Pack lunches are always a challenge. Take away sandwiches and it can seem overwhelming. This post is lengthy, but it's goal ito demystify the process of making pack lunches safe, healthy and fun for CSID kids from toddlerhood through elementary school.
P: Hi Gigi!
Gigi: Hi buddy!
P: Um...you have personals. Are you going to nurse our baby?
Gigi, wide eyed: Ah...no...
P: Then why have you got them? What are you going to do with them? What do you use them for?
Me: Gigi nursed me with them when I was a baby. Mommies just nurse their own babies.
P: Oh!
"We are making JEWELRY here people! We're not here just playing with beads. This is SERIOUS."
P: Daddy gave me this popcicle for breakfast!
Me: Oh really?
P: No
P: Why do you drink caffeine Mommy?
Me: Because you and your brother have way more energy than I do and it helps me keep up. And I don't get enough sleep...really I should get more sleep.
P: Oh. And you can't sleep because of the caffeine.
P: Are you going to nurse our baby?
Gigi: No.
P: But you have personals...oh no...Gigi, did your milk dry up?
"Oh! I have never looked more handsome!"
-Jen
My Personal Assistant has finally reached that "color and draw and paint for hours" phase and it is pretty glorious. BUT...
1. Every shred of paper he touches is now precious and must be displayed and/or protected from Mr. Baby.
2. They are constantly ripping things off the fridge/splashing water from the fridge fountain thing.
So, with some junk from the basement I made a gallery wall for the playroom. I'm a bad blogger and I don't have a before. So here's the after:
It's hard to find activities that challenge my 4 year old and engage, but are not hazardous the Mr. Baby (he will eat ANYTHING). This easy peasy no mess craft was great for both of them.
One of the most challenging things about being a Mom to two little ones is juggling their very different needs and schedules. Mostly the schedules. It feels like I am still unpacking and not a single room is 'done' and it is now officially months (plural) since we moved in. I am learning to be content with progress-no matter how minor. That said, today I made a tent!
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| Playing with butter |
"You LET him do WHAT?"
The thing that people question the most about my parenting is The Mess. It is always about the mess. Not the experience, not the fun, not the learning, the mess. As if one should care about the mess. As if the mess is the most awful thing one could imagine.
If I had a quarter for every incredulous question, raised eyebrow, or disapproving look I would be a rich woman rocking a designer diaper bag.
When we found out our oldest son had CSID I was panicked that all the hard work we had done to diversify his diet and make food fun would be in vain. Would mealtimes become a drudge? Would all the food be plain and tasteless? Would my son (who loves to eat) become a picky eater?
I am stuck on the couch with round ligament pain, the wind chill is too low for outdoor play, and the Personal Assistant want to "make foot prints like a robot." Oh what is a Mommy to do? Deodorize the carpet!
Christmas around here is a DIY fest, and I love it. I might be crazy, but I grew up getting DIY gifts made lovingly by my parents and I think it is a great tradition to carry on. We have a rule that Santa gifts should be conceivably hand made, if not by us (me) then by some one else. It is a great way to support local (and ot so local) artisans and give simpler toys to our kiddo that leave lots of room for open ended creative play-the kind that builds imagination and inquisitive minds.
That said, stocking stuffing can get pricey fast! A little DIY spirit can also stretch the Christmas budget with out skimping on fun! Follow the jump for my picks for toddler friendly stocking stuffers any boy is bound to love!
The Hubster asked me to make a "traditional" apple pie this year. No rosemary infused crust, no citrus in the filling. "Fine," I said, "but it IS going to be a mile high, and have smoky molasses notes in the filling, and the lattice crust will be extra dense and smothered in melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar, and you can't stop me."
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