Mommy

Rylan 11 Month Summary

Feb72013

I seriously cannot believe that my little baby is just one short month away from being a year old. That whole saying, “The days are long, but the years are short,” totally applies to how I’m feeling. With his cute little baby face, Brad and I are always remarking that Rylan seems younger at this age than Brandon did. Maybe that’s why it surprises me so much when he grasps a new concept. He’s beginning to understand processes lately, and likes knowing what to expect. As most mothers would recognize, he is in the pulling everything out stage – emptying a drawer or basket of clean diapers takes no time. Clapping is still his go-to move (everyone loves that he knows “If you’re happy and you know it”), but he has also gotten the hang of using signs for “more” and “all done” at meal time.

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· Filed Under: Baby Summaries, Mommy, Our Family · Tagged With: 11 months old, Baby, baby summary, reflux, schedule

5 Meals for Kids in 5 Minutes

Feb42013

We all have those nights that just seem to get away for us. We get busy doing something-or-other when we suddenly realize it’s dinner time. When I find myself in this predicament, I immediately scratch the idea of family dinner and focus on getting something made for the kids pronto. The adults will just have to fend for themselves after bedtime. Rather than having the kids fill up on goldfish while I cook for 30 minutes, I assemble a super speedy meal that can be thrown together at a minutes notice, all using ingredients that I usually keep on hand. These aren’t necessarily the most well-rounded meals, but they only happen on occasion and they get the job done without having to resort to anything boxed and frozen. I usually throw in some kind of fruit side (berries often being a good choice since you don’t have to cut them up) and you could also quickly microwave some frozen peas and a little butter for a veggie. They all take less than 5 minutes (because 10 is just way to long to deal with whiny, hungry children!), and there are no Rachel Ray super fast chopping skills required. These dishes have saved us time and time again, and I hope you find them helpful too.

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· Filed Under: Mommy, Mommy Know How, Recipes · Tagged With: dinner, easy, kids meals, lunch, quick, toddler

Brandon 2.5 Year Summary

Jan172013

The highlight of the last couple of months with Brandon, was definitely Christmas time. Granted he had like 4 different Christmas celebrations since we were visiting different family members, but he simply couldn’t get enough of “open presents!” As parents, I think it’s even more fun for us. Brad spent hours making sure Brandon’s train was set up just right for Christmas morning. And of course, we patted ourselves on the back for being the ultimate gift givers when he proceeded to play with it all day. He even got a special table to keep it on in his room, which turned out to be a smart move since it keeps the trains and tracks somewhat out of Rylan’s reach. He could not possibly have been happier when we were visiting family and had tons of playmates at all hours of the day. He was one tuckered out kiddo by the end of it all. We even had to go back to him taking 3 hour naps for a while, and even then it was sometimes hard to get him up.

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· Filed Under: Mommy, Our Family, Toddler Summaries · Tagged With: schedule, toddler, two and a half

Let’s Get Organized: Tame those Recipes!

Jan142013

I love the start of a new year. It feels like everything is fresh and clean – a chance to renew and restart. Just looking at my empty and pretty planner makes me excited. I know that a lot of people make resolutions to get more organized this time of year, so I thought I would start a “Let’s Get Organized” series of posts dealing with how to do just that. Each month I will do a post on how to improve your life with a little advanced planning. I’m not talking about hours of cleaning out your closets, more like streamlining your daily tasks to make your life easier and more efficient. By no stretch of the imagination am I a neat freak, but I’ve found that having some semblance of order to my day and planning things out in advance have helped me be a better mom and wife.

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· Filed Under: Mommy, Organization, Recipes · Tagged With: menu planning, organization, recipes

The Best Board Books for Baby

Dec182012

A board book would be the perfect last minute gift for the baby in your life. Even the smallest baby will like to see the colors and will eventually enjoy exploring the book on their own. They are safe, small, and durable. With the holidays right around the corner, I thought this list of our favorites would be helpful if you are looking to pick up something small and special to put in a stocking or give to a friend who recently had a baby.

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· Filed Under: Mommy, Mommy Must Haves · Tagged With: Baby, board books, books, books for baby, gifts

Winter Stroller Running

Dec92012

It might be cold out side, but mommy still needs to get in her run! There’s only so many treadmill miles you can log before the monotony starts to get old. So let’s talk about how to keep your little ones comfy and warm while you get your miles in outside.

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· Filed Under: Mommy, Mommy Know How, Running · Tagged With: cold, mommy, running, stroller running, weather, winter

Finding “Me” Time as a Mom

Oct252012

I find it rather laughable every time I hear a magazine, talk show, book, etc. claim that as a mother you absolutely must find time to devote to yourself. What makes this seem so ridiculous is that I have yet to see them follow up with exactly how you are supposed to find this mythical “me” time. There’s always the obvious, like pawning the kiddies off on your husband or babysitter, but for most of us, having that extra assistance isn’t always an option. I think we all agree that finding time for things we enjoy is important – so on to a solution!

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· Filed Under: Mommy, Mommy Know How · Tagged With: finding time, hobbies, how to, managing time, me time, occupying kids

Independent Play – Moving to Room Time

Sep252012

I got a lot of positive feedback from my first Independent Play post, so I thought I would continue it, and share some thoughts on how to keep it in place for your older child. Obviously, there will come a point when your toddler will no longer want to play in a playpen. I would say somewhere in the 18-24 month range, your child is going to be ready to move to doing independent play in their room. Room time can be a wonderful thing – it allows for more play options for your child, a wider space, and hopefully, some time for you as a parent to get things done while your child is happily entertained. It forces them to not only find ways to play by themselves, but to also choose between various options. I find that Brandon behaves better and is more focused throughout the day when he has his time to play alone. What a nice treat for mommy and child!

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· Filed Under: Mommy, Mommy Know How · Tagged With: child, independent play, pre-toddler, room time, toddler