T is for Train

I bought this book -The Toddler's Busy Book: 365 Creative Games and Activities to Keep Your 1 1/2- to 3-Year-Old Busy by Trish Kuffner, a few months back, and I have got to say that I have had plenty of success with it. 

Through the rainy days I have been running a bit mad wondering what in the world I can do to keep my little one busy enough to where i can get my work done and get to sneak in a few lessons on letters and such.

From the book I chose to do a project alone, {you'll see why} and I had as much fun making it as she did when she was playing with it.

As I mentioned before it was fun. I just wish I had a hole punch but I had to use the craft scissors  to make the holes on the thick cardboard boxes and believe me it was a scary!

I cut a plastic shoe horn that come with the boxes and made it a handle to make it easier  for her to pull

These were her toys of choice- perfect!

We focused on the animals and the sounds they make, the meaning of  "pull", T is for Train and you bet we made a whole lot of hullabaloos and choo choo sounds. :0)

      

Pancupcakes for breakfast!

Saturday morning breakfast cooked by "Daddy" is a new tradition that became a tradition on its own.

My hubby can definitely cook and he has somehow taken it upon himself to, proudly, make his girls breakfast every Saturday morning, except for last Saturday when he told me he wasn't up for it. It was no big deal for me, I was already thinking up a recipe of my own.

Homemade Mamas have a great site and a recipe similar to this. They used fruit preserves instead of bananas and maple syrup. I'm guessing the possibilities are endless for this recipe. Here's the link to their recipe: Surprise Muffins!


Here's my version-

PanCupCakes

• 2 Cups of all natural pancake mix
• 1 Cup non-fat milk
• Maple syrup
• 1banana
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of oil
• 1 egg {beaten}
• Preheat your oven to 425°
• Line or spray your cupcake/muffin tray

                             Mix pancake mix and brown sugar together. Add to it the milk, egg and oil.

Fill each cup with the mix half way

                              Add about a teaspoon of maple syrup to each cup. Aim for the center.

                              Slice your bananas and place one 1/4" slice to each cup above the syrup.

Continue filling the cup with the mix be sure to leave some room for expansion.

Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

During this time I washed dishes, set the table, made the coffee, poured the milk and even had time to take a quick shower, come back and make scrambled eggs. :0)

The end result

Clean up was a breeze, there was plenty of food left over for Sunday morning. I hope you give this recipe a try!

Fauxbreze- DIY fabric refresher

I like making stuff. I like saving money. I like to keep a clean, sanitary and fresh home. Happily, for me, I found a way to do all of these things at one time.

What I used:

• 2 Tbsp Baking Soda
• 3/4 cup choice of fabric softener
• Empty {Febreze} squirt bottle
• Warm tap water 

I found out, via Pinterest, that there are several ways to make your own house cleaners including Febreze. Oh, happy day! I played around with several versions of it and decided I liked my rendition.

As you can see I reused an empty Febreze bottle but had to rinse it out first. The original scent was a citrus one and the fabric softener I'm using would clash with it. I made sure that the squirt pump was also thoroughly rinsed by pumping clean water through until all citrus scent disappeared.

Happy Friday :0)

The Climb

Many of you parents with kids under 2 years old know what I mean when I say the nights somehow run together. It's like you are living in one day that lasts an eternity.You say things like "What? It's Wednesday?! Why didn't anyone tell me?"Only to realize you're talking to yourself again, and it's actually Thursday. So now you're unsure if you're feeling relieved or angry at the fact that no one (ahem, your husband) could be bothered to flip the page on the calendar. *Frustrated grunt sound*

When they are infants we tend to coddle them running to their rescue at every whimper or whine, especially if you are a first time parent, or so the experts (in my case, correctly) say. When they are teething-- it's simply normal to get infrequent sleep. But, you see, these things I was somewhat mentally prepared for. These things I read about in all the "Expect to be Sleep Deprived Forever" AKA Parenting Books, but never did I hear of "Crib-Diving". Oh... Yeah. This is what experienced parents are calling it in all the parenting forums. "Crib-Diving". Like it's a sport.

Friday night, I was out with my sister enjoying time away from the "office." When I get home, around 10 pm, my husband tells me about how she crawled out of her crib but that he managed to get her fast asleep. Well, Saturday night rolled around, and it was my turn to tuck her in. NO big deal. I'm a pro. Boy, was I in for a wrestling match. Long story short we all fell asleep at around 2 am. She crawled out twice she nearly split her head open.  At about 1 am we figured if we take out the support spring box her mattress would be on the floor inside the crib, about 5 to 6 inches lower, making it hopefully impossible for her to crawl out. It worked!

