let the CRAZIES begin....what are you doing with YOUR summer so far?!

So, it's not completely insane around here right now.   For this minute.  We can only go a minute at a time, right?  So far, we've been camping with extended family twice, once for a week with the cousins (totally great - the kids biked around the sites and pretty much entertained each other most of the time), and once with even more family members for a weekend.  Somewhere in between there was my 37th birthday, and my  all time COOLEST birthday party of all time.  I had a CONCERT in my backyard for my birthday!  REALLY!!!  A fantastic musician named Ember Swift just happened to be in town, and just happens to be a Facebook friend of mine....well, we chatted, and voila!  A concert in my backyard.

 I tried to take more videos of her music, but every time I did, a certain 4.5 year old would jump in my lap and altogether ruin the video....ah well, there're the memories... oh, and her entire CD collection that she gave me as a gift....


Hillside Music Festival was next, my first big venue as a crafter/artisan, an ENTIRE WEEKEND of selling a whole 10x10 booth's worth of merchandise...that I made!!!  Sad and happy that it is over, it was awesome, although somewhat WET.... and exhausting. My first big show, as a vendor, and I'm totally hooked!  Here's a gratuitous pic of my booth, which I have to say, was awesome (if I do say so myself).... I enjoyed everything about it.....except, maybe that B was so starved for my attention that she felt the need to repeatedly head-butt me with a running start from across the field, and roll around on the mat in the tent.... even when customers were trying to look around.

The baBaZOoBee! Tent at Hillside

I especially loved the freedom that 8.5 year old D felt for the first time, wandering the festival with her friends, who were plentiful, at all hours of the day, until 11pm!  And how little B tried to excercise the same freedoms, in her own little way... I loved my neighbours, the lovely family in charge of Bee Kind Organics, and the goofy guys (and girl) running Civic Trust... though I'm certain my girls experienced their first second-hand-smoke high from all the weed that was prevalent near our tents over the weekend.  Aah, folk music festivals.... ;)

the Toronto Zoo

After a day of recovery, we headed to Toronto to visit my parents, and go on some great adventures to the Toronto Zoo, which was super, albeit exhausting, and the Ontario Science Centre with my parents, which was so crowded it made me rethink ever spending time in a Toronto attraction again....though by the end we enjoyed ourselves so much that I ate my words and we upgraded to an annual membership.  Out-voted by the children, we spent an extra day in the T-dot, and then it was back to the Farmer's Market on Saturday...well, you can see why I'm semi-comatose on the couch right now....

 Crazy faces at the  Ontario Science Centre with my folks

Add 2 trips to Ikea while visiting my parents, and a new bench and kitchen chairs, and it's been one hell of a week.

So, as I said, (smirk), it's not too busy around here right now.  No, really!  Those things all were busy, but now it's the day after.  And I'm sitting on the couch, semi-comatose, with the burnt edges of a migraine peeking through the caffeine-Tylenol combo.....and a cat purring in my ear.  Life is good.

**Post-note.  We spent all of TODAY at Andrew's Scenic Acres picking blueberries and raspberries, riding ponies and feeding goats, playing on old wooden and steel playground equipment (you know, the GOOD stuff, from OUR childhoods) and riding the berry-wagon...here's a pic of most of this evening's dinner:

homemade waffles with blueberry/raspberry sauce and thick sliced farmer's market local bacon.....market cucumbers were added to the plate after the fact......

I repeat.  Life is good!!

Neat-o tips and tricks that I've gleaned along the way.

(Otherwise entitled - a post for Melissa.....)

A friend of mine once suggested that I post a bunch of the tips and tricks I've learned over the years....so hear they are......at least as many I can get down while the girls watch "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"...again....


Food tricks:

• A wonderful low-fat alternative to liquid coffee creamers, that is still natural dairy - Instant Skim Milk Powder!   Can be kept in the cupboard at work, in a jar going camping, can even pre-mix with sugar or your favourite sweetener for a one-scoop solution! 

