Easy Toddler Valentine Crafts

Hey y'all! We had a very fun crafting weekend. With cold temps and snow keeping us inside, I'm glad that we had craft supplies to keep us busy. First we made a tissue paper sun catcher.

We used supplies from the dollar store mostly. The only thing they did not have was clear laminating paper. 

After cutting up tissue paper, I cut a heart out of red construction paper. Then I attached it to stick laminating paper and let my toddler go to work decorating the inside with the tissue paper. 

I sealed it in with another piece of clear laminating paper and trimmed the edges. 

Then we made two more decorations using paint and cute little toddler hands and feet!

We had a blast and then took a bath. :)

 

What kind of valentines crafts are you making to brighten up your home this season?

C25K Week 3

5k Training Update or I didn't die!!!

As I had mentioned in the past, I'm following the c25k running plan. I finished week 3 day 1 yesterday and let me just say I am really proud of myself. To many, this wouldn't be an accomplishment at all, so go ahead and laugh. For me, this was a physical fitness bench mark, but an even bigger mental breakthrough. I ran for 2 intervals of a 1/2 mile without stopping and 2 intervals of short time high intensity. AND I didn't die! I had been psyching myself out over this workout for days.  

Can I do it?

Should I repeat an easier run?

What if I can't?

After all that, you know what, it wasn't that bad! My legs were burning toward the end and it wasn't easy but I did it! It's like a switch clicked in my head when I finished my workout. I am going to be ready for this 5K in May! 

I'll be done with the program by the 1st week of March, giving myself 2 months to  improve my speed. The color run 5k is not a timed event but I'd really like to keep up with my husband. :) I have a long way to go but if I can do it, anyone can! Challenge yourself today, before today becomes tomorrow!

Top 5 Winter Toddler Outings

Life at home with a toddler is never dull! As a stay at home mom, it is important for me to get out of the house (least once a week) with other moms and their children. Options are limited in the winter so we have to scout out the best places to learn, play, and grow together. This is my top 5 list of places to take my toddler during the less-than-friendly weather.

1. The Rainforest or Aquarium 

If you are lucky enough to live near a rainforest and haven't been there yet, give it a shot. I take Elena to the zoo & rainforest a couple of times a month. It's always fun and the Cleveland metroparks rainforest is pretty nice. They have special days when you can meet and talk to the animals' care givers. We have an aquarium too which is perfect for a snowy day.

2. A nature or science center

Living in Northeast Ohio sure does have its perks. There are several indoor nature centers and science centers that typically have free admission. They have snakes, birds, fossils, and more to keep little ones interested. My favorite one in this area is the Rocky River Nature Center (formerly the Interperative Center). There is an indoor tree house and toys as well as a reptile display. They frequently host animals shows and family events throughout the year.

3. Indoor Playcenters 

With admission usually costing between $3-$12 a child, indoor play centers are an inexpensive place to burn off energy. Here in our area we have several that fit the bill: Jump Yard, Kids Play, Amazone, and others. Always bring socks and call ahead to make sure you can bring your own food (if you wish).

4. Shopping Mall Play Areas

Most malls these days have a place for the littlest shoppers. The malls near us also host family day events that usually include: a craft, snack, and show/storytime all for free. It's been our experience that these public areas tend to get crowded and are not the cleanest as the day wears on, so we play it by ear on days we hit the mall. We also aim to go early and play before it gets to busy. 

5. The Library 

For many reasons, the library is a great place to take your tot. Many libraries have a play area for the little ones. The libraries near me host story time several days a week and it's a good way to meet other families in your neighborhood. My daughter loves books so a trip to the library is an easy choice for us! 

Where are your favorite places to take your kids in the winter? 

DIY Edible Bathtub Paint

My daughter has two favorite things she loves to do above all else. Taking a bath & painting. Since I am slightly OCD about messes, I thought combining the two would be a perfect solution. I make my own paint for Elena, using typical pantry ingredients. This is edible paint but it doesn't taste great so Elena doesn't eat it (though she always taste tests it before playing).

What you'll need:

2/3 c warm water

2/3 c flour 

1 TBS sugar

1 tsp salt

Food coloring

Whisk all of the ingredients in a bowl until smooth. I pour the colorless base into bowls or a muffin tin and then add the food color gel or drops. Mix each one thoroughly and enjoy! We haven't tried scenting the paint but that would be something neat to add to the sensory play. 

It is so easy and she really enjoys painting herself as well! :) I haven't experienced any staining in the tub or on my daughter so that's a big plus. 

