The things we say

I think most people, when they become parents, assume that their new role will involve teaching of many kinds. Children need guidance to develop into their best selves; they need positive role models they can learn from and caring, knowledgeable people who can explain to them the differences between good and bad, right and wrong. I willingly embraced this responsibility when the boys arrived in our world, but honestly, sometimes I cannot believe the things I hear myself saying to them, things that one would think are just common sense and really, shouldn't need saying at all.

Let's take a look at a few recently uttered favourites:

Don't sit on your brother. In a house full of available comfortable seating, why is it that the boys need to be told repeatedly that their brother's back/legs/head are not good choices for a parking location? You would think that after a couple of times of falling off of said brother (who reacts to being sat on like a bucking bronco), each boy would learn his lesson and choose somewhere else to sit, but no. "Don't sit on your brother" is still a very popular refrain around here.

Your fork is not a catapult/magic pen/conductor's baton (insert other bizarre uses for a fork here). The boys have been using forks for years (just not usually to eat). It would seem a simple association to learn: The fork is on the table with the food, therefore it should be used for consuming the food. My creative two would rather use forks to fling things (usually inadvertantly while devising big plans for things completely unrelated to food), to write secret messages in the air, or to gesticulate wildly while singing a favourite song. I'd give them a spoon instead, but I'm afraid to see what uses they'd come up with for that particular utensil!

Take off your wet socks. Never mind how the socks got wet in the first place when they were supposedly protected by rainboots all day (I don't want to know!), but if you came home with wet socks, wouldn't you want to take them off right away to rid yourself of the unpleasant sensation of damp, cold feet? Not my Will. He wanders around the house for hours with wet socks after school (leaving a nice trail of smudgy footprints all over the place) and then complains when it's time to put his pjs on that his feet are all wrinkled like raisins. This has happened several times in the past month. Pssst.... buddy, take off your wet socks next time.

The guinea pig does not want a ride on the ferris wheel you built out of K'Nex. I am not a pet psychologist, but I think it's perfectly clear that a large vegetable-loving rodent was never meant to sit in a carnival ride made out of plastic rods and gears. Call me crazy....

Leave your rocks outside. The last time I checked, nowhere in our house was there a sign that said, "Park your dirty rocks here." Yet somehow, rocks (and their counterparts, little piles of sand) keep finding their way indoors. There have been rocks in Will's backpack and pockets, rocks in his desk drawers and storage baskets, and several times, Noah has been caught emptying his sand-filled shoes onto the rug in the front hall when he takes them off. The thought, "I found this outside, therefore it should stay outside" doesn't ever seem to occur to them. So strange.

Telling your brother to run straight at you and tackle you so you can film a live action scene with your camera will likely not end well. Does this really require any further explanation? Apparently it does, because it has happened more than once. Good grief.

In my role as a mom, I find myself reiterating ridiculous sounding phrases over and over again, in the hopes that one day, common sense will prevail. When it's not frustrating, it's quite comical. Thankfully, I also have a recurring thought that keeps me sane. When I look at my two boys in less bizarre moments, Will with his gap-toothed mischeivous grin and his heart on his sleeve, and Noah with his confident smile and wise eyes, I find myself realizing again and again what incredible boys I have. I hope at least they're listening when I tell them over and over how much I love them.

A good sport

I have never been very good at sports. Put me in a pair of tap or jazz shoes and I've got grace, coordination, and strength, but whenever I encounter physical activity that involves balls flying at me, I either close my eyes, duck, or run away. It's pathetic, really, but I've come to accept my athletic limitations and have spent much of my life simply avoiding activities that involve balls flying at me.

This tactic stopped working so well once I became a mom to two boys who enjoy sports, and who are really happy when their parents play baseball, soccer and the like with them. It wasn't hard for me when the boys were little (I didn't think spongey softballs or soccer kicks by two year olds were very intimidating), but now that Noah and Will are older and already more skilled than I am in these things, I find myself once again running for cover whenever a ball is headed my way. The boys are too nice to say anything to me, but I'm sure it's become quite obvious to them that their mom is a bit of a dud in this department.

