Protecting Play in the Covid Era

 

Love the wise wisdom of Sally over at Fairy Dust Teaching as always ... the Covid era requirement to physically distance goes against everything in our nature as advocates of the early years, of how children learn and the vital role of PLAY for all learners but specially for young learners!

Physically distancing flies in the nature of all of that but if we are forced to be doing it in order to be open and offering program we definitely need to get creative in ensuring that our programs are still based in true play invitations and in a manner that is still welcoming and able to move and flow with children's interests and needs - our children do not belong in a 'taped box' on the floor!

Sally has a great blog post to go with this here:

 

Some of the other 'space definers' I have used in my own program to create individual play invitations are mirrors (if you apply duct tape to the back of a mirror it helps to create an inexpensive break resistant option as if it does get dropped the pieces all stay stuck to the tape) .... not only do they define a play space but they also provide explorations in reflection, depth, patterning and more learning through explorations!

 

Another option for defining play spaces are the slip mats for in a sink that have 'squares' in them .... they create natural 'grid and patterning' invitation for children when loose parts are added to them! Can also be added to the top of a light table as well!

 

Another add on idea is the good ole ice cube tray with loose parts added .... here the children are exploring with water and pipettes to create lots of color recipes! 

Final offering today for individual invitations to play is the under the bed rubbermaid container ... they are perfect for water, sensory and small world play invitations and they stack and store out of the way when not in use!

 

Have an amazing day!

 

Margaret

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life 

The Art of a Heartfelt Apology

I love the Devereux Centre for Resilient Children they have amazing resources for both educators and parents! 

 I subscribe to their email blasts to get the latest webinars options and resources right in my inbox.

Today's offering had a link to the 'art of the heartfelt apology' - watch for some quick tips and reminders for making an apology meaningful because lets face it we ALL make mistakes in life and a heartfelt apology is the first step in making amends and the 'sorry' is sometimes just not enough.

Handy little 'apology planner' for using with children as they learn the steps for making an apology!

Have an amazing day

Margaret

Live, Laugh, Love 

Be Totallyawake4-life

Friday night snacking low carb style

One of the biggest challenges or hurtles to creating a 'new lifestyle' is getting over the connection we have between memories/traditions and unhealthy food choices .... normally Friday night has always had the tradition of 'winding down' after a long week of work life balance so we curl up on the couch with a drink in one had and a carbalicous snack in the other! So it is hard when those memories clues of it being Friday night and choosing our movie or in this case Netflix binge option of the series You sets off a 'craving' for popcorn on me!

But not this time cravings .... tonights Friday night movie time is about to begin and I am ready with the  “popcorn habit” replacement ... bacon chips with some of my carefully rationing Epicure cheesy jalapeño dip 💕💕

What is your ultimate low carb snack option? Drop me a line in the comments!

Bon Appetite 

Margaret

Live, Laugh, Love 

Be Totallyawake4-life

#lowcarb #keto #grainfree #celiac #autoimmunedisease #snacks #epicure #epiclifechallenge #nomnom 

Scrapbook Nerd 'Stash busting' Online Crop Recipe Challenge

 Margaret here guest designing for the Scrapbook Nerds! 

This week we are having an online scrapbook stash busting crop - come join us over on Facebook for a chance to play along and use up some of your crafty stash and enter challenges for a chance to win FREE STUFF!

 This is my recipe challenge ....hope you are inspired to play along!

 

I had fun playing with the Ernest and Zelie Gnomes from Carabelle and coloring them with my Blends markers from Stampin' Up! They make coloring a breeze!

 

You can create such a fun background layer using the new oxide sprays from Tim Holtz ... mixed media so much fun! I than embossed it with a retired brick embossing folder. Added some bling with a Wink of Stella  and added some cute little star embellishments from my sequins stash. 

Finally I created a custom 'Gnome School's Cool' sentiment from my retired stash stamp set Skinny Miny Letters from Stampin' Up! I love alphabet stamp sets they are perfect for making custom sentiments! I have the Pink Fresh Adore alpha on my wishlist!

Happy Stampin'

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life

*this post contains affiliate links

 

I wasn’t going to post but than figured it could be helpful to others who love someone with auto immune disease to understand by hearing stories from those who live with it! 

