Trying it Tuesday

I feel like my "trying it Tuesday" have become more like "get back to it Tuesday"...but either way its making me get more focused.

This week I have gone back to meal planning. Mostly dinners have become more on me...Hubs LOVES to cook and it an amazing cook but he doesn't always have the time right now. I enjoy to cook, but not to creative. I prefer to have it all planned out, which also ensures I have the ingredients I need on hand too.

I'm also trying to cut down on the number of times I am going to the grocery store. My goal is to make it 2 or 3 weeks, only picking up fresh fruits in between the big shopping days.

What's nice is that I saved my meals from last year, so I can just adjust the dates and have some ideas to plan from as well. Above is my September 2011 (I did adjust the date) plan.

Starting this week I've gone back to planning out these meals and think its going to really help out.

Make it Monday

Socks...Socks...Socks.

Yes, I know it's Summer but I just couldn't wait to show this. E just turned 2 years old, yet her sock size is more of a 4 year old. Is this a problem?! No...well just in two small ways.

1. She outgrows her shoes in a matter of a month or two.
2. Socks in her size do not have the grippers on the bottom, which she still needs. We have hard wood and tile floors and E is accident prone. The combination of these is not good, mostly when she is wearing socks.

Our wonderful Ma-Ma got E all kinds of adorable socks for E and I made them more 'age' appropriate. A simple trip to the craft store and a bottle of fabric/puffy paint (remember that from the 80's and 90's?) and we are good to go.

Here are the details. Make sure the paint is regular puffy paint, pretty much ensure it dose not say 'slick' and you have what you need.

I got coordinating paints to match/compliment the socks and painted different shapes onto the bottom of the socks (hearts, stars, squiggles, etc). One tip is to separate the layers of the socks when you apply the paint, I just stuck my free hand in) and they wont's stick together when they are drying.

So keep a look out for socks at TJ Maxx's, Marshals, Targets and the such. If they don't have the bottom grippies?! No biggie! Hopefully this will save some moola for you too!

-A

What I'm Reading

I love to read, granted I can't always get the time I would like in for reading. But I do enjoy it...especially when the topics are about things I love. I typically have a handful of books that I am reading and here are a couple of those that I am loving right now.

Baby Play (Gymboree)

Great resource for activities for your 12 month to 3 year old. You can flip to the age group your interested in and learn all kinds of fun games to play together and the educational benefits as well. I try to incorporate a couple of their items into each week with E. Sometimes I feel like I've hit a wall on new activities, especially on a rainy (or in our case lately, super hot) days that we can't go outside. 

Itsy Bitsy Yoga

Love this book. I love yoga and the many benefits is brings to me and I want to provide this to my girls as well. Just like the above book this one is broken into groups...but by their development (sitting up, rolling over, etc.) A loves her 'yoga' time and it's helps her with gas pains, sleeping, and fussing. I will be recommending this to my girlfriends that are expecting!

*I just found out their is a toddler version of this book. I have to put this on my 'wish list'!!!

Itsy Bitsy Toddler Yoga

The Organic Gardening Bible

I've found a new adventure...gardening. We rent out a spot at a friend's farm for the season and we planted. This is our first garden ever...for any of us. And it's such a huge learning curve, I've learned so much. This project was a 'family' one, but due to schedules and such it's really turned into my project. And I can't lie...I don't mind it. I even enjoy it. The only downfall is that I wish I could spend more time there. But we are reaping the benefits already. We have more lettuce than we are eating, tomatoes are coming in daily and everything else is getting ready to POP! It's so awesome. We will be canning, prepping, freezing up a ton in hopes to supply our family (and our extended family) with yummy goodness for the year!

This book has really helped me learn some 'organic' ways to help our garden grow and succeed.

I love books, these few are just a sample of what is on my nightstand right now. 

-A

Potty Training Week 1 - Complete

Talk about Highs and Lows! This past week has been just that. We are one full week into potty training E. Some days are great others...well lets just say we go thru lots of cleaning supplies and underwear!

