Kids Craft Corner: Getting Organized

I do a lot of crafts with my kids, and we all enjoy it. But crafts require so many supplies! And they take up a lot of space. So for the first Kids Craft Corner of 2010, I wanted to focus on organizing craft supplies. The key to organizing arts and crafts spaces is to understand what supplies you and your kids specifically use most often, and where you are going to do your projects.

When my 5 year old son first got a desk in his room, he did some drawing in there but now it's not used much. We also have a desk in the playroom, but it's turned into a dumping ground for finished artwork. About 99% of our crafting is done at the kitchen table, which means 99% of our craft supplies are sitting on or around the kitchen table! This does not exactly help with my efforts to keep my kitchen neat and clean. And it makes cleaning up for visitors frantic!

I considered moving our arts and crafts supplies into the playroom, but with a 2 1/2 year old in the house, and the fact that I host a lot of playdates here, I decided that was not a feasible solution. So a few months ago, I got a big basket and put all our craft supplies and paper into it. I set it on the floor next to the kitchen table, and it kept all our supplies neat and tidy. I thought it would work great!

But then we got more paper and new markers and stamps. And then we added tissue paper and yarn and paper towel rolls and all sorts of other materials that would be fun to use in a craft project. And the kids were having a hard time finding a pair of scissors or a glue stick at the bottom of the basket.

So this weekend, as the new year dawned, I decided to get organized. I went to the store and got a cabinet with three shelves and doors that close! The kids and I put all the art tools on the top shelf: scissors, glue, crayons, markers, Do-A-Dots, watercolor paints, colored pencils with sharpeners and erasers, and more. Then we put all the collage and crafting materials on the middle shelf: stamps, paper rolls, tissue paper, yarn, and a tissue box full of future collage items. And finally, we filled the bottom shelf with paper and workbooks.

So far, the cabinet is working great. Both kids can get into the cabinet and get the supplies they need. It's less frustrating for them since they can more easily find what they need. And my kitchen table is clean because the kids now know where to put the arts and craft supplies when they're done. I want to organize the middle shelf a bit more, perhaps with smaller baskets. But I'm going to wait for a while and see how we end up using the cabinet before making too many adjustments.

If you're overrun with arts and crafts supplies, I highly recommend getting organized. It feels great!

Julie -

Never Ending Nights

The kids have colds. And with colds come nights that just never seem to end. With Ashes asthma even the smallest of colds poses the potential for an attack so J and I are always on alert. Since we got ourselves a nebulizer we've stopped having to go to ER and can handle them ourselves from home, but even then it's frustrating.

When Soren gets a bad cold he usually ends up in our room either sleeping in his car seat so he can sleep upright and breathe, or propped up beside us. Of course for one night like this we deal with 4 more where he refuses to sleep back in his crib until he realizes the war is lost. On his end, I assure you.

But when you combine the two together, you have a night of no sleep.

7pm: Soren finally passes out in my arms and I put him to bed.

7:30pm: Ashe has his "air medicine" (Albuterol) for his asthma and promptly passes out

9:30pm Xavier fights his bedtime (already 90 minutes later as it is) and finally passes out an hour later after several attempts of snacks, drinks, and "Can I just read one more book???"

11:08-11:30pm: Soren wakes up for his first night feeding

11:31pm: J and I finally settle down to sleep

12am: Ashe wakes up gasping for air and crying for chocolate milk. I rush up ready to give him Albuterol and read Harry Potter until the medicine is done.

12:01am: Ashe has a tantrum on the floor outside of Sorens room because he does not want air medicine

12:02am: Soren wakes up screaming. Xavier sleeps blissfully through

12:02am J rushes up to take over Ashe while I go in to calm Soren down by nursing him...again

12:17am: Soren finally passes out. I tiptoe out to hear J reading Harry Potter to Ashe with the loud nebulizer going strong, lights blaring.

12:17am: Xavier blissfully sleeps through everything.

12:25am: J returns to bed and we cuddle up together and try to go to sleep

1:30am: Ashe starts yelling from the top of the stairs "DADDY! HEY DADDY! UMM MOMMY!" I WANT CHOMO MILK!!!"

1:31am: I'm in the kitchen mixing one more cup of chocolate milk for Ashe and letting him know this is it until breakfast time!

1:34 am: everyone is back in bed. Xavier blissfully sleeps through everything

1:35-2:45am: I hear Ashe singing the Star Wars song, Dora the Explorer, and yelling out "MARIO KART WHEEE!" Xavier blissfully sleeps through it all.

3am: Ashe finally passes out

3:30am: Soren wakes up crying

3:31am: I'm up in Sorens room, checking his diaper and bring us to the rocker to nurse

3:50am: Soren is back in bed and I hobble into our own room to pass out as quickly as I can. Which, despite my pure exhaustion, still takes a long time. I keep listening for when the next issue will happen and can not fall into a deep sleep for awhile, jumping at every noise. I finally pass back out around 4:30am

5:50am: Soren wakes up to nurse. Usually by this time he will be up and at em for the day and I pass the torch to J but he decided to be nice to Daddy and go back to sleep for a couple of hours.

6:05am I go to bed, passing the torch to J and finally pass out blissfully for a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.

7am: Ashe wakes up for the day but I don't care. I'm finally comatose.

