Today, Miss G and I met up with our good friends Cheri and Jaiden for a little play date at the aquarium. The girls are so sweet together that it just melts my heart. Here’s our morning in photos…
Jellyfish.
“Big fishie!”
Friends.
Dolphin watching.
Dolphin Grae.
Dolphin talk.
Perhaps this will lure them over?
Arm painting.
“Mama! Grae Grae penguin on arm!”
Penguin puppet.There are few things Gracen loves more than getting mail, even if it’s just flyers and junk. So imagine her excitement when we arrived home to this heavy cardboard tube and I told her it was for her…
Ya, she was beyond thrilled.
She let me hold it just long enough to slice the label that was holding it together, and then carefully went about opening her mystery package, not knowing that it was going to be filled with goodies she (and her Papa) had helped me choose and personalize online.
The first thing she found was this beautiful growth chart, personalized with her first and middle names, and printed with gorgeous babushka dolls. She loved it so much that she was doing a nervous-sounding giggle in between little shrieks and stomps. And I’m so glad she did. Being half Ukranian, I’ve always loved babushka dolls too. My Baba had several in her house while I was growing up and I always thought they were very special. Later, when my Dad went to work in Russia when I was a teenager, he brought me back two of the largest, most beautiful matryoshka dolls I’ve ever seen, and I still have them to this day (note to self: they need to be dug out of safe keeping and displayed in Miss G’s room asap).
Also inside the package were a ton of gorgeous personalized labels. What I hadn’t thought of in advance, unfortunately, was the fact that Grae would think that they were just stickers and immediately want to stick them in her notebook (obviously – com’on Mama!) I explained that these were special stickers… Ones meant for lunch containers, drink bottles, and clothes – not just paper, and she seemed to be semi-okay with that.
I quickly tucked the labels away and asked if she wanted to help me hang her growth chart up – luckily, she was sold. She was a great little measuring tape/pencil-tack passer and in no time, we had her new growth chart hung.
Once hung, it was time to measure her… 86.5 centimetres – meaning that if the whole ‘measure at age 2 and multiply by 2′ theory turns out to be true, she’ll be taller than her 5’ 4” Mama. Yay for that!
Here’s a closer look at Grae’s labels. Aren’t the woodland creatures and the muted colours paired with red adorable? These are iron on clothing labels that are washing machine and dryer safe!
And these little babushka doll ones are stick on name labels that are dishwasher and microwave safe, but can be put on almost anything.
In the next couple of weeks, Grae and I will be putting all of these new goodies to the test and seeing how they hold up when paired with a very busy toddler. We’ll be sure to share our findings with all of you soon!
♥
All items are from Stuck On You.
While Miss G and I have put together and enjoyed all kinds of sensory bins, we’ve never actually made sensory jars or bottles of any sort. Although I wasn’t sure that Grae would like them as much her usual sensory bins due to their more ‘hands off’ nature, I decided we’d whip up a few today and give them a try.
In order to make the most of them, I knew I wanted Gracen to be involved in the putting the sensory jars together. I gathered up a bunch of materials while she napped and set them out as a little surprise for when she woke (we also ended up using some shampoo on a whim during the activity). Since I had the time and the paint on hand, I chose to give our jar lids a quick coat of silver spray, but it isn’t necessary.
When Grae woke up, she was excited to started. She pretty much led the way, and I just made sure we had some water and one of the thicker liquids (baby oil, cooking oil, or bubble bath) in each jar. One thing was for certain – there needed to be glitter in every jar. No exceptions there. The other thing I found interesting was that Miss G automatically colour coordinated the glitter with the coloured water (hmmm… wonder where she gets these things from??)
This part of the activity was really fun. It reminded me of when I was little and mixing up potions and concoctions in the kitchen seemed like the best thing in the whole world. (It kind of still felt like that… Maybe some things never change?)
Here are Grae’s creations:
(The blue one is the exact same combination as this one, but with blue water and glitter.)