The next glorious morning we knew we had to devise a plan. Our options were a} convert her crib into a toddler bed (she has a convertible bed) which meant we had to buy a rail or b} get a crib tent that will keep her from the dangerous sport of which she has taken such a liking to. Once at BuyBuyBaby we found both at the same price. Not good. We are both irrationally tired and incapable of making such an important decision. Right? My husband figured we may as well get the rail because we had to convert her crib to a toddler bed eventually so, he placed the rail in the cart. Seeing this made me realize how ready I wasn't to have to struggle with her every night making sure she stays in bed and not run amok or get into things... the front door! We'd have to buy more safety locks and gates or, at this point, an electric shock collar! I didn't want to panic or argue or think. We were all so tired. So, I tried to stall. I immediately decided we should buy her new bedding. Expensive bedding. Bedding that will make him change his mind about the toddler bed-bedding. I said something like "she needs big girl bedding for her new bed... Yes, crib bedding and toddler bed-bedding are entirely different... it DOES make sense!" He walked away pushing the cart probably thinking about leaving me at the store, but I managed to buy myself some time to come to grips with the fact that my life will forever change. I whispered a powerful prayer-- "Lord, if it be possible...let this cup pass from me." When I saw that the toddler bedding was priced higher than bedding for our California King bed, I gave up and reluctantly followed him to stand in line

The lady behind the register called for us... my heart stopped and I began to sweat... I took one step and knew I just couldn't go down like this. I hopelessly grabbed my hubby's arm and blurted out, in the ugliest, whiniest voice EVER "I'm not ready for a toddler bed! I'm not ready to be up all night for who knows how long! She's growing up so fast, next she'll be on the potty, brushing her own teeth, going to school, DRIVING! It's all just too much! Please don't get the rail! Pleaasse?" Sob, sob, sob... Luckily, the parents surrounding us were too busy with their own brood to notice my meltdown.

My knight in shining armor held me and gave me a sympathetic laugh.

I no longer worry about those pointy edges

                                                         In this she is safe and so am I. :0)

                

                                                    My cuppeth SAFELY runneth overeth.

CONVERTIBLE CRIB - CRIB TENT INFO

Snot a big deal

We made it out alive!

This is exactly how it feels to have survived a two week cold infestation.

Being sick is one thing, but having your child(ren) sick while you're sick is just plain wrong! Thank God I wasn't sick this time while baby girl and my hubby were sick. This was, by far, the sickest I've seen my child. :0( So, I was determined to make sure I'd stay... unsick ('tis not a word but it makes more sense than using the word 'healthy' cause you could be sick while still being healthy, you know?)

I've posted something similar to this before, but seeing how this time it was a worse case, I did the following:

For the home and stuff I:

• Washed all her bedding and both her "friends" that sleep with her in her crib, every other day
• Every time I wiped her nose clean, or had any kind of encounter with her mucus, I'd wash my hands as well as hers So, basically we lived near the sink.
• While she slept, I would soak her water safe toys in a sink full of water and used a 1/4 cup of Clorox bleach to disinfect them, I did this twice a week instead of my usual bimonthly 
• I often wiped her books and toys that aren't water safe with Clorox disinfectant wipes
• I'd crack open some windows to let fresh air in and let the sickies out
• I used my trusty vaporizer with Vapo Steam (the liquid form of Vapo rub) to help her with her congestion every time she slept ( I'd first shut the windows in her room)

For her:

• Since the cold and flu virus lives and thrives in the nose, I would spray her nose with children's saline spray twice a day if not three times. This not only helps rid the nose of the malicious virus but it helps thin the mucus making it easier to breathe and less likely to get to the bronchioles. When I say spray I really mean pour. I'd lay her down and pour it down her nose. No, she nor I like this process but, her doctor told me to do it cause it works!
• Ayer, the gel like form of saline spray. I'd use my finger and apply a dot of it on the insides of her nostrils, when necessary
• I also had her on pain killers (some moms gasp at this so I will not get into the details of my preferred kind of pain killers for the sake of keeping the peace) but, her pediatrician noticed blisteres and "beefy redness' at the back of her throat and recommended X and Y medications so, I obliged.
• Vapo Rub for her chest and back, around the clock
• Since there are no safe cough syrups for children her age (under 3) I made my own cough syrup using water, honey and lemon. I gave her 2 teaspoons every 2 hours
• My new best friend---Boogie Wipes--- the name speaks for itself but, they are hypoallergenic, have no alcohol, are without parabens or phthalates, they are gentle enough for all ages, their aloe & vitamin E provide moisture to sore noses and were developed by moms tired of chasing runny noses. Yay, moms! I discovered these when my sweet mother-in-law gave me... er...gave my child these wipes for Christmas in her stocking. Thanks, Nana!

