour Saturday afternoon/evening shift. While the day started off normally with Wee Man and me having breakfast together while Daddy got to sleep in (my turn is on Sunday mornings!), when I started getting dressed and putting on make-up (Wee Man's "Mama's leaving" radar perks up as soon as I break out the mascara) he started to get a little nervous and clingy, and by the time Daddy was up and I was packing my lunch he was in full-blown tears. I felt awful...

While I was tempted to call home and 'check in' part way through my shift later that day, I knew he was in fantastic hands and was having a great time with Daddy, and knew that my call would either stress him out again or make my husband wonder what I thought of his parenting skills. When I got home I was greeted by a relaxed husband sitting on the couch watching TV, a tidy house, and a gently snoring Wee Man on the baby monitor. It was nice.

I'm really enjoying the job - as much as I didn't know whether a retail position would give me what I was hoping to get out of a part-time job at this stage in my life, it's fun to get back into learning about and selling things like strollers, cribs, cloth diapers and other baby and children's items. My passion for and experience with this type of product is making the shifts go by quickly and helping me with feeling confident that my role of Mama hasn't changed my ability to be successful in working outside the home!

This past Saturday I had a 9:30am-5:30pm shift so the boys dropped me off and picked me up (we're a one vehicle household and they wanted the vehicle during the day) so it was pretty cool to see Wee Man come running into the shop at the end of the shift shouting "Mama!". That was my little pick-me-up after a long day; something I wondered how I would manage as I started looking at going back to work. Seeing several friends struggle with the work/life balance in their first year back after maternity leave, I was concerned about my ability to cope with it.

Prior to having kids I always looked forward to going home after a long day, putting up my feet, relaxing with a book or a good show and just having some "me" time. Knowing that parenting is a 24/7 job and that being tired or having a job doesn't matter to a toddler that needs their parent now, I was worried how I would balance the two. After 8-hours on my feet and a busy shift, just seeing his little face and having him jump into my arms seemed to erase the tiredness and rejuvenate me.

Wee Man seems to have completely adjusted to the idea of Mama working from time to time. I'm typically out 2 week nights and 1 8-hour weekend shift, and now when I pull out the mascara or put on my coat Wee Man says "bye Mama" and continues on with whatever he is doing. I'm relieved and know that while I would love to stay home indefinitely with him, that's not the reality in our life, and we'll all be OK with this new role that I've taken.