Books: New feature

You may have noticed that I added an Amazon.ca widget to the blog,  I can use it to list books I am reading and recommend and direct you guys to the amazon web site if you are interested in reading the reviews there or even purchasing.

I encourage you to send me any books about parenting you have found helpful or any childrens books you and your kids love.  Send me the title and author and even a review if you like. You can use the comments section or email.

Birthday: Wedgewood Park Tot Spot Parties

This looks like a good deal for a fun party for toddlers and kids. From the City of St. John's Recreational Programs Brochure:

TOT SPOT PARTIES
Are you looking for a great party idea for your child? Children aged 5 years and under can celebrate their special day with us at the Wedgewood Park Recreation Centre. The multi-purpose room comes complete with tot sized tables and chairs and a gift table. The gym is fully equipped for active play with equipment such as mats for tumbling, ride on toys, games and activities for busy children. A host/ hostess is provided for each party to assist with food preparation, gift opening and to supervise use of equipment.

WEDGEWOOD PARK RECREATION CENTRE POOL / GYM / MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM
Up to 30 swimmers $135.20
31-45 swimmers $149.90
46-60 swimmers $164.70
61-75 swimmers $179.40
Location: Wedgewood Park Recreation Centre
Date: January 9 - June 20
Day: Saturdays or Sundays
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
(Saturday ONLY) 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Cost: $100.00 per party
HST included in price
(maximum of 30 children).

For more information or to book a Tot Party please call 576-8631

Product: Custom Soft Toy

The coolest, crafty thing ever -  custom doll from your child's own drawing! And they are Canadian! I can't wait until my toddler is old enough to draw a picture so I can order one. What a great heirloom piece, and could make a great nostalgic gift for moms and dads too.

Contest: Winner of Walking Wings

The Walking Wings Contest was won by Heather who sent a convincing email about why the wings would save her back. Congratulations!!! Watch for more contests and don't forget to enter the Hungry Monkey Contest. The deadline is fast approaching - March 1st, 2010.

New Contest: Win a free yoga class!

Melanie Caines at Nova Yoga has agreed to offer a free yoga class for one lucky winner... all you have to do is sign up as a follower of this blog before March 1st and I'll put your name in the hat. I will post the winner's name on the site on March 2nd, 2010.

Melanie's classes are wicked - I have attended two so far and hoping to make it a habit.  Imagine, a whole 75 minutes to yourself! There are lots of classes and lots of different times so it should be possible to go to a class no matter what your schedule.

To follow this blog scroll down the right hand column. Anyone who is already following will be automatically entered, so don't worry, you aren't left out!

Services: Prenatal and family yoga

Not exactly for the under-five set, but still worth posting: Melanie Caines at Nova Yoga offers prenatal and family yoga classes. I haven't taken one but I tried a classic yoga class last week and it was wicked so imagine the others would be good too.  Here's her web page with all the information you'll need:.Nova Yoga.

We are growing!

Thanks to all of you St. John's Toddler now has over 200 unique readers! We are getting upwards of 20 visits a day.... and lately a lot more of you are entering contests, submitting ideas, and posting comments. Keep it coming... the more the merrier!!!

Have a blog? Know a site or service I should list here? Email me!

Services: Donna Ramsay Photography

I was at Coo Chi Coo on Saturday checking out the Phil and Teds Escape baby carrirer when I saw a promotional version of Donna Ramsay's new product - it is a small, gorgeously packaged, hard bound book of photographs that document a pregnancy and birth. The book is personal, professional, intimate and all around gorgeous. I wish she was doing this when I was pregnant, and bravo to whoever the family is that let Donna use thier story in her promotion, brave and beautiful.

Free: Get Crafty with Crayons UPDATE

oops - my mistake I forgot to mention this was submitted by Tara

 Cupcake Crayons

1. discard black, brown and gray crayons
2. remove paper- small hands need help with this
3. break into small pieces (approx 1/2 inch long)
4. place crayon pieces in muffin tins lined with liners
5. bake at 300 degrees until crayons are melted together
6. let cool and then remove from liners

*personal suggestions- group light and dark colors separately as they will tend to make all the crayons very dark

Services: Parent Connections

This web site is a one-stop shop for all sorts of parent support information and services on the northeast Avalon, from emergency phone numbers to links to government agencies and descriptions of their parenting related programming it can all be found here.

