A Minion Birthday

Happy Birthday to my little minion who turned 3!

POST BY MOMMY OLIVIA

Beaded Candy Canes

This idea came from a post I saw on Pinterest. Such a cute idea! You can either tie a ribbon to the top to make ornaments, or use them as little name tags to wrap up a present!

What you will need: 
Red and white beads (dollar tree)
red and green or white pipe cleaners (dollar tree)

Fold the pipe cleaner in half and wrap it around so it makes a sturdy line (this will keep the candy cane form and not flop around). Then fold or not one end and start piling the beaded on the other, leave about 1/2 and inch from the top free of beads so you can tie up the other end. Then form the candy came shape..that's all! It's a great craft for toddlers!

Science Experiments with CANDY!!!

As a parent myself I winder every year, what are we going to do with all of the Halloween candy!!! Noah has been bouncing off the walls for a week now... I think it's time to get rid of the stash. So browsing online I found some cool science experiments to try with toddlers! As it turns out at that very moment Noah was consuming yet another pack of M&M's, so I figured let's give this one a try and stop him from eating!

What you will need:
- cup
- water
- M&M's

All you do is put the M&M's in water- not only do the color come off and make the water beautiful, but the cool thing is the "M" will come completely off the M&M, like a tattoo, you can put it on your finger, or if you leave it long enough the "M" will come off and just float around in the water... it's actually pretty cool!

See how the "M" came right off????? PRETTY COOL!!!!

You can check out other fun experiments with candy HERE.

POST BY MOMMY OLIVIA

Toddler Toys That Get Played With

If you are like me, then your kids play room (or bedroom, living room, bathroom, kitchen) are all filled with random stray toys that just show up. The kids play with them for a few minutes (if that) then toss them and find something else to destroy play with .

I really did not realize how many toys these children of mine have until we moved into our new house. Boxes of them! Everywhere! Now the playroom is more of a hording room of toys strewn about than a room they actually play in!

Over the last years there are a few toys that stand out with my kids. Always enjoyed when played with and actually play with them over and over again.

Play Dough
I love to hate this stuff. My kids play and play with it and want to almost every day but me on the other hand, I cannot stand the feeling of it on my hands. I do not know anyone else who thinks that their hands feel gross while playing with it. 
The kids enjoy playing with mini dinos in it. Stamping the little feet into the dough and making foot prints. Cookie cutters are also a fun way we like to play. Rolling the dough is Logan's favourite part a while cutting shapes is Amelia's. I like to make play dough for the kids sometime just to mix it up a little. A super easy way is just to mix lotion with flour. It makes a pizza dough type dough that is stretchy.

Hot Wheels and Toy Trucks
I think you can never have enough Hot Wheels cars! They are so fun for the kids to play with in so many ways. A few things that we have done with them are car washes in the sink, ramps and slides made from cardboard and books, tunnels with toilet paper and paper towel rolls, parking garage with a box and markers, races to see which car goes father. So many ways, its incredible. You just have to use your imagination and the ways are endless.

Mega Blocks
Oh how Logan loves to build his towers! And oh how Amelia likes to knock them down. Logan could play for a long time with these. My husband has joked that since he loves them so much, maybe he will become an architect! That would be great! Making tunnels with these blocks and driving cars in them is also quite fun for the kids.

Dinosaurs
This my just be because of me and my love of dinos but my kids love to play with them. Its is also an educational game for the kids. Even if you do not know your dinos you can teach them about how some ate meat as carnivores and some here herbivores who only ate plants and trees. Logan loves the stegosaurus and his big 'pates' (plates) that were used as armor. Amelia is a raptor fan who likes to make it bite the other dinosaurs... a little scared there but proud she knows hes a meat eater!!

Pretend Play Kitchen Items.
Making soups and serving tea is also a fun activity for the kids. Pretend food, plastic plates, cutlery, and tea set can let them learn skills for later in life. As well as let them learn the love of cooking at an early age. Amelia received a Minnie Mouse tea set from Aunt Jules for her birthday this year, which she absolutely adores! She sets it all up and serves tea to us all as well as her stuffed bunny! 

Wooden Train Set 
This is one toy that is a Logan only toy. Amelia doesn't care much for playing trains. Logan loves building tracks all around his room and chugging his trains along them. The bridge is his most favourite part! This can be an expensive toy to buy new. Thankfully, I struck gold at a garage sale this summer where I picked up an entire full piece for only $4!

