library day

Ever since he was a teeny tiny guy, the bean has always loved books and being read to.  He loves grabbing book after book after book and curling up in my lap for story time.  Now that he's older, he also loves going to the library.  I try to take him every few weeks and so far, every trip has been a huge success.  He understands that we have to be quiet and that we have to take care of the books that we check out so that other kids can enjoy them when we return them.  

We went to the library today and he picked out eleven books to borrow.  It's always interesting and sweet to see what he picks out.  Today's selection included a truck book, a couple of books about trains, a Busytown book, a Curious George book, and a book about a kid and his big boy undies.  We haven't really been pushing potty training yet, so that was an interesting choice on his part.  He also picked out The Little Engine That Could, which we totally have at home.  But this version had different illustrations, so it immediately caught his attention.

He plopped right down on the floor with the book and started flipping through the pages, "reading" it to himself.  I was super impressed that, even though the illustrations in this version were different, he still recognized it as the same story and was talking through the storyline as he flipped through the book.

I am a lucky mama to have such a smart and inquisitive kid.  I really hope that he keeps his love of books and reading as he gets older. 

what we've been up to

Oh boy...it's been a while since I posted.  A very long while.  Our family has been so, so busy lately.  Here are a few of the things we've been up to in the past couple of months:

• We're expecting baby #2!  Our newest addition will be arriving sometime in late February.  And we are so excited...and nervous.  But mostly excited.  I can say that this pregnancy has been totally different (and much tougher so far) than my first.  But I think and hope that the worst of it is over and that I'll feel better from here on out.  Fingers crossed.
• The bean turned two.  Of course, we celebrated with a big party...lots of family and friends, the whole nine yards.  And the bean had a great time!  I absolutely cannot believe how quickly he is growing and changing.  It seems like he learns something new every day.  Along with that, he's becoming very independent...and much more defiant these days.  Hello, terrible two's!  Guess I need to re-read a few chapters in the Love and Logic book.
• The hubby has been traveling for work ALOT lately.  He spent two weeks in China in mid-July and has taken several other short trips here and there since then.  As you can imagine, chasing around the aforementioned energetic and defiant two-year old while being pregnant is tough work...especially while hubby is out of town and I don't have my regular back-up.  Those make for some long, exhausting days.
• We got a new car.  Well, new to us, anyway.  Since we are due to add another kid to the family in 2013, we figured we should probably upgrade to a vehicle that will accommodate two carseats.  So, we ended up with a 2007 Kia Rondo.  And I love it!
• Hubby and I celebrated our tenth anniversary.  I'm such a lucky girl.  Ten years is a long time to be stuck with somebody, and I really do feel blessed to have been stuck with such a great guy.  We celebrated with a quick, bean-free overnight trip out of town.  And it was wonderful.

So with all that going on, plus the regular day-to-day stuff, I've neglected the ol' blog just a tad.  Hopefully, I'll be able to stay more up-to-date now that things are hopefully settling down a bit.  We'll see...

farewell, afternoon nap

Ever since he was just a tiny guy, the bean has been a fairly decent sleeper.  I think it's partly due to the fact that he's usually a pretty easy-going kid and partly due to the fact that hubby and I have worked our butts off trying to stay consistent with his routine.  It's been alot of work, but has made life so much easier in so many ways.

Up until a couple of months ago, the bean would usually take two naps a day...one around 10 am and another around 2 pm.  They were never really that long.  A half-hour nap was considered good and I'd almost do backflips if he took an hour-long nap.  But even with his short-ish naps, he was generally happy and well-rested.  Then things started to get a little hit-and-miss when it came to his napping.  He started fighting and skipping naps...sometimes the morning nap, sometimes the afternoon nap, a couple times both.  When he did nap, he would fuss and fight it until he finally fell asleep.  And his naps started getting shorter and shorter.  And he started getting crabbier and crabbier.  But still, I stayed consistent, stuck to our routine, and tried putting him down for his two naps a day.  Well as of last week, that was not working anymore.  We were both getting frustrated when the afternoon nap wasn't working out...I was frustrated because he wasn't taking one and he was frustrated because he was stuck in his crib when he clearly wasn't tired.

So, we've decided to adjust the schedule and cut out the afternoon nap.  Instead of laying down for a morning and an afternoon nap each day, we are shooting for one mid-morning nap a day plus an afternoon quiet time where he goes into his crib to play or "read" or sleep if he feels tired.  Hopefully this will allow us both to have a break and a little rest in the afternoon. 

