Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Wordless Wednesday Pigtails
Every time I see my daughter in curly pigtails, I am overwhelmed from the cuteness.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Mama Loves Foam Stickers
I've used foam stickers in my classroom in the past, but I underestimated their worth for the toddler set until just this last month. I needed a quick and easy way to make a card for Daddy for Valentine's Day (and earlier this week I already mentioned my fear of painting with twin toddlers at the same time), so I broke out the foam heart stickers and let Sam and Anna go to town. It was easy AND quick and turned out cute too. I do have to peel the paper backing off for them, but unlike regular stickers, there was no accidently folding over or creasing with the foam stickers.
Both kids self selected their hearts and placed them where they wanted. At first, Anna's was a AB pattern of same sized hearts, but the she started layering them on top of the others. Sam's was completely random, but I think nicely balanced overall. I love how both of my little ones had completely different styles that reflect their personalities so much.
So a few days later we played around with foam ocean stickers, and it was just as fun for them. Sam and Anna love pointing out their art and discuss the animal names, colors and counting them while they hung on our refrigerator.
I've seen that you can glue smaller foam stickers to milk caps for a really inexpensive instant stamp, but I haven't tried that yet. I'll have to add that to my list of future artsy projects to try!
You can get foam stickers almost anywhere: the Dollar Store, Target, Walmart, craft stores, etc. I got the heart ones from Michaels for a school project, and the ocean foam stickers I've had for a long time so I'm not sure where they came from.
Think of the other possibilities! Stick 'em to Easter eggs for an easy and fast decoration. Stick 'em to craft sticks for instant puppets! Stick 'em to a rolling pin and with paint, make a large scale piece of artwork (or kid-created wrapping paper)! Sorting by color, shape, matching game...
I'm linking up with Julia's Mama Loves today!
Both kids self selected their hearts and placed them where they wanted. At first, Anna's was a AB pattern of same sized hearts, but the she started layering them on top of the others. Sam's was completely random, but I think nicely balanced overall. I love how both of my little ones had completely different styles that reflect their personalities so much.
So a few days later we played around with foam ocean stickers, and it was just as fun for them. Sam and Anna love pointing out their art and discuss the animal names, colors and counting them while they hung on our refrigerator.
I've seen that you can glue smaller foam stickers to milk caps for a really inexpensive instant stamp, but I haven't tried that yet. I'll have to add that to my list of future artsy projects to try!
You can get foam stickers almost anywhere: the Dollar Store, Target, Walmart, craft stores, etc. I got the heart ones from Michaels for a school project, and the ocean foam stickers I've had for a long time so I'm not sure where they came from.
Think of the other possibilities! Stick 'em to Easter eggs for an easy and fast decoration. Stick 'em to craft sticks for instant puppets! Stick 'em to a rolling pin and with paint, make a large scale piece of artwork (or kid-created wrapping paper)! Sorting by color, shape, matching game...
I'm linking up with Julia's Mama Loves today!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
A WAHM with SAHM ideas
I came to the conclusion a few days ago that I'm a working-outside-the-home-full-time mom with stay-at-home mom ideas (or is it goals? or both?). I see and know all those fun interactive learning activities out there and I wanna do 'em with my own children too. Besides waiting and wanting and hoping for children for what seemed like forever, teaching young children has always been my career; my passion. Obviously I'm not just going to do that kind of stuff with the children I teach every day.
So despite an already too full plate with not enough time in the day to get done what needs to be done... sometimes I throw all that other stuff out the window and find joy in creating those hands-on activities and doing them with my littles anyway. After all, there's no dire need to do one more load of laundry today, and the math tests I've toted to and from school in my bag have already waited a week to get graded- what's the problem with waiting another day? The kindergartners in my class won't notice and I'll find more happiness in a fun game/activity created out of love than laundry and math tests any day.
Here's what we've been up to:
Thanks to Julia, I've gotten past my fear of painting more than just Sam and Anna's hands and pressing them to paper in a very controlled format. I finally gave in and let Sam and Anna freely explore with paint. They had a blast and kept requesting paint for hours. It was surprisingly not that messy.
