Cooking Crayons

Levi loves his crayons to pieces.  Literally.  He holds them so hard that they snap, rendering them pretty much useless until I had an idea.  Cook the crayons!  I know, I know.  Not very original but the timing was oh-so-brilliant!  So cook the crayons we did on this wet, gray, stay-inside-all-day day..

This was Levi's  first cooking project ever.  I gathered the materials and had everything ready, mise en place:  cupcake liners, muffin pan and crayons.

We lined the muffin pan.  Levi had a field day with this...

I had to remind him that the liners were not for eating a few times.  I turned the oven to 275 degrees, the lowest setting on my stove.  Then we placed bits and pieces of one crayon in each muffin.

This turned into a whole categorizing and sorting activity in itself.  While we sorted (and unsorted) the colors, I kept on saying, "Orange crayons.  _____ crayons.  We're going to bake the ________ crayons.  The _______ crayons will melt."

Then I popped the pan into the oven with Levi standing way back.  He is terrified of anything that is labeled "HOT" by me, so he remained rooted to the spot while I slid the crayons in.  Levi peeked through the oven window to see the crayons oozing into their new shapes.

This took about 10 minutes then I took them out to cool.  Levi indicated he was ready for his nap.  While Levi napped, the crayons cooled and hardened.

By the time Levi woke up, the crayons solidified.  I was going to remove the crayons from the pan, but then I realized the value of Levi seeing crayons the same way he last left them so I left everything exactly the way they were when he went down for his nap.  When Levi popped the crayons in their new form, his face--priceless.

Levi has repurposed his crayons--they are now his special stackable crayons. 

During this project he signed "cook colors," "hot," and "melt."  He sorted the crayon pieces by color (with my help).  Labeling, categorizing and fine motor skills were hard at work play.  This simple project goes such a long way.  I just hope Levi keeps on smiling like this until he's 65.

Samurai Pop

Airplane!

Levi woke up a changed boy.  His choice of toy?  It's not a car.  It's not a bird.

Levi's Brown Boy Book List

Last Thursday I wrote about the lack of "black boys" represented in children's literature, specifically for toddlers.  I got a wonderful response to this post, and realized I had to share my list.  I'd appreciate any more input!

Weekend Trawling

Alright, so it's time for the little Golden man!  Douglas and I saw three Oscar-nominated movies--Django (I didn't blink once throughout the film), Beasts of the Southern Wild (dreamy) and Amour (I cried).  We're hoping to catch Argo on DVD sometime this weekend.

The Academy Awards has been around for a long time.  Changes are inevitable, like this.

They're rebranding the annual Academy Awards?

I'm itching for some signs of spring, so this would be a good way to start.

This made me laugh and think again about my iDevice manifesto.

What grand little secrets across the street from the Whitney Museum!

While we're looking at diminutive things, check out this Cheerio creation.

Some inspiration for our wee ones!

I am making this tonight.

And I am making this tomorrow.

Everybody would want to sleep over and take pictures.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Black Boy

Visitors acknowledge the wooden blocks, the cool red car that zooms at the lightest touch, comment about the water blocks and ask what the light panel is for.  I wait for people to say something about the elephant in the room.

This said elephant?  

The Lost Shoe

Almost Everything

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.

--William Shakespeare

In the morning the toys are in their place, tidy and organized, lovely to look at.  The toy cars sit next to the trucks.  The wooden pieces are fit together neatly and tucked away.  The straw basket holds all the pretend fruit, the pretend knife placed within reach.  I marvel at this thoughtfully curated set of toys and feel calm.  I anticipate the learning that follows play.

This is before Levi the player enters the stage.  The sound and fury comes and my rose-colored glasses are knocked right off. 

List #8: When Douglas Kicks Me Out

1.  Go to CB I Hate Perfume

2.  Read Buddhism for New Mothers

3.  Watch a foreign flick at the movies

4.  Run

5.  Take the ferry to Dumbo

6.  Go to the museum

7.  Knit an hour project

8.  Get a pedicure

9.  Browse at a bookstore not in Williamsburg

10.  Nap

Yesterday Douglas kicked me out of the house.  "Go drink some coffee and read something," he advised.  I applied my too-lazy-to-put-make-up-on pink lipstick and slipped into my black boots. 

