Montessori Monday: Working with Magnets

Activity: magnetic/non-magnetic

Age: 26 months

Materials: two bowls, large magnet, various items - some magnetic, some not 

Part 1: Presentation

This was the first time that Kale has ever worked with magnets, but he didn't need much of an explanation. He quickly figured out that some of the items stuck and others didn't. I explained that we were going to take each item out of the bowl and put all that things that weren't magnets in the other bowl. 

Part 2: Recognition of Contrasts

Kale really enjoyed trying to stick each item to the large magnet. He'd laugh when something didn't stick and say, "that not a magnet, that a bead!" Then when something stuck, he'd exclaim "that a magnet!" So cute to watch him discover this. 

Part 3: Discrimination Between Similar Objects

It's pretty common for us to lose Kale's attention before we get to this part. There were some smaller magnets and paper clips and I encouraged Kale to sort them, but Kale was too busy sticking as many magnets as possible to the large magnet. I'm sure as he gets older it'll be easier to complete this step of the three-part lesson.

After working through the magnetic/non-magnetic activity, we tried a few other magnet activities. First was a magnetic rocket ship that Kale could pull apart and re-build. He loved this and it was so awesome to see how quickly he could put it back together after three or four tries. 

I also found this cute travel magnet game, that will be perfect for road trips one day. There is a little colour wheel you spin and then you have to find all the magnets that are the colour it lands on. Kale liked spinning the wheel, but enjoyed putting as many magnets as possible on his white board even more. 

Wanna Swap?

Don't actually click this circle. Click the circle that looks like this in my sidebar. 

As I'm sure my long-time followers have noticed, I've slowly been working on updating my blog design. I know I'm close to finished because I recently started dreaming about a black and white blog design. That's normally how it goes - I finish one design and then I'm ready for another. I'm going to put my dreams for B&W on the back burner though, and try and stick this design out for awhile. 


One of the last things I need to do is add some buttons from my favourite blogs! This is pretty tedious because I'm a little bit of a fanatic about having them all the same width and not all the "grab and go" button codes you have on your site are the width I need.


So - I decided to try out the service offered by Passionfruit and offer up some various size spots on my sidebar. Just click the "Wanna Swap Buttons?" circle on the bottom left of my sidebar and it will take you to the appropriate page. Make sure you use the code: HarvestingKale so that it's FREE and then email me (randalin@gmail.com) to let me know what size button you would like for your site!

Toddler Lunches: Week 3

We're at the half way point of Kale's summer camp, which means I only have three more weeks of lunches to do. As much as I love how cute the final product is and love talking with Kale about what he enjoyed, I will be happy to hand over the responsibility to the caterer's once school starts in September! 

Kale is not a picky eater and he has a very healthy appetite, so even though the Lunch Bots are mostly empty when I pick him up, I'm starting to be able to pick out his favourites because every last crumb is missing. He's definitely a meat-lover and seems to always do a good job on the deli-meats, chicken breast slices, and meatballs. He's also big on cheese and fruit. We normally have pasta for dinner once a week and I'll put some leftovers in for him, which also get gobbled up pretty quickly. 

The one thing I noticed Kale not eating much of were the crackers - which is weird because I know he loves them. One day I realized that the crackers were getting a bit soggy because they were absorbing the moisture from the other items in the container. Ideally, we'd have a separate Lunch Bot for these, but considering I only have three weeks to go and they're not exactly cheap, I'll save my pennies and put the crackers in a zip lock bag. 

What are your kids favourites? I've got three more weeks to go, so keep your suggestions coming! 

Biking with a Toddler

One of our favourite things to do as a family is go for bike rides. We've been biking with Kale since he turned a year old and he absolutely loves it. Unfortunately it's been really, really hot this summer and since Kris rides his bike to and from work (that's 12km - or 7.5 miles - every  day), he's not always up for clocking additional miles in the evening. The other night felt perfect for a ride and so we headed out, only to get caught in the rain! Here's a couple quick pics Kris snapped of us:

If you know me at all, you know I googled "biking with a toddler" about 800 times before strapping Kale in and taking the first few pedals. So here are my hot tips about cycling with a littler person and a few things you might want to consider. 

