Vancouver International Children’s Festival

5 / 31 / 126 / 1 / 12

Despite the weatherman’s prediction of a sunny day, in true Vancouver style, we woke up a healthy dose of liquid sunshine this morning. Instead of putting our plans on hold though, Gracen and I decided to throw on our gumboots, brave the rain, and head down to Granville Island for the Vancouver International Children’s Festival as planned. And I’m glad we did. Gracen really enjoyed the Twist & Toddle activity tent, as well as the shadow puppetry tent, face painting station, and the musical performances, and the rain really didn’t bother us in the least. I’m looking forward to attending again next year when more of the activities are age-appropriate for this little lady…

puzzle play // water table fun

firefighter Grae to the rescue // mama’s baby bird

colouring // shadow puppetry (Grae was the fish)

face painting pro // sweet cheeks

lunch in the rain // puddle jumping

♥

If you’re a Vancouver mama heading down to the festival to partake in the activity zones, be sure to bring cash, as that’s the only form of payment accepted. Also, something to be aware of is that everyone has to pay to enter the activity areas, including mamas supervising their little ones and the teeniest of infants, which is a little unusual.

iPhoneography // Afternoon Snapshots

5 / 30 / 126 / 1 / 12

Today was a work day for this mama… And although I really do like the the teaching part, I sure do miss my little lady while I’m away. Luckily, a classroom of 25 to 30 students keeps me more than busy for most of the day, but some days I just wish I could snap my fingers, avoid the {sometimes slow / stressful} commute, and arrive at home to soak up more moments like these…

mini cleanaholic // rolling machine

making cookies // chocolate play dough chocolates

bath time mohawk // bedtime stories with baby

♥

Toddler Food: What Miss G Eats {13}

5 / 29 / 125 / 29 / 12

Okay, so on to week 13 of Toddler Food… This week, a fellow blogger asked:

Do you mind me asking how much you spend on groceries per week?

Ugh… I don’t even know if I want to say in case it’s a ridiculously high number in comparison to other families! Although it’s less than what we regularly spent in Kuwait (KD 50 – 60, which equals out to about $200), it does seem like a lot when taking into account our back-to-making-Canadian-dollars budget. The answer is – we normally spend about $150 per week. That’s for our little family of three and includes basic toiletries, cleaners, and some organic items (mostly for Grae). About $110 to $120 of it is spent at a regular grocery store and the other $30 to $40 is spent at the market on fresh produce. Is it just me, or does that seem like a lot? We have started regularly taking big stock up trips down to the States, which, although not good for our Canadian economy, do save us a pile of money (and filling up our tank while down there makes the trip even more worth while!), but I find a small cart full of ‘just the essentials’ here in Vancouver easily adds up to $100 or more. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me.

Anyways, on to what the little miss has chowed down on recently…
Breakfast // Breakfast banana split (baby banana halved vertically, 2 mini scoops of Greek yogurt, a drizzle of all-natural almond butter, a sprinkling of organic oats, and strawberries on top!)

Breakfast // Greek yogurt with Chia Goodness, banana bits, and cinnamon.
Breakfast // {Heart-shaped organic} egg in a {wholewheat multigrain} basket. Banana slices and blueberries.

Breakfast // Cream of Wheat with Mama’s yogurt mix and whole organic milk. Apple slices and a grape daisy (which very quickly became apple cars).

Snack // Red grapes.

Snack // Cereal mix (organic o’s, organic shredded wheat, jumbo raisins, and raw almonds).

Snack // Raw pumpkin seeds, raw sunflower seeds, and no-sugar-added freeze-dried raspberries.

Snacks & Lunch {on the go} // All-natural brown rice sticks. Raw cashews. Organic apple chips. Veggie sandwich on artisan multigrain (all-natural cream cheese, fresh spinach, and avocado). Blueberries. Steamed edamame. Organic no-sugar-added fruit leather.

Snacks & Lunch {on the go} // Avocado. Organic apple chips. Peanut butter and oat cracker sandwiches. Almonds and walnuts. Strawberry slices. Carrot.

Lunch // Homemade creamy tomato basil soup (made with pureed red lentils for added protein) with homemade wholewheat croutons, fresh parmesan, and herbs.

