Kid-isms of the Week

Grace:(2 years old and getting in trouble for not listening) You can't spank me. I'm just a baby.

Conversation with Isabelle in the bathtub about friendship. After Isabelle told me how all of her friends are mean to her and don't play with her. A conversation we have had several times before.

Mommy: Isabelle, if you are having the same problems with your friends over and over again, I think the problem may be with you and not with your friends.
Isabelle: (Pause) I think that's the meanest thing anyone has ever said to me.

They crack. me. up...most of the time. Sometimes they just exhaust me.

Tea Party

We broke out the breakable real tea set the other day for an honest to goodness tea party. I brewed some hot cocoa and we even got out the marshmellows. It was actually the first time I ever got them to drink cocoa, and it was actually more like luke warmish cocoa, but they enjoyed the “tea” party any how!

Handmade Christmas: Wrapping Gifts

To "wrap up" my Christmas Series I thought I'd share with you some hand made Christmas wrapping ideas. This year I wanted to use some of the great ideas I've found on line and save some money wrap some beautiful gifts for our loved ones. Of course, beautiful wrapping was not included in my kids gifts, they just have no appreciating, but I thought I'd share some ideas with you anyway.

As you can see I love me some jute. AND I love plain papper that I can double up. I also have a TON of red tissue paper, so I made little rosettes out of strips of tissue paper and used them to decorate gifts...cheap and cute!

Hand Made Christmas: Sugar Scrub

I wanted the girls to have a hand in making Christmas presents this year. I found a great idea for a Brown Sugar Scrub and a Lemon Sugar Scrub. I got the organic ingrediants that were so simple and so easy to make. I let the girls pour the measured ingrediants in and help me mix them up by hand. I then poured them into nice mason jars and created lables for them. We tied little scoops I found at Wal Mart in three packs to the jars with jute. We gave them to aunts and the girls teachers (along with a small gift card...hey, teachers just aren't paid what they are worth, am I right?) They turned out great and the scrubs work surprisingly well!

Christmas 2010 Review

Grace would open a gift and say, "oohhh look Mom...a box!


Oma's front door makeover


Grace's new Lady Bug Rain Boots or "Yady Bug" as she says...


Yes, most all of those gifts were for three little girls: my two and thier cousin Abby. Lucky girls!


My beautiful Grandmother opening her gift from us.


Matching PJ's from Oma


Terrible picture with Oma and Opa...it's nearly impossible to get three preschoolers to look in the same direction at the same time!


"Christmas Morning" at home (actually happened on the 23rd) and yes, Mama is all about homeade. I made them a puppet stage out of an old vaccum cleaner box. It's pretty cool if I do say so myself!


Yes indeed, count them, we had FOUR seperate gift opening occasions. WOW!

We had a wonderful Christmas and my children were inundated with thoughtful gifts from family members. They loved all of the toys and surprises they got. I LOVED all of the new clothes they got! I appreciated that Grace isn’t so shabbily dressed in Isabelle’s hand me downs now. We are reaching the point where the sizes are in year increments and definitely more worn than the 3 or 6 month size increments. Isabelle always has new spiffy clothes, but poor Grace was always dressed in things just a little bit worn out or not quite as white as Isabelle’s. And they got some GREAT new books…among their favorites were two new Angelina Ballerina books (Grace calls her Anga Bina Rina), this Amazing Christmas Pop Up Book from Francesca Crespi, the Tale of Three Trees, and Legend of the Candy Cane. I love books and the kids do too!!

A highlight for Conrad and I was an electric blanket (it’s the little things, really), a carpet cleaner, and a family membership to COSI, which we took our first trip already!

We had so much good stuff we actually had to put he seat down in the back of the van to fit it all in!

Bento Thursday

I have been rolling on the bento-ing lately! I'm not sure what's up with me, but I have been inspired by Christmas to create...


In the top box you have star pizza's. I cut out flat bread with a cookie cutter, slathered on a spoonful of marinara, a pepperoni, and a small sprinkle of cheese, broiled it for a minute or two and tucked it in the box. In the bottom box you have cucumber hearts and flowers, berry skewers, and a christmas cookie.


This picture is terrible, BUT, we had homeade sweet and sour chicken the night before for dinner, so the girls got sweet and sour chicken topped with star and heart rice balls for lunch. The bottom box has pomegranat seeds, half of a cheese stick, some greapes, and a small container of marshmellows for a treat.


And I know it's no bento, but as a bonus I thought I'd add this Chocolate Raspberry Cake my Grandma baked and I assembled. Doesn't it look yummy?? Oh it was!

Rudolph Ranch

I read on Facebook that there was a reindeer farm near where my parents live. I think their actual livelihood was a Christmas Tree farm, but they also had a gift shop, story telling, and a small herd of reindeer you could go see while you pick out your tree.


