tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25247672826445406632024-03-13T06:34:44.299-06:00MOM.b.a. - Master's of my Baby AbilitiesDocumenting my education around my day-to-day adventures as a momMOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-382764315097462802015-02-18T10:20:00.001-07:002015-02-18T10:20:53.847-07:00Listmania: How to Survive Two Kids - Life with a Newborn and a Toddler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I was pregnant with my second child, I spent a lot of time trying to wrap my head around the logistics of parenting two children at two very different stages of life. It's amazing how much a couple years between kids can mean a world of variation in needs, schedules, meals, preferences, abilities...the list goes on and on. I searched the internet trying to find advice from moms who had been there, but found there really was a shortage of practical information that I could put to use. I am starting this post 7 months into my life with two kids, and though I'm sure it is different for everyone, I think I have a perspective that can hopefully help others out there who are wondering how the heck they will get through this part of parenting. Maybe this will help...</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you still have time before your second child arrives, do some preparation. I'm not talking about setting up the crib - I'm talking about sanity preparation. Start talking to your toddler about the new baby, and include terms like, "patience" and "fragile". </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Get your hands on as many big sibling books that you can find - we found "</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Im-Big-Sister-Joanna-Cole/dp/0061900621/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406348517&sr=1-1&keywords=i%27m+a+big+sister" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">I'm a Big Sister</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">" (brother version also available), as well as "</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Baby-My-New/dp/1846432758/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1F3W0NRMWKJ7QSE0XTY7" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Waiting For Baby</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">" and "</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/You-New-Baby-Rachel-Fuller/dp/1846432774/ref=la_B0034NB54A_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406348686&sr=1-3" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">You and Me</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">". These all show what life with a new baby will be like and should help immensely once the baby comes home.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Start stockpiling quiet toys that can be kept in special bins throughout your house. These can be used by your toddler during baby naptimes, nursing sessions, or when Mom just needs 15 minutes of silence (or almost silence anyway). Include items like books to read, crayons and coloring books, or quiet books (</span><a href="http://babyabilities.blogspot.ca/2013/12/project-no-sew-toddler-quiet-book.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">here's my version</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">). To make the boxes even more exciting, only let your toddler use them when you need the quiet time.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Keep emergency items all over the place. I have a gallon-size ziploc in my car, my husband's car, and in my way-too-big-to-be-trendy purse. In these bags I have a will-not-be-missed change of clothes for each kid, a diaper for each kid, wipes, a disposable changing pad and a disposable diaper trash bag. At this point I do still use a diaper bag, but it stays in the car and I just pull things from it when I need too.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I always keep the following in my purse: A toddler-applicable snack. Stickers and crayons. An old (hopefully charged) smartphone loaded with whatever is the latest and greatest area of interest. I promise you will get caught somewhere, or need to buy some extra toddler happiness when the baby needs attention while you are running errands. A box of raisins always makes my older daughter happy when I need an extra 20 minutes to get everyone through a doctor appointment.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Solicit your toddler for help with the baby. This has been huge for us, and Bugga loves to feel important. Even at 2.5 she is able to bring me things like a baby blanket, a clean outfit for the baby, etc. if I just ask her. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grocery shopping with one kid was a breeze compared to two. In case you didn't learn this the first time around, your baby's car seat DOES NOT go on top of the shopping cart. Ever. And unless you are at Costco, the car seat will likely not fit inside the cart either, especially if you plan on actually shopping for anything, and definitely if your toddler is sitting in the kid seat. This is where the sling/baby carrier serves its purpose. Oh, and don't forget to park right next to the cart return.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaking of the baby carrier...that thing will come in handy a lot. I wore it all over the house. So did my husband, as for awhile that was the only place Bella would nap. (We do not miss those days AT. ALL.) I also wore it a lot outside of the house - besides shopping, it allowed me to still keep Bugga enrolled in her gymnastics class. She isn't quite old enough for a non-parented class, but I can't have the baby in the infant seat while Bugga is in class. But the sling was no big deal. And Bugga really needs that gymnastics class for a myriad of reasons, so I am so glad I did not have to suspend that from our schedule.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If your toddler doesn't use a sound machine, I would consider it at this point. My kids both have sound machines which are priceless tools when both at home and traveling. And now that you will have a new baby potentially screaming at all hours, a sound machine can muffle that sound so at least SOMEONE in your house can get some sleep.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Know that this chaotic mess of a life will not last forever. There will be tears of happiness and frustration several times over as you learn to adjust to everything. That first year of your child's life is HARD on a mom. And add a second (or third, or fourth) kid to it, and everything escalates. But your family will evolve into something that works for everyone.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>*Note: For some reason I wrote this post and never published it, and I just found it now that my second child is 14 months old. I am happy to say we survived the first year (as you will) and things are definitely easier nowadays that we all know each other much better and have adjusted to life outside the womb. Hang in there!</i></span></div>
MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-53499270067304906182015-02-08T10:14:00.001-07:002015-02-08T10:14:32.715-07:00Easy Non Candy Preschool DIY Valentines<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bugga is having her preschool Valentine's Day Party later this week. Part of me was all,"This is the ULTIMATE PINTEREST OPPORTUNITY" and the rest of me was all, "I'm tired - here, these valentines in the checkout line at Target are adorable."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I compromised. I used some of my mess-around-on-my-phone time that is part of my nightly detox with my husband as we go through the DVR after the kids are in bed to peruse Pinterest boards. I stored some ideas away in my head, then escaped off to the craft store during weekend nap time to gather the couple of supplies I needed, dedicated a little more than an hour to the design and assembly, and VOILA! Adorable valentines, sans sugary madness. (I'm sure the kids will already get plenty of sugar for their little systems during this party.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I thought about having Bugga sign her name to the card so it wasn't Obviously Done By Mom but she is still only able to write about 65% of the letters in her name, and certainly not small enough to fit on this card. So ODBM it is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My supplies:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Small bear animals</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">colorful twine</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">hot glue & gun</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">glitter valentine hearts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">cardstock</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">inkjet printer</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My result:</span><br />
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<br />MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-51324916297639260462015-02-06T11:03:00.001-07:002015-02-06T11:03:50.649-07:00Listmania: What We're Reading (1 Year Old)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><b>Literally drooling over her book!</b></i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bella just REALLY started getting into her books. Her primary way to "play" is to </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">pick a book, come over to you, turn around and sit as close to you (or on you - LOOK OUT MOM HERE I COME style) as possible and get ready for you to read to her. Bella's little hands will touch the pages and point to the pictures, help you turn the page, lift flaps and all the other activities that come with great books for this age.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Here are some of the titles we are currently reading and re-reading:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1.) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dear-Zoo-Lift---Flap-Friends/dp/141694737X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423241891&sr=8-1&keywords=dear+zoo" target="_blank">Dear Zoo</a> by Rod Campbell. This book says it has been around for 30 years, but I hadn't heard of it until someone gifted me this book when I was pregnant with my second. My 13-month-old loves opening the flaps to reveal the different animals that the zoo is sending. It's simple so it offers just enough words to provide a story without losing your child's interest.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2.) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Peekaboo-Kisses-Barney-Saltzberg/dp/015216541X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1423241941&sr=1-1&keywords=peekaboo+kisses" target="_blank">Peekaboo Kisses</a> by Barney Saltzberg. Both my daughters have loved this book at this age. Both react very enthusiastically by giving each animal big slobbery kisses and hugs as we turn each page. And there's other activities like "squeaking" the mouse and feeling the different "furs" of the animals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3.) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Curious-George-Zoo-Touch-Feel/dp/0618800425/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1423241992&sr=1-2&keywords=curious+george+zoo" target="_blank">Curious George at the Zoo</a> by H. A. Rey. Another touch-and-feel book with a simple storyline. Bella is already quick to point out where the monkey is hiding in each scene.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4.) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hello-Bugs-Black-White-Sparklers/dp/1589258622/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1423242038&sr=1-8&keywords=bugs" target="_blank">Hello, Bugs!</a> by Smriti Prasadam This is a great book from birth until whenever. It's mostly black and white so it's supposed to be great for babies who are just developing their eyesight. My daughter wanted this read to her just about every day (and many many times a day) for about two straight months before she realized there were other books in the world. She likes the sound effects we make for each bug and the shiny parts of the artwork that catch her eye.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5.) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hugs-You-Paula-Hannigan/dp/144942192X/ref=sr_1_73?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1423242184&sr=1-73&keywords=hugs+book" target="_blank">Hugs for You</a> by Paula Hannigan. This was a gift from a friend, and both daughters love it. And this one, like Peekaboo Kisses, is also covered with big slobbery kiss marks from both of my girls loving it too much. It's a sweet and simple read.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6.) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Very-Hungry-Caterpillar-Eric-Carle/dp/0399226907/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1423242256&sr=1-1&keywords=the+very+hungry+caterpillar" target="_blank">The Very Hungry Caterpillar</a> by Eric Carle. Of course. This is indeed a classic we all know plenty about. I don't remember my first daughter getting too into this one, but Bella is currently on a caterpillar obsession. The book encourages her to turn pages on her own with the various size pages. I like that it teaches you that you can eat all sorts of junk food and it will likely make you sick, and that a nice healthy salad (of a leaf) will make you feel all better again. Oh, and that big is beautiful too! Love all the subtle messages in this one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7.) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Slide-Learning-Young-LEARN-SLIDE/dp/B00QPRAT30/ref=sr_1_cc_5?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1423242473&sr=1-5-catcorr&keywords=abc+board+book+slide" target="_blank">Slide and Find ABC</a> by PriddyBooks. This isn't so much a story book, but it doesn't stop Bella from carrying it around. It has a built in handle too, so this larger-than-average book is easy to bring with you from room to room. It's obviously educational from an alphabet perspective, and my daughter loves the sliding windows that reveal more pictures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8.) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tubby-Leslie-Patricelli-board-books/dp/0763645672/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1423242544&sr=1-1&keywords=tubby" target="_blank">Tubby</a> by Leslie Patricelli. There are various books with the baby character that are super simple and very cute. I discovered this series right as Bugga was around 2, so I was hesitant to buy these since it starred a baby and I didn't want her to identify with younger behavior. At this point though we also have Huggy Kissy and Fa La La La La and Bella loves the unexpected mild chaos that comes with every story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9.) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bear-Alaskan-Friends-Touch-Board/dp/B00676L2E4" target="_blank">Pet the Bear and His Alaskan Friends</a> by Pam Clifton. We obtained this one during the four months we lived in Anchorage, Alaska when Bugga was just under one year old. After looking for a link to this book online and finding only a random option to purchase, I imagine if you are reading this you might not bother pursuing this one. BUT it is cute and is part of our family's story so I am still including it in this list. It has simple and cheerful pictures of Alaskan animals, and some tactile textures for a baby to touch as well. And gives my older daughter a distant memory of her brief time in a unique place.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Us9yDk2OmP4/VNUBQn0rclI/AAAAAAAABlk/Ai4wBxoIk_0/s1600/read2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Us9yDk2OmP4/VNUBQn0rclI/AAAAAAAABlk/Ai4wBxoIk_0/s1600/read2.JPG" height="320" width="304" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10.) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bunny-Rabbit-Show-Sandra-Boynton/dp/0761180605/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1423242723&sr=1-1&keywords=the+bunny+rabbit+show" target="_blank">The Bunny Rabbit Show</a> by Sandra Boynton. I love all the Sandra Boynton books and my older daughter has most of her books. Somehow I missed this one (and after looking for the link I see why - it just came out a few months ago!) so I picked it up for #2. BOTH girls (3-year-old included) love this book, but I am sure that a lot of it has to do with the way you read it: you need to make up a melody for the lyrics of the story. A lot of her books are like this, and I think it adds to the fun of reading it. I also get a kick out of hearing my husband (or anyone else) come up with their own version of the tune.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What are your 1-year-olds reading?</span>MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-31272434933524501212015-01-04T16:16:00.004-07:002015-01-04T16:20:06.504-07:00Tired of Shady Practices by Big Corporations<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm sure our parents all think we have it so easy as parents in our current world, where we have all this technology and information to help us raise our children. Yes, the gadgets are a nice plus for sure, but let me tell you what is NOT easier. Buying ANYTHING.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hz-L6luYdS0/VKnFuhdaExI/AAAAAAAABh0/F8GuYPkG_ao/s1600/kroger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hz-L6luYdS0/VKnFuhdaExI/AAAAAAAABh0/F8GuYPkG_ao/s1600/kroger.jpg" height="166" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just got back from the grocery store. From <a href="http://kroger.com/" target="_blank">Kroger</a>, which I used to like as a company in general, but I specifically now do not trust the way the one near me is run. Why? This particular trip I found two unrelated items in different but high-traffic areas of the store that had expired a month ago. And both had clearly been handled by staff due to placement of the item and recent "sale" pricing tags. So basically I do not have the tolerance nor the time to shop at this store anymore because they cannot be trusted to put NON-EXPIRED items on their shelves. And I don't have time to waste if I have to double-check their work.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DEfNTjEl_Kk/VKnJOIHiDGI/AAAAAAAABic/p57qicgbJS4/s1600/logo_simple_truth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DEfNTjEl_Kk/VKnJOIHiDGI/AAAAAAAABic/p57qicgbJS4/s1600/logo_simple_truth.jpg" height="166" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sLMMUuK7CJE/UVSBMJyUmJI/AAAAAAAAAgA/eyBJ0qhABdQ/s1600/USDA-Organic-Label.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sLMMUuK7CJE/UVSBMJyUmJI/AAAAAAAAAgA/eyBJ0qhABdQ/s1600/USDA-Organic-Label.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Have you noticed that just about EVERYTHING in the grocery store has a green label now? That used to be an easy way to zero in on organic products, but now that color means nothing. So you have to look even closer and inspect something carefully to be sure it has the USDA Organic label. Let's go back to Kroger for a minute. They have this "new" Simple Truth line. Guess what - all the packaging is green green green. Is it all organic? Nope. They throw around the term "natural" a lot though with all these products which means ZILCH unless they are referring to meat or poultry. You can go to the Simple Truth <a href="http://www.simpletruth.com/about-simple-truth/natural/" target="_blank">website</a> and read all about how the FDA "broadly defines" but does not regulate the term, and then <i>some</i> info on their own "policy". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All those terms in quotes above are probably giving away my suspicion about all this. Why?</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-68VeqqRGjCc/VKnGDvBgpxI/AAAAAAAABh8/B0RiQPBTA-4/s1600/cornucopia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-68VeqqRGjCc/VKnGDvBgpxI/AAAAAAAABh8/B0RiQPBTA-4/s1600/cornucopia.jpg" height="158" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, there's an organization called the <a href="http://www.cornucopia.org/" target="_blank">Cornucopia Institute</a> that publishes ratings on ALL organic companies based on particular categories (dairy, eggs, cereal, etc.) and then gives them a 1-5 (low to high) rating. <a href="http://www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/FarmID_116.html" target="_blank">Guess who gets a 1 in all the categories? Kroger's Simple Truth line.</a> And all the other major large brands who don't feel like sharing their resources and therefore do not even participate the Cornucopia's surveys. So wait, you're called "simple truth" and you can't provide that EXACT THING to your consumers? That is SHADY. You are <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vFELvHxfdSs/VKnI1bZoYMI/AAAAAAAABiU/ak8wKrE3Frw/s1600/simpleTruth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vFELvHxfdSs/VKnI1bZoYMI/AAAAAAAABiU/ak8wKrE3Frw/s1600/simpleTruth.jpg" height="223" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>See those individual milks? That cereal?<br />They get a 1 out of 5 rating for organic<br />products. That's what I want to feed my kids,<br />the organic products with the lowest ratings.</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">shady if you need to hide your business practices when it comes to the products I put in my children's bodies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, if you are unable to share this information with Cornucopia, then why it is you think I should believe a single word on your biased website, I'm not sure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>It is ridiculous that we as parents (or anyone for that matter) cannot trust these major organizations to be honest and truthful about the products they are trying to sell us.</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And sheesh, can you at least make sure the <i>front</i> items in your food displays aren't expired??</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I am trying to get on top of <a href="http://babyabilities.blogspot.com/2015/01/happy-new-year-2015.html" target="_blank">my resolutions</a> for the year and create healthy meals for my entire family to eat together, I am already exhausted by how much planning and research (and drive time to a myriad of grocery stores) that goes into creating a simple, safe, clean meal.</span>MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-51603002711036591892015-01-01T14:56:00.000-07:002015-01-01T14:56:25.741-07:00Happy New Year 2015!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xpM8AODo5MQ/VKXCOOJHrjI/AAAAAAAABhc/Agq0bKEC7E0/s1600/2015.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xpM8AODo5MQ/VKXCOOJHrjI/AAAAAAAABhc/Agq0bKEC7E0/s1600/2015.png" height="180" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ahhhh January 1st! A fresh new year! This day feels like the first day of school for me - so much potential for so much NEW.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And yes, I am making resolutions. I know, how lame, but again, I love the POTENTIAL of what I can do in the new year. I do try to be realistic though.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here are mine:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1.) <b>Have better posture. </b>My back will thank me. This Mom Slouch thing is ridiculous.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2.) <b>Make it a priority for our family to eat dinner together. </b>Dinner will now be at 6:30 every night. If my husband can't make it home in time, he can eat when he does, but I am done cooking and eating after the kids go to bed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3.) <b>Make it a priority for the entire family to eat the SAME FOOD for dinner.</b> Now that the baby is all about solids, now is the time to feed her everything so she doesn't end up in a pasta rut like her older sister. And I am done being a short order cook. Done.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4.) <b>Limit myself to one soda a week.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5.) <b>Limit myself to one fast food trip a month.</b> This excludes Starbucks and my health-i-fied favorite sandwich at Jimmy John's. I'm trying to be realistic. And fair to myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have some goals for what I want to happen with my diet, my workouts, etc. but those are tired goals so I won't bother sharing those here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also wanted to put some cleaning- and organization-related goals on the 'ol resolution list too, but I think those need to be more on the To Do list so they get DONE and then I'll see where I'm at with that plan. A lot to conquer there so I'm worried a resolution of this type might set me up for failure!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anything unique on your list? Did you even make a list? Any New Year rituals you do instead?</span>MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-59989839966696331372014-12-04T20:17:00.000-07:002014-12-04T20:17:51.371-07:00Random Acts of Christmas Kindness 2014 - Free Printable<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0CVHnmvOUO4/VIEh2cZfXPI/AAAAAAAABgE/Fh1MieEkLkA/s1600/cardimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0CVHnmvOUO4/VIEh2cZfXPI/AAAAAAAABgE/Fh1MieEkLkA/s1600/cardimage.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I realize I have been away awhile - life is crazy in my house right now with holiday season in full swing, along with the celebration of a 1st and a 3rd birthday. Basically, we are running non-stop right now!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, I need to make time for this post so I can share with anyone who might need this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you've been reading my blog for awhile (anyone? Bueller?) then you might remember <a href="http://babyabilities.blogspot.com/2012/12/in-honor-of-olivia.html" target="_blank">my thoughts</a> about the tragic events that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012. Just knowing someone who has lost a child to something so heartbreaking really struck me and since then I wanted to make an effort every year to honor Olivia Engel, and each of the other 25 lives lost that day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My older daughter just turned 3 and she is at an age where she can really absorb the concept of kindness and how to share that with other people. Recently I shared with my Facebook and Instagram friends the Random Act of Kindness cards I put together for December. My plan is to involve my children as much as possible when we prepare and share these random acts, and spread some kindness both inside my home and around our community in honor of the Sandy Hook Angels.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, several people have requested the cards I made, so it makes sense to attach them here so anyone can have access to them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please print these out, and start sharing the kindness - it can be anything from paying for someone's coffee at Starbucks to cooking someone dinner - be creative!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hope to post pictures soon of our experiences with this effort, and I'd love to hear how others have used the cards!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-rFwke02cl_Mlp5TnpJVDZGZlU/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Download Random Act of Kindness Cards .pdf here!</a></u></b></span></div>