The Kitchen Sink
This is something that my kids LOVE to do. Fill up the kitchen sink with water and soap and play with anything they can put in there. Cups, spoons, plastic toys, bowls, bath toys, pretty much anything. Pouring water is apparently the most wonderful thing to do. I on the other hand enjoy how much they love it but I do not like having to clean up the spilled ocean of water on the counter and floor as well as the fight from telling them its no longer time to play in the sink.

Honorable Mentions

Stuffed Animals.
Many parents that I know do not like when their kids receive stuffed animals as gifts because they pile up in no time flat! I know that we have so many too but my kids have a certain few that they sleep with every night and a few more that are played with quite often.


Baby Dolls.
I let BOTH my kids play with baby dolls. I think it is fine for a boy as much as a girl to play with them. It promotes nurturing and love. There is no reason a boy should not be allowed to play daddy!


Ninja Turtles.
Another item here that has probably been installed in them by mommy and daddys love for ninja turtles! The kids love playing with them alone as well as with mommy and daddy. Especially in the turtle van from the 1980s

Does your child have a favourite toy that I have listed here? Why do they like to play with it?

What other toys are replay value with your children? Let us know in the comments!

By Mommy Melissa

Pinterest Challenge: Make Your Own Paint

So this picture has been floating around Pinterest and Facebook, so I figure, I have a toddler why not give it a try! We had all the ingredients already at home, and it is a cheap way for the fun to last.

I made it exactly the way the recipe says above and it was way to thick, I had to almost double the water. It looked like paint, so we gave it a try on some paper. For the most part the paint did what it was suppose, make pretty colors on the paper, but afterwards once the paint dried it was easy to peel off and started crumbling. I had to throw his paintings away. It's fun for toddlers who just want to paint in the moment and don't really care about the result.

Do you have another paint recipe we can try? 

POST BY MOMMY OLIVIA

Easter Crafting

I am always looking for new crafting ideas for me an Noah to do together. Nothing beats the gorgeous artwork that covers my fridge. So of course with the beautiful Easter holiday coming up, why not do something that's fun and colourful to capture the essence of spring?

We would love to see your Easter ideas! Visit our facebook page and post! :)

POST BY MOMMY OLIVIA

Fun with Felt Boards

Noah got a felt board last Christmas, and I completely forgot about it until now, we came up with some fun activities and now he loves it, he asks me to play with the felt board all day and of course I don't mind because he's learning and it's quiet!





Your toddler can also make pictures with the different shapes and figures, you can see he has a Cat in the Hat felt board, which I got from Michaels, he has tons of Dr.Seuss books, so it's great to make a story come to life with the felt board. There are also so many great websites to make your own felt figures as well, you can make a sun, clouds, rain, so your toddler can explore and identify the weather everyday or even make people so he can create his own pictures. Felt boards are definitely a great inspiration and learning tool.

What sort of activities do you do with felt boards?

POST BY MOMMY OLIVIA

Fine Motor Skill Learning with Cheerios

Important skills for toddlers to learn are fine motor skills. It helps them with every day tasks as well as keeps their little minds learning. 

A fun idea for them is this cute and simple pipe cleaner and Cheerios craft. 

All you need is a pipe cleaner and a small plastic bowl full of Cheerios. 

Stale Cheerios all you have on hand? Perfect! This lets you use up them and not have to throw them away! 

All you have to do is give your child a bowl of Cheerios and the pipe cleaner.

Then show them how to put the pipe cleaner throw the hole of the Cheerio then let them try their hand at it themselves. 

Make sure that you encourage them to keep trying if they don't get the hang of it right away.

If they choose to snack on a few along the way, its not even a worry.

Logan was having a hard time with a full sized pipe cleaner as he wanted to hold it at the bottom. When he tried to thread the Cheerio, the pipe cleaner would bend. 

This was solved easily by cutting it in half. The half sized pipe cleaner worked even better for his little hands.

                            

What are some other easy Fine Motor Skill ideas you know that use simple items? 

By Mommy Melissa

Potty Training

When it comes that time in a toddlers life where they need to start using the potty it can be stressful and frustrating. One thing to remember: BE PATIENT. It will not be easy, all parents go through it, the accidents, the refusal, the "attitude" eventually your toddler will get the hang of it- it just might be a long ride.

