Archives for category: Crafts

Ninja Mom

January 23, 2014 //

Yesterday was an adventure. I am going to write, not to complain, but because I am still baffled as to how ALL of these things happened to my son and myself in a little over a 24 hour period. I woke up today, a new day on the horizon, still spinning around about how how how do so many adventures happen in that time frame.

The story begins Tuesday night, 8:30pm. Two minutes after I walk in the door from my evening Pilates classes. My boys are playing hide and go seek together. Meaning, my husband and my son. I found them upstairs in Jacky’s room. When he saw me, he was so excited. He wanted me to play too. My husband told him to go hide. He ran into the guest bedroom. 10 seconds later we heard him screaming in pain. He had bumped his head. It was a nasty bump. There was an instant goose egg right between his eyes.

This was Tuesday night.

Wednesday morning. I have work. Jack has school. Wednesday this week meant my husband wouldn’t be home until somewhere around 11pm. I woke up around 5:40 am, because, well, why not? As I walked into my living room with a fresh hot coffee and large glass of water in each hand, I slipped on one of the two stairs that leads into the living room. I managed to stay upright and not drop the cups (YAY PILATES!) But the liquids went flying everywhere. It was a huge wet mess.

Finally I am done getting ready for the day. Jacky is still not awake. I start to get concerned because of the head injury the night before.

He didn’t want to wake up. He had also opened his blinds at some point, not normal for him, but went back to sleep. I finally get him up. His head looked even worse.

He was complaining that it hurt. Actually, he was hysterical. I had to make a choice. I had no one to cover my one class on that short of notice. I decided to let him eat breakfast at home instead of school and of course have to rush to work because of that. He was miserable for the time we stayed home. I gave him ibuprofen but he still wasn’t convinced.

I get him to school, with about 10 minutes for me to get to work. I had to talk to his teacher about his head. She suggested a dr trip. So I rush out the door trying to get to work and call the dr at the same time. I couldn’t get a hold of them before I walked in the door. Luckily my husband called them after I briefed him on the situation. I finished my one class and rushed back to grab Jack and head to the pediatrician. We were super early, so we had to wait forever. They cleared him for his head, but he had been coughing all morning as well. They check that, thought his lungs sounded good and his ears weren’t infected. So it had to run its course.

We managed to make it to the toy store for a treat and home in one piece (or so I thought). I decided to unload the dishwasher while he played with his new Percy train car with the rest of his Thomas train cars. He was pushing them around the kitchen floor. I carried a mug in my hand by the handle to put it away. I was walking toward Jack when the mug just came detached from the handle and crashed to the floor. We both froze in astonishment. The handle still in my hand.

It was straight up crazy.

It was finally nap time. As I read him a few stories I noticed that it hurt to speak. Oh great, I am getting sick too!

He napped for less than 2 hours. Very abnormal for him. He was upset that his cough hurt and his belly hurt. I was able to get him to relax. We played Candyland for the very first time! It was so fun. Warm sunshine on our faces on an otherwise gloomy day!

Then we were getting hungry. Knowing my husband would be gone, I had already promised him we could go to a restaurant for dinner. He still was feeling awful, so I kept reminding him that I would be happy to cook some dinner at home, whatever he wanted. He was adamant that we go out to eat still. I sighed and thought, here goes!

Shortly after exiting my driveway, my car started going nuts with warnings. About my tire pressure. We are in the negative temps here, so I was thinking it is probably because of that. I took a photo at a red light of the warnings and texted the husband. He was sure I had a flat. But I had to get a few more lights down the road for the restaurant. I made it. Got out and checked.

This is the very first flat tire I have ever had. Feel like temps were easily well below 0! Luckily we signed up for roadside assistance after we bought this car in November. They were helpful. We went inside to eat. We were stuck for about 2 hours. We still needed to stop at a grocery store to grab a few items as well. We made the best of it though. Luckily Jack picked a place that was at a mall. An outdoor mall, so that sucked, but we were able to walk next door to a craft store, then walk back to the other side of the restaurant and sit in Starbucks after.

So this happened in Starbucks as we waited.

We finally made it home, grocery trip and all. Jack wants to cuddle in my bed. Then he tells me to surprise him with a movie choice of mine. I picked Finding Nemo. See, I LOVE Ellen! I felt like I could really use hearing her say “just keep swimming” We were watching the movie and Jack was talking to me. Mid-sentence, he pukes all over himself! He is not a puker. He even said “Mommy what was that? I didn’t like it” I called the on call dr. She determined that it was from this cold and not the head injury since it had been 24 hours since hitting his head.

