Category: Uncategorized

World Hello Day

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Well, hello! It turns out that today (November 2) is World Hello Day, and Travis boldly accepted the challenge I set him: To say hi to ten people over the course of the day.

He was so proud with each chance that came while out of the house. A big hello to the woman next to us in the parking lot, a proud hello to the cashier at the drugstore, hello to the librarians when we stopped in for books, and more.

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Each time, he turned to me with pride and said, “That’s three” and so on, until he reached 10.

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Little sister wanted to get in on the hello fun, too, as she practices how to wave!

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For more hello fun, we made big posters in languages we know. Travis is learning Spanish at school, so I helped him with the spelling of “hola”, and he decorated it for his Spanish teacher.

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What new ways can you think of to say hello to neighbors and friends? Please share in the comments!

Gallant Challenge: Candy Drive

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After reading  this month’s Gallant challenge in Highlights magazine, about a girl who started a candy collection after Halloween to benefit military veterans, Travis knew he wanted to get involved with Treats for Troops!

Luckily we didn’t have to reinvent the wheel; his school already has a collection bin each year. But I was so proud of Travis, parting with candy with zero protest and in fact so excited at the idea that the candy would go to soldiers.

We always have a surplus since many candies he receives knocking door-to-door aren’t vegan. We also had tons extra from our own bowl, since a rainy night meant not too many trick-or-treaters stopped by.

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Travis parted with surplus peanut butter cups and lollipops, saving just enough to still have treats at home in the coming days.

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This is such a win-win; your children get to enjoy the spirit of sharing and you don’t have to worry about all that sugar and dental bills! In fact, many dentists’ offices have collection bins after Halloween, so check with your provider!

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Here he is proudly dumping the candy in the bin, his gallant moment.

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Do you donate candy after Halloween? Please share in the comments!

Ribbon Play

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Ribbons are one of those great toys you can return to again and again with your child as he or she grows; at each age, children will engage with the same item differently.

Today, I made a new set of ribbon wands for Veronika. This time, I let her be very involved in the set-up! She loved sitting in a big pile of ribbons that I had cut, pulling them through her fingers and lifting up big handfuls. (Obviously supervise any ribbon play closely).

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She also loved the spools that the ribbons came on, pulling them down to unwind in big long strands.

I began tying lengths of ribbon onto the ends of dowels, alternating patterns and colors. Although I only had two kinds of ribbon to work with, you could make these with as many as desired!

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I also cut some pieces of ribbon that were short and some long, to talk to her about opposites, and we also talked about the colors and patterns on the ribbon.

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Once all the knots were tied, we had ribbon dowels to play with! She loved when I waved these above her and she could grab at the ribbons.

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Then we put on slow soft music and I made big circles over her head and beside her, for some magical music play.

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Alternate songs with fast and slow tempos, since the ribbons will help your little one visualize the speed. These are also great for taking along on car trips, as long as you cut the ribbon lengths on the shorter side.

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Monster Balloon Decorating

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Blow up these “monsters” to decorate the house on the eve of Halloween! The LED lights should last about 48 hours.

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Travis was thrilled with the little balloon lights (you can find these at party stores). Turn one on and slip into an uninflated balloon, then blow up.

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I had pre-cut a few monster features for Travis on sticky-back black craft foam. As an alternative, you can make mouths, eyes, and noses on black cardstock and use a glue stick to attach to the balloons. But we found that the sticky backing made things very easy!

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Our monsters were wiggly and wobbly as we decorated them; it was ultimately easier to hold them between my legs than to tape them onto a table, which we had tried first.

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The darker it gets, the more your monsters glow!

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Travis loved having these creatures around to set the mood for Halloween.

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Celebrate Cats Four Ways

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In addition to Veronika’s birthday, it’s National Cat Day! So Travis and I took a moment out of the festivities to celebrate these amazing animals in four fun ways.

First up, have you can drew (or color in) pictures of cats. Make up a story to go along with these. Travis is having a bit of a mummy phase, so his story was about a magical mummy cat!

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Then of course we dressed up like them: simply twist pipe cleaners around a headband for cat ears. We made a matching mom-and-son pair.

