Snowy Cupcakes

We got snow. A lot of it. So to pass the time, we used Janae's 3rd birthday gift, a Sassafras cupcake kit. Not so eco-friendly ingredients but oh so tasty. This one came with a spoon, cupcake liners, cupcake tray, mix, sprinkles, frosting and cute rhyming instructions. I didn't even check the various artificial ingredients it contained but the girls had fun helping mommy in the kitchen and those little cakes were dee-licious with a tall glass of milk. Zebra Mix is a company creating organic baking mix kits for kids. You can purchase simplified kits with mix, frosting and a Safari baking map on Amazon or Shop Organic for about $4.59 and one with all the bells and whistles. I am trying the Zebra chocolate chip cookie kit next time.

Get Creative

We purchased a doll house for my three old yesterday for Christmas. Well, we purchased two of them but one is going back. Janae wanted a Dora Doll House but that one is orange, plastic and kind of gaudy. The one we love is a pink and purple (her fav colors) and hand crafted wood with non-toxic paint Melissa and Doug house. Oh and did I mention the wood one is $40 cheaper on Amazon? So we are furnishing it with the Dora furniture and figures and will probably slap a big ole Dora sticker on the front of it. Toys R Us sells Wooderland, an eco-friendly line featuring non-toxic paints and rubber woods. Little more expensive but very cool.

Rub a dub dub

Vicks Vapor Rub on the feet with some socks is the new miracle rub cough cure in my casa. Snopes says it's undetermined so the discussion is still up for debate. But I use the Vicks Baby Rub on my little 20 month old Belle. This one doesn't contain camphor or menthol like the adult version but the ingredients that do work are the aloe extract, eucalyptus oil, lavender oil and rosemary oil. It's also been known cure toe nail fungus, relieve the pain of tennis elbow and block bad odors. Herbal Medi Care has a natural chest rubs with no chemicals. Happy rubbing.

French Toast Waffles

I got creative this morning. Well I didn't have a choice. Janae wanted pancakes, I wanted waffles but I had no mix and no desire to start from scratch. I had already heated up my orange heart waffle maker when I got Janae to agree to french toast. This is where it gets interesting. I buttered the iron and put an egg battered slice of 100% whole wheat bread on the waffle iron and closed it. And waited. I got excited because the possibilities where endless. The Scoop - They tasted very good and if you leave the bread in the batter another 30 seconds and then cook them on the iron they get quite fluffy. On the second one, I also mixed organic sugar and cinnamon and sprinkled some on top before closing the lid. Tasty.

eh...eh...eh...

Janae has a cough. That won't stop. She coughs and coughs...she wakes herself up from sleeping and then can't get back to sleep. It's a dry cough, she has the sniffles. I feel so sorry for her. I went online and found some home remedies...honey, honey with grape juice, honey with water, cough drops. The honey worked wonders and then I also added in some good old fashioned grape cough syrup. I looked for a homeopathic version at the drug store but no luck Vaporizers are another good thing to use. If anyone has any suggestions, do share. Check this site for other ideas.

Choo Choo

My daughters have a love for music and dancing and Playhouse Disney's Choo Choo Soul has only brought out the dancing queen in them. When these three minute videos come on, the girls go nuts, shakin' and movin' all around the living room. I decided to welcome the frenzy to the car and purchased a $10 gently used cd/dvd set from Amazon. The music is upbeat with R&B beats and there's always a lesson to learn: ABC's with a gospel twist, farm animals and Jump Jump to name a few of the house favs. Another show to get the kids groovin' is Hip Hop Harry on Discovery Kids Network. Yes, don't blink. It's a big ole bear break dancing at a community center with pumped up and choreographed 10 year olds.

Ants on a log

Somehow I tricked Janae into eating celery. Keep in mind she is not a fan of veggies. I include sliced baby carrots or cucumbers in her lunch but she won't touch them. So I threaten her. "No juice box tomorrow if you don't eat those carrots today," I warn her as I drive her and Belle to daycare. I ate one carrot she yells excitedly when I pick her up. I try again. She's a peanut butter addict so when we get home, I slice up a celery stalk and dip it in Trader Joe's Organic crunchy peanut butter explaining to her that mommy loved to eat this when she was a Girl Scout except I also put raisins on it. "Ohhh, I want to be a Girl Scout," she says eyeing the snack. Janae loved it and also agreed to eat peas for lunch. Her sister Belle on the other hand, flashes a dimple when I serve her frozen peas, cucumbers, and broccoli for breakfast.

I go potty

My little Belle woke up with a dry diaper this morning so I rushed her to the potty chair and she tinkled twice. Lately I have been throwing her on the potty before I dip her in the bathtub and when she wrinkles her brow because a numero dos is arriving. She seems to get it. I say "Belle do you have to go pee pee?"She answers then beelines to the bathroom. Most important tip I can provide in this training is be willing to drop what you are doing and unfasten the diaper for a quick try. Also make a routine of when you place them on potty and stick to it. Finally if a slightly older sibling or cousin is present, let them go potty on the big toilet and let your little one watch. Treats work too, so every time they take a spin at it and produce, reward with cheers and a little piece of organic candy. Here is an eco-friendly potty chair and other tips.

One Trick Helper

When I was a little girl in the 70's, cheese hamburger helper was my absolute favorite dinner. I have been looking for a healthier alternative for the girls and I think I struck gold. First off, Janae won't eat ground meat unless it's disguised with noodles and cheese or a red sauce. Here's my magic recipe with Annie's Homegrown Organic Macaroni and Cheese - Boil noodles for 10 minutes and cook ground beef until browned. Mix the cheese pack with 1/3 cup milk and a 1/2 cup of alfredo sauce. Mix sauce with noodles and meat. I served it with some cut up cucumbers and told Janae that this was my favorite dish when I was her age. Now every time I make it, she says, "Oh Mommy, your favorite dish! Mine too!"

Stop the madness

Enough already with kids bringing home 10 pounds of Halloween candy. This year go green on October 31. How about serving up non-candy items like feathers, polished rocks, and bubble bottles instead of 10 mini processed artificially flavored snicker bars? Better for the environment, our little ones tummies and easier on your wallet. Or if you are stuck on tradition, how about ONE mini candy bar or ONE organic lollipop instead of a handful of madness? Visit Green Halloween for more tips and treats. Boo.

Scratchy Scratch

Little Belle had a itchy rash all over her tummy and a little on her shoulders and knees. She would wake up in the middle of the night scratching so I started putting onesies on her so she couldn't lift her shirt to scratch. We visited the doctor a few days ago and she was diagnosed with eczema and prescribed a twice a day treatment of hydrocortisone cream. The itching and rash have almost disappeared although her skin is a little bumpy. Natural remedies include lemon, oatmeal soak, tomato juice, and sun bathing.

I heart Hormel

Finally you can go to a major grocery store and purchase natural affordable deli meat with no nitrites or MSG! I am loving the uncured bacon, and turkey and ham deli meats. I would love for them to create a natural breakfast ground sausage. The deli ham has no preservatives and just six ingredients. My 1.5 year old loves meat so I throw in some with her morning scrambled cheese eggs and with her whole wheat sandwiches.

The 4 minute cookie

After polishing the last three Nestle Tollhouse pre-made cookies, the girls and I were still hungry for more. I got online and grabbed a simple peanut butter cookie recipe that called for no flour. I ended up adding a little bit but I made the dough in ohhh 4 minutes and we were eating them in another 12. The best part is there's no hydrogenated soybean oil or other junk that's in the store bought version. Here is my recipe for the 4 minute peanut butter cookie: 1/2 c crunchy organic peanut butter, 1/2 c organic sugar, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp vanilla, 1/2 egg, 1 tablespoon flour. Pre-heat oven to bake at 350, mix all the ingredients together and then scoop out spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and criss cross fork with sugar. Bake for 12 minutes. Makes one dozen.

Throwing Cookies

I got a call from daycare the other day letting me know both girls had thrown up and I needed to come pick them up. I was doing a few more emails, when my oldest Janae threw up again. When I got to the daycare, my little Belle had joined Janae in the second heat of the Throw Up Olympics. When we arrived home, the "sick" girls ran down the hall and shouted with joy and began to play very hard to my surprise. In the meantime, I had beefed up my knowledge on their condition online and knew they could only have a few tablespoons of water every 5-10 minutes for the first 6-8 hours after vomiting. This didn't go over well, lots of whining and hunger pains going on even with the nod from mommy to drink Sprite. Pretty soon, I had them following me around the house begging for another cracker. I would hand them out like precious gems looking for any signs of nausea and diarrhea. But nothing happened, they only got hungrier. I promised a big bowl of noodles when they awoke from their nap and begged them, literally to go to sleep. When they awoke, everyone felt better, including me. and I served up the BRAT diet of bananas, rice/pasta, apples and toast and the next day they were eating normal food again. Looking back, I think the milk in their oatmeal that morning must have been the culprit.

