Re-Purpose your Train Table into a Craft Table

According to our backyard weather station, and the flurries in the sky, the temperature dropped to -2°C yesterday and last night, it was -12°C. Given our locale, snow on Halloween is practically a given, so at this point its safe to assume that snow could arrive and stick around at any given moment.

As much fun as snow can be, when the temperatures start to really drop, even the hardiest of kids (which my kids are not) can only tolerate playing outside for short periods of time and if we as parents want to avoid the trap of constant digital stimulation, we need to plan ahead.

For us, the first step was to take our basement that resembled a toy dumping ground and create a place that fostered play and imagination. It's definitely a work in progress, but I have been incredibly inspired by Tinkerlab: A Hands-On Guide for Little Inventors by Rachelle Doorley, which introduces the idea of creative invitations, how to create your Tinkerlab, supplies worth having on hand and breaks up activities into four broad categories: Design, Build, Concoct and Discover.

With Tinkerlab in hand, I was finally ready to create a crafting area in our home, but the first thing I needed was a table. I started by scouring the internet for table ideas and our local Facebook Bidding Site looking for something that could suit our needs for cheap, but eventually a critical look at our space made me realize we already HAD the perfect table.

Rather than looking for something new, I decided to re-purpose our train table that currently seemed to illicit more fights and frustration than joy as of late. I started by taking all things train and putting them in a bin with the hope that one day the boys would enjoy them again.

I then flipped over the two boards that make up the 'table' so that accidental spills will (hopefully) not affect the images on the train table. I carefully taped a thick, flock backed tablecloth onto the boards, taking the time to carefully fold the corners and tape them onto the bottom side. Because there are two boards, it takes some effort to get the tablecloth tight and the table flat, this is easier done without the help of children if at all possible.

In less than an hour, and for the cost of a tablecloth, our barely used train table become a craft table (or craft centre as my kindergartner calls it), that my boys came to love in a matter of days.

Organizing our crafty goodies into small containers, cups and drawers and deciding what the boys could have free access to, took significantly more time and is a post for another day.

How are you preparing for the cold weather?
How do you encourage art, creativity and free play?

The UMBRA Cuppa & Dash | Review

I love to create in the kitchen, specifically, I love to bake. There's just something so special about taking simple ingredients and transforming them into a mouthwatering and delectable treat. I learned very early on however, that in order to achieve such success, there were a few facts that could never be ignored.

Most importantly, baked goods require precision and careful measurement, so when Umbra offered to send me their new Cuppa and Dash measuring products to try out in my home, I jumped at the opportunity.

Umbra is known for making simple, stylistic and modern accessories and their new kitchen measuring tools absolutely fit the Umbra brand. Not only do these measuring tools look unique they are heat resistant, dishwasher safe and BPA free.

The Cuppa is a four piece measuring set, inspired by a classic coffee mug; if you have a kitchen that's not cluttered with sippy cups, the Cuppa would look amazing on display alongside your other mugs. If however, you never get an opportunity to bake without little helpers, there's no need to worry, Simba had tons of fun using the Cuppa to dole out our various gluten-free flours and he made no more mess than usual. 

The Cuppa is also be great for doling out snacks to little people; they don't look like they are for kids (which they love) but they provide a handle to minimize spills and size wise they hold the perfect amount for a little toddler to consume.

The Dash is a perfect compliment to the Cuppa. It's simple design means that one spoon can measure 1/4 tsp, 1/2 tsp, 1 tsp and 1 tbsp.  Since I perpetually lose things in my kitchen, the search for an adequately sized measuring spoon happens more frequently than I'd like to admit.

Although Bolt held steadfast to our old tablespoon (which he thinks is for stirring), I happily used Dash to make all the measurements for our baking without having to dive into the kitchen drawer where accessories go to die.

You can find the UMBRA Cuppa and Dash in stores and Online and you can connect with UMBRA on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Disclosure: I received free product in exchange for this review, however all opinions are my own.

Four Ways We're Surviving the Sleepytime Battle | My Sleepytime Routine

Although I hate to admit it,  for a long time  when it came to discussing bedtime, I was a teeny bit of a smug mom, but can you blame me, for a while, I had two kids that went to sleep on their own.  But, karma has kicked in, these days I have a negotiating,  manipulative four year old who is not against screaming and flailing to get his way.

Have you read the book 'Go the F**k to Sleep'?  In a nutshell, that's Bolt, except you can sprinkle in a bit of the ADHD power struggle to make things a little more fun.

We are doing all sorts of things to help my 4 year old manage his emotions and bedtime is no exception.

Since my boy loves the '4 because I'm FOUR' rule, here's four ways we're Surviving the Sleepytime Battle

1. Manage Expectations:
We started by identifying a consistent bedtime routine and developing a checklist to help our boy manage his expectations and prepare for bed. It also ensures that he moisturizes, takes his medications and brushes his teeth. This goes hand in hand with his calendar, which we review nightly; we use clip art magnets to illustrate what he's doing each day of the week.

Download a PDF copy of 'My Sleepytime Routine' here.

2. Help your child "calm his/her body":
Relaxation scripts are bountiful on the Internet, search for child friendly ones and try to find one that resonates with your child.  Bolt seems to like this Treehouse Relaxation Script and I hope it will eventually become a calming visualization for him.