Some of the site, like the 'events' page is very out of date (the last event listed there is from 2007), but the links themselves seem to be current.

Thanks to Heather for the tip about this site. If you know a cool web site that you think belongs on the blog, leave a comment or send an email.

Contest Entry: Muffin Tin Meals!

Here's another entry in the Hungry Monkey Contest!  What a clever idea.

Muffin Tin Meals...
These are a lot of fun to put together and fun for toddlers to eat. Everything in its own little cup keeps those picky about food touching happy. I always fill one cup with a dip because what isn't more yummy with dip on it. I also put a glass of water in another cup because my little girl isn't the biggest fan of just water, and this makes it more fun. It's also a surprisingly good way to get vegetables eaten!
Submitted by Jane

The contest deadline is March 1st, 2010 so get your entry in soon! Submit an idea, recipe, activity or comment and I'll put your name in the virtual hat for a random draw on March 2nd, 2010.

Contest Entry: Veggie Pancakes

The following is an entry for the Hungry Monkey Contest, don't forget to submit your entry before March 1st, 2010:

I have just started to puree vegetables and add then to a pancake mix, with fruit!
You can choose one vegetable/ or many, and then dice the fruit so that appears to be the main flavor.
I have a recipe for savory pancakes, but you can use your favorite without the sugar. If you are use to making pancakes, then you will know how the mix should feel. The Joy of Cooking is a great cook book for all basic recipes.


Happy flipping!


P.S My boy is very good at eating all things but unfortunately, since his first taste of Birthday cake three weeks ago, i too have to hide the veggies.

Submitted by: Linda

Contest: Hungry Monkey UPDATE

The number of readers of this blog is growing by leaps and bounds and I am getting a lot more feedback from all of you, which is great, because my intention is for this to be more of a group effort. However I have only one entry in the contest for the Hungry Monkey book.  So if you haven't already noticed I changed the contest criteria. Submit a comment or an idea on any issue or topic between now and March first 2010 and I will enter your name in the contest. Then I will draw for the book on March 2nd and mail it out or hand deliver it to the lucky winner.

Next time I think I will offer a bottle of wine for the prize. Maybe that will be better motivation.  Any votes for vino?

Food: Happy Valentine's Day!!!

We're having strawberry-banana crepes for V-Day brunch.  My crepe recipe is from Mark Bittman's fabulous modern take on the Joy of Cooking - How to Cook Everything. 

If I have time I might make the best coconut cupcake recipe in the world. I attach the recipe in case some day the link goes dead. And a couple of hints, these really need to be eaten on the first day, the texture just isn't the same on day two. The amount of icing is obscene so feel free to cut back.

Ingredients

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting:
1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.
Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.
Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

How are you celebrating? Email me.

Services: Kids Photography II

Here's another family-friendly photographer recommended by reader Tara B:
Sandra-Lee Elford

Services: Get Plastered!

This week I discovered a blog written by someone offering a really neat service for people who want to create a totally custom piece of art to remember their pregnancy by and to capture the essence of babyhood. Ally sent me this description of her business:

Get Plastered! is a small business that caters to new and expecting parents in St. John's and surrounding areas. I specialize in creating custom plaster casts of pregnant tummies and baby bummies. These casts are wonderful keepsakes that capture precious moments in a family's life. The best time to book a casting session for a pregnant mama is in their 7th-9th month. Any time within the first 6 months of life is a perfect time to cast a baby bummy. As an artist and mother I am extremely excited about offering this service to local families.

Web: get crafty !

If you haven't already discovered her stuff at Gingersnap on Water Street, Tara at Mushy Peas has a great blog about her crafts and motherhood. She has some really nice stuff with pictures to prove it and right now she is giving away some of her crafts in a series of prize draws over the month of February. It's apparently  'Celebrate the Boy' month! I emailed Tara and asked her if she wanted to submit something about herself and her blog as part of this entry so here is what she sent:

I've been crafting since I was a little girl, but started Mushy Peas two years ago, when my first nephew was born. I made him some hand-embroidered onesies that my sister wore on him to playgroup, and soon I was getting people e-mailing me asking if I took orders. When I was pregnant with my own boy, who's now five months old, and had to take an early leave from work because of sciatic pain, I really started developing a product line (a lot of patterns were drawn while sitting on my bed, "A Baby Story" on the TV in the background, LOL), which was then picked up by Gingersnap kids' store on Water Street. My line of children's clothes, toys and accessories (and I make some for adults, too) is as eco-friendly as I can make it... I make cloth diapers and I use materials like recycled wool sweaters for some of my other items. I sell my items at Gingersnap and through my blog.