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MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-5269833999901426002014-10-02T21:53:00.001-06:002014-10-02T21:53:46.047-06:00Potty Patrol<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LLKIuTzmZ9I/VC4Z265Q-6I/AAAAAAAABdM/7YFS9WKOlJI/s1600/IMG_5594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LLKIuTzmZ9I/VC4Z265Q-6I/AAAAAAAABdM/7YFS9WKOlJI/s1600/IMG_5594.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was in absolutely no hurry to potty train my older daughter. I have just grown to accept diapers are what they are, and honestly, diapers give me CONTROL. Seriously - I know when and where my toddler will need a diaper change (the baby, she's a little more sporadic). My friends who are parents of newly-toilet trained children are familiar with just about every public bathroom in town. Ew.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had started collecting articles on what signs you should look for with regards to readiness, and then what to do once the training began.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's what these articles taught me:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Kids respond well to bribes. (But we knew that.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. There are no guaranteed signs of readiness across the board - all kids are different.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. There are also no guaranteed methods of potty training. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And this is how it all shook out for us:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like I said, no rush for this milestone. It crossed my mind that she might be mature enough to handle this at 2 years old, but as I was about to have another baby, I was not about to throw this variable into our lives until I had a clue how I was going to handle two kids in general. A little after my daughter hit 2 1/2 or so, I started slowly collecting the things I thought we would need for the potty training adventure, once it started to make its appearance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I decided from the get go we would not be dealing with the kid-size toilet. I hear of all these parents who buy these for their children after their 1st birthday and then keep it in the living room, the bedroom, the back of the car, all so the child can get "comfortable" with the concept of using the mini-potty. It's not a stuffed animal - it's a toilet. Not many of us use a toilet next to our sectional. And on top of that, I had zero interest in cleaning that thing out every time my child was successful.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bRBm1XRB3cI/VC4cEj5KjYI/AAAAAAAABdg/nlrVwpl0YJI/s1600/IMG_5604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bRBm1XRB3cI/VC4cEj5KjYI/AAAAAAAABdg/nlrVwpl0YJI/s1600/IMG_5604.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No matter which route you take, your regular routine is still going to be affected, and for that you need STUFF. You will most likely need a potty training seat, as their little rear end will be liable to fall right in for many more years. Along with that is a stool to reach the toilet. I recommend either multiple stools, or make the one you have lightweight so your toddler can move it between the toilet and the sink. Depending on your bathroom, you might also need a faucet extender, a faucet handle extender, and even a light switch extender. AND depending on your house, you might need this setup in each bathroom your child could use when nature calls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Basically, you need to think about all the steps your child will need to go through to address a bathroom urgency on their own should you be unable to assist in a split second when they have. to. GO.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I bought a variety of potty seats (there is no easy way to tell which ones will fit the toilets in your house until you bring them home and put them on the seat) and step stools. As I type this we are a month out from our potty training, and we use one potty seat and two stools in two different bathrooms (the main guest half bath and the bathroom between my daughters' rooms). The wood stools are nice, but they are heavy and make a lot of noise. Since my daughter's toilet is on the other side of the wall from my other daughter's crib, I needed to squash all the stool moving in the middle of the night so that bathroom needed TWO STOOLS.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also bought a folding travel potty seat (with princesses of course), several packages of underwear with Bugga's favorite characters, and even flushable wipes. Then I waited for the signs. That never really came. Her interest in the whole toileting process ebbed and flowed, and she always woke up soaked in the morning because I didn't have the heart to cut off her liquids in the evenings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bugga started school two days a week this year where they do not potty train, but maintain whatever you are doing. What they did start doing is sitting Bugga on a toilet three times a day, which I used as my jumping off point.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I created a chart based on the things that motivate my specific child (in Bugga's case, certain shows, apps, and movies, since she only gets these in special situations). Then I declared Labor Day Weekend as our training weekend. Our plan was to have one parent assigned to be with Bugga all day long at all times. She typically would wander around the house playing on her own but that would not work for this. I also had to be tough with my husband that we couldn't just do this in the living room (ahhh the rug!) and simultaneously watch college football as someone was sure to miss crucial signs of nature calling. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOknRLE0GOE/VC4aV8ptW_I/AAAAAAAABdU/zVGil4ZLi3Q/s1600/IMG_5589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOknRLE0GOE/VC4aV8ptW_I/AAAAAAAABdU/zVGil4ZLi3Q/s1600/IMG_5589.JPG" height="320" width="258" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I set up our master bathroom (it's a little over-the-top spacious, but any bathroom should work as children are little) to be All Things Toddler and put in there her easel, her Lego table, and her little play table and chairs with books, puzzles, and coloring.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then we dove right in! On the first day (Saturday), Bugga wore nothing but a shirt all day (except training pants for naptime) so she'd have easy access to the toilet. Then we took her to it every 15 minutes with a timer, giving her a chance to go. Every time she'd successfully use the toilet she'd get a sticker on her chart (one sticker for pee, three for poop), an animal cracker, and a lot of congratulations. In between trips to the toilet, we continuously offered beverages and salty snacks to give her plenty of opportunity to learn to recognize the signs of needing to go. Her favorite way to pass the time that day was of course by having tea parties with REAL WATER. She couldn't get enough of this special turn of events and it worked just fine for me! At the end of the day, she had successfully peed on the potty well over 20 times - and with no accidents! (No sign of any poop though. And my kid is typically pretty regular...)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Day Two Bugga got to start wearing her new undies, which she was thrilled with. We also did not confine her to the bathroom all day either and tried to get back into our regular routine. We had a couple accidents that day, which was to be expected at this point. But we still moved successfully through her chart and she spent most of the day in a chair in front of her reward shows anyway. And finally, finally after sitting for a loonnnnngggg time on the toilet on the evening of Day Two, reading books to her and keeping her busy, she finally pooped on her target after avoiding the issue for two days. Okay, and we added the incentive of a new Anna dress-up dress (from Frozen, in case you live under a rock). We did more of the same on Day Three.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The long weekend ended, and we went back to our routine as far as leaving the house for activities, school and errands. Bugga kept on with her chart, having very limited accidents. The poop thing was a bit of a struggle for awhile, as she would clearly need to go but would go back and forth between playing and sitting on the potty...and then eventually have an accident. The good thing is she did not like how this felt, and would cry, so I was optimistic we wouldn't have to deal with too much more of this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After about a week our process evolved to incorporating "Poop Prizes". At this point, Bugga can pee on the potty successfully whenever she needs to, without any accidents. And if she poops without accident, she gets an animal cracker and to pick from a prize basket filled with more undies, books, Frozen paraphernalia, and puzzles. This method clinched her success and now she goes regularly on her own.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ugh this was a long post. But potty training requires patience just like reading all of the above. And again, only you know your kid and what motivates him or her. If it doesn't take the first time, you can always wait and try again.</span><br />
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<br />MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-80858112755503662402014-09-24T14:39:00.002-06:002014-09-24T14:39:47.287-06:00Homeschool-ish<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PPOpqWVr5cA/U_VsMWC-KiI/AAAAAAAABbI/QNS6cC15zt0/s1600/IMG_3666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PPOpqWVr5cA/U_VsMWC-KiI/AAAAAAAABbI/QNS6cC15zt0/s1600/IMG_3666.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bugga wearing her backpack around the<br />
house because she is "going to school to<br />
eat pizza and read books".</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since my daughter is on the back end of the calendar as far as school start dates go (she was born in November), she gets "extra" time before she officially needs to be enrolled in school. As it is, she has been a sponge for months and months now, and I feel I really need to start teaching her some school skills since she loves what we've done so far. And maybe along the way she will use her parrot act to regurgitate some cool facts, versus just something I said when I didn't think she was listening. Oops.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I posted recently, we started surrounding Bugga with <a href="http://babyabilities.blogspot.com/2014/04/toddler-learning-alphabet.html" target="_blank">All Things Alphabet</a> and she loves it. I want to take advantage of this while I can, so I have been researching ways of creating age-appropriate lessons for her to learn more about what each letter looks and sounds like, and how they work with words. She's not quite ready to start using a writing device to draw the letters, but I have found a way to modify the concept to her abilities and still make it fun and educational.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My thought is to focus on one letter per week, and have 7-8 approaches to learning all about that letter. Each week we then choose 5 or so lessons to learn, allowing for a variety. After a month or two, when we have covered several letters, I hope to have lessons that focus on the combination of the previous letters learned to work on word construction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By doing it this way, I am able to create a lot of the materials in advance so I can just print out what I need or whatever and run with it. Parenting doesn't give you a lot of time to prep, so I needed the tools for the lessons to be quick and easy. This is also useful for short attention spans - my 2-year-old will only watch me setup a project for so long before she no longer cares and would rather play with her Legos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With regards to creating the materials, I have gathered ideas from many resources, and then ultimately I decided to create my own version so it fits the idea I have in my head. I plan to share these materials as free downloads wherever applicable, so hopefully they can be of some use to other back-of-the-calendar toddlers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'll post the links to the post with the printables as soon as I get them uploaded!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy learning!</span>MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-49875973612851300202014-09-24T14:28:00.001-06:002014-09-24T14:28:10.552-06:00Sometimes We Don't Relate I Guess<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ix4aMe6tRCc/VCMpQ08ZD9I/AAAAAAAABcw/EvGKQRVXxuo/s1600/lucy-with-cheese-baby1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ix4aMe6tRCc/VCMpQ08ZD9I/AAAAAAAABcw/EvGKQRVXxuo/s1600/lucy-with-cheese-baby1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I remember when Bugga was about 7 months old and I was struggling with her sleep regression, waking up with her every night at random times, for 100 different reasons - she was practicing standing, her pacifier fell out of the crib, she had a stuffed up nose...anything. It always seemed to be something. I remember sharing my woes with a friend of mine whose son is about a year older. Her response, "Hmmm, oh well we never had that problem so I can't help. Sorry!" said with an inappropriately cavalier attitude. Guess how much I see this friend since this stellar understanding moment? Yeah, not much.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Was her son always an awesome sleeper? The odds are against it, but sure it's possible. Is that really the point though? The point, at least from my perspective, was to be just the teensiest bit understanding about my situation. I mean, we're both moms right? We've likely read a lot of the same books about parenting and know relatively the same general information about all there is to know about the <i>possibility</i> that our children might have some trouble sleeping at <i>some point</i>. And I was likely mentioning my strife for 30 lousy seconds of commiseration. Commiseration I didn't get.