Homemade Whole Wheat Pasta Kids Can Make

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There’s no doubt we have a thing for play doughs in this house. I absolutely love coming up with fun new dough recipes, and Miss G absolutely loves exploring and creating with them. I’m not sure where this crazy idea came from exactly, but one day I found myself wondering why we had yet to play with basic cooking doughs {like the ones used to make breads and pastas}. Miss G’s well out of the putting things in her mouth stage, so ingredients like raw eggs are not a concern, and how fun would it be to ‘play’ with the dough by shaping and cutting, and then cook it up into something delicious? Sounded like a plan to me {as long as very clean hands and a clean playing surface were involved, that is!}

How to Build a Simple Lego Catapult {A tutorial by Miss G}

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Well, she’s at it again. After having me film her making a lego evergreen tree last week, Gracen was set on creating another Lego video asap. It made sense that this little contraption would be next. It’s actually something she and her Papa came up with during one of their afternoons together last week. I came home to find the two of them flinging tiny Lego pieces all over our living room while giggling with glee. Luckily, they took my suggestion of swapping out the tiny foot killing bricks with soft cushy pompoms very well (phew!)

Bits of Beauty in Mahboula

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One thing I adore most about children is their innate ability to see the beauty in the world around them. And our adventures in the desert space near our apartment remind me of that admirable quality every time we go on one.

While I often suggest going on a ‘desert adventure’ as a way to get out of the house {and stay sane} when we’re vehicle-less, Gracen is always thrilled with the suggestion and often shouts, ‘Yay! We’re going on a treasure hunt!’ before running off to retrieve a bag to house her findings. She returns, pops her shoes on her feet and cheers, ‘Let’s go!’ anxious to see what sort of beautiful things she might find today.

Truthfully, in the stereotypical sense, our neighbourhood is far from beautiful. It’s filled with piles of trash, mounds of sand are scattered throughout, dumped building supplies are plentiful, and plastic bags float around at your feet. But Gracen? She sees mountains to climb, things to investigate, and treasures waiting to be discovered. If only we could all be so optimistic.

Well I’m up for trying. Here are the bits of beauty we discovered in Mahboula today…

A Bookshelf Dollhouse for Miss G

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{this post contains affiliate links}

Miss G has talked about one day having her own dollhouse for a long while now. I did do some poking around back when we were still in Vancouver and found several that I absolutely adored {like this doll chalet, this all season home, this high-rise, this eco house, and my very, VERY favourite, this ‘green’ dollhouse by plan toys}, but knowing that we were moving overseas, it just didn’t make sense buy something only to have to leave it behind.

The thing is, now that we’re here in Kuwait, I’ve been having a hard time committing to purchasing one here. First off, the ones I really love are not readily available in Kuwait, and secondly, decent wooden versions that are available are really pricey. The fact that we don’t know how long we’ll be here for doesn’t help either as I don’t want to purchase a gorgeous {expensive} dollhouse and have to leave it behind in a year or two.

Simple Origami Heart Garland

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Gracen is all about holiday decorations. So needless to say, when we announced that it was nearly time to dismantle our tree and put our Christmas things away a while back, she was not really happy about it. After talking about why we put Christmas things away come January, she asked, ‘So what’s next then? Like what should we decorate for?’ Hahaha – my little planner. ☺

How to Build a Lego Tree {a tutorial by Miss G}

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Oh my word. Today after teaching Grae how to build the simplest of Lego trees, she excitedly announced, ‘I know! Let’s make a video and I can teach everyone how to build this very beautiful tree!’

Frozen Ocean Animal Rescue {salt, water, & ice play}

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Gracen and I are lucky enough to have one of her little friends join us for an afternoon of play each Wednesday. They play quite well together, so I put a few things out for them to explore in advance, then step back to let them play, helping communication and sharing happen when needed. We always have a good time together, but the last couple of times I’ve noticed that together they plow through the activities I’ve set out (2 minutes of play dough! 1 stroke of paint! 3 minutes of water play!) and then look at me with eager eyes for something more.

Chocolate for Breakfast

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Confession: Today Miss G had chocolate for breakfast.

And it wasn’t the first time. {Ugh.}

Now I know what you’re thinking… WHAT IN THE WORLD?!?

I know.

Happy Little Biker

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Bird Seed Cookies {for the birds, obviously}

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It’s become somewhat of a yearly tradition for Miss G and I to make fun homemade bird feeders for our feathered friends each winter. As much as I’m {admittedly} not a huge bird lover, I certainly don’t want them to go hungry while their usual food sources are scarce or unavailable. Plus, our little lady adores them and that’s enough for me.

Our 2013

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What a year it’s been! 2013 was filled with family get togethers, fun trips, big milestones, and huge changes for our little family, and looking back at it all, I’m feeling nothing but extremely grateful.

Here’s our year in review…

Last year started with us amidst a Christmas road trip that involved 40 hours of driving and visits with every grandparent and as many other family members as possible. We rang in the New Year with an awesome bonfire and fireworks show my brother put together for all of us.

Today’s Adventure: Skating

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Ugh…. As the end of our vacation nears, I’m trying not to think about the fact that we’ll soon have to say goodbye to this gorgeous city. We’ve without a doubt been living in a vacation bubble, and I’ve been loving it.

Today, after coffees and pastries, we crossed another big to-do off of our list – skating on the outdoor rink at the base of the castle! Sadly, Miss G wasn’t all that thrilled with the actual skating part of it, though she did love her little penguin friend. We finished off the day with an afternoon walk and a visit to the park and came home with that amazing feeling only a day outside in the cool fresh air can give you.

Here’s our day in photos…

Little Beauty

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Though I’m pretty good at taking out my camera and documenting our projects and adventures, I feel like I’ve been forgetting to capture the ordinary moments lately. So tonight, in a steamy bathroom filled with soapy bubbles, I got out my camera and took a few photos of this little beauty I call my girl…

Vacationing

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Vacation means low-key days, right? Because today I think we did a fantastic job of actually vacationing. Besides a late breakfast and an early dinner out, we basically played Lego, walked around the neighbourhood, and visited parks. Here are a few snippets of our day…

Morning park visit with Grandma. So thankful to have an awesome park right across the street from our flat.

Sun-Dried Tomato, Basil, & Artichoke Cheese Ball

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Last month Miss G and I were challenged to healthify Paula Deen’s sugary sweet apple strudel by our very good friends over at Hillary with two Ls (please) and Little Miss Mama. Looking back, I think we did a not bad job, if I do say so myself. In addition to getting rid of the sugar altogether and replacing it with pure maple syrup and a wee bit of honey, we also traded store-bought phyllo dough in for from-scratch wholewheat pastry dough, exchanged the butter for coconut oil, and added an additional nutritional punch with some ground flax seeds sneakily hidden inside (see our recipe here). Not to shabby, right? ☺