Monday Game Plan (on Tuesday Sorry)

Well, as you might have noticed, it is getting a little crazy around here and I am finding less and less time to blog. The kids seem to be in a tag team match 24/7, which has kept me on my toes. This week is pretty busy, so hopefully I am able to keep up on the house and all the little things. My fingers are crossed.

Menu
Monday: Chicken Brushetta (we do this one a lot)
Tuesday: Chicken Fajittas
Wednesday: Sweet kielbasa and tri-pepper pesto pasta (sauteed peppers with bow-tie pasta mixed with a pre-made pesto sauce)
Thursday: Chicken with brocolli and carrots
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Leftovers/takeout
Sunday: Superbowl TBD

Events
Monday: We stayed home and I did laundry and cleaned. The fun stuff.
Tuesday: Southfield story time. (P.S. What a gorgeous library! The story time was not as structured as I would have liked, but the children's area is just simply AMAZING!)
Wednesday: Maisie's 6 month well visit and both kids get shots. Yeah me. Luckily Bob will be at the appointment to help out. I can't wait to see how big Maisie is. This last month, she has exploded!
Thursday: We have another day sticking close to home. I will probably clean as much as I can since our weekend is pretty busy.
Friday: Playdate with an old friend and Calan's first friend Emmy. Then girls night out hosted by my sister-in-law and her family at Sole Sisters in Royal Oak.
Saturday: Bob is going to a men's breakfast with our church. And then hoping to do something with the family like heading to the library or maybe the local mall that has a toddler kids area to play in.
Sunday: I have a friend's baby shower in the morning. (I think I might be on of the few people who actually enjoy's showers. Call me crazy.) and then Superbowl party. Though we have not RSVPed yet, we are probably going to Bob's aunt's for dinner and the game.


(Sorry for the delay, but I will post my Toddler Tuesday post later tonight. I will get back in the swing again. Promise.)

Happy Birthday to ME!

Today I am 31. Yep, I am officially in my 30s, not just 30, but in my 30s. And to be honest, it feels kind of great.

To think 10 years ago, I was 21. A crazy night yes, but I don't think that I would want to go back for any amount of money. In that 10 years, so much has happened. I am such a different person, and I love the person I have become. I became a college graduate and a retiree in 10 years. I became a wife and mother. I became me.

To think 20 years ago, I was a 11. And Whoa, what an awkward kid! So glad I am not her anymore. I joke that I was a nerd, who never actually knew I was a nerd, and so I tried to be who I wasn't. For a young girl, I think that is hard and confusing. I most definitely would not change my 30s for my teen years ever again.

And to think in 10 years, Calan will be 11. Time is so crazy. It can seem so long when you are going through it, but it becomes just a blink of an eye when you look back.

Not sure what my 30s will look like when I look back, but so far they have been kind of amazing. So, happy birthday to me.

Guess who started solids?

(Sorry that the camera was on unstable, I was trying to feed and take video)

We are now on day 2 of solids and I don't think that she has even eaten one bite, but it just takes time, or so they say.

Polar Bears

Still trying to get him OK with stuff on his hands. Anyone have any tips on this?

From crafts to food to books to songs, Calan and I played with polar bears this past week. Calan loves bears. They were the first animal noise he would say. So, doing some lessons on polar bears was not a stretch for us. I did try to get him to recognize that a polar bear is white, but not sure if he exactly got it. I figure everything that I am doing is just planting seeds. He might not get it this lesson or the next, but at least we are trying to do something.

Snack

I toasted half of a Sara Lee Wheat Thin Bun and spread cream cheese to cover. Sliced banana for ears and a red grape for eyes. I drew a nose and mouth with frosting gels (not the prettiest idea, but it is what I had on hand). I got the idea from here.

Craft

I had two crafts planned, but the way the week worked out we only got one done. We made a puffy paint polar bear. To make the puffy paint, you mix equal parts shaving cream and glue. Calan painted the plate and then we let it dry for a day. I cut ears, eyes, and a nose out of construction paper and just asked Calan were they went. I attached them. He held it when we were done and said bear, so hopefully he learned something from it.
The craft I didn't have time for was gluing coconut to a polar bear. I guess we will save that one for a rainy day, which this winter there seems to be plenty of.

Books

There are obviously plenty of books out there to read on polar bears like "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?" I fell in love with "Mama Why?" by Karma Wilson. It is a very sweet bedtime story and Calan loved it. By the end of the week, I would pause at the "Mama, Why?" parts and he would say it. I loved it.

Songs
I sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" to Calan basically every night before he goes to bed, so this song was great because it goes to that tune and we were able to act out the different parts. (Though it was just basically me doing it and Calan turning around in circles, which is how he dances, or him just looking at me.)

