Favorite Blog Spotlight

I found some amazing blogs recently and some that i will be adding to my blog reading list this weekend.  I love getting updates from these blogs, in particular this one:

eighteen25

This is a MUST check out blog!  Seriously, i have used so many ideas from these three fab sisters that it is just too good not to share.  

Looking for amazing printables for birthday greetings, teacher/coach appreciation and party favor tags...you name it, they have it!  

Here are some of my favorites:


Thanks A Latte

Planning a Disney trip or theme.

What 10 year old would not want to bring this to school on their birthday
They were so sweet that they changed the font for me to "4" so i could use it for my daughters 4th birthday. 

Check out all of their party ideas

There is so much more.  You need to check this blog out.  What i love is that they share all the printables and instructions.  

Every week i will be spotlighting a blog.  If you visit them, please leave a comment that tortoiseoverhare sent you over.

Getting back to the swing of things

Lately i have not been feeling up for writing...i am sort of in a rut in writing and exercising (which i usually love to do).  Perhaps it has been the chaos of planning a few April gatherings we hosted, the crappy weather we have been having and a little bit of communication problems going on with my mom and I (My mom was not speaking with me for a week).

I am coming up with a whole new concept for my blog.  I need a redesign, and a new fresh new concept to get the ball rolling.  Will be sharing this soon, but for now i am just trying to get back into the swing of things.

Here are a few things i have seen recently online that have been inspirational or important reads for me. I wanted to share here in case you did not happen upon them yourselves already.

Less is more

The gift of an ordinary day

Need sleep advice for your baby?  Here is a quick summary of all the books out there

I have also found some new blogs that i am loving.  Will be sharing these with you tomorrow.

I love me some 'mom' jeans...

So i have been on the lookout for some light weight skinny jeans to wear this spring/summer.   I used to be drawn to The Gap  because you can get jeans at an affordable price (it seems like they have sales all the time- i am always getting email notifications about sales and promotion deals in the mail).
I do have some reservation about spending my money on Gap jeans though.  I find that they stretch out way too much, even when you get them super tight. They lose their shape fast, and i find i am constantly needing to buy new pairs due to it stretching out too much...to the point of no return.  Not even a blast of heat from the dryer shrinks them back down. 

I found this review from another blogger, and i really do think she is on to something about Gap.  Maybe i will post some comparison jean shots as i have a few over stretched Gap jeans i can compare to some newer purchases.
An Inconvenient Gap of Truth

Ok, so back to my skinny jean search.  I did have one odd requirement for my skinny jean.  It had to be high waisted!  AKA the 'Mom' jeans.  I wanted the waist of the jeans really high so that i could bend down and sit down without wearing a belt and there would be enough jean to not show anything underneath.

Hmmmm...where do i find these high waisted jeans?  There is a fine line between the look i want and the look i do not want.  I think i am standing on the right side of the line with my recent jean purchase.

American Apparel Easy Jean

So, when you look at the website, i find the pictures do no do it justice...they kinda look 80's jeans that give an instant pouchy look ( I don't know if pouchy is even a word, but i am using it). I find most of their ads are very retro and they style a lot of their clothes reminiscent of 80's fashion ads.  The 80's had a lot of provocative ads in which they used young looking girls and sexualized them to sell a product.  Just like some popular 80's movies like Blue Lagoon using a young Brooke Shields, companies were following suit with their advertisements.     

American Apparel ads can be a post to itself...lets get back to the jeans.

I tried them on, and for my body type they are perfect. I already love the American Apparel High Waisted Leggings and the easy jean is a jegging version of it.  They fit amazing, and the higher waist is very spanx like, instantly shaping your tummy. They also fit really nice on the butt, giving it a bit of a lift.  

Here are some pictures i found online.

On Miley Cyrus

Here are some blog threads that i think show the pants really well.  

Style Fluency

Jazzabells Diary

I like this blog because it shows how the large size of this jean fits.  I really think it is flattering on all body types.
Her Paige

Try these on the next time you are near an American Apparel store.  You may just find the 'mom' jean love too.  

Simple crafts using recyclables/ETFM

I love doing crafts with my daughter.  Last week we saved an area in our playroom to store recyclable material that will be perfect for crafts.   I love having access to cardboard and other recyclable material on hand for impromptu craft time.  Having the material on a shelf allows my daughter to get excited to create fun projects with the materials we have collected.  ETFM (easy to find materials) are a great way to encourage art, without having to make it hard for you to think of something to do.
You can always do a search on Pinterest with the material you have and you will get many results on fun arts and crafts you can do. Even better, you can create something unique using your child's imagination.