Great! No ER trip. As we cuddled, unbeknownst to be, Jack’s temperature was climbing. Movie ended and we headed up to his room for bed. I decided to take his temp one more time. it went from 100.5 to 103.9! Then it even crept up into 104. So bedtime took about an hour and a half. I gave him ibuprofen to help bring it down. I dressed him in cooler jammies. I gave him ice water and ice cubes. We read many books. Then I rubbed him and sang to him until he fell asleep. I ninja mom’ed my way out of that room.

I got downstairs and decided to open a few things from that craft store. Including some adorable button pushpins for our little board. Big mistake.

I managed to stab myself. It was an awesome way to end the night. When I sent this to my husband he told me to wrap myself in bubble wrap and go to bed! I didn’t quite do that but I did head to bed. My cold managed to keep me awake all night. I did suck down some Chinese herbs that my acupuncturist gave me the last time I was sick. They seem to be helping. I am not as sick as I should be feeling today. It actually feels like the end of a cold. I am feeling like I skipped the whole gross middle part.

So here we are. January 23rd. Jack is still asleep. I am not sure how he is feeling yet. I imagine it is not great. He never gets fevers. Even with his two ear infections in November.

It is comical how many batty things happened to us yesterday. I wasn’t stressed out of my mind. I didn’t lose my shit. No I was pretty calm and collected. We did what we had to do. There were no tears on my part. I guess that is empowering. Knowing that you can handle all of that by yourself as a parent. Earlier this week I was feeling a bit stressed. When Jack is starting to get sick, his temper is challenging. I was feeling like a mom who is just constantly battling. So maybe in a way the world was like “oh you think you suck and can’t handle this? Well I will show you just how much you CAN handle! And how easily you will be able to juggle it all!” Lesson learned world.

Ninja mom, out!

Categories Crafts, family, Healthy Living, Jack, love, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, pilates, stay at home mom, toddler, Toddler activities, toddlerhood

Pretty the Elf update

December 22, 2012 //

Pretty the Elf has been very busy since I last wrote about him. I have been having a blast with Elf on the Shelf. Jack is into it as well. He says ELLL for elf and always find him. If my scene falls down, he tells me immediately, so I can assist Elf back to his spot. Here is an update on Pretty’s or ELLL’s activities since I last posted about him. In all honesty, I came up with all of these ideas on my own. Somehow I pulled them out of my brain. I am still not sure what adventure he will have this morning. I felt that away a lot each morning. Then, I would be walking through the house and something would catch my eye, an idea would form. I am hoping that today the same thing happens. We only have a handful of days left. I would like to form all of my own ideas this year! No research necessary.

Peekaboo! I see you! Pretty/ELLL was playing hide and go seek

Rock climbing. This was a favorite of Jack’s. At one point the tape gave away and he fell. Suddenly Jack shouted “Mom help!!!” I came over.He followed up with “Elll fall down!” Then as I placed him back up there, Jack insisted I add more tape.

Jack had a cold, and pretty caught it. Poor elf.

He was having a healthy Sunday breakfast. No syrup and candy like Buddy the Elf

A little gardening

Candy Cane zip line adventures. Another favorite of Jack’s

Snowball fight!!!!!!

Ball pit. Jack’s loves ball pits. This was another favorite spot. He talked about this all day. At one point he stole some of the ornaments but left Pretty alone!

Reading Christmas cheer

So that is where I am as of yesterday morning. I have to come up with something fun for today. I have been glancing around my living room and Jack’s playroom as I sit here. No epiphany just yet. It will come at some point though. My favorite thing is when I ask him where the Elf is, he goes back to the exact previous spot from the day before. I love his memory!

Have you been doing Elf on the Shelf? What is your Elf’s name? Where do you get your ideas? Do your children enjoy it?

Tags children, Christmas, Creative, Elf on the Shelf, holidays, toddler

Categories Crafts, family, Holidays, Jack, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, playtime, preschool activities, toddler, Toddler activities, toddlerhood

Secret Missions

November 29, 2012 //

It is no mystery that I am the mother of a very vibrant, exuberant, active, and sometimes stubborn toddler boy. He will be 2 in just over two months. I have my hands full.

I am a creative gal. I love crafts, being artsy, creativity, and imagination. So does my little man. Recently I turned a near tantrum in the middle of the store into a Secret Spy Mission! Like I said, he is creative too. His eye spotted the crayon aisle as I was looking for tape for wrapping gifts. I let him get a new box of washable crayons (we can never have too many of those around here) But he also wanted a new coloring book. Those on the other hand we have a major surplus of. If we were to run out of those we would still have 6 containers of 12×12 scrapbooking paper, plus many smaller sized paper packs! Paper is not lacking in this house. He didn’t need a new book, and Christmas is around the corner. I said no. Something I am trying to do more with things. I have a a soft spot for buying him stuff. It is bad of me, I know, and I have to try to teach him patience. I am working on it. So I stood firm. He was not too happy. The beginning of whining and a possible meltdown was showing up.

