Celebrating Easter 2017

Andi found some crazy-good flight deals to Mexico, so we decided to book a last-minute trip to Sayulita over Easter week. Sayulita is on the Pacific Ocean about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta. We've been there once before, and we loved it - it's one of our favorite places we've traveled, and we're excited to go back again.

Since we'll be in Mexico on Easter Sunday, I thought it'd be easiest to celebrate Easter before we left. Timing-wise, this past weekend worked best for our schedules so I invited Andi's mom and dad to the cabin on Saturday and planned to color Easter eggs, have an egg hunt, and a nice dinner for everyone.

Andi's parents arrived around Noon Saturday and we started with a lunch on the deck. The weather was absolutely beautiful for spring, so spent most of our day outdoors. Andi smoked a tri-tip on the grill and we paired it with a spinach salad and roasted asparagus. I also made scandinavian deviled eggs and Janie and Jim brought a veggie platter.

 

After lunch, we colored eggs. Aden wasn't interested in this activity in the slightest, so he laid down in the bedroom and watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (in his defense, I don't think he felt 100%) while the rest of us sat on the deck and decorated hard boiled eggs. Janie said it was the first time in her life she can remember coloring eggs for Easter outdoors! The weather was too beautiful not to be outside and enjoy it. 

 

Tory couldn't remember dying Easter eggs before, so we gave her a quick refresher course. Of course, she was upset later when I peeled an egg to eat it. "I didn't know you were going to break my beautiful egg!" she declared. Oy. Everything is a priceless piece of artwork to this girl.

Andi bought Tory and Aden a BB Gun last week, so while Jim, Andi and Tory were target-shooting on the side of the cabin and Aden was still inside watching TV, I took advantage of the kid-free moment and hid Easter eggs around the backyard. Last year, we hid plastic eggs in the woods which made more like a scavenger hunt, but Andi had double hernia surgery last Tuesday and wasn't able to walk very far. The backyard was equally exciting for Tory who ran around like a crazy lady collecting eggs. Aden eventually joined us in the backyard, but he had little interest in hunting for eggs. Whipping around the cabin in his John Deere tracker was far more interesting.     

Speaking of the BB Gun -- I think it was a dream realized for Andi and his dad to teach Tory how to shoot for the first time. Andi said he has many fond memories of shooting targets with his dad when he was a kid, and they both beamed from ear to eat while they watched Tory do the same. She was proud of herself, too, and seem to take the whole thing very seriously.

To me, it doesn't matter if the celebration of Easter happens on a specific date on the calendar. It was just as special to honor our family traditions a few weeks before the official holiday, and I've been making a point to talk about the meaning of Easter with Tory all month long. We had a great day celebrating with Janie and Jim at the cabin.

Teaching Kids About Election Day

Yesterday was Election Day 2016 in our town and across the United States. Campaign signs lined the streets, people wore "I Voted" stickers proudly, and news outlets swirled with election coverage.

Tory (at age 5) noted the significance of the day and began to ask questions about it. It seemed like a great opportunity to teach her the basic principles of democracy, so yesterday we spent the afternoon learning about the presidential election.

After a quick Google search, I found some great information on the PBS website with tips for helping kids understand the election. I decided Tory and I would make a ballot box and while we worked side-by-side, we'd talk about it.

"What does it mean to vote?" I asked her. Surprisingly, she knew the answer. "It's when everyone votes for who they want to be something. Whoever has the most votes, wins," she said simply. I suppose in her five-year-old mind an election is comparable to playing a game; the person with the most votes, wins.

"Who gets to vote? Can you become President one day? And, what does the President do anyway?" These questions brought up some great conversation between the two of us as we worked away on our craft project. I admit to not knowing all the answers (thanks, PBS, for the talking points!) so it was a nice way to refresh my own grown-up memory on the rules of the land.

After our ballot box was finished, Tory and I made campaign signs for each candidate and printed election ballots on pieces of paper. We talked about the 2016 candidates for President of the United States and I showed her pictures of each person. We also talked about the historic significance of this particular election -- the first woman was running for President of the United States!

Tory gathered up two Barbie dolls to represent each presidential candidate, and a few more to be "voters" in our pretend election. We each took turns filling out our paper ballots and placed them in the ballot box to be counted. Then, Tory read the results and I tallied them on a piece of paper. We counted the votes and in our living room election, Hillary Clinton was the winner.