• Buy your coffee beans whole - they stay fresher!  You don't need any fancy equipment to grind it yourself - just a good old fashioned blender!  I get a weeks' worth of coffee ground in about 5 seconds, and the smell of the grinding fresh coffee is better than the brew fragrance!
  

• Another coffee trick - like flavoured coffee?  Don't have any?  Add a drop or two of vanilla extract, or a fresh raspberry or two (slightly squished), a couple of teaspoons of irish cream, or a couple pinches of cocoa powder or cinnamon to the top of your coffee grounds before  turning on the percolator.  Instant yum!  To just remove bitterness, a pinch of salt to the top of the grinds works very well.

• Cool lunch trick - pour boiling water into a tall insulated thermos.  Put in one or two raw hot dogs or veggie dogs.  Put buns or wraps in the lunch, and some condiments - packs gleaned from fast food restaurants work well.  At lunch time you or your kiddo will have a hot meal of cooked hot dogs!   

•  Teach yourself or your children to use chop sticks without buying those fancy spreaders - a rubber band or hair elastic wound in figure eights around the two stick ends around 2/3 back is often enough resistance and spacing to help you out.  If not, taping the two sticks to two sides of a clothespin?

Kidstuffs tips:

• Children's stuffed animals lost their super soft newness?  return them to their new-fluffy-glory days for under $2.00.  Hit your local dollar store and purchase a cat/dog brush...If you already have one then you can do this for free! Most stuffed animals can actually be washed in the machine on gentle, an dried in the dryer on low.  If your child has a favourite "buddy" you probably already know this!  Once dry, give it a thorough brushing with the pet brush.  Does wonders!!!!!

• Teach your little ones to wash dishes early - use 2 plastic tubs - like the Rubbermaid kind for dish  washing when you're camping - on towels on the kitchen table.  One for wash, with warm soapy water, and one for rinse.  Have the young ones wash plastic dishes and non-sharp cutlery, and put them on another towel to dry!  Start by making it a fun activity with pre-rinsed dishes, and work up from there, as often as they want to!

• Keep a baggie of hair elastics or rubber bands in your diaper bag if you have a mobile baby.  When you go visiting to homes that aren't child proof, an elastic wrapped around two lower cabinet or drawer knobs will provide some crude babyproofing, at least slowing down the child's discovery process!

• Did you know you can use soft pastels/chalk pastels (bought in many art stores, such as Michaels) to temporarily put colour streaks in your hair?  Great for kids' birthday parties, or even a funky do for the day...or to try on new shades before a more permanent attempt! 

•   Prolong the life of too small clothes - Leggings or sweatpants that have become too short can be cut down to make shorts or capris - no sewing required!  To make girl's legging shorts look more like the store bought ones, put a little slit about 1.5" long up the outside seam of each cut leg....

Household Tips:

•  Shoes too tight?, need to work in new shoes?  Do what Rock Climbers do - put some rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and spritz the inside of the shoes until damp, right before putting them on - speeds the leather softening process, and makes your shoes more cozy sooner!

• Looking for studs behind the drywall?  Try using a rare-earth or superstrong magnet taped to a strong enough string..... dangle the string against the wall, and drag slowly in one direction across the wall...this will work best in a wall with steel studs, but big nails and screws in wooden drywall can work too.  The magnet will stick to the metal parts of the studs, showing you where they are!

• Keep toothbrushes super-clean, and extend their lives - put about an inch of hydrogen peroxide (the 3% solution) in the bottom of a small mason jar or clean glass - put toothbrushes in headfirst for 5 minutes every week or three to kill organic matter including bacteria!

•  Toilet Flusher not working?  Check in the tank to see if the chain is broken.  If it is, you can temporarily fix it with a paperclip or safety pin!

• Trying to move a heavy object or piece of furniture/appliance across the floor?  Turn a bathmat or front door mat upside down and place under heavy object.  Carpet side will slide easily across the floor, and grippy side of mat will keep the heavy object from slipping off of the mat while pushing!

