Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Playspace Entries
Here is one more link to a playspace entry for our contest, enjoy!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Playspace Entries
:: A wooden dory found during Halifax's cleanup and swap weekend.
:: A play house made of sticks and twigs in the back yard.
:: A banging wall, inspired by a project in The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule.
:: A sandbox made of reclaimed barn beams (which doubles as a little rink in winter).
Monday, July 19, 2010
Playspace Contest Winner
The winner of our play space contest winner is Carol Nasr Griset in Halifax. Some of you may know Carol: she hosts Waldorf-inspired play groups at her home. These are photos of her attic space, which is dedicated to children and their well-being. Carol is the mother of five grown children and new grandmother!
Carol's play space is beautiful, calming, with bright natural light...but did you notice the walls are a little bare? Carol, we at Nurtured think that your walls are very deserving of a set of three Kate & Birdie wall prints.
More inside looks at Carol's space:
Congratulations Carol, thanks to all who entered.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Emmeline and Karen
Karen, whom you may have met on Saturdays at the store, has a personality that bubbles over and like me, a love for all things with sparkles and glitter. She also loves skulls - punk rock skulls, metal and dangerous skulls.
For her birthday, I wanted to make her something that's been on her to do list for a long time: an apron. Last year she put out a request for apron patterns to make one for a friend, and I loaned her a my Emmeline Apron pattern.
One day at the store we were talking about how much we all loved the pattern, and how fun it would be to each have one as the Nurtured "uniform" but in all of our favourite fabric patterns - they would be very unique and diverse indeed.
Summer brings BBQs and kitchen parties, so what better to wear to a kitchen party than your very own Emmeline Apron?
The apron is reversible, and one side was a no brainer - Karen loves the Alexander Henry Calaveras print. For the reverse side, I decided on a 1950s retro housewife look with pink polka dots. The tricky part: Calaveras fabric is really, really difficult to find. I had to search far and wide and eventually order it in from across the continent.
The pattern consists of only two pieces and custom binding (which I never enjoy making but at least I'm getting better at it). It came together reasonably quickly, probably about 8 hours of work in total, but was still a fairly involved project with the binding and hand sewing required.
I still would like to make one of these for myself, though you may notice that the hop half of the apron is a bit saggy. I may have to wrangle with the pattern a bit to try and tighten it up so that I don't end up with flour down my shirt. If you are bigger busted, this is the perfect pattern for you, and it is very, very flattering regardless of figure type.
I haven't yet seen it on Karen, but I know she's thrilled with it (yay!) and she'll be surprised to find that I also sewed the apron with glow in the dark thread, for a little bit of extra fun after the sun goes down at a proper Maritime kitchen party.
Happy cooking, and happy sewing!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Cloth Diapering Multiples
 Lately we're seeing a rise in the number of multiple births, and also a rise in the number of twins that are cloth diapered. At our cloth diapering workshop this past week, an expectant mom was asking if she "was crazy" to want to cloth diaper twins. I assured her that not only would she save at least $6,000 over the course of her babies' time in diapers, but that a growing number of families with multiples are cloth diapering. Case in point, here is a guest post from Dr. Jennifer Salib-Huber, ND, our family's naturopath, family friend, and now mom of three children, including four-month old fraternal twins.
"Adventures in Cloth Diapering Twins
I'm not sure "adventure" is really the right word, as it's been a pretty smooth ride. But, I have learned a few things along the way that I hope will help other parents who are considering cloth diapering their twins.
"Are you crazy?" is a question we've been asked many times when people hear we are cloth diapering our twins, but I really think you'd be crazy not to. Aside from the cost savings (which is significant), cloth diapering is the obvious environmentally conscious choice, especially given the number of diapers you will go through with twins. The laundry factor seems to be the stumbling block for some, but it's really not that much of a consideration. We do diapers every other day, which is only 1 extra day per week compared to when we were cloth diapering our older daughter; the difference being that the load sizes are larger, and, when you have twins, laundry is a daily chore anyway, so what's an extra load, right?
Despite the costs involved in the initial purchase cost of your stash, the long term savings are real. My husband and I ran across a gentleman in a store who saw the diapers on the twins and commented that he had considered cloth for his child and decided against it because "it wasn't worth the cost". I've heard this from others before and it could not be further from the truth. Our original roughly $600 investment diapered our first daughter for 30 months and will likely take care of the twins for as long as they need it as well. Consider that disposable diapering costs can come in around $2000+/year for each child's first year, then after 3 children the costs to cloth diaper will only be around a tenth of the costs of the more wasteful, disposable route.
Having difficulty choosing which diapers to use? Here are a few thoughts:
We have a stash of 30 or so pocket diapers that we'd used with our daughter. While some of these fit the twins right away, others took some time to grow into so it was nice to have another "system" on hand. Keep in mind that many twins are born prematurely and may not fit some diapers at birth because of they are on the smaller side. On the suggestion of a friend, I decided to give prefolds a try. Pocket diapers are convenient because they are easy to use, but prefolds are inexpensive and don't have to be stuffed, which is a huge advantage and time saver. The same can be said for fitted diapers. We were lucky to inherit a Bummis (prefolds) newborn kit and a half-dozen or so fitted diapers, and I strongly urge any parent to consider adding these to their diaper stash. Newborns poop a lot; expect to go through 30+ diapers a day in the early days. This is where the prefolds came in so handy! Now that they are 4 months old, we usually go through 15-20 diapers a day, and are mainly using our pockets again. We'll probably add a few new ones to our family of diapers (can't wait to try the new FuzziBunz), but for the most part are using the same diapers we bought 3 years ago! With respect to the various brands of pocket diapers, I suggest buying a few of each kind as you can never predict which will fit your children best. bumGenius and FuzziBunz diapers fit our son really well, but Happy Heiny's are the best fit for our daughter. I'm sure that will change over time, but it's nice to have the different kinds on hand. Most of our pockets are one-size, but I like having a few sized diapers as well, as they generally provide a trimmer fit. As for disposables, we do keep a few on hand, but we don't even go through a package per month.
For our family, the decision to cloth diaper our twins was an easy one. We'd done it before, and had no hesitation about doing it again. But, if you are worried about the time and initial costs involved, don't be. Cloth diapers are a worthy investment that you can feel good about. Good for your kids and good for the planet. And, there's nothing cuter than two little cloth diapered bums."
April's note: The best selling cloth diapers for families with multiples at Nurtured are bumGenius pocket diapers and FuzziBunz. Velcro closures are wonderful for bleary-eyed middle-of-the-night changes (and very caregiver friendly too, as hopefully with multiples you'll have lots of hands helping out), while snaps are very durable!
If you're cloth diapering twins, what tricks and tips have worked for you? What brands of cloth diapers are your favourites?
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Kid Friendly Spaces
This month we're celebrating kid friendly natural spaces in our homes. Play rooms, a corner of a room, or a child's bedroom that is inspired and inspiring. I, personally, am not one for themes, but I AM a huge fan of decorating magazines and love to see what others are doing.
At our home, most rooms are very kid friendly, but we do have most of our basement converted into a very child friendly play area, the centerpiece being double play stands complete with a rainbow-dyed silk canopy.
:: Inside the play stand "house" is the ever popular Creative Cookery Kitchen, given to BananaMuffin for Christmas in 2007 and still remains a favourite of both kids today! The kitchen comes with a lot of wonderful accessories, but a word to the wise: if you have a dog who likes to chew, keep the accessories out of their way! Many of our grocery pieces were replaced over the years with hand-crocheted, knitted, or felted food.
:: The toadstool salt and pepper shakers (in the background), a throwback to the wild and crazy 1970s, were vintage finds in my mom and dad's basement. I remember playing with them when I was a kid, and as simple as they are, I love having them for my kids to play with now!
:: Inside the play house, some of our favourite toys, past and present: HABA blocks, Fagus truck, and a set of felted Easter eggs, a gift from The Wool Fairy a few seasons ago.