Polar Bear Twinkle

Polar bear, polar bear, turn around,

Polar bear, polar bear, touch the ground,

Polar bear, polar bear, show your shoe,

Polar bear, polar bear, that will do.

Polar bear, polar bear, bend your knee,

Polar bear, polar bear, climb this tree,

Polar bear, polar bear, make a frown,

Polar bear, polar bear, sit right down.

Polar bear, polar bear, stand on your toes,

Polar bear, polar bear, touch your nose,

Polar bear, polar bear, wink your eye,

Polar bear, polar bear, say good-bye.

Up in the air

With my brief day and a half trip away from home, I am still playing a bit of catch up, and that includes figuring out my meal plan and events for the week. So, hopefully, I will have that posted soon.

So instead I'll share a little about what's been going on around here:

• Calan is finally over his cold! Seriously a toddler's snotty nose is gross and so frustrating since he won't let you wipe it. It was an interesting fine line. I wanted to wipe is nose just enough to help, but not too much that he would cry and increase his snot production to nullinvoid the fact that I wiped it in the first place. It was pretty frustrating. He got to the point that he was wiping it off with his hand and shirt so I wouldn't wipe it. That habit will be fun to break later. 
• Maisie is getting so big. I never thought her 3-6 month clothing would ever be tight on her, but they are starting to be. I can't believe it. I guess it is time to figure out the next wardrobe for her. I have some cute stuff already, but what girls doesn't need more. 
• Maisie has learned to roll from her back to her stomach, which is great except some how in the process she has forgotten how to roll over from her stomach to her back, so she gets stuck. I am getting excited for her next milestone, which should sitting up. She is still pretty wobbly, but she is getting better. 
• Bob did a great job as Mr. Mom while I was gone. He even tried to take the kids out to lunch by himself, but once he got all ready and the kids in the car, unfortunately Calan's door wouldn't shut, so he had to take them back in. But I think that it is impressive that he even tried. 
• My trip to see my grandmother was good. I am glad I went.It wasn't easy, but it was good to see her and my family. It was hard to leave, but life does go on. 

Next week, I'll be writing the kids' monthly update, so I will share more about them then. Every month seems to go faster and faster, but this one I am glad to say goodbye too. It has not been fun, but I survived, the kids survived, and hoping this month will be a ton better. 

Grateful Friday: Chance to say goodbye

My Oma and Opa and I at my college graduation in 2003.

Well, this weekend is not going to be the easiest for me. I am taking off today to say goodbye to my grandmother. She has not been well for several years, but knowing that this is the last time is not easy.

I'll be honest, I have not seen my grandmother in more than a year. I do not want to come off as insensitive or too upset. The fact is that I have watched all of my grandparents and one great-grandparent get old. I have watched them live their lives to the fullest. I have been lucky enough to be at a point where none of them were taken (as some might say) before their time.

I am so grateful to have known all of my grandparents. My grandfather passed away almost 3 years ago and now my grandmother will be joining him.

I am grateful to be able to celebrate a life versus mourn a death. And my dad's parents were larger than life. Until their health started to fail, they were the life of the party. Always the storytellers. My grandmother's birthday is a week from today (a day after mine).

I have been told I don't have to go this weekend. But I regret not being there when my grandfather actually passed. I should have gone. I am grateful this time that I have time to go up and say goodbye.

I am grateful to my family (my father, aunts, and uncles) who took care of my grandmother. They basically put their lives on hold to care for her. They promised my grandfather that they would and they did.

While I am not extremely close to my grandparents, I am grateful that they were/are there. I know that I took it for granted and I am sorry for that.

(I should say that both of my mom's parents are still in my life.)

Anything Goes Thursday: Walking Zombies

Hello, middle of the night wakings. Hello, awake children and dead tired parents. Hello, coffee.

I really thought I had it pretty easy the first 6 months. Maisie has been a great sleeper. Even with all of Calan's rocking issues, he was still sleeping and being quiet. I was rested, the kids were rested, we had our routine. Everything was going so smoothly.

And then the last 2 weeks happened. We are amongst the perfect storm. Sick Calan, Wonder Week 26 for Maisie, and I think both are teething. They have been tag-teaming who is up and who is asleep, which leaves me little to no sleep after about 3:30 a.m. (I remember the nights when I would stay up till 3:30 and sleep in till 11, oh the memories.)

Being 13 months apart has created this perfect match up of development and physical changes in the kids that has left me without a good nights rest in more than 2 weeks. I miss sleep.

