Chai Latte

I've always been a fan of chai. Growing up I loved it. Today I love it. Chai lattes in cold weather, iced chai lattes in hot (or a chai milkshake!).... chai all year round!

My children want what I have, of course, and who could blame them when it's something as delicious as chai? Since I discovered Oregon Chai concentrate, I've been a happier mama. I emailed them to inquire about ingredients in their "spices". When I was pregnant, I took care to avoid fennel and anise. Neither Tazo chai concentrate nor Oregon chai concentrate listed the ingredients of their spices. I prefer the taste of Oregon chai by far, so when they emailed me back to tell me they do NOT have fennel or anise in their concentrate, I was ecstatic. 

They continued their email with:
"I would like to mention that we have recently introduced a line of chai tea bags, two of which DO contain ground anise seed, so you will want to avoid those for now. (These would be The Original and Energia.) The only one of the tea bags which does not contain ground anise seed is the caffeine-free Dreamscape. "

Good information to have! So, excitedly, I found their caffeine-free chai concentrate at the local grocery, and indulged in my favourite drink(s). I've continued to purchase the caffeine-free chai concentrate, as I'm still nursing Squiggle and she doesn't need the caffeine! That, and Bobble wants to share the drink, and he doesn't need that, either.


Long intro for a simple "recipe", but it's not really a recipe today so much as a suggestion for a lovely drink you can share with your children, caffeine-free.

If you're curious, no. I was not contacted by Oregon Chai to post for them, and I am not being compensated for this post. I just seriously love this product!

Chai Latte

• Oregon Chai Concentrate (Caffeine-free) 
• Milk of your choice (If you want a milk alternative, Oat milk is fabulous with this as it is a naturally sweet milk) 
• Whipped cream (you can make your own easily, or find a natural whipped cream like Cabot at Trader Joe's) 
• Cinamon

1 - Pour equal parts of chai concentrate and milk in a cup (you might want a little less concentrate if you are adding whipped cream... I always taste this cold before heating up to make sure I like the ratio).

2 - Heat small cup (for a child) for 30 seconds (will make nice and warm for them, but not hot), or 1-2 minutes for a large mug or to make hot.

3 - Add whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. 

Thursday Tip: Baby's legs and baby carriers

Babywearing is a great way to keep your little ones close while you do things and go places, but what about when the weather isn't so warm? Those little legs can get exposed to cold weather when being worn!

Project Pomona pants are a great option, as you can unroll the cuff a bit to cover the exposed leg while carrying your baby.

Don't have PP pants and need a solution now? Baby legs under the pants (but over the socks) will keep your little one covered.

I also will put leg warmers on Bobble if he insists on wearing pants with holes in the knees during chilly weather. It helps keep his skin from being exposed to the elements, lets him wear the pants he simply must wear for some reason (toddlers, eh?), and you can even coordinate the leg warmer(s) to match an outfit. He had stars on the last pair he wore with holy jeans.

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.

Thursday Tips: Baby carriers & cars

If you are a babywearer, odds are you like to leave a carrier in the car. It's pretty handy having a few carriers you can just leave in the car so you always have something on hand, but it can also be damaging to your carrier if you have something with plastic on it (like a SSC).

If you live in an area that experiences temperature extremes, you might want to reconsider leaving a SSC in your car. The extreme heat and extreme cold can really wear on the plastic buckles, and you could weaken them, lessening their life. Worse case scenario, it could break while you're wearing it.

I live in an area that experiences all four seasons, so I tend to leave my SSCs in my car in spring and autumn, bringing them inside during summer and winter. This isn't too much of a hassle for me since I already bring in my diaper bag during winter/summer to avoid ruining my diapers, freezing my wipe solution spray bottle, or melting my little one's diaper cream/stick.

If you have a a mei tai, woven wrap, or a ring sling with metal rings, I'd recommend leaving these in your car over a ssc. Not only will the temperatures not matter, but in cold weather the wrap or ring sling can serve as blankets for your little ones (just unthread the ringsling).

Vanamo wrap - Kide Tuli - as a blanket

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. 

Colouring

Like most moms out there, I sometimes find myself not spending enough time doing activities with my little ones. When it's warmer out, that's a lot easier. I could go outside and play with them, garden with them, take walks, etc. Even having them play near me while I garden or work in the yard is sometimes enough because we still get interaction.

When it gets colder, it isn't always so easy. Bobble loves doing puzzles and memory match card games. I love these games too, but Squiggle likes to destroy the game/puzzle or try to eat them. Some days I feel like we are limited to watching movies or shows together and that's it, but I don't want to just sit around all day and I sure don't want my kids doing that.

Lately, Bobble has taken to colouring. I mean really taken to colouring. He started with just scribbling, then progressed to a pretty neat rainbow colourscheme (below).

After a few weeks, he started colouring certain things inside the lines, leaving other parts of the picture rainbow (below).



Most recently, he's started colouring items all one colour... well, mostly (below). I admit, I miss that pretty neat rainbow of colours that didn't follow the lines at all.



Squiggle is also pretty intrigued by crayons so she likes to scribble away on paper. This morning, hubby got up and also started colouring a sportscar image while Squiggle coloured a dinosaur. Sadly, it was the last dinosaur. I was browsing online for some new colouring books when I realized they have some pretty awesome colouring books for adults or older children. I decided that I needed to purchase some of the more detailed books for hubby and myself.

Everyone was happily colouring together this morning and it was nice and quiet. Conversation, but no screaming or throwing things. It was very nice, and it wasn't the television. Granted, it was still sitting around, but it was using imagination and still interacting together. Much nicer. I think I might make it a weekly family thing, maybe set some time aside for us all to spend time together just colouring. It's a nice, calming activity, too. Win-win?

Here are a few of the books I was looking at (the pictures are links):

 

 

What do you do together as a family when it's not good outside weather?

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff is was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post contains affiliate links.