Flash Card Friday

Another fun flash card game (that you can even do without flash cards)! The Flash Kids cards have a handful that are blank, so we decided to mix in a couple of other toys in and work on our colors.

You probably have a ton of colorful toys, puzzles and cards to use too. We took all of our colored cups and lined them up on the couch, then brought out one of our favorite puzzles and placed it on the table with all of the colored flash cards. All that was left to do was match (which we LOVE to do at our house)!

We traveled from toy group to toy group and found the reds, then the greens, then the purples, etc. Although I had to help Audette through the whole process, we got to the point where I could ask her to point out the colors, and she is slowly getting it. Most of the learning activities we do are all about repetition. Focusing on colors out in the world helps re-emphasize the skills we are learning at home too. Good thing Seattle is more than grey! Spring is really showing the beautiful colors here.

And because we all know too much focused learning can get old for a 1 year old. We had to take a little tickle break. Giggles are always a good distraction at our house.

If anyone is interested in good puzzles, we always love Melissa & Doug puzzles, but this one is really great. It is the Shapes puzzle from Ryan's Room.

Box Car Races

We have WAY too many boxes, so what better way to celebrate unpacking than Box Car races. We have wood floors, so it works nicely to cruise through the hallways, but even on carpet, your little one will love a spin around your house. There isn't much to it. You can get as creative as you want or keep it simple like us if you have limited time. We just grabbed the only Sharpie we could find and pretty soon our box was a little motorcar.

Inspiration for box fun came from our friend Kelly who put all of her Costco boxes to good use when she got home from shopping the other day. She made her darling littles a cardboard castle. Then just a couple of days ago, Audette was visiting a friend and when I came by to pick her up they showed me the little car they had made out of a box. We have enough boxes at home that we can make a cardboard train or a spaceship or a skyscraper! Basically, you should come visit and play with us.

Imagination at Play

It is never too early to start playing pretend with your little one. Ok, maybe we started a little early, but yesterday when I was unpacking boxes in the kitchen, I realized it had paid off!

I receive weekly emails from Baby Center, a website for new and experienced moms who want tips on their child's development. (They really are wonderful and you can sign up to receive emails that correlate with your child's age.) A recent article I read mentioned the following about helping your child begin using their imagination:

By playing out a familiar scenario, such as mealtime, you will encourage your toddler to use her imagination. Let your child be the chef, and give her a plastic mixing bowl, a manual eggbeater, spoon, and strainer. When she's finished "cooking" something yummy for you, have her help you set a pretend table so you can enjoy a pretend meal together.

Pretend play has always been a big thing in our house, whether it is with stuffed animals, boxes or even tupperware, which is Audette's favorite toy in the kitchen. When I am making dinner or putting dishes away, or in today's instance, unpacking boxes, Audette goes to her little cupboard and does what Mommy does.

As I was up on a stool unpacking a box I heard a little sound coming from below, "mmm" and "yumm". I looked down to see Audette carrying around her little bowl (full of other bowls) and putting it up to her mouth. I'm sure it was the most delicious soup she had ever tasted. She even shared some with me. Practice imaginary play with your kid when you have time to play together and then when you need a moment to get something done, they will be able to play on their own.

A darling friend of mine has really learned the key to this. Shalon, a mother of three, has a little boy who loves to imagine and he involves his two little twin sisters in every adventure. He usually is the good guy and the two girls are the arch nemesis (i.e. he plays the angry bird and the girls are the evil egg-stealing pigs), but what a great skill to teach your oldest child that they can help pass on to their siblings!

Oh, and we are just as good at real eating as imaginary eating, at our house. :)

When Daddy Comes Home

Everyone has their own traditions for Daddy or Mommy's big arrival home from work. Or maybe you don't and are looking to start some of your own! For us it is typically just a big hug at the door and we move on to all the rest of what the evening brings: dinner, bath time, cleaning. I am not one to let Eric sit around after work... I'm the mean Mom. But today the sun was shining and our new back patio is so inviting. Plus, I was feeling extra "happy" from my last post, so I decided to prepare a little daddy-daughter snack time.

Sometimes the activities that bring the most joy are the most simple. Our darling neighbor brought these sweet handmade cookies over and they were the perfect snack to occupy these two friends for a couple of minutes.

I love to let these two have one-on-one time together because it is usually Mom doing the chatting. I could hear a lot of little giggles coming from the kitchen door and I was able to do a little bit of unpacking while enjoying this picture perfect scene.

What are your coming home from work traditions? Please share!

Mommy's Mantra: Travel Happy

I haven't posted for the past couple of days because our family has been in a big transition. We began moving in to a house this past week and our life is full of boxes. Moving and change is always an interesting step in your life. For some it comes very easily. I love when I see people close one chapter and open the next with grace. I typically embrace change, but this past transition has been a particularly tough one for me and our family. Some days I have felt pretty unhappy. It is over very trivial speed bumps in our family journey, most of them are so silly that you would probably laugh if I went in to great detail, so I won't. Well, here's a little peek: our family has moved 4 times in the past 3 months and has been living out of three suitcases the entire time. Not a horrible hardship compared to what life brings so many other people, but my little hardship, nonetheless.

