Easiest, funnest (is that a word?) most perfect thing to do with kids in the winter. Sun Peaks Maple Syrup Candy. Kid’s Part: Fill a roasting pan with snow. Use a spoon to carve thin lines/troughs in the fluffy white snow they have collected. Adult’s Part: Place a pot on the stove and pour in your desired amount of pure Canadian Maple Syrup. Never leave the syrup unattended as you bring to a near boil. (It can come to heat very quickly and you never want it to boil over.) Once it is near boiling, have the kids stand back, and gently pour the syrup into the troughs they have made in the snow. Wait one minute while the syrup begins to harden. Using a teaspoon or a popsicle stick, begin at one end of the first trough and roll the candy onto the spoon. Voila! You have a maple syrup candy popsicle. Now for the lesson in teeth brushing..
I have been talking about the mountain I am climbing and I think this week I have reached a plateau on that mountain. I have worked out hard with only one day rest, counted every calorie and my measurements and weight haven’t changed very much. I must admit it is a little disappointing and really deep down inside me, I would rather be on a mountain in the Alps skiing hard every single day, eating cheese fondue and drinking French wine. But my always wonderful and supportive husband reminded me that every week is different, that I shouldn’t be disappointed, that I should be proud of myself for working so hard and that my mood, my attitude, my life has changed for the better.
Spent much of this week trying to get back on track. Didn’t help that towards the tiger cub and I caught a bit of a bug. Tough part of being a nursing mama and getting sick, is instead of getting the much needed break, you get less sleep and more stress. Everyday I told myself in the morning that I would start fresh today, and every night by dinner I told myself I’d do better tomorrow. Tonight I wanted to give up, until I thought about what that means, and who I’m giving up on. So I renew my commitment to myself and this program, even after the contest is done I still have work to do, I refuse to give up.
So this week a friend came to stay and I all but abandoned the revolution. Not sure if it was just an excuse to indulge, or that I already felt guilty enough with the restrictions a baby puts on our time I didn’t feel comfortable enough to prioritize my health needs on top of that. In my pre-bebe life I was always so accommodating and flexible, now when I try to be that it always results in my needs not getting met. Despite this I still seem to be slimming down, encouraging to watch the baby belly finally begin to melt away.
– Kirsten Sikora
Week five is rolling to an end and I only have three weeks left to obtain my goals and win #MommyFit2011! This is scary considering how unmotivated I have been this week! However, wouldn’t you know that THIS is the week that everyone says how great I look and what a big difference I’ve made?! There really is no time to be unmotivated – I made the “mistake” of telling literally hundreds of people that I was a finalist for Mommy Fit 2011. Therefore, whether I go to work, my son’s school, my son’s daycare, my sister’s house, even online, someone, somewhere is asking me “How is it going?” “It” being the Mommy Fit weight loss challenge. These people are definitely keeping me accountable whether they are in Hawaii (private Facebook messages and encouragements from my bestie), at my sibling’s house (“that shirt looks so much better on you now!) or at their desk (“what plan are you on, I think I need to start it!”).
I ended last week full of intentions, plans and the determination to succeed. I went grocery shopping, prepared my lunch for Monday, kissed my children good night and went down for a full night’s rest before the alarm went off at six for my workout. Then… IT happened. The mother of all de-railers – the FLU.
Your family has escaped the Toronto winter to Blue Mountain and you are getting cozy in a cabin at Ontario’s largest ski and snowboard resort. The fire is blazing, the kids are tired (and happy), and snow falls outside your windows. The Niagara vineyards have kindly provided you with a selection of great wine, and you can now start the quintessential vacation meal: Blue Mountain Cheese Fondue.
You are at a superb ski resort, home for lunch, and really don’t want to stress about dinner. Roast a fab piece of meat and add this incredible Big White Roasted Butternut Squash side dish. You can whip it up between trips to and from the hot tub. Better still? Make double, and turn it into a soup for later in the vacation.