 Have you read Not a Box, Beautiful Oops or The Dot?  These are all wonderful books about how you can take something ordinary and make it extraordinary.  A box, becomes a rocket ship.  A dot on a piece of paper becomes a work of art that not only makes a girl believe she can be an artist, but inspires another child who sees her work.  A mistake that may seem to ruin a picture, in fact makes it more beautiful, or creates something new and better than what was originally imagined.  All important messages to teach our children.  The wonderful lessons that can be passed on through art!

So today's post i will leave you with a fun and simple art project to get you started.  Collect those egg cartons, paper towel rolls, cardboard boxes, containers.  Don't forget to look outside for things that can be found in nature- rocks, twigs, sticks, pinecones and leaves as they can be used too.

This one requires an egg carton.  When you look at egg cartons you can see so many things that the shape resembles.  This particular craft demonstrates just that.

Here is a closeup picture?  What do you see?

Do you notice that it looks like a bird?  
If you don't, you soon will!

This is as simple as cutting out two of the circle shapes that hold the eggs and the cone separator together.  I found the easiest way to cut out was to cut around the two circles and half of the cone together. You cut out the other half of the cone separately and attach it on afterwards for an open beak.

Don't forget to make a hole for the eyes.

I used the inside circles as a guide of where to cut a whole for the eyes.  It worked perfectly.  Just use the blade of the scissors and keeping turning around until you get the desired hole in the middle,  perfect with scissors. 

Attach the other side of the beak to create an open mouth.

Paint the bird as you wish

Add a Popsicle stick for a handle.  We decorated ours with pipe cleaners, but plain popsicle stick or painted ones are fine.

We used feathers we found at the dollar store and attached them to the middle of the head.  You can get creative here with anything you want to use to decorate your bird.

Voila- a bird mask.  We even went outside for a bird watching walk.

I got the inspiration for this craft here

The Love List

I have seen bloggers post their love list, where they share links to articles, other blogs, pictures or anything that they want to share with their readers.  I am always passing on great reads to my friends, so i thought that every week i will do the same on my blog.  This will also ensure that i have a record of it.  I am known to pass on links to friends and then have to message them to send the link back to me because i did not bookmark it myself.

This will be a light week, and i will compile some of my recent favorites for next week.  

Love List Target Edition:
Do you have Instagram?  If you do check out #targetdoesitagain or visit this site.
You will get a glimpse of what is new in Target as well as see pictures of two bloggers who go to the store and try on their favorite finds.  I followed them before Target came to Canada to get an idea of what we would be getting.  There are some select brands i love from shopping at Target USA, but so far they have not crossed to our side of the border.  To be honest, I have not gone crazy shopping at our soft Target openings.  There are a few things i have seen that have caught my eye enough to place them in my cart or put them on my wish list for later.

My first Target purchase and i came out with these three items

Ballet flats in red stripes

This jean (chambray) shirt.  

This bird feeder.  I don't plan on using it as a bird feeder, but using it as nature decor in our home.  We go out for walks and my daughter is always finding something in nature she brings home- acorns, leaves, dandelions, flowers from the park (we don't let her pick flowers in public gardens but sometimes you will find an odd beauty in the grass of a park). Now we can use what we find as decor.  I love that she likes nature walks, so this will encourage our love of nature. I got the inspiration from the Chapters home section.  I just wanted to find something unbreakable with a wood look.

I love these and found a perfect wooden, unbreakable alternative at Target.

Here is a cool picture frame.  I may be able to make a DIY version with a picture frame i already have and some little paper clips.  

Target will have it's Canadian grand opening early/mid April.  They will be fully stocked, so i am hoping more of my favorite brands will be stocked.

No Ruby Red Slippers?

My daughter and I are starting a collection of classic literature.  Those books that have stood the test of time and are always a great read.  With a 3 year old, this can be tricky.  I wanted something fun, magical and entertaining as her first book purchase.

I was reminded of one of my favorite movies/plays recently with the 70th Anniversary of MGM's film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz.  I loved the movie, and have always wanted to see a Broadway show production of it. I had never read the original story.  I thought it might be a fun story to introduce to my daughter.  I was hoping i would get lucky in finding a suitable book for her age range. With it being the 70th Anniversary, Oz out in theaters and a Broadway show playing in our city, i was hoping i would find what i was looking for at the bookstore.