•   zipper or drawers sticky?  Use a dry bar of soap, a crayon or some beeswax and "colour" the two surfaces that rub against each other.  The wax will make the pull very smooth!

• Scratches in your finished floor or table?  For black or almost black surfaces, like the laminated ikea style furniture or even picture frames, a black sharpie works really well.  Draw over the scratch and then quickly wipe off of the excess.  For screw holes or scratches in lighter wood, rub a similarly coloured crayon (yes, a crayola will work) hard and back and forth over that spot quickly to create friction heat - it will melt a bit of the crayon into the scratch/spot.  Use a paper towel or rag to rub off the excess in the same fashion!

• Time to clean the microwave?  Easy-peasy.  Soak a dishcloth in water and put it in the middle of the turn-tray of the machine, spray a little lemon juice or  vinegar around the inside of the microwave and on the cloth, and run the microwave on HIGH for 30-45 seconds. Grime wipes away super easy, and with the lemon juice, the machine smells lovely!!!

• Did you know that Epsom Salts are a GREAT natural fertilizer?  There are many ways to apply it, either directly at sowing in granular form, or diluting it 1 tbsp per gallon as a foliage spray.  Who knew!?

I'm certain there are more... tons more.  there are always more! If you can think of any, let me know!  I may even post them here!

parenting greeting cards you will never see....

So, after 4 hours of shopping for dresses and shorts for my incredibly sensitive little girl, I sorta wanted some compassion.  I mean, it was bloody hell.  To be honest, I wanted some sort of recognition when I was done on how seriously awful shopping with a 4.5 year old with special needs is!  After 4 meltdowns, 4 stores, countless "no, I'm sorry we can't buy that today"s, a heartbreak over a stuffed bunny that I wouldn't buy her, several small freak outs about trying on clothes in the change room (she thought someone might see her changing) and tags/threads/pockets/appliques in places that drive her mental, and a small panic attack over a cricket loose on the floor of the pet store,  I deserve a freakin' medal!

However, I realize that medals are a bit pricey, and rather cumbersome and hard to come by, so I'd settle for just a nice card, or even an e-card, stating how much I am appreciated for the work I do...Unfortunately, on hunting for them, I find there aren't really many satisfactory sentiments out there to show appreciation for the work parents do.  So, I'm compiling a few here today.  Tell me what you think!  

or maybe one of these?

and maybe one day, we'll even be featured in the paper:

Oh well, I guess I'll just settle with a grubby-handed hug and an "I love you" from a smiley love-eyed little girl...On second thought, that's the best reward ever, isn't it?

If you have any cute/funny/sarcastic parenting-related e-cards I'd love to see them!  Message them to me on Facebook, and I may post them there, or even here!

the perfect parent.

I read a lot. 

Not the historical fiction or murder mystery or teenage angst books of my B.C. era (Before Children), and definitely not as much or in the same way as I used to, picking up a novel and starting at the beginning and getting to the end within a day or two, but I still push my eyes across written words and try to make sense of the black and white. More than I probably should sometimes.

 These days my focus is most often Parenting blogs, Pinterest, Facebook Links, Tweets, parenting books, books on How To Be Perfect (Or Close Enough) At Everything I Do.  I've learned that I will never be *that* parent.  The parent who neatly packages each organic-raw-vegan-cut-out-to-look-like-animal-shapes-perfect lunch in non-toxic, sustainable, sourced locally or fair trade containers, the parent who has instilled the importance of charity so strongly in their child that instead of birthday presents the child wants their friends to donate funds to the "Unfortunate-Felines-With-Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder-From-Witnessing-Natural-Disasters-in-Third-World-Countries-Association".  I will not be the parent who NEVER yells at their children, though I do an admirable job 88% of the time, who never snaps without really listening, who is content to co-sleep until their child is 13 and can finally sleep through the night unaided.  I will not be taking my children traveling this summer to witness first hand how people in different countries live and make a living, cook their food, treat their pets...We won't be visiting Seniors Homes and volunteering our time socializing and interacting with the unfortunate seniors without visiting families of their own.  I will not have all the answers, nor will I even know all of the right probing questions to ask at all the right pivotal times...

