oh, the things we can do...

I am a big addict fan of Pinterest. My hard drive and favorites lists used to be cluttered with a collection of links and photos found online.  I would save ideas for our future home, scrapbooking inspiration or helpful links I swore I would get back to and read one day.  But, it all ended up a jumble and taking up precious space or was long-forgotten in the now.  I'm sure you have no idea what I'm talking about, right? 

When I stumbled across Pinterest I was all, "Whoa!  This is brilliant and amazing and USEFUL!"  And (besides the fact that it is a huge internet time suck) it really is all of those wonderful things and more. Every day I come across things that I might not have seen otherwise and now have a place to catalog them in a way that I can reference later on.  Want an example?  Today I saw a pin for something helpful and relevant to my life right now and I'm sharing it with all of you.  I love you that much :)

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 (Child labor, what? Ha!)
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
101. TAKE A NAP!

This list was copied from and pinned by Counting On Me - thank you!
 

you, at 15 months..

My sweet George,

You are officially a toddler and are living up to that title and then some!  So curious about your world, a constant explorer and communicating with us more each day.  It is so much fun watching you play, interact and discover. You are an incredibly happy and sweet boy and we are thankful everyday for you and your easy disposition. At 15 months, you...

• are walking like a champ, starting to run and still climbing everything 
• got you first pair of "real" shoes: New Balance sneakers, size 6 wide
• wear 18 month clothing
• make a "ooo, ooo" sound when you are excited about something or want to get our attention, making an "o" with your mouth, and point to what you want
• are still an excellent eater.  You have at least one apple each day and also love bananas, clementines and blueberries.  Some other favorites now are veal with orzo, lentil soup, turkey chili, shredded taco chicken, pastina with chicken and carrots, blueberry waffles and egg and cheese omelettes 
• when you want milk or, if we ask you "Thelis gala?" (Do you want milk? in Greek), you run to the refrigerator and try to open the door. Same goes for your milo (apple)
• say Mama, Baba, ba-oo (balloon), ba (ball), go and got it.  You understand much more than you can speak and this is very normal for toddlers in bi-lingual homes.
• are very ticklish under your arms and give us fantastic giggles whenever we play Tickle Monster
• still adore Sesame Street.  Your favorite episode of late is one where Elmo gets ahold of Abby's wand and makes everyone sing. Baby Bear and Mr. Hooper sing about porridge and you smile and laugh the whole way through the song, "I'm talking porridge, porridge, porridge, yummy, yummy porridge!" The tune is now stuck on constant loop in Mama and Baba's heads
• know how to kick a ball with your instep.  You dribble your small basketball or soccer ball  through the house daily
• love your books...to their demise! We have had to replace several of your favorites as they were, ahem, over loved and literally fell apart
• have complete crying and yelling meltdowns when we need to change your diaper in public restrooms.  I have no idea why this is happening but hope it is a stage that passes quickly
• give the best hugs and kisses
• weighed in at 25 pounds even at a recent sick visit to the doctor.  I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of your stats at your fifteen month appointment next week
• are still getting used to your feet and wearing shoes on different terrain.  You've taken a few tumbles, resulting in some scrapes and your first boo-boo requiring a band-aid
• love taking walks around town.  You will happily sit in your stroller for long stretches of time around town, people watching and pointing to the trucks as they drive by
• have so much fun at our local parks with lots of structures to climb and room to run.  We were lucky to have some early spring days in the past month for you to explore our parks for the first time since you started walking. 
• can reach doorknobs.  We had to put safety caps on the front and bathroom doors, just in case
• are very interested in figuring out how things work: taking things apart, seeing how pieces fit and pushing buttons
• go nap once a day for 1.5-2 hours, usually about 4 hours after you start the day. Lately, you have started initiating your own naps, going to the refrigerator and signaling that you would like milk.
• bedtime is 7:00 pm.
• when we are home, you cannot stand to have me out of your sight. When out, you will go quite a distance to play, occasionally check to make sure I am still around and, every once in awhile, will came back just to give me a quick hug *melt*
• are a great car traveler. You will either sit quietly in your seat (still rear-facing), playing with a few toys and listening to music or, you will drift off to sleep

Life with you is such an incredible joy.  Every time you meet a new milestone or discover something new, I think, "This is my favorite age/stage." Then, the next one proves to be even more exciting.  We  can't wait to see what's to come...

I love you to the moon and back, and again,
Mama

toys, glorious toys...

Tomorrow, G and I will be taking a short road trip to meet up with my cousin and her girls at the happiest place on Earth.  No, silly, not Disney.  Ikea!

I could spend days hours on end winding and browsing through all of the rooms and aisles.  Sitting on furniture.  Picturing myself and our belongings in simulated living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens.  And, then there is the not so small matter of the Swedish meatballs.

A trip to Ikea with toddler in tow means only going on a weekday to avoid huge crowds, taking plenty of play breaks and, of course, finding something new to bring home from the toy department.  Super inexpensive and super cute goods for the small set.  I can envision a signature bright yellow shopping bag filled with this fabric play food ($4.99-7.99):

 

A few of these puppets ($3.99) - we already have the zebra and he loves it:

And, perhaps, this sand play ice cream cone set ($2.99):

This is going to be a fun trip for Mama George :)

what do you do all day?

It is the question routinely posed to stay-at-home moms.  What could you possibly do to fill your time? How do you stay busy (ha!)? How do you keep a schedule? Why isn't your house immaculate since you have all that free time on your hands (double HA!)?

Although I do work outside of the home, it's a part-time, three day schedule.  Meaning, I'm a SAHM more than not. That Mr. Boom and I are able to swing this schedule is something I'm grateful for every day. 

The days I am home, I am Mama.  My days consist of toddler meals, dishes, playtime, cleaning, singing silly songs, running errands, picking up toys, reading board books, a shower for me during Sesame Street, naps (hopefully!), organic while milk, washing sippies and bottles, dinner preparation and more playtime. Today is no exception.  We are semi-housebound this morning as our plow crew loads up and carts away the massive snow banks from our condo driveway. 

G has had breakfast, a bottle, nap resistance, morning snacktime and just engaged me in a play session with his Mega Bloks which went something like this: Mama builds a structure, G tears it down. And, repeat.

This one captures him so perfectly right now and was an instant favorite.  I've been trying to catch that pursed lip look of determination and finally got it (a bit blurred but, caught). Coming right at me as if to say, "I'm gonna get 'cha!" 

I love my stay at home days with this little man.

P.S. - The pics were all shot in manual.  I'm practicing and making progress a little bit at a time!