I DID.

When we got the the kids section, i asked one of the employees if she could help me out.  She giddily told me she had  exactly what i was looking for and led me away from the kids section.  They had a shelf devoted to The Wizard of Oz.  She pointed out one of the books and said it would be perfect for my daughter...and for me.  The front cover was beautiful, and it instantly captured the attention of my daughter.  Inside it was filled with pictures just as beautiful as the cover.  The illustrations are amazing!

Charles Santore is a brilliant artist and even the most discerning Wizard of Oz critics have nothing negative to say about his illustrations.  Santore says "I approached the work very seriously, as though i were on the journey as a naturalist, recording these events for the first time."
My daughter took the book and asked if we could sit in the teacup chair (all Chapters have a nice big chair that resembles a teacup) to read it.  Without really knowing much else about the book we had chosen (not knowing how the story would be adapted for younger readers) we got to reading.  We got to the part where the house landed on the Wicked Witch of the East and all that was left were the silver shoes....wait a minute here....SILVER.  How could they change it to silver shoes?
I went and asked that giddy employee what the deal was with this book. She played off my stupidity and engaged in an enlightening conversation about this book.  Since i had never read the original, i had no idea that the slippers were silver in Baum's book.  Only in the movie adaptations and subsequent plays and books thereafter did it get changed to ruby slippers.  Ruby was chosen to highlight the slippers in the movies because it would provide a great contrast to the Yellow Brick Road.  Silver would have blended in too much.
Furthermore, what i learned was so great about this book is that it is not a mere retelling or adaptation of the original, but a condensed version.  Almost every word in the book is Baum's own.  That is what makes this book perfect.  Original words, but condensed so that you can read it to young children.  Don't be fooled, the book is still long but coupled with the powerful language and imagery you will keep the young readers interested.  We don't read this from cover to cover- you read a few pages and come back to it.  I was actually surprised that we finished it in three reading sessions.  After reading one part to my daughter before bed, she wanted to read another part when she woke up .
Perhaps this is the reason they included a beautiful little ribbon in the same gingham pattern as Dorothy's dress to use as a bookmark (its all about the little details that i love).

There is just too many things to list why i love this book and why i believe it is a must have for your collection.  Here are some themes you can discuss with your kids.

Book Club Discussion Topics For Your 4-6 Age Range. 

-The power of friendship and doing anything you can to help a friend out.  Dorothy was helped a lot of times due to her willingness to always help others when they needed it.
-The desire for brains, heart, courage and to find a way home.  They had what they wanted all along:
The scarecrow wishing he had a brain, when all he really needed was experience. Knowledge is the accumulation of life long learning. The lion wanting courage, but realized he needed to boost his confidence.  Confidence brings courage when faced with difficulty.  The Tin woodman wanting a heart. He proved he had a heart already when he sympathized with Dorothy and her friends.  Dorothy wanting to go back to her gray and deserted home even after being exposed to such a colourful city, full of people and new experiences.  We can travel and venture far, but there will always be a special place in our heart for the place that we call home.  After her travels her home looked much better than she had remembered rather than more bleak.
-Dorothy and the great Wizard of Oz were just ordinary people, but due to circumstances people believed them to be extraordinary.  We never quite see ourselves as capable and influential as others do.

The possibilities of themes are endless.    

I would absolutely recommend this book for your collection.  It is a keepsake and will hopefully be one of those books that one day my daughter will read to her own children, or any child in her life.  She really takes pride in this purchase and treats this book so well.  If a child can see how special it is, you really have to believe it.  You can find it online for $15, but we spent the extra $5 for her to go to the bookstore to purchase it herself (amazing hardcover price). I love Amazon online, but i think it is special when kids get to see the books, and bring them up to the counter to pay every once in a while.

This is the cover of the book.  It is also my daughters favorite image.  There is a double paged version of this in the book.

My favorite illustration.  Dorothy scolding the lion after he tried to scare her faithful friend Toto.

I will leave you with a link that i am using to help build my collection.  

Orbeez

Have your kids introduced you to Orbeez?

