Hand-decorated Easter eggs

Here's a fun activity for all the children in your house

Hand Decorated eggs

Hard boil a half dozen eggs.

Here's a quick tip for the perfect hard boiled egg.  

First place your eggs in a pot, then gently fill the pot with icy cold water, to about an inch above the eggs. Bring the pot to the boil, for a minute or two at the most.  Take the pot off the stove and let the eggs stand for 20 minutes.  Then put the eggs into a bowl of cold water, ready to peel.

Have the children and/or adults in your home decorate the hard boiled eggs with crayons.

Then, dunk the hard boiled eggs into a mixture of 1-2 cups of cold water with 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar and 1-2 tablespoons of food colouring.  Soak the eggs in the dye for approximately five minutes.

PS I'll post a pic when our eggs are done :-)

What I'm reading now ...

I was intrigued by the title "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" (as well as looking for a way to get out a little more in the evenings).

With an almost 17 month old at home, can you believe that I have only been to two girly evening activities in two years (apart from the routine almost weekly evening grocery shop or going to the hairdresser every couple of months)!!

Events in this delightful novel could quite truly have happened.  The work touches on the lives of those living in Guernsey during the 1940's and how one women took a risk, hurriedly gathering together a society to cover an underground activity!

Ideal for a Book Club.  I'm three quarters of the way and anticipating a discussion group gathering next month.

I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I am currently.

Chicken Gumbo ... on a wintery day in spring!

Spring is almost here!

Well, I say, almost, because this week my tulips and crocus have poked their heads up through the icy soil, and yesterday Joey and I were at the local park, playing on the swings and walking in the playground sand, under clear blue skies.

Today, however, is a different story ... there's a storm sweeping the city, with freezing rain, blustery winds and snow.  My garden is now a white powdery mass.

For today's lunch I felt like something warm and nourishing.  After a weekend roast, and making chicken stock yesterday here is a tasty lunch-time treat (fresh from my kitchen):

Chicken Gumbo

1 onion (finely chopped)
1/2 cup diced red pepper
2-3 stalks of celery (roughly chopped)
1-2 large cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

Saute the onion first, then add the other ingredients (above) cooking gently for 2 to 3 minutes over a medium heat.

Then add the following:

2-3 cups of homemade chicken stock (with a little chicken meat off the bones - great for texture and flavour! along with carrots, celery, onions and a few herbs from your chicken stock)
1 can of condensed tomato soup
1 can of hot water
2-3 tablespoons of soup mix (dried ok - if you have time soak the split pea soup mixture first for half an hour or so)
1/2 teaspoon of basil, thyme, chili and paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Simmer the gumbo gently for 20 to 30 minutes

Serve this tasty wee number with lightly toasted whole-grain pita bread and humus.

Enjoy!

Language Learning in Toddlers

Children love hearing you make animal sounds like baa baa, moo, woof woof, neigh (in a singing like voice).

Did you know that making animal sounds is very important to a child developing their language skills?  It helps them to eventually develop consonant sounds.

When teaching your child to speak - sit with them at eye level (in a highchair, chatting at meal times is a perfect way to start).  To begin use simple one syllable words eg

eat
food
drink
milk
more

Joey's first words ... along with mama and papa was YA YA for banana!
Then along came SHOE and now we're working on BOOT ... he has it as far as a boo sound.

As children progress in their speech try singing or saying a rhyme with them and leave out the last word ... see if they catch on.

We love "MATILDA the GORILLA" (from mainly music) who goes
ooh ooh ooh ooh, aah aah aah (just like a gorilla - in a nice beat).

mainly music favourites CD for 2010 ("with Matilda the Gorilla")

At around 1 year of age I found Joey singing the ooh ooh/aah aah's to himself one day and now he can finish the sounds, once I've started him off!

The two greatest gifts you can give your child are 

'parental involvement' and a 'love of reading' ...

Make everyday living moments teachable moments in a fun way!

It could be as simple as a trip to the library, the museum, an art gallery, the zoo, 

a walk in a field, the park or downtown