First, Sam and Anna practiced fine motor skills by putting beads in the empty bottles while highly supervised. Then, the caps went on, and Sam and Anna watched the beads move as the shook them like maracas. Temper tantrums ensued when I tried to put them away which shows how much they liked it. (And yeah, a character top... but it was a gift so I didn't pay a cent for it and Sam likes it. He's worn it twice.)
Lots of fun with this too, but we've gotten to the point where it's as fun to them to spread the pom poms around the room instead of put them in the container. Less fun for mama though. I'm thinking this is going to be a good bring-to-church quiet activity.
I made the sticks with Velcro idea that's been floating around pinterest. I think this is something I'm carrying over for my classroom too. We made shapes together and some letters and discussed patterns... but Anna really loved making a necklace out of them the most. (Sam was still napping when I took these pictures) Another good quiet church activity that'll get tossed into the diaper bag next week.
Julia, you inspired me to make this. My meticulous Anna patiently sat for a long time carefully placing the wooden balls atop the matching golf tee and carefully replaced any that fell off. This wasn't Sam's kind of activity though- he wanted to forcefully smoosh the balls on the tees (which then got pushed further in the craft foam) and he didn't quite have the desire to go carefully and slowly to successfully balance the balls this day. Hence, no pictures of him here.
There! Proof that a mama that works outside the home more than 40 hours a week can still do fun and hands-on self-created learning projects with her toddlers, too.
So despite an already too full plate with not enough time in the day to get done what needs to be done... sometimes I throw all that other stuff out the window and find joy in creating those hands-on activities and doing them with my littles anyway. After all, there's no dire need to do one more load of laundry today, and the math tests I've toted to and from school in my bag have already waited a week to get graded- what's the problem with waiting another day? The kindergartners in my class won't notice and I'll find more happiness in a fun game/activity created out of love than laundry and math tests any day.
Here's what we've been up to:
Fingerpainting
Beads-in-Bottles
Pom poms in a container with a hole
Velcro craft sticks
Color Matching Balls and Tees
There! Proof that a mama that works outside the home more than 40 hours a week can still do fun and hands-on self-created learning projects with her toddlers, too.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Do You?
If you have multiple children, or multiples, do you spend purposeful quality one-on-one time with each child, away from the other child? I'm not talking playing one-on-one while the other is in a different room- I'm talking out-of-the-house, activity without the other sibling present. How much time and how often?
To be honest, we're only really done this purposely a handful of times with Sam and Anna. Because we are full time working outside the home parents, our weekends are spent primarily enjoying our time as a family of four with a smattering of one parent taking time sans kids to get done what needs to get done. The few times we've had solo parent/solo child time, it was because both parents had errands to run, and errands with one toddler are a walk in the park compared to errands with two toddlers. When we are doing something fun- like a park, sledding, children's museum, etc.- it's hard to keep one child from that experience and have them do something else instead.
The first time we separated the kids and parents for specific fun time, we did Mommy-Daughter Time and Daddy-Son Time. Since practically birth, Anna's been a huge Daddy's girl and Sam's been a Mama's boy. It's just who they have naturally gravitated to most often. We did the opposite for our single sibling time so that the child that got less attention typically from the other parent had that uninterrupted time to themselves. It went well, although our less easy-going Sam had more issues without his sidekick nearby. He was a little on edge without his sister and constantly asked where she was and said her name over and over.
The second time we separated our twins just for quality one-on-one with a parent time was last weekend. Again, both of us adults had errands we wanted to run that would have taken twice as long if we were toting two toddlers with us. This time, I took Sam while Daddy took Anna along for the ride. Mostly because Anna has been turning a little more into a Mama's girl lately, and Sam- a Daddy's boy. Daddy took Anna for an oil change and a car wash. I took Sam to the craft store and shopping. :) Every time I go out in public with one child, I am struck with how EASY it seems with one child- like less than half as hard as it is with two toddlers. We had so much fun at the craft store, I did a detour next door to the pet store to look at the animals in the animal adoption event. (Looking at the animals there is one of our favorite free fun things to do with Sam and Anna.) Sam loved the cats this time, but was leery about the ferrets. His favorite pet du jour was the swimming turtle, and least fav was the tarantula. He panicked when I moved closer to the glass and I can completely understand his reaction!