I called to see if they were going to be open Christmas Eve for a visit since my sister and her family, along with us would be at my parent’s for Christmas that day. They said they weren’t open, but would open up for us for a small fee. We decided to go and the trip did not disappoint.



When we got there, the owner drove us out to the “reindeer house” and sliced up a few apples. He actually let us get inside the pen with the reindeer and pet them and feed them! The kids had a blast and the owner was a wealth of information about the animals.


Did you know that reindeer are native only to Northern Europe, and they have no front teeth (so they couldn’t bite the kids when they fed them), they eat a diet so high in copper that it would kill most other animals (Purina makes special “Reindeer Chow” for reindeer herds, and there are no “wild” reindeer anywhere left in the world, all reindeer are owned by someone. Also reindeer grow a new rack of antlers every year and loose them every year. They are the fasted growing antlers in the world. The owner said for a season every day he comes out they look different because the antlers grow so fast. So there are your reindeer facts for the day 

So, if you get a chance, make sure you take time to visit the reindeer farm in Northern Ohio. We had a blast!

Hand Made Christmas: Wreath Tutorial

For Christmas, one of the gifts we made my mom was a “Front Door Make Over.” She had been mulling over painting her front door and had mentioned wanting a vinyl like this for her front door. So for Christmas, I wrapped up an old half used repurposed can of red outdoor paint, I also got her the vinyl that said, “Bless this House and All Who Enter.” I then bought an inexpensive outdoor rug at Wal-mart and monogrammed it with a big “P” by using a plate to make the circle, then widening the line with black fabric paint. I then free handed the big P. It turned out rather good, I think.


Lastly I made a wreath that rocks! I loved it and thought I’d share it with you. I bought five or six different kinds of material in small squares...I actually bought quilting squares. I bought the colors in red, green, and brown for Christmas.


I also bought little brads to go in the center and a large grape vine wreath. I then took three different size measuring cups and begin tracing circles and cutting them out. I then layered them up and put the brad through the middle.



I finished it off by simply hot gluing them to the wreath. Simple and fun to do! It actually only took me a couple of hours while I was watching Television one night! I think she liked it…


P.S. I need to give credit where credit is due. Like most of my "crafts" I'm stealing my ideas from others...this is where I got the idea for this awesome wreath!

A Little Potty Dance

I am super impressed (and super excited!) with our little one’s potty skills, at this point. She has pretty much been sitting on the potty (or around the general potty area) almost every day. She has even been peeing in it at least once a day! Isabelle always responded to treats and rewards for pottying. Grace, on the other hand, is pretty excited with the verbal affirmation. Clapping, cheering, and dancing with her goes a long way for Grace! I’m already starting to see those love languages emerge!

Cookie Factory

We have made cookies and make cookies, had friends over and made cookies some more! My kids love to decorate them and I have discovered that it’s far better if I make the actual cookies before hand and just let them decorate as I frost. By the way, if you eat our cookies: Beware! About 20% were coughed on by Grace! Poor thing just couldn’t stop coughing (or turn her head!!)



We even spent a Saturday at the cooking school at the North Market decorating cookies made by Mozart Bakery…yum!





Even our friends Andrew and Aaron came to spend the evening. We had pizza, watched Polar Express, and decorated and ate cookies. There may or may not have been some kissing involved, but I can’t confirm that. Aaron and Grace are one day apart in age and they were all in daycare together for quite a while. Grace calls Aaron “My Aaron” and they cuddled up on the floor together to watch movies.

Bento Thursday

As I’ve mentioned before, my kids eat the same things over and over again. I’ve tried to vary their diets, but it just doesn’t work. At this stage in the game, they just aren’t going with it. I was always down on parents who I saw do this in the past. (Consider this an official apology, if I was down on YOU!) Because now I get it. You really do have to pick your battles as a parent and eventually something’s gotta give, and this is one we have chosen to let go. So what if carrots, corn, and occasionally celery and cucumbers are the sole vegetables my kids will eat! I’m hoping they will survive!

BUT, I digress. I’ve discovered that I can present the SAME turkey sandwich in many different ways! AND, I’ve also discovered that Isabelle (who is four years old) will eat a lot more if she helps me bento her lunch. What do you think?

In the top bento are blackberries and carrots. In the small container is some veggie dip. In the bottom you have a turkey sandwich, with cheese beard,fruit lether hat, and chocolate chip eyes. The scraps from the sandwich and fruit roll up are also in there.
Ya..you win some you lose some. This was supposed to be rudolph, but it looks more like a skull and cross bones. Oh well, the kids helped me make this one and LOVED it. Apples and a cookie are in the bottom box.
Also, my kids will eat more of the food at home if I make it fun…so occasionally I’ve started “bento-ing” their dinners or breakfasts.
Blueberry heart Pancake Blueberry Gingerbread man Pancake
Sloppy Joe Snowman with cucumber "snowflakes", chocolate chip eyes, carrot nose and arms, and craisin buttons