 

Thursday night I went to bed with a migraine, the weather had been stormy so that was nothing new. Friday I woke up and my right ear felt like someone had injected too much Novocaine into it - totally numb to the point of pain. Thought might be an ear infection/sinus infection cause I had been in the pool the week before so tried to go to a walk in clinic but as we are trying to find one that is actually open this numbness starts spreading across my face and my vision starts going blurry and nausea sets in and than I couldn’t feel fingers or toes on the right side within 45 minute progression - so Paul is understandably concerned I am having signs of stroke so off to Vic emergency room we go. 

 

14 hours later and dozen tests and doctors poking around my head and eyes and get the reassuring news I do indeed have a brain and it’s looking awesome as are all my arteries looking good ... no sign of stroke visible so they are assuming either this is an auto immune response to a virus I must have come in contact with, despite the masking and hand washing and physical distancing when I do venture outside my house, or it’s on slaughter of diabetic neuropathy but the state of my one eye is a concern- they give me some gel stuff for it. Have to put on every two hours. Tell me I have to come back Monday for more tests. I spent the weekend basically sleeping and doing the two hour eye treatments all weekend.

 

Came back to hospital this morning had bunch more tests done on the eyes - apparently for some unknown reason my right eye isn’t blinking at the same rate as the left eye and the lids not closing fully when I shut my eyes and who knows if that was doing on before numb face or not - but it was so severely dry and causing wonky vision fissure things like if a glass broke they gave me new drops and the gel for at night to put in to hopefully repair issue and than continue to do a maintenance drop after couple months.

So all good and easily treated but one more thing to monitor in my lovely auto immune journey cause they still are not sure what caused the numbness on right side of body - or why the eyes not blinking or closing like it should but fingers crossed for the random response to a virus and not the diabetic nephropathy thing.

It can be exhausting sometimes not knowing what you will wake up too in the morning and the feeling like you are a drain on your loved ones being constantly unwell! The worrying people think your crazy or making symptoms up in your head to be attention seeking. Specially when you go to Dr. and they can’t find anything concrete to pin your symptoms on so they seem to be 'guessing' too! 

 

For now I am grateful this seems like an easy fix and praying that it’s just a virus and is going to randomly go away just like it randomly showed up.

 

 

Be safe!!!

 

Margaret

Live, Laugh Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

Scrapbook Nerd Sketch Challenge

Having fun this week playing along with the Scrapbook Nerd & Friends Sketch challenge by the lovely Milena!

I just can not get enough of the Picket Fences BFF My Tribe stamp set! So many uses for this stamp set ... I think they would be perfect for a bride to be to use to make as their 'Please join by bride tribe' invites for bridesmaids!

I paired it with leftover scraps from the lovely Vicki Boutin Wildflower & Honey patterned paper! I love these grid papers because they are prefect for both pocket scrapbooking AND quick card making!

 I just love how it came together. I added the sentiment 'We are Better Together' from the Altenew Sentiment set Better Together. I am kicking myself for being a lazy stamper and not pulling out my stamperatus to stamp the sentiment because I did not get the crisp stamped sentiment that I wanted in my first try nor my second flip it over and try again so had to choose the best of the two rather than waste paper ... alas one of the ways you know it is hand made is those little imperfections!

Happy Stampin'

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life  

*this post contains affiliate links

Better Together Sketch Challenge

Hello all - here today guest designing for the Scrapbook Nerds .... if you have not already come on over and join us on Facebook for some fun online crops and layout tags and of course contests for FREE STUFF from the amazing Joy!

I am using the Sunday Stamp's Sketch for inspiration! 

Using their sketch as inspiration for my card base and layering of paper I chose to play with the Altenew Sentiment set Better Together and pairing it with the BFF My Tribe stamp set from Picket Fences0

I just love how these two stamp sets compliment each other! I know I am going to have lots of fun coloring the My Tribe stamp set with my Stampin' Blends markers! I think I might have to get my Zentangle pattern books out to create some funky clothing options!

 Happy Stampin'

Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Be Totallyawake4-life

*this post contains affiliate links