All-in-all E seems to really enjoy her big girl undies. It's seems to have unleashed some sort of extra creativity in her. E has always been a girly girl, super into showing off her dresses and shoes. But all of a sudden she accessories, and is trying everything in a million different ways. It's hard to describe but easy to show in pictures.

This is just one of about a few dozen that I haven't taken pictures of. It's just not always possible to capture all of E's quirky-ness on camera.

Right now E is still adjusting to the potty. She goes on every 30 minutes or so and sometimes she goes...other times she wets her pants. Either way she is not afraid of the potty or sitting on it. She even pulls up or puts on new undies, flushes, washes her hands, turns off the light, and closes the bathroom door every time she sits down...100% on her own! So no doubt she 'gets' it. I just need to get my timing better.

Any suggestions?

And I am still using the cloth diapers for A and its awesome, so worth it!

-A

Home Helpers

I hate to have things go to waste, and I also hate to have things laying around and unfinished. This brings me to an opened box of peel n' stick laminate tiles. The tiles have been floating around for a little while and today  as I cleaned out our pantry/closet area I vowed I would not move them anymore.

So what can I do with these tiles?? I can 'tile' my under-sink areas (aka bathroom and kitchen). Perfect! We had a water spill a little bit ago under the kitchen sink and the board and since bubbled.

Tonight, after the girls and I said our prayers and they fell asleep I attacked my mini project. Months ago I had done the cabinet in our master bathroom and I would love to share pictures but as of this moment the cabinet needs some straightening up (I will probably edit this post later and include those photos). But here are the pictures of the kitchen.

Before:

And Da-Da-Da....the After:

Total project took about an hour. That included cleaning thru our items under the sink, organizing (and picking out matching containers to store items) taking pictures and the cleanup. The time spent putting in the actual tiles was about 20 minutes.

So happy with these results, plus I went thru all the junk under there and threw a bunch out. As you see we don't have a ton of cleaning supplies any longer. Since I make our multi surface cleaner we don't need much else. This cabinet also holds our extras like light bulbs, sponges, dish brushes and such (they are in the black container behind some supplies.

Take Care
-A

Baby Lead Weaning

I have to admit...I never knew about Baby Lead Weaning (BLW). But I was intrigued, I've been making A's food with our Beaba BabyCook and all has been fine...but BLW had my attention. So what is it? Long story short, when a baby develops their "pincher grip" aka they grab/hold items, you can begin to give them fruits and veggies to gnaw on. You don't make or give them puree foods, just breast milk and real food. It's also for the baby to feed themselves...hence the baby-lead part. Think of the whole "they'll eat if their hungry" idea.

I don't 100% agree with this concept and I don't 100% disagree either. However our little A loves to put things in her mouth and I would rather it be food than other things. So we are a hybrid BLW/tradition baby food family with A. And she seems to love it, just today see dove into a baby seedless cucumber.

Other food A is loving in the BLW fashion are plums, bananas and kiwi. It's very nerve wracking...I watch her like a hawk but shes doing great. I think this is a great mixture for A!

I'm constantly amazed at how my parenting changes for the girls. One thing works for one and then a different for the other.

And here are a few pictures of the girls just being themselves!

Have a great day!
A

Favorite Things

This is fun, I love to share things that I've found that we really enjoy. Hopefully they can help you out, or give you gift ideas.

What A Loves:

  

So A is still teething yet nothing has poked thru! Everything goes into her mouth...but her Sophie Giraffe and Sophie Giraffe Ring are a huge favorite. These are one of those toys that E brings to her anytime she is fussing.

Description:

• Variety of textures perfect for soothing Baby's sore gums when teething
• The singular scent of Natural Rubber makes Sophie very special and easy for your child to identify amid all his other toys. 
• The textured surfaces for baby to choose from according to age and needs, to give even faster relief for aching gums. 

