Santa's Elf - Our Christmas Tradition

I love Christmas and the holiday season in its entirety. Now that I have children the magic and the excitement of believing is overwhelming. At 3 years old Sophie is in awe of the beauty and miraculous happenings that come with the season.

I get a certain tingly feeling everytime Sophie's eyes light up in amazement. So for my own indulgent reasons I decided to begin a new Christmas tradition to ensure that those bright eyes would grace our home every single day without fail. I am an avid Pinterest pinner and have come across several pins about the Elf on the Shelf. One can purchase the whole kit and caboodle somewhere, but instead of spending money I decided to adopt the general idea and run with it.

I started by purchasing this little figurine from my local dollar store for $1.50. 

With the addition of some craft felt, hot glue, a couple of gems, and my handy sewing machine the little diva was transformed into Trixie, one of Santa's elves from the North Pole.

The Story

On the night of November 30th this sparkly gold package arrived on our front step.

Attached to it was a very important letter to Sophie from Santa Claus.

Dear Sophie,

It was very nice seeing you at the Zoo Lights on Monday and I’ll see if I can put a Spiderman under the tree for you this year. You’re getting so big. That’s why I’ve sent this special gift for you. In this box is someone very important and I would like you to take good care of her.

Her name is Trixie. She is one of my elves. She will need to stay with you until Christmas Day. I am counting on you to look after her. Trixie has a job to do while she’s staying with you too. When you go to bed each night she will come back to the North Pole and tell me how good you’ve been. When you wake up in the morning Trixie will be back at your house.

Trixie, like all elves, can be a bit mischievous. When you find her in the morning she might be doing something silly. I hope she doesn’t cause too much trouble for you.

Remember to be a good girl and take care of Trixie for me.

Love Santa 

As you can see, it was love at first sight. Unlike the original Elf on the Shelf, Trixie doesn't lose her magic when someone touches her so Sophie is free to play with our little visitor to her hearts content.

And without fail each and every morning Trixie is up to something silly and Sophie's eyes light up in amazement every time.

A snack with a new friend.

An early breakfast.

Kisses from the salt & pepper Claus's.

A pony ride.

Stocking acrobatics.

A drawing for Sophie.

Story time with the fairies.

I'll post more pictures of Trixie's antics as the days go by and Christmas approaches.

Making the Most of Your Mat Leave

As my year of maternity leave comes to a close and Willow's first birthday approaches I find myself reflecting on the events of the past year.

I've accomplished everything and much more than I ever expected. Endless fun with my girls, an updated home, a new blog, a conquered reading list and incredible family time. With this particular post I offer myself reflection and other new mom's inspiration. So in my humble opinion these few things are key to making the most of your mat leave.
 

Sleep and Routines

Don't Underestimate the Importance of Sleep

Babies sleep a lot. Don't be fooled into thinking that you need to keep your baby or toddler awake all day so they sleep longer at night. In fact, more sleep during the day means more sleep at night. Over tiredness can lead to restlessness and interrupted sleep.

Young babies need 11 or 12 hours of sleep at night plus 5 or 6 hours of daytime sleep. Naps should carry on until age 3 or 4. Now I am no expert, but Kitty Raymond is and I fully embrace and endorse her workshops on sleep. As far as I'm concerned without Kitty I wouldn't be the best mom I could be.

Routine, routine, routine

Yes, three times was necessary. Routine is not just for school age children, it's for everybody, babies included. Once again, I attribute my success in this department to Kitty Raymond Parenting, where I learned that babies thrive off of routine. My girls sleep 12 hrs through the night, nap for 1.5 - 3 hr stretches during the day, eat 3 square meals a day and 1 or 2 small snacks, play well together, play independently and are so very happy. And let me tell you happy children make happy parents.

The basic principle of routines for children is Eat, Play, Sleep. And then, you do it all over again. This simple routine was started with our youngest daughter when she was just a couple of weeks old.

To Clean or Not to Clean

A Messy Home is a Fun Home

Don't get me wrong, I love a clean house and so do my children. However, it is sometimes necessary to ignore the untidyness, step outside and enjoy the day. If you focus too much on a spotless home when you're raising young children you'll quickly find that cleaning and tidying is an all consuming and never-ending task.