Suddenly, for reasons still unknown to me, I said “We are on a secret mission to find tape! That is all we need, tape, it is a super important secret mission to find it. Can you help me?”

He said “SPY!?!?!” (We watch A LOT of Cars 2)

I said, “YES!!!! We are secret spies. Operation find tape has begun.” I went on and on. I even crouched down and little as if I were slinking around in a secretive manner. It worked. He forgot all about the coloring book. We found the tape, proceeded to the checkout, tantrum/meltdown free. I was blown away by his intelligence. He knew what my initial reference was. I don’t think I expected that. I was just trying to diffuse the situation. I was trying to talk about something, anything, other than that coloring book.

Yesterday, I was trying to get us out the door for a trip to Michael’s, the craft store. I wanted to get some Christmas craft supplies, not for me, but for him. We did that with Halloween and he learned all the major Halloween decoration/images/character names. He even knows the difference between a pumpkin and a gourd. I wanted to do that with Christmas items as well. Plus, craft time is fun. He put on his hat but didn’t want his coat. So out came the spy mission, the same response from him, he let me put his coat on, and we continued on our errand tantrum free.

He even got an out of this world spy treat from me. Do not worry, he didn’t even come close to finishing it! I knew he wouldn’t and most of the other candy was chocolate, which he hates, or sour gummy things, he also wouldn’t like. The giant sucker it was.

Mission accomplished! We had a big bag of crafts to do and he got some big loot!

Once we were home we worked on some of our crafts. One was a bust. These felt-ish Santas you have to assemble. It said to use white glue, which I did, but it wouldn’t stick together for the life of me. We moved on. 2 year olds do not have patience for Santas that won’t stay together. We moved on to trees! Jack loves trees! And poofs. Plus I found some candy cane looking pipe cleaners. He knows what the candy cane pattern is already. So he loved those. I may have helped him a little with these, but we created them together. The trees were even on clearance at Michael’s. So were the poofs. We have many more blank trees to use and make fun things with. It was nice to sit down and make something together.

Poof/sticker/pipe cleaner Christmas trees

See the wrapping paper in the background? I actually wrapped an Amazon box in it to store the craft supplies. I did not have a spare empty basket around the house, they are all being used. I got creative, again, and decided to reuse a shipping box. It works perfectly for this. There is actually a ton of room left inside in case we find more Christmas craft supplies. I even told Jack he could decorate the outside with stickers if he wanted, you can see the gingerbread and Santa stickers on the right side of this photo.

Overall my creativity has been rampant this week. Starting with our impromptu Secret Spy Mission, then our craft supplies, rounding off with re-purposing a shipping box into a cute craft supply storage box. I wonder what the rest of the week will hold? We don’t have to go anywhere during the day today, so maybe we will get super crafty.

I do start teacher training again tonight! We had a break for Thanksgiving. I am excited to get out of the house, those tantrums have been frequent because he is still sick. I won’t go into it, but I am pretty stressed out. He will be better when he feels better, we have gone through this before. I am sorta of feeling better today, so hopefully he is too. Maybe my patience will be better with him since I am not feeling as sick. Regardless, I am looking forward to 3 hours of adult time tonight!

Categories Crafts, family, Healthy Living, Holidays, Jack, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, playtime, preschool activities, toddler, Toddler activities, toddlerhood

Sunday, wonderful, warm, and family filled.

October 22, 2012 //

Yesterday was such a great day. I ended up taking a fitness day off. I was a little hungover I think. Ok I had TWO and a half drinks spread out from 7:30-1:30am. So normal people wouldn’t have been hungover, but I was. I just was exhausted and dehydrated no matter how much water I drank. I did feel better after my big rice bowl lunch. But regardless, we kept busy on Sunday.

We went to visit my grandparents for my grandpa’s birthday. It was a nice family Sunday. Jackson was a riot. In a GREAT mood and was hamming it up for everyone. He even danced. His dance moves are legendary. People love to watch him dance. It is requested when we go places. I am not exaggerating either. I have posted a couple videos of him dancing on Facebook and since then people love to see it in person. He is so funny and has awesome rhythm. Which he does not get from either me or his dad.

flips with Auntie Melissa

Upside down with Uncle Dan. Notice his pants are falling off!! It was hilarious!