Teaching Kids to Dress Themselves will always be challenging. But we bet you can make it fun too! “Don’t you love Katie’s outfit?” my girlfriend asked, “She dressed herself today.” At three, her daughter had proudly chosen a red shirt, blue pants, and to “match” them, one red sock and one blue one. Genius, I thought – both Katie’s choice and the fact that her mom chose not to “correct” her “out-of-the-box” approach. But what do we do with the child who resists dressing themselves, or for that matter the one who has trouble expressing themselves? Here are a few tips on how to allow your kids a little delight when it comes to self-adornment.
1) Don’t micro-manage. It doesn’t really matter whether we like their outfit as long as it does the job. If what they choose is inappropriate in some way, offer sensible guidance. It can feel overwhelming for a child to navigate their way through a series of decisions. Simplify their choices for them – okay, blue socks or green ones? Ramones shirt or Star Wars? After you guide them through the process a few times, they’ll know what to start with and how to put together an outfit. Limit their options. Offer one to three ensembles and have them mix and match. Start with velcro and snaps; move gradually to laces and zippers. Let them wear their shirt backwards or their sock inside out. Compliment them! A toddler with a sense of pride? Totally cute.
2) Make their clothing accessible. Hanging a row of hooks along a wall at about four feet up will be an easy way for kids to hang up and retrieve frequently used pants, skirts, sweaters, pyjamas and tees. Shoes and slippers can go underneath. Set up easy-to-reach cubbies with durable storage bins in them for other clothing and footwear. A bench is especially helpful to those who get wobbly while lifting a leg into pants, socks and such. Give each child their own hamper if you can. In a shared closet, a locker room look will be practical and encourage them to respect it as a communal space. Whatever works in your home for your kids!
3) If, like my almost four year-old, your little one CAN dress themselves but prefer not to, try to engage them in other ways. By asking my son to put on his own socks and then his little brother’s, he is given an opportunity to feel helpful, which for him is a motivator. Being the older child, he misses the attention his brother still gets when dressing; I often get down on the floor and have him sit with me while I lead him through the process. He feels supported but is still accomplishing the task himself. If resistance is an issue, figure out the source of it. Is your child afraid of something, or worried about making a “wrong” decision? Did they have a bad experience? Are they frustrated that they don’t know how to use a zipper? Be patient and allow them lots of time – rushing them will likely add to their stress.
4) Play dress-up! Keep a tickle trunk full of hats, tops and bottoms, costumes, socks, accessories and footwear. They can layer things as they like. Character play is loads of fun; each child can invent a personality, dress to develop them and then engage in a pretend tea party, pirate ship invasion or fire rescue mission. Go to the thrift store on a rainy day and have everyone choose a few things for the dress-up collection. Fun!
5) Lead by example. Set up your closet like a personal boutique. Keep the things you love on display or hang whole outfits up as visual cues. Let your kids hang out while you get ready for date night with your partner, but also try to have fun when you’re just heading out to the market. Allow yourself to be enchanted by…yourself. Yes, it’s kind of corny. Do it anyway. Let your kids see it! Encourage and offer ideas for creative expression. Even a simple flower stuck in a barrette or a pair of coloured shoelaces can make a kid feel like a rock star. Remember, too: you are the role model. Grown-ups really shouldn’t wear crotch-grazing skirts, lingerie as clothing or spandex outside of the gym. Equally true: five year-olds never look good in thigh-high boots, heavy makeup or painted-on jeans! There are so many ways to have fun with what we wear…don’t wreck it for your kids by giving clueless council! If you’re not sure about your fashion sense, find an episode or two of TLC’s “What Not To Wear” and pay close attention! Gotta love Stacy & Clinton…
Now, go play dress-up with your kids. Preschoolers with pinache? Heck yeah.
– Samantha Agar has two little boys who love to dress up as dinosaurs.
Week four is about to start and I can’t believe it, where did time go? When I was chosen as one of the five finalists I thought to myself, wow 8 weeks, this is quite a mountain to climb but I need to climb it, I need to prove myself I can do it. Well I’m almost half way up the mountain and I thought that mountain use to look like Everest, it’s more like a small mountain now, the summit is right there.