Lunch // Chickpea patty with parmesan and avocado on a multigrain bun. Grapefruit sections.
Lunch // Mexican rice bowl (brown rice, no-salt-added black beans, corn, and tomatillo sauce topped with cheddar, avocado, and fresh cilantro).

Dinner // Homemade tomato and brown rice {medley} soup. Curried tuna salad (low sodium white tuna, green apple, corn, green onions, curry powder, black pepper, and just a touch of olive oil mayonnaise) on fresh garden greens (leaf lettuce, spinach, and beet greens).
Dinner // Red coconut curry with steamed veggies and roasted wild haddock on organic wholewheat couscous.

Dinner // Chicken cashew stir-fry with black bean sauce, wholewheat noodles, and fresh cilantro.
Dinner // Tomato, spinach, and orzo soup with fresh parmesan. Multigrain bread sticks.
Dinner // Red chicken curry with steamed veggies and egg noodles.

iPhoneography // Breakfast

5 / 29 / 126 / 1 / 12

Without thinking, I put some apple slices and grapes on Gracen’s plate next to her hot cereal this morning. Harmless, right? Well, the moment I set it down in front of her, she started jamming the two together while announcing, “Apple – car! Apple – car! Apple – car, pleasche, Mamaaaaa!” I should’ve known… They are one of her all-time favourite snacks after all. So out came a piece of spaghetti, and in no time the little lady had a fleet of cars to zoom around her plate. Of course, she drove each one for a few seconds and then promptly disassembled them. Then it was on to feeding Num (a.k.a. a tiny Hello Kitty figurine that she carries around everywhere). Breakfast as usual with our little monkey.

Small Style {3}

5 / 28 / 125 / 28 / 12

Well, this week’s Small Style post definitely gives you a glimpse into our crazy Vancouver weather… Some days were sundress and sandal days, while others were full-on hat, jacket, and boots days. C’est la vie! Here are some of the things the little lady wore last week…

Flatcap: Joe / Shrug: Unknown (gifted) / Striped tank: Old Navy / Leggings: H&M / Gladiator sandals: Joe

Flower clip: Handmade by Mama / Dotted blouse: Unknown (gifted) / Pleated denim skirt / Unknown (gifted) / Glittered ballet flats: Payless
Crocheted flower hat: Handmade by a friend’s mom / Rain jacket: Baby Gap / Polkadot dress: Baby Gap / Cream tights: H&M / Gumboots: SportTek

Flower headband: Handmade by Mama / Floral sunglasses: Joe / Striped sundress: H&M / Multicoloured sandals: Joe
Rain jacket: Baby Gap / Black cardigan: H&M (boys’ section) / Grey tee: Joe / Purple belt: H&M / “Cousin” jeans: H&M / Glittered flats: Payless

Teal cardigan: American Apparel / Ruffled birdie dress: Old Navy / Gladiator sandals: Joe

Flower headband: Handmade by Mama / Long-sleeved tee: H&M / Denim shorts: The Children’s Place (handed down) / Metallic flip flops: Old Navy

Hairclip: Unknown / Floral sunglasses: Joe / Teal cardigan: American Apparel / Striped romper: Old Navy / Gladiator sandals: Joe
Monkey hair clip: Unknown / Denim tunic: Joe / Black leggings: H&M / Glittered flats: Payless

Hooded vest: Joe / Heart print tee: Baby Gap / Jeans: H&M / Gumboots: SportTek

♥

Happy Bum

5 / 28 / 125 / 28 / 12

Gracen: (pulling at the seat of her pants) Owah!

Mama: Grae, is your bum hurting?

Gracen: No-oh! Grae Grae bum hap-peeeeeey!

♥

And on a completely different note, the winner of the 100 followers giveaway can be seen here.

Moon Dough Sensory Bin

5 / 27 / 123 / 24 / 14

I’d been waiting a long time to show Gracen the magic that is moon dough, and today was the perfect day. It just so happened we had white flour in the house and I randomly came across a half bottle of baby oil when organizing the bathroom cabinets… So it was kind of meant to be. Plus, it was plenty warm to be outside doing something messy, but not so beautiful that you wished you were sitting on the beach or beside an outdoor pool. Gracen helped me make the moon dough first, and then I transferred it into one of our empty sensory bins, gathered some fun stuff from around the kitchen, and brought everything into the backyard.

