• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Veggie Mama

Where friendly veg recipes and the 90s combine.

  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Freelance Writing and Editing/Social Media Services
  • Recipes
    • Baking
    • Basics
    • Breakfast
    • Kid Food
    • Lunchbox
      • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
    • Soup
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks
    • Dessert / Sweet Things
    • Special Occasion
    • Party Food + Little Bits
    • Sauces / Relishes / Jams
    • Drinks
  • Life + Family
    • Health + Happiness
    • Kid Food
    • Blogging
    • Motherhood
    • The Throne Rangers Podcast: For Big Fans of the Royal Fam
    • I’m a ’90s kid
      • Sweet Teen Club Podcast
    • The Veggie Mama Dream Book
  • Home + Hearth
    • Around the Home
    • Grow your own food
    • Read
    • Make
    • Activities for toddlers
    • Craft
    • Stuff For Kids
  • Travel
  • Throne Rangers Podcast

The clueless mum’s guide to a nature table

November 22, 2013 by Stacey 14 Comments

I like pretending I’m down with the natural parents. We have modelling beeswax and blocks made from sustainable artisan wood sources, our play kitchen is made from eco-friendly materials and painted with non-toxic paint. A lot of our stuff is handmade, homemade, op-shopped and recycled. I really do feel an affinity for that type of environment, and I try to incorporate the ideas and experiences as much as I can.nature-table-3And then they watch four episodes of Cloudbabies in a row and fight over the Littlest Pet Shop animals.nature-table-4I just cant resist those damn little bug-eyed creatures.nature-table-5It is important to me that they get outside and get thoroughly grotty, digging up worms and finding sticks. They are just starting to be interested in a wider range of things, and Abby’s capacity for understanding conceptual things is growing so fast I can barely keep up. So the idea of a nature table is something she can grasp and almost see the value of, rather than just think it is a bunch of rocks on a table, just another thing to fling to the floor on the quest for complete destruction.nature-table-6So it’s time for me to pretend I know what I’m doing. While Pepper is eating sand, and Abby bobs around in the surf on her “skateboard” (she can understand a nature table, but not remember the word “kickboard”), I dig about and find some fun things for them to look at and touch.nature-table-7I also still scream when I very nearly stand on a jellyfish.

I am so not cut out for the natural world.
nature-table-8But if anything, washing these items gives the brats something to do (when they’re not fighting over the bowl and the washer), and some cool stuff for show and tell at day care.nature-table

So we leave them in the sun to dry, and pop them on a little table to touch and talk about.nature-table-2And then ignore in favour of a Littlest Pet Shop peacock.

 

Filed Under: For Kids, Motherhood

Previous Post: « Cycle in style with a $500 giveaway of cool bike stuff! {ended}
Next Post: Meatless Monday: Five vegan dinner ideas »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Eva Iezzi says

    November 22, 2013 at 10:17 am

    I kinda hope my baby has crazy-hair like Peps!

    Reply
    • Veggie Mama says

      November 22, 2013 at 1:13 pm

      I will cut it in the middle of the night like Drop Dead Fred x

      Reply
  2. Lisa Mckenzie says

    November 22, 2013 at 12:33 pm

    God your kids are cute Stacey so like you and I am pretty clueless about stuff like that! It is great you are letting the girls play in the dirt and wash rocks and shells such great fun for kids you are on the right track xx

    Reply
    • Veggie Mama says

      November 22, 2013 at 1:13 pm

      I am equal parts excited and frightened of the mud pie years.

      Reply
  3. Bek @ Just For Daisy says

    November 22, 2013 at 2:24 pm

    You made me laugh out loud!
    We have a good mix of plastic crap and natural, handmade etc etc toys!
    We also do not have commercial TV… haven’t hooked it up in nearly 2 years! But my 3yo can get ABC for Kids on the iPad (which is always charged!) in seconds and we play DVD’s on our TV all the time.
    Thanks for your honest look at the reality of life!! xx hehe!

