Aqueduck Faucet Extender//Small Stuff

Oh Pinterest, you never cease to inspire me - to embark on fun creative projects, cook yummy dishes and buy lots of fun stuff.  Key word here being 'inspire' - ahem, I've definitely only done a small percentage of the things I've pinned.  I'm just being real. 


I pinned this a while ago.  Now that my little guy isn't so little anymore, it's harder to carry him each time he needs to wash his hands.  Even with a stool he can't quite reach the water.  


I ended up buying 2 of these gadgets. One for each of the sinks he uses most.  I just got them today and the picture above is our 1st test run. So far so good!  What I love about them is that they're portable, so they'll be coming with us on weekend trips along with our mini foldable stool. 


What is it? The Aqueduck Faucet Extender by Peachy
How much is it? $12.99
Where can you buy it? I bought mine on Amazon and since I bought 2 and spent at least $25, I was eligible for Amazon's free super saver shipping.  I think you can also purchase it on Peachy's website. 

meet max

meet max. he's been a part of our little family for about a month now. isn't he just adorable? as you can see, he's quite the little hipster with his plaid shirt, bandana and jean shorts.  he's definitely the cutest and funkiest little boy doll i've ever seen. 

i had been searching for a boy doll for chase and when i spotted max on opposite of far [an etsy store], i just knew i wanted to invite him to be a part of our family. i'm sure you would have done the same. ;)

 

you might be wondering what started my doll search in the first place. i strongly believe in how important imaginative play is for chase's age. for us, it gives chase a way to process things he's learning about - whether it's about the general world around him, people close to him or himself. i also love how it gives chase a fun way to enhance his creativity.       

chase often cooks for max. he feeds him overflowing bowls of wooden fruit and veggies. he plays basketball with him. 'they' often toss a ball back and forth to one another. on most nights, chase puts max to sleep by placing him face down on his playroom mat and then kisses him good night.  sometimes, chase comes home amused to find max doing something new, like reading a book. in this way, i love that max provides me with an opportunity to guide chase to certain activities.  

each day seems to bring a new way of interacting with max.  i'm excited to see how much their relationship will blossom and how much chase's imagination will continue to expand. 

p.s. if you're in the market for a handmade doll, check out opposite of far.  each item in the shop is completely handmade with tons of love. when max arrived, he came with a handwritten thank you card, a photo and a cute little tag. i love little details like that. don't you? 

small stuff // giggle

thanks to giltcity.com, i have some serious gift card money to burn at giggle. have you heard of it? it's THE cUuUtest little kids store.  they're big on cute stuff, bright colors and modern design. i loooooove eye candy and giggle definitely satisfies that sweet tooth. here are a few things i've had my eye on. 

this adOOOOOOrable book. i mean, seriously, 

how can you resist that cute slobbery face? 

chase already has a kitchen and cookware, 

but this and this make me want to upgrade ;)

i blogged about p'kolino activity tables before, 

so you may know that i'm head over heals for their orange furniture. 

this chalkboard storage bench and art easel 

also by p'kolino are no exception.

this drum set is perfect for my little rock n roller. ;)

  

i'm on the lookout for dress up items for chase.

i think this crown and pirate hat are so cute! 

this p'kolino clothes tree and cubino chair are adorable!

thanks for stopping by and letting me share my latest shopping obsession. i'm off to bed now. but first, i'm going to peak @ my lil guy, who is sound asleep in his crib with 'baby' aka his rocket pillow. good night! 

small play // toy rotation

as i put together chase's play space, i knew i wanted to start rotating his toys. this post is a peak into my take on toy rotation, which is pretty simple. at any given moment, a big portion of chase's toys are hidden so that he only has access to some of them at a time.

then, when there's a need for something 'new' to spark curiosity, excitement and energy, 1 or more toys in 'active rotation' that have gotten 'stale' get swapped for something that was hidden. sometimes the 'something hidden' is a new toy altogether, such as a gift that we saved for later. and sometimes the toy is an older toy he's had all along. in either case, he's excited because they both feel new.

my approach

the first thing i did was remove toys that chase has outgrown. some of those will get passed on to others and some will get saved for the next little peanut. then i started to take inventory of what was left by grouping like toys with one another. puzzles got grouped with other puzzles, books with books, moving vehicles with moving vehicles, etc.

then, within each group i selected toys for active rotation. these were organized in chase's play space, accessible for him to play with. the rest were hidden. i only left out enough toys that would fit into the shelves and bins of his play area. it was important to me that the space did not looked cramped, that there was plenty of open space. for me, ample open space allows positive and creative energy to flow.

i left out a decent selection of puzzles, shape sorters, stacking toys, etc. at the moment, these are toys that i want chase to spend more time playing with. not all the time, just more than he was before we started toy rotation. i also left out toys that he plays with consistently - like his basketball hoop.

