Crafting With Little Ones {Re-Post}

This is one of my all-time favorite posts and it was written well before I had many readers. I'd like to share it with you again because I think that the message is important if you want to foster a love of creativity in your children from a young age: It's not the outcome that matters; the process is most important.

I Cut His Hair

Yep, Little Guy got his first haircut on New Year's Eve - right before bed. I really didn't want to cut those gorgeous little ringlet curls. I had no idea if they'd come back or not. The top of his head had straight hair! I asked a few barbers what they thought and no one could predict whether the weight of the hair was weighing down so much that it became straight, or if it was just growing that way. BUT, he had been asking be to borrow my barrettes regularly. Yeah. He couldn't see his Hot Wheels when he was playing, it was poking him in the eye when he jumped on the bed, and he was getting really frustrated with the fact that it was ruining his paintings - he'd paint, turn his head to re-load the brush, and turn back to find that his hair has brushed the paper and messed up his artwork!

BEFORE

The final straw was when I washed his hair on New Year's Eve. When his hair was wet, it reached half-way down his back. I noticed black hunks of ??? at the ends as I was pouring on the water. Upon closer inspection, those hunks were fuzzies from blankets. They had become entangled in his hair and were beginning to turn into mini-dreads! (I didn't notice before because his hair brush has gaps that are too large, so I'm on the lookout for one that is smaller right now.)

I started the haircut by simply cutting out the gnarly wads of ick. Then, I decided to layer the back a little. See if the curl would come back. As his hair dried, it began to curl up - even on the shorter pieces! So, I thinned it out some more and then moved to the front. Now, this is where I've always screwed up my oldest's hair. Either I don't cut enough and his hair was back into his eyes in a matter of days, or I cut too much and it would take months for him to look like a normal little boy again! (I give him money to go get his hair cut now. There's no way I'm sending him to high school with a screwed up home haircut!) Anyway, I started out by just cutting a little bit. It curled up! So, I cut more until it was the right length. You see, my oldest has very straight hair, so there was no way to hide mistakes. But with Little Guy's crazy curls, I could have probably taken a huge chunk out and it wouldn't have been too noticeable.

So, without further ado,

Little Guy's New Haircut:

AFTER (I had forgotten what he looked like!)

MY Post About Having a Three-Year-Old

Now, I keep reading posts by moms of three-year-olds that say their kids have suddenly morphed from sweet little toddlers into bratty little princes & princesses who are moody and demanding. Yep. I have to concur with these moms - Little Guy is the same. I've really been questioning whether I'm raising a brat or just a strong-willed and independent little boy. The kid seems to create his own tantrum situations.

"I not listen to YOU!"

 Yesterday, he woke up and demanded cake for breakfast. Now, first of all, I'm not giving him cake first thing in the morning and he knows it. Sugary goodness turns him into a bitter devil. Second, we didn't even have cake - haven't had any since October, in fact. I pointed out that we don't have cake (because the "no, you have to eat something healthy" was just asking for a tantrum), in hopes that he'd see how his request would be impossible to fulfill. Tantrum ensued anyway. And his tantrums are no longer just a toddler kicking and screaming for a few minutes before he's ready for a hug. Uh-uh. Now, they entail long periods of crying about unfairness and how I don't like him anymore. They also have toy-throwing, wall-punching, and all kinds of other lovely behavior. I end up putting him onto the bed and blocking his way off because I just won't put up with that shit. Sometimes he'll go on for an HOUR about something like I got him milk to drink rather than the juice that he telepathically told me he changed his mind about while I was pouring the milk he requested.

I don't know what to do anymore. I have read and read on how others deal with this kind of behavior (Aha! Parenting has some great articles) , but the ideas just repeatedly backfire. He's a smart little one and, while a new approach will work the first time, he sees through it the second time. I'm finally getting him to say his feelings ("I'm very, very ANGRY!!!") so I can mimic them back to show him I understand. But it's not helping - instead of yelling and screaming about the problem, he just yells and screams about his emotions.

My husband isn't helping, either. Due to some physical and mental problems, he's not spending enough time with Little Guy to even be able to understand his speech. When he is around, he gives in to the demands just to avoid the tantrums. This means that Little Guy is "the boss of Daddy" and he sure throws his weight around! When my husband just cannot give in, such as a situation like the cake one or something that is dangerous, he goes from weak-willed Daddy to the guy who's threatening to spank. Especially when Little Guy is hitting (yeah - THAT makes sense!) Then Dad leaves because "I can't deal with this anymore." UGH!