Free: Rainy Day Activity - Rain Stick Music Maker

Rain Sticks

1. Let child color a sheet of construction paper as desired.
2. Tape a square of tinfoil to one end of an empty paper towel roll
3. Wrap and tape/glue colored construction paper to roll
4. Twist a pipe cleaner into a spiral and place inside roll
5. Pour 1/4 cup dry rice inside roll
6. Close other end of roll with a square of tinfoil

Show your child how to tilt it back and forth to create the rain noise
Submitted by Tara E.

Have an idea you'd like to submit - email me or add to the comments section.

Services: Kids Photography

I have heard good things about Donna Ramsey from Michelle at Coo Chi Coo and the photos on her web site are beautiful.

Are you a photographer specializing in family or children's portraiture or can you recommend someone?
Let me know - send me a link!

FREE: The Rugby Association Free Play UPDATED

The Rugby Association runs free play gym program on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10-12 and it's free. It's at the NL Sports Centre on Crosbie Road. I have taken my kids there and it's great for toddlers and pre-schoolers who have lots of energy.

Submitted by Michelle.

New information added below:

Active Start Program
Introduction
Participating in physical activity is essential for the growth and development for children in the first 6 years of their life. Recent research has shown that getting sufficient physical activity in this age range enhances the child’s brain function, imagination, gross motor skills, coordination and social skills. The hope is that having opportunities to experience the basic movements of many sports at a very young age children will acquire the confidence and skills that will carry them into lifetime of participation in sport and activity.
Who and Where?
Recognizing the need for physical activity at this age the NL Sports Center, in partnership with Sport NL and Rugby NL is offering the Active Start Program for children up to 6 years of age at their facility at 100 Crosbie Road. The program will run every Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on a “drop in” basis and is completely FREE!
Facilities, Equipment and Benefits
Utilizing the huge gymnasium located in the NL Sport Center as well as the large range of equipment stored in the facility children will have the opportunity to learn the following fundamental movement skills that are identified under Canada’s new Long Term Athlete Development Plan:

- Crawling - Climbing - Balancing
- Walking - Jumping - Swerving
- Running - Kicking - Throwing
- Skipping - Tumbling - Catching

If you have an idea or a review you'd like to submit send it to stjohnstoddler@hotmail.com

Ideas: Too much educational TV?

We have rules about TV at our house. I have seen the reports about the impacts of TV on children and particularly toddlers so we have a 30 minute a day maximum and most days we stick to it. We also ensure that the programs are age appropriate and try to pick ones with some educational value. But something I read in Nurtureshock made me start taking a keener interest in what my toddler watches. In his book, Po Bronson describes a study that shows that children who watch educational programming are actually more emotionally and relationally aggressive than children who watch regular TV. If you haven’t read the book, my understanding of relational aggression is aggression that is used to define relationships – like a group who exclude someone from their clique for example. As for emotional aggression, I think that is more like verbal bullying and teasing.
Anyway, Bronson says that the reason for this is that the educational programming spends 2/3 of the time of the show developing the scenario and the conflict and only the last couple of minutes resolving the problem. In fact, the bulk of the ‘educational information’ in the shows is teaching children how to bully since children learn from all parts of the show and the balance is tipped toward the negative behaviours.
Interesting huh? So with this in mind I have bought a DVD of In the Night Garden. Initially I didn’t like the look of this show, it was too reminiscent of Teletubbies for me, but with these studies in mind I realized that In the Night Garden doesn’t set up any conflicts or aggressive scenarios, it is mostly about the characters’ explorations of the world around them. So my child and I watch this together and I have come to find Makka Pakka and Igglepiggle and the gang pretty engaging and enjoyable. It also has a calming influence than some children's TV programs which seem to rev kids up, which is not always a good thing.

