(A so-easy craft! Just ripped up tin foil to act as icicles. The ripping and gluing is such a toddler delight, right?)
Yesterday, a good old fashioned run-around-silly-with-little-one-on-your-back reminded me that I need to do more of this! Mine just eat it right up! If we hadn't been stuck inside I would have missed the baby suck-in-air-and-giggle like this was the best thing in the world; his little cushy body bouncing on my back and little arms wound around my neck. Or his sister's delighted directing pointer finger, which never seemed to tire. :)
Today we spent some time on the living room floor, reading stories, singing "Once There Was a Snowman," (once? ha, ironic) and melting our little hearts out (an enthusiastic three times), read about kids in other countries, empathy, and cooking (huh? how did we come up with that combo?). I turned on some music via my phone, let it sugar-coat the air as we brown-sugar-dipped, let out the spastic, periodic Elvis moves, and scooped out chocolate chip-studded gooey-ness. It was one of those moments that I knew would evaporate before I knew it, and I knew all I could do was to live in it and enjoy it. I love little innocent songs and teachable faces and wiggliness and outright love-you-with-all-their-hearts (most of the time).
And the lyrics to this song, called the Garden Song (by Andy Mason, from his Everybody Likes Pizza album) made me think -this is what it's all about. :)
If you want the short version, here are my favorite lyrics:
"Inch by inch, row by row, please bless these seeds I sow. Please keep them safe below till the rain comes tumblin' down."
(*I have a little preschool curriculum that I bought years ago when my oldest entered kindergarten, and I have used it sporadically. It has been fun to have around. (I have tried three different companies when doing preschool with friends, and Funshine Express is my favorite) Even if I didn't have one, there are coloring pages and craft ideas online for free. Its nice to have a little structure and some prompts once in a while.)
I am afraid of the raw egg thing so I never let my kids lick batters or anything that have raw egg in the mix. When I make cookies though I use EnerG Eggs which is an egg substitute. It goes in with the dry ingredients and I just add a little water to the wet ingredients and then I let my kids lick the spoons till their hearts are content. Bonus is EnerG Eggs are a great food storage item and are way, way cheaper than actual eggs. One box makes the equivalent of 100 eggs or something like that and costs less than $4 at my Fred Meyer.
ReplyDeleteOn another note. I love your blog. I am so sorry I don't comment very often, but I do hope you know I'm reading along with joy. I love to learn about your delightful family and your wonderful journey.
Also I am going to try out the tin foil icicles tomorrow. I'm always looking for easy toddler crafts. Thank you.
That is good to know! I will have to remember that there is another option when it comes to eggs! :) I'm so glad you like coming here. Sometimes its nice when you're inside a lot to still be able to connect with other moms and see that that we're all going through similar things. :) I hope your pregnancy is going well.
DeleteI made cookie dough just to eat a few nights ago. I used some mint chocolate chips left over from Christmas--the best! I baked up a few just to make it legit, but I ate most of it, with help of course. I remember Funshine Express! Thank you for reminding me of the name, I have one last boy to teach preschool to next fall and would love to use it again.
ReplyDeleteI miss having a partner in crime when it comes to yummy goodies. :) Love the story and that you made it "legit." :)
Delete