Riding the wave of a Pinterest high

It is summer in Phoenix....it is hot. Way too hot to do much outside between the hours of 9am and 6pm....unless of course, it involves copious amounts of water. Coincidentally, summer in Phoenix also means that it is a full house here during the day. Preschool is out for the break which means I have an over-eager four year old nipping at my heels all day just waiting for the next scheduled "activity time." Indoors of course....

Enter this mamas current BFF....."Pinterest." I know most of you are probably already on it, but if not, seriously?!!? Jump on that wagon today...like now....go.....now....

I will admit openly, that I am a bit overambitious in my Pinterest life. I have multiple-thousands of "pins" ready and waiting for me to tackle them. And I am willing to make a pretty steep wager that I will complete approximately 0.0047% of them by the time Pinterest is a thing of the past. But, on days like today, I am feeling quite accomplished in my pretend Martha Stewart/Bobby Flay/Mary Poppins inspire life.

Behold.....the melted bead sun catcher.

Take some dollar store plastic beads, pop em in some muffin tins (or any size non-stick pan really) in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes and let them cool. Turn said pan over and Wha La.....a melted bead sun catcher! Obviously I used some fishing wire and an old dowel to turn mine into a little mobile, but you could do whatever. Sweet R insisted that if we hung hers in her room, it would help her "dream better" at nap time (hence the weird, kid-in-a-bed photo above). I claim no credibility on that part....by the sounds of the tiny feet running in circles above me, I think it is pretty safe to say, there is no magical dreaming power to be had here. Maybe if I had sprung for the beads at the craft store instead, it would be a different story eh?

Anywho, a Pinterest success is a major achievement and sadly, these days, that equals a little, mini, mama-high for me. I will ride it out all day long....or at lease the rest of nap time.

Thank you all for indulging me! :)

Recipe: Yogurt and Kale Popsicles

Yes, you read that correctly....yogurt and KALE Popsicles. Gone are the days when a green Popsicle automatically meant artificial lime flavor (which by the way, was pretty much always my favorite...). These days, the green can be brought to you by one of the current "cool kids" at the produce stand...KALE!!!

Stick with me on this one and then let your kiddos be the deciding vote. After all, it is HOT outside, so anything that is cold and creamy, is sure to please most of the crowd!

Yogurt and Kale Popsicles

Mama Chef Extraordinaire: Kristen Howerton (www.rageagainsttheminivan.com)

 

When to Introduce: Besides the fact that these would be INCREDIBLY messy if given to a little one under one (or two...or three...), they do contain strawberries and pineapple. Both tend to be a little bit on the allergenic side, so my recommendation would be to serve once they are over 12 months of age. Always consult your pediatrician with any concerns.

 

Why we Love It:  Ummm....they are cold and yummy deliciousness. And if that isn't convincing enough for you, they are packed with uber healthy probiotics, greens and fruit...all good things for tiny (and not so tiny) tummies!

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup fresh kale
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
2 tbsp stevia (to sweeten)

 

Directions: 

 Add all ingredients to blender.

Pour into Popsicle molds and freeze until solid...usually at least 3 hours.

Servings: This will make about 2 cups - so it depends on the size of the molds you are using, but will usually make 4-6 treats!

Still not a match my dear....

If there are any of you out there that can look me in the eye and honestly tell me that you LOVE playing Memory with your pre-schooler, I will award you free baby food for life (well...maybe not really...we gotta eat too you know).

But seriously...the game is borderline torture amongst adults (because parties in our house ALWAYS include a little Memory tourney....you know you wish you could hang with us on a wild Saturday night) but factor in an indecisive pre-schooler to the mix and it kinda drives one to want to drink. For each flip of the cards my daughter makes, I could easily make a dozen. My patience starts to wear thin somewhere around the time she turns the umbrella and the birthday cake over together for the 8th time in a row....still an umbrella and a birthday cake Sweet-Pea. Still not a match....

I will say, she is supremely honest when she plays the game. No lifting the corner and peeking underneath for her...although sometimes I wish she did. And the victory dance that she does (literally) when she does finally find the mate for the umbrella card (on the 11th try....), is absolutely priceless! So priceless in fact, that I often break my "kids have to learn to lose" mentality when we play this one just so I can see her raise-the-roof while  doing some form of river dancing once again. Totally worth it.

Don't get me wrong, I know these days will pass by far too quickly and I will yearn for the days when Sweet R actually wanted to sit down and spend some quality time with me, so I try to appreciate them for all they are worth. But for the love of all that is sweet my dear, can you try to be a bit more decisive with your card flipping? Your beloved short-attention span mama would sincerely appreciate it.

Happy Weekend All!

A Side of History with Those Eggs?

It is days like today that I am reminded of how important it is to be your child's first teacher...