There have been plenty of other times where one stays home or at daycare and one child goes to the doctor- but to me that's a little different when one child isn't doing anything out of the ordinary and the other isn't doing anything fun. There has been only one day though that one child was at daycare for the entire day and the other was not; when Anna was sick at about 7 months old we brought Sam to daycare so his naps didn't get messed up and so Anna could get 100% attention from an adult. It was best for the situation then, but I don't think there has been a case since then that one child was sick and the other was completely healthy where it would be a similar benefit.
As they get older and develop their interests more, I am sure that not only will Sam and Anna enjoy time one-on-one with a parent more, but also want the time more and care less when they miss an activity in something they don't really enjoy.
To be honest, we're only really done this purposely a handful of times with Sam and Anna. Because we are full time working outside the home parents, our weekends are spent primarily enjoying our time as a family of four with a smattering of one parent taking time sans kids to get done what needs to get done. The few times we've had solo parent/solo child time, it was because both parents had errands to run, and errands with one toddler are a walk in the park compared to errands with two toddlers. When we are doing something fun- like a park, sledding, children's museum, etc.- it's hard to keep one child from that experience and have them do something else instead.
The first time we separated the kids and parents for specific fun time, we did Mommy-Daughter Time and Daddy-Son Time. Since practically birth, Anna's been a huge Daddy's girl and Sam's been a Mama's boy. It's just who they have naturally gravitated to most often. We did the opposite for our single sibling time so that the child that got less attention typically from the other parent had that uninterrupted time to themselves. It went well, although our less easy-going Sam had more issues without his sidekick nearby. He was a little on edge without his sister and constantly asked where she was and said her name over and over.
The second time we separated our twins just for quality one-on-one with a parent time was last weekend. Again, both of us adults had errands we wanted to run that would have taken twice as long if we were toting two toddlers with us. This time, I took Sam while Daddy took Anna along for the ride. Mostly because Anna has been turning a little more into a Mama's girl lately, and Sam- a Daddy's boy. Daddy took Anna for an oil change and a car wash. I took Sam to the craft store and shopping. :) Every time I go out in public with one child, I am struck with how EASY it seems with one child- like less than half as hard as it is with two toddlers. We had so much fun at the craft store, I did a detour next door to the pet store to look at the animals in the animal adoption event. (Looking at the animals there is one of our favorite free fun things to do with Sam and Anna.) Sam loved the cats this time, but was leery about the ferrets. His favorite pet du jour was the swimming turtle, and least fav was the tarantula. He panicked when I moved closer to the glass and I can completely understand his reaction!
There have been plenty of other times where one stays home or at daycare and one child goes to the doctor- but to me that's a little different when one child isn't doing anything out of the ordinary and the other isn't doing anything fun. There has been only one day though that one child was at daycare for the entire day and the other was not; when Anna was sick at about 7 months old we brought Sam to daycare so his naps didn't get messed up and so Anna could get 100% attention from an adult. It was best for the situation then, but I don't think there has been a case since then that one child was sick and the other was completely healthy where it would be a similar benefit.
As they get older and develop their interests more, I am sure that not only will Sam and Anna enjoy time one-on-one with a parent more, but also want the time more and care less when they miss an activity in something they don't really enjoy.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Wordless Wednesday
My almost 2 year old daughter wearing a 9-12 month onesie; a regular staple in her wardrobe
(Petite but healthy)
"Tell me about what you made, Sam."
" [It's] Daddy."
(That boy spent so much thought and effort to each part he added to his playdoh sculpture- he even added eyes and a mouth)
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Mama Loves Pipe Cleaners
I'm really trying to make an effort to do more things with Sam and Anna this year that require more than just the toys we have laying around already. I've had to expand my horizons into learning through play experiences for the young set. Although I'm only a student teaching experience away from being a licensed teacher for birth through pre-k (I currently hold a teaching license for kindergarten through 5th grade, but could expand it to 8th grade with a class or two as well), teaching toddlers is a little out of my usual comfort zone. Hooray for pinterest, for really helping me out with an idea or two... or 50.