Tory and I made our own homemade versions of "I Voted" stickers for she and Aden to wear proudly the rest of the evening. What a fun and educational afternoon learning about the election with my little preschooler.

This morning at breakfast, Tory asked me who won the election. "Donald Trump," I told her. She asked with a somber face, "Why didn't anyone vote for the girl?" (See, at age five, it's all about boys vs. girls...) Then, we had a nice discussion over breakfast about how people voted for both candidates but in the end, the person with the most votes wins. We're fortunate enough to live in a place where we're free to express our opinion through voting and more than anything that's the message I hoped Tory gained from our conversation. It's hard to believe Tory will be NINE the next time a presidential election rolls around; it seems so far away. 

May Day Baskets

I love celebrating May Day each year. It reminds me of fun memories from my childhood -- making May Day baskets with my mom and delivering them to all our friends and neighbors -- and it involves making a craft which is something Tory and I enjoy doing together. Plus, who wouldn't want to receive a sweet, unexpected treat on their doorstep? I like the idea of keeping this old-time tradition alive.

This year, May Day (May 1) fell on a Sunday so I thought it'd be fun to deliver homemade baskets to our favorite neighbors at both the lake cabin and in our new condo building. It sounds like a lot of people, but really it was only eight baskets.

The key to crafting with a preschooler is to start early. Mid-April, Tory and I started by making the actual May Day baskets from construction paper, staples and markers. She decorated pieces of paper and I fashioned them into cone shapes. I also cut and stapled a paper handle to the top of each one.

Next, we decorated and cut out flower shapes from construction paper and I hot-glued Hershey's Kisses to the center of each one. We taped disposable drinking straws to the back of each flower so they'd stand upright inside the paper cones.  

Finally on the morning of May 1, Tory, Aden and I filled each basket with Boom Chicka Pop Sea Salt popcorn. We went for a family walk at the lake cabin and delivered our May Day baskets to the neighbors. Traditionally, you'd leave the basket of goodies on the front porch, ring the doorbell and run away hoping the recipient be able to catch you and kiss you ... but we didn't follow this part. Does anyone even ring the doorbell anymore? It seemed to take our neighbors quite a while to finally answer the door - ha! Plus, we wanted the chance to see their faces light up when we handed over each handmade basket.

 

Our cabin neighbors might've expected our visit since we delivered May Day baskets to them last year, but our condo neighbors were surprised and thrilled to receive one! Tory and Aden even received a note from our upstairs neighbors afterwards thanking them for making their May Day so bright. 

I'd like to carry forward this simple May Day tradition with Tory and Aden for as long as they'll allow, and who knows -- maybe someday, they'll do the same thing with their little ones.

Christmas Advent Calendar, Day 11: Decorate a Gingerbread House

I never decorated a gingerbread house as a kid, but if I had ... I'd like to believe my mom would've done the smart thing and purchased a pre-assembled gingerbread house from Costco. Did they even have Costco back in the 80's? I seriously hope so, because pre-assembled gingerbread houses are the way to go!

I buy one of these kits for Tory and Aden every year. The Costco gingerbread kit comes with everything needed to decorate a gingerbread house -- plenty of frosting in easy-to-squeeze pouches, assorted candies and most importantly, a sturdy house that's already put together. I can't stress the last part enough -- one year, I tried to assemble a gingerbread house myself and it was a disaster.

This likely would have been a "Tory-only" holiday activity, but Aden took an unscheduled morning nap on Day 11 of our Christmas advent calendar, so he got to partake in our gingerbread house decorating. Understandably so, Tory was apprehensive about Aden's participation in the project. Girlfriend takes her crafting seriously! And, let's be honest, Aden is a bit of a wild man these days. I assured Tory I'd keep him on a tight leash and all would be fine.

Aden wanted to sit on top of the table to decorate, of course, which is where I find him most during the days. All he wants to do is climb, climb, climb these days ... but that's for another post. Decorating was going fine - great, actually! - until Aden knocked the gingerbread house onto the floor with his body. Tory nearly lost her mind, the poor girl. Luckily, the gingerbread house didn't break and I helped Tory fix the few pieces of candy that had fallen off.

Decorating a gingerbread house turned out to be a fun activity for both kids, and kept them entertained for over an hour. Next year, I think I'll buy two houses so they can each decorate their own masterpiece. I know Aden will want to eat all of his candy anyway!