Age. There are a lot of different opinions on when you can start biking with your child (just read the comments in this article!). However, it seems like the general consensus supports waiting until your little one is at least one year old (which is when we started riding with Kale). 

Helmets. You need a bike helmet - not a hockey helmet or a ski helmet - a bike helmet. This is because each type of helmet is made to protect your head from the impacts common to a particular activity or sport. It's best to go to a professional and make sure the helmet is a good fit. Then you can do the "eyes, ears, mouth" check at home before you head out to make sure it's on properly. 

Trailer vs. Mounted Seat. I researched this a lot but ultimately found that there isn't much research that suggests one is overwhelming more safe than the other. In fact, for every article that says a trailer is more safe, there is one to say that a mounted seat is better. This is a good article that talks about the safety (or lack thereof) of both. 

The main advantages of a trailer are that it's low to the ground and so if there is a crash, baby doesn't have far to fall. They are also on an axel so if your bike tips, the trailer shouldn't. However, if you're doing a lot of road riding, you'll notice that they're slightly bigger than some bike lanes, which makes me nervous. 

Kris uses the trailer with Kale, but I'm more comfortable with him in a rear-mounted seat on my bike. It can be tricky getting on and off with the added weight to the back, so I usually get Kris to spot us when he's there or prop the bike agains a wall for added support. 

Kale definitely preferred the trailer during our first summer of biking (he was about 12 months to 17 months), but this summer (he's 26 months now) he will also bike the mounted seat if given the choice. 

Front-Mounted vs. Rear-Mounted. I don't have any experience with front-mounted seats, but think this article might be helpful for those trying to make the decision. 

Safety. Besides a helmet and a spoke shield for mounted-seats, the best thing you can to prepare yourself for riding with your toddler is to know the rules and ride responsibly. Make sure you're comfortable doing things like shoulder checks and signalling before taking your bike on the road. If you're going to ride in traffic, make sure you understand things like taking a lane and making turns. 

Like I mentioned above, the bike trailer doesn't always fit in every bike lane and so the rear-mounted seat is preferable for biking on the road. In Ontario, the Highway Traffic Act defines a bike as a vehicle that belongs on the road (most city's have bylaws that allow children's bikes to ride on sidewalks). We are lucky to live in a bicycle-friendly City and so most major roads have bike lanes and traffic does a reasonably good job of sharing the road. I'm not sure how I'd feel about cycling in a larger city with high traffic with Kale on the back. I suppose you just have to stick with what you're comfortable with. 

Do you like to cycle with your toddler? Have any tips to share? 

Currently {link up}

The lowdown: Use our themes, use your own - just tell us what you're "currently" up to! This week our themes are: enjoying, learning, inspired by, becoming, and indulging in.


Please remember to add your link below so we can find you, and copy and paste the button code in your post so others can find us and link up too! Also, be sure to visit the other participants and say hello - especially my lovely co-host Wendy at This Amazing Day!


Kale is currently ....


Enjoying camp. Or at least that's what his teachers tell me. I find it difficult to tell since he's screaming and crying so hard when I drop him off. I do wait on the other side of the fence to see how long it takes him to settle, which is normally before I have the latch closed. I'm hoping by high school that the transition from home to school gets easier.


Learning to iron granola. It's a skill he's working on. The other morning I got out of the shower and heard something spill. I figured what's done was done and finished getting dressed. That was a mistake. Not only did he dump an entire bag of granola, but he proceeded to iron it (I gave him my old iron with the cord cut off).


Inspired by music. Kale has been throwing down some pretty rad dance moves lately.


Becoming quite the little gentleman. His teachers told me that earlier this week he had a kleenex in his pocket and when one of his friends started to cry, he took out his kleenex and wiped her tears.


Indulging in one last pre-bed ice cream. It's been so hot lately that ice cream after dinner has become a pretty regular thing around here. The problem is that it's way too close to bedtime and he's next to impossible to get to settle on a sugar high. So after a particularly sugar-induced crazy night on Monday, we decided our love affair with the evening ice cream has to come to an end.