Idea #1: After seeing this pinned over and over, I sat my wee ones in front of our colander and pipe cleaners and witnessed just how much fun sticking colorful sticks into little holes can be.
Idea #2: I brought home some lacing beads form my classroom, to see how Sam and Anna could do with the fine motor skills needed to lace a string through the holes. It was a huge challenge for shoelaces, but pipe cleaners provided just enough of a help to make it challenging, but still do-able to put several beads together without help.
Idea #3: I made this project out of an oatmeal can and page reinforcers after seeing a similar one using a pringles can. Sam and Anna had a ton of fun poking the pipe cleaners into the holes, even if they aren't getting the matching colors aspect completely yet.
Idea #4: I also put the pieces I snipped off the pipe cleaners to make them the right size for the oatmeal can in a empty water bottle for my little ones to manipulate with magnets. They had so much fun with this that I need to hurry up and make another one so they can each have their own to use.
Idea #5: Finally, I'd love to make these phone number bracelets for my wee ones on a pipe cleaner for the next time we are out in a busy public place, but I just can't find any number beads to use. I've tried several craft stores in our area. If you have a suggestion of a place to check for number beads, please let me know!
I'm linking up with Julia's Mama Loves today!
* Disclaimer: Some of these ideas contain small pieces that would be considered choking hazards. Sam and Anna were under strict supervision during this activities and of course, I would suggest that any child that uses similar projects be under supervision as well.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Cookin' With Daddy
Now that Sam and Anna are older, it fills my heart with a special joy to see them help cook alongside their daddy. This weekend, Sam and Anna helped make homemade pizzas:
And they also helped make homemade goldfish crackers in heart shapes for the daycare party:
Since I'm the farthest thing possible from being a cook (in the past, I've overcooked mac and cheese, and made a mess of almost everything that is considered easy to make in the kitchen), it warms my heart to see Sam and Anna building memories cooking with their Daddy. Daddy said it was the best part of his weekend, too. As they get older, I know that it will be something special that they do with him only. I can't wait to be on the other side of the counter for every experience... snapping photos and sampling the goodness they create.
Their grandpa is supposedly building one of these helping towers for a birthday gift... double wide for twice the kids. I am so excited for easy counter-top access (and how much more safe it will be than standing on chairs!) that I can hardly stand it.
One of the few photos I took of their individual pizzas
And they also helped make homemade goldfish crackers in heart shapes for the daycare party:
Anna LOVED pulsing the mixture
Since I'm the farthest thing possible from being a cook (in the past, I've overcooked mac and cheese, and made a mess of almost everything that is considered easy to make in the kitchen), it warms my heart to see Sam and Anna building memories cooking with their Daddy. Daddy said it was the best part of his weekend, too. As they get older, I know that it will be something special that they do with him only. I can't wait to be on the other side of the counter for every experience... snapping photos and sampling the goodness they create.
Their grandpa is supposedly building one of these helping towers for a birthday gift... double wide for twice the kids. I am so excited for easy counter-top access (and how much more safe it will be than standing on chairs!) that I can hardly stand it.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Big Weekend
I guess it went well. Both took regular length naps in the beds, and Sam still called for her when he woke up instead of climbing out on his own. I will admit, because I did not know that she was going to do it specifically that day, that I had some issues with it happening when I wasn't prepared for it. I still have some times where I feel like I miss out on my kids because they go to daycare. I missed out on the first time they slept in real beds. I wasn't there to make a big deal about it, and celebrate their success in doing well the first time. I'm still not planning on transitioning them to real beds at home anytime soon though. First, because I think nighttime is a different story than naps. Secondly, because we'd probably be tying in the transition to real beds to separating each into their own rooms and I definitely don't want to do that yet. And thirdly, because I want some time to put thought and effort into decorating their rooms and I don't envision that happening until I'm not working over 40 hours a week outside of our home.
Moving on... Sam also pooped in the toilet for the first time this weekend. I'm also not really planning on making the big potty training step any time soon- but I am not going to discourage either Sam or Anna if they request to use the toilet. My current plan is to just put them on the real thing when ever they ask to, and celebrate any successes. We'll see if I can hold out until this summer to commit to potty training both of them. We have quite a stash of diapers right now, due to the end of Amazon's good diaper deal, so I'd like to think that I won't have to buy any more after we use these up, but we will see.
