Author: Jen
Gracen Meets Her Baby Brother
Today Miss G met her baby brother for the very first time. Admittedly, it wasn’t the first meeting I’d imagined in my mind, but she didn’t seem to mind one bit. Her thoughts? ‘Mama. He’s so tiny and cute that he looks just like a doll… But he sure doesn’t feel like a doll. He feels just like a little human being.’
Welcome to the World, Baby Boy!
‘Whirlwind’ doesn’t begin to sum up this past week… A few nights ago, our baby boy decided to surprise us with slightly terrifying arrival at 27 weeks and 4 days. He weighs 2 pounds 12 ounces and has got a long stay in the NICU ahead of him, but he’s doing remarkably well given the circumstances and we’re beyond thankful that he’s in the hands of the amazing NICU team here in Vancouver. He doesn’t have a name just yet {so we continue to call him ‘Baby Salmon’ much to his big sister’s delight}, but he is very much loved. ♥
5 Years, 6 Halloweens…
How this is even possible is beyond me, but here we are, 5 years and 6 Halloweens later…
2010 – Baby G the jack-o-lantern
2011 – Gracen the little blue owl
2012 – Miss G the brown fox
2013 – Super Girl Gracen
2014 – Gracen the mermaid
2015 – Wonder Woman Grae
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It’s a…
Yup! Miss G will be a big sister to a baby BROTHER come the end of January / beginning of Februrary!!! Truthfully, I wasn’t sure how she’d take the news given that she’s been totally set on having a baby sister since finding out we were expecting, but she was pleased as punch about it all and more than anything, so excited to finally find out whether she should be expecting a little brother or sister {see blurry photo evidence above}.
One catch – her name of choice for a baby brother is a little unusual. And unusual in a not so lovely way… It’s Salmon. Yup. You read that right. Salmon like the fish. Hahahahah! And because Brad and I don’t currently have a single boy’s name that we really like, our baby boy is very commonly referred to as ‘Salmon’ around the house. Let’s just hope that it doesn’t stick. ☺
In the meantime, Miss G and I have just started collecting adorable little boy things on our outings and before long, we’ll start working on the nursery too. More than anything, we’re all thrilled to be welcoming a little bundle to our family in the New Year.
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DIY Science Kit for Kids
For the last week and a bit, Miss G’s been having a total blast experimenting with all sorts of open-ended science activities and challenges…
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And it’s all because of this book – The Curious Kid’s Science Book by Asia Citro. We are big fans of her first book, 150+ Scree-Free Activities for Kids {which actually inspired us to create a taste-safe sensory play kit for a friend last year}, and this second book certainly does not disappoint! What I think I love most about it is that it really gets little ones into the scientific process {but in a totally organic and child-led way} – asking questions, testing different methods, making observations, making adjustments, re-experimenting, and coming to conclusions. What I also really love about it is that at 5 years old, Miss G is very capable of leading many of these explorations completely on her own, giving her a huge sense of pride and independence. Win!!
So, when I asked my good friend what her little guy was into a few days before his birthday party and she responded with, ‘He loves doing science experiments!’, there was no question what we’d put together for him. A DIY science kit it would be!
Luckily for us, Asia {the author of the book} has made this part extremely easy by providing a list of the most common materials needed to do the experiments in the book both on her blog and on page 28 of the book itself! And in case you’re wondering, most of what’s on the list is really easy to find either at a grocery store or at a dollar store.
Here’s what Asia recommends including:
- salt
- sugar
- corn syrup
- cooking oil
- vinegar
- lemon juice
- baking soda
- pinto beans
- food colouring
- coffee filters
- plastic cups, short and tall
- zip-close bags
- straws
- masking tape
- cotton balls
- cotton swabs
- dish soap
- potting soil
- children’s safety goggles
We took a few liberties with our list, but included most everything {save the darn children’s safety googles that I waited too long to go out and find!} and also included one of Miss G’s favourite science tools – plastic pipettes. In the case where something came in a monstrous size bag that we felt was excessive for the size of our kit, we simply re-packaged the goods into smaller sets / bags and used some funky washi tape to pretty things up a little bit.
Next up, Miss G created a personalized book plate and stuck it just inside a copy of The Curious Kid’s Science Book.
Then we tied the book up with some baker’s twine and placed everything neatly into a pretty plastic bin.
As a finishing touch, we added a little label to the front of our kit, and it was done and ready to be given. ☺
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Telling Miss G She is Going to Be a Big Sister!