Sometimes we draw shapes and animals with the paint and talk about the colors. Today we drew letters and talked about the ABC's. We try to learn and play together often & this is just one of the many ways we do that. How do you make learning fun?

Cleveland 5k Color Run

The Color Run is coming to Cleveland on May 10th of this year. I may still be in the early weeks of training but I am setting this as my goal. 4 months from now (yes, I am web-committing) myself, my husband, and as many friends as I can wrangle are going to run this 5k. I'm sure a lot of you are thinking, "5k, big whoop!" but everyone starts somewhere and this is my 1st 2014 running goal. 

I have no illusions of winning this race in the traditional sense. Winning 1st place for me will be completing the race without walking. This means fighting the temptation to run as hard as I can at the start and then burning out shortly thereafter. In all honesty, I can barely make it a mile (@ a snail paced jog) before being completely wiped but over the past couple weeks my detirmination has helped me improve quickly. With continued hard work, I should be ready to make this lofty goal of mine :)

So here's my shout out to those of you in Northeast Ohio, challenge yourself and join our team. We will be a "no member left behind" group. Comment if you are interested in joining us!

Mommy Mocktail Recipe

Mmmm I love cocktails, and as I'm not pregnant again yet, I can enjoy one on occassion if I want to. :) But, carting around and caring for a toddler all day is definitely not conducive to drinking (although I'd like to sometimes). But once in a while I would just like something sweet & fruity. And so inspired today's little creation: 

The Mommy Mocktail

1/2 c pineapple juice

1/2 c 7up or the like

1 or 2 maraschino cherries 

1 tsp of cherry juice from above

Put all ingredients in a cocktail glass, water glass, or red solo cup & enjoy!

Doesn't get much easier than that ladies! And guys, make this for your lady and proceed to rub her feet! (Just in case my husband is reading ;) -Jenn xo

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Marry Your Best Friend: Why it's important to a lasting marriage

"Till death do us part"

How do you choose the person to share your life with? How do you choose the person to have and raise a family with? The person who will be with you through births, graduations, and deaths? 

Over the course of my own marriage, I have become painfully aware of how a lot of my own friends and family members have settled for less that they deserve. Be it through verbal abuse, constant unkindness, or just lack of respect & friendship all together. Maybe that is part of why infidelity is so common and why divorces happen left and right.

For me, I was so lucky to find a partner who is my (nearly) perfect match. He is kind, caring, a total badass, has a sweet gentleness, loving father, passionate husband, slow to anger, quick to forgive, selfless, family centered husband. He is my best friend and I couldn't have found a better person to spend my days with. A spouse should be your cheerleader and champion your accomplishments. They truly should be your biggest fan! They will set an example for the kind of person your children marry. 

I feel for those who married but ended up with a roommate. Living lives seperate from one another. That's not to say that you shouldn't have your own autonomy (I love my mom's groups & clubs). Part of spending a lot of time together, means not sweating the little things and remembering why you fell for that person to begin with! 

And so I implore you all to find a spouse who can be your best friend. One who lifts you up, makes you feel loved and cared about, makes you feel special, and who you LOVE to be around. But most importantly, be that spouse yourself!

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DIY Holiday Tutu Tutorial

The holiday season this year came in like a tornado and left me scurrying to try and get as much done as I could. I bought red and white tulle with the intent of making a Christmas tutu. Not only did I not make it, I have no clue when it would have been worn. Today's nap time was full of crafting and blogging. I finished this tutu for Valentines Day and I'm glad that I (somehow) got ahead of schedule! 

Here's how to make your child a tutu :)

You'll Need:

2 25 yard rolls of tulle

Stretchy crochet headband

Scissors

1-2 hours (if you can find it!)

Cut your tulle into strips that are twice the desired length. Tie in half on the thick crochet stitches. I started doing white on the bottom and red on top but found it easier to do all the white along the bottom then finish with the red. 

Make your way all the way around the headband. For a thicker tutu, you could always add more tulle pieces.

 

Tip: Avoid glittery tulle like the plague. Do not fall under the glitter tulle's spell, unless of course you enjoy cleaning up glitter for the next 3 months. I learned my lesson so that you don't have to. Your welcome. 

These can easily be hung on hangers and that is the best way we have found to store them. Please comment below if you have any questions. Happy Crafting!