Brittany -

Mom's Outing: Peace and Quiet

Peace and quiet? Where did I get that, especially at this time of year? I will tell you. I found it in the car.

Yes, I had an appointment today and my husband was watching our son so I was ALONE in the car. How lovely. And, it is a nice day for it too. The sun is shining. The air is cool and crisp, not too cold. The shadows of the naked trees are dancing on the pavement as I dash by them.

I actually turned the heat up a bit and rolled down the windows. Do you ever do that? It is exhilarating. I was playing WSHA on the radio, a jiving jazz station in town. And just relaxing. Yes, relaxing in Holiday traffic.

How do you get this for yourself? Well, it might take some doing, I must be honest. You need someone to watch the children, you need an important appointment of some sort, one that you cannot skip even this close to the Holidays, you need to leave early because you mustn't be late (wink), and everyone must know because you do not need the cell phone to be ringing either.

Good luck to all you busy bustling Mamas out there, and have a great car drive by yourself.

Dog Days

Our 3 yr old has been replaced by a dog, or so it seems. This past week, Ashe has decided that he is no longer a kid but a canine. Trying to sort laundry while your child sits upon the mountain of clothing and attacks a towel barking and growling is an experience every mom should have at least once in their lifetime.

It's not a new thing, this insistence on being a dog. There have been a few times I have shopped at Target and he has dropped on all fours out of the blue and started yipping. One time I glanced longingly at the pet department and wondered if it would be a bad Mom moment if I bought a leash. Take heart. I didn't buy one. I found out my "doggie" came knowing how to heal already. And he doesn't bite ankles either.

But this week he's taken it up a notch and has been galavanting all around the house on hands and knees, insisting he is a dog, barking at me while I try to get things done, and even once coming to curl up in my lap and licked me. I was all happy, thinking I was about to get a kiss and instead he slurped my face from jawbone to hairline, giggled, and scampered off with a ruff.

A couple nights ago, after dealing with his insistence that he wont eat people food, only dog bones, I decided to try and trick him into eating ravioli, calling them dog bones. Hey, they're white. He doesnt know the difference. While I boiled them up he kept asking me as he hopped around on all fours when his dog bones would be ready. Alas, when it was time for dinner and I proudly gave him his "canine cuisine" he refused to eat. /Sigh

I guess I should be happy. Xavier went through the same phase around the same age and he was worse. I vividly remember a few times of him insisting on eating his food in a bowl on the floor under the dining room table. I put my foot down when he started begging for scraps though. Ashe hasn't gotten that far yet. I'm thankful for that.

Yesterday Ashe came over to me and curled himself up in my lap. I stroked his hair as I held him and we contentedly cuddled for a bit. When he decided he had enough he sat up, took my face in his little hands and said "MOMMY, I A CAT! MEOW." He jumped off my lap and off the bed, ran out the door on all fours again, meowing all the way.

Right now Im just glad he doesn't cough up hair balls. Ahh, to be 3 again.

Brittany -

Have a Green Holiday

The holidays are fast approaching and while we're struggling as moms to juggle all that the holidays entail, here are some tips for keeping your family traditions a little greener.

Christmas Trees
A new trend starting up is purchasing a rooted, or potted, Christmas tree that can be planted outside when the holidays are done. They don't always fare as nicely indoors as a traditional live tree, so you may consider keeping it outside until Christmas Eve or moving the celebration outdoors for a fresher, crisper holiday tradition!

Re-gifting
Re-gifting presents is truly a reasonable method for gift giving. If a gift you've received doesn't match your style, decor or fit your body, giving it to someone else who will appreciate it more keeps the gift from landing in the waste basket.

Wrapping Gifts
Use newspaper, brown paper bags or re-use last year's gift bags and wrapping paper. Let your children color or drawn on the paper to make their gift a work of art and completely unique. Want something a little more glamorous, look into re-usable gift bags or use fabric instead of wrapping paper.

Kids Craft: Hand-Print Christmas Tree

I love making hand-print crafts because you can hold onto them for many years, and truly see how much your child has grown since making them. This year, I decided to make a hand-print Christmas tree with my daughter.

Materials

• Several pieces of green construction paper
• A piece of paper to serve as the background
• Stickers and/or more construction paper in a variety of colors
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers or crayons
  

Putting it together

1. Trace your child's hand 6 times on the green paper, and cut out.
2. Have your child glue three hand prints, fingers facing downward and overlapping, onto the background paper about two inches above bottom of the page. This will be the bottom of the tree.
   
3. Have your child glue two hand prints above the first row, with fingers pointing down and overlapping each other and the first row of hand prints. They should be centered so you can start to see the shape of the Christmas tree form.
   
4. Have your child glue the last hand print above the row of two, with fingers pointing down and overlapping the previous row. At this point, the hand prints should form the shape of a Christmas tree.
   
5. Use stickers or shapes cut from paper to add ornaments, tinsel, a star, a stem or any other decorations to the tree.
6. Use a marker or crayon to draw presents under the tree - or make them with paper like we did.
   

The final result:
Here is my 2 year old's Christmas tree! I let her do just about all the work, except for the cutting. She even chose the stickers for the ornaments - I was very impressed when she came back from the sticker drawer with little round Christmas stickers! She had a lot of fun making this and was very excited to hang it on the wall.

