Week Seventeen: Car Painting

Each weekend Mike and I each get one day to sleep in and one day to wake up with O. 

This past Sunday I was on duty and after what felt like 3 hours, I realized it had only been about 45 minutes. I always feel like such a slacker in those moments. 

Anyhow, to combat my slacker nature, I decided an art project would be great. I grabbed some hot wheels and our new neon paint and O had a grand old time! 

I taped the paper down so the trucks could zoom through the paint without zooming the paper right off the table, and then O told me which colors to make puddles with. He told me the trucks love puddles. 

After the painting on paper was over, he started to paint the trucks with his fingers, then I got a sink full of soapy water for him to do a little car wash! 

Overall this was a big hit and we will definitely do it again. I have visions of big paper and big trucks on the patio this summer! 

Week Fourteen: Sticky Easel

A couple years ago I did a fun fall project with Owen and contact paper. It was such fun and when I stumbled upon some Pinterest projects this week that use contact paper. It seems that they are called Sticky Easels, if you want to do some browsing yourself, too. :)

One by one or throw the whole bowl? THROW IT!

For this project we kept an open ended art theme. When I have some spare time I will be trying out some matching/learning games on the sticky easel. I have visions of drawing boxes or Venn diagrams and having O sort different pictures from magazines or shapes and things that I can cut out ahead of time. I'm also hoping to try out some puzzles just to see what that would look like!

What ideas do you have?

Week Thirteen: Spring Break!

Spring break was so great. I finally overcame the mom guilt and was able to take advantage of the daycare I was already paying for. Monday I sent O to daycare all day while I caught up on work. Tuesday and Wednesday we went on morning adventures and then I sent him to daycare for the afternoon both days, and Friday I kept him all day. It was kind of perfect!
Thursday I sent him for the whole day and did basically NOTHING. All day. 

It. Was. Amazing.

However, since ya'll probably wouldn't keep reading a blog about me watching Netflix all day, I'll focus on the fun we had!

First up was the Preschool Playdate at the Science Museum of Minnesota on Tuesday morning. On Tuesday mornings they have activities geared toward the preschool set and as an added bonus they have free admission with our Children's Museum membership for the Preschool Playdates as well!

So many fun things to explore at the Science Museum!

Next up was a super fun play date at the new indoor play space in Stillwater. It is an extension of Gammy and Gumpy's toy store and is called Kids Oasis. It was a super cool space with lots of imaginative play toys and spaces, a sandbox, a climbing area, a space for little babies, train tables, and some party rooms. O had an absolute blast and we will definitely go back there!

Firefighters, grocery stores, magnet toys, tea parties, and so much more!

 

Finally, we have been dealing with a lot of BIG emotions lately. It seems as though O is really struggling with how to handle his frustration. We decided to make a calm down bottle to see if giving him something to focus on would help. It seems to be working, at least a little bit, and it was a blast to make! We used about 3/4 HOT water and 1/4 glitter glue. We whisked them together and then added fine glitter. Poured it all into a rinsed out water bottle with smooth sides and super glued the cap on. The result is pretty mesmerizing. O asked that we make more, and I want to make a tiny one using a travel size shampoo bottle that would be easy to toss in my purse when we go out and about. 

Whisking is so fun! 

The moral of the story, is that it is good to be kind to yourself and give yourself 'me time' whenever you can. Because I had 'me time' over spring break I was a better and more engaged mom that was excited to do so much fun stuff. It is so hard to not let the mom guilt take over, but when you can find it in you to tell the mom guilt to go to hell, it is pretty freaking fantastic.

Week Twelve: Puffy Paint Disaster

Pinterest fails are so fun to look at... when they aren't your projects.

I bet you can see where this is going already. The beautiful puffy pain rainbow from Pinterest looked so fun! I made this puffy pain with my class to paint clouds and water to illustrate the water cycle. It was great!

Shaving cream + glue + food color until it was a good consistency.

You know what isn't great? A toddler covered in food coloring that won't wash off. ;)

Ok, ok. I'm being a tad dramatic. It washed off a day or so later. And he had fun. And we had fun watching him. So I suppose it was *technically* a win. But my oh MY does it look quite different than the Pinterest example.

We will be doing this again. Perhaps with white "paint" on colored paper. Perhaps outside where we can hose everything off. But we will try again for sure.

O was impressed!

Super, super impressed. 

SO impressed. 

Yeah, this seems about right. 

Can you tell which one is from Pinterest and which one is ours? ;p

Week Eleven: Library Tote Bag

We love the library. It may be the toys that make O want to go, but it is the books that keep him there. He loves picking out books to bring home, books to read there, and "beeping" each book at the checkout.

Since we have a special talent of losing track of library items, I decided to take a page out of my cousin's book {heh heh, see what I did there?} and have a dedicated library tote bag!

The idea is that the library books will stay in the bag and we can take them out to read, but they get put back in the bag rather than the other book collecting surfaces, bins, and shelves in our home.

That's the idea anyhow. I know that we are super lazy. And I know we have a toddler who is supper good at toddlering. So in reality, I realize my plan may not be super feasible. BUT what I think will be feasible is at least keeping the receipt with the list of items and due dates on it in the bag. I feel like even we can manage that. ;)

I found some plain canvas bags on clearance at Target and O and I got to work on decorating one to use as a library bag!

Supplies:
-bag
-stencils
-brushes
-acrylic paint
-fabric medium 

After mixing the fabric medium into the paint according to the directions on the bottle, I just let him go to town with the roller and brushes! The roller was the clear hit, and we managed to test one stencil as well. All in all it was a great project and super easy to clean up, which is always a plus. :)

So much fun!

Finished product!

Week Ten: I like to move it, move it!

I have jumped on the fitbit train! I realize I'm super late to the party, but {let's be real} when am I not fashionably late?

I've finally decided that I need to get myself in shape {hello, 30 pound toddler making me winded after 2 steps} and this little thing has been such a motivator! Being able to compete with Mike and my friends has been a game changer.

After much thought and internal debate, I decided on the Charge HR.

Things I love: The heart rate monitor, the display screen, and the way the app works to monitor my calories in and out via food log and activity tracking.

Things I don't love: It is definitely more bulky than other fitbits and some of my long sleeve shirts don't fit over it super well. I also don't love that there aren't many customization options like the Flex or Alta.

All in all though, it's love. So much so that Mike copied me a week or so later!

As silly as we may look trying to get our steps in each day, I *love* the impact it is have on O. He has started telling us "I want to exercise, mom and dad!" followed by running laps around the house. ♡

Week Nine: O's First Dentist Visit

So apparently I have a big kid. I'm still trying to pinpoint when exactly that happened, but it definitely did!

Since O is almost 3 we decided we really can't procrastinate on a dentist appointment any longer. 

We chose to go to St Paul Pediatric Dentistry because a friend had a great experience and it is super close to our house. I cannot even put in words how great our experience was, but I'm going to try!

O is a pretty easy going kid, but he is still a toddler, and a very stubborn one at that. If he gets his mind set on something {like not going to the dentist} there is little that can be done to change it. 

Luckily, George Monkey {Curious George} has a book about going to the dentist and O was super excited about it. He was also pretty jazzed to be able to pick out a movie to watch when we got there. They have TVs mounted on the ceiling and the kids get to pick from a list of movies to watch while they have their teeth looked at or worked on. 

After he chose Shrek, we were brought back to the exam room where the hygienist did some show and tell with O. He was able to touch and see the "tooth tickler," "tooth counter," and the water squirter. He was especially excited to squirt water in his mouth. 

He was a champ the whole time and everyone we encountered was so cheerful and nice! He got to take home a tooth brush, tooth paste, a sticker, and a bath toy. I literally had to remove him from the exam room. He didn't want to leave! 

Water squirter! Such fun!

Roaring like a lion before the tooth counting began!

Tooth Tickler in action. 

Wearing shades, picking nose, watching Shrek.

Goodbye to my kitty boy

Our sweet kitty boy is gone.

He was such a great friend to Mike, Owen, and me. If you knew Dewey, you probably knew the little jerk who tried to bite you. But that just wasn't who he was for us. For us he was a big fluffy snuggle buddy.

When he was a kitten, he used to climb up into the Christmas tree and peek out at us with his big ol' eyes.

When we moved into the apartment on Pecan he was so cautious as he explored his new home. I'll always remember losing track of him only to realize he was hanging out on the counter behind the microwave, just watching us look for him.

Whenever Mike was sick or sad, he was always there. He just knew he needed extra cuddles and would follow him around the house.

When I was pregnant Dewey was so clingy! He was always by my side and loved laying on me.

When Owen was born Dewey was so curious and gentle with him.