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DIY Fall Tutu

My daughter is tutu-crazy! She would wear one everyday if I let her. They are all "hidden" in her closet and I bring them out as a special fun thing. Usually my 20 month old is very sweet but like most toddlers, she has her moments. I am a little bit late posting this since I made this tutu in October but late is better than never. Besides, on days like today when it's -5F (without the windchill), I miss those mild fall days. Anyhow, I used 25 yards of yellow, orange, and brown tulle. They are sold on 6 inch wide rolls at the craft store and cost about $2-$4 depending on length. I cut 18 inch long strips and tied them onto brown ribbon. 1 hour later I had a tutu and a happy toddler. Happy crafting everyone!

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Trying to Conceive = Sex Becomes a Job

Trying to Conceive (TTC)

Attempting to get pregnant can sometimes snuff out the romance flame, for us it certainly has. These days trying to get pregnant is like a science experiment. If you have to try hard like we do you'll know what I mean. There are the tools like: basal thermometers, charts, folic acid, extra folic acid, vitamins, supplements, soft cups, preseed, period tracking apps, ovulation kits, and the list goes on -ugh! Then there's all the advice and rules: no drinking, no caffeine, lots of water, no ibuprofen (as if anything else works), check your cm (don't ask), elevate your hips, don't get up too fast, only once a day, stand on your head & say the alphabet backwards... SMH! Don't forget that sex becomes a job! If all that wasn't enough, you have the "Two Week Wait", during which time you'll drive yourself cray cray thinking any little twinge is a possible sign of pregnancy. You'll test every other day hoping that the last bfn (big fat negative) was just too early to tell. Then Aunt Flo (period, duh!) will arrive -cue the tears now! 

That's why this year we are throwing it all out the window. 20 months ago I had our daughter and if she's the only child I have, I will not be disappointed. She really is the most beautiful thing in my life.  Now the hubs and I plan to focus more on ourselves and our little family and less on the "job" of trying to make a baby. We lost a pregnancy in June and for the past 6 months, we have been going nuts to try to get pregnant again. It's been a roller coaster of stress & emotions and I think we are ready for a break! 

Here's to a less stressful new year! For all of you ladies working on TTC, good luck but don't lose the romance like we almost did. ;)

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Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe

Today is an oatmeal raisin kind of day. It's cold and windy here in northern Ohio, so we will stay inside. I do have other motivations for baking cookies today; recently our neighbor helped us out of a huge jam. He is a plumber (lucky, I know!)  and we had a horribly clogged sink. Long story short, he was at our house for a couple of hours fixing the pipes. All he said that he would like in return (other than me to stop using the sink as a garbage can) was some cookies, oatmeal raisin. Those also happen to be my husband's favorite and so today I made a batch for them both. I'll share my recipe with you all here. Warning: this recipe is nowhere near diet friendly. I used white flour, a cup of crisco, and sugar! These babies are addicting, I'll apologize to your New Year's resolution later! ;) 

What you'll need:

1 c shortening

3/4 c white sugar

3/4 c brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla 

2 eggs

1 1/4 c flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

2 3/4 c rolled oats (not instant!)

1 1/2 c raisins

How She Does It: 

Preheat your oven to 375F. Put your raisins in a bowl and cover them with hot water. This will help the raisins puff up a bit! (Please don't skip this step!!!)

Put the shortening and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Cream them together.

While the mixer is on, add the vanilla & eggs- one at a time. Beat until fluffy. Mix in the flour, salt, cinnamon, & baking soda. 

Feel free to make a mess while adding the oats as long as you have dogs to clean it up... Or a broom. 

Drain the raisins and gently pat them dry. Then, stir them into the mix.

Drop the dough by the teaspoon full onto a silpat (or parchment paper) lined baking tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes. They will continue to cook on the sheet for a couple of minutes. Allow to cool on a rack and enjoy!

I took some to the neighbor while they were still hot and his face lit up, priceless!

This is a great recipe if you are new to baking. You can also add walnuts, m&ms, chocolate chips, other dried fruit, ect. Feel free to comment with your questions and as always...

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DIY Crochet Women's Hat

I am a little bit addicted to crocheting right now. My newest project was this hat. I would say it is a medium level project because you will use several different stitches to make this. The butterfly stitch is used the most of the hat and I learned the stitch via the YouTube tutorial for this hat. Anytime you make a hat, it usually doesn't look that great until the last few rows. It does come together eventually so just give it a chance! ;)

(Ignore those tired eyes, this was at 11:30pm)

Here's the link:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tHO0Lsg_Z6E&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DtHO0Lsg_Z6E

All said, this took roughly 2 1/2 hours and I learned a new stitch. :) 

In other news, we've gotten a ton of snow lately. Elena had such a fun time (5 minutes) hanging out outside and "splashing" in the snow!

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