The weather was also perfect. Where was it last Sunday at the Buddy Walk??? But we had a lovely visit. I made them a 30 page photo book. We didn’t see my grandma for her birthday in September. So I made them a gift to share. They are always wanting more photos of Jack, and what is better than a 30 page photobook for that? That is more than 30 photos because many had 2-4 photos on them.I started with photos from April. I then put them all in exact chronological order and I captioned all the photos or events. They got to see a bunch of our fun activities and life from spring to early fall! I ended with our Pumpkin Farm trip.

My brother Matt told me I was getting lazy. I made it on Walgreens.com. I am big scrapbooker. He said this is lazy scrapbooking! HA! It made me laugh, but after making this I can see the appeal of digital scrapping. I DID finish a real page last night after we got home. So I feel a little better.

The book was a hit! I am so happy I could give that to them. We even got some photos with them.

Jack and me with my grandma. Jack’s great-grandma!

Jack and me with my grandpa, Jack’s great-grandpa!

My grandparents have a basement I used to LOVE to spend hours and hours in. I took Jack down there. It was a hit for him too. My grandpa brought out a couple boxes of little toys and said I could take them. Jack loves little tchtochkes ! He was in heaven on the floor looking through the boxes. I almost took them all home. Then Jason said could we leave them here and every time we visit he can take a couple and play with them all? My hubby is always the thinker! My grandpa agreed. Now I don’t have to drag a ton of toys with me! I was very excited. It was nice to see him interested in an area and toys I used to play with. Ah, memories.

When we got home around 6 we had a nice relaxing evening. Jack and I cuddled on the couch and watched ALL of Madagascar 3! Jason watched it with us too. Jack laid on me. Which is new for him. He always likes being held but now he has started to understand that sprawling out and getting comfy is wonderful. We had a pillow and blanket and all. I rubbed his face and hair. At one point we shared a bowl of my cereal/almond milk/bananas. That was our dinner. When the movie was over we all went upstairs and played for a while. I finished up my scrapbook page, Jack played with his “treasure”. Let me explain what his treasure is. Buttons! My scrapbooking buttons! He loves them and I told him they were treasure, which he now calls them that, then will say “pirate” Since he knows pirates have treasure. It is adorable to see his imagination grow. I love fostering his imagination. I have always had a big imagination and to see that my son also has one makes my heart so warm and happy.

That was our Sunday. It was wonderful, warm, and family filled. I couldn’t ask for a better day, tired or not. I wish all Sundays were that perfect.

Categories Crafts, family, Jack, love, marriage, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, playtime, toddler, Toddler activities, weather

Mom gene?

September 28, 2012 //

Mom gene? A recent study on mice showed that there could be a genetic link to maternal instincts. I found this article very interesting. The headline grabbed my attention immediately. The main reason is because I have always wanted to be a mom. If playing house was an Olympic sport, as a child I would have been the Michael Phelps of house playing. It was one of my favorite things to do with the kids down the street that my brother and I played with. The 4 of us, yes the boys too, often played house. The boy was my age and the girl was my younger brother’s age. It was kind of a perfect match. I played with my dolls. I played with my Barbies and made families. I made families with my Legos. I built huge homes and then played with the little lego people as a family. Growing up, getting married, having 3 kids (that part has changed when I realized what goes into growing/birthing a baby), and raising those kids and being a mom has always been on my mind.

Disney on Ice! I loved every second of taking him to this show!

So naturally when I saw this headline I thought, “oh that makes sense! I have that.” Initially when I saw the link they left out the mice part of the story. Way to trick me! Then I read that it was found in mice. Oh ok, so it wasn’t found in humans. But it is interesting none the less.

They address the issues of if being a good parent is behavioral or biological. I think it could be a mix of both. I see a lot of the way I do things similar to how my mom is. I also see differences. That is fine. It is good to grow and do things in your own way too. But the fact remains, I always wanted to be a mom. I longed for it when we struggled to get pregnant. I miss Jack when he is sleeping at night. Ok not every night, but on those particularly amazing mostly tantrum free days together I miss his squishy cheeks.

My little squishy cheeks at the park

I also don’t think that it will marginalize women more if it is true. If you don’t want to be a mom, then don’t. I see nothing wrong with that. Just as I hope people see nothing wrong with me being totally over the moon about being a mom to my son. If you want to focus on your career and that is your passion, your love, your baby, then by all means, enjoy and live your life the best way you see fit. Don’t feel pressured to have a baby! Please. A child is a serious deal. You are bringing life into the world, that isn’t something a person should be guilted by society into doing. We are all different! That is a wonderful thing. Life would be boring if we were all the same. I would also hope that it wouldn’t make adopting more difficult for gay men. That seems absurd to me. No doubt there are two loving men who would be way better parents than some male/female couples. Maybe some men also have a more nurturing nature than some woman down the street. Human beings are complex. I am no woman’s studies expert but in my little world and brain I don’t see anything wrong with some women being more naturally inclined to be motherly. I don’t fault those who don’t feel that way. I would never say two men cannot be loving amazing fathers because they are men.