Julie -

Hey Birthday Boy

To my sweet, funny, rambunctious, smart, silly boy:

Ashe it's your third birthday today and I just want to say I am so in love with you. I look at you now, today of all days especially, and just stand there in awe thinking of what you are now, what you have been, and wonder what lies ahead of you in your years to come.

I remember vividly how you were the easiest pregnancy out of all three and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that.

I remember how fast you came into the world, where you were almost born in the car as we drove the 5 minutes to the local hospital. Thanks for hanging on just a little bit longer!

You were my snuggle bunny and you still are. I cherish each cuddle, hug, and random sticky kiss from you.

I love your "I WUV YOU MOMMY"s, all done at volume 11.

I love the fact you call a frog a fog and a dog a frog.

I love that every time we put something silly on our heads and call it a hat you give us "the look" and say with utter disdain "IT'S NOT A HAT!". Guarenteed laughter each and every time.

I love how you love to sing Rhett and Links Space junk song.

I love how, no matter how many times beforehand that I say its ok you MUST ask me "MOMMY CAN I EAT THIS?" even when it's chocolate milk.

I love how you argue with me over whether you eat or drink chocolate milk. And honey, I promise, you drink it, not eat it, no matter what you say.

I love how you pronounce please as Peas

I love how you love preschool, and your favorite part is Circle Time.

I love the fact that you have exploded with your vocabulary and can now actually argue with me instead of getting frustrated and scream.

And while I shouldn't admit this, I crack up when you sneak up behind your brother while he is busy playing quietly, to smack him upside the head and run away laughing maniacally. No, I dont love this. But it is flipping hilarious to watch before I have to step in and give you a time out.

I love how you sing YODA to the tune of Lola after listening to Weird Al Yancovich.

I love how you are finally sitting (mostly) nicely at the dinner table with us each night instead of running around like a wild thing, even if you dont eat. We'll work on that next sweetie.

I love how you are potty trained, and you are SO proud of yourself each time you have to go to the bathroom. May that excitement never wear off. You earned it!

I love the fact you love Pirate stuff.

I love how when we call you silly you say "NO I NOT. I A BIG GOOBER!"

I love how you talk in Cap Locks.

You make me giggle each time you tell me not to sing/hum/dance/wiggle when we're listening to music.

I love how you eat your feet. It's beyond gross. But it is so you.

I love your new saying "OH YEAH" in a deep grumbly 3 yr old voice.

I love how you help me around the house when I ask you to and dont whine about it. I know that's only going to last a little while longer so I really cherish telling you to put your dishes in the sink and you actually do it happily.

I love the fact when I tell you to put the dishes in the sink you always put them in the bathroom sink.

I love watching you follow your brother around and try to do everything he does. Although I dont love some of the things he is teaching you.

I love how you go to bed so well most nights.

I love the fact you still have that natural mohawk that you were born with. While it will suck for you as an adult to try and tame that thing, it is absolutely precious on you.

I love how you love baseball almost as much as Daddy. I know Daddy really appreciates having a baseball buddy.

You are such an amazing kiddo. You're a great older brother to Soren, the perfect little brother to Xavier. You are so unique and fun and special. You are YOU! And there is no one in the world like you. And I am the luckiest Mommy in the world, to have such a special boy to call my son. I love you little man. Happy Birthday!

Brittany -

Fun Facts

I have a new favorite word: Coprolite. It means poop, generally used for fossilized poop, but I was also told it works for present day usage as well.And even if it really only refers to fossilized poop, I'm still going to use it! I think I'm going to teach my kids to use that word. Just imagine a 2 yr old Soren saying "MOOOM! I NEED TO COPROLITE!!!" How awesome would that be? Or, if I can get Ashe to start using it, instead of him calling Xavier a Poopy head he would call him a Coprolite head. I think I'd be better with that word than poopy, although the meanings are the same. Or, J and I can talk about all the Coprolite diapers Soren keeps going through. Coprolite. Can't say it enough.

I learned this word today while the kids and I explored the Discovery Room at NCs Museum of Natural Science, our favorite museum. Normally this room is jam packed with kids and parents, but today it was only us for an hour, and then only one other family for the second hour. Yes, we spent 2 full hours in one room, discovering a whole bunch of things together. It really helped that there was an amazing volunteer there by the name of Anthony (if any of you go be on the lookout for him) who took a ton of time jazzing up all of the different topics for Xavier, helping him lay out string to see how long a T Rex is, listening to conch shells to figure out which had the best wave sound, and just really got into it all with the kids.

~We learned about honey bees, the difference between a worker (female) and drone (male). We learned that the average worker bee only lives for 6 weeks but the Queen bee can live up to 5 years. We learned that drone bees must be fed by the workers (I laughed at this information). We took time to look for the Queen Bee and when I found her I felt childishly excited. I even childishly refused to tell Xavier where she was, only giving hints, so he could find her himself. He did after a bit on concentration. We decided to play a game and try to find her each time we go back. (There is a trick to this by the way. Look for a bee a little bit bigger than the rest, encircled by bees all facing her direction. The Queen Bee does nothing but reproduce and the circle of bees hang around her feeling her vibrations with their antennae to figure out if she needs anything like food. Another fun fact!)

