Following in her mama and dada's footsteps….

 I have yet to post much about myself….and this one will only be partly about myself ;)  After nearly ten years of running at the same pace and mostly the same distance, I decided to actually train for a half-marathon last year and increase my speed.  Last year’s training was dream-like: I had a friend to run and chat with, I didn’t get injured, every new milestone fueled me to go faster and further (there was only one super hot and humid long run that my watch wasn’t working properly so we couldn’t even see how many miles we had been that didn’t go so smoothly)!! This year I decided to tackle the marathon….I am six weeks into the training plan and have gotten shin splints for the first time and feel like I am on the verge of getting blisters, and the runs aren’t quite as dreamy!  With that being said, I have also PR’d for 5Ks and 5-milers this year, which feels great. 

Most of the time I run in the morning before Little Roo wakes up, but on occasion I take her and the BOB stroller for a spin (a worthy investment for anyone who wants to run with baby in tow).  Yesterday I decided to run to the local high school track to do some speed work.  She enjoys riding in the stroller while I am running, even asks for more “running” when we slow down or stop.  The plan was to run there, then have her play, look at books, and have a little snack in the field while I ran around the track.  We had done this once before, when my husband was able to come along.  At first, she was content eating her snack.

Once her snack was gone, she was more interested in clapping for me and bringing me my water bottle. I think her "coaching" is one of the sweetest acts…when her dad was there, he was doing that and it amazes me that after seeing him do it once, she followed suit!  What a testament to modeling the behavior we want to see.  While I also realize I am modeling healthy habits, I would rather her see kindness in action and apply it than have her be a runner!

Eventually, she wanted to run, too!! Training for the next Kid's Fun Run?!

Firework-inspired art for toddlers

Inspired by the shape and color of fireworks, we created some patriotic art work!  We used the “doodle paint” recipe (flour, salt, water, paint) in squeeze bottles--- the girls (Little Roo and a friend) were able to squeeze and drip paint onto coffee filters.  We talked about how to turn the bottle and wait for it to drip or squeeze it, as well as the colors and the shape of the coffee filter.  I mentioned the colors of the American flag and we can see one out the window.   They don’t know what fireworks are yet, and probably won’t be up late enough to see them this year.  For them it was about exploring paint in a new way, on a new paper. The texture of the paint is also different because of the salt, when it did get on their hands we talked about how it felt rough, not smooth like finger-paint.  I like to keep projects open-ended, but get inspiration from holidays, seasons, interests, etc. When this paint dries, there is a bit of a sparkle to it from the salt!

w

two hands!

waiting for the blue to drip!

To Gift Or Not To Gift??

Why is it so hard to respect a “no-gift” request for a child’s birthday party?  I am serious….I will be making a similar request when Little Roo turns two in a couple months, so why when I am asked to just come to celebrate a little boy turning one do I immediately think “I should at least get him something little?!”  I think there are many reasons to make the request of friends to skip gift giving.  Financial burden, child already has plenty of toys, parent wanting to ensure toys fit with their philosophy, burden of time and effort-- to name a few.  That being said, traditions become hard-wired in us and we can’t imagine a birthday without presents or cake.  We know that this child is going to get presents, even if it is not from us. Yet, we still have trouble respecting the parents’ wishes, which would actually make our lives just a little easier. The first party Little Roo was ever invited to had a “no gift” request, which I promptly I ignored.  Some of the other party-goers listened and I, in turn, unintentionally made them feel bad for not bringing a gift.  I was excited for the party and thought that I would never be able to show up without a gift.  Nearly a year later, Little Roo has a lot of friends that will all be celebrating birthdays every year.  From my perspective, I have started to realize that can really add up!   This time around, I decided to make a little something for the birthday boy instead….I guess I would still feel bad showing up “empty-handed.”  I made a small batch of play dough, stuck it in a cupcake liner and added a candle.  This would also make a cute party favor!  What are your thoughts on birthday parties with "no gifts??"

Sidewalk Painting!

All you need is a paintbrush, water, a sunny day and a sidewalk!!   Sometimes the hardest thing to come by in New England is the sunshine!! This fun activity is a no-mess (although depending on how much your child likes getting wet, may require a change of clothes) way to paint.  When the picture dries up, paint another, and another, and another. Older kids can time how long it takes to dry and then compare to other days findings.

