Alone Time

Here I am! Did you miss me? Well, if you actually did miss me, you probably still will, because I still lack motivation due to pregnancy brain and exhaustion. So it's pretty likely that I won't post too often for a couple more months. My mom took The Toddler to "Old McDonald's" (aka McDonald's) for lunch, and so I have a little more time to myself today and a little more energy, which is why I've decided blog. So here's what you've missed:

• We found out that we are having another BOY.  The Spouse and I are completely content with this, but we would have been happy either way. This little one is due to make an appearance in Mid-October, but I'm hoping we don't don't go all the way to 40 weeks, especially since I only went to 37 weeks with The Toddler. (He wasn't a toddler back then, though)

 I think it's possible that this picture may not be appropriate. ;)

• Pregnancy during the summer is THE WORST! I knew it would be and it is just as unpleasant as I thought it would be. (The things you do for your kids!) Oh well. 
• I am not a nice pregnant person. In fact, I'm like the polar opposite of my normal self. My husband and I joke about that pregnancy is my alter-ego. It's not that I want to be mean, or try, but it just sneaks out before I realize what's happening. I feel like I am on one giant stretch of PMS. (I want you guys to know that I really am still trying to be nice...I just fail frequently) Sad and unfortunate, but true. So I just want to thank all my friends for putting up with me for all this time. I really do like all of you guys, and I still want to be friends!!!!
• I am the most comfortable when sitting in the recliner with my feet up. Therefore, I've read a lot of books lately. Plus, my brother recently bought me the new Nook Glow and I have just discovered the wonderful world of ebooks from the library. It really can't get any better than this. (just kidding). Btw - I am always up for a good book recommendation. Tell me what you've read! 

 Pretend like you don't see that pile of unfolded laundry in the backgroud.

• I've recently noticed a change in The Toddler's social development. I've started to notice that he has become a little more lonely lately. But at the same time, he doesn't even realize that he's lonely since at the moment he is an only child and doesn't know any different. So my husband and I decided to sign him up for a couple of activities this summer - a tumbling class, soccer, and horse back riding. I've also made more of an effort to schedule at least one play date a week. I've seen a huge difference in him too. 

Sorry about the sideways video! The Toddler is in the yellow shirt and his teacher is trying to show him how to do a somersault.

• I've mentioned it before, but I have blood sugar issues during pregnancy (which basically requires me to eat every 1.5 hours and avoid ALL sweets and starches). There are two blogs that I frequently check for awesome food ideas - Kath Eats Real Food and Sugar Free Mom. Check them out!!! 
• I am now on Instagram, thanks to my awesome friend, Sarah. You can follow me @MusicianAtHeart. Wait...did that count as a shameless plug? If you answered yes, I apologize. ;)
• The spouse and I recently went on a mini-vacation/business trip together to Colorado Springs - without The Toddler! We visited the Olympic Training Center, Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, ate great food, turned down a hippie begging for ice cream and cigarettes (no joke), and I did a serious amount of lounging.

I hope to blog a little more often, but don't hold your breath for that one. :) I'm at the point to where I refuse to commit to things while I am smack in the middle of pregnancy...honestly I probably won't be ready for extra commitments until after the baby is born and I'm not sleep deprived. Maybe January? Until then, I'll try to update when I can. :)

Super Hero Cape

Super-hero capes are supposed to be a staple in every little boy's wardrobe, right? At least I thought so. But I'm starting to think that somehow The Toddler does not agree with me...

We cut this cape out of an XL T-shirt I bought for 50 cents at a flea market last fall (I knew I could find a use for that shirt!), and we used acrylic paint on the fabric. (I've learned from experience that acrylic paint does not wash off of fabric, so I figured this would be appropriate to use it this time) :) The circle part of the cape is the collar from the T-shirt.

I've seen blogs and pins peppered with comments from numerous moms who said their little guys love or would love super hero capes. I thought mine would too.

Well he actually LOVED making the cape - or maybe I should say he loved painting it. 

 This turned out to be a fun afternoon project for myself, The Spouse, and The Toddler. Keep in mind that it's important to supervise your child while they use acrylic paint. Otherwise they may end up like this:

But after we finished painting and the cape was dry, The Toddler would have nothing to do with the cape.

At one point I convinced him to put on, but as soon as I pulled out the camera, he ripped the cape off and said, "I no want to take a picture." (This is the ONLY picture I managed to capture with him - notice the cape falling on the floor -  he had just yanked it off his head as I pulled the camera out).

Or maybe not. I had so many cute photo ideas to try with him wearing his cape, but apparently The  Uncooperative Toddler had different ideas.

Oh well.

He hasn't even touched the cape since I tried to take his picture. I've tried a couple of times to get him to wear it again. But I am always prevented with a firm "NO" by him.

At least we had a good time painting it!

I think my child may have a future as an artist. ;)

Marble Run

I came across the Marble Run idea on Pinterest several months ago and started saving all my cardboard tubes. We didn't get around doing this activity until recently. Not only did The Toddler LOVE this activity, but so did the spouse and I! It's problem solving game to see just how you can get your marble to run all the way through the tubes without falling out.

We used acrylic paint (because that's all we have) and allowed The Toddler (equipped with a bib) to paint the tubes. And we painted them too. Because it was fun.

Be aware that if you give your child more than one color at a time, they may end up dipping their brush in EACH color before they actually begin painting. 

And all those pretty colors may end up looking more like a greyish-olive green.
 

Like the paint on these tubes. But it's really ok, because this activity really isn't for us, it's for the kids...right? Right....

After the paint was dry, I hot-glued the magnets onto the tubes.

And then we put the tubes on the fridge

and played with them!