Tell me a story about teething

I spoke to a mom at daycare about Belle’s’s teething and she recommended I stop by a drugstore and buy some teething tablets by Hylands. These little white homeopathic tablets worked wonders combined with a little Ibuprofen and Hylands teething gel. I give her a dose of all of this right before she goes to sleep and then another dose around 2am or so. The teething gel is 100% natural with no dyes or coloring agents. The tablets are a homeopathic combination of natural ingredients that help with sleeping and decrease pain and irritability. She didn’t like the taste of them first so I dissolved two tablets in a small dish with a ½ teaspoon of water and then used a small dropper to insert the liquid into her mouth. She now likes the taste and will chew them like a vitamin. Hylands also carries ear ache tablets and drops which are quite spendy at around $17.00 a box but I heard they are worth it and much preferred then the dreaded antibiotics.

the simple life

We are in the process of moving and selling our home. And while packing and renting a storage is a pain the ending result of a clutter free home is so worth it. The girls only have one bin of toys, we have eight plates and four glasses. There are five books on the bookshelf and no pictures to dust. I am loving life and thinking as I walk through our bare necessities condo, why do we have so much stuff? And I actually have time to play with the girls and not feel the need to clean. Now when we move in to the new space which, if I get my way, we will have a nice size garage. My declutter plan is to take two boxes in the house each day, go through it and make 3 piles: love it, maybe or hate it. If I love it, it stays in the house, maybe goes in the garage with a date on the box and if I hate it goes to charity. Now the maybe box needs to revisited 6 months to one year later and if I don't need to open it, its new home is the Goodwill.

More teeth please

At sixteen months my little one is still cutting teeth with only eight peeking through. We thought another nasty ear infection was looming, but no just new choppers. She has been awful fussy, low-grade fever, no appetite, sucks on her fingers, and bites my shoulder when I hold her. After some string cheese, a dose of Ibuprofen, and a stint with a frozen turtle teething ring, the clock struck 10 pm. And she still wasn't asleep. I was on the edge of loosing it...got desperate and grabbed an ice cube for her to munch on, a Popsicle to chew, and a teething biscuit. I finally found the baby teething gel and this was the icing. I put some on my finger and rubbed her gums for a couple of minutes and she cooed and sighed and was dreaming in seven minutes. The picture of her here is clearly a cute non-teething moment.

Evil mineral oil

It's in baby powder, baby wipes, lotions, aftershave, makeup, shampoo, detanglers, wall paper strippers, stain removers and the list goes on. Propylene Glycol is a colorless, alcohol based mineral oil. Skin contact has been linked to liver abnormalities and kidney damage and cancer . Good news is there are alternative products without PG. Scroll down to the bottom of this page but here are a few links:

Propylene Glycol-free Children's soaps / shampoos -Natural shampoo
Propylene Glycol-free Tooth paste - Natural Toothpaste
Organic beauty lines for the whole family - Kaia House and Futurenatural
Baby wipes - Seventh Generation and Home made

Kiddie Swaps

Forget what you might be thinking. Kiddie Swaps are for parents to swap out unwanted, gently used kid stuff for some other kid's items. We have held four of these at my work and all have been relatively successful. We have one coming up at the end of July but we are letting people bring their children's stuff in over the next two weeks to an empty office set up with labeled boxes. All the unswapped items are going to a local charity for low income women and kids. Knowing this makes it all the more fun when I am sorting through two and half years worth of toys and clothes.

Drum Roll

I should have known by the 2am screams and fever but I had no clue...I thought my 15 month old was teething so I kept loading her up with ibuprofen. Last Friday, her fever spiked to over 100 and I knew something wasn't right. I took her to urgent care the next day and sure enough she had an ear infection. Look for crankiness, difficult sleeping, tugging at ear, and fever. And if you take her/him to urgent care, make sure they thoroughly check the ear. I made two visits on the first ear infection and the doctor's were too timid checking the ear and gave up before seeing the redness and yucky stuff.

Broken bones

My oldest Janae broke her foot a month ago. Not her fault. She was running to see Papa and just happened to be passing the basketball court and Uncle Joey went back to make a shot and he fell on top of her leg. Then we have ohhhhhh about eight adults telling Janae she was okay, just walk, buck up. Well she refused to walk, thank goodness and we found out two days later it was broken. When a leg is broken, sometimes there is a little swelling, a bone peeking through and a little bruising. Janae's leg had no signs of any of this, so we were clueless. If in doubt, just go to the doctor's office. And then go shopping for shorts, skirts, skorts etc because not many pants will pull up pass the big cast/boot.

They're Killing Us

I am about tired of eating out. We went to that restaurant with the big red goofy bird last night and my two year old, Janae ordered mac n cheese with cantaloupe. I ordered a corn dog and mandarin slices for Belle, the youngest one. Janae inhaled her main dish and wanted more but before she could finish, I threw a few curved noodles Belle's way who greedily smacked most of it down but accidentally knocked over the rest on the floor. Lucky her. Back to Janae. Just as I ordered complimentary seconds for her, she says "I have to go potty." I take her and she not only pees but has diarrhea. Nice. I warn her that she will not be eating Red Robin mac n cheese anymore and she sighs knowing I am right. Here's what I found regarding MSG laden restaurant food. Tip - Read your labels, cut down on eating out and ask for no MSG when you do.