Now all that being said, our child LOVES cars so we showed him some of the Pixar Cars movie... he loved it and is mildly addicted now. In fact last week he put together his first sentence because of that movie.... "Watch... Cars."

Sigh. You do what you can.


If you are interested here are some resources on TV and kids:

The Media Awareness Network

CBC News - TV No Help to Babies

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Music: Kindermusic

As a result of the emails between me and the Music for Young Children (MYC) COO, David Riddell (see this post) I invited him to let his local  MYC teachers know about this blog and welcome them to submit any information they thought might be helpful. So hopefully you'll being seeing a lot more information like this listed under the music category soon.

Here are some tidbits sent in by Pamela Vokey, a Kindermusic and MYC teacher:

"Many of us MYC teachers also teach Kindermusik and all of our schedules and offerings are posted on line at Kindermusik.com. Kindermusik classes begin at birth so there is lots of opportunities for children of all ages.

My MYC Sunrise classes for ages 3 and 4 are Friday morning at 1030am and Saturday at 12noon and 1pm."

Pamela Vokey: 726 9611

Services: Doulas

Have you experienced a doula-assisted birth or pregnancy? What was it like?
If you are interested in becoming a doula or availing of a doula's expertise ... check this out.
If you are a doula and want to post your contact information and bio here, let me know.

Fee: King's Bridge Montessori

I visited the King's Bridge Montessori School web site and it was a little thin on information, just a PDF with a paragraph or two about the school philosophy and the instructor's credentials. Anyone have any more details? Cost? Schedule? Registration dates?

Fee: Music For Young Children UPDATED!

UPDATE: After posting about the issues I had with the Music for Young Children web site, I got an interesting and helpful comment from the COO --- (see below). He sent me a list of all the St. John's Teachers - So here you go! I'll write a review when we sign our child up. If you go to the MYC web site and search these names you should have an easier time finding the details you need about the teachers and the location of their classes. Let me know if that works for you.

Fleming, Anne Marie (709) 579-4810
LeDrew, Susan (709) 753-8774
MEANEY, Heather (709) 753-0218
Chippett, Michelle (709) 364-1679
Castella Bourne, Lesley (709) 745-5755
Gatherall, Brenda (709) 753-6335
Abbott, Rachel (709) 745-5755
Byrne (Snow), Chrissie (709) 745-5755
Vokey, Pamela (709) 726-9611
Knee, Krystal (709) 745-5755
Noseworthy, Tracy (709) 364-1679
Roberts, Stephanie (709) 745-5755
Coady, Deanne (709) 237-0111
 Fleming-Hynes, Jodie (Torbay) (709) 437-7114

January 25, 2010

I found this site extremely difficult to use, it was very slow and the search for teachers makes it difficult to find a teacher in your area unless you already have a name. For example, when I searched by key word Newfoundland I was given a response of  "no results found", but knowing people who have children in this program here I tried searching all of Canada and then did a 'find in page' search of the results by area code 709. Talk about round about!  Anyway I was finally able to locate a St. John's contact for the Music for Young Children Program here and  I was also able to use google to find another teacher proving yet again that google is better than any internal search tool.

If anyone has anything to share about this program I would love to hear about it as my child is showing a keen interest these days in dancing and singing.  I am afraid if we don't get him into a formal program I am going to crush this enthusiasm and maybe even scar him for life with my inability to hold a note.

Birthday: Cakes

Does anyone have any suggestions of where to get a cool birthday cake made? I can't find anything but Sobeys and Dominion... are there any local bakers who do custom cakes?  Let me know or post in the comments section.

Music: Lullabies for everyone II

Here's another of my favourite lullabies for grown ups and kids too - Hawksley Workman's Safe and Sound which you can hear here.

Free: Rainy Day Edible Activity

Rainbow Toast

1. Divide 1/2 cup milk into four portions (a Styrofoam egg carton works)
2. Place a few drops of food coloring in each to make the color as the child likes it
3. Use cotton swabs as paint brushes to paint designs on bread (white bread works best)- change when they get too soggy
4. Toast bread under broiler

Submitted by Tara.

If you have a recipe or activity to share email me or submit via the comments section.

FREE: DEEDFRI Playgroup Calendar

Here is the latest DEEDFRI Playgroup Calendar for February.