Randalin is currently....


Enjoying the cooler temperatures. We've had a much needed break in the heat, which is allowing us to actually enjoy the summer evenings outside. We even made it out for a family bike ride tonight without having to worry about completely melting.


Learning to live with a five foot high cardboard house in my dining room. I really only have myself to blame for this one.


Inspired by one of my favourite bloggy friend Liv, from Soul Singin' Liv. After almost losing her husband in a terrible accident, Liv, her husband, and her girls are back together and figuring out their new life with an incredible amount of courage, optimism, and strength. I am so, so proud of her.


Becoming more than a little stressed about the next few weeks. I have two weeks off at the end of August, but that doesn't mean I have any less work. I just have to get a months worth of work done in the first two weeks. Not to mention the fact that we have no idea what we're doing for our vacation. Or where Kale is going to school in September. No big deal, right?


Indulging in a new iron! I know, totally pathetic right? Since when did a new iron become an indulgent in my life?




Next weeks themes: listening, daydreaming, wanting, looking, and writing.

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so, what do you do?

I've really been looking forward to joining this "Toddle Along Tuesday" link-up about occupations or dream jobs hosted by Growing Up Geeky , because I'm always interested in learning about what other people do for a living. That is until I sat down to write my own post. Answering this question is hard for me. I always tick off the "other" box on surveys or forms that ask my occupation. When pushed for an answer I usually say "I work in research and planning" - but with such a degree of uncertainty that I can tell the person asking is assuming I made it up on the spot. On my actual business card I have two titles - Social Planning Associate, and Coordinator, (project name - I'm leaving the specifics out). Unfortunately, those titles don't translate well. In fact, if I say I work in social planning, 90% of people assume I plan parties (I wish).

So, what do I do?

Our community has a poverty elimination initiative. Different sectors of the community, such as education, health, business, government, etc., work collaboratively to engage community members and to advocate for long-term strategies that address the root causes of poverty. At the core, there are 30 members, but the initiative links with various other groups that focus on specific issues (i.e. food, housing, income, etc.). Each of these groups has anywhere from 5-200 people they work with. The groups each have their own projects - whether it be starting community gardens or advocating for more affordable housing stock. In addition, the poverty elimination initiative is heavily invested in research and policy. There are four interns from the University that work directly with the poverty initiative and the group works closely with lobbyists, councillors, Members of Provincial Parliament and Members of Parliament to advocate for and influence policy at all levels of government.

Are you asleep yet?

I know, I still haven't answered the question.

Basically, my job is to coordinate it all.

But, what does that mean? Well, it pretty much means something different every day and that's why it's really difficult to just tick a single occupation box on a survey. Instead, I try to cram in a short novel beside "other."

Do I like my job? Well, yeah, I actually kind of love it. There are things that I struggle with - politics (internal and external), lack of instant gratification (Oh! Poverty was eliminated today! Yay! <-- still waiting for this day), and some of the issues that come from working for a collaborative and not necessarily reporting to one person. However, the good outweighs the bad by a landslide. I do a job that makes a difference in my community. It's exciting and it's challenging and it's always changing. I like that.

Is it my dream job?

Kind of.

Do I want to do it forever?

Probably not.

Do I want to go back to school for four more years and throw away my Master's in Sociology and International Development for something completely unrelated?

Maybe someday.

So. Tell me. What do you do?

Toddler Lunches: Week 2

With the first week under my belt, I was feeling a bit more confident about putting together a decent morning snack and lunch for Kale. I did some research (i.e. spending way too much time drooling over all the amazing bento-dedicated websites and blogs out there), and decided to try adding a couple new things (like an english muffin with goat cheese and strawberries). It's hard to say whether the new additions were a success or not because not eating something isn't exactly an indication of not liking it when it comes to Kale. One day he won't touch it and then next he's all over it. The good part is, whatever he doesn't eat comes home with us and either: (1) I eat the leftovers on the drive home, or (2) I put it in the fridge and use it for a snack after his nap. 

