Category Archives: Baby

Get Real 2012 Challenge

February 5, 2012 – 6:49 pm

Just a bit late, I came across this “Get Real 2012″ challenge at Once a Month Mom Cooking. It is a year-long challenge to get yourself of a real food diet. Sign me up! I love that most of her cooking is done ahead of time & frozen. It is the perfect solution for a hungry toddler at 5.30PM.

Since I’m a little late, I need to jump quickly through January. Thankfully I’ve already been working on a bunch of these!

Week 1 – Inventory Your Pantry Need to replace pre made frozen food & snacks.
Week 2 – Hard Habits to Break Take a look at the ingredients in everything (strive for 5 or less).
Week 3 – Food, Inc. Watch the movie!
Week 4 – Sugars Switch to Organic Sucanat, Raw Honey & Pure Maple Syrup

She put together these AMAZING freeze ahead menus for January & February for 18 month olds. There is an adult whole foods version as well monthly. Cheddar Coins and Fish Stix are now in the freezer. I’m in love the printable freezer labels & grocery lists.

This might just be doable.

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Baby Personal

Meaningful work for Toddlers

February 2, 2012 – 1:24 pm

I’ve started having my daughter “help” me in kitchen. Our new kitchen helper was a wonderful gift from my dad and is making it easier. In exploring other ways to have my daughter “work” with me, I came across this great post on Sew Liberated. It lead me to this post on Parenting Passageway.

So here’s a modified version of the list for us to start working on! I’m copying it here so I remember but please go read her post instead!

Load/unload the dishwasher with supervision
Wash silverware (in a little basin)
Learn to use a sharp knife; grating
Practice pouring into a glass
Stir, pour, play with flour/dough, etc.
Spread butter on toast
Pick the leaves of kale, tear lettuce, spin in dryer
Shell peas
Scramble eggs
Unload groceries
Spray and wipe windows and bathroom walls
Wash tub with sponge and baking soda
Polish wooden toys/furniture
Hand me items from the laundry basket as I fold
Get napkins and silverware for table
Water plants
Learning to iron
Polishing silver
Help make bed

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Baby

Birthday Planning

January 14, 2012 – 9:34 pm

It is hard to believe but I’m starting to plan for a Second Birthday! Loving these amazing decorations (1,2,3), the gold number 2 balloon, diy crayon rolls, diy candle holders & this incredible play tent!

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Baby Personal

Christmas Bucket List

November 6, 2011 – 6:51 pm

I want to set up “traditions” now that will take us through my little ones childhood. I really want to find ways to make the holidays magical. Recently, I’ve come across several holiday bucket lists and decided I should start my own. Anticipation is half the fun!

1. ~~Visit Santaland at Macy’s~~

2. Drive through the decorated houses in Bayside, Queens (33-20 205th St, Bayside)

3. Watch the balloons inflate the day before Thanksgiving at 3PM. (decided too young)

4. Go window shopping at the department stores. (decided too young)

5. Buy an elf and have him do surprises.

6. ~~Wrap books as an advent calendar.~~

7. Go caroling! (oops scheduled our holiday party at the same time!)

8. ~~Watch It’s a Wonderful Life. (She’s too young but I’ll enjoy it)~~

9. Tree lighting daily at Met Museum 4.30PM

10. Make gifts for my daughter’s friends (homemade play dough!)

11. Drink cocoa at Serendipity (225 East 60th Street) or have a hot cocoa crawl!

12. Visit FAO Swartz.

13. Holiday Train Show at NYBG

14. ~~Make the house smell like Christmas~~

15. Celebrate Winter Solstice December 22

16. ~~Decorate!~~

17. ~~Bring cookies to neighbours. (amended to make cookies for homeless shelter)~~

18. ~~New Christmas Jammies!~~

Now I just have to put it all on the calendar!

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Baby

Swedish babies nap outside!

May 25, 2011 – 11:37 am

I loved reading this post on Design Mom about childcare in Sweden. I was impressed to hear how much time their children spend outside! and I was surprised to read that the babies nap outside year round! After all the flak I got for taking my daughter out in the snow, I LOVED this!! I looked it up and it appears common place for the baby to sleep in the stroller on a porch!

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Baby Personal

Traveling to Southern France with a 13 month old

May 22, 2011 – 10:43 am

We are headed out to southern France soon. I am sooo excited! But, I’m a little worried about bringing a 13 month & all her stuff on a trip that entails an overnight flight, transfer to an 1.5 hour flight, to a 1.5 hour train to a cab ride! The crazy part is that we will then be living on a boat for a week! I’ve been preparing/packing for several weeks. Thanks to these wonderful packing lists.

I purchased new duffle suitcases which can be rolled or carried on the back. I found a used Maclaren Quest for $10 at a yard sale. My trusty Ergo is coming along. I’ve created a travel gate out of a $5 net from IKEA & some stick on cord management 3m tabs (thanks to Merriment for inspiration! I have a baby life jacket & some water alarms & other babyproofing items.

As recommended for the plane, I picked up a few new & “new to us” toys: a hide&seek board, a travel puzzle, and a to go fishbowl toy. We will bring a long some cups, books & balls for play on the boat.

Wish us luck!

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Baby

a little laughter

May 16, 2011 – 4:57 pm

Signs your adjusting to motherhood by the super smart & funny Jody Lipper.

She wrote this article a while ago but I often find myself thinking back to it!

1) You’ve recently given up on your morning ritual of counting and adding up the number of hours of sleep both you and your baby got the night before because you’d honestly rather not know.

2) In the back of your mind, you always have a list of extra errands you can run to prolong your baby’s nap in case she falls asleep in the stroller, carrier, or car seat while you’re out and about.

3) You’ve gone from obsessively sanitizing everything that might come within three feet of your baby to haphazardly running a dirty pacifier under the lukewarm faucet because you’ve finally accepted the fact that your baby is going to get sick and there’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop it.

4) Whether you find yourself at a restaurant, a park, or stuck in traffic, you can confidently entertain your baby for hours with nothing more than a sugar packet, a crunchy leaf, or by tooting your car’s horn.

5) Like the mama in March of the Penguins, if you somehow found yourself lost in a sea of a thousand screaming babies, you would not only be able to easily pick out your own baby’s cry among them, but you’d have a pretty good idea from the sound of it exactly what he needed.

Read the rest!!

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Baby Project

Stuffed Animal Leash

April 28, 2011 – 10:01 am

My daughter is very attached to a small pink snoopy but for some reason throws her overboard when we are out on the town. Ten minutes, 1 $1 roll of ribbon from Michaels, one ring & some velcro and we have a snoopy leash! I followed the basic idea of this pacifier clip and modified it. The ribbon crosses the dogs back and two pieces of velcro secure it.

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Baby Personal