It's been six days on our new routine and so far, things are improving.  His one nap a day has been a bit longer these past few days (an hour or more each day) and yesterday, he even took a 30-minute "bonus nap" during his quiet time.  Woot!  And aside from a little crabbiness being caused by teething (poor kiddo), my little guy has been a happier kid these past few days.  Honestly, I think the new routine will be a bigger adjustment for me than for the bean.  I'm still trying to figure out the best time to run our errands and get out of the house.  But a little inconvenience for a while during this adjustment phase is a small price to pay for a well-rested and happy kid!

the chore train

The bean is totally into trains right now.  Surprisingly, he is also really into helping us out around the house.  That's right...my toddler likes to do chores.  I know, I know...I am a very blessed mama!  It kind of happened by accident, really.   He started helping clean up his toys at a pretty young age.  Then I realized that he loved to put away his shoes at the end of the day.  Then, I decided that if he could ransack my Tupperware cabinet and pull out every piece of plastic ware I have (one of his favorite past times for a while), he was probably capable of putting it all away when he was done, too.  And lo and behold, he not only could do it, but he LOVES doing it!  You should see his face light up when I unload the dishwasher and hand him a stack of clean Tupperware for him to put away.  And it is so cool to see him so proud of himself once the job is done.

So, I figured we needed a chore chart.  And don't get me wrong...I don't expect my twenty month old to do chores at this point.  I'm not forcing him to do any chores that are beyond his developmental level at this point.  That being said, he LOVES helping out around the house and I know that the time will come when he is expected to do chores.  So, I figure why not go ahead and get him used to the idea of a chore chart and keep him excited about making a contribution to our home's upkeep?  And at this point, it really serves just as a kind of fun visual of the jobs he has done throughout the day.  I didn't add any additional chores above and beyond what he already likes to do anyway.  I just listed out the six or so chores that he already does and then started thinking about how I wanted to display the chart.

After scouring Pinterest for ideas and not really finding a design I was crazy about, I came across these wood train shapes at Hobby Lobby.

They came in a pack of 8 (2 engines and 6 train cars) for around $2.   I just painted them the colors I wanted.  Then I traced chore icons and text onto the train cars using carbon paper and painted over the lines in white paint.  My little man doesn't read yet, so I went with simple, graphic icons rather than words.   I sealed them with a couple coats of Mod Podge and then stuck magnets on the back.  Then they went right on the fridge.  Done!

Here are the chores that we have so far...put away toys, throw away trash, check the mail, put away shoes, put away Tupperware, help feed the dog, help feed the cat, help mom with special jobs.  That last one is for any extra tasks that he helps out with...like yesterday, he helped me out by handing me water bottles to put in the fridge.  I also have a few extra blank train cars so that we can add chores as he gets older.  Each day, we line up the chores to be done next to the "to do" engine. When the bean finishes a chore, we move that car to the "all done" engine. So far it's been a hit. And hopefully it will help him stay receptive to the idea of doing chores later down the road!

the abc box

The bean has been SO into letters lately.  We have been reading to him regularly since he was a teeny tiny bean, so he has always loved books and reading.  But recently, he has taken an interest in the letters that make up the words in his books.  He has started trying to spell out words that he sees in books and on signs while we are out and about.  Even though he doesn't really know all the letters yet, he will point to words and just say random letters.  It's the cutest thing ever.  And while I'm not in a rush to teach him his abc's before he is developmentally ready, I definitely want to take advantage of this interest that he has developed by incorporating letters into our everyday play.  Enter the ABC Box.

Nothing fancy here.  Just an empty wipes box filled with an assortment of items that start with our letter of the day.  We focus on a different letter each day and I just gather a few toys and objects that start with that letter.  I also include that letter from our tactile alphabet set and the corresponding letter from a set of foam letters that we have.  Each morning after breakfast and bath, we sit down together and explore the box.  I show him the letter, tell him what it is, and tell him what sound it makes.  Then, I just let him play with the items in the box.  I also use a couple of alphabet-themed books that we have to show him other examples of the letter.  Right now, we are just working our way in order through the alphabet.  I figure once we have gone all the way through, maybe we will do a Number Box or Color Box.  Or I may just start over with A and use different objects the next time around.  I really want to play it by ear and follow the bean's lead based on what he's showing an interest in.

The verdict?  So far the bean LOVES it!  And, it seems to be working.  He can identify letters A-H and O (he knew that one on his own before we even started using the ABC Box).  He gets so excited to see what's in the box each morning.  And he comes back to the box and plays with the items throughout the day.  He also likes to show off what's in his box when dad gets home from work.  The hubby is loving it, too.  He comes home from work each day and asks the bean, "What's the letter of the day?  What's in the box?"  It's pretty adorable.  And the project cost me $0.00 to do!  Free, fun, educational...love it!

diy sensory table

What a beautiful day today.  The weather is GORGEOUS.  And (go figure) I feel like garbage...doing my best to fight off the beginnings of a cold.  So, we're taking it easy and not leaving the house today.  Instead of running our usual out-of-the-house errands, the bean and I are hanging out on the back patio playing with our sensory table.  This was a diy project of ours about a month ago.  So far it's been a big hit and I'm hoping to get alot of use out of it this summer.

