Currently {v.1}

Lately I've noticed a few "currently" posts in the blogosphere and thought I would try it out - for both me and Kale :) 

Loving. Following my friend Emily on instagram while she travels Thailand for her honeymooniversary. Since it probably wasn't appropriate to invite myself go with them, I've had to settle for being the virtual third wheel. 

Noticing. Stickers in my hair. Literally. Today at work I was in the middle of a conversation and I flipped my hair over my shoulder and noticed I had a sticker tangled in there. It complimented the toddler snot that Kale had so kindly deposited on my shoulder as I was walking out the door for work. Classy. 

Appreciating. Having flexibility with my job. I was able to pick up Kale yesterday when his school called to say he was running a fever and go home to take a nap with him before going back to work and leaving him with his nana.   

Anticipating. My final class! Next time I mention taking a class (especially one that is downtown Toronto), puh-lease set me straight. What was I thinking?! Driving to Toronto every Monday night for the past three months has been awful and I am so looking forward to being done. I have one more class and then a final exam and then I am DUNZO. 

Looking. For the perfect spring jacket. You'd think a beige trench coat would be easier to find. 

Thinking. How disappointed I am with our provincial governments budget. 

Enjoying. Mad Men. Why did I just start watching this?? Don Draper has grown on me in ways that initially I didn't think was possible. 

Wishing. That I didn't have to wait until January 2013 for some more Downton Abbey. 

Welcoming. More balance. The start of the week was quiet at work. I skipped my Monday night class in Toronto. I caught up on laundry. I had one on one time with Kale while Kris went to a soccer game. I felt like I could breathe. I can't say this lasted the whole week, but I welcomed the balance on its brief visit to my life. 

Loving. Dora. Pingu is basically dog meat now, and after a brief fling with a show that featured a cut-off of a hamster, Kale has settled on a love for Dora. I can dig that. I need to keep up with my Spanish anyway. 

Noticing. Umm, everything? This kid can't walk half a foot without stopping to check something out. And I don't mean "oh hey, what's that?" I mean, "let's get as close as possible to this thing, look at it from every angle, taste it/smell it/touch it.....oh what? We're late for something? Whateves, I'm noticing something right now."

Appreciating. When I hang his coat up for him, he says "tank you!" When I put his toothbrush away for him, he says "tank you!" Basically he just appreciates me cleaning up after him. That's not going to last, is it?

Anticipating. Warmer weather. After last weeks "summer in March," Kale is severely disappointed with the cooler temperatures this week. 

Looking. For geese. Earlier this week there were two Canadian geese on the lawn of his school and Kale thought that was pretty cool. Then a third goose swooped down off the roof and started a full-on goose fight. Kale lost his mind. I'm pretty sure it was the coolest thing he's ever seen. So now he looks for those geese every morning when I take him to school. "Goose? Mama, two goose?"

Thinking. About baby lions. I don't know where he got the idea, but this week he asked me to show him baby lions on the tv. I tried national geographic, but the videos were not, umm, appropriate (think lion having a buffalo for lunch). So we settled for the lion king. There goes my "no disney" rule. 

Enjoying. Bath time, but still - "no hair." I wonder if dry shampoo is ok to use on kids? 

Wishing. That his stuffy nose would go away. 

Welcoming. The weekend. As much as Kale loves school, having two full days of mama and papa is pretty much the best. 

Montessori Monday: Treasure Hunt

The weather is been abnormally warm the past few weeks and we have been spending just about every waking minute outdoors. Kale absolutely loves going for walks around our neighbourhood and so I started looking around online for some montessori-inspired outdoor activities and was immediately smitten by all the amazing treasure hunt posts I found! 


how we montessori has a great post on a scavenger hunt for leaves and flowers. I totally borrowed the idea of using a key ring to hold the cards together! She also has a great post for a scavenger hunt for household items starting with the letter C, that I will definitely be trying out on a rainy day. 


MontessoriMOMents also has a good idea for combining an outdoor treasure hunt with learning letters. I'm looking forward to trying this when Kale is a bit older. 

