Clean Sheets

Parenting books, helpful or a one way ticket for a guilt trip? The baby books...

If I am doing something new I like to "read the book" - this is the case whether I am getting married, growing veg or having a baby! Before our first child was born I had read The Contented Little Baby Book by Gina Ford and The Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg and I regularly refer to Dr Christopher Green's Toddler Taming as much for solace and entertainment as for solutions - as anyone who saw my children running around, shouting in the shops yesterday will testify!

The first of these volumes is controversial.

Less waste/waist Rice Krispie Buns

It would be unthinkable to me to have a children's birthday party without Rice Krispie Buns, these don't differ from the classic in anyway. Milk Chocolate melted, rice krispies stirred in and then put in paper cases with some coloured sprinkles over the top, except in one tiny way - they are tiny! I used mini paper cases and the result was adorable but even better I didn't find any half eaten ones after the party - anywhere!

The other thing I liked about these is that they are so cute you could easily serve them up for a girl's night in (A hen party with old friends would be brought right back to childhood birthday parties with a plate of these - even the cynical would get nostalgic!)

I also made tiny cup cakes and although some of the "icing only girls" (inlcuding The Princess) were up to their usual tricks at least there wasn't so much bun wasted!

 

Hello Kitty Cake

 
Using the PC I made invitations complete with Hello Kitty picture inviting 8 or so of The Princess's buddies to her 4th Birthday party. So the theme was set and the cake had to fit!

I baked the cake, and iced it with regular buttercream icing, with a little pink colouring... of course.

Kitty was made from white fondant icing (from the supermarket) rolled out. I rested a picture of Kitty on the top and using a clean pin. Pricked lost of holes in the icing through the paper to leave the outline on the icing in a series of tiny holes. I cut out  the shape with a sharp knife and laid it on the cake.

I coloured some of the fondant icing with extra black colouring paste (available in Utensils and www.utensils.ie but I got some from a friend - thanks Jill!) This colour needs to be kneaded into the icing and when it's even throughout, I rolled it into long sausages to form the outline, whiskers and bow. Using a paint brush I painted the bow with regular red food colouring and then little ovals of black fondant icing made the eyes and nose.

It was fun, and The Princess and her buddies were delighted!

Original personal gift for kids (that you can DIY)

Crafts have taken off in recent times and the pretty blank cards you can easily find now with matching envelopes are testament to this.

If you (or someone you know) is handy with Microsoft Publisher (or similar) and has a colour printer a pack of these cards can be turned into a creative, personal and money saving (yours and the recipents!) gift.

Simply using A4 sheets of address labels you can add a label to back of each envelope saying "Special Delivery from Sally" and a label to the back each card saying "This card was made especially for you by Sally" add a picture of the childs favourite character to each label for some interest. Use a font that is fun, in a colour that coordinates with the picture and you'l be amazed how smart it looks.

Finally slide them carefully back in their packaging or tie a ribbon around the pile and wrap with some markers or colouring pencils and you'll have an original gift.

If you're lucky you'll get a homemade card on your next birthday.

I've done these for girls and boys, and they are currently what The Princess brings to birthday parties, so if you're inviting her - you know what's coming!

Decorations down, but memories preserved.

I have taken down the decorations, the tree stands bare in the sitting room waiting for the rugby player to have a moment to remove it.

We have amassed a small colourful collection of decorations which the children have made in their creche, I am delighted that i remembered to write the year and the child's name on each before putting them away. Even from last year to this year their skill level has increased, so it will be nice to record their decoration making progress.

The decorations are all back under the spare bed in their plastic boxes until next year.  

Finally a tick or two on the list...

 On Saturday evening I sat down and gave new strings to all the decorations that had been languishing at the bottom of the decoration box for more than a festive season or two. The box is empty and the tree is full. This is one of the things that was on my frustrating to do list so I derived great satisfaction out of putting the box back under the spare bed and putting a mental tick beside "decorate Christmas Tree."

The novelty has worn off removing the decorations for the Happy One and the Princess, ( this may be related to my losing my cool on Saturday morning when I found decorations in many nooks and crannies not intended for them!) This was not one of my finer parenting moments, David Coleman et al. would be disgusted and it's definitely not what Christmas is all about, but I have mended my ways (for the moment.)

We spent a much more idyllic evening with my cousins in The Enchanted forest that Bishop Lucey Park in Cork City has been transformed into. It was magical and as we arrived only half an hour before it was due to close, we enjoyed it without crowds and queues. The old fashioned carousel with it's painted horses was the highlight for our two charges and if you are in the area after dark suspend your cynicism about Christmas and call in. All the better if you can bring some little people who really do believe in all things Christmas, they may even convert you.

