Sensory Bins

Ruby is a big fan of sensory play, so we keep several sensory bins on hand for whenever the mood strikes!

I am slightly obsessive with certain things, so I make sure that all my bins are the same so that they stack well and look organized on the shelf (I am okay with your judgement!). We find 8.5x11 to be the perfect size for our bins and using clear bins means that we can see what is inside without opening each one to find what we want. Also, clear bins means that that you could transfer your entire bin to a light table should you ever be inclined to do so (Daddy is making one for Ruby, so this is a nice feature for us...so excited!)

Here is a list of our favorite bins:

1. Kinetic Sand - Ruby and I are both big fans of this stuff! It is soft and smooth and never leaves your hands feeling sticky or dry. It is easy to form in to various shapes and also feels neat just to let it slip through your fingers. It can be a little pricey, so I tend to grab a box or two when I find a sale for the times that you inevitably lose some to the dog hair on the floor. I found cute little accessories at Michael's for our bin, including tiny sand castle moulds and little shovels and rakes. (Note: Never pay full price for anything at Michael's! There are always sales and if all else fails, there is always a coupon!)

2. Water Beads - These are also popular in our house. You can find them at many places, but I found them to be cheapest in the craft section at Wal-Mart (and we got three colours in one pack :) We just followed the directions on the package to make them and they turned out great. We have had them for months and they are still in great shape (I have heard of people's beads getting slimy over time and wonder if the fact that we used distilled water instead of tap water made the difference?) Ruby loves to use bowls and spoons to scoop and stir her beads or she just rubs her hands through them (and I do too!)

3. Scented Rice - I just used a mix of whatever rice I had on hand and added a few drops of essential oils to scent them. Ruby scoops and stirs and loves the feeling of her feet in the rice bin. She also likes to add rice to small containers with lids to make shakers so we can have a little dance party while we play. 

4. Dyed Pasta - I used food colouring and vinegar to dye my pasta that I purchased at the dollar store (we typically eat gluten free pasta and I didn't want to use $10 in noodles to make this bin!) There seemed to be several suggested ways to dye pasta and this way worked really well except for the lingering smell of vinegar (this is what helps the colour to stick), so I scented the noodles with essential oils as well :) I add measuring cups, spoons, bowls and various containers so that Ruby can scoop and "make supper". 

5. Beans - This is our newest bin and was immediately a favourite for Ruby! I just added a bag of white beans that I picked up for less than $3 at Wal-Mart and two trucks that I grabbed at the dollar store...a dump truck and a "loader" (Ruby's fav!!) Ruby has been enjoying scooping the beans with her loader and dumping them in to the dump truck. She also wanted to pour beans in to my hand and have me pour them in to hers. We had this bin out three different times today!

As Ruby gets older, I will work on expanding her bins and making them more complex, hopefully creating fun little environments for her to explore. For now though, these bins provide lots of fun while engaging her sense. 

**Please be cautious with the use of essential oils as not all brands are created equal and not all oils are safe for children. If you have questions, I can do my best to help as I use oils on a regular basis and am passionate about them.

If I can make this, you can too!

I've never been crafty or creative in the slightest, even though I've always wanted to be. Even simple things like sewing up a small hole on the seam of a piece of clothing was left for my husband to fix. I've envied people who could paint, draw, sew and crochet, but until Ruby, it never bothered me enough to do anything about it. I purchased all of the sweet headbands and cute dribble bibs on etsy (love that site!!) and the baby leggings too! Once I started to work on myself (more on this in an upcoming post), I realized that I should try to learn the things that I've been wanting to learn..what am I waiting for anyway?? Don't I want my kids to see that you can try new things (at any age!) and even stumble along the way and still be learning and having fun with it? So, once Ruby started wanted to wear blankets as capes, I saw my chance and headed straight to Pinterest!! ;)

I need you to understand how little I knew about sewing before my little project. I had to watch youtube videos in order to teach myself to load thread on to a bobbin and then how to load both the bobbin and spool on to the machine to start sewing! So...I knew nothing!

Between nap time and the evening after Ruby had gone to bed, I whipped up an adorable reversible cape. Ok...so it was less like whipping it up and more like hoping not too mess up too badly and keeping my fingers crossed that I was capable of coming up with something that resembled a cape!

I used this post that I found on Pinterest to make Ruby's cape. It's reversible with a solid teal fabric and a teal chevron star on one side and a teal chevron fabric and solid teal lightening bolt on the other. It cost approximately $28 to make (I already owned a sewing machine and had a fabric cutter). I also ended up with some fabric left over that I might try to make snack bags out of.

http://hideousdreadfulstinky.com/2012/12/reversible-cape-tutorial-for-capes-for-kids.html

It isn't perfect and my seams are crooked in places, but I was proud that I learned enough to make something for my favourite super girl and in the morning when I showed it to her, she turned around and backed up, requesting "on". She ran around the house yelling "fast!". That's good enough for me :)

So, if your little one needs a cape, I recommend you give this one a try, whether you are "crafty" or not. Also, if you have something you've wanted to learn, go for it! Why not?