What E Loves:

Well, outside of putting on silly outfits?! She is loves to play pretend. This was her birthday gift from us, I searched long and hard for the perfect set and this has been even more than I had hoped for! This Melissa and Doug set is 100% wood...which took about 2.5 hours to assemble but well worth it. E loves it and plays with it all the time!

What I Love:

Here is one more item in my beauty routine. L'Oreal Lip Balm in Pink Satin...this is perfect is both lip gloss and lipstick (well enough for my liking). I can apply it at anytime without a mirror and it's the perfect color. I really would say it would be perfect enough for any ladies coloring. I love it so much, its a must have.


What We Love:

Well this is more what I love, but its for the house so I'm including everyone in on this one. Dr Bronner's All In One Soap. This has about a million uses if you look online. We use the lavender for our cleaning, mostly because I get time to clean when the girls are sleeping and the scent is pleasant for before bed. I use a few drops mixed with water in a spray bottle to clean EVERYTHING! It removes mildew from the shower and even E's paint from her art easel or our counter tops! It also cleans windows and mirrors with no streaks (again all with the diluted mixture in the spray bottle). One 16oz bottle last us about a year!

I also use the Unscented Baby Mild for the girl's at bedtime. It's done wonder's for E's KP!

This stuff comes in an array of scents and it's helps us save a ton on cleaning supplies. It's organic and safe for use while pregnant, around food and around kids.

Have a great day all!
-A

Try it Tuesday

I have to be honest, I did this for just a few days about 5 months ago. But as of this week I'm back to 90%. What am I talking about? Cloth diapers. Since E is potty training I thought let's go as diaper free as we can!

I also went back to regular diapers with A because I had so many still left over from E. When I was pregnant with E I bought diapers every chance I got. Little was I to know E would grow faster than anyone could believe and we had many diapers left over. 

So back to cloth diapers...

It's not that big of a deal once you figure it all out. And you can save more money but the obvious...not throwing out diapers after one use, but you can get awesome deals on cloth diapers at Zulily and EcoBaby which can cost up to 60% less than buying at a traditional store.

You may be thinking, yuck what a mess...I know I did before I had kids. But it's not that bad. I hooked up a sprayer to our toliet and clean those dirty diapers and they all go in a special water proof bag. At the end of my day I throw them in the wash and dryer and in the morning I'm ready to go again. 

I also use cloth wipes too. And it's as easy as the diapers.

The money saving is great but the girls have super sensitive skin and using these diapers on A has been so great for her! So I'm one full week in to it and its been great. I'm so happy that we are doing this!

A

Make it Monday

I'm always trying to find something yummy and healthy for Hub's lunch or for me to take to the park for E and I. Here is one I came up with a couple of weeks ago and it's been a huge hit.

Roast Beef Cream Cheese Wrap

Cream Cheese Spread:

1. Mix equal parts of cream cheese and mayo (mayonnaise, whatever you prefer)
2. Sprinkle in some Red Pepper Flakes
3. 1 Garlic clove (more or less based on your liking and the amount your making. You could chop really fine, or I prefer to us a garlic press.
4. Mix together until somewhat smooth

*I make up a batch to make a handful of wraps for the week. Saves me lots of time. This also is super yummy as a veggie dip!

Wrap

1. A wrap, I love to use these but you could use any type you prefer
2. Spread some of the made cream cheese spread
3. Then I like to use Roast Beef, but we've also used turkey and chicken and they are tasty too.
4. On top of that I like to add tomato, lettuce, shredded cheese and avocado

Hope you enjoy...these have been a favorite for us!
A 

Case of the Mundays?

This should give you a little giggle!

E is potty training, and this has seemed to spark some extra creativity in her wardrobe choices.

 The above is E in her car seat on her way home from buying big girl underwear. She must be excited she ripped open the package and put them on while we drove home.

I'll be posting later today another 'Make it Monday'.