Ahhh!!! Rolling marbles through this is so much fun, I can hardly stand it!!

And when you are done with your tubes, you can also do this. What more could a kid ask for?
:)

Shaving Cream Paint

A couple of nights ago, I needed an activity to occupy my son long enough to keep my sanity until his bedtime. So I consulted my "Kids Activities" board on Pinterest and found an excellent pre-bath time activity. Shaving Cream Paint. Oh yes.


All it required was shaving cream, food coloring, a muffin tin, and a brush (I used an old basting brush).

I allowed The Toddler to add the food coloring to each cup of shaving cream, which he LOVED. By the way, that greyish color was supposed to be purple. Just so you know.

Then I put the toddler the tub, and let him paint his little heart out. He had a blast.

The only drawback to this activity is if your toddler announces that he needs to pee, and is covered with shaving cream paint. Just make sure you have an old towel handy!



The best part about this is the easy clean up! Rinse the shaving cream off of your bathtub (and walls) with a cup of water! Ta-Dah! Done. And then throw your kid in the bath to finish up. And then bed. That's my favorite part. :)

Play-Doh Fun.

My son has been really into play-doh lately. There have been times when he has literally spent an HOUR sitting at the table, entertaining himself with play-doh. Amazing, right?

I rarely get around to buying play-doh for him, so I usually end up making it. I recently came across a play-doh recipe on Pinterest that uses Jello mix. Kind of wierd? I thought so, but I've seen that recipe pinned several times, so I decided to try it. I have to tell you, it was great! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• white flour – 1 cup
• salt – 2 tbsp
• cream of tartar – 2 tbsp
• cooking oil – 2 tbsp
• warm water – 1 cup
• Jello – 1 3oz pack

Directions:

• Add all the ingredients together in a big mixing bowl
• Mix all the ingredients together until consistent
• Pour into a pan and stir continuously
• Wait for it to thicken into a big ball and then place it on a piece of wax paper to cool
• Kneed it for a few minutes once cooled with some flour
• Add any food coloring or glitter to spice things up!
• Start playing!

Try it! It's really great. It smells good (but doesn't taste good), and the texture is really great. It's pretty close to the actual store bought play-doh.

One of the keys to the play-doh success has been keeping it interesting. Over the past several months, I've been collecting random things from our house that create interesting impressions. Here's a couple of things that we use: various sized balls and unique textures, plastic animals and bugs, rulers, cookie cutters, sea shells, seeds, stamps, lids, lego pieces, nets (packaging from popsicles), forks, and even Hot Wheel cars (added by my son).

 

I'm pretty sure that The Toddler's favorite play-doh item are the Hot Wheel cars.

Here's one of The Toddler's play-doh creations. What unique items do your kids use with play-doh?

Chalk Board Pantry Doors.

Last week I found a bottle of Chalk Board Paint while browsing through Hobby Lobby. Love that store. I could spend hours there...and lots of money too. I've been wanting to do some sort of chalk board in our house for quite a while, but haven't decided which project I wanted to do. Even though I didn't have a specific plan for the paint, I bought it anyway. We don't have much wall space in our house (or even extra space) so I knew I had to come up with a creative idea for a chalk board. And then it hit me - I should paint our pantry doors!! And that's what I did. Now we have a chalk board, where my husband and I can write reminders to each other and the toddler can scribble his heart out. And we didn't even use any extra wall space to make this!!!

I only painted the inside squares of the pantry doors. We have black appliances in the kitchen so the black works well.

A couple things I didn't foresee was 1.) the fact that I have a toddler, and toddlers do not stay within boundaries - especially when coloring. (Duh). And 2.) chalk boards can be messy - people accidentally lean against them, chalk dust falls to the floor, and chalky toddler hands. So I ended up creating a little more work for myself by creating another avenue for messes, but at least we will have fun in the process!

Total cost - about $4 for the bottle of chalk board paint. That's it! I already had the paint brushes and masking tape.

Total Time - excluding drying time, only took about 30 minutes to tape the edges and then paint the doors.

Loved this project. Now go and do it! And tell me what you decided to turn into a chalk board. :)

Box Car

Guess what? Today I found a project that my son was interested in for a larger portion of the day! I can't believe it! Usually when I do a project, he is mildly interested in doing it - until he gets distracted by his Hot Wheel cars or until it gets tedious - aka coloring or decorating. Ha!

Today we made a car out of cardboard box! I know this idea lacks in originality, but the toddler LOVED it. We originally came up with this idea for his birthday party last year, but at the time, he was feeling too shy and was unwilling to participate in the box car making and games. So today I thought we would try again. As I was making the box into a car, he showed very little interest in participating. He did about 2 or 3 scribbles with a crayon and then declared that he was done. (Typical. The nursery workers at church says he rarely shows interest in coloring...I'm thinking that he is going to be more of a mechanically minded person rather than creative. Just a thought.)

After I finished making the box look like a car, he was so excited to use it. He ran around the house wearing his box car, fell down the stairs wearing the box car, played in the backyard with it, and even wanted to take it when we went out to dinner tonight. We said no. As soon as we got home, he resumed playing with his box until bedtime. Amazing. I feel successful - finding a project that he is interested in for an extended amount of time is quite the accomplishment. Sometimes I am amused by the fact that the simple things bring so much entertainment to a child rather than the extravagant things. :)

Notice the finger in the nose. After this shot he put that finger in his mouth. I know you wanted to know that. You're welcome.

By the way - I don't know if you can tell by the pictures, but I punched holes in the front and back of the car and attached yarn from end to end so he could "wear" the car around his shoulders...kind of like suspenders.

Have fun with this project.