The only thing I can think of doing differently is spending more one-on-one time with him. I thought that we already did a lot of it. But, now that I stand back and evaluate our time together, we don't. We might be in the same room, but we are both doing different things. He'll be playing with his cars while I hit up Facebook for the latest news. Not really quality time.

I have a ton of projects that I want to do with him (check out my Pinterest Kids' Crafts and Recipes boards!) but I really need to get my house in order first. So, I've been working on getting our house cleaned out and organized. I've been asking him to help me, which he eagerly agrees to do. Unfortunately, he will help for only a few minutes - then he's into things he knows he should not be playing with, running into the bathroom and tossing anything he can get his hands on into the toilet, or running into my oldest's room and messing with his stuff (our doors don't close correctly, thanks to shoddy carpentry.) After five or ten minutes of cleaning, we end up throwing in the towel for a little while. It just feels like an uphill battle right now and I'm becoming disheartened and frustrated. I'm going to keep up with this, though, because I'm pretty sure that the novelty of it will wear off and he'll (eventually) be able to focus on our "Important Jobs" that I need his expert help to complete.

This kid is busy. He's smart and can see through plans and, I swear, tries to foil them just for the heck of it. He really wants to be helpful and spend quality time together - it's just that he's still at that self-centered age and wants the best for himself first. And, thanks to Daddy, he thinks that flipping out and throwing a huge tantrum is the way to get those things. I suspect that he leans toward the ADD side due to his inability to do anything for more than a few minutes - even the things he LOVES to do. He's got a great sense of self and takes pride in anything he does - especially when he doesn't need help to do it.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me? I don't do rewards for a good job - I want him to learn to do good things because he will feel good inside, not so he can get a sticker or piece of candy. He is often congratulated when he obviously struggles with something and overcomes it, whether it is getting his pants on by himself or helping me do the dishes without getting down off the chair and running around the kitchen getting into everything. He knows the rules that are unchanging (mainly safety ones) and the rules that can be bent (the "harmony ones" that help us all live together.)  

The We Do Listen Foundation {#Giveaway (12/5) US & Can}

I've wanted to write up this post for over a week, but just couldn't find the time. Yeah, I could have done a quickie post... But I think The We Do Listen Foundation deserves more than that. This non-profit's mission is to help children learn to communicate their emotions effectively and find their own inner peace (how cool is that?!)

So, how do they do this? Check out the We Do Listen Foundation Web site. There, you will find FREE animated books, songs, posters and non-violent games. Additionally, the foundation sells nine Howard B. Wigglebottom books. The books are pretty darn great! Each one is focused on a subject that is important to children's personal growth, self-love, and general emotional well-being. Some of the topics covered in the books include: listening to what others have to say, bullying, anger management, divorce, peer pressure, and the need to belong. I received a book on the last subject for this review, and I love it!

My oldest was always pretty happy with himself. That is, until he decided to go to "real" school. The first month was pretty hard for him. His dad had cancer and was pretty sick at the time, so I attributed his quiet, withdrawn behavior to that. Then, I received a call from his teacher. It seems that he had started to make up unbelievable stories about himself - things he had done, toys he owned, people he knew, etc. - and the other kids knew that he was lying, the stories were just too amazing to be true. He wanted them to like him and thought this was the way to do it. After a long talk about listening to his own heart and being himself, then reassuring him that he would find friends who liked him just for who he really was, he managed to get past this huge speed bump. Within another month, he was one of the most popular kids in the class due to his empathetic nature (oh, and he was "totally cool" because he could draw neat pictures, too! LOL)

I really believe that the Howard B. Wigglebottom books, games, songs, and lesson plans would have prepared my oldest for his first taste of "I'm better than you because I _(fill in the blank)_" that seems to run rampant in classrooms.  In the book Howard B. Wigglebottom Listens to His Heart, written by Howard Binkow and illustrated by Susan F, Cornelison, Howard (a cute bunny who has the same feelings and makes the same mistakes that most children do) wants desperately to fit in. When his classmates laugh at him when they see him doing his very favorite thing, he vows to never do it again. Instead, he tries doing all sorts of other things that he thinks will make the other kids view him as being "cool".He screws them all up... miserably. He has a talk with his grandfather about the troubles he's having and, without telling him what to do, Grandpa steers Howard in the right direction. In the end, Howard is once again caught doing his favorite thing but, this time, he is cheered for it!