Activity: treasure hunt


Age: 22 months


Materials: pictures, key ring (originally I planned on having the pictures laminated so we could reuse them, but I'm glad I didn't. Kale liked being able to rip off one picture and hold onto it while we were looking for the item. I think if he had to hold the whole pack, he would have become frustrated with the others getting in the way. I think we'll hold off on laminating future treasure hunt cards until he's older). 


Obviously a treasure hunt is not a montessori specific activity - it's just a fun activity! However, we did try to use the montessori three part lesson to help guide things along. About halfway through the hunt, Kris jokingly said, "I'm pretty sure Kale understands about 20% of what is going on right now." He was probably right - but we all had fun anyway! 


Part 1: Recognition of identify


We started with one card - a picture of a rock - that I knew would be easy for Kale to find. We looked at the picture on the card and I asked him what he was - "gock!" Then I'd ask him if he could find a real rock. He pointed at the picture again - "gock!" To encourage him, I'd pick up a stick and ask "is this a rock?" "Noooooo...." he'd tell me. "Ok," I'd say, "can Kale find a rock?" And off he'd go.... 

Part 2: Recognition of contrasts


Once Kale found what he was looking for, we'd ask him to show us the item and then show us the picture. 

Part 3: Discrimination between similar objects


When we found two objects that were the similar, we'd ask if they were the same, but different from something else close by. For example - "Is this a hill?" "What about that - is that a hill?"(pointing at two different hills). "What about over there - do you see a hill?" (pointing at a field). 

Half way through our walk, Kale started losing interest in the cards and so I put them away and just let him explore on his own. 

Don't forget to check out all the amazing montessori and montessori-inspired activities through the Living Montessori Now Montessori Monday link-up: 

 

We love to have your votes :) 

 

kale's favourite books.

Reading is pretty much the only thing that keeps Kale in one place anymore. At different points throughout the day, he'll bring me a book to read to him or I'll find him on the couch or his bed with four or five spread about. As he gets older he is becoming more interested in the story, opposed to a quick glance at the pictures. Sometimes he'll sit quietly taking the story in, other times he announces "done" on page 3 and asks for a different book. 

His favourite books these days are the ones about toilet training and we keep a stack in the bathroom. When he has to pee, he climbs on the toilet and then points to the books. I sit on the edge of the tub and start on the first one. He's normally done his business by page 2, but he insists I read the other three or four books before he'll leave. 

Aside from books about toilets, Kale is also really into these: 

This has been a favourite for awhile. He likes to yell "down Anna, down!" when she climbs up the tree and pretty much loses his mind when he sees how messy her room his. He always points out where her laundry basket is, as in "dude, clean your room! Just put the laundry in there!!" Also, small claim to fame - Robert Munsch lives in my city! 

We enjoy all the books in this series and picked this one up about a month ago when Kale started to take whacks at us. This book describes all the nice things you can do with your hands (waving, shaking, hugging, etc.), so now anytime Kale goes to hit us we ask if he can think of anything nice to do with his hands and he will give us a hug instead. 

Again, we love books by this author! This one is especially fun because Kale enjoys doing all the actions that are being read to him. You should see this kid strut with the duck.... 

So those are a few of Kale's favourite books. Which children's authors do you love? 

the best weekend (ever).

Something I really struggle with as a working mom is leaving my work at work. I really care about my work, but it has a tendency to take over my life. As much as I'd love to say that when I'm with Kale, I'm 100% in the moment - it's actually pretty rare that I can say that with any honesty. Since January, my work life has been really intense and I've struggled with being a working mom more than I have before. However, on Friday I handed in a report that I'd been working on for the past month and I felt an immense sense of relief and freedom. I was SO ready to spend the next couple of days focused entirely on my family. 

The weather here is crazy - it so so warm! I cannot remember EVER wearing shorts in March!! I felt so lucky to have amazing weather and two full days with my little man. We had an incredible weekend and ate up every moment. 