Nor will I spend my afternoons and evenings shuttling my 2 children between piano or violin lessons, swimming lessons, riding lessons, baseball, soccer, gymnastics, education-enrichment tutoring, and tap dancing class.  My kids will not be spending their summer in a super-cool, mind-expanding, drama/sport/equine summer camp.  We will not be planning any over-the-top perfect themed garden parties with little white-bread finger sandwiches and lemonade, we will not be going on a Disney Cruise, tending our backyard free-range pet chickens (even though I reallllllly want some)....I will not be running a  waldorf-style-homeschool-based neighbourhood-kid enrichment program teaching everyone to Crochet, Knit, and Needlefelt with all-natural materials...

I will stress about my mistakes, about having chosen to vaccinate my babies, being on medication while pregnant, not having been able to breastfeed, I will feel guilty about yelling, or spending a few minutes on the computer instead of focusing 100% of my attention on my children and my household...giving them one more opportunity to form perfect memories of their perfect relationship with their perfect parents....

What we will have?  I can't say for certain in the long term, but this summer?  Walks to the park, pushes on the swing, a shoulder to support them as they attempt the monkey bars again... magic mud a la Dr. Zed... baking soda and vinegar volcanoes...Big cauldrons

of potions of rain-barrel water and anything found in the back yard, stirred with sticks and pronounced "magic" with incantations never replicable....Entire days of no structure, where the kids (poor deprived children) will have to learn how to entertain themselves with a houseful of toys, bikes, scooters, a backyard playground and trampoline...also using said toys, bikes, scooters, backyard playground and trampoline together as a family.

There will be camping with extended family, crazy long car rides, multiple games of eye spy, alphabet hunt, find a red car, find the nearest bathroom NOW!!, canoe rides, hikes in the woods, campfires, campfire songs, roasted marshmallows and smores, bike rides on dirt roads, looking for wildlife, wild blueberries and fireflies, using outhouses and not bathing for a week.  Attempts at fishing, daisy chain making, and staying up as late as possible.


 We will have puzzles and board games, kites, and our vegetable garden....eating strawberries and raspberries, apples, chives and chocolate mint right out of our yard, we will go strawberry picking, apple picking, and possibly blueberry picking again... Farmers' Market, and hopefully the Zoo....Many Many Many colouring pages, scissor crafts, sidewalk chalk and poster paint art....will go through many rolls of scotch and painters' tape, reams of paper, and bags of flour for playdough and dishsoap and water for blowing bubbles...

Discussions about heredity, mortality, immortality, puberty (eek!!), financial management, the basics of friendships, the intricacies of friendships, love, disappointment, responsibility, homework, magic, fairies, Harry Potter, our past, our future, evolution, religion, tradition, family, ability, transition, development, aerodynamics, ecology, herbology, biology, chemistry......


Shopping at the Mall, or more likely Value Village, books read, stories invented, plays and musical performances put on by two or more over-excited and under-practiced children, videos and photos taken, trips to restaurants, pizza dinners in front of a movie, running in the rain or under the sprinkler or getting wet in the local wading pool or splash pad.... burned seats on sun-roasted playground slides, sand in between our toes and in our undies after a day at the park....hide and seek, and that weird game "Grounders" that was invented either outside the community I grew up in or after my time as a child....and I'm certain I will be conned into playing pretend with them at least once or twice - being little sister, big sister, baby, puppy, horsey, or even the bus, in an extended game of make-believe for as long as I can handle it...

We will be filthy and sun-soaked, sometimes grumpy, sometimes overtired, and sometimes bored....there will be arguments between friends and siblings, and even us adults, there will be issues at bedtime, issues with cleaning up, with impatience, the wrong meals, uncomfortable socks, or even just having to wear socks in the first place....