Finally, we made our last attempt to become a pacifier-free household. I used the word last because we are in it to win it this time- regardless of the effect, the pacifiers will no longer be in Anna's mouth after this weekend. That's because we went to Build-a-Bear at the mall on Saturday and put Anna's Nuk inside the bear she picked out. She watched it go inside and didn't mind as the bear got stitched up. I didn't expect it to bother her though, becuase she has only used it for sleep at home for over a year and having it during the day wasn't usual for her. Sam got his own build-a-bear, although he didn't have a pacifier put in. I saw this idea on another twin blog, and thought it was perfect. It just seemed to be the way that made the most concrete sense to explain it to a toddler- you can't put it in your mouth anymore, because it is inside your bear and we can't take it out. But it can still give you comfort and be near you, even if it isn't in your mouth. Logical, right?
Picking out the animals at Build-a-Bear
Stuffing Anna's bear
Putting the heart in Sam's stuffed dog
"Washing" their new animals
Trying to wrangle two toddlers with boxes almost as big as they are on the way out
At bedtime when she asked for her Nuk, we reminded her that it was inside the bear and that she could feel it inside and hug the bear instead (after reminding her that she was a big girl, and big girls don't have Nuks). She demanded several times that we "Open!" the bear to get it out, but we just ignored her requests and put them to bed. With minimal fussing, she was quiet and we had a pretty normal night, with a normal-for-her-lately waketime the next morning at an early 6 am (but waking and going back to sleep off and on for awhile after that).
Night two was similar- requests for her Nuk, reminders to hug her bear, and minimal fussing before their room was silent at bedtime. I don't imagine that it will get any tougher, so I am relieved that this time has been so easy, compared to the other attempts we've had in the last year or so! Like her swaddle, we just had to realize and accept that when she was ready, she would be ready- and no attempt we made before that point would work well.
With her track record, I'm assuming potty training and transitioning to a real bed will be the same way- if she's ready, it will be a piece of cake, and if she's not, then it will be an epic failure. I guess only time will tell!
Friday, February 10, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Time Out
Sam's been a little rough recently with Anna and our dog Bella. Okay, and me too. There's been some biting, pushing and hitting lately. We got the books Teeth Are Not For Biting, Tails Are Not For Pulling and Hands Are Not For Hitting, and so fair the biggest influence has been the Teeth Are Not For Biting book. I am happy to say biting hasn't happened for a while now. I'm still waiting for the other two to make a noticeable difference though.
The report at daycare is that he's had the same problem there and has needed some time outs lately. One afternoon after a few time outs, I guess he decided to put himself in time out after pushing someone before our daycare provider could. So he is getting the message that those actions are not okay.
A few days later, Sam did the same thing at home. After pushing Anna down, I said a firm "No pushing!" and before I could do anything else, he marched himself to their room and plopped down in front of the closet doors. In the past, we've always put him in his crib if we've done a time out because I wasn't so sure he'd stay where ever we put him. I decided to let him stay in front of the closet doors and see what he would do. He sat there for the 1 1/2 minutes without making a peep or moving, and then when I went in to let him know his self-inflicted time out could be over, he immediately signed sorry and said to Anna, "Sorry Anna me push."
I guess Sam decided where his time out spot should be from now on!
The report at daycare is that he's had the same problem there and has needed some time outs lately. One afternoon after a few time outs, I guess he decided to put himself in time out after pushing someone before our daycare provider could. So he is getting the message that those actions are not okay.
A few days later, Sam did the same thing at home. After pushing Anna down, I said a firm "No pushing!" and before I could do anything else, he marched himself to their room and plopped down in front of the closet doors. In the past, we've always put him in his crib if we've done a time out because I wasn't so sure he'd stay where ever we put him. I decided to let him stay in front of the closet doors and see what he would do. He sat there for the 1 1/2 minutes without making a peep or moving, and then when I went in to let him know his self-inflicted time out could be over, he immediately signed sorry and said to Anna, "Sorry Anna me push."