46/52: A Weekly Photo Series

Tory, Aden and I met some friends for a playdate at the Play & Learn Cafe this week. I love the concept of this place -- a space for families to meet, play and enjoy a meal together. No need to worry about kids making a ruckus through dinner or dumping every toy out of the bin; this place is as kid friendly as one could be.

I first visited Play & Learn Cafe when it opened in the spring, and quite a bit had changed since then. There's a new Discovery Room with "messy projects" for kids (on this day, it was paints) and many different toy stations in the main room -- play structures, dress-up clothes, ride-on bikes, sensory bin, dollhouse, train table and more.

Aden and Tory had an absolute blast playing here the morning we visited. They ran for a solid three hours, which is fantastic for an indoor play area. I'd say Tory was on the older end of the spectrum for children's ages, which was fantastic for keeping the rowdiness at minimum. I liked how small yet open the main room was which helped me keep an eye on the kids easily, and I also liked the many gating devices they had to keep kids safe and secure in one particular area. We arrived around 9:30am (the cafe opened at 9:00am) and the place was practically empty. Thirty minutes later, closer to 10:00am, the place had filled quickly with parents and kids. Next time I go, I'll definitely shoot to arrive closer to opening time to beat the rush.

  
We didn't eat at the cafe on this particular day, but the menu looked appetizing for both kids and parents. Tory made me promise the next time we visited we'd stay for lunch. I'm sure we'll be back. A great find in the Twin Cities for things to do with kids.

Our Favorite Children's Halloween Books

I checked out several Halloween children's books from the library this month to read with Tory and Aden. The local library has an online reservation system, and it's my favorite way to find holiday-themed books to read with the kids. First, I search Pinterest for books (and coordinating crafts) other bloggers have recommended, then I pop over to the library's reservation website and request copies for us to read. So simple!

This Halloween holiday season, we checked out some duds ... oh, yes, we did. A few recommended books were either too weird or too scary for the toddler / preschooler set.

We've also had some great Halloween books in our reading rotation this month. Here are some of our favorite Halloween-themed children's books:

Fancy Nancy's Fabulous Fall Storybook Collection



Oh Fancy Nancy, how I love you! This book series is one of my favorites to read with Tory. They're silly and fun, but also educational as she learns new vocabulary words. In this particular storybook collection, there are six books about Halloween, apple picking, fall activities at school and Thanksgiving, and all six stories are on constant rotation in our home right now.

Room on the Broom



Room on the Broom is a fabulous Halloween story about friendship. I like how it's *just* spooky enough for Tory without being too creepy, and has a good message about asking to participate in something and kindly welcoming others in a situation. (It's too advanced / there's too many words to hold Aden's attention.) Tory and I used these free printable worksheets one afternoon as our rest-time activity which allowed us to deeper analyze and discuss the book together.

The Itsy Bitsy Pumpkin



Itsy Bitsy Pumpkin creatively follows the tune of Itsy Bitsy Spider, and both Tory and Aden adore it. I'm a big fan of children's books that mimic nursery rhymes because kids learn to "read" the story by themselves following a familiar tune. The story is cute and cheery, and the perfect Halloween story for young kids.

Pinkalicious: Pink or Treat!



Tory loves Pinkalicious, and the Halloween-themed Pink or Treat is no exception. In fact, she loves the book so much she dressed up as Pinkagirl for Dress-up Day at her gymnastics class.

Ten Little Pumpkins Sing and Read Storybook



We were gifted 10 Little Pumpkins as a gift last year, and I believe it was only released by Scholastic. I did find it on Amazon, so I linked to it here because it is hands-down Tory and Aden's favorite Halloween book. The book is sung to the classic tune and it's so cute! Tory reads the entire book to Aden at least once a day ... and listening to one child read to the other might be my favorite thing about parenting to date.

Pippa the Pumpkin Fairy



This is another favorite Halloween book of mine, er, I mean Tory's. It's so adorably written and includes cute little puns that scale over the kids' heads but are completely relevant to adults (aka: Twitter = Flitter).

Where Is Baby's Pumpkin? (Karen Katz Lift-the-Flap Books)



Definitely a favorite of Tory and Aden's ... what kid doesn't love lift-the-flap books? The other day I was reading this book to Aden in the living room and Tory was eating lunch nearby in the next room. I could hear her reciting the book right along with us. Love!

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So many Halloween-themed children's books to choose from! I personally love hearing what others are reading. Any favorites you'd recommend?

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