Ain't No Mom Jeans

Friday

I got a Pap smear yesterday.  Whoa, maybe I should say good morning first.  Hope you already had your coffee!  But I booked my appointment in honor of Megan's recent health scare.  The Happiest Mom says go get it done, Mamas.  I did mine.  Now it's your turn.

In semi-related news, I am a MILF.  (Love the folks at True & Co. for coming up with a funny tilt to that ridiculous acronym.)

Have you heard of Sakroots?  They make really cool products, all covered with...art.  I love this clutch for date night, am dying for this water bottle, and would love any of their iPhone cases.   They are currently holding a contest to find their next print, if any of you are art-inclined....

Are any of you on Chictopia?  I joined recently, just to see what the fuss was about.  I'm not totally convinced it's worth my time....between Pinterest and Instagram and Facebook...there's just so much.  Thoughts?  

Also?  I'm loving my old overalls again and Sarah Jessica Parker demonstrates how cool shoes can make even a hoodie look good.

On Monday, I talked about my resolution to spend more time in nature just...sitting....and then I found this article from a local parent's group.  They call it a "sit spot".  Isn't that clever?

I love when books lead to creative play...and Play at Hom Mom found a good one.

If any of you are interested in Reggio-Emelia...Play Outside has created THE BEST series on the Reggio-Emelia approach.  Their emphasis is primarily for pre-school classrooms, but I find a ton of inspiration to pull into the home.  

I think we're headed out to the Creative Clubhouse today (if any of you are local, it's my hands-down fav place to take the kids)....and this weekend I hope to do a little star gazing.  Gosh, I love a good Science Festival.

Happy Friday!

xo,

S

 

Wonder Box and Kiwi Crate Review: Which One Is Best For You?

Mamas, have you heard of these things?  These by-mail subscription packages where a box of kid-friendly projects (for ages 3-7) is delivered to your house?  

They. Are. Awesome.  And perfect if you (like me) are dreading the after-Christmas influx of crappy toys.  (Really, we don't have the room.)  Instead of _____ (fill in the blank with annoying toy), how 'bout the relatives get your littles something that is not only super-crazy-fun but also helps to keep you sane during the dark days of winter?  A win-win if ever there was one, Mamas. 

I had the opportunity to try two of them:  Wonder Box and Kiwi Crate.  Which one is best for you?  Here are my thoughts on each...

 

Friday Play Inspiration....MOMA for Kids

Mamas, our dear friend J was in NY for a long weekend.  So of course we drove up. Really, we don't need much of an excuse to visit.  And our very favorite thing to do with the kiddos?  Visit MOMA.  Not only do they have cool activities for kids just walking around the museum, but they have an interactive space (which changes a few times a year).  Last trip, it was a Materials Lab, which was AWESOME.  They had a myriad of materials out for building chairs (which was surprisingly fun) and a whole arsenal of toys and books for playing.  We were there for almost two hours.  It's a great respite from a day of walking around.

This time, MOMA had installed a Reggio Emelia mecca.  I find the Reggio Emelia preschool philosophy so inspiring.  A hallmark of Reggio Emelia is playing with various forms of light, and this exhibit didn't disappoint.  They had a video camera trained on a set of playthings, projected onto the wall (see pic above).  Kids were so into this setup, that Raines had to wait for a while before he got a turn.  The imaginative play was intense.  So fun to see.

They also had a projector set up, showing an underwater scene.  Cool.  But then, being Reggio, they added some reflecting elements - a disco ball, various mirrors, and blocks, a waved surface.  R (and Pax, actually) were both totally enchanted, experimenting with the various ways they could mess with the projection.

Mom, look!  It shows up over there!

Also, the whole family was delighted to discover that part of this MOMA exhibit includes the ENTIRE LINE of Learning Materials Workshop's blocks.

Remember the Coloraturo block review we did a while back?  Yeah - we're big fans.  HUGE. 

I'm thrilled for Learning Materials Workshop.  Such nice people, such an inspiring product.  Love to see them in partnership with MOMA.

I always feel so....energized when I encounter such intentional, inspiring play ideas.  Expect me to go nuts on Pinterest soon.