:: More fun stuff: a set of felted bowls, again, by The Wool Fairy, an extra special gift for Spunky's first birthday! Next to them, one of my VERY FAVOURITE TOYS EVER, felted counting ladybugs by Etsy's Beneath The Rowan Tree. One Easter, both kids received their very own stacking rainbows, that get lots of use to this day!
You will also notice a small army of Cham Pie Gnon toys. The story: one day I went in to the store with the kids to do a couple of little jobs, and they were playing around, as they always do. Things got very, very quiet, and with kids - you know that means trouble. I found them both under the table, quietly tearing apart the boxes of Cham Pie Gnon toys, squeaking them once before moving on to the next. I spent a LOT of money that day, buying in total 6 Cham Pie Gnons, most of them pink.
:: A basket of play silks. You will hear me say again and again that playsilks are the most played with item in our house. It's STILL true. This is where they live while they're resting.
:: Last but not least, Marcus and "Girl", two of the three dolls I made for my kids back in 2007. This year they each got new custom-sized jammies from Etsy's Silly Con to keep them cozy and warm (mama is a little short on time to sew doll clothes these days, I had to compromise!)
Until July 15th, we're accepting YOUR photos of your kid friendly spaces, the winner will receive a full set of three Kate & Birdie canvas prints for your kid friendly space! Please see the full contest rules for more details. Can't wait to see your kid friendly spaces!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Fossils
I grew up on the shores of the Bay of Fundy, the portion of the Bay that looks like chocolate milk all summer long and a latte gone wrong all winter, with its huge chunks of frozen brown ice coming in and out with the tide. As a kid, we'd slide on the mudflats (this can be dangerous, you CAN get stuck, the mud is very much like silty quicksand in some areas), walk the rocky beaches, and just marvel in the huge variation between high tide and low tide.
Across the bay from where I grew up was Joggins, Nova Scotia. At that time, everyone knew that there were very important fossil discoveries happening on the Joggins cliffs, and my family, who took elaborate family Sunday drives, would regularly visit the fossil cliffs. I had a huge amount of interest in rocks, geology, and fossils as a kid. At that time, the Joggins fossil cliffs were accessible via a gravel parking lot and a rickety set of wooden stairs. The general public could visit and take whatever they wanted: who knows what scientific discoveries may be sitting in someone's living room or flower garden?
The Joggins Fossil Cliffs are now Canada's 15th UNESCO World Heritage Site. A new "green" interpretation centre greets visitors at the end of the Joggins' long main street. Their green roof provides rain water for toilet flushing, they have a lovely cafe inside, and a museum explaining the history of Joggins as a ship building and merchant center as well as the history of the eras from which the fossils originate.
:: The ridges of rock show the original layers of cliffs, long worn away by the power of the Fundy Tides. The muddy chocolate milk water indicates the low tide water line.
This year we took the kids for the first time, along with my parents-in-law (who grew up nearby but for some reason had never visited the fossil cliffs) and my brother-in-law. We had a great time: my parents-in-law reunited quite by accident with friends from their hometown. I took in the scenery and continued to be mesmerized by the tides. My husband enjoyed the rocks, the beach, and the view (as well as a geocache), and my kids had so much excitement for finding "fossils" (any big rock was a fossil) and the imaginative descriptions they had for what the rocks might have been (zebra bones, lion tails) were very entertaining! My father-in-law had the best find of the day: a fossil of a tree, clear as day, with bark and growth segments, which we admired but were not allowed to leave with. We passed on our find to another family on the beach to enjoy for their fleeting moment of history and tranquility on a rocky beach.
Coal regularly falls out of the cliffs, and small rock slides happen regularly and unpredictably. The photography here doesn't capture the beauty of that area: maybe I'm biased, but the Bay of Fundy definitely tops my list as one of the new 7 wonders of the world.
It doesn't cost a penny to visit the beaches, and the fun of discovery and togetherness was well worth the drive!
Afterward, we had a picnic lunch, and enjoyed the view. Another great adventure on our very own doorstep. If you've never been to Joggins, I highly recommend it!
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