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We just finished a weekend of the initial move to potty train my 2.5 year old daughter. It was a long weekend of never leaving the house, with highs and (really gross) lows but we did make it out the other side. I am happy to say she spent the entire day at preschool today with ZERO accidents - and this is just Day 4.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, I was reminded of the situation above when I left the house for a lousy hour this past weekend to run some quick errands that included picking up more Frozen and Minnie Mouse underwear that have been helping to motivate my daughter, as well as restocking our supply of several small prizes for her successes. While at the checkout of one of the stores, I get into a conversation with the cashier regarding what I was in the midst of at home (nope, that stash of sequined $1 princess crowns are not for a party actually, but instead are poop rewards - hey you asked), making it pretty obvious that it's been exhausting. No joke, she says, "Ah yes...with my daughter she just put on her underwear one day and that was it. It was great!" Ughhhhhh, seriously?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So what is with the knee-jerk lack of empathy between moms? Is this normal? Has it happened to anyone else?</span>MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-69734137695348819802014-09-10T10:17:00.003-06:002014-09-10T10:17:31.935-06:00Alphabet Big AND Little<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My older daughter is about 34 months old (we say 2 around here, don't worry, just perspective if you need it) and she is excellent at recognizing and naming her letters. Starting about a year ago we have been surrounding her with "<a href="http://babyabilities.blogspot.com/2014/04/toddler-learning-alphabet.html" target="_blank">all things alphabet</a>" and she has just SOAKED it all up! Now that we are back in Houston we are spending a lot more time in the car with longer commutes, so we've started playing "find the letters" while we travel. From doing this, I noticed that while Bugga is EXCELLENT at recognizing her capital letters, not so much with the lower-case.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I'm putting a lot more focus on the lower case now, simply by presenting the "little" letter next to the "big" version whenever we do things letter-related.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For example, recently we worked on a pre-writing skill by using both stickers and dot markers to make the big and small letters (this post coming soon).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also made letter flash card packets that show pictures that start with a particular letter, presented with both big and little. These are also fantastic for our car rides - I just grab a letter each morning to bring with us. (this post coming soon too!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I even updated Bug's room design to include the little letters. The way her room is positioned she can stare at her wall alphabet whenever she is awake in her bed (more often than I prefer, but so be it).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cQInlqDT1hU/U2wITBYXhfI/AAAAAAAABNA/w_O-UdwFFLE/s1600/DSC_6040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cQInlqDT1hU/U2wITBYXhfI/AAAAAAAABNA/w_O-UdwFFLE/s1600/DSC_6040.JPG" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>This is the "before" room when we still lived in Calgary.</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YGxGRhuQ7mU/VBB5FPae8FI/AAAAAAAABcA/iE6pt1Ivm54/s1600/photo%2B(9).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YGxGRhuQ7mU/VBB5FPae8FI/AAAAAAAABcA/iE6pt1Ivm54/s1600/photo%2B(9).JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>This is the "after" in our Houston home - both letter sizes!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What have you done to help your toddler/preschooler associate both sizes of letters?</span><br />
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<br />MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-11371441365316966072014-08-20T21:29:00.001-06:002014-08-20T21:29:17.812-06:00Baby Labels: What Do You Name the Kid?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm sure you've done it. I know I have. A lot. You meet someone, get introduced, and their name is just...weird. And obviously that is only your opinion, because apparently SOMEONE liked that name in order for this person to own it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When you are a kid and you name your dolls or your stuffed animals or your Someday Kids, you try on a lot of names to see what you like. By the time you are an adult, you likely have an idea of what your top monikers for babies would be should you get to that point.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then you meet your future spouse and start to procreate and now have to merge these finalists into just ONE name you agree on (or two or three or however many kids you end up having). Needless to say, it can be near impossible to land on the one word in the world that you both love enough to label your precious offspring.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With our first baby, my husband and I didn't know what gender we were having, so we prepared two lists over the months, deciding in month 9 on first the Girl Name, and then the Boy Name. Although it was harder to agree on names for boys, in hindsight it seemed like it was relatively easy to agree in general.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Baby number two was different for some reason. I don't know if it was the added pressure of having a second child (the sibling names "have to" "go together"), having a second daughter (we can't use our previous boy name list and just be done with it), or what, but I was already past my due date by the time we agreed on a name we both like.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is literally the list of preferences I put on a name candidate:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* First name 2 syllables, middle name 3 syllables (just like our first child)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* One "girlie" name, the other "not so girlie" (just like the first kid)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* Can't end in "R" (our last name starts with "R")</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* First name cannot end with the same letter that which the middle name begins</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* Can't end in any variation of "-ley", "ly", "lie", etc. - basically cannot rhyme with our last name (never mind I love all names that end like this)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And this was before we even eliminated names of all of our exes, living family</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nUTawALyigk/U_F-tLMcxRI/AAAAAAAABag/YMwTOwJIX0M/s1600/baby-names2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nUTawALyigk/U_F-tLMcxRI/AAAAAAAABag/YMwTOwJIX0M/s1600/baby-names2.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><i>Seriously? OK, maybe I'm still<br />scoffing at some names...</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> names, and obvious seasonal names (I really wanted Noelle for a middle name for this December 21st baby but husband vetoed it).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I downloaded several name picker apps to my phone and we spent hours going through them. We poured through the cast lists on IMDB looking for something we both loved. We wore out the internet looking up all the First Female Anythings to find a name with history. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is where it dawned on me. All the names I had ever thought were "weird" when I first heard them? Not so much! I surprised myself by considering names I might have - and DID - scoff at all those years ago because hearing them now categorized them as "unique" and "modern" and not so bad...maybe. And then you read all the Top Unique and Modern Baby Names lists and see them on there again and then really wonder how unique they can possibly be anyway if they're on a list like that in the first place!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then there's the realization that everyone having a baby around the same time as us was also looking for a baby name that is something people have heard of, but not well enough that the kid is one of seven in their Kindergarten class. It's a vicious cycle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At least we decided before the baby appeared. You hear these stories of babies that were in the hospital for days before their parents figured it out. Or they took another few months even, where special paperwork has to be filed! Yikes!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are probably done having kids, but I'm sure we'll have some pets to name in the future...and one of them might be the perfect candidate for "Coco", "Apple" or "Rocket".</span><br />
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MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-41093924271344168702014-07-13T22:14:00.001-06:002014-07-21T14:46:02.013-06:00Nursery Room Reveal<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I recently posted the <a href="http://babyabilities.blogspot.com/2014/06/nursery-inspiration.html" target="_blank">ideas I used for inspiration</a> when putting together my second daughter's nursery. Well, here is how it all turned out!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I ended up using a turquoise, white and silver palette with a baroque/damask (uhhhhyeahhhh to be honest, I don't know the difference!) and butterfly theme (I was unable to choose one or the other so just went with BOTH!). I tried to tie in the design across the different details so it ended up flowing pretty well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let me give you a tour!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Starting from the left of the door I put Bella's changing table and the glider that I have had since pregnant with Bugga. The glider doesn't exactly match, but I was not about to buy another glider just to get it to match the room. I toss baby blankets on it all the time anyway. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do you know what drove the color? The curtains. I wanted (NEEDED) some quality blackout curtains, and I found an Etsy designer that offered an excessive amount of fabric patterns. This one I found is perfect for what I was looking for. Then, I spray-painted an IKEA mirror to match the turquoise color in the curtains. I also ordered a matching changing table cover and boppy cover from another Etsy store. In between the mirror and the curtains is my burst of butterflies. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6GfRRlz7wtQ/U8NQMMuxKBI/AAAAAAAABPg/DDYCwKhWsRI/s1600/DSC_6062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6GfRRlz7wtQ/U8NQMMuxKBI/AAAAAAAABPg/DDYCwKhWsRI/s1600/DSC_6062.JPG" height="211" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is another view that includes the boppy cover - the fabric is super soft.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ObjmWFmF2M4/U8NRaIzfzVI/AAAAAAAABPo/5aFAmFUgTgs/s1600/DSC_6064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ObjmWFmF2M4/U8NRaIzfzVI/AAAAAAAABPo/5aFAmFUgTgs/s1600/DSC_6064.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And perhaps a slightly closer view of my butterfly installation. I like calling it an installation, you know, because I'm a museum-level arteest and all.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-awtBEer2jQc/U8NSFzGCRyI/AAAAAAAABP0/KvLsvD90PQs/s1600/DSC_6068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-awtBEer2jQc/U8NSFzGCRyI/AAAAAAAABP0/KvLsvD90PQs/s1600/DSC_6068.JPG" height="211" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was going for a "just released" effect and love the multiple dimensions of the butterflies since the wings come out from the wall, and they are scattered all over multiple walls and the ceiling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Moving to the other side of the room, you can see the crib and bookshelf. This will be the second baby to sleep in this crib that I love. I continued the butterfly theme with the butterfly mobile over the crib, and the butterfly framed rhinestone piece on the bookshelf. I found some ornate frames to match the feel of the curtains and the mirror, spray-painting them to match the room, and lucked out finding drawers/doors to work with the IKEA bookshelf, as well as some turquoise toy bins. I also purchased some silver damask decals that run up the wall over the bookshelf, as well as up the wall right next to the door. I made Bugga a pink striped pillow poof so she'd have some place to sit and play while I nurse her little sister in the glider during the day when it's just the three of us at home.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c6NtekulgsE/U8NSkcICvbI/AAAAAAAABP8/_A32ejjCD7Y/s1600/DSC_6023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c6NtekulgsE/U8NSkcICvbI/AAAAAAAABP8/_A32ejjCD7Y/s1600/DSC_6023.JPG" height="211" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's a closer look at the butterfly mobile I made.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bXcNUGJObO4/U8NT6VsXS-I/AAAAAAAABQI/5cikePXTYL4/s1600/DSC_6070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bXcNUGJObO4/U8NT6VsXS-I/AAAAAAAABQI/5cikePXTYL4/s1600/DSC_6070.JPG" height="218" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And a closer (yet blurry, sorry) picture so you can see the rhinestone detail of the framed butterfly. </span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tf4U980rtsY/U8NbAqDlORI/AAAAAAAABQk/_sidBR959Ug/s1600/DSC_6024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tf4U980rtsY/U8NbAqDlORI/AAAAAAAABQk/_sidBR959Ug/s1600/DSC_6024.JPG" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Here's a straight-on view of the bookshelf and the coordinating decor. I painted the frames, and the mats, and modified some prints to fit my vision after seeing a variety all over the internet.