Now, in the kids' defense, I have not been going to bed early in order to make up for my lack of sleep, so that is most definitely my fault. I just hope that these rough nights are numbered. I am done with them.

They have left me pretty cranky, tired, without motivation, just an all-around sloth.

Don't you love though that no matter how long your kids have you up at night, they seem to wake up with a smile on their faces like nothing happened. I love their innocence even though I want to die.

I honestly do not mind being woken up in the middle of the night as long as it is a quick back to sleep. It is the 40 minutes to 2 hour wake ups that have me up and cranky.

I am just ready for my little ones to sleep. But until then, COFFEE you are my best friend.

Wordless Wednesday: Hanging around

Big kid in a little seat. 

Double blanket time

Snuggling with bug

Mr. Potatohead

Toddler Tuesday: Fun with Kool-Aid

Flour, oil, salt, cream of tarter, and Kool-Aid

Just take these few ingredients and whip up some Kool-Aid fun with play-doh and finger paint.

Calan is once again not feeling well (I think this is going to be a long winter). However, I tried out a few fun Kool-Aid recipes I found online. I thought he might enjoy playing with Play-Doh and I thought I would try finger paint even though he hates things on his hands.

Calan liked playing with the Play-Doh up till the moment he realized he could throw it off the tray. 

And finger paint did not work for us. He hated it on his hands, and this is when he realized it got on his truck and he couldn't get it off. (Frugal tip: Use old t-shirts as smocks.) 

And, I was right. He liked playing with the Play-Doh for about 10 minutes and the finger paint was a complete flop. All I can do is keep trying different things with him and let him explore them for as long (or as little) as he wants.

Here is what I did:

• For finger paint, take 1 cup flour, 1 Kool-Aid packet, and 1/4 cup salt and mix it with 1 1/2 cups boiling water and 1 1/2 tablespoons (1 1/2 teaspoons equals 1/2 tablespoon)
• For Play-Doh, mix 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/4 cup salt, 1 Kool-Aid packet and 1 tablespoon cream of tarter with 1 cup boiling water and 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil. Mix with fork till cool and then mix with hands till well blended kneading and adding additional flour till no longer sticky.

Things that I learned from making it:

• Don't use wheat flour. It is all that I had and it obviously distorted the color. The Play-Doh was suppose to be blue, but looks green. I ended up adding green food coloring to both the play-Doh and finger paint to get richer colors.
• I ended up using a lot more flour in the play-Doh to make it not sticky, next time I might just start out using a 1/4 cup more flour.
• I added water to the finger paint till I got the consistency I wanted. Not sure if the wheat flour made it drier, but it was really gooey and sticky at first, I wanted a thinner consistency.
• I will probably split both in half, but still using whole packet of Kool-Aid per half. I think that it will make better colors and I don't need that much finger paint or Play-Doh in one color, which is what I have now.

Monday Game Plan: Surviving

I thought I was doing really well. I thought I was getting good at parenting 2 babies and then 18 months hit for Calan and the last 2 weeks have been horrible. The poor guy has had a flu bug, a cold, and now I think his 2-year molars are coming in. Either way he is a snotty, whiny mess that is barely sleeping.

My goal for this week is to SURVIVE and hope that he gets better soon. I miss my happy playful little guy. This terrible whiny monster is not as much fun and is pretty much exhausting. 

I  was able to get a few things finished last week despite Calan's neediness. I did get all my handwash laundry done, as well as Bob and I (mostly Bob) finally reorganized the basement storage. Two things that I had been avoiding since before Christmas. 

Main goal: Survive

Menu

• Monday: Perogies, carrots, broccoli 
• Tuesday: Chicken, dumpling squash, cauliflower, mac & cheese (Tip: Lightly pound your chicken and sprinkle with a little lemon pepper and garlic salt. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. I swear, it turns out perfect every time)
• Wednesday: Chicken caesar salad
• Thursday:  Chicken parmesan
• Friday: Leftovers
• Saturday: Leftovers or takeout
• Sunday: Family dinner not hosting

Events

• Monday: Stay at home and try to get Calan better. Bob is heading to a Wings game tonight, so just me all day.
• Tuesday: Suppose to go for a stroller walk with the Royal Oak Moms Club that I am thinking about joining. Making dinner for friends who just had a baby.
• Wednesday: Again, suppose to go to my second event with the Royal Oak Moms Club, but we shall see how Calan is doing
• Thursday: Calan's Playaway class, hopefully he is better!
• Friday: Nothing going on so far. Probably a fun cleaning day
• Saturday: Standard breakfast out and farmers market
• Sunday: Standard day of church and family dinner

Have a good week everyone!