Who is raising who?

Parenting tests your limits as a human being. It just does. It's exhausting and anxiety provoking. It's incredible and amazing. There are good days and bad. There is crying...and not just from the kiddo! I've cried because I've been exhausted, because I've been anxious and I've even cried because my heart feels so full that I was sure it could explode.

If you are truly invested, parenting changes who you are. There are the obvious changes, like the ability to get yourself ready for the day at warp speed, the ability to do various household tasks with one hand and the ability to "function" on very little sleep. Then there are the profound, life changing sort of changes. The ability to love another person beyond all measure, the ability to truly put another's needs above your own and the desire to become a better person in order to do the very best for this little person. 

I can't even begin to explain how much I have changed in the last 19 months. This change is an ongoing journey for me and I am enjoying it (mostly!). What started out as intense anxiety as a parent of a newborn has become a journey of self-discovery and of personal growth. Letting go of control and anxieties, being open to new ideas and working on myself so that I can be a happy and healthy parent. 

Parenting forces you to face those little things about yourself that need "tweaking". Children are meant to push those buttons and guide us to the areas that need our attention so that we may better ourselves and in turn, be the parent they need us to be. As an example, Ruby has never been the kind of child that follows a strict schedule and I was the kind of person that "needed" predictability. Initially this was hard for me and created a lot of anxiety. I have learned to be more flexible and this has served me well in all areas. I have less anxiety about things in general and it's been a welcome change.  Now with toddlerhood, its' skills like patience that are being challenged and I am trying to respond appropriately to this test whenever possible (sometimes this is so hard...toddlers can be tough teachers!!). For me the overall lesson thus far has been learning to stay in the moment. To stop multitasking or to stop enforcing my own agenda and just enjoy the time. I have gotten so much better at this, but of course some days are harder. It's always a work in progress...always!

Do I see every parenting moment as a wonderful lesson? Nope. Do I handle every moment with grace /patience/understanding/gratitude? Nope. Do I get frustrated sometimes? Absolutely! The point is that I am trying my best to grow as a person not only for myself, but for my children. I'm trying to see my role in all of this rather than being a passive participant. I want to be an example rather than asking them to do as I say, but not as I do. I'm trying to grow as a person to meet Ruby's needs rather than trying to make her conform to meet mine.

If I want my children to love themselves, I need to love myself. If I want them to give their best in all that they do, I need to do the same. If I want them to have positive relationships, I need to model this. If I want them to be grateful, be mindful, be kind and be happy, these must be my own goals as well. I'm working on it and will continue to do so. I may be raising them, but they are raising me as well and I am grateful for the opportunity.

You know you are breastfeeding a toddler when...

1. She wants a sip of your drink and a bite of your snack while she is nursing

2. She can ask for "milk" (and sometimes "milkies") and can also tell you when she wants to switch sides ("ah" is "other side")

3. She sometimes reminds you to clip your nursing bra when she is done drinking

4. You occasionally find a sticker or a raisin in your bra

5. She can say "thank you" when she has had enough

6. She can perform amazing gymnastic moves while drinking her milk

7. You don't remember what it's like to wear or shop for clothes without considering whether or not breastfeeding will be convenient

8. She considers your breasts to be her property ("mine!") and may take it upon herself to reach in to your shirt just to make sure that you are taking care of them

9. She tries to multi-task by playing with toys, reading a book or watching a show while she gets her drink.

and finally,

10. You have moments or entire days when you are tired of sharing your body with a demanding little  person, but most days you are incredibly grateful for the time to bond and snuggle with your busy toddler and you feel sad at the realization that this part of your relationship could be over at any time.

Build a learning tower. Seriously. Do it.

Meal preparation has always been a bit of a struggle over here. Breakfast and lunch have been a bit easier as we tend to go for simple menus, but supper is usually a pain. Ruby wants to eat as soon as she knows that something is being prepared and if that isn't possible, she wants to watch the process by being held. She is, and always has been, an observer (not "nosey", but an "observer" lol). 

Finally, we decided to build a learning tower so that Ruby could observe meal preparation and "help" if she wants to. We used Pinterest to find the plans and built one using this link...http://pinterest.com/pin/210332245073875278/

The materials cost approximately $65 and the tower took about two hours to build. These plans show a folding tower, but neither the shopping list nor the instructions account for this, so remember that if this feature is important to you. We opted to avoid hinges bc we thought it would be more sturdy this way and I assumed we would use the tower far more often if it were out and easily accessible. 

