First Family Portrait!

Dexter stayed home Monday since he didn't seem to be feeling great. He wasn't running everywhere he went because he said his tummy hurt. When Dexter stops running, something must be off!

We sat down and colored with markers and Dexter drew a family portrait!  I helped a little by saying, "let's draw a zero for the head" and "let's draw a 1 for the body".  He threw in the scribbles at the neck or the side of the head for hands all on his own, and same with the feet and hair. 

When it was all done he said, "we're going on a trip!"

Proud artist!

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Sensory Play...the Disaster

My mom sent me this link to a blog about playing with beans and rice with toddler.   Sensory play is supposed to be very beneficial for toddlers and playing with dry beans and rice is supposed to be a great indoor activity.  Well, I am all about indoor activities as week 36 of this pregnancy is almost here, and the woman on the blog said her toddler played for 3 hours with what she set up.  I didn't expect 3 hours, but maybe 10-30min?

It started off so well...

tongue out in concentration

Here he is just starting.  I had a hunch he would want to spill this everywhere, but didn't want my assumptions to keep us from a really great activity.  Maybe he would be different?  Maybe the mess wouldn't be that bad?  Oh...don't let these cute pictures fool you...

 

I take the time to sit with him and show him where the rice goes and what all he can do with it and snap a few pictures while he explores.  Then the mess starts and the camera gets thrown aside for safety!

He decided to just dump a huge amount on the floor.  I calmly say, "no, the rice stays in the container, you need to help me clean this up."  He starts to help, then, when we are almost done, he dumps the entire contents of one of the containers on the floor gleefully and starts to kick his legs in the rice sending it all over the kitchen and under the fridge.  This time I put him in time-out, reminding him that rice stays in the container.  When he comes out, he walks right over to the other container, the one I have been cleaning all the rice up into, looks straight at me, and dumps THAT one over.

Needless to say, rice/sensory/whatever time was over.  So much for 3 hours...I think we got 3 min.  And then I had a huge mess to clean up and a defiant toddler to deal with.

Maybe putting on Mater's Tall Tales over and over isn't such a bad thing...Just kidding.  Maybe.

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Fabric Feeling: Is it a Girl?

IF this little baby is a girl, here is the fabric I am thinking about for her nursery.  Of course I will pull in pinks and greens, but I can't decide if this is the one to invest in.  Even with making it myself, it won't be cheap.

I like the name though: Later Alligator.

We find out NEXT Wednesday if this little one is a boy or a girl.  I'll keep you updated for sure!

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Fun for 5 and Under

My friend (and old roommate from college) has just started an awesome blog called Fun for 5 and Under.  She works with toddlers and their parents for her job and has some great ideas to keep toddlers interested and learning.  I am so excited to have some new activities to do with Dexter as all he says these days is: "play! play!".  He always wants something new to do.

I think I'll start by making him a name banner for his new room:

Name Recognition:

Helping children to recognize and learn their name can be part of everyday tasks. You can start pretty early with talking to them about their name around 12 months. Having the letters of their name on the wall above the changing table has really helped me. Every time I changed Noah's diaper we would look at his name and talk about it. Pretty soon he had the letters memorized(only 4 letters) and now he recognizes his name on paper and we will be work on writing it next. You can make up fun chants to help them remember and let them decorate their name. You can use cheerios, marshmallows, buttons, candy,etc for a fun way to learn their name.

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Cupcake Jars

Thanks to my friend Tonya's blog, I now have the cutest idea for Christmas gifts! I love making things at Christmas time as everyone can appreciate an edible gift. You know it won't go to waste or lurk in a closet as a potential re-gift (my secret fear for every gift I give!)

So here is a delicious and oh-so-cute idea for those of you looking for a last minute gift option:

Recipe and directions here.  You can purchase the jars on amazon (if you are Prime they are eligible for free shipping...YES!).

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