~We learned that rabbits are not actually rodents but are in a family all their own called Lagomorpha. Rodents can be identified by their brown teeth due to a strengthening enamel that coats their teeth (we saw this with a Beaver Skull).

~We learned about Dinosaurs (where I gained a ton of rep points with the volunteer by knowing the difference between a sauropod and a theropod) and fossils. This is where I learned about my new favorite word. Coprolite. Yes, I'm just throwing it in there because I can. Coprolite!

~We learned about spiders and their silk, and how to recognize a Brown Recluse (in order to run away screaming if we ever see one).

There was so much more, but the best part was just how much fun the kids and I had running from area to area, learning a new topic, me throwing out bits of knowledge and information I had gained over the years. I know most of it will go in one ear and out the other but I figure one or two facts may get stuck in their little brains and they will remember "Oh yeah! I learned this from Mom!" when they're adults and passing on their own form of education to their kidlets. Under normal circumstances Xavier and Ashe race from exhibit to exhibit, but today while they devoured anything they could get their hands on, they threw themselves into learning what was right in front of them through touch, scent, games, and 2 adults that were having a ball showing them all the delights the room had to offer. I couldn't believe it when I looked up at the clock and realized 2 hours had past already. Alas we had to go.

Normally I take the kids to the museum in the morning, but as dead as it was this afternoon, and how much more the kids (and I) got out of our visit, I may change our timing up a bit when Xavier is tracked out. It's amazing how much more fun things can be when you have it all to yourself. We're looking forward to going again soon.

Coprolite!

Brittany -

The Big Guys Magic

Every single year at Christmas time, I take the boys to the local mall to meet Santa. And every year Xavier (who still believes completely and for that I'm both thankful and in awe) would stand no closer than 15 feet from the Big Guy and shout out his list instead of sitting on his lap or even coming to shake his hand. I don't know why this is. He never had a bad experience with Santa (or the Easter Bunny for that matter). He just never ever wanted to be that close. And I never pushed him. Santa for us, is not something forced on our kids, but is to be cherished and respected. And each kid develops their own relationship with the jolly old elf. My oldest just had a relationship that was a minimum of 15 feet or further away.

Today I bundled up the kids and we headed to the Mall to meet Santa and let the kids give him their wish list. I fully expected the same deal. Wait in line for 30 minutes, stand at the edge of the red carpet next to the velvet ropes, help translate Xaviers shouts (and Ashes who of course copies everything his older brother does) and translate back to the kids Santa's responses. Instead I was gratefully surprised to have no lines whatsoever to deal with, a real authentic looking Santa (real beard and all woot!) and to my complete astonishment, Xavier sauntered right up and sat on his lap while Ashe clambered up beside him and they conversed for a good 5 minutes. I was completely floored. I noticed Santa kept glancing up at me with a confused smile on his face, probably wondering why my jaw was touching the ground as I watched this episode occur.

Soren was snug in his Moby wrap while their conversation was going on and at one point, Santa turned to Soren and said "well young man I understand you want some tub toys for Christmas?"(Of course all I'm thinking is NOOOOO! he wants a ball popper and robeez not damn tub toys!! Crap now I got to go out and buy tub toys too???) Xavier looked at Santa and said,

"How do you know what Soren wants?"

"Oh Soren and I can talk with each other in our own special way." (wink)

"You can?"

"Oh sure. It's part of my magic. I bring gifts to babies too."

So here I am listening to this conversation and a whole slew of things start racing through my mind with a smile plastered on my face.

1. I need to buy tub toys for Soren

2. This could potentially be the time where Xavier starts to really question Santa if I cant pull off a good explanation from the questions that were sure to follow. Which is fine if it came down to that, but I'd be sad to see the end of this childhood era this year.

3. What the heck kind of tub toys can I find that will fit into a stocking and is good for a 6 month old?

4. How do I explain this new magic Santa has that he didn't seem to have for Ashe when he was a baby?

We finish our meeting, I add in to Santa that Soren really wants a ball popper too, and maybe a pair of robeez, but I'll send him a letter with the size and style sometime this week and we walk away.As we sit down for lunch the questions start to come and my brain has to go into overdrive:

"Mom did you know Santa could talk to babies?"

"No I didnt, but I always wondered how he knew what to get you and Ashe when you were babies. Now I know."

"How do you think it works? I mean it's not like Soren knows words or anything."

"I don't know. Maybe Santa can see pictures in Sorens mind and knows what it is he is trying to say."

"But why would Soren want tub toys?"

"Beats me. Maybe he sees you and Ashe having a lot of fun during bath time and sees you playing with your toys and he thinks it looks like fun."

"Huh. I never thought of that.... do you think he would want to have a couple of our bath toys until Christmas is here?"

"Aww honey that's sweet, but I think that your toys are too big for him. He'll need baby tub toys. Thanks for offering though."

"No problem. I cant wait to see what kind of tub toys Santa brings Soren!"

"Me either."

I casually steered the conversation to how astonished and proud I was that Xavier went right up to Santa and sat on his lap for their chat and he smiled, proud of himself too. He's growing up in one way. But I hope I have another year or two before he grows up and out of Santa completely. It will be a bittersweet year when he finally decides he's too old to believe in magical fat elves who can shimmy down a chimney and bring every boy and girl toys in one night. I know it's coming soon. In fact I'm surprised it hasn't come yet. But I'm grateful it looks like I still have at least one more year to keep the magic alive for him.