I guess Sam decided where his time out spot should be from now on!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Making the Most of a Little Snow
Sam and Anna experienced making their first snowman last weekend (the one they made at daycare a few days before didn't count, because firsts at daycare never count, fyi). The balmy typical-for-this-winter weather meant that the poor guy's life was short lived, but I'm sure there will be lots of snowpeople made in future winters, if not this one!
Hugging the snowman
One last hug before it melted away
(It didn't even make it past nap time that day)
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
I Confess
I have a problem. The first step is admitting you have a problem, right?
Well this is my problem: My twins are almost two and I am a little OCD about coordinating their outfits. I always felt pretty good about the fact that I rarely put them in 100% matching outfits. They had very few things that were exactly the same, which wasn't too hard because they are different genders.
But they must coordinate. This is how I must match them every day: if one is wearing jeans and a long sleeve T, the other must also be in jeans and a long sleeve T. Bonus points for similar colors and similar styles (like picture on one shirt, picture on the other). Today, Anna has on a yellow top, and so Sam's shirt also has some yellow in it. We have knit pants day, snap long sleeve onesie day and hoodie day; overalls and fleece days too. I'm just a little embarrassed to admit that it's as specific as this: If Anna has on a fleece outfit and the pants are not fleece, then Sam cannot wear fleece pants with his fleece shirt.
I think it would actually be painful for me to put them in different kinds of outfits- like if Anna was wearing a hooded outfit with matching pants, and Sam was in jeans and a T. Or if one was wearing zipped footie pjs, while the other was in pajama separates. It doesn't even matter if we don't leave the house and no one sees them. Wow- typing that out makes me feel like I'm even more OCD than I thought.
So I coordinate their outfits by color, type and style. This is challenging sometimes because most of their clothing is used and we have gotten quite a few things from different people. This weekend, I started washing Anna's 24 month stuff and I realized she has 5 hoodie outfits... while Sam currently has none. I'm seriously fighting the urge to go out and buy him some so she will actually wear hers. It's hard. I try to remember that their closet is already stuffed full and they need more clothes like they need more holes in their heads. But then I rationalize- what's the use of Anna having 5 sets of hoodie outfits if she isn't going to wear them since Sam has none?
Please note I've already confessed I have a problem.
I have gotten better since they were babies though... It used to be that if Anna had 8 onesies, Sam must have the same number. If Anna had 4 snap sleepers and 6 zip sleepers as infants, then you can bet that Sam's count was exactly the same. Yup, down to the zip or snap closure on their sleepers, they had to coordinate. At least the number of types of clothing doesn't have to be the same in their closet or dresser anymore.
Is there a 12 step program for this? I promise I won't send them to kindergarten still coordinating their outfits...
(If I had access to the thousands of photos I take right now, I'd share examples. Maybe later I'll add some!)
Well this is my problem: My twins are almost two and I am a little OCD about coordinating their outfits. I always felt pretty good about the fact that I rarely put them in 100% matching outfits. They had very few things that were exactly the same, which wasn't too hard because they are different genders.
But they must coordinate. This is how I must match them every day: if one is wearing jeans and a long sleeve T, the other must also be in jeans and a long sleeve T. Bonus points for similar colors and similar styles (like picture on one shirt, picture on the other). Today, Anna has on a yellow top, and so Sam's shirt also has some yellow in it. We have knit pants day, snap long sleeve onesie day and hoodie day; overalls and fleece days too. I'm just a little embarrassed to admit that it's as specific as this: If Anna has on a fleece outfit and the pants are not fleece, then Sam cannot wear fleece pants with his fleece shirt.
I think it would actually be painful for me to put them in different kinds of outfits- like if Anna was wearing a hooded outfit with matching pants, and Sam was in jeans and a T. Or if one was wearing zipped footie pjs, while the other was in pajama separates. It doesn't even matter if we don't leave the house and no one sees them. Wow- typing that out makes me feel like I'm even more OCD than I thought.
So I coordinate their outfits by color, type and style. This is challenging sometimes because most of their clothing is used and we have gotten quite a few things from different people. This weekend, I started washing Anna's 24 month stuff and I realized she has 5 hoodie outfits... while Sam currently has none. I'm seriously fighting the urge to go out and buy him some so she will actually wear hers. It's hard. I try to remember that their closet is already stuffed full and they need more clothes like they need more holes in their heads. But then I rationalize- what's the use of Anna having 5 sets of hoodie outfits if she isn't going to wear them since Sam has none?