Now, I should warn you - this post is pretty picture heavy! I actually took my DSLR out and left the Iphone in my bag, which is something I haven't done in awhile. I think you'll enjoy the results :0

Kris had to work Saturday morning and so Kale and I met up with one of Kale's school friends and his mom for a walk. It was great to hit the trails and not have to worry about Kale darting off the sidewalk. I love being outside with this little guy because he reminds me just how awesome everything is ("Look! Big rock! Goose! Two goose!" PUDDLE!!)

In the afternoon, Kris, Kale and I walked to the butchers and I reminded Kris that he's actually 28, not 27 (he actually pulled out his calculator to double check!). Our friends Stuart, Michelle and their little daughter Audrey came over for some BBQ and we had a great time. Kale showed Audrey how to eat a hamburger and Audrey showed Kale that she doesn't put up with being pushed around. Basically, they fell in love. 

On Saturday we headed out early to College Royale, our University's annual open house. At the University there is a Vet College and an Agricultural College, and so there is lots of fun stuff to do. 

And this is when things get really picture heavy....

First we went to a pancake flipping contest, where Kale tried three different kinds of pancakes (and loved them all): 

Then he drove a mini tractor: 

Decorated a cookie: 

Ate a cookie: 

Visited some cows: 

Took a picture by a horse: 

Drank a fresh-as-you-can-possibly-get milkshake: 

Not photographed: Getting Kale's face painted, watching a figure skating show, and watching a DOG SHOW! 

After our nap, we spent some time soaking up the unseasonable temperatures. Kale did this best by dropping his pants: 

After dinner, we hit up the park: 

So basically this was the best weekend ever. 

Except I am sooooo incredibly exhausted! Tonight I was laying on the kitchen floor and suddenly realized that I couldn't get up. This is when Kris informed me that if I was a a horse, I would probably be shot....

the hair.

Lately Kale's hair is completely out of control. This is pretty much the result of my terrible cutting skills which has resulted in about 34 layers of total shag. The more it grows, the worse it looks. The problem is, Kale has become fiercely protective of his hair and won't let anyone near it. And people, I'm fine with my kid having long hair - that's not the issue. The issue is he looks like the unkept little brother of Shaggy Roberts and that is NOT a good look. I'm terrified of bringing him to a professional hairdresser and so I just keep licking my hand and slicking it down (yeah, I'm that mom). 

It does look a little bit better after it's been washed, but that's not happening very often either. In fact, every time we ask Kale if he wants to have a bath, he freezes, raises his eyebrows, puts his hands on his head and says "no hair?" When he's in the tub and I tell him we have to wash his hair he suddenly gets hit with a need to visit the toilet (his ultimate "get me out of this situation" card). 

the prepared environment

Earlier this year we decided to convert our home office into a montessori-inspired space for Kale. I spent some time researching Maria Montessori's notion of the 'prepared environment' - where children are free to respond to their natural tendency to work - and stalking Pinterest and blogs for design ideas before starting to put things together. I thought I'd share a little bit about what I learned along the way... 

According to Montessori, the prepared environment should be simple and aesthetically pleasing for the child - no loud colours, giant posters or cluttered toys. Instead the colours should be neutral, only a few materials should be displayed at a time, and everything should be proportionate to the child's size. The idea here is to minimize things that may overstimulate or distract so the child can concentrate. 

Montessori believed that a child must be free to explore and follow his own natural impulses, thus developing his potential and increasing his knowledge of the world around him. Within the prepared environment, children have the freedom of movement and exploration. By making the materials accessible, Kale can choose what to work on and can also put things back when he's finished. 

I divided the bins into music, art and blocks. The sense of order helps Kale know where he can find things and where to put them away. It's amazing to watch him tidy up after he completes each activity! 

Almost everything in the room is from Ikea - including the picture ledge that we use as a book shelf. Kale loves having the lamp at his level so that he can turn it off and on as much as his heart desires (which is a lot). The little chair is from KidKraft and when it's not being used by Kale, it's a favourite spot for the cat to curl up. 