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rx-Tq_Y8_H0/U8NUsiWgq7I/AAAAAAAABQQ/PAgC0TqMNhw/s1600/DSC_6073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rx-Tq_Y8_H0/U8NUsiWgq7I/AAAAAAAABQQ/PAgC0TqMNhw/s1600/DSC_6073.JPG" height="320" width="211" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I forgot to take pictures of the closet and door wall, but all that's interesting from that view is the silver damask decal that is slightly different than the one over the bookshelf.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I really enjoyed decorating this room, and I truly enjoy just being in it now - it is so relaxing. I'm also proud of how everything turned out! After all is said and done, I made/customized so much of it myself:</span></div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the mirror</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the butterfly installation</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the striped pillow poof</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the butterfly mobile</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the frames, mats and prints</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the butterfly framed rhinestone art</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hope to post additional details on how I made each of my crafts and will link from here as they become available. And now that we have moved 4 months into Bella's life and I've had to recreate this room in an entirely new house, I will also post updated photos on the variation of the design once I get all of it set back up (and reordered where applicable - darn non-reusable decals!). I hope you enjoyed your tour!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, if you want to check out Bugga's 2-year-old room, click <a href="http://babyabilities.blogspot.com/2014/05/toddler-room-reveal.html" target="_blank">here</a>!</span>MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-20085009300463283182014-06-12T21:24:00.000-06:002014-06-12T21:24:51.157-06:00Need More? Now You Can Stalk Us on Instagram<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm late to the party, I know, but I am finally on the Instagram train. What I find great about it is I don't have to bombard all my Facebook friends with seven million photos of my kids when I can instead bombard all the Instagram strangers who WANT to see pictures from my life if they choose to follow me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, if you are curious about our visual life, please check it out! I can promise you endless photos of cute and quirky kids, and the occasional random philosophical thought. But less of the latter. I'm too busy parenting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just click here and then click the "Follow" button!</span><br />
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<br />MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-44859724143974679642014-06-12T16:47:00.001-06:002014-06-12T17:10:00.050-06:00Nursery Inspiration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Like my <a href="http://babyabilities.blogspot.com/2014/05/toddler-room-reveal.html" target="_blank">toddler's room</a>, my newborn's nursery was put together based on a lot of ideas I consolidated over time. Now that my daughter is here, and her gender is public knowledge, I can now share the results of the nursery. But first - the inspiration!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With Bugga, we were also in a rental (and very small) house. I knew we'd likely move shortly after she was born so I decorated one side of our guest room using some basic details. We chose to be surprised on the boy/girl topic, so I went with a green and white beach-y theme with surfing monkeys (of course) and various sea creatures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since we knew Bella would be a girl, somehow I started heading down the path of a very girlie design. If anyone knows me at all, you know that this isn't typically my style, but I just couldn't help being drawn to it. I'm not sure if it's because I was limited with the first nursery or not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here is where I started:</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Color Pallette:</span></u></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was really gravitating toward white and a metallic/mirrored silver. And perhaps a pop of something else but I wasn't sure right away. I'm going to toss out the idea of pink, but I doubt I'll go that stereotypical.</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Overall Look & Feel:</span></u></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Classic. Warm. Feminine. I just love all of these examples and really wanted to go in this direction.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nWCuMoK8Urs/Te4xP5qojWI/AAAAAAAADuI/FnLhp6ZmAxs/s1600/IMG_1701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nWCuMoK8Urs/Te4xP5qojWI/AAAAAAAADuI/FnLhp6ZmAxs/s1600/IMG_1701.JPG" height="320" width="212" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>Wall Design:</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I almost went with more stripes like I ended up doing in Bugga's room. I swear, stripes call to me. You should see my closet.</span><br />
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<a href="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/ba/5c/c6/ba5cc67defc2bcc840954db3e6a53048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/ba/5c/c6/ba5cc67defc2bcc840954db3e6a53048.jpg" height="318" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>Wall Decor / Curtains:</u></b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://morandosozinha.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Decora%C3%A7%C3%A3o-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://morandosozinha.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Decora%C3%A7%C3%A3o-8.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love the Baroque style of the frames and mirror.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://img1.etsystatic.com/000/0/5898917/il_570xN.187396023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://img1.etsystatic.com/000/0/5898917/il_570xN.187396023.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would love to add a whimsical "installation"-style detail like a group of butterflies.<br /></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://6742a27d08cd95efdd03-d8229c8e202980c5e9e6a5ab074e534b.r3.cf2.rackcdn.com/product-hugerect-65804-4300-1354931766-e51df3ab3df161b7b316a70d02ee2ea9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://6742a27d08cd95efdd03-d8229c8e202980c5e9e6a5ab074e534b.r3.cf2.rackcdn.com/product-hugerect-65804-4300-1354931766-e51df3ab3df161b7b316a70d02ee2ea9.JPG" height="320" width="212" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A custom-made mobile over the crib would be adorable.<br /></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7s7NG26cwig/TadlsSGvhMI/AAAAAAAAJqI/Uezdy_E3Anc/s1600/_MG_2472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7s7NG26cwig/TadlsSGvhMI/AAAAAAAAJqI/Uezdy_E3Anc/s1600/_MG_2472.JPG" height="320" width="206" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love the style and color of this mirror.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/83/2f/b0/832fb0bfbae1a15677850662e6156dc0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/83/2f/b0/832fb0bfbae1a15677850662e6156dc0.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I like the pop of color in the curtains, but I also like the pattern on the wall as an accent.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://img0.etsystatic.com/021/0/5834566/il_570xN.485638056_6fot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://img0.etsystatic.com/021/0/5834566/il_570xN.485638056_6fot.jpg" width="218" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I always seem to sing this to my daughter...so sweet!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://img1.etsystatic.com/015/0/7833875/il_570xN.468529485_payg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://img1.etsystatic.com/015/0/7833875/il_570xN.468529485_payg.jpg" width="249" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Girl power! And a little Shakespeare.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>Furniture / Accessories:</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The new nursery will use the same crib I had in Bugga's room, and I will order another white dresser. I'll also move the glider from Bugga's room to the nursery and probably add a bookshelf to display little details and store books and toys.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dlby90k9bnuc7.cloudfront.net/557-lavender-rose-personalized-initial-frame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://dlby90k9bnuc7.cloudfront.net/557-lavender-rose-personalized-initial-frame.jpg" height="320" width="235" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These are super sweet and would be a nice detail in a nursery.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I guess basically I'm going for a classic feel for the room and I am surprised how I excited I am to go this route. The room itself has a tan carpet and off-white walls, so the all-white look won't be happening, and my glider (which I am not recovering) is a tan color.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Again, I am limited with what I can order in Canada, and I hope to make a lot of the little details myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Click here to see how everything turned out!</span></div>
MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-73204618729339279532014-06-06T15:59:00.002-06:002014-06-06T15:59:42.707-06:00And just like that...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RojzWacqFK8/U5I5tyi5-hI/AAAAAAAABNQ/DTYY5a7WCJw/s1600/canadausa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RojzWacqFK8/U5I5tyi5-hI/AAAAAAAABNQ/DTYY5a7WCJw/s1600/canadausa.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are moving back to Texas! After what has been one of the longest winters on record (at least according to all the Calgarians I keep talking to) we are leaving just as it finally stops snowing...and then just in time for the sticky triple-digits of Houston.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seriously - I JUST posted my toddler's room reveal and WHAM I have to take it all down. And I haven't even shown you what I did with my newborn's nursery yet! I'm planning to just recreate the same designs in the new house so I will do an update post as well. I will need to reorder a lot of the decals since they weren't reusable (ugh, what a waste!) but they are so much easier than painting. I say they were a waste because I know for a fact there are reusable decals available (I found some for the girls' bathroom) even though they look great, but they are hard to find.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, so we are currently trying to survive between homes. We had a disastrous week last week in a hotel in Calgary as our house was packed and cleaned, and now we are in corporate housing until our furniture gets to town. I say disastrous because as much as we were SO very fortunate to stay in a two-bedroom suite with a toddler and a baby, NOBODY slept all week, naps, nights, whatever. The baby was up every 2 hours, the toddler decided she couldn't stay in her bed even though we set everything up PERFECTLY...and I was a ZOMBIE!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The crazy thing is I had been dreading our four-hour flight down (Bella's first flight) and made massive preparations as far as entertainment for Bugga, packing perfectly, etc. and it ended up being the easiest flight in the history of parenting. At least for this family.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And things have only improved since we landed. Our corporate housing apartment complex has three bedrooms (win), a playground (win), and a splash pad (super win). And Bella is just coming out of a growth spurt which means she's slept 8 plus hours the past few nights, allowing me to gain a little of my sanity back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think the spurt's over though so tonight could be back to 2 feeds a night which isn't awesome but tolerable...and soon we get to start solids so that might improve things as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, time to get back into the swing of things here - YEE-HAW! Yeah.</span>MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-5303234469425766522014-05-08T21:26:00.000-06:002014-05-08T21:26:00.322-06:00Toddler Room Reveal!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am finally ready to do this post!</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I shared <a href="http://babyabilities.blogspot.ca/2013/08/toddler-room-inspiration.html">my room inspirations</a> for Bugga's new Canadian bedroom when we moved to Calgary last summer. I worked on her room and her new little sister's nursery simultaneously but it has taken me until now to get around to taking pictures of everything (that whole giving birth thing stalled me a little bit).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A little recap of what I was working with: we are renting so although we had permission from our landlord to paint the kids' bedrooms, I ended up being too pregnant (read: tired) to bother with paint. The walls are this cream color that I would not have selected myself, but I made it work. Also, Bugga's room has somewhat of an annoying layout since the first thing you see when you enter her room are the closet doors (eh, why?), and with a window and a random corner that sticks out there really aren't a lot of options for where furniture can fit in this room. We couldn't have fit more than a twin bed in here either!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As far as designing the room goes, my focus was on modern patterns, purple/pink/gray combinations, and the alphabet. I also wanted to use as much of the space as possible, so I have things hanging from the ceiling as well as flat and three-dimensional items on the walls. I am thrilled with how it turned out, and Bugga is constantly chattering about the details.