    Reply
    • Veggie Mama says

      November 26, 2013 at 9:16 pm

      Yes, YouTube on the iPad gets quite the workout around here. We’re not big TV watchers, but gosh a run of Peppa Pig in the afternoon gives everyone some much-needed time out haha. Can’t quite shake the lure of the cutesy plastic every now and then 😉

      Reply
  4. Emmas Brain says

    November 22, 2013 at 3:21 pm

    Ha! I like to think I live as resourcefully as I can, but sometimes when you have kids, its important to be resourceful with your energy and patience too, and for me, that means I will resort to convenience if needed, and I’m OK with that.
    Also, littlest pet shops?!? Andie is MENTAL for them!! I never thought I’d find something more painful to tread on in the middle of the night than Lego, but littlest pet shops, man.. they hurt like a mo fo. Xx

    Reply
    • Veggie Mama says

      November 26, 2013 at 9:15 pm

      So far they’re still outnumbered by vintage My Little Ponies, so the ratio is just right. But I love your summation about resourcefulness – that is AMAZING. I will be remembering that one x

      Reply
  5. MotherDownUnder says

    November 23, 2013 at 12:58 pm

    I went for a “hike” the other day…a walk on a paved path through the bush. And I got a tick and was bitten by an ant! I also saw a huge snakeskin!
    Back to the cafe for me!

    Reply
    • Veggie Mama says

      November 26, 2013 at 9:14 pm

      Oh the tick would have had me scurrying for cover! Someone once asked me “sand or grass?” and I answered “carpet”.

      Reply
  6. Sarah@SnippetsandSpirits says

    November 25, 2013 at 12:25 am

    Very hilarious . I like you’re idea and you’re willingness to go through with it despite the littlest plastic pet shop conquering the “nature” table. Keep trying they will appreciate it some day ………….

    Reply
    • Veggie Mama says

      November 26, 2013 at 9:13 pm

      I will win them over with nature! Goddammit!

      Reply
  7. Bridie @ Miss And Misters says

    November 26, 2013 at 3:02 pm

    Ah motherhood, helping us to perfect those outward smiley carefree ‘isn’t-nature-the-freakin-best!’ sighs, while concealing that ‘ew-chicken-pooey-muddy-is-that-a-spider?!?’ angst.

    Reply
    • Veggie Mama says

      November 26, 2013 at 9:11 pm

      You nailed it. Where I hold myself back from shrieking when a worm touches me. Look girls, a worm, isn’t it amazing?!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

 photo bloglovin_zpsc08b1cb6.png photo facebook_zpsbe931930.png photo pinterest_zps5f953e84.png photo twitter_zps0bd5425a.png photo instagram_zps798a3f4e.png photo google_zpsfc9b6d2c.png

View posts by category

View posts by month

Dispatch from the Kitchen Front

Sign up for the newsletter - it's a Very Nice Time.

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

Blogroll

  • Motherwho
  • Normal Ness
  • Champagne Cartel
  • Pinky Poinker
  • Not Quite Nigella
  • Down to Earth
  • Local is Lovely
  • Practising Simplicity
  • Green Kitchen Stories
  • Cooker and a Looker
  • Allison Tait Author
  • Fat Mum Slim
  • Lunch Lady
  • The Art of Simple
  • Design Mom
  • Baby Mac
  • Blossom Heart Quilts
  • My Darling Lemon Thyme
  • Picklebums
  • Kimba Likes
  • The Annoyed Thyroid
  • Mogantosh
  • Posie Gets Cozy
  • The Plumbette
  • Patchwork Cactus
  • Naomi Loves
  • Attic 24
  • The Back Yard Lemon Tree
  • Clairey Hewitt
  • Whole Family Rhythms
  • Local Milk
  • Me and Orla
  • Foxslane
  • Meet Me at Mikes
  • Lavender and Lovage
  • Smaggle
  • Samelia's Mum
  • Suger Coat It
  • The Little Mumma
  • MagnetoBoldToo
  • Apples Under My Bed
  • Miss Chardy
  • Faux Fuchsia
  • 101 Cookbooks
  • Cook Suck
  • Hugo & Elsa
  • Our Ash Grove
  • From Berkshire to Buckingham
  • The Pioneer Woman
  • Woogsworld
  • I Spy Plum Pie
  • Tinned Tomatoes
  • Style and Shenanigans
  • The Shady Baker
  • Duchess Kate
  • Handbag Mafia
  • Styling You
  • My Wholefood Romance

The Organic Place Recipe Roundup #3

Gnocchi with Ratatouille Sauce

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress