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.

Week Three: Sensory Bin {part one}

Well. In my head this was going to be a post about 3 or 4 super cool sensory bins to try with toddlers. But...

I bet you can see where this is going...

It didn't happen. 

I managed to do one, and that will just have to be good enough. I doubt that O cares that there weren't more bins this week. He was in heaven with his Jelly Beads!

I bought these a while back on Amazon and I wasn't sure how long they would last but holy cow does a tiny amount of dry beads make a huge amount of jelly beads!!

The first time we played with them we used some sea creature toys to "swim" through the beads. This time we focused on scooping and pouring. I love to touch these things, and so does O. He scooped and poured and scooped and poured. When he overflowed one of bowls and dumped them all over the floor learned a valuable spacial reasoning skill, he also learned that they SQUISH when you step on them. Luckily they are easy to wipe up, but be warned: they bounce!

Week Two: Mag-awesome

This week I want to review one of the best toys O got for Christmas this year. I am absolutely in love with Magformers/Magmagic. 5 out of 5. A+.

They are the most overpriced pieces of plastic ever, but they are so cool I choose to stick my head in the sand when it comes to the price tag.

For Christmas O got a set of Magmagic from his cousins. He played with them that night for ages with his 2 and 7 year old cousins, and for days after. He is still super excited whenever we pull them out of the toy box.

The day after Christmas Mike and I enjoy going shopping. Or maybe it is just me that enjoys it. Oops. Mike is a good sport and tags along with the hope of scoring a sweet Lego set on clearance.

We like to hit Target, of course, but our favorite is the Go! Calendars, Toys, & Games store. They have 50% the whole store, which is an OK deal for some of the overpriced to begin with stuff, but a great deal for things that have a pretty standard price everywhere. We found two sets of Magformers there this year! 50% off was much cheaper than anywhere we looked online, so we went for it.

A stunning creation. 

As it turns out, the gift was Magmagic brand and the ones we picked up on sale were Magformers brand. Luckily they are 100% compatible with each other! 

Every adult that has stumbled across them seems to be just as excited about them as O is. I have definitely considered swiping some and keeping them at work to fiddle with while I'm on the phone. ;)

My review is that they are an awesome toy that teaches math, creativity, cause and effect, and patience. O says they are "really, really fun" and he says "I like to SMASH them!" 

"This is a playground with a jumping thing but no garage."

SMASH! {Dragon costume for full Godzilla effect}