I'm happy to say, though, that I have found a set of sports equipment that we all enjoy playing with, made by ogosport. The equipment consists of two large, foam-edged disks with springy fabric centres and a soft Koosh ball (one that I don't feel I have to duck from!). It's a simple concept that provides us with many play possibilities and hours of active fun. We use the disks to bounce the ball back and forth to each other across the yard, or play solo by trying to see how high or how many times we can repeatedly bounce the ball in the air off the disk without it falling to the ground.





We also use the disks as frisbees, trying to see how many different ways we can toss and catch them. (Catching one actually looks and feels a lot like catching a pizza if you let the soft centre land on your hand or your head!)


The equipment can be used in as many ways as our imaginations can think of, and playing with it gets all of us running, jumping, throwing, catching, improving coordination, climbing (fences to retrieve the ball) and laughing.

I'm so glad to have discovered this ogosport game; it's allowed me to really have fun being active outside with Noah and Will, minus the worry of personal injury (to me, not the boys!) that traditional sports seem to carry with them. You can imagine how relieved I am now that I can leave baseball for Matt to play with our sons....

If ogosport looks like your kind of thing, I've seen this particular set, or a version of it with smaller disks, at places like Mastermind Toys, Chapters and Amazon. Believe me, if I can have fun with it, everybody can!

Hooray for spring and summer, and for the opportunities they provide for physical activity in the grass and the sunshine! What are your favourite ways to get active outdoors?

A fond holiday memory

Whenever I celebrate holidays with my lovely little family, my heart fondly recalls the many special times spent with my extended family when I was growing up. Sharing my old favourite traditions with my boys makes me feel close to the many wonderful relatives whose love helped me grow into who I am today, some of whom are no longer with us and whom I miss dearly.

Two nights ago, I had a dream about my mom's dad, my Grandpa Sweet, who passed away almost five years ago. In life, he was a kind, gentle, wonderful man with a warm smile and a giving heart, and in my dream, he had somehow called me on the phone and I had the good fortune of talking with him once again. I woke up feeling calm and happy, like he had really been with me somehow, and with my grandpa in my thoughts throughout the day, I remembered a favourite Easter story about him from when I was young.

My Grandpa Sweet often came to visit us on special days, and one Easter he showed up at our house carrying a large cardboard box. My young mind was racing with possibilities as I considered what could be inside it. I'm sure my mind wasn't the only thing racing, though; my mom's heart must have almost leapt out of her chest when she realized that the box had holes poked in it and my grandpa was handing her a head of lettuce to go with it. "You didn't!", she exclaimed several times in a shocked voice as she stared, wide-eyed at the box. My grandpa just smiled quietly and offered up the box for us to open. When we carefully lifted the flaps to take a peek, inside we found.... chocolate bunnies! It was a wonderful joke, one we all still laugh warmly about today, and one I think I'll always remember when Eastertime comes around.

Each holiday, as I look at the smiling faces of my two boys, I hope that they, too, feel loved and happy, that they'll grow up with hearts full of joyful memories and realize the importance of family in their lives. I sure know how much all my family means to me and how very blessed I am (and have always been) to have them.

Easter sundae

Long holiday weekends are glorious things, especially when the weather cooperates and the days are sunny and warm like it is outside here today. With three or four days off together as a family, it always seems that we have enough time for lots of fun as well as for getting some things accomplished around home. Matt, the boys and I enjoyed a wonderful day yesterday visiting and sharing a couple of meals with my aunt Christina, her husband James, and their two sweet little girls. The kids had a great time playing together all afternoon and searching for the multi-coloured eggs I had hidden for them, while the adults had a chance to talk and catch up on what's new in all of our lives. I'm always so thankful for opportunities to share holiday time with family; it's really what makes the occasion special for all of us.

Today Matt and the boys and I have been colouring eggs, playing outside, and getting some foods ready in advance of our Easter celebrations tomorrow. I'd been debating what to make for dessert all week, but seeing as how it will just be the four of us for dinner, I ended up deciding to keep it very simple. We'll be enjoying this little treat once we've had our fill of glazed ham, sweet potato casserole, and roasted veggies: Easter sundaes for Easter Sunday!