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If you think it will work, consider teaching your cat a new trick!

And most important, consider visiting a shelter. Whether you bring treats or food, or make a monetary donation, or just donate your time and snuggles, the cats will thank you for it!

Birthday Celebration

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It’s Veronika’s birthday!

Whether you’re celebrating with lots of family and friends or just a few close loved ones, if you have been following along on this first-year journey, then happy birthday to your little one, too.

Veronika seems to know she’s one now, no longer acting like a baby. She wants to walk, is full of impish personality, and tries out new sounds, words, and ideas daily.

A few ways to make this day special, even though your little one won’t understand the hype:

When big brother and I entered her room this morning, we came bearing balloons and a gift she could open right in the crib. She might not know what a birthday is, but she certainly understood this was different from our usual routine!

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I also took the time to pen Veronika a letter in a journal. Hopefully this is a ritual I will continue to follow each year, for a treasured collection of words she can look back on.

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You might also consider taking a trip to the bank together to open an account in baby’s name. Chances are your baby will receive a gift or two in the form of cash. Whether it’s a regular checking account or something more forward-thinking like a 529 or UTMA, this will be a birthday gift that keeps on giving!

Finally, take a moment, at this milestone, to celebrate yourself as parents. You made it one year!

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Here is to treasured memories for the year ahead.

Feely Bags

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It’s been a while since I focused on a texture game with Veronika. To keep a one-year-old intrigued, you need more than just objects with texture: Make them a surprise with a reach-inside feely bag.

Fill a small child’s backpack with a few items, choosing ones that vary considerably in texture. First up, a crumpled piece of newspaper. This was crinkly and soft, I told her as she kneaded it in her hands.

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Next up: a knobby sensory ball. We talked about how it was squishy and bumpy.

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And best of all bouncy!

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Then she pulled out a soft and fluffy stuffed hedgehog.

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This was followed by a jingly set of toy keys.

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Finally, I included a wooden block, using words like “hard” and “smooth” to describe it.

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Meanwhile she had lots of fun simply filling the bag up with items, taking them out again, and repeating… A soon-to-be-toddler favorite activity, as I recall.

 

Paper Spinner

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This easy project will engage your baby’s senses in multiple ways! To make the fun twirling spinner, use any piece of patterned paper. Draw a large spiral and cut out along the lines; use a hole punch to make a hole in the center. Tie a string, then simply hold it up!

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This can be great outdoors if the wind is blowing. Indoors, give it a gentle blow to make it spin.

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Veronika loved looking at it from on her back…

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…and sitting up. Though then she was tempted to grab it, too!

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First Birthday Silhouette

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Here is my gift to my baby girl on her first birthday, a silhouette that might not mean much now, but hopefully that she cherishes for years to come.

To start, cut a piece of patterned paper to fit a picture frame; I chose one that was 5×7 inches.

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Have a photo printed that shows your baby in silhouette. You’ll probably need to orchestrate this carefully, and if needed, zoom in and enlarge so that the face fills nearly the entire photo print. Place underneath tracing paper and carefully trace the silhouette.

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Cut out the tracing paper, transfer to black cardstock, and cut out the shape. Glue the cardstock onto the patterned paper and insert into the frame.

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I doubted my ability to get this to come out right, but she looks adorable! What a moment in time to capture and frame.

Hands of Love

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With only a few days left before her first birthday, it was time for another set of hand prints with Veronika. I haven’t done this since she was nine months old and those little hands have grown.

Anyone who follow this blog knows that handprints with Veronika are a risky endeavor. I had plates of paint ready, along with a thick soft paintbrush, and wet wipes right next to me.

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Gently brush paint over your baby’s palm. She seemed to like the soft sensation!

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I pressed her hand firmly down on a small canvas tote bag. The idea was to make gifts for upcoming holidays! Other fabric like t-shirts or hand towels would be fun, too, if you use acrylic paint.

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You can also just press the prints onto thick paper for pretty commemorative artwork. Add a border with marker, and don’t forget to add the date!

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Now compare these prints to your older sets and marvel at how much your baby has grown.

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