Please note I've already confessed I have a problem.
I have gotten better since they were babies though... It used to be that if Anna had 8 onesies, Sam must have the same number. If Anna had 4 snap sleepers and 6 zip sleepers as infants, then you can bet that Sam's count was exactly the same. Yup, down to the zip or snap closure on their sleepers, they had to coordinate. At least the number of types of clothing doesn't have to be the same in their closet or dresser anymore.
Is there a 12 step program for this? I promise I won't send them to kindergarten still coordinating their outfits...
(If I had access to the thousands of photos I take right now, I'd share examples. Maybe later I'll add some!)
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Mama Loves Cute Curls
I find it incredibly ironic that Julia over at Pontification of a Twin Mom shared a fabulous hair detangler for her mama loves product/idea yesterday, because I fully intended to also discuss my love of hair detangler spray this weekend. Her girls have straight hair, and it works great for getting those tangles out. For us, I love our hair detangler for a different purpose.
Maybe I'm the only one that didn't know this, but after my daycare provider clued me in to the benefit of hair detangler and curls on Anna's hair, I watched it work its magic. A few sprays of the stuff on dry or wet hair and Anna's hair was non-frizzy, curls defined, but not greasy or dirty looking. Plus, it is still so soft! I love winding my fingers in her corkscrew curls. I only wish I loved my curls as much as I love hers.
Her hair is longer than it looks. When wet and straight, it is well past her shoulders
I haven't been using a fancy hair detangler spray... but I did buy some California Baby Calming Hair De-Tangler after reading Julia's suggestion and have tried it out with great results.
So hair detangler spray= safe curl enhancer for baby and toddler hair. Who knew? Certainly not me!
I'm linking up with Julia's Mama Loves today!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Sledding Smiles
I know it is hard to believe, but we finally took Sam and Anna sledding for the first time last weekend. Yes, we live in the Midwest, and yes, Sam and Anna are almost two years old- however, it has been either too cold for small children to be out for any real amount of time (the case for most of last winter), or the unusual lack of snow has made it not possible. Plus, sledding just isn't feasible on weeknights with two full time working parents and a bedtime routine that starts at 7 pm.
Boy oh boy did they have fun though! Daddy was the pilot for the first few runs down the sledding hill and he reported that he could hear them giggling the whole way down. As the sled barely came to a stop, Sam was immediately up, asking for more over and over while heading for the hill before anyone else even got off the sled. We were a little cautious since it was a normal sledding hill complete with moguls, so for most of the time we started off in the middle of the hill. At the end though, Momma was adventurous and did a few runs from the very top. In those pictures the look on my face was hilarious- a grin filled with terror that I would accidentally dump my kids off the fast moving sled, scaring them for life and forever making them deathly afraid of sledding. I won't share those and just leave the image up to your imagination!
Too soon Sam and Anna got cold and it was time for lunch, so we headed home to the chorus of protesting temper tantrums. I'm thinking sledding is going to get added our to-do list for this weekend, too.
Boy oh boy did they have fun though! Daddy was the pilot for the first few runs down the sledding hill and he reported that he could hear them giggling the whole way down. As the sled barely came to a stop, Sam was immediately up, asking for more over and over while heading for the hill before anyone else even got off the sled. We were a little cautious since it was a normal sledding hill complete with moguls, so for most of the time we started off in the middle of the hill. At the end though, Momma was adventurous and did a few runs from the very top. In those pictures the look on my face was hilarious- a grin filled with terror that I would accidentally dump my kids off the fast moving sled, scaring them for life and forever making them deathly afraid of sledding. I won't share those and just leave the image up to your imagination!
Too soon Sam and Anna got cold and it was time for lunch, so we headed home to the chorus of protesting temper tantrums. I'm thinking sledding is going to get added our to-do list for this weekend, too.
Check out those grins
Running back to go again
Pulling Daddy to hurry up and go faster, while Anna got left in the dust
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