Ben’s New Dance Moves

Last week, when we were at the Capital EX parade, Ben kept doing this funny little dance with his arms every time a marching band walked by.  Naturally, Boris and I thought he was a musical genius.  A few days later, however I realized he picked up his new dance moves from his favorite episode of Roary the Racing Car.  

Wordless Wednesday

Raising a Healthy Eater

This post has been sitting, half written in my “Work in Progress” folder since the beginning of April.  I’ve tried to finish it so many times.  I honestly don’t know why it’s taken me so long to complete.  Feeding Ben a variety of healthy foods is something I take pride in.  I’m always on the lookout for a great new recipe, a healthier way to cook our favorite foods or a good toddler-feeding tip.  

There are many aspects of being a good parent.  I believe, among them is feeding children a healthy diet.  As a mother, I feel a strong obligation to teach Ben healthy eating habits that will stay with him for the rest of his life.  I believe the foundation we lay in the first few years will most likely dictate how our children eat as adults and how, one day, they will feed their families.  I want Ben to grow up healthy and strong.  I want him to respect his body by nourishing it with healthy foods.  I want him to understand where his food comes from, which foods provide a good source of nutrients and which foods we should eat in moderation.   

From day one, we have always included Ben at mealtime.  The day we brought him home from the hospital, I remember eating lunch with him propped up on the table in his bouncy chair.  At 18 months, one of his favorite rooms to play in is our kitchen.  It’s amazing to watch him emulate Boris and I; filling a glass of water in his pretend sink, whisking something imaginary in a pan on his pretend stove.  He’s watching us closely, he’s learning and soaking it all in.  What we do in the kitchen everyday matters, even at his young age.   

When I took Ben for his one-year-old check-up back in December I was a little concerned about the amount of food he was eating.  Just like me, Ben was, and still is a small eater.  At the one-year mark, I felt he was drinking a lot of milk in comparison to the amount of food he was taking in.  My doctor confirmed that his milk intake was within the normal range for his age, weight and height and then she gave me some invaluable advice.

“Young children know how much food they need.  They’re a lot more in tuned with their bodies than adults are.  They don’t eat because they’re sad, lonely or bored.  They eat when they’re hungry.  The best thing you can do as his mother is offer him a variety of healthy foods five times a day (three meals and two snacks).  Make sure he’s sitting at the table (whenever possible), without any distractions, like TV.  Leave him be.  Don’t force him.  Relax.  There will be days when you feel like he’s living on air.  And others, when you feel like he’s eating you out of house and home.  It’s your job to choose the food that goes on his plate.  It’s his job to choose what and how much of it to eat”.

I live by her advice.  I offer Ben an assortment of healthy (predominantly homemade) foods throughout the day.  More recently, he has developed food preferences but luckily, he’ll still eat almost anything I put in front of him.  At times, we indulge in “unhealthy foods” in our household; I go through the MacDonald’s drive thru when we have a busy day and I also have a weakness for baked goods.  I try to limit the amount of treats Ben has access to but I certainly don’t deprive him.  Ben eats what we eat.  Just like everyone else, he has to learn to make good food choices and I believe that starts with what Boris and I put on our plates at mealtime.  

 Ben's first taste of solid foods

Canoeing at Elk Island National Park

We spent another beautiful morning at Elk Island National Park.  Boris and my dad went canoeing while Ben and I played on the beach and at the park.  The water was too choppy and the was wind too strong for Ben to go out but he loved sitting in the canoe once they returned.  

Chapter Two: Ben’s Big Boy Bedroom – A New Bed

Originally, I had my heart set on the IKEA LEKSVIK bed for Ben’s big boy bedroom.  It “grows” with the child and would fit perfectly in the small space Ben will soon transition into.  Unfortunately, the only dresser that matches the bed doubles as a change table (they use to have an adult line but it has been discontinued).  Ben won’t need a change table much longer and I need something with lots of storage.  Therefore, I’ve decided that I’m going to get Ben the IKEA HEMMES dresser, buy an old single bed and refinish it.  I’ll be honest, I like things to match, especially furniture, so this is a little out of my comfort zone.  I’ve seen them do it on TV a hundred times though, so it should turn out fabulous, right?  Here are a few examples:

 Image Source

Image Source

  Image Source

 Image Source

Chapter One: Ben’s Big Boy Bedroom – Kid Friendly Art

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been looking for inspiration for Ben’s future big boy bedroom.  It won’t be long before he swings his leg over the crib rail and climbs out (it’s the only thing in our house he has yet to scale).  When that day comes, I’d like to transition him into a big boy bed in the room next to the nursery.  I think I have the color scheme all figured out so now I have to move onto the details and pull it all together.  Yesterday afternoon while Ben was napping, I spent my time searching for some kid friendly art.  I found a few beautiful pieces on Etsy to ponder over.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Trendy Peas

Almost Sunday

Pumpkin and Butterfly

Petit Collage

  Barking Bird Art

Wordless Wednesday

Ben and Isaac

My friend, Karla and I took our boys on a walk to the park this morning.  Squished beside each other on the sidewalk (with our massive strollers) Ben and Isaac were laughing and holding hands.  They were so sweet and having such a great time, we had to stop along the way to snap a few photos.   