Gracen had wanted to get her hands into the dough from the time we started mixing the oil into the flour, so she was more than ready to get started.

She began by filling up the bowl and silicon baking cups one spoonful at a time and patted each one down when full, just as she does when making sandcastles at the beach. She quickly decided that the straws were the perfect ‘cake’ toppers. She’d carefully place them in one container, take a sideways glance, then move them to another, as if she were trying to get it just right. Turns out, the big bowl was the best place for all of them.

And though filling up the containers was fun in itself, she was extremely pleased with the discovery that she could tip them over to make little moon dough castles. (While the plastic bowl was harder, the silicon baking cups were perfect for this because she could give them a little squeeze and the castle would pop right out.) Of course smashing the castles was just as much fun as making them.

Next, we tried making some balls. She loved the finished product, but got frustrated with the fact that she couldn’t make them independently.

It didn’t matter too much though because in no time, she’d pushed all of the moon dough over to one side of the bin and started playing one of her very favourite sandbox games – ‘Where are Gracen’s hands?’

While the dough was all over on one side, we tried something else too – making imprints. Gracen pressed in the spoons and cups, and then we tried the same with our hands.

The best part though, happened when she got busy with the cookie cutters. She was fully enjoying pressing them into the dough and seeing the outlines they created when this happened… Puzzling! It took her a second, but she figured out. She tried to make it happen again afterwards, but sadly, no luck.

Of course, she ended the sensory box experience in her usual way… You should have seen the look on her face as the silky smooth dough smushed up in between her toes. Pure delight!

This sensory bin was ridiculously fun. Grae played with it for almost an hour and I can see us revisiting it very soon. The only thing I might do differently next time is either add more moon dough or use a smaller container so that there is a thicker base in the bin. And although I may be brave enough to try it indoors on a very rainy day (on a giant blanket in the kitchen), I think I’d rather keep this one outside as it’s just as messy as it is fun.

You can see Gracen’s beach, ocean, and gardening-themed bins by clicking on the links.

♥

Making Moon Dough

5 / 27 / 1211 / 25 / 13

This is something I’ve been planning to make with Gracen for a long while now and I’m so glad we finally tried it today. Moon dough, often also called cloud dough, is a silky, mouldable mixture of just two ingredients many families probably already have on hand. Fun and easy – love it!

To whip up your own batch of moon dough, all you need is some white flour, some baby oil, a mixing bowl, and a whisk.

Start by adding 8 parts flour into your bowl.

Then add 1 part baby oil.

Mix well, ensuring all the large clumps are broken up and the oil is evenly distributed through the flour.

When you’re done, the mixture will be light and fluffy and the clumps should be minimal. That’s it – so easy! Transfer it into a large bin and add some cups, moulds, straws, spoons, and cookie cutters for your little one(s) to use while exploring.

Cloud Dough

8 cups of white flour
1 cup of baby oil

Put the ingredients into a large bowl and mix really well. Store in an airtight container or bag for several months.

Enjoy!

The Perfect Way to Spend an Afternoon

5 / 26 / 125 / 26 / 12

A Granville Island Playdate

5 / 26 / 125 / 26 / 12

Let me tell you, it’s not easy coordinating the schedules of 5 busy mamas, 3 on-the-go toddlers, and 2 adorably smushy babies. But we finally did it. And on a gorgeous day no less. Gracen and I met up with several of my good friends and their munchkins at Granville Island this morning and it was wonderful.

Grae and I arrived early, grabbed our usual Terra Breads treat (her) and coffee (me), and headed outside to visit with the birds. I don’t know if it’s because of the increased traffic or not, but since the weather’s picked up and the island’s been busier, the seagull situation has been much better than this winter when the bird incident happened. In fact, they were so scarce today that we took out a little bag of bird seed I had tucked away and Grae fed the pigeons. It was the first time she’d fed birds and she was beyond excited about it. She’d shove her little hand into the bag and slowly pull out a fist stuffed full of seed. Food in hand, she’d carefully walk to an open area, crouch down, release the seeds, and purposefully brush her hands against one another, ridding her palms of the extras. Then she’d take a few steps back, wait anxiously, and when the pigeons would start feasting on the meal she’d provided, she’d proudly run back to me shouting, “Bird! Eat, eat, eat! More! More!”