The favourites this week were definitely the pinwheels with turkey, hummus and spinach wrapped in a tortilla, and the chocolate chips I added to his pretzels and goldfish (we use these yummy chocolate chips from Enjoy Life which are made in a dedicated nut-free facility, since one of the kids in his class has a severe nut allergy). 

What's your kids favourite snack or lunch item? I'd love any idea's! 

Dear Sunday (on a Friday)

Dear Sunday - 

Our relationship has changed quite a bit over my lifetime. 

As a kid, Sunday was all about cartoons in the morning and big family dinners in the evening. Days were spent with my nose in a book or navigating the neighbourhood streets on my bike, streamers blowing in the wind. 

In my teens and early 20s, Sunday was about recovering from and gossiping about what happened the night before. The mornings were spent picking up the pieces and trying to remember where I parked my car. The afternoon was for sleeping away. 

As I grew a little older, Sunday was about eating breakfast in a greasy spoon diner or brunch on the sidewalk patio outside a bistro. Family dinners made a reappearance and the evenings were spent catching up on work and preparing for the week ahead. 

And then came Kale and our Sunday's changed again. 

Now Sunday's are for family. 

For waking up early, but getting out of bed late. 

For eating breakfast and going to the park while the streets are still empty.

For swing rides and bike rides and wagon rides. 

For running and exploring and stopping to take it all in.  

There is no school on Sunday. No office to get to. 

There are no schedules. No routines. 

There is just us. 

Hope you have a great Sunday this weekend. 

Currently {link-up}

The lowdown: Use our themes, use your themes - just tell us what you're "currently" up to! This week our themes are: cooking, making, working on, reading, and listening to. 

Please remember to add your link to the bottom so we can find you, and copy and paste the button code into your post so others can find us and link up to! Also, be sure to visit the other participants and say hello - especially my lovely co-host Wendy at This Amazing Day.

Cooking in my oven. Or so he wishes. Tonight he told me, "Kale cook in mama's oven and mama cook in my oven. I need the mittens - it's hot!" This kid cracks me up. 

Making bracelets. Kale has been absolutely loving putting beads on pipe cleaners and making everyone bracelets. This is awesome for several reasons - (1) it's a great activity for fine-motor skills, (2) it distracts him long enough that I have a solo shower in the morning, and (3) I get to wear awesome jewels to work everyday. Por ejemplo: 

Working on sharpening all the pencil crayons. Apparently this is Kale's favourite new activity at camp and the other day he spent a full hour making sure they were all nice and sharp. 

Reading The Very Cranky Bear. We read this twice before bed tonight. I'm really enjoying the fact that Kale can make it through a longer story now and we're past the days of board books with only one word per page and absolutely no story line. 

Listening to "a hong." When we get in the car, Kale asks to hear a "hong." He's all "put a hong on, mama. I need a hong." This is toddler talk for "I am so over the CBC radio - I cannot deal with hearing another thing about Toronto politics - we don't even LIVE in Toronto!" 

Cooking in the heat. It's the worst, right? We are in the midst of another heat wave and when I walk into my non-air conditioned home after work, the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven. Unfortunately, I can't predict the weather (can anyone do this?), and I'm a hardcore meal planner and so some nights (like tonight) I find myself sweating over the stove. 

Making a Food Access Guide for my community. I try not to bore you folks with my work life, but this was one of those projects that just didn't seem to end. I couldn't have been happier to load it on our website this week and call it DUN-ZO (a la Kristin Cavallari - you watched Laguna Beach, right). In case you're dying for a peek at the finished product, you can check it out here: http://gwpoverty.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/2012-Food-Access-Guide.pdf (just don't look at the rest of our website - it's in dire need of a makeover and I'm actually embarrassed to send people to it!). 

Working on making some new blog friends! I've had a small surge in followers this week and have loved checking out everyone's blogs. If you're new here, please leave your blog address so I can come say hello!

Reading The Midwife of Venice. It's the first book I've picked up in a long time and I'm lucky to get a page a day in (or every three days for that matter), but it's nice to get my nose back in a book. I used to hate stories that happened before, say 1970, but Downton Abbey helped me see the light and I have a whole new appreciation for the period-piece. 