We will accidentally go too long without a snack and our kids will get "hangry" - so hungry that they're angry, according to both my good friends in Gravenhurst, and one of my favourite blogs, Herding Cats.  We will accidentally forget the organic-non-deet-insect-repellant, or not-so-all-natural sunscreen, and kick ourselves (metaphorically, I hope) as one of us whimpers through a day of sunburn or too many itchy insect bites...We will be late for playdates, forget to wish friends and family members (at least those not on facebook) a happy birthday; will be irritated with fruit flies buzzing around the kitchen counter because we ignored the dishes for one day too many...or with moths and mosquitos in the house because a door was left open AGAIN...We will be irrationally irritated by our children getting muddy right before going somewhere, singing off-key and high pitched, missing a turn-off on the highway, or having to stop on the road to go to the bathroom AGAIN, even though we asked 5 minutes before if anyone had to "go".  There will be rainy-day disappointment, my-friend-isn't-home-and-I-am-disapointed days, and days where we are too tired to entertain another game of make-believe with our children.

 In those times, those moments where we are cross, short tempered, frustrated, irritated, or down right angry and fed-up, in those times, it will be very easy to forget all of the positives.  All of the adventures of watching a snail's foot from underneath as it ripples across a pane of glass, the sheer joy of using the pressure of a garden hose to make a HUGE mud puddle to squish between our toes...

In those times I will feel the guilt of not being *THAT parent*.  That perfect air-brushed, edited, does everything right parent who schedules and plans and organizes and is never late for anything.  And hopefully in those moments I will remember this post, look at all of the things we will do, all of the things we are, and hopefully I will step back and realize, and truly believe, that as a parent,

I AM DAMNED GREAT.

first shameless plug in a LONG time....

SO...If you hadn't already figured it out, I craft for a living.  And by living, I mean I craft stuff cuz it's awesome fun, try to sell it, and hope to make money enough to justify the crazy stash of yarn and other materials that I keep feeding into the craft room......and maybe buy groceries here and there.....

Oh.... and now I use this money to support B's therapeutic needs...purchasing supplies for therapies, etc...

I've noticed recently a distinct lack of purchasing happening on my etsy site.  This probably has a lot to do with a distinct lack of me posting new items to my etsy site....It's not that I'm not creating, in fact I've made more new products this last few months than I have in my entire "career" as a WAHM (work at home mom for those not in the know)...

The truth is, I HATE doing the photography, editing, and posting of new items on my page.  I'd LOVE to find a way to magically make this stuff happen without me.  Maybe find someone willing to work for banana bread and cookies?  Maybe advertising trade, or even products?  I'd be so thrilled with that!  But for now, I'll just show you some not-so-great pics taken with my phone...if i can figure out how to do that....grin.

Let me know what you think, okay?

made these for a chicken lover's X-mas tree...

little knitted mice - also a special request!

This special dolly traveled to New Jersey a few weeks back.

huge 55" play silks dyed with food dyes...as well as ribbons of silk for ribbon sticks...

a personalized baby blanket....

I have made a ton of different journal covers..

 

 

These beautiful Waldorf dollies are still looking for their

forever homes...

As you can see, I've been busy.  And there're so many more.  These girls all have shoes now, by the way....
If you were interested in adopting one of these special girls, or any other product listed here, or that strikes your fancy that you think I can pull off for you, you can contact me via email or facebook - I've set the images to open up an email to me.. Adoption fee is $199, plus shipping.  (oh, and if you think you can barter your skills as a web page developer, or photographer, you can contact me that way too).

On top of the sewing and dyeing and crocheting I've done for my shop, I've also been at the Guelph Farmer's Market - If you're anywhere near, come find me on Saturday Mornings, 7am - 12pm, at our new location for the summer - Exhibition Arena.  We'll be there until the renovations are complete on the original marketplace.  Shuttles are available for free from our original market location.

I am SO VERY EXCITED to also have been accepted as a vendor at Guelph's own Hillside Music Festival!!  I'm trying like mad to produce enough to fill a 10 x 10 booth for a whole weekend of wonder - this will be Hillside's 30th anniversary - and promises to be another fantastic year.  Check out the link for more information - I think there are a few individual day tickets left!  My girls are excited to be attending again this year, and super excited that we get to camp right behind my booth!