Oh my goodness… I can’t tell you how excited I was to finally tell Miss G that she was going to be a big sister! I actually found out that I was pregnant very early on this time around {thanks to feeling horribly before an upcoming girls’ weekend away in Abu Dhabi}, but because we wanted to be certain that all was good with the pregnancy and because 9 months is an extremely long time to wait for something that you desperately want when you’re five years old, we didn’t tell her until I was nearly 15 weeks along. At the time, we were amidst a busy summer with family, and since we really didn’t want anyone accidentally spoiling the surprise, it meant that we waited to tell most of our family members too {talk about some major secret keeping happening!} With the house being a constant stream of people coming and going, we decided that it would be easiest to surprise her with the news while on a little family outing to the park…
I think she was so thrilled that she didn’t even know what to do with herself. She got super silly for a little bit and then just would not let go of her picture of her new baby brother or sister.
Later in the day, a bunch of our family members joined us at the park, so she got to proudly share her news with them.
From then on, her baby photo pretty much went everywhere with her… To the farmer’s market where she’d explain to all of the shopping grandmas that she was going to be a big sister, to the skateboard park, on errands around town, and even to bed with her each night.
It goes without saying that she’s absolutely over the moon and we think she’s going to make the very best big sister.
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‘Mix It Up!’ Colour Exploration Kit
Yesterday, as Miss G and I were reading two of our favourite Hervé Tullet books {Press Here and Mix It Up!}, I was suddenly reminded of the fun colour exploration kit we put together months ago for one of Grae’s little friends. It was nearing the end of our time in Kuwait, so things were crazy with our upcoming international move and me being deep in the throws of early pregnancy sickness/exhaustion, so I never got around to sharing it, but after hearing Grae talk about it so excitedly yesterday afternoon, I think we may just have to whip up a similar kit for her to enjoy this weekend.
Dinosaur Play Dough Kit
A couple of weeks back, Miss G and I put together a fall-themed play dough kit, and it’s been getting a ton of use ever since. {Some of Grae’s dolls even got deliciously scented dresses early one weekend morning – hah!} It goes without saying that we love play dough kits, so we usually keep a few on hand, switching out the doughs and themes each season. Well, since we’ve only switched out the one so far, it was time for the Canadian Wilderness set and the ice cream set to go. And in in their place? This fun dinosaur play dough kit and a super awesome Halloween kit {which I’ll share later this week}.
The Kindergarten Transition {& what we’re doing in order to have happier, easier school mornings}
Truth be told, Gracen doesn’t always want to go to Kindergarten. In fact, many mornings she doesn’t, which sort of breaks my mama {and teacher} heart. Especially since I know we could have easily done a very organic version of homeschool kindergarten this year and filled our days with hands-on explorations, outdoor adventures, and all sorts of play that would have allowed her to thrive while learning everything she would have in a traditional classroom.
Thanksgiving Weekend {2015}
After a couple of years away, it was so nice to be able to spend Thanksgiving weekend up in the Okanagan with family this year. Sadly, our visit also involved saying goodbye to one of Brad’s uncles, but overall, it was filled with loads of visiting, gorgeous fall weather, time outdoors, and {way too much} delicious food.
Here’s a peek at our weekend in iPhone photos…
Books for the trip.
Glittery Bejeweled Mini Pumpkins
This afternoon’s invitation to create was a very simple one… Tons of glitter, jewels, glue, and a few adorable ‘baby boo’ pumpkins.
Yearly Handprint Canvas {Year 5}
Though more than a month behind schedule, we finally got Miss G’s fifth yearly handprint canvas done and hung on her bedroom wall today.
Star Wars Play Dough Kit
Admittedly, neither Brad nor I are huge Star Wars fans… But Miss G? Well she’s recently become one thanks to this Cosmic Kids Yoga video. {Hah!} So when she heard that the birthday party we’d been invited to this weekend was Star Wars-themed, she was absolutely thrilled. Of course, when I asked what she’d like to get the birthday boy as a gift, she threw out ‘A STAR WARS PLAY DOUGH KIT!!!’ almost immediately {sorry friends, I promise to get her onto a non-play dough gift giving kick very soon} and then I realized how over my head I was…
Autumn-Themed Writing Tray
Without a doubt, one of my most used resources in my Kindergarten and Grade One classes was the stack of coloured plastic plates filled with salt that I kept in my teacher’s cupboard. They were the simplest thing ever – literally plastic plates in a bright colour {aqua and gold always seemed to be the favourites} filled with a very thin layer of salt I’d bought at the dollar store. Despite their simplicity, we used them constantly… When practicing letter and number formation, when learning to draw shapes, when learning about different types of lines used in art, and when doing literacy and math centres… The list could go on.