Our sundaes will be made using Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss (for Will and I -- it's a dairy- and gluten-free, relatively healthy and completely delicious frozen treat made from coconut milk), and real ice cream (for Noah and Matt). I'm going to offer a word of caution to those of you who might also enjoy ice cream sundaes: if the container of the frosty stuff you buy at the grocery store is labelled as a "frozen dessert" rather than "ice cream", then it's not ice cream. Sadly, many of the offerings in the "ice cream" section now fall under this category; they are made from edible oil products and modified milk ingredients mixed with sugar rather than actual milk or cream. (Read here for an enlightening look at what you're getting when you purchase "frozen desserts" instead of "ice cream".)

I'll complete each of our sundaes with some spring coloured sprinkles (I use gluten-free, naturally coloured ones) and a cute little chocolate bunny. I made the bunnies myself today using Easter candy molds and a bar of fairly traded dark chocolate (72% cocoa). To make your own bunnies, simply chop and then melt chocolate in a saucepan over very low heat, stirring often. Once the chocolate is melted, pour it into molds. Lightly tap the molds on a flat surface to get rid of any air bubbles. Refrigerate molds until chocolates are firm (about 20 minutes). To release chocolates, turn molds over onto a flat surface and gently tap them. These antioxidant-rich dark chocolate bunnies are lower in sugar and better for you than many of the chocolate bunnies you'll find in stores this time of year!


Noah and Will are really looking forward to enjoying these sundaes tomorrow evening. Tonight, they will be dreaming sweet dreams while the real Easter Bunny pays a visit to our house. Here's hoping your Easter "Sunday" is just as delightful as an ice cream one!

Easter eggs, naturally

When I was a child, colouring Easter eggs with my family was always one of the highlights of the holiday weekend. My mom and dad, my two brothers and I would sit around the covered dining room table, surrounded by cups full of dye, crayons and markers, tiny bottles of food colouring and Q-tips, stickers and egg cups, and we would all work our creative magic, transforming ordinary white eggs into colourful little pieces of art. It was always a great hour or two of family fun, and afterwards, I know I really enjoyed eating our special eggs for breakfast on Easter morning.

The egg colouring tradition is one I still love, now that I have my own two boys, and over the years we've experimented with many dyeing methods, all of which have involved some kind of artificial food colouring. Curious this year as to whether I could avoid the semi-permanent smurf-blue fingers and the chemicals that come with such dyes, I started investigating whether there was a good way to colour Easter eggs naturally. Happily, I discovered the internet is full of suggestions for ways to make your own dyes using readily available fruits, vegetables, and spices.

Feeling excited and intrigued by my findings, I started experimenting like a mad kitchen scientist with some of the ingredients suggested in the chart below (courtesy of About.com,Chemistry):

Natural Easter Egg Dyes

Lavender
Small Quantity of Purple Grape Juice
Violet Blossoms plus 2 tsp Lemon Juice
Red Zinger Tea

Violet Blue
Violet Blossoms
Small Quantity of Red Onions Skins (boiled)
Hibiscus Tea
Red Wine

Blue
Canned Blueberries
Red Cabbage Leaves (boiled)
Purple Grape Juice

Green
Spinach Leaves (boiled)
Liquid Chlorophyll

Greenish Yellow
Yellow Delicious Apple Peels (boiled)

Yellow
Orange or Lemon Peels (boiled)
Carrot Tops (boiled)
Celery Seed (boiled)
Ground Cumin (boiled)
Ground Turmeric (boiled)
Chamomile Tea
Green Tea

Brown
Strong Coffee
Instant Coffee
Black Walnut Shells (boiled)
Black Tea

Orange
Yellow Onion Skins (boiled)
Cooked Carrots
Chili Powder
Paprika

Pink
Beets
Cranberries or Juice
Raspberries
Red Grape Juice
Juice from Pickled Beets

Red
Lots of Red Onions Skins (boiled)
Canned Cherries with Juice
Pomegranate Juice
Raspberries

You would laugh if I told you how many pots of boiling vegetables I've had going on the stove over the past 48 hours, trying to determine which food ingredients would result in the nicest egg colours, but it was actually a lot of fun! (I guess the boys and I are similar in that when we're curious about something, we throw ourselves whole-heartedly into a project!) The boys also thought this was a great chemistry lesson, and frequently came to check on the progress of the experimental eggs as they steeped away in their little mugs in the fridge.