Are people really taught how to be parents? What about people who had rough childhoods? Abusive parents, alcoholism, neglect, etc. But then they grow up eliminating that cycle? They are loving and nurturing and genuinely good parents. Is that behavioral because they saw something they didn’t like? But what makes them disagree with it instead of thinking that parenting was normal? Then other children do not break that cycle and end up also being how their parents were. Then you have people who were brought up in loving homes and they end up being abusive and neglectful. Or people who were in loving homes and continue that. Where does that difference come from in people? We are all so different and respond so differently to things that I cannot accept the fact that everything is behavioral from your surroundings. There has to be something innate in your being that helps guide you to agree and disagree with the things you experience.

I think it is a pretty fascinating concept. I think discovering anything with the human body and genetics is pretty amazing. I always find it amazing how we are all so different. Why do we think the way we think? Why do we feel the way we feel. What makes some people more inclined towards a certain thing than others? Something plays a role there and I don’t think it is all behavioral. I allow Jack to play with all sorts of toys. He was naturally drawn to his cars. Obsessed with them. Lately he has been into playing with his stuffed animals more. He holds them, hugs them. and plays doctor and gives them check ups and surgery. Is that all because of his makeup or is it from his surroundings. I would love to know. He doesn’t like finger painting because he doesn’t like the gunk on his hands. He does love stickers though. Our house can attest to that, so can this laptop I am tying on. One type of craft agrees with him and the other doesn’t.

I wanted to take a photo and he leaned in for a hug! Talk about heart melting!

I truly love being a mom. There are some days that are harder than others but from the moment I knew I was pregnant I was enamored. That doesn’t make me a better mom than other people though. That doesn’t make me better than the mom in the article who never saw herself being a mom but now has a 3 year old who she covers in hugs and kisses. It just means I knew what I wanted to do with part of my life before other women who weren’t the Olympic champions of house playing. At the same time I finally decided what I eventually want to do career-wise! I changed my major several times, got a degree in History, I am not using that, now I am back in school for Pilates. So while I had my brain together about motherhood, I did not feel strongly about a career outside of being a mom. We are all different. I think that should be celebrated, loved, embraced, and most importantly respected. I wouldn’t change a thing about my path. It led me to my husband and my son. To my happy little family unit. These two men who I am over the moon about, even if sometimes they frustrate me, haha! At the end of the day I love them with all my being and I would be lost without them. They are my whole world and THAT makes me happy. In the end if you are doing what makes you happy that is all that matters.

Going down a slide together! Some days I get to be a child all over again!

Categories Articles, Crafts, family, Healthy Living, Jack, marriage, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, pilates, playtime, toddler, Toddler activities, toddlerhood

Workouts, memberships, and stickers

September 6, 2012 //

I have been a little quiet on here. I just seem to always have something to do. I have not been quiet in real life though. I have been busy with Jackson, who is 19 months old now! He definitely keeps my days action packed. I have been working out, cooking, going to family events etc. I have slowed down on running a bit. I actually took this weekend off from my run. It has been a bit humid and warm and the thought of running in that kind of weather made me want to crawl under the covers. I figured I deserve a break once in a while so I stayed inside and did workouts in my house.

I have two new videos. Both Jillian. I love that woman. She is the best. I have done my share of at home videos and she is still hands down my favorite instructor. Instead of buying the DVD I have started to use my amazon instant option. Jack has been getting his sweet little hands on DVDS and BluRay discs and managing to scratch them. The kicker was when he broke our BluRay player last week. So oh well!

I bought Kickbox Fast Fix and 6 Week Six Pack. Ok so I have to admit I am not looking for a fast fix in either case. I am a maintenance person at this stage. All of the baby weight is gone, I am mostly toned all over. I weigh about 120lbs. I wear a size 0 or a size 2. Extra small shirts. So I am not using these programs to drop or shed quickly. I cannot give a response on if they do any fast or 6 week fixes. I am going to assume if you are looking for that and you are honest and stick with these workouts as part of your regular routine that a difference will be seen. As with any workout. You have to be honest with yourself though, no cheating!