When Grae declared her jars done, I ran a thick strip of hot glue around the inside of each of the lids, then quickly screwed them on as tight as I could. Once they’d cooled, I tried my darndest to unscrew one of the lids, and couldn’t, so I decided they were good to go.
We were headed out into the backyard to splash in the pool, so along the sensory jars came. Gracen really liked shaking them up and watching “the sparkles dance”.
Here’s a look at the jars just after shaking them. Photos don’t do them justice, but they’re quite mesmerizing actually… calming even, so I can see why parents who use time outs would find these to be a helpful time out ‘tool’.
While sensory jars may not bring about as much play as sensory bins do (for Miss G at least), they’re a great addition to our collection of sensory goodies and will be finding a Grae-friendly spot in our house as soon as she’s had a few good days with them in her bedroom.
♥
Tonight, as I was finishing up dinner, I looked out the window to see this…
Gracen adores her Papa and they always find little things to do together that I would never think of (see photo number 2).
As I was back at the stove, a little voice called into the house, “Mama, Mama! Clome!! Grae Grae rolls.” I went outside to see what all the excitement was about and received this demonstration…
These two. They just kill me.
♥
Photos edited with Instagram. Find me under jkossowan.
I know that this doesn’t mean that she can recognize all of her letters, or that she knows what they mean, but I just can’t help myself… I’m having a proud mama moment over here. My baby girl can sing the entire alphabet song (save a little ‘R’ / ‘S’ confusion) all by herself now. Here’s what I got to listen to all day long today…
Lucky me!
♥
When I stumbled across this blog the other day and saw this activity, I knew I wanted to try it with Miss G. Already having all of the required materials on hand, we gave it a go this afternoon.
While the original idea partners o-shaped cereal with play dough and uncooked spaghetti, I replaced the play dough with half of an apple and the spaghetti with bamboo skewers (you’ll see why in just a minute).
To get started, we put our apple, cut side down, on a large plate and poked the bamboo skewers into it at different angles. Gracen helped me with this part and it was actually very doable for her. This was part of the reason I used skewers instead of spaghetti. Being that spaghetti is so thin and fragile, I knew it wouldn’t last through set up, let alone play, with my enthusiastic little lady.
With our “porcupine” ready to go, I gave Miss G a small bowl of o-shaped cereal, and let the threading and stacking begin.
Gracen really got into this activity and was truly having a blast stacking O’s on skewers.
This best part is that not only is it great fine motor practice, but this activity is also a great counting and concentration activity too.
Of course, little ones don’t realize all that. They just think they’re playing a game and having fun.
Grae was actually so into the activity that she wasn’t really interested in eating her o’s, which I thought for sure she would be.
The perk to using an apple (or any other edible anchor) is that if/when the eating stage happens, you don’t have to worry about your little one eating o’s encrusted with play dough.
Part way through, Grae realized that the o’s were sliding down the skewers and started saying, “Wheeee!” each time she’d send one down their bamboo slide. Too funny.
Here’s a video of Gracen hard at play…
Today Miss G and I made our way to VanDusen Botanical Garden for Musicfest Vancouver’s Family Day. It was the perfect morning for it too – not hot, slightly gloomy, but no rain. The morning involved bouncy castle fun, face painting, flower sniffing, games, arts and crafts, balloons, a picnic lunch, making new friends, and watching both Charlotte Diamond and The Kerplunks in concert. Needless to say, Gracen pretty much loved every minute.
Sniff sniff.
Following the music.
Bouncy castle sliding.
Sitting still.
A little kitty.
Star decorating.
‘1, 2, 3, 4, 5 G’s!’
Dancing time.
Bubba and her balloon.With the number of parks we visit around Vancouver, Gracen and I may as well be labelled playground connoisseurs. And while Grae has fun wherever we are, there is one playground that seems to be her clear favourite. It’s not big and it’s nothing over the top fancy, but it’s just perfect for her.
It’s the playground at the Langara YMCA on 49th at Alberta.