Not only was today a day on which we celebrate the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr, a day worthy of tremendous celebration and teachable lessons in and of itself. But is was also historically significant in that it was the day that we saw the swearing in of this nation's first African American President for his second term in office. As millions converged upon this nation's capitol to celebrate this momentous event, my family and I were going about our morning, happy to have T (aka Daddy) home for the holiday.

As we were munching our turkey bacon and scrambled eggs, I turned on the TV to try and catch a few moments of the ceremonies. With a 3 year old and an 18 month old, I fully expected that I would be able to catch a word here and there and maybe, just maybe, capture their attention long enough to hear a "...So help me God." I was wrong.

While baby B was pretty much enthralled with his eggs, my daughter was glued to the TV. Maybe it has a little something to do with the fact that we usually have a strict no-TV during mealtime policy in our house, maybe it had something to do with the thousands upon thousands of people that were crowding that mall in DC. Whatever it was, my 3 year old was interested....and this was a lesson that I didn't want her to miss out on. This was indeed, a very teachable moment.

So we grabbed our turkey bacon and juice and moved into the living room to watch the proceedings.

I am quite proud of the fact that she knows the president by face...."Mama, its The Obama!" is what she says whenever she sees our Commander in Chief on TV. And she knows that his wife's name is Michelle. But I do think this was the first time that she has seen the First Daughters and she was obsessed. From their colorful coats to the dance they both shared with Michelle when she came out to greet the crowds.....she was all over it! She wanted to know where they lived, where they went to school, whether or not they played soccer or did ballet. I answered what I could and maybe made up a little of what I didn't know....no harm in that right?

My point is, while she may not be concerned with the attack on Benghazi or what the latest gun control legislation will be (nor should these be things her innocent little mind should be consumed with), she was taking an active interest in the American political process. She was witnessing history through the eyes of a 3 year old and she was fascinated. Maybe, just maybe, when she cracks a history book sometime down the road in her education, she will remember sitting in my lap and watching history be made.

Days like today, restore a small sliver of faith in our American political process, and give me hope for the future that we will be handing to our children and grandchildren. For although the days are many that the system seems quite broken, today, the world looked in on us and saw a peaceful celebration of the democratic process. A day fitting of celebration indeed. Just ask my sweet R....

Eureka! We have found it...

Toddler Nirvana that is.....

Is it Lego Land? Is is Sesame Place? Is it that giant toy store with the super cool dancing piano in the movie "Big"? No, nope, no way Jose.....

It's the cabinet design store. Yep, that's right my friends....never saw a Groupon for that little adventure did ya? Well, let's keep it that way so that we don't get everyone all excited and find the place super crowded (not that that EVER happens when I buy my various Yoga/Mani-Pedi deals on said website...). But seriously friends, this place is the bees knees.

I had been dreading the appointment all week knowing that I would be having to tend to my newly-walking and overly excited about pretty much everything little dude, while trying to carry on an adult conversation about cherry versus oak, self closing versus probably-gonna-pinch-your-kiddos'-fingers-at-some-point drawers. You know, first world problems right?!?!

Well, let me tell you, one step inside that door and little B's eyes lit up like he had just come face to face with the biggest, most delicious Oreo cookie ever (he loves Oreo cookies....at least the one he got from the nice sample lady at Costco...perhaps the 2nd best place ever with a toddler ). I set him down and he was off the wall-o-cabinet-doors. The possibilities were endless. For the next 20 minutes, he walked door to door like a little magazine salesman and opened each and every one, looked back at me, babbled some commentary on the design elements and craftsmanship and flashed those killer dimples. All the glory of the cabinet game at home with none of the unpleasant crankiness from mom when she has to clean up all the Tupperware for the 18th time that week. And, none of those pesky baby locks! He could throw all caution to the wind and open and close to his little heart's content.

Ten times the fun of a giant Oreo cookie without all the uncontrollable chocolate baby drool that comes with it - seriously, that drool is embarrassing. And gross.

When his interest in the wall-o-doors started to wane, my anxiety rose as I feared the toddler melt-down was impending. One glance across the showroom to the wall-o-self-closing-drawers and he was in love once again! He toddled right over and I didn't see his face for the next 25+ minutes....just the back of his adorable little mussed up hair (does anyone else out there have a kid with hair like a troll doll in the back? It's cute...but I kinda want to dye it bright blue or something...)

In review... Looking for some cheap (OK FREE) entertainment for your little one? Don't want to deal with the crowds at the play place? The cabinet design place just may be place for your next baby date! Bring a cup o Joe and settle in at one of the sparkly, new couter tops....don't worry, if it gets crowded, there are MANY counters to sit at. Just make sure you don't actually buy any cabinets....no longer a cheap play date.

Tips for toddler survival! Brought to you by this mom o two!