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, without further delay...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>View #1:</b> This is what you see from the door. That far wall with the closet and the window really perplexed me with how to furnish this room. I'm still not sure what the builder was thinking. Anyway...</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">View #1</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>View #2:</b> From left to right starting at the door, I put the dresser/changing table. I ordered alphabet decals in lavender for over the changing table, framing the "S" (Bugga's first initial) to make it the focal point. This has been a great tool for teaching her the alphabet, along with a <a href="http://babyabilities.blogspot.ca/2014/04/toddler-learning-alphabet.html">few other things</a> we've used.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>View #3 & #4:</b> The second wall is seen in the first picture. I really wanted stripes and considered painting them. After researching various techniques, I decided the decals would be the easiest, and I ordered these off Etsy in custom lengths to fit the wall (notice the corner kick out - adds interest, but still serves no purpose). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wanted Bugga to see her name frequently, so I painted white wood letters from Michael's. For her first initial I carved it from some styrofoam, covered it in purple glitter, and edged it with purple ribbon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The final detail for this wall are the three felt flower balls, hung from the ceiling which give the decor some depth. They are hung in the corner so they don't hit anyone in the head.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For a reading area, I brought her <a href="http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/hybrid-lavender-white-piping-anywhere-chair/?pkey=danywhere-chairs&" target="_blank">Pottery Barn Kids Anywhere Chair</a> in from another room and set it next to her bookshelf so she can cozy up with her books whenever she wants.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>View #4</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>View #5:</b> I ordered the lavender chevron curtains FIRST because blackout curtains are a must with napping children. They unfortunately took a lot longer than I thought they would because I messed up the order the first time, but I love how they turned out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I then decided to go with a twin bed with a toddler rail (versus a toddler bed) because it will be used longer. I was tempted by the toddler bed because it would have left so much more space in the room for other things, but in the end, practicality won out. And we've never had too much of a problem with Bugga's safety in this bed (now keeping her in it has had it's moments). It also has a trundle frame (still in the shipping box under the bed) that we can use later. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I covered some purple wood stars from Michael's in purple glitter and hung these from the ceiling too. I found purple "princess" bedding, and underneath are - wait for it - Minnie Mouse sheets. Her fave.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>View #6:</b> This angle shows the canvas art I created for her room. I went into extreme detail and included some tutorials for how I made some of these <a href="http://babyabilities.blogspot.ca/2013/10/project-canvas-wall-display.html">here</a>. She still points at these all the time and tells me what they are. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, I used the giant "S" collage from her <a href="http://babyabilities.blogspot.ca/2013/09/we-made-it-to-one-year.html">first birthday party</a> for her door, and it's fun to see her baby pictures every time we enter the room</span>.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I mentioned in my inspiration post that I had started a satin rag rug. Well, let me advise anyone out there reading this that a rag rug project is not for the remotely busy person. That thing would have taken me many, many (many) months to complete if I had pursued it. Fortunately, I quit before I had invested too much time. And now I have several yards of lavender, silver, and white satin sitting around for another project. I'm glad I used coupons when I bought all that from Joann's!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So that's it! It's pretty simple actually, and I had a lot of fun putting it together. But most importantly, Bugga loves it. That's why we go to all this trouble, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>**Please let me know if you have any questions about where I bought something or how I made something in this post. **</i></span></div>
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MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-44365860571976841192014-04-20T21:44:00.001-06:002014-04-20T21:44:41.954-06:00Easter Egg-tivities<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had great plans for Easter this year as far as toddler activities go. Then my newborn started sleeping (or rather NOT sleeping) even more horribly, and my husband needed to go out of town for work for the third time in four weeks. So basically most of this past week leading up to the Easter Bunny's visit is now a bit of a blur.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Somewhere in there I managed to put together two brain cells on occasion to find some activities for Bugga to do that were Easter-related. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found some great printable activities online that were both Easter-relevant as well as educational, but not too old for her as a lot of Preschool printables tend to be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's Bugga working on the Egg Matching Activity, which she shocked me by immediately being a whiz at. This explains why her strongest skill with folding laundry is matching her socks!</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_gRJxIF-OrY/U1SP-e0_HdI/AAAAAAAABIA/CXaZeosQkJY/s1600/photo+1+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_gRJxIF-OrY/U1SP-e0_HdI/AAAAAAAABIA/CXaZeosQkJY/s1600/photo+1+(2).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's the Carrot Activity that involves Bugga trying to figure out which big letter matches which little letter. This was a new way of thinking about the letters, as we have not really introduced "little" letters yet. This was our introduction.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lBAO03A38EA/U1SQa5QbHLI/AAAAAAAABII/jDtTzFFpke8/s1600/photo+3+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lBAO03A38EA/U1SQa5QbHLI/AAAAAAAABII/jDtTzFFpke8/s1600/photo+3+(2).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These printable activities can be found <a href="http://www.itsybitsyfun.com/easter-file-folder-games.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And of course, I planned to get in some egg decorating. We had a great time <a href="http://babyabilities.blogspot.ca/2013/04/activity-coloring-eggs.html">last year</a> when Bugga was 15 months old so of course I was optimistic. I saw an adorable idea online that involved rolling the eggs in polenta - I had planned on using colored coconut - but that was a massive fail. The "egg wash glue" was not at all a glue so it was just a big mess. Apparently I forgot the sugar, which, logically is the sticky part. Oops.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BD2ovaHGJdY/U1SRy5CqOnI/AAAAAAAABIc/jIqrnoaPHdg/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BD2ovaHGJdY/U1SRy5CqOnI/AAAAAAAABIc/jIqrnoaPHdg/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6-WeqhxtdBk/U1SRy5SgVSI/AAAAAAAABIY/8POljuj9cPc/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6-WeqhxtdBk/U1SRy5SgVSI/AAAAAAAABIY/8POljuj9cPc/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While we were waiting for the eggs to dry to see if the coconut would stick, my toddler got impatient with the waiting, so I improvised with some plastic eggs and a glue gun.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x6qokH9wci4/U1SSFcEc1bI/AAAAAAAABIw/WVPgrvPJDvI/s1600/photo+4+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x6qokH9wci4/U1SSFcEc1bI/AAAAAAAABIw/WVPgrvPJDvI/s1600/photo+4+(2).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once I knew that the textured eggs weren't happening this year, I washed off the remaining coconut, and just went with the infamous drop-in-the-colored-water coloring. Then I just used my glue gun to attach the googly eyes and bunny/chick appendages. What I learned: If you use a glue gun on an egg that just came out of the refrigerator, the glue will be chilled and dry before you attach whatever it is you're trying to glue to the egg. Another oops. So here is the motley crew of eggs that we ended up with.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uvYjZkIT3Vc/U1SSFdKUGYI/AAAAAAAABJA/6rgocv62ENA/s1600/photo+2+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uvYjZkIT3Vc/U1SSFdKUGYI/AAAAAAAABJA/6rgocv62ENA/s1600/photo+2+%25282%2529.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let's just say I am looking forward to making egg salad tomorrow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hope everyone had a nice Easter!</span>MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-20170408413379735182014-04-18T22:26:00.001-06:002014-04-21T22:17:06.672-06:00Toddler Learning: The Alphabet<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sf0ln7BS2ko/U1H6s9mk8bI/AAAAAAAABHk/rrXNGEHegX8/s1600/photo+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sf0ln7BS2ko/U1H6s9mk8bI/AAAAAAAABHk/rrXNGEHegX8/s1600/photo+(6).JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bugga is currently just shy of 2.5 years old (that's 30 months, for those of you who do the months thing) and right now she is a sponge for just about any information we give her. At this point she "reads" all her books to us because she has them memorized, so it has been obvious to us for awhile that we need to help her get to the point where she can truly read. So we started with the alphabet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have given her exposure to the alphabet in many ways:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alphabet decals on Bugga's bedroom wall over her changing table that is the object of discussion any time she lies underneath them.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://babyabilities.blogspot.ca/2013/09/toddler-project-fabric-alphabet-magnets.html">Fabric alphabet magnets</a> that she plays with almost every day.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her own personalized <a href="http://babyabilities.blogspot.ca/2014/02/project-personalized-alphabet-book.html">Alphabet Book</a>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have sung the Alphabet song three times while we brush her teeth since we started brushing teeth (I brush for two rounds, she brushes herself for the last round).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This great book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alphablock-Christopher-Franceschelli/dp/1419709364/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397880467&sr=8-1&keywords=alphablock" target="_blank">AlphaBlock</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alphabet puzzles - we have a great one from Melissa & Doug which I think is an earlier version of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-83-Alphabet-Art/dp/B000GKI89O/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1398140101&sr=8-10&keywords=alphabet+puzzle" target="_blank">this</a>.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At this point, she is building Lego "microphones", setting up her stuffed animals as an "audience" and singing her "A B Cs" to the crowd. I guess it's working. </span>MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-41480773438253315962014-04-10T16:46:00.000-06:002014-04-10T16:46:50.343-06:00Toddler Project: Spring Tissue Paper Duck<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been scrounging Pinterest for toddler-appropriate Easter and Spring crafts. Have I mentioned my apprehension with glue and my 2-year-old? I think she's not quite ready for that responsibility yet. But I still want her to get in on the crafting fun as much as she can. She has already had enough experience that she is quick to eagerly ask me, "Are you making me a project?" every time I go near my craft shelves. Yep, no question she is my kid.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Incidentally, here was some dialog during our project:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Me: "What does a duck say?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bugga: "Quack! What does a duckie say?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Me: "I don't know, what does a duckie say?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bugga: "SQUEAK!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Can't argue with that.</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tissue Paper Duck for Spring</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our first easy project required the following items:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">thick craft paper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">scissors</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">yellow, orange and black tissue paper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">contact paper</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Draw a duck shape on the craft paper. You can find images online, but I just eye-balled it. Cut out the duck. </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cut your tissue paper into small pieces. Ask your toddler to help crumple each piece into a teeny, tiny ball.