3. Implement rhythmic white noise:
I ordered a noise machine and with the help of ocean waves, when he's tired and relaxed, Bolt seems to be settling into sleep in 10-15 minutes if I lay with him. Interesting fact, our psychologist tells us that rhythmic sounds change the way neurons fire in the brain and helps calm the body.

4. Go with the flow:
In the few weeks we've been following this routine, Bolt has been willing to do the relaxation script about 2/3 of the time. Some days he's eager to do his deep breaths on his own, others he isn't interested at all. It's his routine, he can skip steps if he wants, but he can't replace them with steps we've already done such as playing or reading. After 'calm my body' the only step left is sleepytime and that I'm firm about.

How do you survive the sleepytime battle?
Do you have a sleepytime routine?
Do you use white noise?

Momma's DIY Buckwheat Cold Pack Tutorial

Although they hated them for a long time, my kids love ice packs, especially Momma's DIY Buckwheat Cold Packs. If Mommy's kiss isn't quite enough to soothe their owie, Momma's cold pack almost always does the trick.

These were borne out of necessity; before our DIY cold packs it was almost impossible to get ice packs back from my children, which was bad on a number of levels.  First my kids were literally numbing their little hands, second, we could never find ice packs when the hubs and I needed them and  worse, lost or warm ice packs were not sufficient for little boy boo boo's.

I decided to make my own and partially because I had it on hand and partially because I thought the larger grain might not hold the cold as well, I used buckwheat as filler. Flax is also a good option I've used before (which can be heated in the microwave as well) but it has a lot more surface area and I think would stay cold for longer.

The buckwheat is perfect, it warms back to room temperature in 5-10 minutes depending on the size, at which point my kids tend to abandon it somewhere for me to rescue.

They are a super easy DIY that could be completed during naptime if you have a sewing machine. You can make these any size, or shape, you want and whatever scrap fabric you have available. I usually use quilting cotton and this tutorial uses a cute Batman flannel. It's the first time I've used flannel and my boys haven't complained it warms up faster, but its something you may want to consider in your fabric choice.

These are super quick and super easy, I'm sure you can do it.

DIY Buckwheat Cold Pack for Kids

1. Fold your scrap fabric, right sides together and cut out a square or rectangle. Then, keeping your fabric folded, pin around the three open sides.

2. Starting at the fold, sew up the side and turn the corner. Stop sewing and leave a 2 inch gap before you continue sewing around the corner down to the fold. Make sure you backstitch everytime you start and stop. Clip your corners and turn your cold pack right ways out. Use a chopstick to ensure your corners are pointed before you iron your cold pack flat.

3. Starting next to the gap, topstitch all the way around the edge, stopping at the other side of the space.

4. Use a spoon to fill your coldpack no more than 2/3 full with the buckwheat groats. Push the buckwheat to the bottom and place pins horizontally to keep it from shifting while you are sewing. 

5. Topstitch the gap shut, making sure you backstitch at both ends. Then throw it in the freezer and wait until its needed. Maybe next time Mommy's kisses don't work, Momma's DIY Cold Pack will.

Gummy Vitamins? Yes Please.

Brothers: An unrelated but oh-so-cute photo!
They are holding hands!

Back in November, Bolt got invited to his very first playdate. Let me explain, this is not the first time he's been on a playdate, it was the first time the playdate was arranged at the request of the children rather than the parents.

In fact before we arrived, I was feeling just a little bit anxious about spending time with an unknown woman who could quite possibly have parenting and lifestyle philosophies that differed greatly from my own. But my boy, who doesn't always make friends that easily, had been invited over to play and there was no way we were passing up on an opportunity for him to develop his budding little relationship.

I need not have worried however, us Mom's got along great and in no time flat we were tlking about naturopathic medicine and the vitamin regime Bolt's friend was currently on. Although not prone to catching every single cold like Bolt, her cold's were always accompanied by a five day fever. When she started taking a suite of children's vitamins however, the duration of her fever began to diminish.

In a second I was sold; ever cautious of the supplements I chose, I headed out to my local Choices and bought a plethora of Children's vitamins including: Multi-vitamins, probiotics, omega 3's, calcium, greens, immune boosters and cold guard.

I am well aware that both gummy and chewable vitamins can be dangerous for kids because they don't understand that it they are medicine and not candy, so as parents we have to ensure we keep these products well out of our children's reach. That said, it also means that vitamins, particularly gummy vitamins, can be particularly effective as a bribe.

On one particularly cranky day, Bolt was refusing to eat dinner, not because he wasn't hungry, but because he's 3.5 and wanted to assert his willpower. Simba on the other hand had devoured his dinner and was waiting (not so patiently) for his vitamins.

Almost like magic, when I pulled the vitamins off the shelf and began handing Simba his meagre share, I simply told Bolt that for every three bites of his dinner he could have one vitamin. He finished his dinner and his vitamins in about five minutes flat.

I know that food is the best source of nutrients and that ideally we shouldn't need to supplement our children.  I also know that a month after starting this vitamin regime, Bolt fought off a cold for a good three days before he succumbed. Two weeks later he lasted almost a week and the cold lasted only two days. A month into his vitamins he completely fought off a cold.

I give my boys a ton of gummy and/or chewable vitamins each and every day; they love eating them and when combined with the nutritious home-made foods we eat the majority of the time, I am confident that we are giving their bodies the best chance possible to grow up strong and healthy.

Do you give your kids multi-vitamins and/or other supplements?
I'd love to hear your rationale.