If you are interested in colouring eggs the natural way, you, too, can experiment with the foods in the chart and see what you end up with. In the interest of saving you some time, though, I thought I'd share the ingredients and methods I tried that worked best for me.

To dye your own eggs naturally, you will need:

hard-boiled white eggs (cooled)
water
vinegar
red wine
frozen blueberries
orange peel and cumin
beets
chili powder
several saucepans, bowls and/or mugs, spoons

The first stage of this egg-colouring process involves preparing the dyes. Some ingredients require boiling to produce their colours; others can simply be used cold.

To make violet dye: Simply pour red wine into a bowl or mug. Add 2-3 tsp of vinegar.

To make blue dye: Add a handful or two of thawed and crushed frozen blueberries to a bowl or mug of water. Add 2-3 tsp of vinegar.

To make yellow dye: Add a few cups of water and a few handfuls of orange peel to a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until it reaches a desired colour. Strain liquid into a bowl or mug; add 2-3 tsp of vinegar. (To make the colour deeper, I also stirred a few shakes of cumin into my yellow dye while it was still hot.)

To make pink dye: Add a few cups of water and a few handfuls of chopped beets to a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until it reaches a desired colour. Strain liquid into a bowl or mug; add 2-3 tsp of vinegar.

To make orange dye: Add a few spoonfuls of chili powder to a bowl or mug of boiling water and stir. Add 2-3 tsp of vinegar.

*Note: Despite several attempts with different vegetables, I was unable to get a shade of green dye that was anywhere close to pleasant. If you try and have success, please let me know your secret!

Once your dyes are prepared and cool, add previously hard-boiled eggs to bowls and/or mugs and let them stand. I found I achieved the best results when I let the eggs soak in the dyes for several hours, and sometimes, even overnight. *Be sure to do this step in the refrigerator if you plan to eat the eggs afterwards.

If you wish to add some more creative elements to your eggs, try drawing designs on them with a white crayon, or wrapping rubber bands around them in an interesting pattern, or adding little circle or star stickers to them before submerging them in the dye. Remove the elastic bands and stickers once your eggs are coloured and your artwork will stand out beautifully.


Colouring eggs the natural way takes more time and effort than using artificial dyes, but the benefits are many. It's a fascinating educational experience and fun project for the whole family, it's healthier for you and for the environment, and the end result is beautiful eggs that reflect the lovely colours found in nature. Happy Easter!

A bookworm's breakfast - 6

When I was young, comic books were definitely among the many different materials I loved to read. I remember poring over Archie comics and books about the Smurfs, both appealing to me in that their bright and sequential illustrations added another element of interest to the characters and their stories. Many children I know today (including my own two boys) also find joy in reading this genre, and there are many excellent graphic novels and storybooks on library and bookstore shelves for them to choose from. In today's edition of A bookworm's breakfast, I'll share a few with you that we especially enjoy.

3-6 year olds: Bob and Otto by Robert O. Bruel


This is a lovely springtime book for young children, one that highlights the special qualities of the lives of both an earthworm and a caterpillar. While the two creatures have different purposes in nature, the story shows that each one is valuable, and the heartwarming conclusion demonstrates that friendship can endure even the most magnificent of changes. Children will delight in the vibrant illustrations that are often divided into panels or squares on the page and allow them to see character contrasts and follow unfolding conversations. Bob and Otto is a perfect book for children who are fascinated with the incredible workings of nature.

6-8 year olds: Sticky Burr: The Prickly Peril by John Lechner


"He's small! He's prickly! HE'S A HERO!" School-age children everywhere will be captivated by the adventures of the sticky, prickly characters in Burr Village, an assortment of burrs whose regular activities include jabbing squirrels and chasing small animals. When the unnaturally cheerful Sticky Burr suggests the burrs plan a fun fair for a change, a series of thorny developments involving spiders, beetles, and unsavoury villains ensues. Luckily, most of the burrs come to realize that being prickly on the outside doesn't have to mean they're prickly on the inside, too. Clever humour, engaging dialogue, and exciting action combine with wonderful comic book style illustrations to create an excellent read for 6-8 year olds.