When Owen turned into a fur pulling toddler Dewey was still so patient and {mostly} gentle with him.

When we wiped away his eye boogers he loved nothing more than to lick them off our fingers. {So gross.}

When I get out of the shower he was always there to hop in as I hopped out so he could drink the lingering water out of the tub. Because the water dish seemed to be an insult in his opinion.

When he left us last night we were devestated. We still are. Right now it feels like we always will be, but I have so much hope it will get better.

Owen asked a lot of questions while we were saying goodbye last night and we really struggled trying to get through it.

My favorite explanation is that Dewey is all done living on this earth and his body will go into the earth, but maybe someday another kitty will have a meow just like Dewey.

Owen hopes that when we find the kitty with the meow like Dewey's, that kitty can come live with us. I hope that I have room in my heart for a new kitty. 

Week Eight: Mommy/Owen Day

Balancing work, family, marriage, and self is kind of impossible. It just is. This week I hit two birds with one stone when I took O on a "Mommy/Owen Day" and gave Mike a night off.

It was a pretty great but totally unpredictable evening with my little buddy. My plan was to take him to MOA for some rides, some dinner, and then some shopping before heading home.

Here is what transpired instead:

Arrive at mall.
Score VIP parking spot like a boss.
Argue with toddler about bringing in the carrier. {I was pro-carrier. He was not.}
Walk in {sans-carrier...grumble} carrying toddler because he "needed some snuggles but just in your arms, not in the carrier."
Arrive at the mall with plans to head straight to dinner, only to notice an elaborate Chinese New Year celebration set up in the rotunda.
Become mesmerized by the Kung Fu, dragons, and drums.
Watch for a long time, THEN go grab some Noodles.
Try to convince O that we should go on some rides.
Get distracted by the arcade, the doll stoe, the peeps store, and basically everything else that could possibly distract a 2 year old. While carrying him. Because no carrier.
Ride 2 rides.
Go home.

I'm not even sure why I still have this compulsive need to plan. Even if the plan is to wing it, I need to plan! Yet my plans always go something like those listed above. Someday I might learn. ;)

At least we bought the year long pass to rides, so we didn't waste money on a one day pass or anything!

In case you were curious, Mike and O went on a grocery store adventure and baked Irish soda bread on my night off. So yummy!

Week Six: Sunshine State

Vacations can be so stressful. The pressure to do everything and have ALL THE FUN can be so paralyzing.

This vacation was not like that, my friends. Not at all!

We had a few things we wanted to do, but plenty of time for relaxing and winging it. And wing it we did.

Hang out time with cousins, both adult and toddler sized. Lowry Park Zoo. Hang out time with aunties and uncles. Brunches. Coffee dates. Ice cream. Beaches and boardwalks. Favorite restaurants and grouper galore. Basically everything we hoped this vacation would bring!

I've been posting pictures throughout our trip, but here are some of my favorites. I truly hope everyone has a chance to take a vacation as chill as this one has been at some point in their lives. I recommend not while you have a toddler. ;) But even with O toddlerin' like crazy some days, it was still pretty amazing. 

Brunch with cousins. <3

Gymnastics!

Lorikeets 

Making birdie friends.

Total beach bum.

On our date!

John's Pass. 

Singing his heart out on the golf course. 

An evening stroll on the golf course. 

Uncle Bobby and Uncle Jerry visited!

Valentine's Day treats. 

I can't even with the cute in this photo. 

Almost every morning was lazy and delightful. 

On the way home we saw a shadow of our plane in a circular rainbow. What?!

My little buddy and I at John's Pass. 

Someone took a snooze at the zoo! Thanks, standard size Kinderpack, for fitting my almost 3 year old. 

Zoo selfie!

Owies are made better by bandaids and snuggles. 

Ready to catch Daddy on the slide.

Sand covered kid. 

Week Seven: Snow Painting

Back to reality after our trip. It is always so hard to get back in the swing of things after such a great vacation.

O had a great idea that made the best of a snowy reality. Snow painting!

It is an activity we did a while ago but I had totally forgotten about. O was eager to scoop up some snow to use, and headed out on his own to get it.

Mr. No Pants wanted to get his own snow.

Beyond some snow, all you need are watercolors, brushes, and water.

Snow painting!

What started as an art project evolved into an experiment about freezing and melting and measuring as O mixed scoops of snow into the water cup. It was a blast!

Mixing colorful snow into the water. 

How much snow can we mix in before it stops melting? {A lot}