Thursday, June 30, 2011

Creative Genius

Lucca Elizabeth: Age 2
Counting the bricks on our steps.
May I remember days like these forever.
And that voice!

Monday, June 27, 2011

100 Things To Do

Came across this list recently, and although some of the things are a part of our daily routine, some sparked new ideas. Maybe it will be helpful to you too? Toddler days can be long.

  1. Color
  2. Blow Bubbles
  3. Play Hide-and-Seek
  4. Peek-a-Boo
  5. Play Chase
  6. Do Finger-plays
  7. Sing a song
  8. Collect rocks in a basket
  9. Make an obstacle course out of cushions and/or furniture
  10. Make a fort out of cushions and sheets
  11. Go for a Walk
  12. Make a Car out of a Box
  13. Read a book
  14. Go to the park
  15. Finger-paint
  16. Play with Play-Dough
  17. Toss Bean bags into a Bucket
  18. Play the shell and pea game
  19. Dance to music
  20. Download games for toddlers from the Internet
  21. Practice putting things in and taking things out of boxes and bags
  22. Make a temporary slide out of a table leaf and your couch
  23. Roll a ball back and forth on the floor
  24. Scoop dirt or sand into a child's bucket (or use a serving spoon and bowl)
  25. Practice climbing by stacking boxes on top of each other (only with adult supervision)
  26. Put on a puppet show
  27. Go fishing with a yard stick and yarn
  28. Make a Horseshoe game
  29. Make a Shape Puzzle
  30. Play paper basketball
  31. Run through a Sprinkler
  32. Play with a bucket of water and a sponge (PLEASE WATCH CHILD AT ALL TIMES!)
  33. Make a Drum out of an oatmeal box
  34. Play with a kazoo
  35. Wash windows together
  36. Bang on Pots and Pans with a spoon
  37. Brush each other's teeth
  38. Play dress-up with stuffed animals and your child's clothes
  39. Stack canned or boxed food on top of each other
  40. Let child stack mixing bowls inside each other
  41. Make a playhouse out of a large box
  42. Let child play with a sticker sheet (make sure your child doesn't eat them!)
  43. Put stickers on fingers for finger puppets
  44. Play a musical instrument together- i.e.recorder, piano, etc.
  45. Go on a Smelling Hunt
  46. Frost Cookies
  47. Plant a flower or vegetable plant together
  48. Roll a tennis ball into an empty trash can or bucket
  49. Draw on a mirror with dry-erase markers
  50. Play hide and seek together- trying to find a stuffed animal or other object
  51. Have a splash party together in the bathtub
  52. Put a leash on a stuffed animal and walk around the house
  53. Record each other on a tape recorder (great for scrapbooks or journals!)
  54. Make and try on paper hats
  55. Give a piggy-back ride
  56. Play "Horsey"
  57. Talk into an electric fan (it distorts your voice)
  58. Play tug-of-war with a blanket
  59. Collect flowers (felt, artificial, real...)
  60. Make a camera and go on a Safari
  61. Play games with frozen juice lids
  62. Disconnect your phone and pretend to make phone calls to relatives
  63. Leave your phone connected and really make phone calls to relatives- let your child talk too
  64. String large beads onto or along a shoelace
  65. Squirt each other with squirt bottles
  66. Glue shapes onto paper
  67. Make sock puppets
  68. Make paper puppets
  69. Fill an old purse with toys
  70. Use a paper towel tube as a megaphone
  71. Make binoculars and go "Bird Watching" or "Stuffed Animal Watching"
  72. Put snacks in different fun containers (paper sacks, empty canisters, etc.)
  73. Act out a story from a book
  74. Walk on a balance beam- use a 2x4 placed on the ground
  75. Draw with chalk on the sidewalk
  76. Sketch an outline of your child on the sidewalk or paper with chalk
  77. Paint child's palms with tempura paint and blot on paper. Makes a great card for loved ones!
  78. Put lipstick on child and kiss a mirror
  79. Make a puddle on cement and splash barefoot in it
  80. Let child decorate and eat an open peanut butter sandwich
  81. Make a toilet paper barricade for child to go under, over, or through
  82. Do the Hokey Pokey
  83. Make a super-hero costume out of household items
  84. Do Knee-Bouncing Rhymes
  85. Play "Red Light, Green Light" saying "Go" and "Stop"
  86. Make a shoe-box train for stuffed animals
  87. Make a pillow pile to jump on (keep it clear from any hard surfaces, including walls!)
  88. Make an easy puzzle with felt and Velcro
  89. Make bracelets or collars for stuffed animals out of pipe cleaners and jingle bells
  90. Learn numbers from a deck of cards
  91. Play the matching game with a deck of cards
  92. Make a domino chain
  93. Have a picnic in the park, backyard, or living room!
  94. Play dress up in Mommy or Daddy's clothes
  95. Make a tin cup telephone and talk to each other in it
  96. Make a nature collage
  97. Mirror each other
  98. Make a "Mummy Mommy" with toilet paper
  99. Make a tape recording of short music selections and instructions to move in different ways
  100. Make and walk along a toilet paper trail

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Ladies who Lunch

2 going on 20. Can't believe my own eyes sometimes when I stare at this little lady, becoming exactly that -- a little lady! Today she asked to go to the coffee shop, with her sunglasses and purse in tow. Why did she want to go there? To eat a pastry, of course. Such a chick!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

We love Instagram

I love my clunky Canon EOS, but when it comes to snapping quick pics of the kiddos, my iPhone is always within arms reach. Some of my iphone favorites this week..

Painting

Smoochin brother

Being a diva, sunglasses indoors

Helping Mommy pick flowers

Coloring with chalk on our doorstep

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Oh poop

Ahhh, potty training! We finally did it. Lucca was ready at 16 months and here we are, pooping and peeing on the potty at 2 years old. I missed the window at 18 months. We bought a potty and Lucca pooped on it once and wanted nothing to do with it after that, until this past week when we made diapers disappear and Yo Gabba Gabba undies appear. I am still waiting for the "it's so freeing" feeling to hit, because right now we plan our whole day in small increments based on when/where/how often she will have to pee.

After spending 5 pretty solid days at home, boy oh boy were we all ready to get out of the house. So far, we are on Day 8 and haven't had any accidents since Day 2. I'm convinced potty training is more of a mommy accomplishment than a child's. I didn't realize how exhausting it would be -- sitting on the bathroom floor reading stories for hours on end, making up potty songs and word games while sitting on the potty, bribing with treats, asking every 5 seconds if she had to pee, waiting patiently for the glorious poop to come, and doing it all over again and again. Not to mention packing the change of clothes or two every time we go somewhere, just in case.

It all makes sense to me now why so many mom's post facebook status updates about their kid finally pooping on the potty. Because it is a FREAKING BIG DEAL!! Never again will I mock the mama who proclaims victory over potty training on a social network, because it is a victorious feeling indeed.

Mission Accomplished.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Lucca in a Nutshell.

This photo makes me laugh because it pretty much sums up Lucca. A happy girl, always on the GO...laughing, dancing, singing, running, hopping, galloping, jumping, spinning, or just plain moving! Non-stop.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011