Have a great one!!
-A

Bonding

We were elated when we found out that we were expecting a little one (A...not another, everyone can relax). After all, life with E was amazing, she was everything we always prayed and hoped for, and more. As we prepared for A's arrival I wondered how things would change and how E would adjust...was she too young for a younger sibling, would she be jealous, would she understand?

From day one E was amazing. She came to the hospital with Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa and gave A kisses and hugs. She seems to understand that A was here to stay. She never is jealous of what that time I have to spend with A...but always knows when she is asleep and has her Mommy/Daddy 1:1 time.

How amazing is that? This little one, only 17 months older than her baby sister is so caring, understanding and loving.

Now we are 7+ months into our new life and these two are bonding more and more every day.

Sometimes E is fully into her role as a big sister, playing and entertaining A. She gives hugs and kisses to her all day long. E knows A's favorite toys and is quick to bring them to her. Other times E sees her role as a caretaker and she loves to try to feed and care for A.

Just this evening we got home to enjoy a pizza with Dad. A was doing her crawling (belly crawling) all around. E got right down from eating...just a side note, E never leaves pizza behind...but she got right down and tried to show A how to crawl. She spent a good half hour crawling around while A watched, giggled and    followed.

Its so funny the things you worry about as a parent and how quickly a little one can put things back into perspective. These girls love each other and they can make each other smile and giggle.

A

Getting Back on Track

I'm not kidding, it's just until recently (like the last month or so recently) that I feel like I'm fully back into the swing of things. Before A arrived I was still working but for that last month before she arrived I was told by my Dr that I couldn't work anymore (preterm labor). So I felt like I was always on top of things house, mommy-wise. Luckily for me I was allowed to do light housework.

Then A arrived, 3 weeks early (those who know me most will understand the following) and I still had a list of stuff I wanted to have ready for her arrival. Hubs and I did not know for either pregnancy if we were having a boy or girl. I made crib bedding for a boy but was just about to start that for a girl...I had no clothes to bring her home in and so on. (I know, nothing HUGE...but still).

I can't lie...I was so disappointed in myself. When E arrived we had everything washed, prepped and ready to go. And with A I felt like I wasn't being the same Mom (ugh...Mom guilt, it's the worse) she didn't have an outfit to come home in, no bottles were washed and in the cabinets, her crib was all setup for a boy...and not the adorable, tiny, precious little girl she was/is.

Obviously everything has worked out...Ma-Ma went out the day after A arrive and bought her everything she needed for outfits, buntings, socks, hats and mittens (E was a summer baby). And as youve seen A is adorable...no permanent damage done by me.

But as of today A finally has her own, made by Mommy bedding. Since A was so tiny, and had some sleep issues both Hubs and I agreed to forgo the tradition bumpers and instead bought breathable bumpers...but I did make her the softest, organic cotton fitted crib sheet with decorative panels on the side.


I feel like a better Mommy today....her bed is SO soft...and it was made just for her. Just like all of E's bedding was.  When I laid her down for bed tonight she curled up and I let out a little sigh. I want my children to know how much I love them, and hope they are never jealous and that I'm doing the right things for both of them.

I'll do a post just on the girls room and bedding some day in the future...that wasn't really the intention of my rambling today. :) 

A

Smiles

Here are a couple of pictures of recent things that have brought a smile to our faces. These girls love their hats!!

 A enjoying some sun with her Derby Style hat.

 A and E in conversation? E is wearing a winter hat on a 105 degree day!

 E rocking her hat during dinner.

E trying to wake up Daddy...so silly! 

She's wearing her big girl underwear, a tank top, winter scarf and hat. 

Things We Love

I'm a stay-at-home mommy which is awesome, however the pay isn't that great...but the benefits are incredible!! So I spend a lot of time researching items before I buy them...always looking for the best deal. I also look for organic/safe items for my family and the icing on the cake is made in the USA.

So my goal is to highlight items that I've found that I love....it can be for me, the girls, the hubs, gifts, or so on. Basically, it could be anything; but I will try my hardest to show the best deal.