A common question is, Is my toddler ready? There are signs, but just because there are signs it does not mean that it will be easy. According to Noah's pediatrician your toddler could be ready at the early age of 18 months- with Noah this was not the case. Remember every child is different, some may take longer than others- especially boys! So hang in there mom!

Signs when you toddler is ready:

- Has dry periods of at least 2 hours
- Your child is independent
- Your child is walking
- You can communicate with you child
- Your child does not like the feeling of being in a dirty diaper
- Your child can follow simple instructions
- Has words for "pee and poo"

The first thing is obviously the potty, there are two types, a little potty and one that can go over the toilet, take your toddler to the store so he can pick one out and understand what it's for. You can get him ready by showing him videos, a great on is Potty Time with Elmo. It teaches your child the importance of the potty and why we must all learn. The potty can be intimidating at first, so don't get frustrated, your child is probably scared at first, so it's important to make the experience fun- sing songs, play a little video on you phone while they sit, reward them with a sticker or a candy- even if they don't go- just trying deserves something too!

Buy at least five pairs of little underwear to wear (you can buy small ones in the baby section at Wal-Mart), make a commitment to only put your toddler in a diaper for naptime or sleeping through the night- once they wakeup, it's back to the underwear. This will make it really uncomfortable when they do have an accident and want to use the potty.

When I first started potty training Noah, he would just cry and refused to go on the potty. I came to the conclusion he was just not ready. So a few months later we tried again- and got more success! It's important to stay home at least 3 days in a row- don't leave the house. You could also by a timer and use the potty every half hour, this does get exhausting, don't worry you will get a break during naptime.

I am still working on potty training Noah, but he is hard to communicate with. It's up to your toddler, but you have to be persistent and don't give up! Good Luck!!!

POST BY MOMMY OLIVIA

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

My kids have been on a muffin craze the last few weeks. They love to eat foods they can pick up and without forks or spoons involved. I guess it faster to get the food into their mouths and floor, chew, swallow, then get back to causing havoc!! They are good at that. 

This yummy recipe was a shared link on Facebook that popped up one day on my news feed. It looked too good to pass and I just had to try and make them myself. 

The mix of sweet strawberry and the spice from the cinnamon are the perfect match to an afternoon tea. 

Right out of the oven!

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2 cups of flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries

3 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and mix well.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to butter mixture. Add vanilla. Gently stir in strawberries.

Spoon batter into muffin pans.

Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over muffins.

Bake at 375º for 20-25 minutes.

Makes one dozen muffins.

Do you have a good muffin tin recipe you would like to share? Let us know on Facebook and it can be featured on our blog!

By Mommy Melissa

Macaroni Bracelets!

Noah loves to do crafts, I will say this time and time again and I hope that never changes because I love doing them just as much as he does! However, as the mommy it's my job to come up with new and exciting crafts to try, this one is one of my favs, it's so easy and really teaches the toddler hand-eye coordination. You don't just have to do bracelets, you can do necklaces as well! You can also use any type of pasta you like, as long as there's a hole through it! We used ditali pasta which to me resembles the most to beads.

What you will need:
- Ditali pasta
- Hemp string (any colour)

You can get hemp string from the dollar store, I like using this because it's sturdy and thicker than normal string, it's a lot easier for a toddler to put the macaroni through.

So all you have to do it triple knot one end and let you toddler put the pasta through, you will be surprised on how well coordinated they are! Once the beads are through triple knot the other end so they stay- depending on how big your pasta is will depend how big the knot will be. There you have it! Little masterpieces!

POST BY MOMMY OLIVIA

The Snow Days

We have been getting an excessive amount of snow this year, I mean we usually get a lot, but this has been ridiculous! and all that snow mixed with the -30 temperatures does not make for a pleasant day building snowmen, sledding or having snowballs fights. We occasionally get a day where it's only -1 outside, so of course we must soak up the "sun" as us Canadians do- and make a day of fun with hot chocolate and marshmallows of course!

Noah has had an odd obsession with frosty this year, he is so emotionally attached that when we are watching the movie he actually makes me turn it off right before Frosty melts, he says "no mama" and puts his hands around his eyes. It's the sweetest thing. So you must realize my excitement for his very first session of snowman building- a very big milestone in a toddlers life! Finally, a warmish day came while the snow is still here, so we ran outside to build Noah's very first Frosty.

Don't forget to bundle up!

POST BY MOMMY OLIVIA