Art For Small

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Art For Small

It's that birthday time of year again in our house. Wylie turns three in about a week and we are having his party this weekend.  This year we're taking a trip to the wildlife museum, then heading back to our house for the old standby of pizza and cake. I'm sprucing up the house with some animal themed decor.  I made him a special string art lion to go over the piano.  See how I did it with the picture tutorial below. I'm happy to report he's finally on the mend after two weeks of the ickies.  Happy Birthday little guy... 

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Kale Chips

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Kale Chips

So that little garden we planted a couple of months ago has been fruitful. I have more lettuce than I know what to do with, the strawberries are growing like weeds, and the Dinosaur kale that I was worried we were planting too late is ready to harvest! Kale is one of those vegetables that can be a real turn-off for kids.  Kale is green and leafy, and not so sweet, but it's oh-so-good for you, with a ton of vitamin C and vitamin K, and a decent dose of calcium.  Since Jasper can't get his calcium from dairy products, I try to make sure he eats plenty of these dark green leafy vegetables. There are a few ways to make kale chips, and I've tried them all.  Here's my success recipe, which involves baking kale tossed in olive oil at a lower temperature to dehydrate it, without scorching the leaves. This makes for a nutty, crispy snack, and with a little sea salt (or truffle salt if you live in my house) the kids not only eat it, they like it! For a more grown-up version, toss with a little hot chili oil, or lemon juice before baking.

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Training Day

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Training Day

I can be a very lazy parent, the second time around.  I had Jasper potty trained by his third birthday, and you'd think if you've done it once it would be easier when it came time to do it again. This would require some commitment and and willingness to adapt on my part. It turns out, my kids are motivated by different things.  Jasper is competitive. He's one of those people that waits until he's pretty darn positive he'll succeed at something, then just does it perfectly from there on out. He just stopped peeing his pants on his birthday. Wylie wants to know what's it for him. He's in no rush to be diaper-free. I was thinking of using candy to motivate him into the potty routine (he's proven he knows how to use one, and he loves candy), but then my friend Jen suggested something genius.  Go to the dollar store or The One Spot at Target and buy a bunch of cheap little presents.  Wrap them up and put them in a basket.  Then tell your little potty- trainer that every time they take the initiative and use the toilet they get to open a present.  The basket of presents is supposedly so enticing they have a new-found motivation to succeed. Sure, it's bribery, but I'm pretty sure the good (no more diapers) outweighs the bad.  I have two more weeks until he's three, so I'm giving it a shot, and I'll keep you posted. Here's what I got him...

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Sick Day

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Sick Day

My littlest jedi is pretty sick. I was up a lot last night managing his fever and keeping him happy. Look for a special DIY weekend post.  In the meantime, here's a great resource for kids DIY. The Crafty Crow is an amazing site featuring well-designed projects from around the interwebs. They are organized by theme, age appropriateness, and material, so you are likely to find something new and different using things you already have lying around.  Hope you like it too! 

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