Listening to my gut. Or at least trying to. Last week I started having some serious second thoughts about sending Kale to the new school we have him registered for in September. I decided to visit another Montessori school (I know - we're a small city and have three Montessori schools - lucky!). I loved most of it - but there were things I didn't like either. If I made a pro's and con's list for each school, it would probably be perfectly balanced for each. So I'm trying to listen to my gut and make a decision SOON. I am, however, the biggest over-analyzer EVER and so going with my instinct rarely comes naturally for me. Wish me luck on this one. 

Next weeks themes: Enjoying, Learning, Inspired by, Becoming, and Indulging in. 

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Thanks so much for those who have been voting!

Wordless Wednesday

We recently took Kale to the car wash where we discovered, (a) there was an insane amount of goldfish crumbs under his car seat (INSANE), and (b) this kids love of cleaning definitely extends to cars. 

Me, Myself...& Us.

When I heard about this "Me, Myself & I" link-up, I totally wanted to join. Despite how lame my 'about us' page looks, I probably sent the better part of a day stringing those sentences together. Why is it so hard to describe yourself?!

Anyway, this link up was put together to get to know other bloggers better. However, I have a hard time stealing the spotlight on this blog - considering it's called Harvesting Kale (my 2 year son for those of you who are new here). So I decided to the answer the five provided questions from both our perspectives. Then Kris told me he wanted in on the action. I drew the line at the cat.


What's your biggest phobia? 

Randalin. Birds. Wikipedia (the knower of all the things) defines "ornithophobia" as  an abnormal and irrational fear of birds. I've never had a negative encounter with a bird to cause this, but anything from a budgie to a vulture causes me to freak right out. Hummingbirds are the worst. THE WORST.
Kris. Anything in my urethra.
Kale. Thunder. Poor thing runs and hides when we even mention the word. When he hears it, he covers his mouth and tries to find a place to hide. This is not that different from my family sheltie that hid in the cupboard of our houseboat for three days after a thunderstorm when I was eight.

If you could relive any day of your life, what would it be? 


Randalin. The day Kale was born. I know, who wants to intentionally relive labour, right? Except despite the part where a 7lb. baby came out of my vagina, the day was pretty perfect. I mean, I got to meet my son for the first time. Wild, right?
Kris. I feel like a dirt bag not saying the day Kale was born, but back when I was 20 i got ahold of the DVD copy of Band of Brothers. I laid down on the couch, put the first episode in, and then watched the entire series. I took one break, to watch Donnie Darko and then finished the series. I seriously lay on my back watching TV for 14+ hours. It was the first AND last time, and all things considered, it was awesome.
Kale. The first day he ate ice cream. Best.Day.Ever.


If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what would it be?


Randalin. This is hard for me. I just finished watching GIRLS on HBO and it's made me really miss my early 20s. I don't know that I saw the humour in it all at the time, so it would be nice to go back and just be able to laugh at all. The hard part is, if I were in my 20s I wouldn't have Kale and I can't imagine what that would be like. I'm also one of those weird people that looks forward to getting older and I'm guessing that 34 is going to be kind of awesome. So - ask me again in a few years.
Kris. 6. Laundry service, Chauffeur, meal service, cleaning service, cartoons, bike rides and general shenanigans. Yes please!
Kale. As much as being two can be really, really hard, I'm pretty sure that Kale is having the time of his life these days. I doubt he'd want to go back to the days when he couldn't walk or when he pooped in a diaper or wasn't allowed to eat goldfish crackers.


Which celebrity do you get mistaken for? 


Randalin. I don' think I've ever been mistaken for a celebrity. My friend Emily from Hope-Squared once told me I look like Ginnifer Godwin and that pretty much made my life.
Kris. Channing Tatum (a la Magic Mike). For real. I was walking down the street and this girl was like "OMG! Its Channing Tatum." It must have been the angle.
Kale. Dakota Fanning. Haley Joel Osment. Jonathan Taylor Thomas.


What songs are included on the soundtrack to your life? 


