Author: Jen

Easter Weekend {2017}

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I’ve been pretty terrible at sharing day-to-day life sorts of things recently…  When I do actually find the time blog, I seem to share mostly kids’ activities, which means that all of the fun milestones, monthly Sam updates, and birthday celebrations get to continue their stay in my drafts folder. :/  The thing is, when I go back and look through the now thousands of posts on my site, it’s the more personal posts that I love best.  The ones that tell about our decision to move back to Kuwait or how Miss G puked all over me while riding the metro home from the Eiffel Tower or how we told Grae she was going to be a big sister or about finally bringing Sam home.  And so, my effort to share more of our personal family life begins once again…  with our recent Easter weekend. {And gosh, was it ever a good one.}

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Nutritious Unicorn Smoothie

Nutritious Unicorn Smoothie | Mama Papa Bubba

A couple of nights ago I went to my usual nearby Starbucks to plow through a bunch of emails and get some work done, and oh my goodness…  It was total unicorn frappuccino madness!  I was sitting at the back right next to the the drink bar and I’m fairly certain that 75% of the orders made during my 3 and a half hour stay were fluorescent blue and pink fraps.  Even when they ran out of the blue drizzle, whipped cream, and both blue and pink sprinkles, people still ordered them!  Prior to actually seeing them first hand, I think I’d maybe heard mention of unicorn fraps once or twice on social media, but I truly had no idea what a craze they were causing – the entire store was buzzing with unicorn frap excitement.  {Kudos to you for a pretty brilliant marketing campaign, Starbucks!}

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Easter Egg Hunt Sensory Bin

Easter Egg Hunt Sensory Bin | Mama Papa Bubba

With this upcoming Easter being the first that Sam will actually get to participate in the festivities, I figured we’d better give him a chance to practice his egg hunting skills if he’s to stand a chance against his quick and experienced big sister.  Well, that or we had 45 minutes to kill between arriving home from a day of errands and picking up Grae from school and the Easter stuff just happened to out begging to be played with. :)  Either way, Sam has absolutely been loving our collection of little plastic Easter eggs and this Easter egg hunt sensory bin was a total hit.  

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Exploring Colour Theory With Ice Cubes

Exploring Colour Theory With Ice Cubes | Mama Papa BubbaYou know what I love?  I love fun little activities and explorations that both Miss G and Sam can enjoy despite their 5.5 year age difference. I also really, really love colour theory and how magical it is in the eyes of little ones, so this super simple exploring colour theory with ice cubes activity was a total win in my eyes.  For Sam, it was colourful and cold and full of noise and movement {a true delight for the senses!} and for Miss G, it was cool and chilled out and a perfect reinforcer for what she already knows and understands about primary and secondary colours.  I did the activity just a little bit differently with each of the bubbas, and I’ve got to say that both methods worked perfectly well {though one was definitely more baby safe in my opinion}.  

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Tin Foil Boat Float

Tin Foil Boat Float | Mama Papa Bubba

While I don’t usually bring activities along on vacation with us, I knew a classic tin foil boat float would be an awesome way for Miss G and I to spend one of Sam’s nap times {not to mention that it’s a pretty perfect fit given the fact that we’re staying directly across from the water} and boy, was I ever right. 

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Play Dough Fairy Gardens

Play Dough Fairy Gardens | Mama Papa Bubba

I try really hard not to be that person who is constantly complaining about the weather {because who are we kidding – we have it so good here in Vancouver}, but let me tell you…  I am SO ready for spring.  Not that cold, grey, rainy everyday version of spring either.  I’m ready for full-on sunshiny spring with blossoming trees, the buzzing of bees, warm temperatures, and rainy days only here and there.  I’ve been willing it to come our way for weeks if I’m being honest.  And with all of that wishful thinking, I was reminded of the amazing play dough fairy gardens Miss G and I did last year.  

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Take Along Activity Kit

Take Along Kit for Kids | Mama Papa Bubba

Oh my goodness…  Only two more days and it’s officially spring break!  I’m not sure who’s more excited – Miss G or me.  We’re going to work on getting some things done around the house, maybe go on some fun outings around the city, and best of all, get away just the four of us!  Admittedly, getaways aren’t as elaborate as they once were {there’s no just looking at a map and picking a random nearby country to visit when you live in Canada}, but we’re finally getting a chance to better explore BC, and that’s a good thing too.  Either way, my favourite part?  Spending some time as a family away from our regular everyday routine.  As awful as it sounds, it feels like the four of us really don’t have a ton of time to just hang out and enjoy each other’s company {which is definitely something I miss about living in Kuwait}.  During the week Brad leaves for work as we’re just getting going, then there’s the morning rush, Miss G’s long day at school, and then Brad returns just in time to sit down to dinner.  On a good night, there’s about 10 minutes of non-chaotic dinnertime, then B and I divide and conquer to get both kiddos washed and in bed for the night – me usually taking care of Sam and him Miss G.  Most weekends, we spend one day around the house cleaning, taking care of laundry, and playing catch up from a busy week, and then on the other day we may go on a fun outing all together or split up one-parent-one-kid style in order to run errands and get things done.  Either way, it’s just not enough time all together and that’s why I so look forward to our little getaways.  No distractions, no chores, no daily routine to get caught up in. 

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Kid-Made Kindness Potion

Kid Made Kindness Potion | Mama Papa Bubba

We had such a lovely time spreading kindness and love with the help of our Kindness Elves throughout the month of December and Miss G was definitely sad to see them go after they left her one final note on Christmas night.  They did say that they’d be back at some point, but we didn’t know when that would be…  

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A 100 Day Snack

100 Day Snack | Mama Papa Bubba

Ahhh… 100 Day.  Such a big deal when you’re 6 and have been looking forward to it all year long.  I used to love celebrating 100 Day as a teacher, so I can only imagine how excited Miss G is to be celebrating her 100th day of Grade One today.  I’m not sure how they’ll be celebrating at school, but you can bet I sent her off with a little mama-made 100 Day Snack in her backpack.  Grae loves snack mixes {especially when they involve chocolate!}, so these always go over really well. Last year she came home from school, raved about how great her 100 Day snack was, and requested we make another batch as an afternoon snack, so I figured why not?  My Kindergarten kiddos used to love creating their own custom 100 Day snacks and I knew Miss G would too.

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Exploring Hook-and-Loop Fasteners

Exploring Velcro | Mama Papa Bubba

When Miss G was born full-term the day after my due date, making sure she met milestones reasonably ‘on time’ wasn’t something that was even on my radar… We simply trusted that she’d develop new skills as she was supposed to and celebrated them when they came along.  With Sam, our little preemie babe born 27 weeks into my pregnancy, it’s a different story… Thankfully he’s done remarkably well in his first year home from the NICU, but his development has been closely monitored every step of the way and I’m much more aware of what he’s supposed to be doing at each stage.  So when our baby boy developed a fascination with the hook-and-loop fasteners on Sister’s well-loved school sneakers, the first thing that popped into my mind?  ‘Ooooh – what awesome fine motor practice!’  Seriously, this is how my mama brain thinks now. {Also,  did you know that when we use the term “velcro”, we’re actually using a brand name to describe hook-and-loop-fasteners??  Me neither, but the team over at  VELCROⓇ Brand kindly let me know that it’s much like using the term “kleenex” to describe all tissues…  You learn something every day I guess!}

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Homemade Almond Milk

Homemade Almond Milk | Mama Papa Bubba

Mmmm….  Almond milk.  I love it, but honestly, most of the store bought stuff just isn’t all that good.  And even if it does taste good, it most likely contains several ingredients that just aren’t needed when you make it fresh at home.  

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