Keep reading to see how we made it.  To call this a "tutorial" would be a bit of a stretch.  We didn't really have to do much.  It was really just taking stock of what we already had, thinking about what we wanted our sensory table to have, and figuring out the easiest way to put it all together.  And of course, I also searched Pinterest for diy sensory tables and found a lot of inspiration.

We took part of a plastic shelving unit that we've had for ages (seriously, this thing has moved with us a few times and has always served us well) and flipped it upside down.  The underside of the shelf has a lip on it and a raised channel running down the middle.  I figured this would be perfect for holding the bins I was planning on using.  The bins don't fit perfectly in the grid...they kind of tilt outward a little, which is perfect because it allows the kiddo a better reach.  And the lip around the edge keeps the bean from just pulling the bins off onto the ground.

Then I bought a few plastic shoebox bins to hold everything.  One has dry rice.  Another has dry beans.   I also use one to hold our digging and scooping toys.  This summer, we will fill another of the bins with water when we do water play.  You could also use sand, dry corn, whatever.  And the bins are great because when we are done playing, I just put the lids on and store them on the bottom shelf of our table.

Perfect!  And like I said, the bean loves it.   He also likes to help clean up when we're done playing!  Clean up with the sensory table is a breeze...all the rice and beans fall through grid of the shelves and we just sweep it up.  Easy...just the way I like my projects!

happy spring

Spring is officially here!  Well as of two days ago...guess I'm a tad late.  The weather is beautiful and everything is fresh and new.  This is by far my favorite time of the year.  Here is the bean kicking off the start of the season with a trip to the park.

tactile alphabet

I have so many projects that I'd like to do for the bean.  It seems like every time I go on Pinterest I find something else to add to the list.  Making the bean a set of sandpaper letters has been on my to-do list for a while now.  Even though I think he is still far from being able to actually read and spell with these letters, he loves books and we read throughout the day.  So, I think it would be great to go ahead and get him acquainted with the alphabet and to give him something tactile to use in his learning.

I would LOVE to have a set of these really nice Montessori sandpaper letters, but the price is a little steep for my taste.  So I started thinking about how I could (cheaply) make them myself.  I came across this post at innerchildfun.com and thought it was a great alternative.  Here is my version:

I used these adhesive felt letter stickers and these small wooden cards that I got from Hobby Lobby (love that place!!).

The cards measure about 2" x 4" and came in packs of four for about $1.50 a pack.  I gave the edges a light sanding before sticking on the letters.  I did use a couple of tiny dabs of superglue on the back of each letter, just to make sure they don't peel off.

And that was it!  I love the way they look. The size is perfect for little hands and I think they will end up being really durable.  I'm going to store them in a cute little black drawstring bag that I have in my craft stash (I think I got it with a set of pillowcases at some point??).  Oh...and BONUS...I have enough letter (and number) stickers left over to make another set.  I would like to make a lowercase set, too eventually.  I'll have to keep an eye out for lowercase letter stickers.  But for the time being, these are exactly what I wanted!  

meet the bean

Well, here he is...

That's my little man.  He's pretty cute, huh??  I know, I know...I am biased.  But seriously.  He is my light and my heart and he is such an incredible blessing to me.  We call him "the bean" because right after he was born, the hubby and I looked at our brand new little guy and then looked at each other in utter exhaustion and amazement and said to each other "Look what we did...we made a human being."  So somehow, that morphed into "human bean" then just "the bean".  Sounds silly now, but in our sleep deprived and elated state, it made sense at the time.

Fast forward almost nineteen months (seriously...kids grow up fast!) and that's our bean right now.  I am truly blessed to be able to stay home and hang out with him everyday.  But that does not mean that I don't work.  To those who have never been a stay-at-home mom, it is definitely work.  Believe me.  But it is the best job I've ever had.  This little guy amazes me in a new way each and every day.  It's just incredible how much he is learning right now.

At almost nineteen months, here are a few facts about our bean:

• He loves bananas and whole wheat bread.
• He can use two and three word phrases (his favorite right now is "I do it").
• He likes to give kisses.  And he loves for us to give kisses...to him, to the cat and dog, to his stuffed animals.  He'll hold out a toy for us to kiss and say "mwaa"...it's pretty adorable.
• He likes to pick out books and "read" to himself.
• He loves to make animal sounds...and car, truck, and train sounds.
• He is completely obsessed with trains.
• He can pick up and put away his toys (with a little direction and encouragement, of course).
• He cracks himself up.  He is constantly talking and babbling and laughing.  He's quite the entertainer.
• He mimics pretty much anything we say, so...we have had to start really watching our language
• He loves to sing and dance, which makes mom and dad happy since we are both musically inclined.  This kid LOVES music...and not just kid music, but real music (The Beatles, Radiohead, Ben Folds, etc).

I love this kid.