Randalin. Hangin' Tough (New Kids on the Block), When I Come Around (Green Day), God Called in Sick Today (AFI), Triumph and Tragedy (Grade), Can We Start Again (Bane), I Don't Blame You (Cat Power), CBC radio.
Kris. Derek (Guttermouth) That Song (Big Wreck) Prime time of your life (Daft Punk) Get Faster, Cry for Happy (An Albatross) Montreal Dreams (Felix Cartal)
Kale. Baby Beluga (Raffi), Yo Gabba Gabba


Are you linking up? Let me know so I can go and stalk your pages :) I'd love to learn more about you all!





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Montessori Monday: Care of the Person

Last week I mentioned that I would be focusing my next few Montessori Monday posts on the three main practical life categories: (1) care of the environment, (2) care of the person, and (3) grace and courtesy. You can go back and read last week's post for more details, or visit the Michael Olaff site to learn more.

Activity: care of the person (dressing, brushing teeth, etc.) - practical life activity.
Age: 26 months.
Materials: soap, water, toothbrush, toothpaste, dressing basket

I don't think we're alone in saying that we have a toddler that doesn't enjoy getting ready for bed. Kale tends to get a burst of the crazies around 7pm - which is right around the time we'd ideally like him to get ready for bed. We've had to re-adjust our ideal though and let him ride out that wave of energy - otherwise Kris and I end up exhausted and frustrated with a naked toddler running laps around his bedroom.

Of course, sticking to a routine is very helpful and we've had the same night time routine since he was a newborn. We've also found it useful to incorporate some Montessori thinking and let Kale do as much as he can for himself.

Kale washes himself and his hair (while sneaking in a few scrubs of our own) and we encourage him to name the body parts he's washing along the way:

We've started using the dressing basket more at night. Sometimes he helps pack it too - pulling open his drawers to pick out his pj's before placing them in the basket. I find that the basket encourages Kale to start thinking about putting his pj's on earlier and to take the initiative to get dressed when he's ready. Otherwise it's a struggle of pulling resistant arms and wiggly legs through.

Kale is a champion toothbrusher - or so he thinks. We're lucky if he lets us load up the brush and get a quick brush in before he takes over to do his own version of brushing (which basically involves sucking all the toothpaste off and announcing he's done).

 

Having Kale help out definitely makes the night time routine go a bit more smoothly! However, I'm not sure he's going to win any awards for being the cleanest kid on the block...or town...or country....




       

Toddler Lunches: Week 1

During the school year, Kale's morning snack and lunch is provided by his school. When his school increased prices half way through the year, one of the options they considered to keep prices down was to finish before lunch (it's a half day program). This was soooo not an option for us, because I was terrified of having to make a school lunch and figured I still had another few years to prepare. That is until his summer camp program informed me that I had to pack a snack and lunch to send with him.

I don't know what scares me so much about the school lunch. It might have something to do with how terrible Kris and I are about lunch. Kris eats a sandwich, granola bar and apple every.single.day. I, on the other hand, have a lunch strategy: first, have leftovers. If there are no leftovers (which is pretty much every day), schedule a lunch meeting at work. If that doesn't work, don't eat lunch. Unfortunately, the strategy usually results in the latter.

I think my own childhood memories of bologna sandwiches and tomato soup in a thermos also scare me. It's not entirely my mom's fault - it's hard to make a healthy and tasty lunch! It it were easy, I wouldn't need a lunch strategy!!

When I asked the ladies at work for ideas they said "oh dear, just pack him a peanut butter sandwich." And when I informed that his school was nut-free, their faces went from quizzical to blank and then someone uttered, "maybe bologna and tomato soup, then."

With a little bit of help from google and pinterest, I managed to pull together a snack and lunch menu for the week. Obviously I had to take pictures of every meal and post them to Instagram too. I mean, they were kind of works of art. In my eyes anyway. I think they're actually pretty standard lunches - but now with a week under my belt, I'm prepared to step up my game a little.

I'll keep posting a menu recap every week until the end of the summer. If I stop earlier, it's probably because I've started feeding him tomato soup and bologna sandwiches.