I am just looking for ways to shake up my routine so I stay involved and not bored. I love learning new moves and finding ways to challenge myself. The kickboxing is something I have always been curious about. I am not very coordinated. I am incredibly clumsy and I have a hard time learning coordinated moves. So for me kickboxing is a new challenge. I have to learn how to punch and kick in step. I am sure I look ridiculous but it is fun to try! Maybe soon I can take a kickboxing class out of the lovely shrouded privacy of my own home.

Speaking of workouts not at home we are thinking about joining L A Fitness. There is new one being built right down the street. I want a place for the winter. I am also now comfortable with having Jack in a babysitting program at a facility I choose. We went to an amazing place about 20 minutes away. We thought of joining there but the distance and the price differences in the new L A Fitness are tantalizing us! So has anyone been a member of L A? Any tips, any reviews? I know this place is new, not even done being built so we can’t think about location specific reviews. Also I tend to take reviews with a grain of salt, remembering that sometimes only negative people tend to review places. However the historian in me instantly gravitates towards doing my research on a topic. Any advice is appreciated so that I can make as informed of a decision as possible.

So my little man is now 19 months as I mentioned. I am baffled as to how this has happened. But I do relish in his growth and development every day. I love that boy so much. It is ridiculous. I love how much he communicates with me. I could listen to him talk all day. He has so many words. He is great at figuring out how to tell me what he wants. Yesterday morning I was getting us ready to visit my grandpa. I was making our breakfast and told Jack we were going to visit great grandpa! He said GA? GA?!?!?! And got very excited. He calls my mom Ga. He calls my dad Pa. So I think he thought I was saying we were seeing my mom, maybe because I threw the great in front of grandpa. Anyway I called my mom to tell her because it was so cute how excited he got at the thought of seeing her. She talked to him on the phone and his reaction was equally sweet. He got rather excited. He didn’t get to see her yesterday but I love how happy he gets when he thinks about her.

So we are eating our breakfast and he is quiet. Then decides to start saying “bye bye” and waving. I said yes we are going to go bye bye in a bit! Very good. I had said we were going bye bye to visit great grandpa. So he remembered our previous conversation. Then after I encouraged him he was right he said “bye bye! Park!” I was astonished. It was the first time he asked me to go to the park! It was amazing. I explained that we weren’t going there but we were going to visit grandpa and that was fun too. (he had a blast on our visit) I just love how he can tell me what is on his mind. I know people say I will get tired of that but for now I am not. I love it and I am excited for him.

Stickers have been a hot item this week. He has finally discovered their awesomeness. He used to think they were weird, probably because they were sticky. But this week he is obsessed and I love it. You should see the laptop I am typing on. The front of it was his white canvas and is covered in layers of stickers. I mean, I put any hipster to shame at this point!

He also has started to decorate us and himself. His feet and mine were covered in stickers last night. Then he started decorating his forehead. He managed to do this all himself without a mirror.

I have been enjoying these kinds of moments a lot lately and I hope they keep coming. He is such a sweet loving boy. I am so excited each day to see what he is going to learn, say, or show me he now knows. I look forward to his bear hugs and sloppy kisses. Being so consumed with love for my child is not a new sensation, in the least bit! I have known how overpowering that love is from the moment I held him in my arms, right after I pushed him out. Yet I am still blown away at times at how much love I have for him. Sometimes it knocks me off of my feet and I stop what I am doing and just think WOW I LOVE THIS KID SO MUCH! HE IS AWESOME. HE IS MINE! I hope that never changes. I hope that I can always be aware that my love for him is so grand it stops me in my tracks. I think that is a happy life. Being aware that there is love inside of you that is greater than everything and that trumps any bad moments or days!

Toddlerhood is challenging at times. It is not always a walk in the park. We won’t get into his separation issues with his cars and naptime/bedtime. So when you can relish in how amazing your love is for this amazing child, it makes those stressful small moments nearly vanish. It overpowers them and knocks them out. At least for me, and I truly hope that all parents can be in the place I am with that. It keeps my patience in check. I have more patience when I remember that he is a toddler and I could kiss those squishy cheeks and toddler toes all day long.

That is my update. Please if you do have any thoughts on L A Fitness let me know. We have never done a membership at a fitness center. This is the first time for me so I am a little unsure what to expect.

Categories Crafts, Exercise, family, fitness, Healthy Living, Jack, love, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, pilates, playtime, preschool activities, Running, toddler, Toddler activities, toddlerhood, weather, weight loss, weightloss, working out

Mater Step Stool

August 10, 2012 //

Monday night I went into a fit of creativity. I have had a step stool to paint for Jack for a long time. Maybe close to a year? It was sitting in his closet. For some reason Monday night I decided to go ahead and paint paint paint. The wake was Tuesday. I think I was trying to keep my mind off of my aunt and what the next two days meant. Usually it takes me a few days to finish a painting project. Not this time. I did it all in one night. A few layers of paint and everything…..I was determined. We all deal with grief in our own way.