This weekend I think we're going to check out the Fall Festival at the Morris Arboretum.  A little pumpkin painting, apple eating, and scarecrow viewing.  Yup.  It is Fall. 

What's inspired you lately?

xo,

S

ps.  Also, the MOMA gift shop.  OMG.  Pax was obsessed with this umbrella (we seriously had to tear it from his death grip, kicking and screaming) and I might buy Raines a fish.  Strictly for this fish hotel.  You see?  Totally irresistible.

S Gets Crafty For Easter (Prepare to Be Jealous)

Mamas, it's all about the children.  I sacrifice and I sacrifice and I sacrifice for the children.  Those precious, precious children.

As proof-positive of said sacrifice and of my worth as a mother (do they not go hand-in-hand?), I give you this, my latest ridonkulous creation my masterpiece:

 

I've titled it:  "Smug Mummy's Easter Basket."

Do you not see the calligraphied "R"?  The "R" for Raines?  Such that on our Easter morn I can don a pastel hairbow and inquire of my precious boy, "Raines?  Can you find the R?  Can you find the R, Raines?"  And lots of rejoicing will follow all of this natural learning - even on Easter morning, Mamas.  We learn.  

Do you not see the glass?  It's non-toxic, even when heated.  And the organic soil?  And the real, growing grass?  Plastic?  Pshaw!!  Never would I let those tiny, gentle hands touch something so base as plastic.  And on Easter?  Horror.

Go ahead.  You can Pin it.  I know you want to.  

But in all seriousness Mamas, I SO wanted to have real Easter grass for Easter this year.  But when I concocted this idea in my "big stwrong brain" (as R would say) it looked more like this:

 

Ahhhh....now I see!  I'm just missing a bow.

Playing: Decorating Christmas Cookies Jackson Pollock Style

Ok - so the pics are from last year.  However, this is an annual tradition.  R just isn't old enough to realize / remember it yet.

We always start with my mom's sourdough cut-out cookie recipe.  She underbakes them a smidge, doesn't roll them quite as thin, and hasn't had to contend with a toddler measuring the flour...consequently, her's are much, much better.  As my husband points out.  Every year.

However, let's talk about decorating!  It turns out that when you give the little ones a teeeny tiny whisk (called an Egg Whisk, $2), a sized-for-their-hands basting brush (mine came from this set), then give them some vague, arm-waving instructions...

Thinking...

Tasting...

Creating...

So proud!

It breaks my heart how tiny he is here.  And how bald-ish.  And now (at least by the time you read this)...he's a big brother.  Crazy.

BTW - for the true Jackson Pollock fans, letting the colors dry in between applications results in a better splatter-paint effect.  Else, the colors blur together a bit. 

Happy Holidays!!

xo,

S

ps. This post is part of Childhood 101's Wee Play linkup!

Playing: Leaf Books (OMG - Did S Get Crafty??)

Yes.  Yes I did.  Long-time readers will remember that I made my son's Halloween costume last year...but IN DESPERATION.  It turned out OK, but I swore off the glue gun for good. 

(NOTE:  I did end up at Michael's again this year, with an armful of fabric thinking that I would again attempt to make a Halloween costume for R.  The fabric made it home, along with floral tape, more glue guns, and safety pins...but never moved from the dining room table.  Pregnancy hormones make me crazy in the head.)

So yes - Martha Stewart I am not.  But capable of making messes?  Oh yeah - big time.  Does my husband cringe when he calls home and I say, "We've started an art project!!"  Absolutely.  Do we ever create something usable?  Something that requires actual precision, skill or even nice handwriting?  Nope.  Never.

So I was very excited about this one. 

Listening: Best Lullaby CD Ever

Sure, music soothes even the most savage two-year-old human beast.  But for some of us, powering through a kids music CD is a cloying act of endurance, often precipitated by an already stressful meltdown situation.  Not so with Anya Jane & Friends’ Lullabies, a recent release of “old favorites and new gems,” beautifully rendered in acoustic guitar, requinto (a cute little guitar), mandolin, harmonica and piano, with amazing vocals that will leave both you and your tiny person breathing a sigh of relief.  