Do you dread packing lunches as much as I do? Do you have any good lunch ideas to share?? 

We'd really like to get back on page 1! Please click the banner above to vote for us, and then click the owl on the left. Thank you! 

2 years of attachment parenting: principle 3 {respond with sensitivity}

As a way to reflect on our parenting over the past two years, I’ve decided to write a series of posts based on Attachment Parenting International’s 8Principles of Attachment Parenting. I did something similar last year when Kale turned one, except I used Dr.Sears’ 7 Baby B’s. You can read those posts, as well as earlier ones from this series by clicking the 'attachment parenting' tab on the sidebar. 

If you’re new to attachment parenting, I strongly recommend reading this quick introduction by API. Here is a quote from this introduction that I love and wanted to share:

“Attachment Parenting is not a one-size-fits-all recipe for raising children, therefore API recommends parents use their own judgment and intuition to create a parenting style that fosters attachment and works for their family. Some practices listed in The Eight Principles are inherently more attachment-promoting than others. The most ideal practices are listed first. Many API support groups start each meeting by saying "Take what works for your family and leave the rest." This sentiment also applies to The Eight Principles.”

It's hard for me to write this post and keep focused on the year when Kale was between one and two and not what's currently going on in our lives. We're dealing with some tough transition/separation anxiety issues and struggling to figure out how we can respond with sensitivity, but also provide consistency and remain firm. I'll blog about this more at another time, but for now I want to try and push that to the side and reflect on the past year. 


Constant physical contact 
Sometime around the end of last summer, Kale stopped wanting to be worn. He actually started to resist being worn by me much earlier - probably around 12 months - when he really started walking. Kris continued to walk him to sleep in the sling most nights, until he was about 15 months. We were warned by many that once Kale started walking, he wouldn't want to be close to us as much. That he'd want to be exploring and showing his independence. So it was with a heavy heart that we packed our carriers and slings away. However, Kale continued to want to a lot of physical contact. He absolutely loves to explore and be independent, but he also loves to cuddle, and be carried, and to hold our hands. He likes to sleep with his head on our shoulder, tucked in under our wing. A lot of people have seen this and remarked that they wish their kids still liked to cuddle or nap in their arms. I totally think that wearing Kale for the first year and bedsharing with us has resulted in a two year old that still loves being close to his parents. 


Respond to tantrums and strong emotions
Kris and I do our best to respond to Kale's emotions with sensitivity. It's not always easy. Actually, it's almost never easy - but we try our best. As a result, we haven't seen a lot of tantrums from Kale. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen a full-on tantrum. We've seen some meltdowns and some fits, but nothing I'd call a tantrum. When Kale was around one year old, Kris and I made a commitment not say 'no', but to explain why he couldn't have or do something. That lasted for about two months, until we realized we were being naive. Expecting a one year old to understand even simple sentences to explain things, regardless of the empathy in our voices, was expecting too much. It's taken us some time to figure out how to respond to strong emotions - how and when to say 'no' and when to hug and hold and explain things, but we're getting there. Again, I feel like everything we did in the first year - babywearing, breastfeeding, bedhsaring, etc. - helped us build a strong connection to Kale that has kept us in tune with his needs as he grew into toddlerhood. 


Provide a safe environment 
In terms of a physical environment, we made some changes when Kale started walking to make sure it was safe for him. We actually got rid of a ton of furniture that had sharp corners or could fall over on him (I realize we could have made it safer, but we also wanted to open up space for him to run around). But more than the physical space, we have done our best to make sure Kale always feels safe. We don't push him into situations that he's uncomfortable with just to make someone else happy. We hold him when he's nervous and wants to be held. We say "that's ok" when he doesn't want to do something or talk to someone. At the same time, we encourage him to take risks, to move outside his comfort zone, to be independent. When Kale enters a new environment, we can see the wheels turning. He assess the situation, looks to us for reassurance, decides he feels safe, and jumps right in. Many advocates of attachment parenting saying that it promotes independence and I 100% agree with that and feel that as a toddler, we've seen truth to it. 

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