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9pdQoRtUukM/U0ceLlzvpGI/AAAAAAAABGs/47vkyIev5SA/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9pdQoRtUukM/U0ceLlzvpGI/AAAAAAAABGs/47vkyIev5SA/s1600/photo+4.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Add contact paper behind your duck cut-out, sticky side up.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Start sticking the tissue paper to the contact paper.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wKU-u7bnBmU/U0ceSyQMiYI/AAAAAAAABG0/GDucyiumtFA/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wKU-u7bnBmU/U0ceSyQMiYI/AAAAAAAABG0/GDucyiumtFA/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="320" width="317" /></span></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Show off your finished product!</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KbMCqvCQZeM/U0ceqlaS8cI/AAAAAAAABHI/b6p61Qjcf64/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KbMCqvCQZeM/U0ceqlaS8cI/AAAAAAAABHI/b6p61Qjcf64/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="320" width="224" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y1NRq80aYH8/U0cekcV6yRI/AAAAAAAABG8/k7l9V3sk0UA/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y1NRq80aYH8/U0cekcV6yRI/AAAAAAAABG8/k7l9V3sk0UA/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-88856384614340665842014-04-10T15:06:00.000-06:002014-04-10T15:08:13.959-06:00It's Not About Gwyneth<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is a repost from something I shared with my friends on Facebook. Hopefully my blog readers also know what I'm trying to say.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkQMttWEKJI/U0cGCSj0WKI/AAAAAAAABGM/woKE23K-z2Y/s1600/mom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkQMttWEKJI/U0cGCSj0WKI/AAAAAAAABGM/woKE23K-z2Y/s1600/mom.jpg" height="146" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">So this <a href="http://pagesix.com/2014/03/26/next-for-gwyneth-paltrow-break-from-acting-more-time-with-kids/?_ga=1.241880898.136994488.1397163713" target="_blank">Gwyneth Paltrow working mom thing</a> is all over Facebook. Yes, she said her job is harder than other working moms. And then a gajillion people <a href="http://nypost.com/2014/03/27/a-working-moms-open-letter-to-gwyneth-paltrow/" target="_blank">responded</a> that, no, their jobs are harder than that of a celebrity. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">On other days I see people post links to blogs about someone trying to attempt to equalize the struggles of working moms versus stay-at-home moms, and it just results in a Battle of t</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; line-height: 18px;">he Miserable (seriously, read the comments on any of these posts). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; line-height: 18px;">Am I the only person who is tired of hearing everyone try to tear each other down by one-upping others about how hard their life is? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; line-height: 18px;">Of course the grass is often much greener on the other side, but everyone has their struggles, whether it be 9 months on a movie set away from your family, or working 2 daily jobs away from your kids to make ends meet, or struggling to find professional success. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; line-height: 18px;">Yes, celebrities have a lot of money and freedoms that regular people might not have, but they are also people too, with families they can't be with all the time and marriages that fail no matter how many nannies they hire. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Stay at home moms and working moms all have their own reasons to be jealous of each other's lives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; line-height: 18px;">I guess the bottom line I get from all this is stop spending so much time tearing down the Joneses and find your own happiness.</span></span>MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-84265107840080909542014-03-26T22:58:00.001-06:002014-03-26T22:58:37.083-06:00Baby Data<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fAl7K5eU0hY/UzOvadYHLVI/AAAAAAAABFU/fI97ga9IMRI/s1600/app.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fAl7K5eU0hY/UzOvadYHLVI/AAAAAAAABFU/fI97ga9IMRI/s1600/app.png" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's probably no surprise that I am motivated by statistics (the core of my undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering). I really find data fascinating and eye-opening...and baby data is no different.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A lot of people will tell new moms not to "watch the clock" when feeding a newborn, stressing over naps, or counting the minutes of what seems like endless crying. Well that doesn't work for me. I NEED the data. I need to see trending to find some hope of optimism in what is a very challenging period in my life with a newborn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are a lot of methods out there, but I think the easiest way to track the baby data is through an app (I use <a href="http://www.andesigned.net/totalbaby.htm" target="_blank">Total Baby</a>), since nowadays your phone is always within arm's reach. Most programs will keep track of when and how long your baby eats, sleeps, and needs a diaper change, along with doctor visits, milestones, and even pictures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's where I've noticed the big advantage of tracking: when you use it for more than one kid. I used the app with Bugga, and I'm now using it with Bella. As I go through the daily and weekly challenges with Bella, I am finding that I very much forget exactly how things went down with Bugga. Did Bugga wake up this many times at this age? When did we move Bugga to the crib compared to Bella? And I can just look it up in seconds. There's nothing like an instant point of reference when going through all these stressful moments where you feel like you will NEVER come out the other side because this moment is just the WORST...only to see that your first child acted the same way at this age and you lived to tell the tale...or at least the data did.</span>MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-54219175619466265132014-03-17T09:39:00.000-06:002014-03-17T09:39:04.996-06:00Toddler Crafts & Fun for St. Patrick's Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ObxBwb0kD7Y/UycVrK3IWhI/AAAAAAAABD0/VoKCoMbLSFk/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ObxBwb0kD7Y/UycVrK3IWhI/AAAAAAAABD0/VoKCoMbLSFk/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our family isn't Irish (except maybe a teensy bit on my husband's side) but I love celebrating St. Patrick's Day. In college this meant heading to Savannah for parades and green beer. Nowadays it's more about crafts, cookies and some creative meal planning. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7_1woWBM4_o/UycVuQA0CEI/AAAAAAAABEI/lJghbhmw8C8/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7_1woWBM4_o/UycVuQA0CEI/AAAAAAAABEI/lJghbhmw8C8/s1600/photo+5.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I actually put more effort into celebrating than I had planned. Aside from the themed mantle, Bugga and I made Shamrock Suncatchers to decorate our windows. She is very proud of the result and was excited to tell her dad repeatedly, "I made that!", pointing at her masterpieces.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We also attempted the Fruit Loop Rainbow craft that you see all over Pinterest. I think she had fun, but the glue concept was new to Bugga, and she preferred to glue the cereal pretty much all over the page. Oh, and by the way, there are no blue Fruit Loops, so I think that just threw us off anyway.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LZ9fssGEurU/UycVsiD9V-I/AAAAAAAABEA/5LP2RHsXx2M/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LZ9fssGEurU/UycVsiD9V-I/AAAAAAAABEA/5LP2RHsXx2M/s1600/photo+4.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-70MMeq-mHUE/UycWFYnvCiI/AAAAAAAABEU/D-tFMHe1lhk/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-70MMeq-mHUE/UycWFYnvCiI/AAAAAAAABEU/D-tFMHe1lhk/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I tried some new recipes for our St. Patrick's Day Dinner (which I actually made last night because all bets are off on Mondays) - corned beef, colcannon and shamrock chips. It was actually all pretty good, and my husband ate every bite (which is saying something).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bugga helped me make shamrock sugar cookies - everything from helping me bake them (she mixed the ingredients together and helped with the cookie cutter) to decorating, to of course EATING the cookies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had a lot of fun - Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J3Zhn6EyIT0/UycVvicXUNI/AAAAAAAABEQ/UiI4NCuGvKg/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J3Zhn6EyIT0/UycVvicXUNI/AAAAAAAABEQ/UiI4NCuGvKg/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-91361984357242241692014-02-26T17:36:00.000-07:002014-02-26T17:36:00.258-07:00The Evolution of a Play Kitchen<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When Bugga was around 11 months old, I started to notice that every time I picked her up from the gym daycare she was happily "cooking" in the daycare's miniature kitchen. Because I spend my days with my children, Bugga is in the kitchen for every one of her meals, and can watch the preparation from her learning tower. As children love to mimic what they see, my little monkey naturally wanted to "cook" in a kitchen.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Up7UXvxr8M/Uw6Gsfw-aTI/AAAAAAAABCs/x6pIdepNffY/s1600/IMG_2732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Up7UXvxr8M/Uw6Gsfw-aTI/AAAAAAAABCs/x6pIdepNffY/s1600/IMG_2732.JPG" height="282" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found this fantastic <a href="http://www.kidkraft.com/toys-and-playsets/kitchens/kitchens/53260" target="_blank">kitchen</a> made my KidKraft at Costco. I am starting to like this brand for the creative designs, and they offer alternatives to all that kid plastic. Anyway, once I put it together (hear the pride in that, as it took awhile, but was worth it) Bugga has pretty much been playing with it ever since.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are also about 7 billion kitchen accessories that are on the market for play kitchens. Between what we've bought for Bugga and what she's been gifted from others (pretty much the perfect gift for a 2-3 year old of any gender), here are some thoughts on what we have:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.kidkraft.com/toys-and-playsets/kitchens/kitchen-accessories/63127" target="_blank">27 Piece Cookware Set</a> - This is another KidKraft item (yes, it is plastic). My parents gifted this to Bugga this past Christmas. She uses it every time she plays in the kitchen, and the cups get dragged all over the house. This kid loves cups. To an obsessive level. Anyway...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.greentoys.com/tea.html" target="_blank">Green Toys Tea Set</a> - This is what started our home collection of dishes. I'm pretty sure most of the spoons have vanished at this point, but every single other piece is still in regular rotation. And it's GREEN - BONUS.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just Like Home Toaster from Toys R Us - Not even going to give you the link for this piece of junk. We use a toaster every morning for Bugga's waffle breakfast so of COURSE she needs one for her kitchen. This one is great in concept but is terrible. An adult needs to push down the lever and it works 1 time out of 10. And the noise is horrendous. Don't buy this.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OwpVqkZPmkk/Uw6IOhqI3yI/AAAAAAAABC8/DfJTXWGIRhA/s1600/toaster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OwpVqkZPmkk/Uw6IOhqI3yI/AAAAAAAABC8/DfJTXWGIRhA/s1600/toaster.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hapetoys.com/uk/en/p/playfully-delicious/pop-up-toaster/861" target="_blank">Pop-Up Toaster</a> by Hape Toys - I bought this as a replacement for the first one. It's made of wood instead of plastic so even better. Plus, it has this cute stick of butter that can be "sliced" - I thought this would be a great way for Bugga to safely practice using a knife.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/30185747/" target="_blank">Duktig Fruit Basket</a> and <a href="http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/70185750/" target="_blank">Duktig Vegetable Basket</a> from IKEA - So many play food sets you see in toy stores include junk food, which is not what I want Bugga to be too used to. These fruits and vegetables are soft, healthy, and they've been very helpful for helping us talk about things like what goes into a salad, onto a sandwich, etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/buy/cooking-baking/just-like-home-10-piece-everyday-cookware-set-5f60574-19965716" target="_blank">Just Like Home Everyday Cookware Set</a> - This is a great all-inclusive set of pots, pans and accessories (despite the review of the toaster from the same toy line above).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.melissaanddoug.com/food-groups-set-play-food" target="_blank">Melissa & Doug Food Groups</a> - Last week I noticed Bugga was serving less of her "imaginary" pasta and more "butter" as a meal. Yeah, so that had to stop. So I ordered this food group set to give her some common healthy proteins that she can learn more about without limiting herself to a bland butter-only pretend diet. Ha.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zf60zy3aTnw/Uw6HilVOicI/AAAAAAAABC0/aiPsndlFJ-k/s1600/photo+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zf60zy3aTnw/Uw6HilVOicI/AAAAAAAABC0/aiPsndlFJ-k/s1600/photo+(6).JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The final touch: the other day I quickly made some felt bow pasta for Bugga to put into her pots and she loves it. As I expected: she eats pasta several times a week, so this is a no-brainer for a toy. And SO east to make. Let me know if you need the instructions.</span><br />