I am so glad to have this book for Little Guy. He's pretty self-confident right now, but you just never know when that confidence will crumble. It happened to my oldest! I've also been taking Little Guy to the Foundation's Web site to watch the animated versions of all of the Howard B. Wigglebottom books, play games, and learn new (catchy) songs. I've also taken some time to read over the lesson plans. There are some really great ideas in them! I think that, at three years old, it's the perfect time to introduce him to these concepts. Although I don't intend for Little Guy to go to school (he's 100% the unschooling type!), he'll still be around other children and need to be prepared for the inevitable.

I strongly urge you to go check out The We Do Listen Foundation's Web site and then head over to their online store. Right now, for U.S. buyers, all hardcover books are on sale for only $6 each (regularly $15)! And you can buy all 10 books for just $50. In addition to the Foundation's online store, you can find Howard B. Wigglebottom books nearly anywhere books are sold throughout the U.S. and Canada.

So, would you like to WIN your choice of a Howard B. Wigglebottom hardcover book for a special child in your life? Just enter in the Rafflecopter form below!

Late Post with a Thanksgiving Craft

OK, I'm so sorry that I'm posting this now. The last few days have been nuts. While I was busy with prepping for Thanksgiving Dinner yesterday, I needed something that was very simple for Little Guy to do on his own. Now, I have a TON of cool Thanksgiving projects lined up for him that I've seen featured in posts by some of my favorite crafty bloggers but they all needed me to help either by cutting or controlling the flow of glue. So, I just did the old turkey handprint thing. Then, we used some Sweet Gum leaves that we found and has pressed in a book a few weeks ago to create a frame. Finally, we added a few beads to say "2011".

1) Make hand prints with brown watercolors.

2) Outline "turkeys" with a black waterproof marker.

 3) Let your little one go nuts with watercolors! I used black paint to give each turkey an eye, red for their waddles and combs, and yellow for the beaks and feet. I got a solid 1/2 hour of kitchen time (alone!) while Little Guy worked hard to paint all of his turkeys.

4) I helped "steer" the glue, then gave Little Guy a pile of leaves to put all around the painting. Then, I wrote "2011" with glue and he added the beads.

HAPPY (belated) THANKSGIVING!

I Found a Way For Little Hands to Cut Paper Safely! {Slice Safety Cutter Review}

Little Guy wants so badly to help me whenever I have the scissors. I've tried many times to help him learn how to use them, but he just doesn't have the motor skills needed to use scissors yet. He ends up so frustrated and I feel badly for him. Most of our projects require some kind of cutting and, being such a self-reliant little one, it drives him nuts that he cannot do this part of his project on his own.

I found a great product that he can use, though! It is called the Slice Safety Cutter. It's basically a little plastic thingy with a tiny ceramic blade in it. You hold the cutter, blade side down, and pull it along the paper you want to cut. It easily slices through magazine pages, printer paper and newsprint. You can cut straight lines and even curves. I ran my finger over the ceramic blade numerous times and didn't get a scratch, so I knew he could use it without me breathing don his neck every second. While Little Guy still hasn't completely mastered using the Slice Safety Cutter, he is already proud of his ability to cut paper on his own. I gave him an old magazine to try it out on yesterday and he had a ball!

I swear he has more shirts!

Note to self: Wash his face first!

Slice Safety Cutter is great for couponers! I always hated having to take the entire insert apart to get to that one coupon in the middle of a page - now I don't have to. I can just use the cutter to get to it. And what about those projects where you need to cut a circle or heart out of the center of a piece of paper? I always end up either folding the paper or cutting jagged shapes. The Slice Safety cutter makes short work of this!

I was kind of worried that the cutter would get lost because it's so small. I stuck it in the jar that I keep me paper clips in so I could find it. Guess what: the next time I pulled it out, paper clips were stuck all over it. It's magnetized, so I can keep it on the fridge, out of the hands of a little one who tends to lose all of my little things in a flash.There is also a little hole in one end so you can attach it to your key chain.

Now, here's the important part: When you buy products from Slice, Inc., you are helping with Autism research. The company was created as a way to help the founder pay for his autistic son's treatments and therapy. A portion of the proceeds from every purchase is donated to help fund autism research so that we may one day find the exact cause and even a cure for autism!