Naptime is Your Time

Don't make the mistake of using nap time for cooking, cleaning and other chores. Before you know it you're children will be up, ready to play and you'll be exhausted. Plan for 30 minutes of chores and an hour of time doing something you enjoy (reading, crafting, taking a nap, write a blog post, etc). When you're children wake up you'll feel ready to embrace motherhood once again.

Independent Play = Chore Time

After reading that nap time is not for chores you may be wondering when they get tackled. Children need to be given the opportunity for independent play from an early age. Although parent involvement in play is very important it doesn't need to be and shouldn't be all of the time. Set your child up with an age appropriate activity that can be supervised from a short distance away, leaving you with an opportunity to wash dishes, fold laundry, sweep floors or other chores. Independent play will also build confidence in your child.

Create Helpful Children

Tidying isn't just for the parents. Encourage children to tidy up their toys when switching to a new activity or before nap time. Children will learn responsibility and you'll be able to focus on other household tasks and time for yourself when nap time eventually comes along. Simple storage solutions like baskets will make tidying a cinch for young ones.

Live Your Life

Be Social

Adult interaction doesn't have to go by the wayside when raising little ones. Maintain relationships or create them with other mom's or dad's in your neighbourhood. Set up play dates where children can safely play alongside each other and parents can socialize.

Do What You Love

There's no need to eliminate your pre-baby activities from your life. You'll be much happier and avoid resentment if you take steps to involve your children in your favourite activities. As they grow older they may just learn to love them as much as you.

And there you have it. In a nutshell that is how I enjoyed every moment of maternity leave and how I will continue to enjoy every moment with my children as they learn and grow.

Review: Kandoo Foaming Handsoap

Review: Kandoo Handsoap for Kids

After a 5 minute rant on the phone my brother convinced me to write a blog post about Kandoo foaming handsoap for kids. This may be the beginning of a new relationship between myself and my blog. Lucky or unlucky for Kandoo, it is the first “victim” in my review series.

Parents in the potty training stages of parenthood are well aware that things get messy; very messy. So any little gimmick out there that can ease the pain of this particular life challenge is appealing. This is why I got suckered in to buying the Kandoo soap.

I made the silly assumption that Kandoo meant “can do,” nope this is a definite “can’t do” for my toddler.

Cons


Difficult to pump. My toddler has not once been able to press down on the pump to achieve the goal of having foam come out. Instead the liquid just dribbles out all over the sink and rarely does it end up on her hands.

Purple is messy. If you were imagining white or clear liquid dribbling all over the sink well that doesn’t seem so bad. The next problem is the soap is bright purple. Thus, now the sink is bright purple; and the faucet; and the floor; and the cream coloured hand towels!

Scary image, I know! Epic horror film music is playing in my head as I look at this nightmarish photo.

Pros


Washable. Fear not, Kandoo's claim that it washes out and doesn't stain is absolutely true. However, unless you want guests to walk into a horror scene like the one above you'd best plan on cleaning your bathroom every time your little one finishes washing up.


My Conclusion:


Kandoo does not live up to its name. Parents purchasing this product are likely doing so in order to allow their child some independence and to free up some of their own time. The difficulty of use leads to an incredible mess, which altogether defeats the purpose of purchasing this product. Expecting 1 extra minute of independence for a toddler, parents will be disappointed with an additional 5 minute clean up and more laundry to do.

Don't be fooled, the smug look this soap pump has is not because it's proud of its usefulness. It is laughing in your face as you wipe up the purple disaster that is now your bathroom.

Laundry Room Facelift

Laundry Room on its own isn’t really an accurate description of what this space is, which is why it was so out of hand in the first place. This teeny little space is, in fact, our Laundry Room, Mud Room, Cat Cave, Garage Go Between, Cleaning Supply Storage and now Craft Storage room. That is a great deal of responsibility in and of itself, but add to the mix that this little room is also shared with the tenants that we have living in our basement suite. Yikes.