Orbeez- say what?  Yes, i was thinking it was some cool new product i was not aware of.  In reality it is the bio gel beads you use to decorate vases for floral arrangements (many people use them inside their vases for their wedding centerpieces).  They are now advertised as Orbeez to appeal to the younger consumers (or parents of the younger consumers).  

Here is an ad I found on You Tube.  

They start off as tiny beads and when soaked in water for about 6-8 hours they swell into water filled balls. 

Kids love playing with them.  So much so that some even bring them to school in a zip lock bag filled with a bit of water and place them on the desk.  It actually is a cool sensory experience.  It is the new stress relief squishy ball.  

I went to the dollar store and got the flower beads- sorry Orbeez makers, but you can't beat $1 each or 4 for $3.  Maybe one day I will shell out the money for your cool looking contraption that spins out Orbeez like a little factory.  For now, my 3 year old is more than happy playing with the flower beads.

I decided to make it a fun experience by getting a long shallow clear bin and filling it up with 4 packages of beads and lots of water.  Let me tell you that 4 packages gets you lots of water balls...LOTS!  

While in the water, you can barely see the balls.  They become invisible as they blend in with the water.  When you put your hands in the water you can feel the balls and it is so much fun to scoop them out. I gave her a strainer and she would transfer them from the the bin full of water to pails. She counted them, she bounced them, put her feet in them (spa day) and pretended her toys had to go through all the balls.  

The best is becoming a magician and making the balls disappear by adding water and making them appear again by dumping the water out.

You have to check out this cool video of how it works...better than my amateur video.

  

Steve Spangler is a great resource for science experiments, and that video inspired us to try it out.

I got the storage bin from Target and it is the best bin to use as a sensory/water bin.  It is long, shallow and clear.  It also has wheels to pull it around your house or outdoors.  

You have to try this out!  Lots of fun for kids...heck i even enjoyed playing with them.

Good Busy

We had a busy weekend, and i did not even take any pics.  Well actually i started taking pics of our ski outing, but had a near incident with my iphone that i just put it away and babied it for the rest of the weekend.  

We went Skiing Saturday morning. It was such an amazing day and i loved skiing with just a base layer on (jacket came off after 1/2 hour of skiing).  Sad that the skis will be put into storage, but we will make sure to start the season sooner for Winter 2013.  Happy that spring weather seems to be getting closer though

Saturday night hubby and I had a fun, old fashioned (like we were in our 20's again) type of date.  Nothing fancy, but it just felt so youthful and took us back to our early years of dating.  Movies and a late night dinner afterwards.
We made sure to have a light lunch and snack during the day so that after the movies we really could indulge with appetizers, a nice entree and some dessert.  My daughter was staying at my moms house and she wanted us all to sleep over.  When we got back to my moms place close to midnight they were sleeping of course and hubby and I just stayed up talking.  We don't do that as often, and i miss it because we have the best conversations.

Yesterday we went to a 4th birthday party where the theme was all things princess.  My daughter was more than happy to dressup.  There was even an indoor pool so she got to swim at the party too.  All that playing made her fall asleep in the car on the way home and transferring her to bed earlier than usual was a breeze.  Hubby and i watched The Hunger Games.  We got a great deal on some movies, so we have a bunch waiting to be watched.  Lately if there is a movie playing it is either Rio, The Incredibles or Toy Story 3 (all of which are great toddler friendly movies).

I will be back on Wednesday to link up some of the spring and Easter crafts we are planning to try.  It will be a busy month with that as well as planning my daughters upcoming birthday.

I managed to find this one picture of my daughter (snow white) helping with the cake cutting.  Pic taken right after a swim.  Nothing gets kids out of a pool faster than ice cream cake.

6 pack beer box organizer

Have you seen the Pinterest idea of using a shoe box to organize art supplies  Very useful for teachers to organize markers, scissors, glue sticks or anything else you can think of.  Great for groups of students or for the whole class.  

I WAS going to try that pin out, but discovered something i think is even better than a shoebox. 

Beer Mix and Match six pack boxes.  Yes, it can be just as fun to collect the filled boxes and empty them for the project!

My husband had a boys night and the next morning staring at all the boxes, i knew i had to do something with them.  I remembered that pin, and thought these boxes would work better.  

Why?

-because it has a handle to carry, the shoe box does not

-more space for bigger items, or to hold more items.

-it can fit Tim Hortons cups which are more durable than toilet paper rolls.  It can also fit most other plastic cups as well.  I used Tim Horton cups for the demo.  Have a ton from a breakfast party we hosted.

I did not take any pics of the process.  I honestly feel weird even writing out the steps, it is super basic as...

1) Get an empty 6 pack beer box (the mix and match box was the best of the bunch)

2) Cover it up to hide the beer logo.  In the Mix & Match box you really only need to hide the top part as that has a pic of a glass of beer.

*I went super simple and just used colored duck tape to cover it up.*  You can make it look more fancy.  They even have fancy decorated duck tape at Targets, so you can try that as well. 

3) Fill up the 6 spaces with the Tim Hortons cup.

Easy, Peasy.  You could literally do this with no problem at all if you had drank that 6 pack right before....but i am not suggesting doing that.  

Holds so much more than the shoe boxes.

Bean Bags And Bricks

Seriously, who would have thought that throwing bean bags against a brick wall could be so fun?  Well, it is!...for 3-5 year olds.  So many variations to try
-Try getting the bean bags to stick over a line on the wall drawn with chalk.
-Try grouping them on the wall by colours.
-Throw a few beanbags on the wall, and try and make them fall off by throwing other bean bags at them.
-Try throwing them from a certain spot, keep moving backwards to see if you can get it to stick from a farther distance.
-When you get tired of throwing them at the wall...throw them at each other...until someone gets hurt and we play something else.  

-At indoor gym time we did accuracy throwing by trying to get the bean bag as close as possible to a mini pylon.
-bean bag target practice in hula hoops.

Must buy bean bags.

Baby Wearing- Not All Carriers Are Alike.

This weekend i had to go look for a replacement car seat, as our car got rear ended.  Thank goodness it was a very minor accident.   Nonetheless, we still had to find a new car seat to replace the one we had in the car.  We had to go through a few baby stores and look at the car seats available.  While walking around them, i was drawn to the baby carriers section.  Mainly because now that i have a 3 year old, i have come to the realization that the majority of the things they sell at Babies R Us or similar stores are unnecessary.  You get caught up in buying things you think you need, and you soon realize that a lot of it is wasted money.  I admit to purchasing wipe warmers...or getting excited about receiving a free one with purchase- i can't remember.  Regardless, i don't know who thought it would be a good idea to heat up wipes...unless you like a nice breeding ground for bacteria.

So i quickly skipped through most sections while we were waiting, and decided to check out their baby carriers.  Perhaps that section had improved since i had my daughter.  Maybe there were better choices available to moms now.  Sadly, they still have the same carriers, and even added some stranger ones to the mix.  

This one looks like you would not be able to wear it for more than a second without it being uncomfortable.  It is called the piggy rider.  Best save the $90 and just give your toddler a piggy back ride for free.

I applaud all parents who look into using baby carriers.  Whenever i see anyone baby wearing, regardless of the carrier, i can't help but shoot them a smile.  I remember those days so well, and it really creates a bond that is lasting well past the baby wearing days. I carried my daughter for 3 years, and we had so many wonderful memories while baby wearing.  I truly believe that the confidence  and independence she displays right now has something (i should say a lot) to do with our baby wearing bonding years. Never mind me going into her language development, i would have to write another blog post on the advantages (which i will do one day), but experiencing the world up close with a parent really does wonders for language and development.

Anyways, back to the baby carriers at the stores.  The main problem with them is that they do not support the baby as well as they should.  Not only do parents find it uncomfortable to carry and therefore give up on baby wearing, it can be harmful to a developing baby.  I hate to talk about these negatives, because i see pics of happy parents wearing their babies proudly on Facebook albums and i don't want to be the one to tell them that there are better options.  But there are better options.  Ones that i only figured out with lots of research, and being exposed to better carriers.  I too was a mom that had Baby Bjorn on the baby shower registry.  It was widely available, and i did not know that there was a whole other world of carriers available. 

What is the problem with Baby Bjorn, Sungli type carriers?

The main concern is support of the developing spin, hip and joints. 
This picture provides a wonderful illustration. 

Front facing carriers are problematic for baby and the wearer. Any baby carrier that advertises as allowing front facing position are ones that you need to be aware of.  The good carriers only allow parent facing, or high back carries that allow the child to see over the parents shoulders. I hate to use the term crotch dangler, but essentially that is what they do.  The support to the spine is very compromising to the natural C formation of a babies spine.  I was told to think of the natural position as the fetal position, whereas legs extending straight with the knees and hips straight is unnatural and should be avoided.  The baby should be in a" froggy" or "jockey" position with their knees over bum, hips falling naturally apart and thighs/back supported.  