I also made progress on the Christmas cards and they will be done and dusted tonight!

Stocking fillers for kids and big kids!

Cleansheets thinks Santa must have great trouble thinking of new stocking filler ideas and even struggle to remember all the old favourites from year to year so here's a quick reminder and maybe even some he hadn't thought of:

Bubbles

Socks, knickers, vests: especially one's with favourite characters on them!

Small jigsaws, if they don't fit in the stocking the pieces can be put in a bag and the box stashed under the tree!

Small Lego/Playmobil sets

Small trucks and cars

Lot of toys would fit without their packaging!

Finger puppets

Little Books

Note books and other fancy stationery

Colours

Hair Elastics and clips

Marbles

Jewellery (fun elastic necklaces and bracelets for smallies)

Gloves

Pritt stick and scissors and other bits for arts and crafts

Small pack of breakfast cereal (a contraband variety ie: not allowed by Mum and Dad!) This makes it possible to get breakfast into people who are too excited to eat. Santa has even been known to leave a note to say how important it is to eat your breakfast!  

Stickers

Cinema Vouchers

Lip balms

Bubble Bath

Toothbrush and toothpaste (fancy character ones)

Dear Santa,

We know you read Cleansheets so we'd like you to know that Upsy Daisy and Iggle Piggle looked out of the top of the stockings in our house last year and we loved them. Iggle Piggle decided he liked Scotland alot when we were there in April and stayed, we hope he has found a new family.

This year we'd really like the Lindt Chocolate Snowman and Santa Clauses we saw in Kingdom Food and Wine Store. We know you're busy and we hope all is well with you and the elves and that you've had no floods.

Lots of Love,

The Princess and The Happy One.

Breastfeeding - an article for all, even if you've no children or boobs!

PLEASE DON'T CLOSE THIS WINDOW - because If you know anyone who is having or has a baby you could be a support to them if they wish to breastfeed.

I don't want to start an arguement about breast versus bottle, we need to move on from that and make sure that anyone who wants to breastfeed their baby gets the support they need and that it becomes an option more people consider. Breastfeeding rates in Ireland are really low. This is a pity as breastfeeding provides many benefits for mother, baby, siblings and dad.

This article in the Irish Times by Sheila Wayman gets to the heart of the real issues facing mothers who are breastfeeding their children. It shows that everyone needs to look at their attitudes and make sure they are open and supportive. I am not going to repeat the benefits so well explained in this article, but here's a little slice of my experience:

Play Dough

No picture today, you have to imagine a two year old and three year old happy as clams, at the kitchen table messing with play dough making shapes and animals. some recognisable to me, some not, but that is due to the limits of my imagination not their sculpting!

 

Yesterday we made some play dough. I find this quantity is enough for one child. I usually make one colour per child (they choose the colour), but I'm lazy!

Plastic cookie cutters are best for play dough as the metal ones rust due to the salt.

This is quick to put together and keeps for a couple of days in a plastic bag. Don't put it in the fridge. If it gets a bit sticky add more flour.

When the kids are finished the best way to pick up bits of dough off the kitchen floor is to take a little dough in your hand and use it to gather the dropped bits.

Don't forget to make some for yourself, sculpting is quite therapeutic!

Ingredients:

A cup of plain flour

Half a cup of salt

Tablespoon of sunflower oil

A few drops of food colouring

Half a cup of water (approx)

Method:

Put all the dry ingredients and oil in a bowl.

Add a few drops of food colouring to the water.

Add 3/4 of the water to the dry ingredients, mix with your hands if it's to dry to come together as a dough add a little more water. If it's to sticky add some more flour.

Have fun!

Angelina Ballerina costume

About a month ago, while rinsing a Robinson's orange squash bottle it occured to me that the rounded top would make a good animal nose. Cut with a sharp knife (a stanley knife on a chopping board is safest) and wrapped with white felt (glued all around the wider end of the nose on the inside and then stuffed into the top and finished with a tiny pink cushion made from some polyester wadding and pink material.

White pipe cleaners were stitched on to make whiskers and two long pieces of pipe cleaner sewn on in loops to make pieces to go around her ears to hold on the nose.

The ears were pads for a bra that I bought in a sewing shop and little pieces of pink fabric sewn inside each one and then sewn onto a hairband.

Some piping card plaited with a bow at the end beacme a tail, we added to a fairy costume and Angelina was ready to go!