9-12 year olds: Amulet, Book One: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi


(My 9 year old son Noah, who devours graphic novels as well as all other kinds, has written this week's book recommendation for 9-12 year olds.)

When Emily and Navin's family get into a car crash, their car and their dad (who is trapped in the car) fall off a cliff. Emily, Navin, and their mom must find a new home and settle down. However, when Emily finds a magic stone, and her mom is captured by an arachnopod, she and Navin must journey to the Charnon house to seek advice from their great-great-grandfather (and his robots) before he dies. This epic starting book in a series is the beginning of a quest taken by Emily, Navin (commander of the resistance), and Leon (a talented fox-man) to defeat the Elf King. The pictures in this graphic novel are well drawn. They are detailed and they help the reader to see what the author wants them to. Kazu's imagination pays off in this book. Because of it, he was able to create many robots, walking houses, mystical creatures, and more! I like how at certain parts there seems to be a glowing effect in the illustrations. It makes the images seem far more magical. If you like the Bone series of books, then this book will be perfect. (Thanks, Noah.)

I hope your family will enjoy one or more of these wonderful books that combine excellent storytelling with imaginative visual art. (Oh, and I think books make excellent gifts for Easter! Perhaps you might want to read some of the earlier editions of A bookworm's breakfast if you're looking for ideas....)

Saturday morning

For many people, Saturday morning is a welcome reprieve from the mad dash undertaken every one of the previous five mornings of the week. There might be time on Saturday for sleeping in, for a leisurely cup of tea or coffee enjoyed while poring over the newspaper, for some puttering about in the kitchen in pyjamas late morning to make a decadent breakfast to savour. That is not at all what Saturday mornings are like in our house.

This morning's wake up call came at 5:30am, when a bright-eyed Will appeared in our room asking for someone to get him a drink. He went back to bed afterwards, but not to sleep, and by 6:30 Noah was awake too. Being up that early on a Saturday gives the boys' vivid imaginations plenty of time to devise a "plan" to execute; by 7:00am they were busy gathering supplies and making preparations to stage a dramatic re-enactment of Disney's Fastasmic! using toys, laser lights, and craft supplies.

It's pointless to continue trying to sleep while a production of this scale is being undertaken in your house, so Matt and I were also up early and able to watch the boys' creation unfold. First Will showed up in the kitchen looking like an odd sort of ninja, dressed head to toe in dark colours so he wouldn't be visible as he made various objects move in the show.


Then I heard Noah thinking aloud about needing more darkness in his room; when I went upstairs, he proudly showed me what he had rigged up using a blanket and his and Will's housecoats to block out as much light from the window as possible.


(Yes, those are the boys' housecoats hanging from the blinds.)

After that, the boys closed themselves behind the door to Noah's bedroom, and the top secret staging of the entire grand production began. Realizing we had an entire gloomy, rainy Saturday morning with the boys likely being occupied for hours, Matt and I took advantage of a good opportunity to do some much-needed and long-put-off painting in the basement. When we were finally allowed to witness the boys' finished project, it was quite a sight to behold. The forces of Good (green army men, knights, and robots) were poised to defeat Evil (dragons and snakes) in an epic battle dramatically lit by multicoloured lasers.


Noah and Will had also created an impressive five minute video of the scene, complete with sound effects from Will's electronic keyboard and a soundtrack of Europe's The Final Countdown from Noah's MP3 player. It was certainly a lot of activity and excitement for a Saturday morning.

Once upon a time, long ago, Matt and I used to sleep in until 9am on Saturday mornings. We'd have a leisurely cup of something warm while reading the paper, and we'd linger over a breakfast of pancakes or french toast before heading out for an afternoon of unhurried Saturday shopping. You know what, though? Once you've had a few weekend mornings filled with ninjas, dragons, and housecoats hanging from the blinds, sleeping in seems overrated.