This is by far my favourite space in our house. We are so lucky to have the room in our house to create this environment for Kale. We've done our best to create a montessori home in other rooms of the house, but having this special space for him is really amazing. 


If you want to learn more about the prepared environment, I suggest checking out these links: 

·       http://www.montessori.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71:designing-a-montessori-home&catid=39:birth-6&Itemid=71

·       http://www.montessoriconnections.com/aboutmontessoried11.html

·       http://montessoritraining.blogspot.com/2007/11/prepared-montessori-environment.html

·      http://thelittlelist.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/setting-up-a-montessori-classroom-at-home/

Hope you enjoyed the tour! 

toilet training under 2

If you have a child that is older than mine and is not toilet trained, please remember this: KALE HAS NEVER SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT. I'm telling you this because I think it's way too easy for us to start comparing our kids and think that you did something wrong because a younger child is doing something that your older child hasn't even shown an interest in. We all know that every kid is different and they do things at different stages, but I think it's easy to forget that most of the time it has nothing to do with us. As much as I'd like to share my magic tips for how we toilet trained Kale at 21 months, I really don't have much to offer. It just kinda happened. Just like one day he's going to sleep through the night. Preferably before I'm 40. 


Here's what we did. It might work for you, it might not. 


We started early. We bought Kale a little toilet (sorry, I just can't bring myself to say potty) around 18 months. At first he showed zero interest in it and it just collected dust in our bathroom for a month or two. Then he would sit on it sporadically and randomly he would pee in it. We always made a big deal of it, cheering and clapping, but I really don't think he made the association until he was 20 months. We had ZERO intention of toilet training this early, but the new school he's starting in September requires him to be toilet trained and I was a little stressed about it. 


We got everyone on board. Kale's school is really supportive of moving kids to underwear as soon as they start showing an interest in using the toilet. His class all goes to the bathroom together and even the kids in diapers take a turn sitting on the toilet. His teachers started talking to us about toilet training when Kale was 18 or 19 months, which I thought was way too early. When we decided to take the plunge at 20 months, his teachers were really supportive. They happily bundled up his laundry after accidents, showed immense patience and encouragement, and would take Kale to the toilet every 30 minutes or so to try. In the afternoon's, Kale is with Kris's mom who was totally happy to help us make the transition. She hung out with a naked kid for two weeks straight. 


Books. I pretty much bought every kids book about toilet training that I could find. Kale picks up a lot from books and reading stories about "Pete's Potty" and "Diapers are Not Forever" really seemed to help him grasp the concept.


We didn't stress. We basically decided one weekend when we had nothing planned that we would let Kale be naked for the entire weekend and see how he did. If he didn't show interest in using the toilet, we'd abandon training and wait a few more months. We were both totally shocked when Kale only had one accident on the first day and by day two he was taking himself to the toilet. 


We didn't use rewards. In general, we try to stay away from rewards and punishments to try and get Kale to do things we want him to do (you got it - I'm an Alfie Kohn fan). So there were no m&m's, no reward charts, and no stickers (well, there were stickers, but not as a reward - but as a way for Kale to decorate to his new toilet). We did cheer and clap and make a big deal when he peed in the toilet, but there were no physical rewards. I think this worked because of the age Kale is and because it's consistent with how we parent. If he was 5 and not toilet trained, you better believe I'd be bribing. 


We didn't turn back. After that first good weekend, we put away all the diapers and put Kale straight into underwear. No pull ups or training pants - just undies. The first week was tough - we did A LOT of laundry.  In fact, we probably spent more doing laundry every day than what we were saving on diapers. Nevertheless, we stuck with it and by week two our laundry was decreasing and by week three we were back to the regular amount. 




It's been about a month since we started and Kale is doing really well. He has the odd accident, but we don't make a big deal out of it. He normally says "uh oh - KK pee. Pants wet. Pee in toilet." We simply change him and remind him that the next time he should try to pee in the toilet. He never has poop accidents - I think because it's easier to feel when he has to poop than when he has to pee. Sometimes we wonder if we're trained better than he is, because we consistently ask him if he has to pee and if it's been an hour or so since the last time, we'll encourage him to try. To me it doesn't matter who is trained at this point - he's still really young. 


