This weekend amongst boards games, play dough, reading and Playmobil, our weather (mercifully) warmed up and we headed to the zoo. Daddy stayed home with little brother so he wouldn’t miss his nap and we were joined by a sweet friend and one of her sweet little guys.

Raffi was sung (bonus points if you can guess which song).

Hat hair saw the light of day.

Friends were made.

Snacks were enjoyed.

Mittens were removed.

It was wonderful.

It gets so easy for me to hibernate during these short, winter days. After the cold we’ve had it has been a sweet relief to get out and enjoy the sun without the wind burning our faces red. Although spring is still months away it is nice to be reminded that the promise of spring never fails. Days lengthen, snow melts and flowers bloom.

For now, we’ll enjoy them in the conservatory.

Hope your weekend was lovely, too!

After his bath on Saturday morning my baby still looked like my baby.

But he had a date with daddy at the hairdresser’s.

He was very brave – although rather stoic.

He sat still like a pro – while considering his transition into boyhood.

He got lots of attention when he came home suddenly looking so much more like his older brother.

But look at all that sweet neck just begging for a kiss.

I thought my baby would be all grown up but he is definitely still my baby.

If only for one more day.

This week we decided to get our hands dirty with play dough. We’ve made it before but I was reminded how much we love it after reading this post at Sew Liberated. I dreamt of making it in multiple different colours, scented with different essential oils until I checked my box of cream of tartar…only enough for one batch. The vote for peppermint blue won and we’ll restock for next time.

This is such a simple recipe – even with four helpers elbowing up to the pot. In less than 15 minutes we were digging our hands into the lovely, warm dough. So therapeutic! The best part: quiet play, no fighting and forgotten cabin fever for a solid hour.

Play Dough

1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Optional: food colouring (I used paste colour) and essential oil of your choice

Mix your dry ingredients in a pot, add the food colouring to the water and pour over the dry ingredients. Cook over medium heat for 4 – 6 minutes, stirring constantly. It looks a little worrying at times – very lumpy – but then suddenly you see a dough beginning to form. Stir it a few more times until it no longer looks watery. Scoop it out onto wax paper or a counter, knead it a few times and you are done!

These hands were very eager to dive in!

The peppermint was so wonderful and, rather to my surprise, no one tried to eat it!

Such a nice way to stay warm inside on a cold winter day.