Now to figure out bath tub toys for a 6 month old......

Brittany -

Night Noises

Last night we had a storm blow in that caused tornado watches in our area. The rain was pelting down in droves and the wind was fierce. Around 2 am in the morning I was woken by a trembling voice of Xavier, standing silhouetted in the door frame. Trying to quickly dash the sleepiness out of me I asked him what was up.

"Mom, I'm hearing voices in my room."

"Oh yeah? What kind of voices?"

"Ghost voices. I know it's not a ghost but it sounds scary. Can you come up and listen?"

"Sure honey."

So I climbed out of bed and hand in hand we walked upstairs, his hand grabbing my own in a death grip and he stayed so close to me he kept tripping on my heels. In his room I could hear the wind whipping by in gusts and instantly I heard the wailing of the wind in the trees. It did have that eerie quality of what you would expect a ghost to sound like, so I felt for the poor kid. It brought memories of my own times being scared in the dark as a child and no one giving me comfort or an explanation. So instead of dismissing his fears I did two things: I explained what was going on, and I told him what I did to help me when I was a kid and scared.

First I explained how the wind was whistling through the branches of the trees, making itself a musical instrument. In a way, I explained, it's the earth making music and singing its song to you. It sounds eerie, yes, but beautiful too, once you understand it. He stopped and listened and smiled. We got into talking about wind instruments and how they work the same way the wind was working through the trees. We talked of flutes, and clarinets, and even tubas. It got him interested in learning how those work.

Then I told him when I was his age and scared I learned a trick from a friend. If you put yourself under your sheet or blanket completely, nothing, NOTHING, can hurt you. I told him I used to go to bed every night completely covered except for a nose hole and felt safe every night. And lastly I told him if he was quiet, he could read in bed until he felt better. So I left him happily covered under his blankets reading a book with the light on, listening to Earths music.

...he fell asleep feeling safe. I'm glad I could offer that to him.

Brittany -

December Coffee Connections

December Locations

~WHERE~

West Wake

Wake Zone
6108 Old Jenks Rd
Apex, NC 27523
919-267-4622

~WHEN~

Thursday, December 3rd

10:00 am

~CONTACT~

Kate (littlelightphoto)

kate@trianglemommies.com

-------------------------------------------------

~WHERE~

North Durham/Orange

Starbucks

3801 Guess Road
Durham, NC 27705

~WHEN~

Wednesday, December 9th

10:00 am

~CONTACT~

Nicole (zippchic)

nicole@trianglemommies.com

-----------------------------------------------------

~WHERE~
SouthWake/Central Raleigh
Java Divine Coffee & Gelato Bar
128 Bass Lake Road
Holly Springs, NC 27540
~WHEN~
Tuesday, December 15th
9:30 am
~CONTACT~
Marcy (mommymarcy)
marcy@trianglemommies.com

---------------------------------------------

~WHERE~

NorthWest Wake

Its A Grind Coffee House
5001 Falls of Neuse Rd
Raleigh, NC

~WHEN~

Wednesday, December 16th

11:00 am

~CONTACT~

Jennifer (psuhoney26)

jennifer.winkelman@trianglemommies.com

-------------------------------------------------
~WHERE~

NorthEast Wake

The Well
1248 S Main St
Wake Forest, NC

~WHEN~
Thursday, December 17th
10:00 am
~CONTACT~
Cortney (cortney)
cortney@trianglemommies.com

---------------------------------------------------

~WHERE~

South Durham/RTP

Starbucks

202 W NC Highway 54 403
Durham, North Carolina 27713

~WHEN~

Saturday, December 19th

9:30 am

~CONTACT~

Marissa(marissa)

Marissa@trianglemommies.com

-------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------

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Kids Craft: Make a Menorah

Hanukkah is coming up in a couple weeks. My son has been interested in Hanukkah since he learned about it last year in preschool. So this year, he asked to make a menorah. I've been thinking about some ideas for making one and looking at different options online. Today, for some reason, straws popped into my head, and I decided to use them as the candles for our menorah. So here's how to make a menorah with paper and straws.

Materials

• Construction paper (two colors - one for the background and one for the candelabra part)
  
• Yellow tissue paper
  
• 5 straws
  
• Scissors
• Glue
  

Putting it together

1. On one piece of paper, draw the shape of a candelabra with four branches on either side of one taller branch in the center. Cut out.
2. Have your child glue the candelabra onto the other piece of paper.
3. Cut four of the straws in half. Cut the remaining straw so you have a piece that is a bit longer than the other straw pieces.
4. Add a line of glue up from each of the candelabra branches and have your child place the straw pieces onto the glue. Be sure to add the larger straw piece to the center branch.
   
5. Tear small pieces of tissue paper and crinkle. Have your child glue a piece of tissue paper above each straw to make the flames.

The final result:
Here's our menorah! If you want to celebrate the eight days of Hanukkah with your kids, you can glue a flame on each day of the holiday, rather than gluing them all on at once. I talked with my kids about doing this, but they couldn't wait!