Kris and I are probably more amazed than anyone that toilet training was so easy for Kale and that it happened so early. We realize that there will likely be set backs and regressions, but we're proud of our little guy. We really can't take any credit - it was all him. 

22 months.

Today Kale turned 22 months! Kris went to a soccer game with his parents and brother tonight and so Kale and I got to celebrate with a special date for just the two of us. We celebrated by eating this: 

What Kale loves: 

• Being independent. Kale has definitely hit the stage where he wants to do everything himself. We've always encouraged him to do things we know he can do, but have been surprised at just how independent he is. For the most part, it's awesome. When he wants more juice, he goes to the fridge, takes out his juice, pours it into a cup (sometimes with a little extra help) and puts the juice back in the fridge. Other times it's scary. Like how he waits until I'm in the shower before he climbs up on the toilet like a monkey to have a poop. When I poke my head out to see if he wants help, it's all "no! mama shower! KK poop!" And sometimes it's just painful. Like when I have to sit and watch him try and do his coat zipper up for 15 minutes in the morning before he decides "help please?"
• Colouring. This is Kale's absolute favourite thing to do these days. I have drawn more pictures of balloons and snowmen (my specialties) than I ever thought I would in a lifetime. He also asks me to draw pictures of his classmate Isla and pictures of the cat. These are not my specialties, but I suppose I've improved with practice. Lots and lots of practice. 

 What Kale hates: 

• Washing his hair. When we ask Kale if he wants to take a bath, he's hesitant. He stops what he's doing, gives us a serious look, puts his hands on his head and says "no hair?" If we say "no hair" then he runs for the tub. If we say "it's been two weeks dude - you need to wash that mop" he runs to hide. 
• Listening. When Kale doesn't want to listen, he slips into a different world and nothing we say or do can get his attention. I was hoping this was a special trick he reserved for home, but when I picked him up at school the other day his daily note from his teachers said that "Kale had to be reminded to use his listening ears." Trouble.
• Staying still. I mean, what toddler enjoys staying still, right? But it's become a bit of an issue at dinnertime. He refuses to sit in his chair for more than 2 minutes and spends the rest of the meal trying to climb up on the table. He's a complete animal (without any listening ears).  

Things to celebrate/big events/milestones: 

• Toilet training. Kale has been in underwear for over a month now, so I guess it's safe to say that he's toilet trained. He has the odd accident (maybe one every few days), but I'd rather change a pair of wet undies than a dirty diaper. Also, Kale never has a poop accident. In fact, I could put pooping on the toilet on the list of things he loves. 
• Happy Birthday Party. We were super lucky this month and got to help our little friend Bresho celebrate his third birthday. Kale spent most of the time consuming cheese sandwiches and chasing balloons with his new buddy Seba. Kale LOVED the birthday candles and for days after would say "Happy Birthday! Cake! Candles hot! Look eyes!"

 According to Kale: 

• KK. This is what Kale calls himself these days. 
• Bless you. It's funny when he says something we know he's learned at school. Kris and I never say 'bless you,' but the other day I sneezed at that's exactly what Kale told me. 
• Help please & thank you. Mr. manners. 
• Look eyes. Again, he's picked this up at school. When we tell Kale not to touch something or to be careful, he turns all serious, points to his eyes and says "KK look eyes." 
• Seepy song? Shhhhh... Kale asks me to sing the "seepy song" every night and then three verses in he gives me a harsh "shhhhh" complete with finger pressed against his lips. "No seepy song, mama. No singing." 
• Nana home. Cook OJ. Every afternoon when Kale's nana leaves, he tells her to to go home and cook for OJ (his grandfather). Before we go to bed we talk about his day and he always remembers that "Nana home. Cook OJ."

 Some of my favourite pictures from the past month: