Butterflies collage

Inspiration:
For this craft, I was inspired by two of Margaux's favorites: Eric Carle's book "The very hungry caterpillar" and her love of magazines and catalogs.
Tools: 
Craft paper, cutouts from a catalog, Elmer's© purple glitter glue (washable, non toxic, this was a great find)
How To: 
- Simply cutout shapes in the pages of a catalog while your toddler naps
- Stick the page to a desk preferably
- Let your toddler put glitter glue on all the cutouts (Margaux got excited with this and overloaded on it!)
- Help him/her place them on the paper if needed but random placement from your toddler is best even if they overlap :)

Margaux makes a bird feeder

The weather was beautiful out and we could hear birds sing...perfect day to make Margaux's first bird feeder!

This is very simple to make and your toddler will most certainly enjoy tasting the cheerios in the process. There is some fun in there throughout the whole process. We don't eat Cheerios© so actually just walking to the store to get some is an activity in itself when you have a toddler!

Tools:
Floral wire
Cheerios©
A ribbon

How To:
- Cut a string of floral wire and shape it in a heart. Repeat as many times as you want hearts
- Let your toddler thread some cheerios© all around the wire
- Loop the hearts together and twist the wire to tie
- Tie a ribbon through the bird feeder to hang on a branch

Birthday sparkles

Margaux is 16 months old now and has reached the age of the busy toddler who is very curious and loves to try new things. We've had an incredibly white Winter to say the least, with snow days multiple times a week. How do you occupy a toddler in that case? Lots of CRAFTS.
It was my husband's birthday in January and a great occasion to try our first craft project. I got the idea from a friend of mine who has two children and is a lot more experienced than me on this. The concept is simple, gives pretty results and is definitely "toddler-approved".

Inspiration:
The view of the Eiffel Tower from our home when we lived in Paris
Tools: 
Heavy cardboard paper, sequins or glitters, Playskool© glue, pencil, cookie cutter
How To: 
- Draw your desired shape using a cookie cutter on the cardboard (a simple shape is best)
- Help your toddler squeeze some glue onto the drawing
- Let your toddler place sequins/glitters all over
- Let the artwork dry for about 30 mns
- Gently shake to remove the excess sequins

Keeping warm

This winter is a rough one. Gorgeous with the many heavy snow storms covering everything in white, but bitterly cold and unpractical.
I had just finished a project using some silver grey yarn and had some leftover yarn. Legwarmers definitely seemed appropriate. Here's Margaux modelling them.

Stay warm everyone!

Wishing my readers and all the babies out there many magical moments, joy and good eats throughout 2014!

A la Maud

x

Baby shells with carrots, onions and golden raisins

An easy and quick but tasty dinner which is perfect to make on a busy night.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of small shells
• 2 tablespoons of sliced onion
• 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon golden raisins

Cook the small shells in boiling water with the carrots for 12 minutes and set aside. In a saucepan brown the onions with the sunflower oil for 2 minutes. Mix together with the golden raisins.

Dhal of coral lentils cooked in coconut milk and bulghur with coriander

Margaux's first Indian Meal!
I loved the idea of giving Margaux the opportunity to try new spices while making it all within the proportions that are right for a 12 months old baby.

This is a recipe from Jenny Carenco, "Mon livre de recettes pour Bébé"

Babies 12 months and up
This makes 5 dinners which you can freeze

Ingredients:

• 3dl/10 oz of coral lentils
• 5 tomatoes
• 4 carrots
• 25cl/8.5 oz coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 200g/7oz bulgur
• 5 leaves of fresh coriander, minced

- Wash the carotts and tomatoes. Peel the carrots and dice them. Cut the tomatoes in cubes.
- In a saucepan, cover the lentils with water and bring to a boil. Cook at medium heat for 10 mns then drain.
- Put the bulgur in saucepan with 14oz water, bring to a boil and let cook for 10mns at medium heat (the water will have been absorbed).
- In a pan, heat the sunflower oil and garlic, cook for a minute then add the carrots and tomatoes. Add the spices and tomato paste then mix in well.
- Add the coconut milk and let cook for 10 mns. you can mix with a blender if your abby prefers a thinner texture.
- Add the lentils
- Serve with the bulgur topped with fresh coriander leaves, thinly sliced