tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28686560248754480612025-05-06T15:17:43.297-03:00Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.comBlogger128125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-2023587188506011932014-04-28T15:16:00.002-03:002014-04-28T15:22:49.186-03:00

Little Sister just turned 4 years old, and Big Sister is 7. We own a lot of board games and we love to play. I know that a lot of families have a difficult time finding games that are developmentally appropriate for preschoolers, yet interesting enough for the rest of the family to enjoy as well. Here are our recommendations to keep your family game night running smoothly! Richard Scarry's

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-12078093970527959232014-04-20T16:35:00.000-03:002014-04-20T16:35:52.630-03:00

Just a quick note from us to say Happy Easter! We hope you are enjoying the holiday weekend, whatever you choose to do. On Good Friday, we dyed our Easter eggs, and today we went to church and are celebrating Little Sister's 4th birthday (where does the time go?!). Here she is, helping with our egg dying. She was pretty proud of the results (as was Big Sister, of course). We used natural dyes

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-42444108027709997072014-04-18T11:04:00.000-03:002014-04-23T15:29:22.606-03:00

Alice in Wonderland is a great theme for a birthday party, especially if you won't be hosting the party on your child's birthday! Two years ago, Big Sister requested an UnBirthday party in March, since we'd been on vacation in Florida for her birthday in February. It was fun to make cupcakes for this party, instead of a big cake! There are so many things you can do with this theme: the white

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-5393981669687384232014-04-16T16:49:00.000-03:002014-04-23T15:30:22.547-03:00

It's hard to believe it's the middle of April.  Despite our rapidly melting snowbanks (they were HUGE - taller than my husband!) and spring jacket temperatures, we woke up to a snow squall this morning. It was discouraging (I don't want to scrape the car again until next year!), but the fresh snow gave us an opportunity to try one last winter activity that I'd been hoping to try with the

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-57660883200106570002014-04-14T11:21:00.000-03:002014-04-23T15:30:43.500-03:00

While looking up a Berenstain Bears video to link to my last post (More Earth Day Books for Kids), I decided to search and find a few more fun videos that I can show my girls as we prepare for Earth Day. I uncovered some gems! I really love YouTube. :) Here you go - Earth Day cartoons for you to enjoy with your kids! The Berenstain Bears Don't Pollute (Anymore)     Schoolhouse

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-82960255248547372102014-04-13T16:58:00.000-03:002014-04-23T15:31:10.344-03:00

Earth Day is approaching, so it's time for another installment of Earth Day Books for Kids! Unlike most holidays, which have hundreds of easy-to-find books, it takes a bit more hunting to find appropriate books for Earth Day. Here are a few of our current favourites. Have a look at our previous list here.  Mother Earth and Her Children: A Quilted Fairy Tale - Sibylle von Olfers This is

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-84552443518120544932014-04-09T10:29:00.000-03:002014-04-09T10:29:09.464-03:00

So... I used to be a blogger. I didn't have hundreds of followers, nor did I make any money from my blog, but I liked writing about my life and activities with my daughter, and I grew to have a little circle of blogger friends. ...But then came Baby #2. She came into the world a couple of weeks early, due to complications. After that, life with two children left me feeling exhausted, and I

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-45853527479532238362010-04-02T21:39:00.008-03:002014-03-31T21:21:28.337-03:00

Hi folks! Sorry I dropped off the face of the earth/blog! Baby prep plus work deadlines have been overwhelming, and I've kind of been ignoring the computer during my downtime (or else I've been napping). I need to find time to write and schedule a few posts so that this blog won't be entirely dormant when the baby arrives and I'm too tired to do anything! Anyways, the reason for my post is

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-41200915053249998872010-03-24T07:20:00.000-03:002014-03-31T22:44:38.127-03:00

I've been getting a lot of inspiration from other people's blogs lately. There are so many creative ideas out there! Here are a few of my recent favourites (some are spring and Easter themed): Story Stones from Inner Child Fun Foil mushrooms for a fairy circle from Filth Wizardry Sponge painting shapes from NutureStore Coloured wooden eggs from The Wonder Years Spring sensory tub from No Time

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-5954799695640529672010-03-23T07:41:00.004-03:002014-03-31T23:45:06.825-03:00

  We celebrated St. Patrick's Day a day late this year, but it seemed a shame to let the holiday go by without commemoration! We listened to Irish and Irish/Newfoundland music all day, and learned about the history of St. Patrick's Day through this cartoon on YouTube (Oh, how I love YouTube).   We ate green snacks: leftover sugar cookies from the freezer, spread with icing and

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-35856500307497819812010-03-19T15:36:00.005-03:002014-04-04T08:57:43.882-03:00

For this week's edition of Feed Me Books Friday, everyone is sharing their favourite Easter books. Come join in, whether you prefer religious or secular books!    The Best Easter Prize by Kristina Evans My daughter received this book as a gift recently, and we both really like it! It's pretty simple, but I like that it (briefly) shows a family attending church on Easter Sunday,

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-21793612533356296652010-03-17T19:43:00.003-03:002010-03-17T19:57:59.857-03:00

I totally forgot that today was St. Patrick's Day until the day was half over! I also forgot that it was Wednesday, so I didn't to take C to her playgroup this morning. Oops! I think we might celebrate tomorrow instead. I didn't have anything major planned, but it seems a shame to let the holiday pass by, especially with so much great Celtic music in my CD rack!Hope you had a fun day!

