Oh, that's for the birds!

I have to admit to housing all sorts of experiments in my fridge (both intentional and unintentional, green shrimp, anyone?) but this hodgepodge of lard, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, cheese and bird seed was a success, albeit a messy one. If birds could talk I'm sure they would be raving about this recipe. Yet another thing to add to our many bird feeding stations!There seem to be lots of tutorials for similar bird suet on the web but I liked this one for two reasons, I had the stuff on hand and the recipe came from reputed wildlife organization so I figured we wouldn't poison our feather friends. I was inspired by the recipe here and saw the cute mold idea here.

The cast of characters, do NOT melt the lard. 

Textile Art with Toddlers (aka PUFFY PAINT!)

Remember puffy paint from the 80s? If it doesn’t conjure up visions of Debbie Gibson and girls shaking their bedazzled rhinestone tushies you must have been born on another planet.

Claire is into squiggly drawing right now so I thought this would be a hit. Turns out I was wrong and she used the bottles in an entirely different way.

She made tall puffy paint piles. In every (rockin’ 80s teal, purple and gold) color. As this was going to be a gift, I decided that we would try another option because these swirly creations would never dry. I ran around the kitchen looking for something that would work as a spreader (note to self, better prepare the art environment so you’re not scrambling mid-project with a very messy situation unfolding). I finally came up with a few pipe-cleaners and twisted them together to make an impromptu paintbrush.

I also grabbed some birch trimmings from a jar and used them as stamps. The bag came out really cute, and very colorful to say the least. I attempted some iron on letters (sparkly ones to please Claire) but they were a disaster so we went with a rhinestone butterfly instead. I’ll have to bully Bella’s Mom for a photo since i forgot to take one of the finished bag :)

 

Some things I learned from this experience:

• Puffy paint is messy and sticks to skin just as well as fabric (I still have a purple smudge on my arm!)
• Drying time always takes longer then the Puffy Paint folks tell you.
• Remove puffy paint from your child BEFORE putting them in the bathtub or your tub will be as messy as your child.

 

Paint!

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Well , check another item off that parent to-do list! I broke down and let Claire dive into some paint and I was so surprised at her dainty painting skills. It’s hard to believe that the kid whose food finds its way behind her ears can hold a brush and keep most of the paint on the paper.

If you look closely there are a few blue streaks above Claire’s eyebrows, but other than that c-l-e-a-n. Even I had more paint smeared on me! In my own defense (there’s always an excuse, isn’t there?) I was slathering paint on apples and onions for some stamping.

Claire seemed so proud of her creations and was happy to help hang them on the clothesline to dry. I cropped out the laundry hanging on the rest of the line - you didn’t think I’d let a sunny day pass without something cheerfully drying in the sun, did you?

By the way, onion stamps make the coolest concentric rings – hands down winner in the stamping department in my opinion. Just zoom into that picture above and check out the pattern. I’d love some suggestions for other paint related ideas – share below in the comment section.

More photos to be seen via the slide-show linky here, but if you prefer the non-moving version sans cool color halos (how completely and utterly b-o-r-i-n-g, heehee!) there is a link to the album at the top of the post. Enjoy!

Crime and Punishment

Another post featuring Claire at her naughtiest – what has this blog come to?! I’ll just chalk it up to toddlerhood.

Here’s a snapshot of Claire doing the time after the crime and wiping down the wainscoting she decorated. While I appreciate Claire’s attempts at improving our kitchen decor,I prefer the clean look of white cabinetry and molding to the bold orange of her marker.

Can I just plug Crayola products for a minute? They really do wash out of everything, and I can’t say the same for some other brands we’ve tried. Of course we haven’t yet bought the fingerpaint kits – I’m not that brave yet. Claire and I have a few birthday parties coming up…maybe I’ll gift some paint and experiment at other people’s houses ;-)

All this talk of art reminded me of school. At the end of the day in second grade, I used to build in a 15-20 reading time where we’d all unwind and read out loud together or scour the Internet for some “guest readers.” If you have a few minutes check out Storyline Online’s version of the great book, “When Pigasso Met Mootise.” It was always a favorite of the second graders and Claire LOVES to watch this seven minute clip. The Screen Actor’s Guild has done a great job gathering celebrity readers and animating the actual pages in a variety of books – a very cool website we visit often, and fitting for Claire’s recent love of all things art.

A "Berry" Good Meal

Friday's Lunch!

Claire's lunch is smeared all over her face, can you guess what she ate today? There are two video clues. She's pretty cute even covered in slime, isn't she?

Claire's Teeth!

Tooth number one is out and through the gum. I managed to snap a few pictures to show it off. The tooth's partner seems to be near poking through too, I can see a gap in her gum where it's starting to come up. How exciting! Aside from Claire's teeth, not much else is

new. Claire's still enjoying new foods (mangoes, blueberries...and an accidental sampling of refried beans) and we've been spending a lot of time swimming.

I'm hoping to have some pictures to share this week from Dan's company picnic. There are some funny ones of Claire sucking on a beer bottle - I was NOT present for this one ;-)In the meantime, here's Claire learning to eat spaghetti. Doesn't it look like she's slurping it up?

In Praise of the Humble Avocado

Oh Happy Day, I have found something Claire is super enthusiastic about eating!

Here are some sweet pictures of her chowing down on an avocado. In addition to being loaded with tons of good fats - it comes with its own serving container! Although I don't have any dishes to wash it seems someone needs there hair washed, oh well.

I was a bit skeptical about avocado since I hate guacamole, but even I enjoyed a sample of today's dinner, I can only describe the taste as "neutral," there didn't seem to be an overwhelming flavor at all. Claire ate nearly a quarter of the fruit, which has to be the most solid food she's ever had in a sitting - I'll let you know what her diaper looks like tomorrow!

It's been a while since I posted about what has been on Claire's menu. Some of her favorite things right now include sweet potatoes, inch long macaroni (shared with Daddy of course), carrots, cheeries and bananas.

Pears, prunes and pureed foods top the current "yucky" list. Claire loathes being spoon fed unless it's something we're eating. Maybe she's suspicious we're feeding her mashed cave crickets? :-)

It seems these first finger foods are a "taste" of independence for her, and they make for some fantastic photos. Want to see more avocado photos? Click here to view the online album.

Santa Baby!

Today Hilltop was holding a photo session with Santa to support Project Self-Sufficiency in Sparta, NJ. We dressed Claire up in one of her festive Christmas outfits (there are multiple ones) and headed out for a snapshot.

She didn't cry...but like Skylar (just ask Bob & Ceil) she was so excited she pooped herself. Here's a photo of the damage. Heehee! It was quite bad, I needed to take her to the computer lab, strip her naked and wash her back with wipes. One more "poop-tastrophe" and I'm changing diaper brands!

Aunt Laurie came by today, here she is hanging out with her little niece.