 
Julie -

Family Outing: Lake Michie, Durham County, NC

On a nice fall afternoon we set off in our car to the northern edges of the Triangle in hopes of finding something interesting to discover!

We took North Roxboro Street out of downtown Durham off towards Stagville Plantation on the Old Oxford Road. (Please refer to other blog article about the plantation in September 2009.) Having already visited the plantation, we drove past the NC Historic Site to where we had noticed a road that shoots off to the left. Remembering it, we thought to take it this time and it brought us to the quaint town of Bahama.

The town’s name is pronounced “Bah-HAME-ah” not like the islands that are pronounced “Bah-HAH-mah-z”. Bahama is made up of a small gathering of cute houses and a fire station.

We turned right onto Bahama Road and took it east until we reached the Spruce Pine Lodge and campgrounds overlooking the Lake Michie. We turned left into the recreational area and took the small winding road to the Lodge. Here we parked the car and hopped out to investigate!

There are trails, the Lodge, and campgrounds.

The Lodge is not open to the public but is available to rent. There was a group of young men there for a day-camp-of-sorts meeting in the Lodge that day. We have also heard that one could rent it for weddings. Now, that would be nice!

We walked the length of the drive through the campgrounds. Some Boy Scouts were there. They were very friendly as we hiked by.

Next, my husband and son tackled the faint trail that leads to a waterfall off the west side of the area. I did not go with them because my choice of footwear was not suitable for the hike. So as I sat in the car, they hiked down to the small stream we first spotted while driving into the Lodge area. There was a bench down by the waterfall so that one could relax and take in the scenery! The hike back up the hill isn’t hard and the whole hike takes only about 15 minutes.

After the hike and a stop for snacks that we keep in the car, we drove back out to Bahama Road and turned left to investigate the Lake Michie Recreational Area.

We crossed the lake and turned in on the right. We parked our car near the Boat House. We all hopped out and walked down on the docks to see the wildlife and nice views of the lake itself.

It was already late in the afternoon so there weren’t many people around. We made the mistake of feeding the very forward geese and made our getaway when they were chomping on some snack crackers we tossed to them.

With that excitement behind us, we took off to the west on Bahama Road, continued back through Bahama, and traveled on it until it came to a crossroads with Roxboro Road/Hwy 501. From there we found our way back home from a delightful afternoon out-and-about!

Now, most of the fall leaves have fallen off the trees, but North Carolina can still be pretty in a stark and wintry way. Also, the shadows are interesting when the sun starts to get low in the sky. Notice the wonders of nature the next time you go out on an adventure!

To see a nice picture of the Lodge, please go to:

http://www.durham-nc.com/film/location_photos/hist_locations.php

To get more information about the Recreation area near Lake Michie, please go to:

http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/parks/facilityandparkrentals.cfm

Re-using

Being green doesn't always mean making drastic changes. Or even just recycling your waste. It can be as simple as reusing or repurposing items in your house or buying used instead of new.

For example, I've been using a highchair my sister gave me, after she used it for both of her children. Before that, she had bought it at a yard sale. Who knows how many kids it went through before it got to me. And, the thing is in great condition! My parents just bought a second used highchair to keep at their house and it's in even better condition than mine. (I admit to being slightly jealous of the newer version.) I feel good about not succumbing to the "need for new" that overcomes so many of us.

We are bombarded daily by advertisements from the media flashing the new and improved versions of just about anything and everything out there. And when that new baby comes along, we want to give them the very best.

In reality, giving them something brand new isn't always for the best. It takes more resources, money, energy and time to create something new. It only takes a few minutes with a wash rag or a run through the washing machine and a little elbow grease to take something old and make it new again.

I'm learning every day to take better care of the things I have so that someday, I can pass it on to another child (my own or someone else's) in hopes that they will get the same enjoyment out of it I did. I am conserving my own money and also producing less waste overall for the environment.

Anne-Marie -

The Middle Place

I just finished an incredible book. The Middle Place, by Kelly Corrigan.

The book itself was the story of Kelly's battle with breast cancer and the parallel story of her father's battle with bladder cancer. The family life of a woman who is caught between being a mother and a daughter, a place I know so well in my own life.

And I was crying at the end of the book, because past the epilogue, Kelly shares an essay with her readers that is quite possibly one of the most beautiful essays I have ever read. She talks about being who she is, and the women in her life, and the way we, as women, go through stages of friendship.

We have history together, we journey through life together ... we become moms, and recognize what our own mothers may have experienced all those years ago. Support one another through things we'd never have imagined in our futures so many years in the past.

Time goes by, we lose touch, move away, battle things out. And then we reconnect. Find a way to hold on a bit tighter this time. Things may never be the same, or they will be ... someday.

Kelly Corrigan shares these kinds of sentiments and so much more. I wish she was my next door neighbor and friend. I hope she has the continued support and love she needs from family and friends, and that they all stay strong, as Corrigans do.

If you're looking for a heart-warming true story, I definitely recommend this one. I'm only sorry I waited so long to actually pick it up and read it, but perhaps there were parts of my own journey I needed to experience before I could truly feel her story. And so, now I have and I can honestly say it's one of my favorite reads of 2009. And for that, I thank her!

Quick Trip: Raleigh Farmer's Market in November

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Did you know that North Carolina is first in the growing of sweet potatoes and second in turkeys? So, why not shop at the farmer's market for your Thanksgiving table this year?