I did my best to ignore this room as much as possible, but the truth is with two kids in the house we I do a lot of laundry and this room was not sending out the right vibes for cleanliness. Facelift time!

Here's what I did:

Gutted, cleaned and painted.

Converted an old sofa cushion into a smaller bench cushion for our cat Oliver.

Organized and stored all of the painting supplies in the closet, which made room for my smart looking Formula Can Craft Supply Containers.

Sewed a curtain to hide all of the laundry paraphernalia. I kept it simple by using grommets and hanging it on a shower curtain tension rod.

And added a couple of little decor items to make me smile. You'll see how I made this clothespin wreath if you read my next Make It Monday post.

Off to do some laundry!

Nope, still not excited about it, but at least it's clean and organized in there.

Baby: The Opportunivore

Opportunivore - noun

An animal that eats or attempts to eat anything and everything within reach.

Of close relation to the omnivore, the opportunivore differs in its obvious lack of limitations when choosing an object to consume. While the omnivore easily identifies and consumes only edible plant and animal products, the opportunivore adheres to no such constraints. 

Opportunivore's have been known to attempt consumption of objects including but not limited to...

Plastic food,

toy balls too large for its mouth,

blocks of any colour or shape,

and even its own shoes.

Although the opportunivore thoroughly enjoys the hunt for these obviously non-edible objects,

it is always appreciative of a little helping hand.

Caution: When in the vicinity of an opportunivore always keep close eye on on the proximity of its mouth. The opportunivore will often attempt consumption of anything and everything near its mouth (ie. a playground swing).

Although the opportunivore will consume edible plant and animal products it has an equal appreciation for things that are not edible (ie. eating utensils).

The opportunivore has adopted the age old adage "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again"

You have been warned. Please take proper precautions when approaching the opportunivore.

Surviving the Grocery Store

I will be the first to admit that I am a grocery store snob. In particular, I have a serious aversion to the Superstore shopping experience.

Where are the olives?

I can never seem to find what I need. Admittedly this is most likely because I rarely shop there so I haven’t gotten used to the set up. But the enormous aisles are a bit ridiculous. I mean really have you ever tried to find pickled olives, anchovies or plum sauce? Good luck!

Panic at the checkout.

I always seem to get stuck in front of some impatient Superstore veteran who sends me evil glares as I frantically untangle my bags while piles of groceries come hurtling down the belt towards me. The evil glares are double if my obvious incompetence at pushing the darn conveyor belt button begins to impede the progress of the cashier. Unfortunately my apologetic looks never seem to quell their clear disgust at my ineptitude.

And these are solo trips, no children in tow because I am smarter than that.

You may be wondering why I bother going to Superstore considering my obvious dislike. Well two reasons.

Joe Fresh clothing for kids.

It is stylish and affordable. And it’s not plastered with pictures of the latest and greatest cartoon characters.

Two words: General Tao.

I can’t get enough of PC General Tao Chicken Chips. If you haven’t tried them you may not want to because they will change your chip eating experience.

So, after several attempts at grocery shopping at Superstore, my trips are now specifically to purchase Joe Fresh clothing when the occasion calls for it, with a quick side trip down the potato chip aisle to grab a couple bags of General Tao’s. And my neighbourhood Sobey’s will be my go to not just for convenience, but for self-preservation.

I love my neighbourhood Sobey’s.

They often give me a hand out to my car without even asking if I need assistance.

This is particularly wonderful, because I’m one of those able-bodied folks that would respond with “No thanks, I can manage,” even as my toddler is throwing all of the credit cards out of my wallet and my baby is mashing gummed up rice crackers into anything that is within reach.

They have shopping carts that fit two children.

Maybe I’m spoiled, but I just can’t fathom how parents with two kids under age 3 manage without a double seated shopping cart. Sure, you could put the older child in the large compartment of the cart, but with a full load of groceries, including produce and bakery products, that is a disaster waiting to happen. Albeit probably better than the inevitable destruction that would surely result from a toddler running rampant down the aisles.

 So, to you parents who must brave the insanity of grocery shopping with little kids, I say best of luck!