This has been my first post in a long time.  I'm hoping to get back on regular posting again.. I've been pretty busy producing.  Oh, and watching Netflix....It's amazing how much better the US Netflix is..So glad I finally figured out how to make that happen on my Canadian laptop and wii......Grin.

Pinterest- the functional addiction!

So, like most web-loving people of the world, I have become a keen user of Pinterest. 
I can readily admit to being addicted.  I mean, most users of the site are happy addicts....  My love affair comes and goes in waves...and this is with intent.  See, I have made a pact with myself.  If I am going to see and love and repin all of these amazing things, I'm going to USE them!

D and baby Mokey - a year ago.

When we first were considering getting a third pet (the debate was on whether it was to be a dog or cat...eventually we got cat #3, who just happens to act like a dog and THINK he's one of the human kids), I started a pinterest page called "pets that need homes that I would LIKE to adopt".  I didn't even get to bring home a single pet from that page because they were all so cute, other folks took them home!  We ended up being given Mr Mokey Kitten via another internet vice of mine.  Facebook auction pages.  (a whole 'nother story).  ANYHOO.....total tangent....

I have dreams of things I will create one day for my home..getting depressed that small kids are keeping me from using my skills to actually achieve these things, I pacify myself with finding amazing things that I will do in my future...a couple I have started...like the live edge dining table....

homemade crayons!

The crafts for kids and recipes I've been super good about.  I average about one new Pinterest idea per month.  I've made the super-easy in a pot bread   which is awesome...and I LOVE LOVE the brownies in a mug   recipe - great emergency chocolate supply...for those times when a woman just NEEDS chocolate...we made some upcycled crayons, making tiny pieces of crayons into lovely little frogs,

Crocheted chicken set for a friend

ladybugs and butterflies..(note - if you use a microwave to melt wax, please ensure there is also a cup of water in the microwave.  This little activity cost me a microwave....groan).  I learned to cook bacon, finally, without burning it, by cooking it in water, of all things...even made these adorable chickens for a friend!  I even got the funky smell out of old

got the stink out!

dishcloths and towels using this trick!



Over Christmas this year, the girls got a 2nd hand vintage Playmobil castle for Christmas (they still believe it came from Santa - shhhh....)...After acquiring it, we discovered that some pieces were missing.  I used Pinterest to help me keep track of all of the missing parts and where I could buy them online.  Solely for my own purposes, but I found that a toy store started following that page!  

When learning about B's sensory issues, I discovered a WONDERFUL Facebook page that helped me understand her and her needs better...and they have amazing Pinterest boards, wonderfully laid out in sections and topics in a way that is completely understandable and useful - much easier access than on a single website!


If you haven't discovered Pinterest and all that is wonderful about it, I have some advice for you.  Be prepared to lose time.  Really.  The first few times I used it I was sucked in for hours.  But overall, I'd say my experience has been fantastic.  

Okay, gotta go now.  I have a bit more pinning to do before bed.

hugs.

my daughter

our bodies,
which were once one
fit together still

your little head 
tucked perfectly against me
little fingers picking
at the softness
of my sweater

we were meant to be together
you and i
our differences more similar
our similarities more different

you mirror to me
all of my hopes and dreams
my strengths 
my weaknesses
my fears

from whence you came
you shall never fully return
but my heart
and yours
shall remain
connected

as you reach out into this world
exploring
growing
learning

in your own way
because of me
despite me
to spite me
regardless of me
learning

stumbling
more than others
perhaps
finding strength
more than others
perhaps

overcoming
all obstacles
never alone
always with my heart
connected

my strength 
connected
my happiness
connected
my love
connected
to you

little toes
pressed firmly 
against warm 
weathered flesh

little heart 
pressed firmly
against warm
weathered heart

giving
taking
connecting
loving
learning
teaching

you are

my daughter

Magic Mud. Thank-You, Dr. Zed.