A soulful, toned-down rendition of the classic “Your Are My Sunshine” kicks off the perfect soundtrack for winding down after dinner and getting into the evening routine.  “Jamaican Farewell” follows in a mellow canter two songs in, then pretty much every soothing and reassuring thing you could ever say to your child is summed up in a miraculously un-saccharine “Everything is Gonna Be Alright” followed by a beautiful original instrumental, “Cowboy’s Lullaby.”  The CD wraps with one movement of Beethoven’s “Pathetique Sonata Op. 13,” and a traditional rendering of the classic “Tu Ra Loo Ra,” accompanied by harmonica and acoustic guitar.

Oh, and unlike most other lullaby CDs, Anya Jane & Friends’ Lullabies is suitable for listening all day long, any time you and your tiny people need to take a moment to chill.  I find it especially useful around hour 2-1/2 of any 3 hour drive, when it usually seems like everyone is about to lose their minds. 

Pick up your copy of Lullabies on the Music Train web site.  And if you’re in Denver, don’t forget to look into Anya’s kids music classes.  Anya is a dynamic, energetic teacher and great musician to boot.  Her classes are full of joy, dancing, ears-on fun and are easily the best kids music classes in town because they’re such a blast for moms and babes alike. 

Happy listening, mamas!
- M.

 

Playing: Inspirational Outside Art Ideas at Clementine Studio (for local gals) and Childhood 101

Last Friday, Raines and I met a friend (and her two little girls) at Boulder's Clementine Studio for some kiddo art classes.  Clementine Studio is a long-time favorite of mine (R and I are both addicted to their play-dough and other non-toxic art supplies), but their classes are truly inspirational.

The classes have "stations" set up all over the room - there might be glitter painting on one table, some kind of toddler-friendly sculpting at another, and typically involve the most creative use of supplies I've seen to date. 

But our very favorite part?  The outside.

Independence Building: Cheap and Easy (yet still cute) Montessori-Style Shelves for Toddlers

Several months ago, my husband and I attended a workshop about bringing Montessori methods into the home.  We went in not knowing a thing about Montessori...other than there seems to be quite a buzz about it among parents.  (Montessori or no? Are you Waldorf?  Play-based?)  

I'm the silly girl that still thought pre-school started at age 4.  Oops.

In any case, we learned a ton.  We learned enough to know that a Montessori preschool is probably not the place for our little guy...but we were both totally enamored with many of Montessori's independence building techniques, especially when implemented in the home.

My favorite tip?  To create a space, easily accessible to your toddler (think low shelves), that "beautifully" displays a small, not-overwhelming amount of his toys. THEN, get this, rotate the toys.  Which allows us to put away the vaast majority of crap toys into boxes out of sight (a necessity for a tiny space like ours), while still making the ones he's really into at the moment easily accessible. 

DIY: An Easy but Cool Outdoor Space for Toddlers (And Portable Enough for Apartment Dwellers)

M and I were recently interviewed by the Denver Post about how to keep the little ones entertained (but safe) at home.  You can read the full article here.  My contribution to the article centered on the transformation my balcony goes through each summer.

As many of you know, I live in the heart of Denver.  We live in a 2nd story condo, right off of a busy street, on an intersection that is the site of fairly serious accidents at least twice a year.  We have bums, I'm practically on a first-name basis with the 911 guys, and we live right across the street from an apartment building only known as "the crack house".  On the upside, you can find a liquor store merely by walking a couple of blocks in any direction, and porn 24 hours a day.  Sadly, most of the hookers have left.  

It's not what most people think of as an ideal environment for raising kids, but for us, it's home.  And one of the ways we've found to cope is by making the best of what outdoor space we do have: our balcony.

The trick to transform a balcony into a play space is that everything must be portable and easily washed.  One can't just hose everything off when it gets dirty.  And because the balcony sits right off the living room, I can't stand to get one of those plastic Fisher-Price sand and water tables -- I would end up poking my own eyes out, staring at that thing all day.  Not to mention that it's hard to store off-season.

So I've spent the last two years trying to find items that look cool, and are also portable, washable and store-able.  Lastly, I want to be able to quickly transform the space from a day-use play space, to a night-use dinner space.  Here's what I've found: