Steven and Chris ... you need me!

For those of you that are fans on my Facebook page will recognize this awesome picture....
I have mad graphic design skills non??

You see, Sprogs was in the Steven and Chris blog a while back because of the awesome-ness that is the Dripstick (see the picture above).

It's one of the smartest inventions in the history of the universe (give or take computers, paper clips and the like). I didn't invent it, because if I did, I'd be on the beach some where right now with Tina Fey having a glass of wine...I digress.

I love finding cool products for kids. I love mom/dad invented products because who knows kids better than moms and dads? No ONE! Icing on the cake? Mom and Dad products for kids made by Canadians.

Small biz in Canada is so important, and many of these small business are started by Moms (and dads) who are raising their families and making the world a better place.

My world is made better by the Dripstick. Fact.

Another fact: my parents give my kids popsicles until they are ill. My dad will only give them to them when he can put them in the Dripstick. Sad that's his only caveat with giving them so much sugary syrup. BUT if your dad is on board with it, it's gotta be good.

Back to Steven and Chris. I think I should be on their show with the awesome products for kids by moms.

I've tweeted them, facebooked them and even done my own (sad) graphics, so now I'm blogging them and I'm even gunna send them an email. That's right, an EMAIL. I mean business.

So Steven and Chris, can I come party? Can I come on a day when the Cocktail Deeva is there, because she is an awesome twitter Goddess...and I might need a drink!

Stop the Paper Towel Madness!

You know when your kid is old enough for the sugar rush and artificial colours for a freezie, they're officially a big kid. My parents, using the "Grandparent Code", inducted my kids early into this tradition. Unfortunately when you're two trying to eat one it's a bit tricky.

1. It's cold on your little 2 year old hands
2. The ice pop hides at the bottom of the plastic container thing and nothing they do can make it to their little mouths (insert whining and crying).

Well, since I am now officially old hat at this (old hat...my eldest is 6, I'm not THAT old!!) I kept figuring that there is some one out there in the universe that would make the whining stop. I guess I could make my parents stop giving them freezies, but they go temporarily deaf when I talk. 

And then there are yoghurt tubes. Much more nutritious...same issue.

Then. I. Found. These....

Pop Pals!! They're made out of silicone AND have a space at the top and bottom for freezies and yoghurt tubes. 

I tried them out with the frozen yoghurt tube, and here's my super scientific experiment. Don your protection glasses ladies and gents:

           
                    

It totally worked. I'm impressed. 

The Pop Pals come in four colours and come in packs of two, Pink/Yellow and Blue/Green and can be bought at your favourite online children's store Sprogs!! http://www.sprogs.ca/pop-pals/

Fairy Houses Sproggy Style

My 5 year old daughter loves fairies, and flowers and well anything that is pink and shiny and has glitter. I remember as a kid my family telling tales about where fairies live, and that if I didn't behave a banshee was going to get me...wait was that the story I just told my kid? W'oops. 

Fairies, in my family history, live in the bottoms of trees where the roots jut out of the ground. Here we are in Ireland last month looking for them! See... they're riiiiiight in there. 

I was on the internet last week and came across this website called Fairy Houses and it shows you how to build your own fairy house using things from nature. 

What is a Fairy House? Well unlike the one that the little girl made in that recent Tinkerbelle movie, these are pretty basic. Here's what the website says:

Fairy Houses are small structures for the fairies and nature’s friends to visit. 

Sticks, bark, dry grasses, pebbles, shells, feathers, seaweed, pine cones and nuts 

are just some of the natural materials used. Ranging from rustic to intricate ‘Fairy Mansions’, 

these whimsical habitats are built by children, families, gardeners and 

nature lovers reflecting their creativity, joy and pride.

The girls and I collected some sticks, rocks, pine cones and started to build our own fairy house. We were afraid that one of our dogs would pee on it...truth...so thankfully I had recently killed a plant (RIP lavender plant) so we started to build the fairy house in the pot of the dead plant. 

What was perfect was that I still had some potting flowers, so we planted some flowers too, and I felt like a genius. 

Our little Fairy House turned out perfect if I don't mind saying, and the girls loved it. Now we need a toadstool there (like in the Sprogs logo) and to irritate my husband, possibly a gnome or two?? Maybe three?? 

Here's our final creation:

**

Pretty easy, pretty awesome and the kids think I have a link into the fairy world because I obviously know what fairies like. I think one of these days I'm going to sprinkle some glitter in there so it looks like a fairy was really there. 

**NB: The fairy house doesn't quite look like this now, because the wind pretty much blew it down, and then the son and a soccer ball...yeah, there were a lot of little girls screaming when he did that!