I kept thinking that when we finally found our house, life would get better, we would stop arguing, Audette would feel less "tossed around", I would be happier. During two different discussions with my parents, they imparted some wise words of wisdom to help me realize that my hope for our happy future was a little unrealistic. My mom reminded me, "your happiness is up to you." My dad reminded me, "this is your chance to start your next chapter off right." If you know my parents, you know that they have had an incredible journey in life, with so many ups and downs, yet they are still the most wise and loving people I know. They are probably that way because of everything they have been through. I made a decision this past week that I would just "be happy." Every day I am going to find something that frustrates me, exhausts me, annoys me, makes me cry, but I can ignore all of those feelings and travel through this next chapter, just being happy.

The quote is by Margaret R. Runbeck. I follow Great Minds Quotes on twitter and love their daily inspiration.

A couple of dear friends have a blog that is simply fun to read. Someone I look up to posted a wonderful entry on change and transition and finding peace in your journey there. Read the Doe a Deery post here.

Get Wet

Water may not be a big deal for everyone, but it is for me. I grew up in a swimsuit, whether it was at the beach or at the pool. I can't live without it. We didn't waste any time introducing Audette to water either. She went in the pool for the first time when she was 4 months old. (We would have taken her in sooner if the pool had been warm enough.)

Recently, I decided to sign Audette up for swim lessons at a community center because backyard pools just don't exist in Seattle. You can find swim lessons just about anywhere, at community centers, schools with pools or at the YMCA. Ours is a group class for kids ages newborn to 4 years old that is held only once a week for 30 minutes. You're probably thinking, what's the point? That is barely enough time to get in the pool and get out again. I was shocked by all that we do and how much it is helping Audette. The instructor sings songs with the kids and teaches basic skills to the parents, and then he helps us teach our children. Every lesson I keep hearing the same phrase, "You are the ones who will teach your kids how to swim and water safety. I'm just giving you the tools, but it is up to you to keep your kids safe." For someone who dunked their 4 month old under the water the very first time she got in the pool, let's just say that these classes are doing me some good too.

We practice everything with the kids from going under to laying on your back, kicking, arm strokes, hanging on to the side by yourself and jumping in. But probably the best skill we are learning every week is water safety. The first time the instructor had us put our kids on the edge of the pool, he told us to have them sit and not jump in while we said, "wait." It wasn't until we asked them to jump in the pool that they could come in. We're still working on the skill, but I'm realizing how important it is to teach kids safety, even at this age. In fact, I was just reading recently on babycenter.com the following:

Even children who aren't talking yet understand a lot more than they let on. One day your child will surprise you by repeating an oft-heard safety phrase, and as he gets older and really learns to swim, he'll be familiar with the basics of water safety.

Even if Audette doesn't come out of this class the next Mike Phelps, we will be happy if she learns not to jump in the pool without her parents there to catch her.

A darling family that takes the class with us also shared some useful information with me during one of our lessons. They are taking the class with their three-year-old and one-year-old. They said that they wish they had started taking their three-year-old son to the pool at an earlier age because he is very afraid of the water, while his one-year-old sister has no problems. Of course, every child has different personalities, likes and fears, but we even noticed with Audette that you have to ease kids in to something new, especially the pool.

Bubbles

Activities don't get much more straightforward than this one: Bubbles. Hours of happiness. Here's how I use bubbles as my emergency, back-up, when all else fails, I need to get something done toy.

When we can avoid using our car, we will. Walking is my favorite activity, but now that I have a little mover it is getting harder to keep her contained to the stroller on our walks. You may have the same difficulty if you are a runner and you just need your child to stay in the stroller for 30 minutes or more, but want to give them a break every once in a while. On this trip we were headed to the grocery store to pick up diapers, bananas and laundry detergent. You think the girl would be a little happier since the trip was mostly for her.

That's where bubbles come in! They are my go-to "toy" in my diaper bag. When grumpy face is sick of the stroller after a long (or short, in our case) errand, you can easily pull over just about anywhere: grass, cement, bus stop. Pull out the bubbles and suddenly that patch of grass becomes the greatest playground ever.

I credit this simple, yet brilliant idea to Seattle moms. I swear every mom at the playground or park has a bottle of bubbles in her purse. They are always the most popular moms around too. Do it: stash some emergency bubbles in your diaper bag. It will up your game with the kids, wherever you go. You can even find mini tubes of bubbles that are the size of a pen to stick in and refill. I see moms carrying them around all the time, but have yet to find them in stores. If you know where they are, please share. I will update this post once I find them!

FOUND! My dear friend Amy found these pen size bubble bottles at OrientalTrading.com. Thanks friend!

Oh, and Audette likes snacks just as much as she likes bubbles. We always seem to find some snack on sale when we stop by the grocery store. Goldfish and bubbles seemed appropriate.

P.S. Excuse the lack of pictures. I had a hard time blowing bubbles while simultaneously taking iPhone photos. I am sure I looked ridiculous. The grass was also soaking, so I ended up with a very wet behind and knees in my valiant effort to document our bubble fun. But who cares, we were at the lawn under the Space Needle, so it was only tourists laughing at me.