Tag Archives: marmite et ponpon

Bring the sea to the bath

Posted on August 21, 2014 | 5 comments

A great and simple way to bring the sea to the bathtub and add more fun to the bath.

In previous times we explored other fun activities to enjoy the bath time and encourage sensory play such as “the bathtub paint” and “water balloons”.

Today we created a small sea world in our bathtub simply by adding cyan color gel to the water and tucked in all the sea creatures that we have with nady’s favorite toys.

We are back in doha, the weather is too hot reaching almost 45ºC. This playtime was an opportunity to beat the heat, enjoy the bath and introduce new vocabulary words.

When you try this play you will notice how hard to stop it! Nady can play for hours with water without giving any sign of boredom. He manages to invent games not to step out of the tub. The advantage of messy play in the bath is you can contain all the mess and clean up easily.

Nothing will spoil this prolonged fun except the non desirable temperature of the water. It’s a sign to stop the play and take the bath!

Bon Bain Nady!

5 Comments

Posted in way to play

Tagged bathtub fun, blog, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, sea to your tub, sensory play, small sea world in the bathtub, way to play

refreshing cantaloupe and watermelon in ginger sugar syrup

Posted on August 16, 2014 | 7 comments

It’s time to fly back to our nest in doha. Filling our luggage with lebanese goods and our hearts with ample dose of fun and love. It was a mahragénial* vacation!

Obviously, we can never get used to goodbyes, but we learnt to be optimistic with a “see you soon” shower of kisses.

We will miss you all so much until we meet again. Antoun, here we come for sure!

As i greeted you from lebanon with the fresh lemonade, I will leave you with a fresher cantaloupe and watermelon salad with ginger sugar sauce.

To make this delicious salad you need: (yields 4 servings)

2 cups watermelon (cut in balls shape)
2 cups cantaloupe (cut in balls shape)

If you don’t have this special utensil, you can cut in cubes or wedges.

To make the ginger syrup you need:

1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh ginger sliced and left unpeeled

Bring to boil water, sugar and ginger then simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and let it cool in the refrigerator.

Once the syrup is cold, soak in the cantaloupe and watermelon for at least an hour, keeping it in the refrigerator

Serve it cold and jazz it up with couple of mint leaves, not just for a beautiful presentation, but for the taste that it adds.

Stay tuned for more posts from doha. I won’t be late!

*mahragénial: is a composed word meaning splendid festivities, quoting Rawad Matar. I promised to use the word in my last post from lebanon.

mahragen مهرجان (arabic word) meaning festival
génial (french word) meaning brilliant

7 Comments

Posted in dessert

Tagged blog, cantaloupe, fruit salad, ginger, how to do, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, melon, mint, recipe, syrup, watermelon

chalk spray art for your kids

Posted on August 14, 2014 | Leave a comment

It’s a definite outdoor activity; so much fun but so messy, I am telling you! (but since it’s a washable paint don’t worry).

Lucky us we have a beautiful space at jeddo and teta house, but still my little artist manage to spray the walls, plants, curtains… leaving behind memorable pieces of art.

To make the chalk sprayable paint you need:

spraying bottles
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup baking soda
3 cups warm water
food coloring gel (wilton as i always recommend)

You have to really mix well until all dissolved, and shake it before starting to spray.

The world of water, colors and art provides a soothing sensory experience and it’s an excellent avenue for children to learn physical, cognitive and social skills. I love those kind of messy activities, It’s an important part of early education. Children will be given the tools to develop and practice fine motor skills, for instance, spraying bottles are great for developing kids tiny hand muscles.

Get down on the floor with your child. You are the ultimate plaything, and any activity will seem more fun if your child can share it with you. Introduce the game and let your child improvise. But always talk to him while you play and you’ll help boost his language skills.

Chalk spray art develops concentration, problem-solving and planning. He learns how to aim correctly, but trust me in the beginning he will spray everywhere.

This game is open ended. You can introduce the brush or your kid favorite play thing. Nady decided to spray the balloons, his favorite toy. He was extremely happy!

Small tip: If your bottle nozzles are clogging, means the inner tubing is touching the floor of the bottle. You only need to snip off a small piece of the tube so it doesn’t sit in the residual corn starch and get clogged.

Happy playing!

water balloons pinata

Posted on August 13, 2014 | 6 comments

The perfect fun game for hot summer days. We are taking advantage of still being in lebanon to enjoy the outdoor plays. Fill up some balloons and tie them to a rope. Give your child a stick to whack them and let the fun begin!

Splashing fun is always a success, you can increase the fun by adding colors to the water or hiding a small object in the balloons, kids love surprises and having small things in bigger.

We used helium strength balloons, so the popping itself wasn’t easy for Nady (19 months) but he really enjoyed the gush of water, he was really soaked. I was so proud of him trying to pop the balloons, whacking hard at them which develops problem solving and fine motor skills.

This game will be spectacular for a birthday party! I highly rate this game for a large group of kids of all ages.

6 Comments

Posted in DIY, way to play

Tagged blog, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, pinata, summer activity, water activity, water balloons, water balloons pinata, way to play

embellish your simple cheese appetizer

Posted on August 12, 2014 | Leave a comment

Appetizers are meant to stimulate your appetite! The more attractive they look, the more inviting they are. Embellish your simple cheese appetizer and let beauty be on your plate.

Mix feta cheese with dried thyme or italian herbs then shape them into balls. On a cracker (i used ritz) place a small frisé lettuce then the ball of cheese. Halve a cherry tomato and place it on top.

Isn’t that too cute to eat? Impress your guests with simple and quick appetizers. I will post more ideas of beautiful and attractive starters. Stay tuned!