 Do any of the rest of you remember Dr. Zed, and his experiments from Owl magazine?  I used to get those Scholastic Book Orders every month, for books I could buy, and help our school earn a few books as resources...Those Scholastics still come home with the kids, and Owl, and it's younger sibling Chickadee are still out there, but I haven't seen good ol' Dr. Zed in a long while...so of course, I went to the one place I KNEW I'd get some answers.  I googled it.  Not much was out there, because apparently, he has since retired from magazine fame....I did find a good pic of him in the Owl Magazine archives...

He had his own books too - I had, and still have, Dr. Zed's Dazzling Book of Science Activities.  It's out of print, these days. The ONE reason I wanted this book, the ONLY reason I wanted this book, so badly that I begged for DAYS to get it from the Scholastic orders, was the hope that it would have the recipe for the amazing and magical concoction known as Magic Mud.  Now, this was in the days pre- Pinterest, and Google, remember.  Even before the remarkable Interweb....

Much to my chagrin, it did not have the recipe, and for years after, I wondered how to make the magical stuff.  

As an adult now, I want to spare my children the misery and longing of never experiencing magic mud.  So, I have used the web, and all of the resources available to us in this amazing 21st century, and when kid #1 was old enough not to eat the stuff, she was introduced to magic mud!

Having a child with sensory issues (namely kid #2) has made experimenting with stuff like this all the more important and useful as a day-to-day tool for keeping mommy sane" as well as giving her some well needed tactile stimulation.  I'm going to share the recipe here with you now, with photos of our day yesterday, enjoying ourselves with it.

*Note - half of the enjoyment of magic mud is the MAKING of it.  If you are doing this with your kiddo, please let them help.  It will mean the world to them, and it will make it all the more a fun experience!  This WILL make a mess, be prepared for it.  But it is actually SUPER easy to clean up - it is very water soluble, and when dry vacuums up super easy.

You will need:  one large bowl or deep tray, one box of cornstarch, tap water, and some sort of colouring.  I've used Wilton cake dye, mixed into the water before adding it to the cornstarch.  Any food dye, or even juice would probably work.  Here`s B opening up the box of cornstarch.  She needed help ripping open the waxy-paper baggie inside.

 

 Step 1:  Dump cornstarch into bowl.  B is taking this very seriously.  To her, this needs to be as exact as when we are baking.  She doesn't realize that there's not really a way to do this wrong!

 

 Step 2:  B is mixing the Wilton icing dye that I put in the water.  I was smart enough not to let her put the coloured paste in herself, because I know it would have been a disaster.  That stuff stains before it is diluted, and B's self-control is, shall we say, lacking.  If you are using juice, or even regular food dye drops, your kiddo could probably enjoy adding it themselves....

 

Step 3:  Pour the coloured liquid into the cornstarch.  I used about 2.5 cups for the box of cornstarch, this is a 1 cup measuring cup in the picture, we refilled it.  Have towels on hand if you or your young one's aim or self control is questionable. 

 

Step 4:  Get messy!  Hands in, mix it up and play!  You will get the coolest textured goop ever.  Half liquid, half solid, both at the same time, neither...mix,  play, have FUN.  And not just your kiddo.  Get your own hands in there.  Even if you hate messy hands.  It's therapeutic.  Cathartic.

 

Pick up solid fistful of goo

Open fist - solid dryish mass turns to ooze

 The solid-liquid gooeyness of being able to pick up a solid "chunk" of the stuff, and then letting it ooze all liquidy back into the bowl is unbeatable.  Trust me.  

At this point I learned a new trick.  Put a towel under your play area.  The rationale is two-fold.  One, it makes the clean-up WAY easier.  Take towel out to yard and shake.  Wash towel.  

Two, we discovered that magic mud makes great mud pies on the towel, as the liquid is absorbed into the towel....and neat little dry-ish mud balls too.  More water was added after to the bowl to re-moisten the mud.

It is also fun to add toys - any plastic ones that can be easily rinsed off - this stuff doesn't stick permanently.  It rinses easily and cleanly away. 