This may all seem like a lot to some, but it's never too much work to see your child comfortable even while fighting a nasty, mean, old cold. May I add that she never lost a night of sleep and neither did I ;0)

A life of vinegar

So, in the colder seasons we use the heater. Of course it's easier to say 'yes' to this very expensive luxury once you've had a baby. Although it is a convenience, it can also be a detriment to ones respiratory comfort. Last year we learned this the hard way. Our baby girl was stuffed up and uncomfortable, we didn't have a humidifier but we did have a vaporizer. Desperate to make her feel at ease ASAP {and desperate to get some SLEEP} we used the vaporizer almost every time she slept-during naps and at night. Until the inevitable build-up occurred.

I use Vicks Steam Guard vaporizer

Find out the difference between a vaporizer and a humidifier here

 We have hard water; hard water is fine but, it can lead to mineral deposits, particularly calcium, which can clog up the vaporizer which cause it to make LOUD gurgle sounds that we would all rather live without. Trust me, people. It gets absolutely obnoxious, not to mention unsafe.  I've been scraping the the inside of the vaporizer {see pics} consistently now for 2 weeks. Sometimes twice a day. Baby girl has had a cold and she needs this durn vaporizer to run all night in a quiet and efficient manner. Needless to say I'm tired, my fingernails are beginning to stain black and I just know that there has got to be a better way!

Enter in white vinegar. Please, hold your applause.

Ah, yes. White vinegar. My trustworthy, all time favorite, household cleanser. It cleans your dishes better, it detoxes your microwave. It even makes your counter tops and your insides sparkle! {I'm not so sure on the insides sparkling part but, it wouldn't surprise me if it did}. Apparently, it also helps with congestion. So, instead of using water you can use white vinegar in your vaporizer, it will help ease congestion and make it easier to breathe Yes, this thing even helps us breathe better! OR, if you are like me and can only tolerate the smell of vinegar in smaller doses, you can add 1/4 cup or up to 1 cup of white vinegar to your vaporizer with water and, voila! 

You may now applaud this wonder we simply call vinegar.

Distilled water is the way to go in order to not worry about calcium buildup or loud gurgle sounds or the peculiar scent of vinegar. I say if you have the extra cash-- go for it!

Here's what I do, too often, to clean the vaporizer. Today I added white vinegar to the mix.

I unscrew the top to gain access to the "build-up pocket"

I pull out the calcium infested prongs

Behold! Therein the pocket lies the calcium family which accumulated since the day before

I used an old bottle brush and this time I used vinegar to remove the buildup- genious!

I also for the first time soaked the prongs in a cup of white vinegar for about 30 minutes

The calcium was literally chipping off in layers. Like bark from a tree.

I just love white vinegar. Here are some more cool things vinegar can do for you. Enjoy! 

131 uses for vinegar 

Fit in your goals

It's 2012 and I am excited for the new year and for everything that is in the works. I believe in goals and I often set them for myself. I have to admit that goals are a bit harder to obtain once you're a mother but they are not impossible. Here are some of the goals that I have set my focus on for this year.

Reading the entire Bible: It's been a while since I've read through the Bible so this year I thought it would be great to start that back up. I sought out sites and Bible reading plans and feel I found the perfect plan that suits my Bible reading needs. Biblestudytools.com I chose to read the Bible chronologically (in the order the events happened) and I love it. you can choose what Bible version you prefer ei. NIV, NKJ, KJV, etc., if you'd like email notifications/reminders and the best part is you will never lose your place.

Fit in fitness:  I bought a 2 lb box of See's nuts and chews in the Christmas holiday and ended up with more than 2 lb of weight added to my physique. It's ok though cause I'm alive and well and knew that I could easily rid myself of the extra pounds. I've been using TurboJam
for about 5 years and I love it. It's a series of workout DVD's compiled of dance, kick boxing and cardio. If you like punching and kicking this is the workout for you.

I've also incorporated Shakeology (the #1 natural, post workout and meal replacement  shake out there) into my diet. I use it once a day for lunch. So far, less than a month later, I'm down 3 lb. :0)



Organized:  I'm getting rid of all the clothes and stuff I keep holding on to. Why? Cause I have no more space or desire to hang on to stuff. I had a one-on-one with myself and sked myself "why I hold on to things" and discovered it's because I get emotionally attached to them and/or they remind me of a "when" and "who". There isn't anything necessarily wrong with that (unless you have hoarding issues) but I know that they could be put to better use in someone else's hands. Someone who needs them.

These are just some of the goals I've set out to reach this year. I have plenty of mommy ones and plan to write about those in a different post.