Behold the Mater step stool. Or as Jack calls him “TOW”

Mater step stool

Side of step stool

I did this all freehand. No stencils. I basically took Jack’s Mater car and used that as my model. What I liked about this project is that it didn’t have to be perfect. Mater is rusty and has dents. He treasures those things about himself because they all tie back to wonderful memories. Mater has a thing or two to teach us.

I mixed a lot of colors to get the right shades. I didn’t go and buy any new paints or brushes. I used browns, reds, oranges, blues, greens, and white to get the perfect shades for Mater. When I showed it to Jack he said Tow! He still isn’t so fond of standing on it too long. At least last night he kept wanting to get down and brush his teeth. It is a new thing though, standing on a step stool. He will get it and enjoy it one day.

It did keep my mind busy for a few hours. But Tuesday came. So did Wednesday. Wednesday was hard. Very hard. Yesterday was ok. Jack and I had a jammy day. Just hung out at home. It was raining on and off all day anyway. Today we have swim. I still cannot believe my aunt wont be around any more. I truly can’t grasp this concept.

Tags Cars, Cars2, crafts, crafty, Disney Cars, Mater, painting, Tow Mater

Categories Crafts, Jack, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, playtime, preschool activities, toddler, Toddler activities, toddlerhood

My little addition

June 27, 2012 //

I don’t have a solid reason to write a post. No new recipe. Last night was Barre class. I had stuff for the boys to whip up some healthy breakfast burritos. After class I made myself the left over saffron chicken. (excellent leftover dish btw. I heated it up in the pan, not a microwave though. I hate microwaved chicken. It tastes weird)

I don’t have a new workout dvd I love. I didn’t join a new class. I didn’t run a race. There was no big Jack or family milestone.

Wait. Yes there was. I have a new love in my life. A brand shiny new love.

Introducing……

My new PINK BROOKS RUNNING SHOES!!!!!!!! It is time for a new pair plus I am running the mud run. The old ones will be trashed as of Saturday morning. I decided to quick stop before class and see if Dick’s Sporting Goods had anything. Imagine my shock and surprise when my eyes meandered across these angels. I nearly fainted in the store. I think the store guy had been trying to get my attention a few times but I wasn’t really hearing anything. A glorious sound was humming in my ears, “ahhhhhhhh ahhhh ahhhhhhhh”

They are lightweight. That is my favorite kind. My last pair were lightweight. These gorgeous beatus were made for me. I am certain of it.

If you don’t know this about me you will now. I love colors. I love pink, purple, etc. I love shiny things. Things with glitter. I love polka dots and stripes. I love girly things, flowers in my hair, braids, and waves. I love ribbons.

Have you seen the show New Girl? I love Zooey. LOVE her. She has this one scene/quote in this last season. It describes me to a T.

I brake for birds. I rock a lot of polka dots. I have touched glitter in the last 24 hours. I spend my entire day talking to children. And I find it fundamentally strange that you’re not a dessert person. It freaks me out. I’m sorry that I don’t talk like Murphy Brown. And I hate your pants suit. I wish it had ribbons on it or something just to make it slightly cuter but that doesn’t mean I’m not smart and tough and strong.

So you can see why these shoes were made for me. They are my very essence. A more perfect pair of running shoes couldn’t have been made for me. So now you know that about me.

This morning I don’t think we have time for a run before Jack’s class. So I will have to be happy with the elliptical. Tomorrow we are class free but it is supposed to reach 101 degrees here! That is pretty hot. I have ran in that kind of weather before. I did a 5k in the very upper 90’s a few years ago. I just know that since I am a mom now I have a few things to consider.

I shouldn’t be pushing Jack in the stroller that long in that heat. The stroller slows down my time significantly. My child is pushing 30lbs, that stroller is about 25 or 30lbs. Plus any things he has with him, food, water, cars, wipes, diapers, my water, etc. That all adds up weight wise! It gets heavy to push. Plus with that heat those 3.3 miles could easily take into 40 minutes. And I am a MOM which means a small human being needs me. I have to remember that and not push myself to total extremes, so I still probably should not run when Jason gets home.

When we move I want to add a treadmill to our workout room. For winters and super hot summer days. I don’t care for treadmill running so when it is good weather I will still hit the pavement, but the option to stay inside would be nice.