What A Loves:

Lifefactory 2 Pack Multi Sensory Silicone Teether

A is teething up a storm, but nothing has come in yet...
this is one of her favorite teethers AND added bonuses...

• Multi-sensory silicone teether is designed by a pediatric feeding specialist
• Made in USA of medical grade silicone and contains no phthalates, PVC, BPA or latex
• 4 different sections to develop oral motor skills
• Can be refrigerated or frozen to soothe aching gums

What E Loves:

Vita Coco 100% Pure Coconut Water, 17-Ounce Boxes

E drinks this ALL the time. The benefits of this water are amazing....no sugars like juice yet E refers to it as juice. I really encourage you to read up on the benefits of 100% coconut water. Please be careful of those with just 'splashes' of it...it's not the same! Anyways, Amazon.com is the place that sells it for cheap (well the cheapest I can find). We get a discount since we are an their auto delivery program and the shipping is free! Score!!!

What I Love:

Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles, BRIGHTENER

A full night of rest isn't always possible for me, and applying a 'full face' of makeup each day isn't always in the cards either. But I always use this...most days my routine is this and mascara and I still feel so pulled together. This is so amazing...I recommend the brightener. It must be a big hit because I told my Mom about it and we went to 2 large stores...both were sold out of this exact formula.

So here is a little inside to my go-to items. Happy Wednesday!!

-A

Trying it Tuesdays

I want my girls to look back and have memories of simple things. Things that we did together that they really enjoyed. Right now E is into animated movies (Pixar and those of that nature), rest assured that I don't plop her in front of a tv all day long...but my car has a DVD player and she loves to watch movies as we run errands. This love of movies has made its way into our home and for the last week or so E and I snuggle up about 45 minutes before her bedtime and watch a movie...or part of one.

I love this new tradition with E. It's my time (or time with Dad and I) with E...A is fast asleep and E can have 100% of our attention. While grocery shopping today I came across Tiny but Mighty Popcorn, it's the make-on-a-stovetop-pot kind and thought this could be something really cool to do with E (who recently fell in love with popcorn too). I was nervous that I would burn it and our place smell of burned popcorn, but it was quick, simple and AMAZING!!!

Here it is in the process....

I had to try and keep it healthy...after all I'm feeding it to my 2 year old right before bed! I used 2 T olive oil and 1/3 cup of the kernels. I also saw that I can use coconut oil, which I am going to do next time I think it would give it an even better flavor.

Within about 2 or 3 minutes it went from the above to the below! E loved watched the corn POP...it was the highlight of my day to see her watch in true amazement.

 I didn't deny E of the good stuff I did make sure to add some butter (the real stuff...yum!) and a bit of salt. I'm going to visit our local farmers market this weekend and see if the spice guys have a good seasoning to add as well.

The 1/3 cup of un-popped kernels made 2 of the shown containers...and E and I ate about 2/3 of it!!! I doubt we will continue to eat this much but we did indulge since it was our first night. How did it taste?! Honestly I would take it over movie theater popcorn....and the price online is so much cheaper (about 1/2 what the grocery store charged!).

Seeing that this was such a huge hit with E, I think it is needed to invest in a 'popcorn' bowl. I really see this tradition to be one that sticks!
-A

Make it Monday

It's hot here...I mean really hot. The kind of hot that you don't leave the house! We are use to being 'trapped' indoors when the snow hits the midwest, not so much for the extreme heat. But we come up with fun ways to  stay cool, including making popsicles.

E loves popsicles, and our awesome Ma-Ma (Grandma to E and A) bought use a Zoku, I had never heard of it before but Ma-Ma found one and when she learned about E's sweet tooth for popsicles she gave it to us (how awesome is she??). This thing is so cool, the base stays in the fridge and you get to make your own popsicles.

So knowing me, I require them to be super health...I will admit that Hubs isn't my biggest fan in regards to some of my mixtures but E has never once complained. And since I allow her to eat them for the occasinoal breakfast they must remain healthy. And Hubs even likes these!!