You can find the Slice Safety Cutter and many more innovative cutting tools for home and office at Slice, Inc.'s Web site. You can also connect with them on Facebook.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

The Very Best Classroom {#CarNatPar}

Welcome to the November Carnival of Natural Parenting: Kids in the Kitchen
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared how kids get involved in cooking and feeding. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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I truly believe in unschooling.When I unschooled my oldest, we lived in California and I had to create a private school under the state's law. That meant a name for my "school". I chose "Learning is Life" because, well, learning is best done by merely living. We did something in the kitchen every day. Whether it was a science experiment with vinegar and baking soda or measuring the ingredients for play dough, my son was learning a ton of things. Once he chose to go to "real" school, though, his interest in all things kitchen-related waned until it was nonexistent. I just let it go and stopped trying to get him to try this experiment or bake that recipe with me. I was sad, but I understood.

Licking the beaters from his first cake-baking experience.

Then came Little Guy. He's a lot like me. He learns the same way and has the same type of intelligences as me. He was in the kitchen "helping" me (really doing stuff) when he was 18 months old. At first, we just had to keep going over the rules: No touching Mama's knife, Stir slowly - always!, Ask before you taste, No going by the stove or oven without Mama, Never touch the knobs on the stove. Because the kitchen can be a dangerous place, breaking the rules meant he'd get two warnings and on the third offense, he was done helping. He loved being in there with me, so he learned very quickly that those rules were never going to change and stopped trying to push his limits.

"Don't bother me right now - I'm trying to stir!"

Now, I really feel that little ones need to learn how to do things when they're interested and not when they're "old enough." So, as soon as I had confidence in Little Guy's understanding of The Rules, I let him begin helping with the more dangerous tasks - the big ones being stirring a pot on the stove and cutting vegetables. He was barely two years old when I taught him how to cook on the stove. He loves stirring and couldn't understand why I wouldn't let him do the one thing he was very good at (and proud of!) So, he learned about the hot fire under the pot. He learned about steam. He learned how to stir without splashing hot liquids.

Little hands knead bread perfectly.

 As he became more verbal, he asked questions that knocked my socks off. "Why did the dough get big?" (After we let our pizza dough rise.) "Why did it get like boogers?" (We were making gravy and he wanted to know how it thickened.) "What made it turn brown?" (When we pulled muffins from the oven.) All very good questions that I tried to give very simple answers to. "The yeast is like little guys. They ate the sugar and had to burp. See all of the burp bubbles in this dough that weren't there before?" "The flour we put into the juice from the meat sucked up some of the water (or is it oil?) and got fat. This made it thicken into gravy." And, "Remember the butter and eggs we put into the batter? They have something called proteins. When proteins get very hot, like in our oven, they turn brown. If we kept letting them cook, they would burn and turn black." Now, I know my answers aren't 100% accurate, but I was talking to a 2-year-old. He just wanted an answer, not a lecture. As he gets older, his questions will become more defines and I'll expand more.

How many spoons of peanut butter do we need?

In addition to learning science, he's learning math. We measure things all of the time. I always ask him to help me find measurements on the side of our measuring cup. He only recognizes whole numbers right now, so I ask him to find "1,2" if I want 1/2, for instance. We also do a lot of counting when we add ingredients - whether it's three cups, two eggs, or "one big spoon and one little spoon" of vanilla. We count pieces of carrot as we put them into the pot. We talk about time and watch our kitchen timer count down the minutes until our macaroni and cheese will be ready to take out of the oven.

Then there's reading. Little Guy is very interested in deciphering this reading thing. Just like his big brother, he doesn't like having everyone around him know how to communicate in a secret way that he doesn't understand. So, he knows many of his letters and the sounds they make already. When we cook together, I always take all of the ingredients we'll need out of the cupboards and set them on the counter where we'll be working. I make a point to read the recipe aloud while my finger runs below the words I'm reading. I'll read, "One teaspoon of nutmeg." Then it's his job to find the nutmeg on the counter. "Let's see, what letter does nnnn-nutmeg start with?" He'll get it right or wrong, doesn't matter. I'll either correct him or agree. The next step is, "Do you remember what an 'N' looks like? Can you find which one starts with 'N' for 'nutmeg'?" He usually gets it right! As he gets more comfortable with the alphabet and phonics (on his own!), I'll start asking about ending sounds, then middle sounds. Eventually, he'll be reading the recipe and I'll be searching for the ingredients!