I have a feeling I won’t get to run in my new sweeties until next week. Maybe Sunday morning? It says low 90s. So maybe if I get up super early it will still be in the 70s and I can manage.

Tags brooks, brooks running, shoes

Categories Crafts, Exercise, family, fitness, Healthy Living, Jack, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, Running, toddler, weather, working out

Car Mat

June 9, 2012 //

For the past week or so I have been working on a new crafty project. My son is obsessed with cars, trucks, vans, etc. VEHICLES rule his world. We cannot leave the house without cars in tow. In particular we cannot leave without Mater and Lightning McQueen.

As you can see, Lightning in particular is rather loved. He is in need of a fresh paint job. I can bring along other cars. He will play with them sure, but only if he also has Mater and Lightning. If I do not have both of them he will shake his head no and point at my purse over and over until he gets the right cars. If he doesn’t get the right car, prepare yourself for a meltdown!

So my kid’s lovies are two cars. Not a blanket or a stuffed animal but metal/plastic cars. Always in his hands. He has even managed to master being able to hold them both and pick up other objects.

Now that you have the background back to my project. I made him a car mat. For him to play with and drive his cars around his town. He has started to drive them around things and make a car sound. I figured it was time for him to have roads to play on.

It is a yard long

I made it from felt. I hand cut all of the pieces. I mean it is not perfect scale or size etc. But I think that adds to the charm of it. The words are actually scrapbooking letter stickers I had. I hot glued everything down. Even the letters.The cutting and the layout took a while. I created it all before gluing anything. Made sure it looked how I wanted. I then ran out of hot glue one evening this week while he was sleeping. He was super cranky all week so we didn’t make it to the craft store until Thursday. I didn’t have the time or energy to finish it until yesterday during nap time. It took me a couple hours to glue it all down. At least 2 hours for sure. Maybe longer. I sort of lost track of time. Thankfully we had been at the beach/park/spray park all morning and he took a long nap.

He did love it! I showed him how to drive his cars on the road and he picked up on it pretty quick. When he saw it he immediately tried to pick one of the lakes up off of the mat. It cracked me up because it was glued down and he was a little confused. I have been contemplating making him a felt board. With felt shapes to stick on it. Now that I saw him do that with the mat I will be making that board.

Tags baby, children, craft, crafts, crafty, family, felt, handmade, hot glue, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, project, toddler

Categories Crafts, Jack, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, playtime, preschool activities, toddler, Toddler activities, toddlerhood

Sensory Drum

May 30, 2012 //

Yesterday I decided to throw together a quick sensory drum for Jack. I call it a drum instead of a box because I used a drum he received for Christmas. It was an instrument set. All the instruments were inside this drum. He has lots of containers that his toys go in. Even a Pirate metal bucket from Easter. I chose the drum because half of it is see through.

I used things I had in the cabinet. I raided my pantry! I used rice, split peas, kidney beans, black eyed peas, and lentils. I had the kidney beans and split peas from a Thanksgiving decoration I made and then I had the other things just from previous recipes. I used his toys inside of the bin. I didn’t have to go out and buy anything specific for this activity. That was nice. It felt like a freebie!

It took me maybe 5 minutes. Most of the time I spent on it was looking for all the bags of dried goods to put in it! What an easy activity to create. He really likes it.

At first I really buried all of the toys. Trying to get him to dig for them. He wasn’t so interested in doing that. Maybe because he is still 15 months that concept was unclear. BUT if they were poking out a bit he loved searching for them. I could ask him to find a certain object and he would dig it out.

Found a block

Score! A car!

Today he pulled objects out on his own, without any prompting. I found the lid to the drum and he also enjoyed putting the lid on and taking it off.

It gets slightly messy, beans and rice all around the drum but nothing some vacuuming couldn’t fix. I vacuumed this morning from yesterday’s session. Jack loves when I vacuum. He gets so excited every time I bring it out, which is at least once a day these days. I don’t mind the mess so for me that was no big deal. The way I see it, he is learning and learning can be messy. So is life. It is nothing a 5 minute vacuum session cannot take care of!

Next on my list is a felt car mat! He is obsessed with cars. He has started to “drive” his cars around and make car sounds. I think a car mat would be right up his alley. I also plan to make a felt board for him to play with, since he also loves magnets so much.I thought it would be nice for him to learn how other things can stick together besides magnets.

I hope to have the felt mat done before next week. I will post that project as well.

Tags children, crafts, kids, learning, parenting, Playtime, preschool activities, toddler, toys

Categories Crafts, Jack, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, playtime, preschool activities, toddler, Toddler activities, toddlerhood

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