I stepped out.  What to do?  Indecisively I ambled around the neighborhood, feeling a little lost.  I wasted a few precious minutes trying to think of something to do.  Then I spotted the word "Sale" in the window at Bird.

Three glorious hours zipped by.  I saw Malcolm Gladwell, one of my author crushes, while sipping on mocha.  I finished Rubin's The Happiness Project.  I browsed at Book Thug Nation and bought a book for Douglas.  I smelled chocolate at Mast Brothers and brought back home a piece of chocolate cake as a memento.

I had a renewed appreciation for home.

Putting Levi to sleep was especially sweet.  Douglas and I snuggled up to some BBC.   A three-hour date with myself was great.  Hence my list--a bit of deliberate thinking for an impromptu me date in the future.

Weekend Trawling

via thebittymini.tumblr.com

The movie theater that opened two blocks away from us is now showing an Oscar-nominated foreign film!  We're going this weekend!

This photographer doesn't capture dreams, but captures sleep in an ethereal way.

My friend is working on a film about letting a Deaf child be.  Here is the trailer.  I'm psyched!  

An adoptive mother did this and it went viral.  What a moving/sweet/funny idea.

Great MOMA exhibition!

Such is the life of a NYC commuter.

How much would you spend on a photograph?

Unusual photograph of a highly photographed artist.

Shot entirely on a cellphone!  Incredible!

This made me laugh.  

Nom nom.  And guilt free.

Small Moments

Early in the morning while sleeping I felt Douglas adjust the blanket around my shoulders.  

It was a whisper of love expecting no merit.  I woke up feeling light and loved.  

On this Valentine's Day I crave simplicity and serenity.  A small moment here, a small moment there makes for full living. 

My Valentine

     

Levi Is Watching

I feel very guilty.  So guilty that I banished all chargers out of the bedroom.  I read this and got goose bumps.

List #6: What Levi Eats

Levi eats like a pauper in the morning, a king in the afternoon, a prince in the evening.  There are days when he gorges himself on crackers.  There are days when he eats practically nothing, sending me into Worryland.

Weekend Links

RAWR Magazine

Today we're expecting to be hit by a blizzard.  Finland is a pro when it comes to snow so it is no wonder that they combine snow with fashion.

I'm forecasting a mini snowman project with Levi.  What do snowmen do at night anyway?

This Saturday Douglas and I are going to see the Mara Hoffman Fall/Winter 2013 fashion show.  Psyched!  She's our next-door neighbor, and her creations are stunning.

A friend of mine introduced me to the lovely work of Ida Pearle.  Levi loves her book.  I want her to design my clothes.

My mind is on fashion.  My chunky funky shoes, Swedish Hasbeens, just arrived and I am in love.  What I also love is the story behind those wooden shoes.  Mama shoes!

Wooden blocks are 90% child, 10% toy according to this.

I get stuck in a food rut with Levi.  He rejects oh-so-many things.  This gives me inspiration to keep on plugging...

This story about Child Protective Services gone bad is terrifying.  Watch her 2nd and 3rd vlogs.

For some laughs, check out this video Douglas and Wayne made for Doritos' Crash the Superbowl competition.

I bought 10 avocados on sale.  I'm craving this, this and this.

Little People

Levi woke up an hour earlier than usual this morning.  Maybe his eyeteeth were bothering him.  Maybe he was hot.  Or hungry.

I'd like to think that he woke up early because he sensed that there were a couple surprises waiting upstairs for him.  One was a wonderful (and oh so big!) pretend garage, a birthday present that arrived late last night from his aunt and uncle.

The other surprise was my solution to Little People.

How Things Wind Up Under The Stove

Peel Appeal

Now that Levi is hitting the 14-month mark, he's into things that challenge his fine motor skills.  Stickers, for starters.  I have a notebook that is devoted to his drawings and his stickers.  After breakfast I slip him his notebook and a few sheets and watch as he figures out how to bend the sheet back just so, until the sticker peels off.  He figured out how to transfer the sticker from his fingers to the paper, so that part he got down pat.  Removing the sticker from the sheet is still an occasional challenge.

Then today something in the air shifted.