October 2010 – The Creative Salad

Spotted Pumpkins and a Spotted Toddler

Another post in our First on Friday series where we share a new experience from the week.

Before we even noticed it.

Yep, the toddler has chickenpox.

Luckily her fever appears to be behind us and she’s her usual happy self during the day, running in circles around the house. (Literally! We’re stir crazy over here.)

Her will power to not scratch amazes me. All it took was the doctor and pharmacist to both tell her not to scratch and she hasn’t. Mama may not have authority (“I’m scratching! HAHAHA!”) but those strangers sure do. They also told her to drink lots of water and she has (a constant battle in our house).

I may need the doctor to call and ask Miss Leyba to clean up her toys and, um, bring mama breakfast in bed… It’s worth a shot, right?!

Unfortunately being itchy doesn’t go well with sleeping soundly, so our nights have been rough. I keep reminding myself how thankful we feel that she has chickenpox now as a young child instead of as an adult, even if we have to hold, comfort and rock her most of the night. This too shall pass.

David and I both have had chickenpox twice (talk about crazy statistics!) so we’re able to provide her with the care she needs right now and not worry about ourselves: nearly constant contact and attention, lots of hugs, many books read and projects done… we’re been busy carving pumpkins, cutting paper dolls, baking, cooking and various household chores. (I’m trying to catch up around the house. HA!)

We’re also glossing over the fact that it’s Halloween this weekend, since she under quarantine. Thankfully she’s just two years old and has no idea. We hope she won’t realize she’s missing anything since she goes to bed before it all starts too.

After all, we can always pretend it’s Halloween next month when she’s healthy again, right?! I think hosting a toddler costume party may be in order.

Paper Dolls Obsession

My daughter has entered a paper doll phase.

Although perhaps I should clarify and explain that she’s not particularly interested in dressing the paper dolls, just cutting out their clothes, carrying them around with her, talking to them, helping them use the toddler potty, putting them down for their naps…

They have become her new imaginary friends.

The downside? Suddenly our entire downstairs is covered in little bits of white paper and I’m perpetually vaccumming.

But her paper cutting skills are improving noticably every day.

And she loves it!

Curious about our paper dolls?

The ones shown above are Tiny Littles, free paper dolls you can download at The Toymaker website in Historical and Halloween costumes, and a collection of paper doll cutout books from my childhood that are still available (and affordable!) on Amazon. We are loving them!

Goodbye to the Summer Garden

Yesterday a frost warning flashed on my phone! Thank goodness for modern conveniences like weather applications; I’ve been so busy reacting to our pseudo Indian Summer that I’ve neglected to notice that it’s almost November. I guess it’s time to say farewell to our summer veggies (oh, how I love the mild weather here in California!) and get ready for the first frost.

So we headed out in our pajamas before bedtime to gather up all the ripe tomatoes and zucchini, and to then wrap up the potatoes in a frost cover. (Keeping our fingers crossed they’ll make it!)

We’re leaving dozens of green tomatoes on the plants, chard, lettuce and carrots in the ground, and several baby zucchini, still too small to pick.

We wonder, “Will it frost tonight? Will the frost cover insulate the potatoes well enough?” We shall see.

What we know for certain is that fall is here and winter is on its way.

I’m already planning out where I’ll plant the kale.

Backpacks for Kids

I set out to find a small, kid-sized backpack that was BPA free, Phthalate free, and PVC free. Sounds like a tall order in this day and age, right?!

Well, I stumbled on a fantastic, eco-groovy backpack perfect for toddlers:

Zoo Packs: Little Kid Backpacks by Skip Hop

My favorite part? They are sized for toddlers so that actually fit my two year old. She doesn’t look like she’s about to fall over backwards when it’s stuffed full. It’s not so heavy or bulky that she’s uncomfortable when wearing it.

My daughter’s favorite part? She can fill it up with her stuff and it’s her special bag. She wants us to bring it everywhere.

And the bag comes in other animals too!

They’re not super expensive and I think they’re adorable. Learn more.

Swallowtail Butterfly Bank Checks for Kids

When I created credit cards and play money for my daughter, I showed you a process to inspire and guide you in making your own play money for kids.

This time, I wanted to focus on a project that you could instantly download, print and share with the kids in your life.

Enter this fun Swallowtail Butterfly Bank Checks for Kids project!

After several weeks of Miss Leyba insisting that she should be allowed to write in mama’s checkbook (yes, I’m old fashioned like that and still use one!), I decided she needed a checkbook of her own.

I created these checks with a Swallowtail Butterfly theme and printed out several pages worth (each page has three checks on it). Then I cut the individual checks down to size and stapled the left hand side together to form a book of sorts for her to write her checks in. Easy!

Now my daughter has play money, credit cards, and these bank checks in her own wallet.

Download Swallowtail Butterfly Checks here!

Wondering about the “Bank of West County” and butterfly theme?

We live in Western Sonoma County, more commonly known as West County, and we have lots of Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies. (The actual butterfly images on the checks are of a different Swallowtail and come from DK Clip-Art.) The West County theme seemed fitting and a tad bit educational. (We’re all about Everyday Learning in our house!) What kids aren’t into insects?

Enjoy.