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<br />MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-27537034314897164962014-02-20T12:45:00.002-07:002014-02-20T12:45:40.665-07:00Tips For Traveling With a Baby/Toddler<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jIK43YKB7c8/UwZbHanUSRI/AAAAAAAABCY/XR5jCH52Rws/s1600/IMG_2952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jIK43YKB7c8/UwZbHanUSRI/AAAAAAAABCY/XR5jCH52Rws/s1600/IMG_2952.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I need a vacation. Like, immediately. However, going on a vacation today means now managing the logistics of traveling with TWO children. As I'm trying to wrap my head around how to possibly climb this mountain, I thought I'd offer my advice on how to travel with one child under the age of two. Bugga traveled almost 25,000 air miles in her first year of life, and many of those miles included family vacations (we also moved to Alaska for a bit so those miles are a chunk of her total). Either way, we got to be seasoned parent travelers and lived to tell the tale.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's how we did it:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1.) <b><i>Always bring a stroller.</i></b> You will need this at some point. Even if you are totally into the baby-wearing thing (bring your sling too!) - the stroller carries both your child, and all of your child-related STUFF. And your stuff. And lunch to go in the airport. You get my point. When Bugga was still in the baby bucket we used this stroller, which I cannot recommend enough. You can even open and close it with one hand and it has a huge basket. When she was no longer in the bucket we used this stroller, which comes with a travel bag (for checking) and is still in great condition now after 1.5 years of a LOT of airports.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2.) <b><i>Always bring a car seat.</i></b> Sure you can get away with not bringing a car seat. But if you are traveling anywhere other than New York City or somewhere similar (and then plan to limit your transportation to subway or foot) your child should be strapped into their car seat. No, you won't get arrested for trying to get into a cab with an infant without a car seat, but if you get in an accident (and you KNOW how the cabbies drive) you will regret it. There are car seats on the market that double as strollers. Or you can get a backpack to carry the car seat in while you go through the airport (if baby isn't in the bucket already). Make sure you have a cover either way so the seat isn't nasty if you end up gate checking it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3.) <b><i>If traveling by plane, check your baby gear at the gate, NOT at check-in.</i></b> Yep, you can check your baby items for free in both areas. Maybe you think it's a pain to drag all these things through the airport, especially if you don't have a ticketed seat for your baby and won't be using the car seat until you arrive at your destination. Doesn't matter. When you gate check these items, they are out of your sight and have a chance to be damaged by someone else for a mere MINUTES before they are put underneath the plane. Hand them over at check-in and they are out of your sight for potential HOURS that someone might drop or damage your goods in any number of ways that are undetectable to you when you pick them up at Baggage Claim. You will regret this too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4.) <b><i>Pick your flight carefully.</i></b> If you are booking early enough, pick a time that coincides with the time your child sleeps. I now prefer red-eye flights with my child because I KNOW she will sleep then. We ran out of luck after awhile booking during nap time because it was just too exciting for her to sleep, and then we had NO nap. Not my preferred way to vacation. And avoid layovers whenever you can. Just GET THERE.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5.) <i><b>Pick your seats on the airplane even more carefully.</b></i> If your flight isn't overbooked, you might be able to avoid paying for a ticket for your baby, then find a row with an empty seat. Gate agents will even move you to a row with an empty seat if you ask nicely because they know as well as anyone that no one wants to sit next to a baby on a plane. Don't be offended - use this to your advantage. And try to get these seats next to a bathroom so you aren't waiting behind 5 other people who got there first when your kid has a loaded diaper. If your child is moving around on his own and can maybe even stand and walk, get bulkhead seats, so you have the extra space in front of you. My daughter loved to sit in her own "space" once we reached cruising altitude and didn't have to be constrained.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6.) <b><i>If budget allows, book a suite at a hotel.</i></b> A lot of inexpensive hotel chains nowadays have suites for great rates. It pays (in dollars and sanity) to do your research. A suite gives you the freedom to not be sitting with your spouse in the dark when your child is sleeping. And remember how much they sleep, day and night. With a suite you can essentially set your separate room up as a nursery and keep it dark, use white noise, etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7.) <b><i>What if you can't book a suite?</i></b> It happens for any number of reasons, but you can still survive. (First world problems, I know.) First, try to get a balcony. We didn't feel like forking over the hundreds of extra dollars on our Hawaii vacation with Bugga so the next best thing was a balcony where my husband and or I could hang out while the baby took naps. I spent plenty of relaxing vacation name with a book, a cocktail, and a view all while Bugga napped safely just mere feet from me in total darkness in our room.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8.) <b><i>What if you can't book a suite OR a room with a balcony?</i></b> Here's what you need to add to your luggage: a dark-colored, full-size (or bigger) flat bedsheet, two command hooks that can hold as much weight as possible, and a couple chip-style clips. Use these to drape over the hotel crib you stick in the corner of the room to create a dark area for your child when she sleeps. The command hooks (attach them to the wall) and clips hold up the sheet, and the hooks can be taken down later when you leave. You still need to be quiet in the room, but it's nice not to need to be in darkness. Now you and your spouse can at least watch a movie with headphones on the iPad or something. Wink, wink. Oh, and don't forget crib sheets from home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9.) <b><i>Bring a white noise machine.</i></b> I mentioned it above, but this is an essential piece of kid gear in my book. Even if you don't use one at home, outside noises can be unpredictable when traveling (especially in hotel hallways) so if you can block out anything that might disrupt your child's sleep, your life is better! How many times have you been stuck in a hotel that has construction going on above or below your room?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10.) <b><i>Baby's gotta eat.</i></b> If your child is eating solids, don't forget to grab a banana from the breakfast buffet to have in the diaper bag later. Boxes of raisins travel well too. Kids under 3 usually eat at buffets for free, so take advantage of that. And don't forget to ask your server what the chef is able to do. We ordered plain pasta with olive oil off the menu from a higher-end Italian restaurant when we were there for their <i>breakfast</i> so we could have lunch ready to go later for our daughter. Oh, and bring bowls with lids to refrigerate any leftovers so you always have something. (Most hotel rooms have a refrigerator lately, I have noticed.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have tons of other suggestions for all parts of travel if anyone has any additional questions. Also, if anyone wants to offer up any tips for traveling with more than one kid I am ALL EARS!</span><br />
<br />MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524767282644540663.post-24683795276508407022014-02-16T19:47:00.001-07:002014-02-16T19:47:37.874-07:00Project: Homemade Valentine Picture Frame<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FGH57gi8FPk/Uv0S-o4L-jI/AAAAAAAABAw/i73OZWDXijI/s1600/photo_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FGH57gi8FPk/Uv0S-o4L-jI/AAAAAAAABAw/i73OZWDXijI/s1600/photo_3.jpg" height="320" width="271" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been chomping at the bit waiting for Bugga to be old enough to do arts and crafts. Yes, I know, even babies can start pretty much from the womb with the art projects. We even tackled<a href="http://babyabilities.blogspot.ca/2013/01/activity-baby-safe-finger-painting.html"> finger (body!) painting last year</a> when Bugga was 10 months old; I'm sure many moms jump on it far earlier than that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another point to note: I am not a huge fan of messiness on purpose. Let's be honest, kids are a lot of work and mess without TRYING to make a mess. So painting with a toddler kind of scared me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With Bella still so small at 7 weeks, she still hasn't had her vaccinations yet so we aren't leaving the house for much more than Bugga's once-a-week gymnastics class. And a bored kid is hard on everyone (all you parents on the East Coast know exactly what I'm talking about right now since you've all been stuck inside for days due to the snow with school cancelled). So I bit the bullet and pulled out the paint.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grandma had gifted Bugga some fingerpaints and a smock for Christmas, so this was as good a time as any to try them out. Plus with Valentine's Day fast approaching Bugga could make a homemade gift for Daddy on behalf of her and her sister. I even managed to stretch this into a TWO DAY PROJECT which is always good.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fzm-fwpXCtU/Uv0SlguiVpI/AAAAAAAABAg/QfWmk9Ib3f0/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fzm-fwpXCtU/Uv0SlguiVpI/AAAAAAAABAg/QfWmk9Ib3f0/s1600/photo.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I dressed Bugga in clothes I don't like (we all get those gifts) and her new smock, and taped down some newspaper to our kitchen counter. She climbed up into her learning tower (best invention ever) and we proceeded to go to work. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I squirted some of the paint into paper cups left over from her 1st birthday (we are slowly and finally getting through those) in Valentine colors. Since the Crayola Fingerpaints only come in red, blue, yellow, and green I had to incorporate some white from my collection to make pink. Oh, and trying to make purple with the red and the blue was a bust so nevermind that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I used several sponge brushes (yep, still not in the mood to handle more painting with our hands) I had left over from another project of mine, and we went to work.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oa5k1QVHjnU/Uv0Tmu2iurI/AAAAAAAABA4/B0w8ndSPyMo/s1600/photo_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oa5k1QVHjnU/Uv0Tmu2iurI/AAAAAAAABA4/B0w8ndSPyMo/s1600/photo_1.jpg" height="320" width="278" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I purchased a simple wood heart frame from Michael's for barely $1.00 and Bugga had a blast painting it with the various colors. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She also seemed to love the different effects she could make with the brushes, taking advantage of the sponginess (huh, that's actually a word). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once she was done we let it dry overnight. in the meantime, the other colors had grabbed her attention so I found some paper and let her create another masterpiece. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9F3zNNMkJ48/Uv0T-xr0_FI/AAAAAAAABBA/TeMwLeqmky8/s1600/photo_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9F3zNNMkJ48/Uv0T-xr0_FI/AAAAAAAABBA/TeMwLeqmky8/s1600/photo_4.jpg" height="250" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She had a blast and it wasn't too difficult to clean up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh, and meanwhile, the baby hung out in the bouncer next to us and watched.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cfDKmic8RF4/Uv0S0mqcC5I/AAAAAAAABAo/V0DfMincXv0/s1600/photo_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cfDKmic8RF4/Uv0S0mqcC5I/AAAAAAAABAo/V0DfMincXv0/s1600/photo_2.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next day I pulled out a bag of foam heart stickers and the frame so we could decorate. Bugga quickly figured out how to use her fingernails to peel of the backings, and we were in business. I had a giant flat foam heart she could also decorate as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g25h7LRnJpQ/UwF3iAJfe5I/AAAAAAAABB0/KSxu9kFiKuE/s1600/photo_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g25h7LRnJpQ/UwF3iAJfe5I/AAAAAAAABB0/KSxu9kFiKuE/s1600/photo_5.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seriously, she decorated this all by herself with no guidance from me whatsoever. Such style.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZGqksyqMd3Y/UwF3m8BhrnI/AAAAAAAABB8/MshF8VXLHGs/s1600/photo_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZGqksyqMd3Y/UwF3m8BhrnI/AAAAAAAABB8/MshF8VXLHGs/s1600/photo_7.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And here is the final result, all ready for Daddy!</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ASM4I1E22lY/UwF31RqAgMI/AAAAAAAABCE/bCiLryyYXuA/s1600/photo+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ASM4I1E22lY/UwF31RqAgMI/AAAAAAAABCE/bCiLryyYXuA/s1600/photo+(5).JPG" height="320" width="289" /></a></div>
<br />MOMbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521684058113172500noreply@blogger.com0