This little cutie with the frog hat, shows the froggy position well.

Transfer that froggy position to babywearing.

In front facing positions, babies are forced to carry their own body weight due to lack of support (knee- knee support is essential), and they are also absorbing the force of every step that the parent takes while walking.  They may shift their bodies to prevent the unnatural positioning, causing more stress to their developing bodies.  If a baby falls asleep in the forward facing position, their chin drops to their chest, which could cause airway obstruction while sleeping. There is a greater amount of strain to the wearer as well.  Most strain is to the pelvis area when you wear your baby facing forward.  If you are a women, this can prolong postpartum healing.

*Even when facing the parent, the Baby Bjorn or Snugli carriers don't provide the knee-knee support that is so important for a baby.*

It must be boring for a child to face the parent?
While babies are young, they feel a sense of security while exploring the world facing you.  My daughter loved forward facing even up to a year.  Closer to 8 months we started to do high back carries...you can do back carries even younger when you become an expert wrapper (there are experts who do back carries from a few weeks.  I am confident to start it earlier now). There are so many images of high back carries with infants, if you do a google search.  I would say,  save the seeing out for the times you chose to put the baby in the stroller, while babywearing have the baby facing you.  Truth be told, our stroller rarely got used, my daughter loved to be worn.  

Where do i find these carriers?:
There are so many great carriers that you can buy.  There are lots of options- wraps, ring slings, Mei Tai's, soft structured carriers (Ergo's for example fall in this category).  I would say that you would need to try a few out to see which is the best option for you.  I had a bit of a collection with a few different types to suit different needs.  For example, wraps for long carries, soft structured structured carriers for ups/downs throughout the day (amusement parks), ring slings for when they are young (although they can be used even with toddlers,-i just preferred wraps).  
Try and find a local baby wearing group where you can meet up with others and try different carriers out.  Some groups even have lending libraries where you can borrow carriers to try out.  A great place to find local groups is a forum called The Baby Wearer (TBW)

I would visit that site first as it has everything you need to get information about babywearing.  There are lots of tutorials on how to position baby properly and how to use all of the different carriers.  Believe me, it may seem intimidating at first.  I thought i would never get the hang of wrapping, but after some practice it became second nature for me.
You can even buy gently used carriers.  You can get really good deals on them too- it does not have to be expensive! There are so many great forums on the site too.

Although you can find amazing deals, there are wraps for every taste and budget.  There are wraps that sell for close to $1000 (Pamir) and are traded and sold all the time.
You can also get custom dye jobs on your wraps (the dye artists do ombre looking grads in three different colours).   
Here is a funny Ecard that only a TBW member would understand

 While it may feel intimidating or overwhelming at first, it actually becomes fun to learn about all the different options.  I have met some great friends from chatting online on this forum that i have met up with in real life. My local babywearing group is a bunch of cool, beautiful women (and a few men) who make babywearing look good!

I have to mention that i had a wrong stereotypical image on what i thought babywearers looked like (i am going to be honest here), but my goodness you will see there is a variety of babywearers- fashionable Europeans who wear heels and dresses while babywearing, cool urban moms/dad babywearers, small town parents who post beautiful pics of babywearing while walking through some scenic areas in their town (when i used to frequent the boards there was a Czech mom that posted the most amazing shots of her town while babywearing).  Yes, there are the tired parent babywearers too, who sometimes don't care about looking stylish while babywearing (i have been there)- you get a bit of everything on the site. It honestly is such a great site, and opened me up to more than just babywearing- you get an international passport and meet so many friends around the world.  

A custom dye job on a wrap. 

My daughter in a back carry, sleeping. Easy transfer to bed when she fell asleep. The wrap just molds to her body

Nursing in a wrap does not get more private and discreet (I was a discreet with public nursing, but all power to you however you chose to nurse in public). Hands free too.

Toddler wrapping after a long day at Disney Land.

Didymos was a popular wrap.  Here is a stock photo, but if you google Didymos wraps you will see tons of pictures.  TBW, has great pics of Didymos wraps too.

Norwegian brand Ellevill wrap.

This model was very active on TBW while i was on the boards. She had amazing pictures.