The market tables are bulging with all types of leafy greens like cabbage, cabbage collards, mustard greens, and kale. And, the root veggies are all over the place too: rutabaga, radishes, and beets!

Now onto the sweet potatoes! Did you know there is more than just one sort of sweet potato? Yep, I saw a table with five different varieties including Beuregarde and Jewell.

There, too, are the regular staple of vegetables: tomatoes, onions, peppers, and even green beans!

Now onto dessert! The pecans are in and you can pick up a bag either whole or shelled. Apples are still plentiful and cider is available too. I can just smell the pies cooking now!

When making out your Thanksgiving Dinner shopping lists, remember the fresh selections at your local farmer's market. And, don't forget the kids! There is always something to learn about what we grow here in North Carolina! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Portrait of a Family Dinner

When we moved down to NC and J was going to be working from home I had one thing I wanted to start doing and I wouldn't budge on it. That was dinner together as a family. Having almost never having these when we lived up north due to Js insane commute (90 minutes each way) this was something I dreamed about doing on a consistent basis. So J agreed that he would stop work at 5:30 sharp to have dinner and if he needed to work more, he would wait until after the kids were snug in bed.

Family dinners to me, mean taking just a little bit of time out of your day and spending it with those you love most to see how their day went. It means connecting, communicating, laughter and joy. At least that is the fantasy. This is what it's really like. I'll use tonight's family dinner as an example:

Ashe and J woke up this morning sick and Soren still is on antibiotics for his ear infection and conjunctivitis. So at dinner time I had one cranky baby, one boy who is snotty nosed and wiping his face with his arm, the only other adult in the picture is zoning out watching the steam rise from his ravioli as Im trying to talk to him about his day, and one child whose ADHD meds are noticeably wearing off, bouncing in his seat coughing HACK HACK HACK while barely covering his mouth.

I take Soren into my arms so J can actually have a few bites of warm dinner only to have him grab my plate and douse himself in tomato sauce. I beg J to grab a towel and he just sits there and says "You didn't get up last night to get me a cloth when he spit up on me...oh it's sauce, not spit up... ok" and lumbers off to find a towel. Meanwhile Ashe is refusing to eat his meal and only wants a juice box, while Xavier is nattering away bouncing in his seat. HACK HACK HACK

I get Soren cleaned up and try to finagle a bite of dinner into Ashes mouth where he turns his head, wipes his snotty nose on his arm then turns back to me and yells "DELICIOUS" over and over again, trying to get me to sing back "Delightful" a la Upside Down show (good show by the way). I refuse until he takes a bite of ravioli. J is staring off into space again while Xavier is loudly talking about how come Ashe doesn't have to eat his dinner but he has to eat all of his? HACK HACK HACK

Soren starts fussing, Xavier finishes his meal by stuffing the last 4 raviolis in his mouth (at the same time) then tries to ask if he can have dessert with his mouth full. Ashe then whines he wants dessert too (and bubblegum medicine cause MOMMY I SICK) and cries when I tell him he has to eat his dinner first before he can have dessert. Xavier saunters off to the kitchen, trying to unsuccessfully gloat at Ashe without getting caught. J is still zoned out staring at his plate. From the kitchen I hear HACK HACK HACK.

Xavier comes back from the kitchen with Italian Ice and smirks while Ashe is now sobbing for Italian Ice too, but refuses to eat a bite of ravioli. Xavier starts yelling over the table "THEN EAT YOUR DINNER GOOBER" to which Ashe screams in indignation. Soren is still fussing in my arms and I'm trying to shovel down my now cold dinner just to escape. J is in lala land. HACK HACK HACK ("FOR CRYING OUT LOUD WILL YOU PLEASE STOP COUGHING ON THE TABLE?!?!?!?!?")

I look over at J and mouth "I want a vacation!!!!". J finally glances up and says why?
"Cause I want some quiet." Ashe is now singing Rhett and Links Space Trash song and Xavier leans over the table and yells "QUIET ASHE, MOM WANTS QUIET".... thanks kid. HACK HACK HACK.

And thus our family dinner for the night comes to a close as Ashe leaps off his chair, whining for a baby wipe so I can wipe his nose, Xavier puts his plate in the sink and starts his homework, J takes his last bite of ravioli and I stand up to bounce on my toes trying to stop Sorens wails. We all depart from our dining room and go our separate ways. Myself? I push Soren into Js arms and step out on to the porch and shut the door for just a little peace and quiet before I go back in to utter chaos and lose my mind.





Brittany -

Ode to Soren

Throughout the day when I play with the kiddos I burst out into silly, made up on the fly, songs or poems. I dont know why, I've just always done this. I wonder sometimes if it's just me or if other parents find themselves making up songs about toes or rhyming stories about the naughty step to get their kids to laugh. I always mean to write them down, but by the time I actually have a moment to find a pen and paper I've already forgotten most of what I made up.

I found myself starting a few little ditties today while playing with Soren and realized *during* it that it was forming into something cute, so I decided to find a pen and paper right then. I worked at it for awhile, crossing out lines that elicited a frown or fart from my audience of a 5 month old, and here is what passed the test:

My Ode to Soren

Soren is our little lad
He's got his mom, he's got his dad
He has two brothers big and small
But he's the smallest of them all.