It’s one of those playgrounds that is perfectly suited to littler kids (I’d say probably ages 1.5 to 5). With the exception of getting in and out of the swings and climbing onto the airplane bouncers which are still a little too high, Gracen can do everything on her own at this playground. What makes it even better is the big firetruck apparatus she pretends to drive, the drums built into one of the climbing structures, the plastic bubble she loves to curl up in, and the covered area, complete with mini picnic tables for snacks and lunch on the go.
If you’re a parent to a toddler and you’re not too far away, I’d say a visit to this little playground would be well worth the trip.
Vancouver parents, which park/playground do you and your little one(s) enjoy most?
♥
Photos edited with Instagram. Find me under jkossowan.
There are so many little things that Miss G says and does that I want to never forget. Right now she’s got so many funny little sayings happening. These are some of my favourites…
When she drops her baby, steps on a book, spills something, etc…
“Sorry ’bout that, Mama.” (Or, “Sorry ’bout that, Grae Grae” when you do something she feels you should apologize for.)
At random times throughout the day when she’s feeling excited…
“Wannaplay wannaplay wannaplay!”
When I ask her to do something…
“Okey dohee, Mama. Okey dohee.”
Throughout the day…
“Oh nana, what’s name?” (her version of Karmin’s cover of What’s my name?)
When referring to the closet book nook I made for her recently…
“Mook-a-nook”
When referring to something she’s already eaten…
“In da bel-buh. In da bel-buh!” (meaning ‘in the bellybutton’ – her way of saying in her belly.)
♥
You guys – I have the easiest, most pain-free giveaway ever. Remember how I mentioned that I had four $50 gift cards from the generous people at Stuck on You in my Tips for Staying Organized post? Well as you may know, two of them have already been given away, leaving two more for two new lucky winners. And here’s the best part – this time around, you have to do almost nothing to enter. Nothing. No Facebook page to like, no website to visit, no voting required… Nothing. If you’re a Canadian resident (sorry international readers!) and would like some really cool personalized goodies for your munchkin(s) (or friend’s munchkins), all you have to do is leave a comment saying ‘Enter me’. That’s it!
That being said, todayis the last day of voting for The Organized Mom Awards. I don’t know how the deadline snuck up so quickly, but it did. I could certainly use a few last minute votes, so if you have a second, and feel up to it, my entry can be found here. Be sure to check out the other mamas and their tips too – there are some good ones! Of course, like I mentioned before, neither voting or visiting is required for the giveaway this time around.
Thanks so much to all of you who have already voted! I sincerely appreciate it.
This giveaway is open to Canadian residents only and will end on the evening of Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012. The two lucky winners will be announced on Thursday, August 23rd, 2012. Good luck!
♥
Yesterday, while at a park in the Riverside area, Gracen and I were reminded that blackberry season is in full swing in the Lower Mainland. We quickly picked enough for dessert, then continued on our way, and agreed to come back the following day to get more.
Unfortunately, we’re still dealing with some nap issues, and Gracen didn’t end up sleeping this afternoon. After giving her a good hour and 45 minutes to try to fall asleep, we hopped in the car and headed out to go blackberry picking. She was all gung-ho, but after being in the car just 5 minutes, I turned around to find this. My nap-needing little monkey fast asleep in her car seat.
(As a side note, I know that her leg positioning looks a little awkward in this photo, but having her feet propped up like this isn’t her usual riding position. Normally her legs are either criss-crossed or down to the sides, and because she’s never known any different, she doesn’t mind one bit. Our plan was to keep her rear-facing until her second birthday, but as the day looms near and I continue to read articles like this and this and watch videos like this and this, I’m starting to feel like we should wait longer. We’ll have to see.)
Luckily, I was able to find plenty of bushes right along the road to pull up to and pick from while Grae snoozed peacefully with the car doors open. Let me tell you, it worked out for the best that she fell asleep. Blackberry picking is dangerous work.