So check these out....these are by far my favorite!!!

So what are they? Kiwi/Watermelon Popsicles and they are so yummy!! Here is how to make them (seriously they are this easy).

Get some Kiwis and cut up Watermelon....I used organic of both. I had them both cut up in the fridge and knew they wouldn't be lasting to much longer (great way to save some $$).

Use a food processor/blender, anything that will get these to a liquid. I used our Beaba BabyCook and blend each separate. Then add the kiwi liquid (with seeds) into your popsicle molds...if you are using the Zoku first poor in kiwi then add in stick (same if using anyother mold). If using a Zoku wait 2 minutes then pour in watermelon. If you are using a traditional mold wait for kiwi to freeze then add watermelon. After another 5 minutes in the Zoku remove popsicles and you are all done!!! Look at how awesome these are!

E loves these!

Extra bonus...I get to be that cool Mom who says 'sure you can have a popsicle for breakfast'. And why wouldn't I?! It's 100% fruit...and organic too!

A

7 Months Old

Our baby turned 7 months old this week and I made sure to take her monthly photos. Before she was born I knew I wanted to do these with those adorable stickers...like these here even though she is our 2nd daughter I still envisioned her sitting with a cute outfit, a adorable headband and these stickers, just smiling away. I had plans to use the pictures in our calendars and such. But of course that is not how our monthly photo shoots go.

A puts everything in her mouth...even stickers that are applied to her tummy! So as of last month I try to put the sticker near her, but as you see she still gets them. But hey, that's A...and when I look back on these photos a long time from now I will remember this.

Milestones:

• Smiles the minute you make eye contact, even late in the day right before bedtime
• Crawling...mostly her own A version which is a lot like an army crawl but she has shown us some 'real' crawling moves too!
• Chattering, making all kinds of sounds, squeals and laughs (including lots of giggles)

Favorite Things:

• Food: Mangos and Bananas, Broccoli, Kale, Spinach, Pears (I make ALL of her food even her milk ;) and I use the Beaba Babycook...I used it for all of E's food when she was small too. It's great...steam/chop/puree all in one quick switch)
• This mat....it's amazing, if you have a little one, I highly recommend it. Even E who is 2 enjoys it. It comes everywhere with us...super soft, has play things included and its huge but still portable. This will no doubt be one of my 'go to gifts' for friends with/expecting kids!
• Loves to be held, mostly by me...but she is starting to let others hold her more.

Our girls are so different...A is tiny and shy and E is super tall and really outgoing. E was also dying to do everything right then and there...for instance she was sitting on her own at 6 months and holding herself up on furniture at 7 months old...and A is just content being a baby and taking her time (I have no problem with this at all!!) Also, E was wearing 12 month+ clothing at 7 months and A is still in 3-6 months. Just for fun I put their 7 month pics side by side to show you the difference. I love that they are so unique, they surly keep Hubs and I on our toes.

I did just notice that both love to have their mouths opened when they smile!

I'm so excited about this Blog, and have some fun things planned. Hopefully this week I will begin with my 'daily/weekly' items so be sure to check back often!

-A

Tea Party

This post is old news to many of you, but for the Blog's sake I wanted to talk about it. A few months back we hosted a Tea Party...well E and A were the hosts and their Ma-Ma (Grandma) and I the coordinators.

This was by far the on of my top highlights as being a Mom (remember me talking about becoming more girly?!) The party was attended by 5 of E's closest girlfriends and each had an amazing time. The results of Ma-Ma's planning and ideas were amazing, these girls were in heaven.

I love making the invitation special, I think it really sets the tone for a party. After a few trials we finally settled on a simple design with springy colors and a fun poem.

Details of the setup

E before her guests arrived

The little ladies sitting down to chat

It was a hot day so some cooling off was needed!

Each girl came dresses for the part...boas, jewels, and pretty dresses. It was so much fun that we immediately began planning for our next one. We are anticipating hosting it in the first quarter of next year!