When I taught preschool, the children also enjoyed “painting” the climbing structure, picnic table, fence, etc.  It can be fun to mix water painting with chalk for a different spin on the creativity!  

Simple Sorting for Young Toddlers

Toddlers learn so much from just living and playing!  If your toddler is anything like mine, they also like simple tasks and activities that they can feel successful at accomplishing. Aside from puzzles, shape sorters, and stacking rings, here are some of our favorites!  When we have had a stretch of time at home, I often quickly pull together an activity to engage Little Roo that happens to introduce her to a learning concept or skill.  Most of these activities were thrown together from items around the house (even better, in my opinion!).

Basic Color Sorting  Our first color sorting activity, I took shapes from a shape sorter and corresponding colors of cardstock and showed Roo how to make matches.  We use stacking cups and pom-poms for a similar activity.

she often puts it in the incorrect spot first and says, "no!"

"yes!"

so proud!

Freight Train Cut and Match  I had made felt train cars inspired by Donald Crew’s book Freight Train.  There was a stack of magazines about to go in the recycling bin.  I decided to cut out vibrant colored objects from the magazines and have Roo place them in the train car of the same color.  Older children, who have experience with scissors, can help find and cut the pictures themselves. 

Buttons or Pom-Poms and an Egg Carton  Roo opened a drawer of scrapbooking supplies and pulled out a small container of buttons.  I rummaged around to find an empty egg carton.  I let her explore on her own, and wouldn’t you know? She placed one button in each opening! How’s that for one-to-one correspondence?!  You can also put colors or numbers at the bottom of each egg holder and have your child sort colored buttons or pom-poms or when they are older count and place the corresponding amount in each spot. (Make sure your child is no longer placing items in their mouth if you are going to use buttons or pom-poms or just watch them very closely!)

Animal and Book Matching  I noticed that the set of little plastic animals we own coordinates with some of Little Roo’s chunky animal books.  We match them, placing the animal on top of the book.  This is a perfect activity to throw in the diaper bag, we pull it out while waiting at a restaurant or doctor’s office (5 small books and 5 plastic animals have a lot of playing potential and since the books are small they aren’t too cumbersome!).  We also find other animals in books to match with animal toys.  If you don’t happen to have books that match, you can print photos to match with any of your animal toys.

Roo (now 20 months) loves to complete these tasks. What toddler doesn’t like to clap for themselves??  She learns so quickly and amazes me everyday by how much she has learned and changed in her short 20 months of living!  I look forward to spending more time with her and finding teachable moments in her every day play! 

Family Meal Monday---Sweet Potato Soup and Kale Chips

There is nothing like a rainy day to make a batch of soup!  We have come to realize how much extra sodium is in packaged soups.  Last fall/winter I began broadening my soup making repertoire.  One of our favorites is Sweet Potato Soup.  I portion some out for Little Roo (allowing time to cool) and then add in chipotle peppers (I am kind of obsessed with them!) 

 I put some dried fruit and nuts in the bowl before serving the soup.  A little sweetness and crunch in the soup is delicious! 

 As you can see, I had a willing helper in the kitchen, mashing and sampling the sweet potatoes.  Luckily, the girl loves to wash her hands so we alternated smashing and washing.

The only other adaptation from the recipe we make it that my husband prefers a thicker, chunkier soup so rather than blending the soup, I just bake the sweet potatoes until they are really soft and mashable and don’t blend it at all.

We recently came across a huge bag of kale at BJ’s for a very small price.  I knew that it was a super food, but I hadn’t ever used it in my cooking.  I banked on Pinterest providing me with some great ideas!  I found making Kale Chips so easy, and they turn out crunchy, and yummy!! I don’t like the smell in the house as they bake, but it is a small price to pay for nutritious food.  Other seasonings can be used; I like them with chili powder!

Refrigerator Re-Do

I was tired of the outside of my refrigerator looking like this:

So, I used a little scrapbook paper to create some visually appealing places for a grocery list, artwork and a weekly menu.  I had them laminated at Staples, added some clothespins and viola! I use dry erase markers for the menu.  I am still undecided about the photos (love the actual pictures, but I am not sure if it makes it too busy?)…maybe some color ones instead of the black and whites?