We've been using our learning tower daily! Ruby likes to watch meals being made, play in the sink while I make cookie dough bites (I mean...while I make home grown, organic family meals!) and she loves to wash her own hands. 

We still need to paint Ruby's tower (using a paint that can easily be wiped clean!), but I haven't wanted to part with it long enough to get that done :)

A happy toddler and a cooked meal while encouraging independence? I'll take it!!

Another Post Lost to Mommy Wars

ugh.

I have written so many posts lately only to scrap them completely for fear of starting a mommy war. Are these controversial posts about circumcision or sleep training? Nope. One was about sensory play ideas for crying out loud. Somehow I convinced myself that some mother out there would think that I was looking down on her for not taking to Pinterest on a hunt for the latest craze in sensory activities. Seriously? This is where we are. Moms judging each other so intensely that I can't post a single thing without thinking about how someone will misconstrue my intention and make it about how someone isn't good enough.

Every choice that I make with regards to parenting is the best one for me. If I felt that my decisions weren't the best, I wouldn't make them. Does that mean that I judge everyone who does something different? Nope. If I post anything about breastfeeding, it doesn't mean that I judge someone who doesn't breastfeed. Just because I bed share and cloth diaper doesn't mean that I have a single issue with someone who doesn't.

Are there parenting decisions that I judge? Of course there are. Let's make a deal though, k? If I am writing a post about something that I am judging, I'll explicitly state that I disagree with it and why so that you won't have to guess or assume. Deal?

On that note...sensory post up next...

There is a theme here...

So, I posted in the past about how I once judged the moms who made the decision to bed share, breastfeed for an extended period of time and practice elimination communication (well, maybe I didn't exactly admit to judging everything about attachment parenting and the way I have chosen to parent my own child, but I basically did *blushes*)

Anyway...

I have another confession...I once sorta, kinda judged the stay at home moms too (wow, I was really judgemental). In high school and university I was an over-achiever (and maybe in some ways, I still am but that's likely for another post). I was all about studying and getting the grades to ensure an amazing career that I would be proud of and that my parents would be proud of. My mom stayed home for a good part of my childhood and I was glad to have her there when I needed her and appreciated all of her work (even though I underestimated all that was involved in running a household with five kids!!), I didn't really understand her desire to stay home. Didn't she want to make her own money and contribute to society? (that sounds really bad and I apologize to my mother, but that's what I thought).

As I got older and friends started to have kids, I started to understand a little bit better, but it wasn't until I had Ruby that I truly got it.  Parenting is difficult and emotional, it's exhausting and amazing. The connection to this little person is indescribable and overwhelming. I can tell you that I have cried (ugly cried!) because my heart is so full that sometimes it hurts. I knew early on that leaving her to return to work would be almost impossible. I didn't want to miss anything and needed to spend my days with her. I wanted to parent her in a particular way and even though I have hard days and days where my patience is thin (did I mention that we still don't sleep through the night?), I couldn't imagine anyone doing a better job than me with my child.

So, I get it. I was wrong. I am contributing to society and in an incredible way. I am raising this amazing person who will be compassionate and kind, smart and funny. She will be a leader and she will speak her mind. She will be confident and aware and if the present dictates the future, she will have one hell of a career in fashion! ;)

Yep...I'm still here

So, it's been forever since my last post and while some things in life have changed, others remain the same.

I am still strong in my commitment to Attachment Parenting and continue to enjoy bed sharing, nursing and cloth diapering my sweet girl. I continue to read books and articles about gentle and positive approaches and become more convinced in the long term benefits in this approach (some book recommendations are listed below).

Ruby is ever changing and is just as incredible as always. She talks a lot for 16 months and constantly amazes me. She is really enjoying sensory play with rice, pasta, water, pom poms, etc and is beginning to show an interest in crafts lately...especially paint and stickers. Gross motor activities are also a fairly new interest and she has been enjoying her little indoor slide on this cold days.

One thing that continues to remain the same is that I feel most like myself when I am with Ruby. She means everything to me and has completely changed who I am and how I want to live my life. I recently made the decision to quit my job to stay home with her on a full time basis. Although, I enjoyed my work in mental health and loved my co-workers, I feel that this time with her is more important than anything and that she will only be young for a short time. I am grateful that I am able to do this and that I have the opportunity to be with her every single day. Work will come later and who knows...maybe a switch to a career in some element of Attachment Parenting will be in my future!? That would be amazing!



Book Recommendations:


The Conscious Parent by Shefali Tsabary
Attached at the Heart by Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker
Beyond The Sling by Mayim Bialik
Mindful Discipline by Shauna Shapiro and Chris White
150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids by Asia Citro


If you are unclear of the Attachment Parenting basics, anything by Dr. Sears is a great starting point

*I'm waiting for a few new books to arrive, so hopefully I can add to this list of favourites soon :)