History can be learned in the kitchen! This is where my oldest had the most fun. For over a year, he was very interested in all things medieval. We used out kitchen to learn about the Middle Ages more than anywhere else in or out of the house. We learned how to dye fabric using natural dyes. We did the old "castle out of sugar cubes" thing (we got a DK book and did a realistic replica that took months!) We made grog and tasted it - didn't like it! Once a week, we made a feast, using a recipe book we found at the library. We ate turkey legs with out hands, made bread and stews from scratch. We had to go shopping for ingredients we never heard of and had to learn how to make substitutions when we found that certain things just aren't available in the stores! We learned how people got their food - whether they grew it, bought it, or just did without. We learned about the weather back then and how hard it was for people to grow food in the cloudy and cold era. I haven't done a lot of history with Little Guy just yet. Past, Present, and Future are not something his mind is ready to understand just yet. I can't wait to see which time period he becomes interested in!

Crayon recycling. Look at the concentration on Little Guy's face - this is IMPORTANT work!

And, I think, that including Art and Music in the kitchen is wonderful. Whenever we head in there to create something, I put on music. I will choose something that goes with whatever we're making (for instance, country if we're making fried chicken) or that goes with our mood (upbeat for when there's excitement, something slow and relaxing when we need to concentrate on what we're doing.) And for art, well - we make lots of projects in there. We also make our own art supplies. We do the regular stuff, like play dough and recycled crayons. We also make glue, paint, and are going to make paper from junk mail and old clothes next month!

And, finally, there are those pesky "life skills" that are learned in the kitchen. Washing dishes, making your own meal, organizing cupboards, planning ahead (grocery lists), and general hygiene are just a few of the things they learn. Then there are the ones we don't think about: Emergency medical treatments (like when we learned about how you need to put cold water or ice on Mommy's burn.) And how to take things in stride and find solutions (like when we find out we're out of butter and are half-way through making a cake!)

Now, I haven't even touched on the part where they learn about where our food comes from! I'll spare you the novel and let you go check out some other posts in this month's Carnival of Natural Parenting. But, I need to tell you that my kids know about gardening and all the science that goes with it, how to find edible plants in the wild, how herbs can be used as medicine, how agriculture works, why buying your food selectively is important to your health and the environments... There's more, but I'm sure you get the point! The majority of our talks about these things occur in the kitchen as we use a particular ingredient.