(this b-ball hoop gets the most play time so imagine it'll be a permanent fixture and won't be rotated out anytime soon)

rotation

rotating a new (or new again) toy every now and then adds a dimension of discovery to chase's day. it's always fulfilling to see him get reacquainted with an old toy or to become familiar with a new one. either way, i watch him tinker and figure things out. i'm analytical myself so i love to observe him in these moments.

i don't have a schedule, per se, of when i rotate. i really just pay close attention to chase's energy each day - as a whole or towards a specific toy. i rotate as i start to notice that he's gotten bored with certain toys or when his overall level of engagement with play in general seems off for extended periods.

what i've learned

i've realized that a big part of toy rotation is the excitement that accompanies that sense of newness. when toys aren't getting much action, my toy rotation more often involves presenting them in a different way. i move a toy he doesn't play with often to another area within his play space.

(toys that were on his tv stand a couple of weeks ago)

usually, if it's a toy that i would like him to play with more, i place it on the tv stand. he tends to gravitate towards this play surface so the toys on top always get tons of his attention. sometimes i pair an unloved toy with one he spends a lot of time with. i love that these little things allow me to guide his play while still allowing him to make the choice of what he plays with.

(pooh bear was getting a lot of play time a couple of weeks ago so each day i placed him next to another toy that i wanted him to play with more)

(i tend to leave some sort of puzzle on top of the tv stand [his play surface] where he gravitates the most. i move the puzzle pieces out of place so that it's already ready for play. as his skills have developed, the puzzle pieces have moved further away from their slots or have rotated more)

(when i rotated in this new stacking toy, i placed it on the tv stand to spotlight that a new toy had made it's way into his play space. chase was thrilled to see it as soon as he entered his play area)

some things i might try

he has such a short attention span at this age so i might try hiding all toys one day and only leaving out a variety of one type of toy/activity. so, for a day that i might want to designate for arts and crafts, i might only leave out things that support that type of activity (paper, crayons, fingerpaint, coloring pages, stamps, etc. or when i want to foster imagination, i might only leave out things that generate that type of play such as a stuffed animal, his toy kitchen, puppets, etc.

what i love so far

what i love most about toy rotation is how much more meaningful play has become. maybe it's just me reading into something more than what's actually there, but it feels like he's learning more. because there's less stuff to distract him he spends more thoughtful play with each toy. some other reasons i love the system...

1. less clutter [can i get an amen?!]
2. less things to manage
3. it's easy for chase to see what he has, which makes it easy for him to make decisions about what he wants to play with
4. chase learns to value what he has
5. chase learns to take care of his possessions

i hope you found something here that sparked an idea for your method of play. be sure to share! i'd love to hear about it.

small stuff//activity table

as we transition to life with a toddler, i've been dreaming up fun activities to do with chase, who is now 13 months old. but first, we need the right space to inspire us both.  we're window shopping for an activity table that: 

• is cute. modern. affordable. (the table above is cute & modern, but affordable it is not!)
• has plenty of storage
• has chairs that we can scoot under the table, while chase is sitting in it

i still need to decide on the table top. i'm on the fence about wanting a table with a lip, similar to those found on train tables. a nice feature for some activities, not so nice with others.

so we haven't picked a table out just yet.  in the meantime, though, i just had to share these options i came across from P'kolino. aren't they the cutest? and the best part? they're pretty affordable, a rarity with modern design.  

i love the bold orange, the price ($90!), reversible table top & hidden storage.  if only the chairs had backs to them. it's sold exclusively at giggle. 

the chairs on this table are a safer bet for my little guy. but with all of the crafting and play we're planning on doing, we may need a bigger table. 

do you have an activity table you love or would love to own? please do share! i'd love to take a peak.