Toddler Tuesday: One man's trash is another man's treasure

We have all heard the saying that kids would rather play with a box than the toy that came in it. Sometimes trying to come up with a toddler activity is as simple as looking in your cupboards and recycling bin.

Probably like most moms of toddlers, I have a small stash of toilet paper/ paper towel rolls, empty canisters, egg cartons, and whatever else that I might think could be a quick distraction activity when I need it.

Here are a couple examples:

• Pushing pom-poms through a container. He likes putting them in and can get a few out, but it is the fun of trying. He shakes and looks at it and tries to figure out how to get the rest of them out before starting all over again putting them back in. I have started asking him to put specific colors in, but he doesn't quite get that yet since everything seems to be blue to him. However, eventually that will click for him and will make this game a second life.

I used a small milk container and empty spice container to create this easy game.

• Black beans of fun. We have done this a few times and have tried a few different things. This weekend was pure fun and excitement. He tossed and sprinkled and had a blast feeling and listening to the different sounds the beans made in the baking pan and empty oatmeal canister. My husband thought I was nuts for this one, but since the beans are larger than something like rice, it was the easiest clean up and he had a blast. The last time I brought out the beans, I gave him different spoons/ladles to play with. This activity is a quick game however. Left for too long and the mess does get a little too uncontrollable, but for a quick mood pick-me-up, this is great. 

Using black beans, made this mess super easy to clean up. 

What are some of your favorite trash games to play with your toddler?

Monday game plan: Keeping it easy

Last week went almost as planned. Some days were better than others.

I did end up rescheduling Calan's doctor appointment. I just did not want him to get shots when he was still a little sick.

 Friday was a good surprise. A friend had her baby and we were able to watch their 18-month-old for a little while so they could get to the hospital. Fun and exciting play date.

Saturday was just too gorgeous to clean inside, so we headed to the zoo. It was such a wonderful family day. I wouldn't change it for anything.

Sunday was not as much fun. I did go to my cousin's daughter's first birthday and that was nice, but when I got home, our 8-year-old dog seemed pretty sick, so we rushed her to the emergency vet to find out that she was basically dying from rat poison. I will blog more about this later, but it was scary and so glad that she is actually going to be OK and is probably heading home this afternoon.

Bob is going to be pretty busy this week at work, so dinners are going to be pretty easy and no fuss. So here is what this week should hopefully look like:

Main goal: To get the laundry organized and hand-washed items that I have been avoiding done

Menu

• Monday: Spaghetti and salad. (Tip: Use bulk Italian sausage in your spaghetti sauce instead of ground beef)
• Tuesday: Pizza night (making dinner for friends, so we will keep it easy around here)
• Wednesday:   Pasty (U.P. tradition)
• Thursday:   Chicken Tortilla soup (frozen leftovers from a few weeks ago)
• Friday: Baked chicken, carrots, and mashed cauliflower
• Saturday: Leftovers  
• Sunday: TBD (hosting our family Sunday dinner. Not sure yet.)

Events

• Monday: Grocery shopping and laundry (the fun stuff).
• Tuesday: Taking dinner to friends who just adopted a son Calan's age from China, as well as dropping some off to our friends who just had a baby on Friday. So many new little additions. Love it. 
• Wednesday: Calan's rescheduled doctor appointment. Cleaning some of the house.
• Thursday: Our Playaway class in the morning and a play date with friends in the afternoon
• Friday: Nothing planned so it will be a much needed day at home to organize and catch up on things. 
• Saturday: Farmer's market in the morning and not sure what we are going to do in the evening yet. 
• Sunday: Church and then prepare for Sunday dinner. 

Have a good week!

Zoo in January!

I am loving the mild winter this year! It would be great to show Calan snow, but I hate the cold. So, I will enjoy this warm January as long as it lasts.

Watching the apes sleep and a mother care for her 5-month-old baby.

Maisie snug as a bug in a rug. 

Of course, Calan trying to make a new friend and the little boy is not too interested. 

Watching the seals

And the highlight: A swimming polar bear. This is probably our 8th trip to the zoo this year and the first time we have seen a bear in the water. It swam right over Calan and he pointed to the glass and said bear. Love this weather!

Grateful Friday: The opportunity to nurse

I'll be honest when I dreamed of being a mom, nursing was the farthest thing from my mind. I didn't really care one way or the other. I never really sat and thought about it. That was until the opportunity was almost taken from me before I was even able to decide. 

When I was debating whether to have a single or double mastectomy, breast feeding all of a sudden became a big issue to me. Having children all of a sudden became a huge issue to me. I was facing the fact that I may or may not be able to have children after chemo therapy and if I did have children, I may or may not be able to breast feed them. 