Can you think of other ways that the kitchen is conducive to learning more than how to cook? I'd love to hear your ideas - Little Guy is at the perfect point in his mind where everything is interesting to him. The more ideas you can give me, the more I'll be able to help him learn in his favorite room in the house - The "Classroom".
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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Baking & letting go — Cooking with kids can be a mess. Nadia at Red White & GREEN Mom is learning to relax, be patient, and have fun with the process.
• Family feeding in Child of Mine — Lauren at Hobo Mama reviews Ellyn Satter's suggestions for appropriate feeding and points out where her family has problems following through.
• Children with Knives! (And other Kitchen Tools) — Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy teaches her children how to safely use knives.
• "Mommy, Can I Help?" — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment writes about how she lets her kiddos help out with cooking, despite her {sometimes} lack of patience!
• Solids the Second Time Around — Sheryl at Little Snowflakes recounts her experiences introducing solids to her second child.
• The Adventure of Toddler Tastebuds — The Accidental Natural Mama shares a few things that helped her daughter develop an adventurous palate.
• A Tradition of Love — Kelly at Becoming Crunchy looks forward to sharing the kitchen traditions passed on from her mom and has already found several ways to involve baby in the kitchen.
• The Very Best Classroom — Alicia C. at McCrenshaw's Newest Thoughts reveals how her kitchen is more than a place to make food - it's a classroom!
• Raising Little Chefs — Chef Mike guest posts on Natural Parents Network about how he went from a guy who couldn't cook to a chef who wanted to teach his boys to know how the food we love is made.
• In the Kitchen with my kids — Isil at Smiling like Sunshine shares a delicious soup recipe that her kids love.
• Papa, the Pancake Artist — Papa's making an incredible breakfast over at Our Mindful Life.
• Kids won't eat salad? Try this one! — Tat at Mum in Search is sharing her children's favourite salad recipe.
• Recipe For a Great Relationship — Cooking with kids is about feeding hearts as well as bellies, writes Hannah at Wild Parenting.
• The Ritual of Mealtimes — Syenna at Gently Parenting Twins writes about the significance of mealtimes in her family’s daily rhythm.
• Kid, Meet Food. Food, Kid. — Alburnet at What's Next? panicks about passing on her food "issues" to her offspring.
• Growing Up in the Kitchen — Cassie at There's a Pickle in My Life shares how her son is growing up in the kitchen.
• Harvesting Corn and History — From Kenna at School Garden Year: The kids in the school garden harvest their corn and learn how much history grows in their food.
• My Guiding Principles for Teaching my Child about Food — Tree at Mom Grooves uses these guiding principles to give her daughter a love of good food and an understanding of nutrition as well as to empower her to make the best choices for her body.
• Kitchen Control — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro writes about her struggles to relinquish control in the kitchen to her children.
• Food — Emma at Your Fonder Heart lets her seven month old teach her how to feed a baby.
• Kitchen Fun? — Adrienne at Mommying My Way questions how much fun she can have in a non-functional kitchen, while trying to remain positive about the blessings of cooking for her family.
• Kitchen Adventures — Erica at ChildOrganics shares fun ways to connect with your kids in the kitchen.
• Kids in the Kitchen: Finding the Right Tools — Melissa at Vibrant Wanderings shares some of her favorite child-sized kitchen gadgets and where to find them.
• The Kitchen Classroom — Laura at Authentic Parenting knows that everything your kids want to learn is at the end of the ladle.
• Kids in the Kitchen — Luschka from Diary of a First Child talks about the role of the kitchen in family communication and shares fun kitchen activities for the under two.
• Our Kitchen is an Unschooling Classroom. — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle explores the many ways her kitchen has become a rich environment for learning.
• Montessori-Inspired Food Preparation for Preschoolers — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares lots of resources for using Montessori food preparation activities for young children in the kitchen.
• My Little Healthy Eater — Christine at African Babies Don't Cry shares her research on what is the best first food for babies, and includes a healthy and yummy breakfast recipe.
• Two Boys and Papa in the Kitchen: Recipe for Disaster? — MudpieMama shares all about her fears, joys and discoveries when the boys and handsome hubby took over the kitchen.
• Food choices, Food treats — Henrietta at Angel Wings and Herb Tea shares her family's relationship with food.
• learning to eat — Catherine at learner mummy reflects on little M's first adventures with food.
• The Night My 7-Year-Old Made Dinner — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares how her 7-year-old daughter surprised everyone by turning what started as an idea to play restaurant into pulling off making supper for her family.
• Cooking With a High-Needs Toddler — Sylvia at MaMammalia describes how Montessori-inspired activities and a bit of acceptance have helped her overcome hurdles in cooking while caring for a "high-needs" child.
• Kids in the Kitchen – teaching healthy food choices — Brenna at Almost All The Truth shares her belief in the importance of getting kids into the kitchen using her favorite cookbook for kids to develop healthy food choices now and hopefully into the future.
• Make Milk, Not War — Tamara at Tea for Three remembers the daily food fights as she struggled to feed a picky eater.
• teaching baby birds about good food. — Sarah at Small Bird on Fire writes about the ways in which her family chooses to gently teach their son how to make wise food decisions.
• 5 Ways to Enhance Your Baby or Young Toddler's Relationship with Food — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares simple ways to give your child a healthy beginning to her lifelong relationship with food.
• Toddler at the Table: 10 Creative Solutions — Moorea at Mamalady shares tips for preventing meal-time power struggles.
• How My Child Takes Responsibility During His Mealtime... — Jenny @ I'm a full-time mummy shares how she teaches and encourages her 32 months old son on adopting good manners and responsibilities during his mealtimes...
• Kids in the Kitchen: 6 Tips Plus a Recipe — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings shares six tips for overcoming some of the the difficulties of cooking with multiple young sous chefs, and a recipe they all can agree on!
• How BLW has made me a better parent — Zoe at Mummykins shares how baby-led weaning has changed her approach to parenting.
• My Budding Chef — Jenny at Chronicles of a Nursing Mom is no cook but is happy that her daughter has shown an inclination and manages to whip up yummy goodies for their family.
• Kids in the Kitchen: An Activity for Every Age — Gaby from Tmuffin describes how she keeps her kids busy in the kitchen, whether they are one week old or two years old.
• The Phantastically Mutlipurposed Phyllo — Ana at Pandamoly shares how Phyllo is used to create enticing dishes at home! Anything can be made into a Struedel!
• Kitchen Kids — Laura from A Pug in the Kitchen shares her children's most favorite recipe to make, experience and eat.
• Independence vs. Connection in the Kitchen: won't you please get yourself your own snack already? — Lisa at Organic Baby Atlanta wishes her daughter would just go make a mess in the kitchen. But her daughter only wants to do it together.
• Grandma Rose's Kitchen — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter reminisces about her childhood and dreams of filling her kitchen with people, love, noise, and messes.
• Healthy Food Choices for Kids — Jorje offers one way to encourage children to make their own healthy food choices at MommaJorje.com.
• Cooking food to thrive rather than survive — Phoebe at Little Tinker Tales is trying to foster a lifetime of good food habits by teaching her children about the importance of avoiding junk, cooking healthy meals, and learning about the whole food process.
• Evolution of a self-led eater — Sheila at A Gift Universe shares the story of how her son grew from nursing around the clock to eating everything in sight, without her having to push.
• 10 Ways Tiny Helps In The Kitchen — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama explores the ways in which her toddler actively participates in kitchen-related activities.
• The Complexity of Feeding a Child — Feeding children a healthy diet is no straight-forward task, but Lisa at My World Edenwild shares some general guidelines to help your child thrive.
• Lactation Cookies — That Mama Gretchen shares a fun recipe that will benefit both mamas and babies!
• 50 of the Best Books, Websites, & Resources to Inspire Kids in the Kitchen — Need inspiration to get your kids in the kitchen? Dionna at Code Name: Mama rounds up some of the best books and websites that can serve as a source for ideas, recipes, and cooking with littles fun.
• A 4-year-old's smoothie recipe — Jen at Grow With Graces and her son set out to make a smoothie without the usual ingredients. She let him improvise. See how it turned out.
• Independent Food Preparation (My Toddler Can Do That?) — Megan at Montessori Moments shares simple ways for children to prepare their own healthy snacks.
• Follow Your Gut — Amy at Anktangle shares her philosophy about intuitive eating, and how she's trying to foster her son's trust in his own inner wisdom when he feels hungry.
• A TODDLER-STYLE LUNCH + RECIPE — Manic Mrs. Stone photographs how to have messy fun during lunchtime with a helpful toddler.