Italian company Diva Milano wrap.  They even have a Calvin Klein model that is also a babywearer.

This is what a great soft structured carrier should look like.  When it is the right carrier, you can wear use it for a toddler too.  Ergo, is a popular one that can be found in most stores.  When you check out TBW, you will find so many great ones.  Kinderpack, Beco, Bloo-Kangaroo, Boba, Olives and Applesauce are just a few among the many options.

These were the popular psling's that i liked when wearing a ring sling.  Again, when you visit TBW you will find so many other brands and options.  There are even ring slings made from woven wraps.  

My Tulikowo Mei Tai carrier.  Loved this carrier and i still have it saved for a future baby.  This has buckle straps at the waist, but wrap style shoulder straps.  There are so many different styles of Mai Tais (this is called the 1/2 buckle).  

As you can see, there are lots of options out there.  Trying them out is the best option.  Once you find your local babywearing group you will be able to try out all different types of carriers. 

I thought i would include one more babywearing Ecard (i have a slight obsession with Ecards, they are so funny).  No matter what anyone may tell you about babywearing, this is something to keep in mind.  Those early years go by way too fast and i don't think you will regret babywearing later.

I recently saw this picture of Beyonce babywearing.  She is said to be practicing some forms of attachment parenting- including babywearing and breastfeeding.  How cool would she look with a wrap to go along with her fashionable self.

For more information on babywearing, i also love reading Close Enough to Kiss
Here is a link to their spring 2013 issue


Updated to include the pics of men babywearing.  My hubby wore Sophie on a few occasions too (no pics unfortunately).

Mixed Up Colours

Going along with my new obsession of mixing colour in my wardrobe, i decided to take it to art time with my daughter.
I want her to really experiment with colours while we do art.  She already knows her primary and secondary colours and now i want her to get comfortable with complimentary colours (both traditional  and ones that she believes are complimentary).
We do a lot of colour mixing with food colouring, ink and paint.  Sometimes she mixes colours in an art palette,  but mostly she just loves taking paint and dumping a whole bunch of colours in a paint pot like a little mad scientist, making her own little colour concoction.  

Crayola is a leader in the art market for kids.  They have so many innovative products that allow kids to explore art in new ways.
Other than Crayola markers, crayons and paint, we had yet to try any of their other products.  While Zellers was having their closing sale, i ended up getting Crayola Colour Twister for $7.  It has been a well used product since we got it, and it is perfect for exploring the colour wheel.

You basically keep pushing down on a pump and drop food colouring or paint in the spinner which makes the colours swirl together.  She has created some fun art disks using the colour wheel as a guide.  Mostly though, she just loves choosing her own colours and watch them mix and swirl together.

Although we love the product, I will let you know some issues about the product as well as some tips that Crayola should  have included.

- for first time use (especially with younger ones) use outside or in an area where you can spill.  The ink comes out of the tube fast if the child just turns it upside down and presses.  Also the ink pools inside the spinner so it can get messy if you are not aware of this.  You have to teach your child to only tilt the tube down and gently squeeze the tube so they can control how much comes out.  My daughter learned this pretty easily after a few tries (but I have to admit, it was a hard lesson because I was not expecting the mess and we did it on our art table in the carpeted room).

-Or skip their tube and use food colouring first.  I find food colouring droppers are not as open as the ones included making it easier for little ones to control.  The little dollar store paints with the small squeeze opening work well too.

-You get 10 disks and they do not sell disks separately.  You just keep one as a template.  Card stock works well as does finger paint paper.  I do admit that the disks included are really nice- heavy and coated with gloss, but you can make it work with making your own disks. We even tried regular paper and construction paper. White is best, but we did see colour variation even when using coloured construction or card stock paper.

-what works best is pumping first until the spinner goes really fast and then letting go and adding the paint or dropper with two hands and continue pumping for the swirls.
It took my daughter several tries to get the mechanics, but she ended up getting it.  I encouraged her to try as much as she could on her own.  All of the ones on the art board are her doing it by herself.

-there are battery operated spinners, they come with their own difficulties too (spin too slow, change batteries too often).

-the product is recommended for 6 and up.  The pump will be an issue for younger ones, but with practice they will get it.  Don't give up on it after one try.  Great for decorating an art room, making cards and just exploring colour mixing.  It was worth the $7 for sure.

Here is a display of our Crayola Twister Spin Art (clickable image).

We are going to try this soon.