Look Ma, I'm famous!

I woke up this morning to find my etsy shop featured on a wonderful blog!

check it out!

It's Mamapreneur Monday with our very own beautiful and talented Anna Scaife! 
http://thelilmamas.com/mamapreneur-monday-latch-on-to-this/

Toddler Activities: Matching Shapes

I bought these flashcards at Target. Its the Dr. Suess set. I cut off all the busy borders and then cut the cards in half.

I showed Landon how to match up each shape then mixed it up and asked him to try.

great questions to ask:

"what is this?" 

"Can you tell me this shape?"

"what color is this?"

"where is the "heart"?"

Toddler Activities: Animal Match

This matching activity was a gift from Landon's great aunt. She found them at the dollar tree! What a great gift!

We talk about the animals, what the animals say, and we talk about the color of each animal.

this is such an easy and affordable activity!

Toddler Activities: Matching & Stacking Shapes

We love stacking! When I found these shapes at target, I snatched them up! 

Our conversations about this activity can be endless.. we talk about shapes, we count the shapes, we talk about colors. What an amazing activity for only $1.

He can say, "star, heart, square and circle"

We have also used these shapes to paint/stamp, I've photocopied the shapes and let him match them as well. It is endless!

Toddler Activities: Letter Recognition

Just wanted to show you how well landon can recognize letters after 2 weeks.

We got these flash cards and magnets at target 

Toddler Activities: Matching Alphabets

We've been working on our alphabet recognition. I bought these flashcards and magnets from target in the dollar aisle. These are great!! We started with 3 letters per day and by the end of the week, we had him matching 12 cards. 

While matching letters, I ask many questions to get him thinking...

"Can you say A?"

"What starts with A?" 

"What animal is this?" 

"What is the alligator eating" etc

We also sound out the letter as he holds them. 

Target flashcards are great! Try it out and let me know what you think. We also see these cards at the dollar tree, and dollar store.

Toddler Activities: threading noodles

This is one of our daily activities during "table time".  Its such an easy activity and it covers a number of fine motor activities!

all you need is:

noodles

styrofoam 

pipe cleaners

Landon also counts as he threads.

The pipe cleaners are pretty flimsy so he has to use both hands to thread his noodles.

it also takes a lot of concentration to complete this activity so teaching him to be patient and calm is important!

He loved it so much we had to add more pipe cleaners for him! 

Toddler Activities: Transferring Rice

Warning- this activity is MESSY but fun!

I'm teaching Landon how to transfer stuff. I provided a cup of rice, a few containers, measuring cups, funnels and spoons... I also had a dirt devil and broom with dustpan for clean up!

I showed him how to use the spoon and funnel. then I stepped back and let me explore.

every once in awhile, I will remind him to "keep it in the box" and to be careful. he really did try! he said "uh-oh" every time he spilled rice. It was really cute to watch him explore!

the best thing about giving him an activity is... I can cook dinner in peace! 

Lucy is 3 Months

My little love bugs is 3 months!!! 

Weight

At her 11 week checkup, she weighed 12.3lbs (2 lb gain since her last appointment) and she measures 24.4" (2.4" growth!)

Health

We're doing great controlling her food allergy.. dairy is a huge trigger. I'm not ready to start eating eggs but I REALLY REALLY miss eggs!! she has a few flare ups here and there but its not as bad as before. 

Sleep

Her sleeping schedule is impressive. She only takes cat naps during the day.. she will sleep for 2-3 hours when Landon takes his daily nap... but ONLY if shes touching me... which is great for me because I'll get a nap- terrible for my husband because I get NOTHING done. She also sleeps straight through the night from 8-5/6 am then back to sleep until 8/9. Its awesome!

Clothing Size

We are officially in 3-6 months clothes.. I still squeeze her into some 0-3. Size 2 diapers.

Diet

Breastmilk. 5 oz every 3-4 hours... 

Development

She loves sitting up in her bumbo.. Shes been interacting her play mat.. playing with toys above her. She's very chatty.

Crying

She hates having a dirty diaper. She hates being hungry... and she has to cry before she passes out.

Milestones

rolling side to side... chatty.. grabs hold of her toys... loves watching her brother play!

Sibling Love

these two are obsessed about each other. Landon loves his little sister "C". Every time she sits in her swing, landon covers her with a blanket and offers her a pacifier. When she lays on their floor mat, he will put toys in front of her and say "C look. you you. See?" and she will babble back at him. its really cute! 

Postpartum

I am proud to say.. I am zipping up my pre pregnancy jeans.. and put on my dresses without issues... I do feel like my body isn't "back" as quickly as my pregnancy with Landon but I started doing insanity and I hope to bounce back before the end of september... since I'm going to vegas. 

Toddler Activities: Dinosaur Water Exploration

We clearly have a dinosaur obsession in our house. Its non stop. So on a hot summer day, I decided to let me explore a dinosaur water table! You really can add anything to a water table and kids will love it!

We added a few rocks, dinosaurs, funnels, water bottles, tupperware, measuring cups, tweezers and basters. he spent about 2 hours playing and laughing!

He loved picking up dinosaurs with his tweezers and playing with all the rocks I added.

I added sand for him to scoop and bury his dinosaurs.

I also added dinosaurs that grow with water. this activity lasted a few days so he noticed his was growing. 

this is a great activity when he's fresh from his nap! 

Here he is digging up his trees and dinosaurs!

the baster was a hit! Hope you guys try this with your little ones! Its super fun and keeps them very busy!

Toddler Activities: Bell Pepper Painting

We tried this activity after breakfast one day! Its super easy and fun!

All you need is a few bell peppers and some paint!

He really enjoyed picking up the bell peppers and smashing them on the paper!

He kept calling them "Flowa" 

We paint with anything we have laying around the house but he the bell pepper stems make it easier to pick up.

The results are beautiful and he continued to paint for 30 minutes!

Landon loves art... we send a lot of his artwork to my husbands family in PA and my parents. A LOT of artwork.

Lucy is 2 Months

We are a little late for our monthly update but better late then never right?

Weight

At her 11 week checkup, she weighed 12.3lbs (2 lb gain since her last appointment) and she measures 24.4" (2.4" growth!)

Health

I think we narrowed down her allergy to dairy and eggs. She was super clear during our vacation but since we've been home, she's started to flare up again. It makes it so stressful to see her skin dry up and breakout... But hopefully I can clear it up again.

Sleep

I cannot believe how well she does! She's sleeping through the night when she turned 9 weeks. 8:30pm-6:30am. I love that she sleeps so well! We also moved her to her own room for the 1st time... It's all happening so fast but we want to create healthy sleeping habits for her.

Clothes

Sizes 0-3 and 3-6. We finally found a diaper that doesn't leak! Hallelujah!! Seventh generation works great! Too bad they look like chipotle napkins!

Diet

Breastmilk.. She takes 4.5-5oz.. I swear she takes 8oz when she wakes up! 

Development

She tracks very well, holds onto toys, she swats her toys that hang over her little play mat. She enjoys sitting up to watch her brother play. She does great with tummy time.

Crying

Only when she is overly tired... When someone isn't holding her... And when she's hungry. 

Milestones

Sleeping through the night 

Finally takes a pacifier at 4 weeks and we were so relieved!

Tracks objects

Holds onto objects

Sibling Love

These two LOVE each other. Landon is very aware and cautious around Lucy. 

Postpartum

 At my PP appointment.. I lost 38 lbs. I started my insanity work out.. Hopefully I can tone up and get back to my old size soon!