I Have the Coolest Teen!

After we went trick-or-treating tonight, I saw this on Momma Jorje's Facebook status:

"It's Halloween. Tonight a lot of creatures will visit your door. Be open minded. The child who is grabbing more than one piece of candy might have poor fine motor skills. The child who takes forever to pick out one piece of candy might have motor planning issues. The child who does not say "trick or treat" or "thank you" might be shy or non-verbal. The child who looks disappointed when he sees you...r bowl might have an allergy. The child who isn't wearing a costume at all might have SPD or autism. The child who is screaming at the top of her lungs probably can't help it. Be nice. Be patient. Its everyone's Halloween. Make a mom feel good by making a big deal of her special child."

There was one mom who we were able to help a little. She had a little boy who was around 5. I couldn't tell what his costume was, but it was handmade with 2 pieces of poster board - hanging over his shoulders like a sign. She also had a little girl who was around 2. The baby was screaming non-stop. Not the usual "I'm tired" or "I'm having a bad time right now" scream. This was ear-piercing. She kept throwing her candy on the ground and then screaming to have it back.

The poor mom just didn't know what to do. Near the start of trick-or-treating, I heard her say, "If you don't stop, we'll have to go home." The look on that little boy's face was so heart-breaking. I just knew that this little girl probably had more than the usual "Terrible Twos" going on. I could just tell by his face that this would probably be one more time that his little sister's needs were going to come first. (Think of it from a five-year-old's perspective.)

I really didn't want to interfere. That was until one of the other parents LOUDLY made mention of what a terrible parent she must be. This snotty woman made mention of the "shitty" costume and the "bratty" baby. The mama looked like she was going to lose it - even though it was dark, those tears welling up in her eyes were clear as day.

My oldest offered to walk the little boy up to the houses - I was still trying to get my anger under control! So, I just stood with the mom and we talked. The little girl calmed down. It seems she was over-stimulated by all of the decorations and didn't want to go up to the houses. It was just too much for her. Plus, she was extremely introverted and hated going anywhere with people she didn't know around. Every time they started up the walk of a house, she thought they were going to go inside - where there would be people she didn't know. Over and over, they walked up to a house, she freaked out, then they walked away. This repetition caused her to just completely lose it and scream non-stop. My son's simple offer to walk with the little boy fixed it. Two houses down, the little girl stopped crying and was happy to sit quietly in her stroller and observe. She only cried when someone got in her face to say, "Oh, aren't you so cute!" (I'd have cried, too! LOL)

I don't know the mama's name, I don't know anything about them. We didn't get into that stuff. But she thanked me for walking with her - she said it made her feel a little stronger to have "someone on her side." The little boy was so happy with my son. He was holding hands with him and I don't think his smile could get any bigger. He had quite a haul of candy and I just know he was feeling rich!