He's just a baby, little boy
With eyes of blue that fill with joy
When someones fingers come close by
He grabs them, chews them, sucks them dry.

His little toes are fascinating
He likes to sit there vascilating
Should he bend down and touch his toes?
Or try to make them reach his nose?

He loves to bounce and pacify,
Watch the scenery pass on by
While comfy snug in baby wrap
content and happy, takes a nap.

At dinnertime he sits with Dad
He wants to munch on real food bad
He gives a most indignant screech
When Daddys plate is out of reach.

At bedtime he must wear a hat,
Hold his blankie, likes to chat
With Mommy as she reads their story
Filled with magic tales of glory.

He's growing fast each night and day
Advancing in his form of play.
One day he'll grow into a child
With no more gummy, drooling smiles.

But while he masters babyhood,
Plays baby games just like he should

His family will gather memories
of their beloved, precious baby.

They cherish every sloppy kiss
The gummy smiles his mom will miss
Those reaching hands to pat their face
Nestling little head in place

Between the neck and shoulder nook
And falls asleep into the crook
Of someones arms who holds him close
Those nightly cuddles they'll miss most

For a sleeping baby's a precious thing
It makes you smile, your heart does sing
In awe you watch this precious cargo
Feel safe enough to let it all go

Sleep safely in your rocking arms
Knowing you'll keep him from all harm
Baby Soren you're our joy
Our little bouncing baby boy.

We love you more than you can know
~Love Mom and Dad
And your two bros.
(P.S. When you're big like your brothers, please don't beat up one another)

XOXOXOXO

Brittany -

Cloth Diapering? Really?

Have you ever considered cloth diapers, but didn’t know where to start? If you are anything like me, when you have a question, you go to the internet and research like mad. Then, you get overwhelmed by all the information out there and suddenly your head starts spinning and you’ve got a headache.

When I decided to look into cloth diapering, I was under the impression that it would going to be a major undertaking to establish a new routine. Not to mention the ick factor associated with it. Man was I ever wrong. (Not about the ick factor – dirty diapers are still gross. However, I’ve learned to tolerate a little stink on occasion in exchange for the monetary savings and the boost to the environment.)

Cloth diapering is much easier than I ever expected it to be. I realized that I didn’t have to go full on cloth if I didn’t want to. I could do it part time and still be saving money and being a little greener in my corner of the world. It wasn’t an all or nothing choice to make. For me, it worked out nicely that I can cloth diaper at home, but when I travel or go on vacation, I can slip back into disposables for a weekend and it doesn’t hurt anything.

My routine at home didn’t change much either. I keep dirty diapers in a zippered bag so there’s no smell or odor to deal with until it’s time to wash the diapers. I can even carry a smaller version in my diaper bag for when I’m out of the house. I have two, maybe three, extra loads of laundry to wash. I set them on a drying rack overnight to dry and by morning, my diapers are ready to use.

The biggest hurdle I came across when looking into cloth diapering, was the overwhelming number of choices there are in the design of the diapers. And the terminology to describe them! There are prefolds, AI1’s (all-in-one), AI2’s (all-in-two), pockets and fitteds. Some diapers need covers, others don’t. Then, there’s wool covers and wool longies (wool has its own set of care details that I haven’t even delved into yet, but people swear by wool!). You can choose between micro-fiber inserts or hemp, or using prefolds. Your inserts can slide into a pocket or snap in or simply lay inside a cover.

Cloth diapering is the most versatile monster ever. Ever.

But, did you know that there’s an entire community on Triangle Mommies devoted to cloth diapering their children and teaching others how to do it? Furthermore, did you know that we even have trial packages you can borrow to find out if you even like them before you spend all that money? If you did, good for you! If you didn’t, I strongly encourage you to come on over to the Natural Living/Attachment Parenting forum on Triangle Mommies and see what we’re all about. Don’t be shy!

Kids Craft: Make a Cornucopia

My 5 year old son recently decided that he wanted to make a cornucopia. I'm guessing this was triggered by Moose and Zee on Nick Jr, who have been talking about cornucopias every day lately. So we made one out of paper and it actually came out pretty good!

Materials

• Construction paper (yellow and various other colors)
  
• Brown marker
  
• Scissors

Putting it together

1. Draw the shape of a cornucopia on the yellow paper (I made a big circle first, and then added the horn-shape section off of it) and cut out.
   
2. Have your child draw a pattern on it or just color on it depending on their skill level.
3. Cut a slit along the line that connects the circle to the horn part, leaving about a half inch on each side still connected.
4. Glue the entire circle part to another piece of paper. Also glue the edge of the horn part to the paper, leaving the center of the horn part unglued (you're essentially making a pocket in the horn part of the cornucopia for the items you'll make next).
5. Help your kids make things to go into the cornucopia. You could make things that you're thankful for, or various types of food to resemble most decorative cornucopias.
6. Slide these objects into the slit so they stick out and look like they're actually in the cornucopia.
   

The final result:
Here's our cornucopia! My son made a hand-print turkey and an apple. My 2 year old daughter made a snowman, which she then cut up into little pieces. So my son and I made her a new snowman to include in the cornucopia. We also made a couple Fall leaves. What will you put in your cornucopia?

Julie -