At that moment, I decided that not only did I want to be a mother (which I knew already), but that I wanted to be the best mother I could be. And at that moment that meant having the opportunity to breast feed my babies. I knew that I couldn't control what chemo did to my body (I understood that it needed to do what it needed to do), but I could control my surgery option. I had a hard time letting go.

I know that there are many reasons why women can't breast feed. I am just grateful that I was able to. Cancer didn't take that away from me. I am grateful that I was given the chance to try. 

I can already tell that my time of nursing Maisie is coming to an end. She is getting frustrated and starting to wean toward the bottle. I made it 5.5 months with Calan when he weaned and I thought it was because I was pregnant, but now that Maisie is weaning at about the same time, it might just be my supply issue. 

However, I am grateful that she and I had our time together and that I was given the opportunity to breast feed her. 

Anything Goes Thursday: The elusive Holy Grail double stroller still eludes me

I have two young children. Two children who are small and need to be in a stroller and will be in a stroller for awhile. I have different needs than mothers of twins. I need and want a lot of features.

In my mind, I know what my perfect stroller would include:

• Light weight
• Easy, no fail, one step opening and closing
• Side-by-side seating
• Universal car seat attachment
• Easy mobility so you don't have to be perfectly lined up to get through a door
• Snack trays
• 5-point harness
• Parent organization
• HUGE easy-access under basket that can handle the weight of a 2-baby diaper bag plus extras
• Fits easy in a car leaving space for groceries and whatever else I need back there
• Cup holders that fit water bottles as well as coffee cups
• Expandable handles for tall fathers
• Sun shades that cover from head to toe of my little fair angels 

We walked a lot this August to get out of the house.

However, I have yet to find all those things in our price range. Or anything that just comes as is. Is it just me or are all the extra attachments becoming a joke in stroller world? So what do we have you wonder? We have a garage-sale find that we find suitable for our needs, but still misses the mark. We have a Peg Perego Aria 50/50. An oldy for sure.

I love how light weight it is. I can easily get it in and out of our car using one hand. You never know when you might be holding a child while doing it. We actually store ours in the car for two reasons: We don't have a better place and I use it a lot. It fits pretty nicely in the back of our Passat Wagon. I like the dual snack trays, but hate that there isn't a parent organization system or that the under basket can't carry anything of weight at all. It works great in our city living of side walks and malls, but by no means is it meant for off-roading. 

It is a pain in the butt to get going and maneuver in small spaces. Great on walks. If you aren't exactly lined-up to go through a door perfectly, a wheel catches and getting through the door without thinking a million curse words is impossible. I am pretty sure that it will not cut it in the snow. Unfortunately, there hasn't been any this year to test it out.

It technically is not car seat adaptable, but our Graco seat does fit snuggly in it that for sidewalk, easy walks, it works. The seats do recline however so it does work for a newborn.

It is so simple to open and close. I do need two hands to open, but it is so easy and simple. 

The sunshades are a joke. Not sure what they were thinking there. 

When I was pregnant I got a lot of suggestions and recommendations, and I searched and searched. I think I became too overwhelmed that when I saw the stroller at a neighbor's whose children are 17-months apart, we settled with it. 

I am sure at some point I will become a stroller hoarder with one for every situation because the perfect double stroller does not exist.

Or does it? Have you found it? Please share. Tell me what is the best.

Wordless Wednesday: Relaxing and recovering at home

What's going on?

I am a blog addict. I love reading about others' lives and struggles and tips and joys. I love connecting with people. I love writing out my thoughts. I love blogging.

I know that there are a ton of mommy blogs out there. I am just ready to be one of them. 

My goal for 2013 is to expand our small family blog. 

Over the last two weeks, I have changed a little how I post. Each day will be a new post that correlates with that day's theme. As you might have noticed over the last two weeks, I have started to do this. Here is what you will find:

Monday Game Plan: This is where you will find what we are hoping to accomplish this week and a quick review of what did or did not get done from the week before. I will also be posting our dinner menu with a few links to the recipes that I am using. Most of the recipes are easy to prepare and convenient for a mom with her hands full. I decided that this would be a good topic for those that might feel a little overwhelmed each day. Setting my weekly goals keeps me sane, so I thought they might help someone too. 

Toddler Tuesday: Who doesn't need more ideas on how to entertain their toddler? Each Tuesday, I will share an activity or craft that I have done with my crazy toddler. I feel like he is a good test model since he has the patience of a fly, so if i can get him to do it than most likely your child will too. 