I am so proud of my son. While I stood there, not knowing what to do, he stood up and did the perfect thing. I'd probably have said something nasty back to snotty woman. Possibly starting a yelling match, most definitely bringing even more unwanted attention to the mama. When I told my son how proud I was of him, on the way home, he looked at me like I was nuts. "What for?" "Uh, helping that little boy have a great Halloween." He just shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes at me. "Mom, it's not like I wasn't going to the houses with Little Guy anyway. What's one more kid?" I'm not sure if he was just playing it off, or if he really had no idea how wonderful his simple action was and what it meant to the mama, her daughter, and her son.

I wish I had seen Mamma Jorge's status before we went out. I'd have shared everywhere. Maybe if I'd have done that, it could have gotten to snotty woman before she had gone trick-or-treating...

Just Another 'First Day of School' Post...

Yeah, I'm jumping on the "First Day of School" bandwagon this year. My little boy is a high school freshman and I just can't seem to grasp that quite yet. It's scary for a mom! I have to get off his back about homework, schedules, and loosen up a bit on the rules now. This is the time when he's supposed to learn how to take care of himself, while still at home with a loving and supportive family there to catch him if he should fall.

Shoes on...

 He skipped a grade way back when he moved from homeschooling to "real" school. So, I think that because he's 13,  not 14 like his classmates, it scares me a little more than most moms. He may have the book smarts to be grouped with these kids, but his maturity and responsibility levels are a little off. We've already had some problems with him remembering things. He is at that "I know what I'm doing" stage and refuses to write anything down because he'll remember it all. He missed his very first cross country meet yesterday because he didn't remember that I told him to ask his coach where the team was supposed to meet to take the shuttle to the event. He forgot that I told him to pack clothes to run in. He forgot to ask about getting a ride home with a teammate who lives close to us. He was told to write it all down. He came home feeling terrible about the entire thing. I could have made him a list, but what about next time and the time after that? I think that his feelings of bewilderment at his self-assurance, guilt of not supporting his team, and sadness at missing his first high school event will help teach him to make a list more than any nagging I could ever do.

The thing is, this is the first time he's ever signed on to an extracurricular activity on his own. This is the first time that he's taken the initiative to head to practice on his own - with no car, this means he has to ride his bike 3 miles each way to the site. He even set out last Friday to practice (with NO reminder from me!) when it was 100 degrees out. Practice had been canceled due to the heat (he'd have been called if he had remembered to turn in the paperwork I filled out three days before!) On the days that there is no practice, he is planning his own 3 to 4-mile runs. I'm amazed at all of this and want to support him as much as possible.

... backpack ready...

Then there's the schoolwork. The district provides a wonderful student planner to all students at the beginning of the year. It's only day 2 of the year and he's not written one thing in it except his name. I've shown him how to use it and have threatened life & limb if he doesn't write in it at the end of every class. "I forgot." "I didn't have time because the bell rang." Blah, blah, blah. I'm kind of stuck on what to do about this. I can ground him, but that doesn't do much good - I found that out last year. I can give him "punishment" chores to do, but that won't work too well, either.


I went through this stuff, too, when I was his age. I barely did my homework because it was a waste of time to me. Once I learned something, it stuck. I'm not the type of learner who needs repetition to ingrain something into my memory. I paid attention in class, did the reading or a few problems, and I was done. I aced the tests and, even without doing any homework, I managed to get by on C's. I don't want this for him. He really wants to attend University of Michigan. He's even been offered a $10,000 scholarship if he manages to get through high school without his GPA ever dipping below a 3.0. I'm really trying to be empathetic here, but I don't want him to miss out on such an amazing opportunity.

So, I'm really stuck right now. My baby bird needs to start testing out his wings. I will be there to catch him when he falls. But how far do I let him go before pulling him back into the nest?

... and into the world of high school!

I'd love any advice! 

Both from moms who've been there done that and those of you who just remember back to starting high school. 

PLEASE, I'm really coming up with nothing right now and would love some help. 

No idea is too simple or complicated at this point!

Shirley Temple? No, Just a Proud Kid! {Wordless Wednesday 4/13}

I won a year of crafts from Freckles Crafts! We received out first shipment last week and had the opportunity to make our first project a few days ago (look for an upcoming post!) I can't get over the expression on his face - he is so incredibly proud of this one. Oh, and can you tell it was a rainy day? Poor kid's hair totally frizzes and poofs whenever it's humid!

UPDATE!  

Head on over to my Super-Easy Crafting with Kids post for a crafty Giveaway from Freckles Crafts!