Here are a few things I learned:
1. Wear gloves. Judging my glove-clad fellow pickers, most people already know this.
2. Wear long sleeves. Blackberry prickles are ruthless and the more protection you have from them, the better.
3. Wear jeans instead of a sundress. See reasoning above.
3. Don’t discriminate based on size. As long as their dark in colour and slightly soft, small berries are every bit as delicious as the big ones.
4. Bring a tall friend. Let me tell you – if I were only 6 to 8 inches taller, my collection would be much, much larger.
5. The industrial area just south of Marine Drive between Cambie and Kerr is absolutely overflowing with blackberry bushes just waiting to be picked. Buying blackberries at a grocery store seems crazy right now.
♥
Photos edited with Instagram. Find me under jkossowan.
Gracen and I finally made it to Grays Park for the first time today… I don’t know what took us so long – it’s almost the exact same distance from our house to Grays as it is to Queen Elizabeth Park, and we’re at Queen E. at least a few times a week. Either way, I’m glad we finally checked it out. Located at the corner of E 33rd and St. Catherine’s, Gray’s Park is a big green space that includes two separate play apparatuses, two sets of swings, an old-school concrete wading pool, multiple courts, and a public washroom.
Gracen really enjoyed the play areas. Besides loving the different types of swings (as she always does), she really liked the playgrounds too. Both were different than the ones we normally visit and had some great new tunnels and climbing structures for her to try out.
The wading pool was a hit also. Although it was COLD (like really cold), she was happy to alternate pool play periods with warm up breaks on our blanket in the sunshine. What I really liked was that I could easily go in wearing my skirt and because it was so shallow, I felt comfortable sitting along the edge while Miss G splashed her little heart out.
The only downsides we noticed were the bees (there were tons of them all through the park) and the fact that the pool was cleared every so often so a man wearing tall rubber boots, a rubber smock, and a Dexter-style plastic face mask could come in and sprinkle in what appeared to be chlorine/pool chemicals into the pool with a watering can (I guess I just figured that in a pool that is drained and refilled daily, these things would be skipped all together?) It’s probably not much different than being in a pool that has a more ‘automatic’ way of adding chlorine, but it definitely made you wonder each time he came out in full gear…
♥
Brad and I are constantly blown away by how quickly Grae learns things. She just soaks up information and makes connections like crazy. Just a couple of days ago, she started showing interest in singing the alphabet song. At first she’d sing random strings of letters – “A B P C B D X” to the tune of the song, and now, depending on the time, she can pretty much sing it in its entirety.
Today, while at Grey’s Park surrounded by swings, climbing apparatuses, kids, and a wading pool, she wanted nothing more than to lay on our blanket and sing her ABCs again and again. Here’s a little video I managed to catch…
♥
Today we spent our morning at one of our favourite Vancouver spots… Granville Island.
I think we could visit once a week, every week and never tire of it.
♥
Earlier in the week, Miss G and I put together an adorable little Pinterest-inspired card for her Gido’s (grandpa’s) birthday. (Gido if you’re reading this right now, you shouldn’t be! Back to preparing/enjoying your bike trip!!!) The original post comes from A Day in the Life, and although we stuck to the basic plan, we made a few little changes along the way too. Here’s our version…
First up – materials… A couple of pieces of card stock, some crayons, a pencil, a black Sharpie, a glue stick, and some scissors.
To get started, we traced Grae’s hand onto the card stock in pencil (her favourite part – the girl loves having her hand traced).
Then I folded the card stock in half, and cut out the hand, giving us two identical copies. We did try to ‘team cut’ the hand shape, but it was pretty tricky, so Grae became the recycling collector/depositor for this part instead.
Next, using our black marker and the hand-over-hand technique, we printed “I love you…’ on the front of the left hand.
Then it was time to decorate both hands. Everything is better with colourful baby squiggles, is it not?
Next, we cut two strips of our white card stock, glued them together to form one extra-long strip, and wrote “this much!”, plus a personalized message, along the length before Grae added her special touches to it.
With the decorating complete, we folded up the strip accordion-style…
And attached each side to the palms of the hands using our glue stick.
Here’s the finished result.
♥