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-84309803115127899962010-03-12T08:03:00.002-04:002014-04-04T09:05:35.399-03:00

The clock is ticking, and Baby #2 will be here in a little over a month! It looks like Baby will probably arrive early, so we're hustling to get things ready! It's funny how prepared you can be for your first child, and how late you leave the preparations with your second! We bought paint the other day, after I had an appointment with my obstetrician. Lots of work to do this weekend - yikes! So

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-37485041622284195732010-03-10T21:28:00.000-04:002014-04-01T21:06:32.154-03:00

My daughter just turned 3 years old, and although I know many parents go all out for birthday parties, I'm fairly low key. My key words are fun, low stress and inexpensive! Here are a few of my tips for hosting a frugal birthday party. Don't plan the party around mealtime unless absolutely necessary 9:30 - 11:30am, 1-3pm or 2-4pm are ideal times, depending on children's naptimes. Not having to

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-38731268689366049732010-02-26T21:08:00.004-04:002010-02-26T21:46:31.886-04:00

It's amazing how busy C and I have been while Hubby's been away! We've had an activity to do just about every day, including taking a Mother-daughter mini road trip, which was fun. Now I'm trying to get the house cleaned up before Hubby comes home and before my Mom arrives to take care of C while I go on a business trip.Thanks to everyone for the banana recipe suggestions! As part of prepping for

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-31665470943498819902010-02-24T21:18:00.002-04:002010-02-24T21:39:01.272-04:00

My daughter loves the song "Yes, We Have No Bananas" by Louis Prima. We've been listening to the Jazz for Kids CD a lot lately.And speaking of bananas...I have a ton of bananas in the freezer. Once they start to get mushy and spotty, I throw them in the freezer, intending to make banana bread. I've made a few loaves lately, but I still have a ton of bananas left. Do you have any yummy banana

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-38861301808646551362010-02-21T23:05:00.002-04:002010-02-21T23:09:51.953-04:00

... as I try to complete a report for work in my free time while Hubby is away for 11 days!I'm officially off work this week, but unofficially working towards the deadline.Laptop on the kitchen table, couch, and too many late nights!Whew - I need a rest!

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-61145541424931132010-02-17T14:39:00.007-04:002010-02-17T14:51:00.137-04:00

In preparation for our new baby, we recently changed our home office into an office/guest room, and that meant buying a smaller desk for the room. To ease the frustration of trying to figure out which cord belongs with which device, we labeled each cord before (or immediately after) disconnecting it. We just cut pieces of masking tape and folded them around the cords to make tags. Now we actually

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-6965437703621961892010-02-16T08:00:00.001-04:002014-04-02T20:53:31.983-03:00

This one should be added to the Super Simple Activities posts! Super Simple Activities for Lazy Days Super Simple Activities for Busy Days A couple of days ago C and I were listening to The Bowling Song by Raffi, and she announced that she wanted to bowl too! After some trial and error, we set up a bowling lane in our hallway. You will need: Paper towel tubes Ball That's it - it can't get

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-67105360211578459802010-02-12T09:07:00.000-04:002014-04-04T09:08:59.324-03:00

This week's Feed Me Books Friday topic is "Books about Love" - an appropriate topic with Valentine's Day coming up this weekend! Here are a few of our favourite love books:   Mommy's Best Kisses by Margaret Anastas This short book has beautiful illustrations showing mother animals giving their babies kisses to show their love. It's perfect for babies, but at 3 years old my daughter still

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-13823403816947597092010-02-10T07:30:00.004-04:002010-02-10T19:48:52.429-04:00

Fact of life: when you have a little girl, you have barrettes.Lots of barrettes.Teeny, tiny barrettes that always get lost.We don't have much wall or door space in C's room, and don't have room for a hanging barrette organizer (like this, this, or this one similar to what I had as a child). Instead, we just have a little barrette box that sits on a shelf, next to a little bucket of hair

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-51435685279187224912010-02-09T11:16:00.008-04:002010-02-09T15:32:31.194-04:00

Two child-related posts that made me cry.How to Handle Little People: A Parenting (Non) Tutorial.When You are Afraid of Dying.I've been thinking a lot about patience, and my increasing lack of it. Maybe it's the pregnancy, maybe it's having an almost-3 year old, maybe it's having so many deadlines and things to do lately... I've been feeling very much that I need to slow down and put aside some

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-25435392371418933602010-02-06T10:42:00.004-04:002010-02-06T11:16:36.539-04:00

C loves the baby doll that Santa brought her for Christmas.Polly goes everywhere with us, and gets fed, burped and changed almost as much as a real baby (practice for when our 2nd child arrives in May, I guess)!Soon after receiving her doll, I made a cloth diaper for Polly, because she is so small that real diapers went up almost to her chin! This week, C lost Polly's hairband, and was very

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-72848295334312642982010-01-31T12:23:00.010-04:002014-04-02T20:44:15.280-03:00

As I've mentioned before, Hubby and I have been very busy and feeling kind of stressed lately. Although I feel like I should be doing more planned learning activities with C, we haven't been doing many, as I've been trying to squeeze in a lot of errands and work before I leave on my trip to Ottawa tomorrow. We all have those days (or weeks, or more) sometimes, so I thought I'd share a few super

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868656024875448061.post-34209989756540407062010-01-29T08:26:00.004-04:002014-04-04T09:26:41.823-03:00

I'm expecting my second child at the beginning of May, and my almost-3-year-old daughter is very excited. We've been diapering, burping and rocking her dolls a lot, and she's entirely fascinated with the idea of having a new baby (let's hope the reality goes as well - maybe I should get a CD of a baby crying to play every now and then!). To prepare, we've been reading a lot of books about

Kirstenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293742715213046999noreply@blogger.com11