This activity easily falls into my acceptable indoor project ratio of:

[Fun time]=/>[prep time]+[clean time]

where =/> means equal or greater to.

 

Have fun!

Why don't stores sell dairy free Easter Chocolate?!!

So, in the mad dash that is life with allergies, we had to think fast this year, as our first year with a 4 year old with a Dairy Intolerance.  We thought about saying "screw it" and letting her have the chocolate for the one day, but we dreaded the horrid bum rash and tummy aches that come along with it...never mind the months after of "but you let me have the Easter Bunny Stuff?!!"

Solution?
Make our own Easter Chocolates. 

Sure...no problem.  we'll add that in to the Saturday evening schedule of get kids to bed at reasonable time, tidy house, ensure kids are good and asleep, crochet, sew, tuck child one or two back into bed quickly before they peek down to the kitchen, fill plastic Easter Eggs, hide them around the house or yard......oh, yeah, and sleep....sweet sleep, oh how I miss thee....

hard boiled coloured eggs..

At this point, I may mention that all of this Easter stuff is still relatively new to me.  I grew up Jewish, and still identify as Jewish by Culture, if not by religious belief....So I'm still sorta confused as to what a bunny poopin' out brightly coloured plastic eggs filled with chocolate have to do with the long-haired guy rising from the dead all those years ago....(I was jokingly referring to this Holiday as the celebration of the Zombie.....my partner was NOT amused....and even 8 year old D rolled her eyes at me...)

Anyhow, back to the point of the matter.  For the last 2 days B has had a fever of Near Biblical Proportions (ya see what I did there?!  huh? did ya?!!)  and has been wandering around like a Zombie (thats TWO - I'm on a ROLL), when not whimpering in misery on the couch......And we went to the big family Easter Gathering on Good Friday - a 2 hour drive to my sister-in-law's, 5 hours of enjoyment, hard boiled egg decorating, and a WONDERFUL, if not overly Kosher, Ham Dinner....We got home at half-past stupid o'clock, threw our barely-asleep progeny in bed fully clothed, and passed out for the night.  So when did we get to make these chocolates?  Right now.  Saturday night, 10:15 pm, and we're filling the pastel coloured plastic egg-shaped bunny poops with home-made, dairy free chocolate bunnies, chicks, and carrots....

the wrapping of the minis

melted dairy-free belgian chocolate...

But the thing I'm super impressed with?  Not the basic melting, pouring, and wrapping of the mini-chocolates for our brood to find tomorrow morning and devour for breakfast (one of 3 times a year this gets to happen)...But the Biggies.  The Full-sized Easter Bunny filled with peanut-butter filling,  and the HUGE half-eggs filled with home-made Marshmallow Fluff.  It's amazing what you can find on Pinterest and Google.  You never need to know how to do anything anymore!  here's the peanut butter filling we made for the big bunny.....recipe from the 2sisters2cities website, via Pinterest.....and here's the marshmallow fluff filling we used for the big half-eggs....okay, it's more of a guideline than a recipe...  I've never done these before, and was shocked by how easy they were.  The clean-up, mind you....I was happy to leave that to C....as I had a cat to bathe.....and a 4.5 year old to tuck back into bed....again....
The coolest thing about the need to create dairy-free chocolate, is that we're actually getting super yummy chocolates this year..

Moving molten chocolate around the bunny mold.

and we made them ourselves!!!  Okay, well, maybe we didn't make the chocolate part.  Bulk Barn provided those for a bit of a fee.  But you get the idea.

some of the little guys all wrapped up

marshmallow fluff filled half-eggs

Peanut butter filling.  yummier than Reese's

i

The bunny brought by The Bunny - all full of peanutty goodness!!!

In the end, I have to admit it was fun...but next year we may have to search harder for a dairy free pre-made set up.  I was too paranoid that the kids would wake up and discover who the REAL Easter Bunny is!

I'm so not looking forward to figuring out Hallowe'en.......