Elk Island National Park

We took full advantage of the warm weather this weekend.  Yesterday we spent the day at the Devonian Botanical Garden and this morning we went to Elk Island National Park.  We go out there often since we're fortunate to live so close by.  We left quite early so when we arrived there were lots of bison and their calves roaming around.  Ben had a great time running around, playing in the park and catching tadpoles by the water.  He did a surprising amount of walking for such a little guy and only wanted, “bup, bup, bup” toward the end.

 

Devonian Botanical Garden

We spent a beautiful morning at the Devonian Botanical Garden.  I didn’t bring my “real” camera along but as it turned out the sun was bright and Ben was too busy exploring to sit or stand still for any sort of photo shoot.  Other than the fierce mosquitoes, we all had a great time.  Ben enjoyed running around, picking up sticks and touching the flowers gently.  

Here’s a video of Ben chasing Boris in the gardens.  His little laugh is so infectious!

Taking Back the Living Room

Last week we bought Ben the IKEA mini-kitchen and it quickly took the level of chaos in our living room to new heights.  In addition to all the other toys Ben scatters about throughout the day; there were now pots and pans, teacups and play food all over floor.  By the end of the weekend, I thought to myself, “Enough is enough.  I want my adult living space back”.  

Ben currently has toys in two areas of our house, in our living room and in his playroom.  I’m lucky, at 18 months, he’ll go downstairs and play on his own for 15 to 20 minutes at a time.  Since our house is a bi-level, I can hear him and, when it gets too quiet, I can peek over the railing to check on him.

Even though Ben has a playroom, over the last few months the toys in our living room seem to have multiplied.  My previously peaceful room was beginning to resemble a primary color toy store.  We even had a red/blue/purple/yellow tent in our living room (see image here).  On Tuesday morning, my dad took Ben out for a few hours and I did a little reshuffling.  I moved some toys (including the tent) downstairs to the playroom and tucked away a few of his favorites in our TV stand (previously filled with CDs and DVDs).  You can still tell we have a child but it feels a lot less cluttered and more like an adult space once again.  

Ben playing a few weeks ago.  Lots of toys lined up on the shelving unit.  

The front of our living room.  Some of Ben’s favorite toys are hiding in our TV stand. 

The back of our living room (which is actually a dining room but we use it as an extension of our living space).  The four baskets still hold many of Ben’s toys but the clutter on top of the shelving unit is gone.

 Musical Instruments 

Cars

Wordless Wednesday

Goodbye Morning Nap

Ben gave up his morning nap this week and overall, it went well.  I think it was finally the right time for him (I tried back in March and failed miserably).  I planned a quiet week of morning activities for the two of us.  It was a great way to kick off summer.  

On Monday, we went for a walk around Gold Bar/Rundle Park, watched the geese and Ben played at the playground:

On Tuesday, we went for a walk around Beaumaris Lake and Ben threw pine cones into the water.  We also browsed Indigo Books and Ben played with the toys:

On Wednesday, we went to IKEA to pick-up Ben’s mini-kitchen:

On Thursday, Ben played with his mini-kitchen all morning and then we went to the library:

On Friday, it was cold and rainy so Ben relaxed at home while I baked and then we headed out to run some errands:

I was a lot more liberal with Ben’s “sucker” use this week.

And he did fall asleep in the car a few times on the way home:

I think we have officially closed a chapter in our lives and Ben is down to one nap.  I really loved having two “breaks” a day but as he grows and changes so must I...

Children’s Books – July Favorites

There are a million alphabet books out there for babies and children now days.  These are our favorites.  All three have beautiful illustrations that Ben and I love.  Enjoy! 

Alligator, Bear, Crab: A Baby’s ABC by Lesley Wynne Pechter

 

ABCs by Charley Harper

M is for Maple: A Canadian Alphabet by Michael Ulmer

A Mini-Kitchen in Our Kitchen

I finally finished organizing all of the kitchen cupboards this week.  It took me a little longer than I had hoped but in between I organized the bathroom cupboards, washed, organized and put away 18 months worth of baby clothes and did a quick, preliminary clean of the office.  Some days I feel like I’m no further ahead and others days I can see everything slowly coming together.  Next, I’m going to tackle the closets, then move downstairs into the dreaded basement.  Wish me luck!  

As motivation to organize the kitchen, I decided that when I was done I would buy Ben the IKEA mini-kitchen.  I’ve had my eye on it for a long time now; so it was really as much of a treat for me as it was for him.  I find it so much more rewarding to buy something new for Ben that he’ll love than to buy something for myself.  I guess that’s what happens when you become a mother.  Their joy becomes your own.  

Yesterday morning, we went to IKEA and bought the mini-kitchen.  Boris put it together after Ben went to bed and it was waiting for him when he woke up.  He spent the entire morning opening and closing the microwave, cooking with his pots and pans on the stove and moving his play food from one cupboard to another.  Pure joy.

Wordless Wednesday

Ben's New "Hat"