Once our friends arrived, it was off for a little stroll along the seawall. We made our way to the playground where the “big kids” had a blast getting filthy and soaking wet in the sand area. Gracen went down the slide on repeat and playtime ended with all 3 toddlers smushed together on the saucer swing. Adorableness at its best.

Gracen loved the fact that they were setting up for the upcoming Children’s Festival… Especially because it meant serious chats with a bookworm and a fist-clenching ride on a pirate ship.

After a picnic lunch under the shade of a tree and a little more playtime, it was time to head home. There’s really nothing like a day filled with friends, fresh air, and sunshine…

♥

Surprises

5 / 25 / 125 / 25 / 12

Surprise #1 – Waking up to a text saying that Manmaw Sue was on the island and would be passing through Vancouver in a couple of hours.

Surprise #2 – Manmaw showing up with a hydrangea for our flower-obsessed, purple-loving little lady.And this is what we did for much of our afternoon:

Gracen sat up on her chair, hydrangea right beside her, and told me all about how it was “Grae Grae’s” flower (as she did her little sniff sniff nose), how it was purple, and how it was from her Manmaw.

♥

The Rundown: 20 Months

5 / 24 / 125 / 26 / 12

Welp, our little lady turned 21 months old today, and apparently that’s just the motivation I needed to get my tush in gear and get her 20 month post done. Darn time. It’s not always my friend. My goal is to have her 21 month one done sometime this week, and my even bigger goal is to have her first year photo book completed by her second birthday. Wish me luck.

Anyways, that’s enough about me. Here’s what our darling little girl was up to between 19 and 20 months…

Gracen loves:

Digging in the dirt and finding worms
Being dragged around the house while laying on a blanket (still)
Stickers and stamps
Balloons
Reading while on the toilet
Her hoola hoop
Jumping on beds
Discussing the day’s highlights before bedtime
Visiting her blog and having you tell her about the photos
Snuggling
Helping others
Sharing her things
Going on adventures
Reading
Having someone ask her questions so that she can show what she knows
Helping with jobs around the house
Putting her laundry away

She dislikes:

When you don’t let her try something on her own first before helping

She thinks it’s hilarious when:

You throw grapes up in the air and catch them in your mouth

Grae’s new foods include:

No-sugar-added vacuum-fried banana chips
All-natural blueberry bran muffins
Arugula
Turkey bacon (not a regular food, but she did get to try it during a special celebratory dinner)
Wholewheat tortilla chip (not a regular food, but she did get to try one during Papa’s 30th birthday dinner)

The new words she regularly uses include:

“snap”
“wow”
“ya”
“dirt”
“baaaaa” (sheep sound)
“sssssss” (snake sound)
“ohhhh”
“quack”
“car”
“meow”
“treat”
“play”
“bird”
“Tate”
“poop”
“deer”
“meow”
“meh” (goat sound)
“cheep cheep”
“train”
“out”
“step”
“peepee”
“apple” – happy (strangest thing ever)
“rararararah” – read
“knee”
“dot”
“yay!”
“tape”
“ring”
“carrot”
“pocket”
“all-mo” – almond
“edmama” – edamame
“poop”
“milp” – milk
“cut”
“glue”
“flap flip” – flip flop
“hat”
“papta” – pasta
“melon”
“watermelon”
“Ornia” – California
“plap” – splash
“hole”
“flap”
“touch”
“oh dear!”
“cloth”
“babe”
“home”
“clothes”
“bra” (don’t ask)
“pay”
“hand”
“top”
“two”
“Lulu” (her nickname)
“draw”
“arm”
“dab”
“tight”
“down”
“door”
“tights”
“oh, Grae Grae!”
“oh, baby!”
“pull”
“please”
“chair”
“auntie”
“Quatchi”
“me”
“rawr!!!” (when asked what dinosaurs, lions, and tigers say)

The new signs she’s using regularly include:

Snake
Cereal
Want
Basketball
Family
Come here
Alligator

Right now, she:

Makes a chomping noise whenever she sees alligators and crocodiles
Points out dots whenever she sees them
Talks about her little friend, Tate, all the time
Lays all of her animals and dolls on their bellies for story times
Puts animals on the toilet and pretends they’re peeing
Does a crazy mad face where she holds her fists up in the air and shakes (but not when she’s mad – just randomly)
Announces she has to use the potty, runs to grab a book, and then heads to the bathroom
Helps EVERYTHING (almonds, books, babies, shoes, etc.) pee, drink, and sleep – weird girl
Leads you by the finger to wherever she needs help or wants to show you something
Walks up and down stairs without a railing or hand to hold on to
Is putting words together in simple phrases more and more (for example, I told her that we weren’t going to be seeing her friend Tate because his mom wasn’t feeling well, and for days she’d say, “Tate Mama Owah?”)
Is very into the emotions of story book characters
Puts away her own laundry {in the proper places}
Believes that everything can be fixed with tape (because that’s how I fix her ripped books)
Wants to do everything herself (Miss Independent!)

Funny / Cute things she’s been up to lately:

While shopping in the States this month, I announced that our blender was crap. Well guess what my little parrot took from that? “CRAP!”
If you ask her what her cousin Kinslee says, she’ll reply “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!” in her loudest, screechiest voice
She constantly points to my {naturally dark} joints and says, “Owah. Mama owah.”
When she comes across a group of items, whether it be food on a plate, rocks in the garden, or poop in the toilet, she points to them and calls them “mamas”, “papas”, and “bubbas”, based on their size
Pretends she’s a baby and crawls around the house
When you ask her where her Apple onesie came from, she’ll respond with “Ornia” (it was bought at Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, California)

Well, that was our month. This little lady’s language is exploding and it’s becoming nearly impossible to keep up with her new words. She’s developing such a great little sense of humour and seriously keeps me laughing all day long. But more than anything, she’s got the BIGGEST heart. She wants nothing more than to make others happy. She’s kind to kids on the playground who aren’t so kind to her, she’s happy to share even the most special of treats, she shows genuine concern for others’ feelings, and she doles out hugs generously when they’re needed. I’m so proud of her that it’s sometimes a little overwhelming. She’s certainly a special little girl.

♥

Sidewalk Chalk Painting

5 / 24 / 128 / 11 / 13

After teaching both yesterday and the day before, it was so good to spend the day with my girl today. (Two work days in a row was new for us… I missed her.) We spent the morning at the aquarium visiting sea creatures, and decided to try something new this afternoon.

Sidewalk chalk is a usual thing around here, and we’ve done mess-free sidewalk painting a few times recently, but we hadn’t yet tried sidewalk chalk painting. It was about time.

There are TONS of sidewalk chalk paint recipes floating around the internet, but we just went for it and mixed up our own version. I wanted more of a watercolour consistency rather than a paste in order to allow Miss G to make longer brushstrokes before having to reload her brush, so we used a lot more water than cornstarch. And since I’ve read that the paint dries a lot lighter than it looks when wet, we amped it up by using generous amounts of gel colouring {hence them looking so dark in the photos}.

(FYI – The cool paint swirls are courtesy of my little lady. Who knew a good swift bump of the paint tray right as the photo is being snapped equals awesome swirls?)

Gracen didn’t hesitate to get started. The second I gave her the okay, she got busy dunking her paintbrush and creating her sidewalk masterpiece.

She honestly LOVED it. She was so focused and content that she did not put down her paintbrush once the entire time until the paint was gone. And when it was? There was a prompt, “More, Mama! More!” directed my way. Sadly, I’d used all of our cornstarch and couldn’t whip up another batch, but I’m pretty certain that this will become a regular activity this summer.

The end result was a sidewalk {and toddler} covered in beautifully vibrant colours, a very happy little lady, and much needed bath.

Sidewalk Chalk Paint

1 cup of cornstarch
2 cups (or less, depending on desired consistency) of water
Several small globs of gel icing colouring

Using a muffin tin, put a little food colouring in each cup, varying the colour combinations and the amounts of dye. In a large measuring cup, mix together the cornstarch and water. Carefully pour a little into each muffin cup and mix well.

Take the paint outside {preferably on a tray to prevent spills} along with paintbrushes and watch your little one(s) create a sidewalk masterpiece. Give paints a little stir every once and a while to prevent the cornstarch from sinking to the bottom.

♥