Wordless Wednesday: I am sure if you follow any blogs regularly, you might have come across a Wordless Wednesday somewhere else. On Wednesdays, I will share fun photos of my little ones from that week. What mom doesn't like to show off a little? 

Anything Goes Thursday: Here is where I will discuss any parenting issues, tips, or thoughts. Anything that is on my mind like cloth diapering for those who have liked those posts in the past. 

Grateful Friday: I will share anything I am grateful for (obviously). As my life gets busier and busier, it is nice to remember all that I am grateful for. For me it is a great way to refresh and get excited about the weekend. 

Although my daily blogs cover a lot of what I want to blog about, I will share more recipes, crafts, tips, thoughts, etc. throughout the week. My daily blogs are just a starting point of what to expect from Wilson's (almost) Irish Twins. 

I have also set up a Facebook fan page for the blog to better connect with readers as well as friends and family. Be sure to become a fan and share with your friends, too. 

Happy Blogging!

Toddler Tuesday: Salad Spinner Art

Easiest craft ever. Salad spinner, paint, and paper plates.

Calan was not feeling well this week, so crafts were to a minimum and not so easy to do with him, but we did try some artwork using my salad spinner. He loved pressing the spinner, but wasn't exactly a fan of me putting a paper plate in there. We were able to get a few before any major meltdowns.

Basically, take a paper plate and add a few globs of paint. Place the plate in the salad spinner and SPIN, SPIN, SPIN away.

Tip: Use a more watered down paint. We tried a thicker paint at first and it didn't splatter around as much as I had hoped. But when we put in his bath paints to see how those did, the splatter was much better. You could even try doing a couple globs, spin, and then add more paint to get a better outcome. Like I mentioned before, Calan wasn't feeling very well, so I didn't push him to keep trying. We got three plates and he was done.

Try using thinner paint to get more of a splattered look.

Monday Game Plan: Doctors and Organization

Well, last week didn't go exactly as planned. We went to my mother's, but Calan got sick, so we basically just hung out at home the 4 days we were there. We were suppose to come home Thursday evening, but decided to stay until Friday morning.

Calan went from having a stomach bug to a bad cold, which took up a lot of our time and attention. We still have to regroup from the holidays and take down our Christmas decorations. I felt sick yesterday, so didn't do much yesterday and Bob goes back to work tomorrow, so there is a lot to do today before he goes. And not to mention, our alma matter Michigan State University is playing in the Outback Bowl today, which means I lose Bob for most of the afternoon.

So here is the plan:
Menu

• Monday: Chicken pot pie 
• Tuesday: Pork chops with stuffed dumpling squash
• Wednesday: Chicken primivera
• Thursday: Taco salad
• Friday: Leftovers
• Saturday: Chilli with Beer bread (Tip: Add 3 tsp. of baking powder to 3 cups flour to make self-rising flour)
• Sunday: Family dinner (not sure if it is my turn to host or not, so I will figure that out at some point this week)

Events

• Monday: Organize and take down indoor Christmas decorations (too cold for outdoor)
• Tuesday: Library storytime and errands in the afternoon
• Wednesday: Calan's 18-month well visit. He is just getting over his cold, so I might reschedule
• Thursday: Maisie eye-doctor appointment. Bob is working from home and maybe taking Calan to Playaway class.
• Friday: Clean house
• Saturday: Tackle basement dumping ground 
• Sunday: My cousin's daughter's first-birthday party and Wilson family dinner

Every week I have high expectations, and every week, something doesn't get done. I guess it is just one day at a time and there is always tomorrow. 

Mulled Cranberry Tea

I know the holidays are over, but this is a great winter drink for any upcoming parties you might be hosting. I have made it several times this winter. I love it, but it is really sweet. I made it for a brunch this past November and everyone left with the recipe.
This recipe is from a Crock-pot.


Ingredients

2 bags tea

1 cup water, boiling

48 ounces cranberry juice

1/2 cup dried cranberries, optional

1/3 cup sugar

1 large lemon, cut into 1/4-inch slices

4 sticks cinnamon

6 whole cloves

Directions

Place 2 tea bags in slow-cooker. Pour boiling water over bags and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove bags. Combine ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 2-3 hours or high for 1-2. Remove cinnamon sticks, lemon slices, and cloves. Serve warm. Garnish with lemon slices or cinnamon sticks if desired. Serves 8. 

I have tried it with the dried cranberries and did not like it, so I will be leaving them out from now on. It is a very sweet tea, but so festive and fun. Enjoy!