Ignorant Parents Deserve Atomic Wedgies

Prepare for a rant…

I think parents and non-parents would agree that sometimes it is tempting to scream “Control your child!!!” – Obviously directed at the ignorant parent chatting up a storm with some other ignorant parent while their child maliciously attacks other children at a preschool style playground with a weapon of mass destruction.

I wish I were exaggerating, but such was the scene yesterday afternoon at the playground by my house. Okay, maybe the mass destruction part was an exaggeration, but just slightly. I would have taken photographic evidence to put here, but I was too busy trying to protect my children from what would certainly have been their sudden demise a serious injury. I mean what parent in their right mind sends a 4 year old boy into a playground full of other preschoolers with a large, heavy plastic sword!?! And sits idly by while said 4 year old wields it above his head, swings it wildly and swiftly whacks every innocent bystander in the gut.

I quickly collected my girls and removed them from the obviously dangerous situation until the terrorizing 4 year old left the playground. However, as is probably not surprising given that I am still ranting about this a day later, I regret my certain inaction in the situation. Unfortunately, I am an avoider and hate confrontation. Here is how my inner devil wishes I had handled the situation:

I quickly divest the 4 year old hooligan of his weapon, pick him up and deposit him in the baby swing, where is now effectively inhibited and his reign of terror ceases. I march over to the ignorant parent and call her out while waving the plastic sword in my hand. She stands up and I give her the biggest atomic wedgie that has ever been performed on a human being (thanks to her enormous granny panties), and then I whack her in the gut with the plastic sword and politely suggest that she collect her little hooligan and be sure to never return to my kingdom this playground again. The crowd cheers as I stand atop the playground slide with the sword held high above my head shouting "Freedom!"

Sigh… that feels better.

Fatherly Love

This picture is worth much more than a thousand words. So I'll follow it with just a few more.

The relationship that fathers have with their daughters is one that amazes and inspires. 

It's been nearly 10 years since my Dad departed this world far too early, but the memories I have of the wonderful times we shared together will always be with me.

For Jonas and I, we are still in the early stages of creating beautiful memories with our two little girls. And I know that Sophie and Willow will continue to love, respect, admire and adore their Dad, just as I did, and still do, mine.

Jonas is a special kind of father. He carries with him that non-nonchalant attitude that says "If you don't mind, then I don't mind" when it comes to brushing aside the little things, like shoes on the wrong feet, wildly uncontrollable hair with bits of crusted food in it, mismatched clothes, muddy pants, and so forth. 

But when it comes to the important stuff he's right there to be an everyday hero. Kissing bumps and bruises, cheering on even the littlest of achievements, and most importantly creating opportunities for learning and growth...

Patience, opportunity and building confidence = One proud little girl.

Pulling the sled with just a little helping hand.

While things in life might go a little quicker and smoother if you just put the little one in a sled or stroller on those long walks, the opportunity to test limits, try new things, fall, get up, and fall again builds an immeasurable amount of self-respect, confidence, and determination in children. This, Jonas knows and it just comes naturally.

I'm grateful everyday for the amazing husband and father that we have in our lives and I know Sophie and Willow are too.

One day last week, Sophie and I were heading out the door to pick up groceries, and after carefully making our way down the slippery front steps Sophie stopped in her tracks and exclaimed “Oh, I need to give Daddy a hug and a kiss!” I didn’t even pause at the obvious impracticality of it, being that we’d only be gone for half an hour; I just turned around and helped her up the steps and back into the house so she could give her Daddy a big hug and kiss before we ventured out for our short shopping trip. Yes, this little girl is just as grateful as I am. And so is this one...

She just doesn't have the words yet.

A Better Parent: Thank You Playdoh

Most people are aware that I have a bit of a Type A personality, in that I can occasionally be anal retentive. Yes I fully admit it and in the past I thought that this was a completely positive trait to have; a place for everything, everything in its place and so on. If you’ve read some of my previous blog posts (ie. Organization = Sanity) this bit of information won’t surprise you. Raising a toddler I have come to the realization that imposing my anal retentive behaviors onto my children is likely to set them back and prevent them from having the experiences that they must in order to learn and grow.

For Christmas, Sophie got a wonderful Playdoh set from her Uncle Chris. I added it to her wish list thinking it would be a lot of fun for her. Then once I saw it in physical form I immediately had these horrible images of yellow, green, and pink Playdoh mashed together in a mess of marbled colours. I so desperately wanted the colours to remain separate, but knew that left to her own devices Sophie would surely mix them all together. This is why the dough set remained hidden for 3 solid weeks after Christmas while I built up my courage to bring it out.

Against my better judgement about giving Sophie an opportunity to be creative, I finally opened one colour of Playdoh for her to play with. Little did I know that colour mixing would not be my only stressor…

This wonderful Playdoh set came with a whole mass of shape making tools and even a hair making station. On that first day Sophie thoroughly enjoyed cutting the hair that squished through the little holes. Then she decided she wanted a different colour. Terrible mother that I am I insisted we clean up the first colour and put it back in its container, safe from contamination. Luckily Jonas was around to enjoy the Playdoh fun with Sophie while I mercilessly attempted to get the previous colour of dough out of the hairdo guy. I now know that this is an impossible task. 

Fortunately for both Sophie and I, one afternoon I stumbled across a website dedicated to Preschool projects and activities, which clearly emphasized that young children must be given the opportunity to be messy, mix things together, and be wildly creative with toys and crafts. Needless to say, now when Sophie asks to play with Playdoh, I open every single dough container she wants and let her play to hearts content. We build white snowmen with orange carrot noses, pink hats, brown buttons, green scarves and I no longer stress over that silly hairdo guy. This doesn’t mean I don’t try my hardest to pull the mixed colours apart once she’s finished. For my own sanity I feel there must be some attempt made to put things back in order, but the white Playdoh is definitely not white anymore.

I’m still building up my courage to open up the finger paints she got for Christmas from my Mom. Every time I look at those bottles of paint a knot forms in my throat and I have images of carnage throughout my kitchen. I’ve seriously considered taking a page out of Dexter’s book by taping up sheets of poly so no square inch of floor, wall, ceiling or furniture is left bare. That will be a post for another day. Possibly sooner than later, because my Mom will read this and call me to tell me to “open up those darn finger paints for crying out loud, Christmas was two months ago!”

Baby vs. Baby

I know you have this image of two little tykes in diapers sitting in a play pen with their wild-eyed mothers shouting “Take him down!”

No? Just me? Well sometimes it can feel like that when you’re talking to other mom’s about what milestones your little ones have reached.

Yes, we all do it. We compare our children to others and it can quickly turn into an unspoken competition. In fact I think it’s human nature -- you know survival of the fittest and all. We do it to assure ourselves that our kids are developmentally similar to others of their own age; to determine whether we need to stage an intervention early on to help our children advance; or to confirm our assumptions that our children are far superior than others. Healthy or not we do it; even if we keep it to ourselves.

We compare everything.

Who poops more often, who sleeps longer, who’s bigger, who’s crawling, scooting, rolling or walking. Who’s eating more, who babbles, blows bubbles, squeals, or says mama. Who claps their hands, plays pat-a-cake, or can turn a page in a book. Who’s talking, singing or dancing. Ugh.

We’re all told by community health nurses that babies and young children develop at different rates so we shouldn’t be comparing our children. Unfortunately, sometimes we can’t help it. It’s a fast-paced world out there and no one wants their child to be left behind in the dust.

All this competition can sometimes leave us feeling a little self-conscious about our parenting abilities, especially if our little one hasn’t reached all the milestones that his best bud has. So what do I do?

Lie.

Sure this photo looks like Sophie is just playing with fridge magnets like any other two-year old does…

But a close up of the finished product shows her mad skills at long division; Uh huh, who’s smarter now?

And this photo looks like Willow is drooling and slobbering all over a block like any other 5 month old…

But there you have it; she’s stacking irregular shaped blocks, amazing!

So this strategy is not honest, but if you have a friend that always has to one up you on what amazing thing their kid is doing, this will certainly get them to keep a lid on it next time. Can't argue with hard photographic evidence. Tee hee.