Sleeping Wonders

My girls have been hitting the pillow around 10pm, driving me further into unconsciousness. I emailed our parent group at work and got some fabulous tips. Here's what working for me: I put a sheet on the window to block out the light, sticking to a schedule of putting on pj’s at 7:30pm, last call for food – my 2.5 year old calls this her “goodnight snack”, brushing teeth around 8pm, reading a few books, send the older one to her room while I get the youngest to sleep and lights out…I put the 14 month old to sleep in 10 minutes last night! Two important tips - separate the kids and remain calm while they fuss, just hold them tight with love.

Time Eaters

Last night it seemed time was standing still. I was tired, the kids had caught a second wind and bed time couldn't come soon enough. Here are my top five ways to eat away at the clock with your kids.
1. Give them a nice, long bath with toys
2. Make popcorn, lay out a blanket and have a popcorn picnic - one kernel at a time
3. Show family videos on the TV - go back to birth and work your way to the current year
4. If its nice out, break out the sidewalk chalk and let them decorate the porch and sidewalk
5. Paint with water Activity books - comes with a paint brush, you supply the water (picture shown)

Got a jones for Trader

My new love is Trader Joe's. I bought a dozen nested eggs with no growth hormones, etc for $1.99, green curry Thai sauce in a jar for $2.99, bag of frozen chicken and veggie stir fry with no MSG for $4.99. Trader Joe's brands their own products and those seem to be the best deals, not always organic, but always unique, tasty, and no crazy additives. The girls love going there because there's always food samples, stickers from the cashier and it's really kid friendly.

Stroller Sleepin'

My 14 month old takes her day naps best while moving. Yesterday we had a nice 70 degree day so as she rubbed her eyes and whined, I packed her up in her pink stroller and took a slow mile long walk. 5 minutes in, she was fast asleep. Sometimes we do the car ride naps but with the price of gas, this has become an unreasonable expense. I left her in her sleeping in the stroller for another hour while I ate my lunch.

Digging for grains

Sprouted grains are the new 100% whole wheat. I bought a loaf of 4:9 non-flour bread by Ezekiel. The first week the girls ate it fine as a sandwich - admittedly it is a little bland and harder than the preservative filled loafs we are accustomed to. This week, they protested by eating the insides: turkey and cheese and forgoing the "bread". I am still a believer in sprouted grains as it makes great toast and they usually don't have high fructose corn syrup, sugar, gluten...but I am trying a different brand next time.

Are you hungry?

I have been taking this nutrition class at work that has me changing my whole frame of mind regarding eating. At this point, any changes I make can only make things better. We now eat maple syrup vs lite Ms. Butterworth, Ezkiel sprout bread vs 100% whole wheat, nested organic eggs vs non organic, more fresh veggies like broccoli, cucumbers vs frozen or can veggies and steel cut oats vs rolled oats. As our Nutritionist says, "It's expensive to be healthy and even more to be sick. " Lastly, he likes to remind us to only eat when we are hungry. I am finding that I am really not hungry often...

5 Earthday Kiddie Tips

How can you decrease your kid's carbon footprint?
*Reuse plastic snack bags or put snacks in little plastic bowls with lids
*Use less wipeys since these aren't recyclable.
*Say no to bottled water and opt for tap water - your kids need the fluoride anyways
*If there are no obvious stains on their clothing, fold it and let them wear it one more time.
*Hand me downs are cool & toys from other kids are better - get rid of it!

Bye Bye baba

My little one has been successfully weaned from nursing. I did this by eliminating her least favorite nursling's first and making these changes every 5 days or so until we got down to her most favorite nursing and then I went down to feeding her every other day, then every three days...

Luckily she loves cow's milk but she also loves her bottle and I have heard so many stories about babies and their bottles. Plus when they get attached to the bottle, it's harder to potty train them as they take in more fluid from a bottle. So I have not successfully weaned her from the bottle and I put her milk in a sippy cup...Mommy's tired...I think I need a baba now.

It's raining...let's play outside

I am a cold person. Not my heart, but when I go outside, I need to have long sleeves on, a coat, pants, etc. So when Janae wants to go outside to play and it's raining, I say no. But things have changed since I heard Nancy Blakey speak about taking your kids outside and turning off the TV. Now, I don't know if I will completely turn off the latter but I am increasing the outdoor time ASAP. Nancy suggests creating boxes for dress up, for playing outside, for craft projects. And every time the kids get bored, pull out a box, turn off the TV and make them get creative. It's all about creating unstructured activities. Most importantly, we as parents are creating childhood memories for our children. This is our job and our most vivid memories as adults are playing outdoors. Go Outside!

Birthday on the cheap

Is it possible to throw a birthday party for 30 people under $100? I think it is and we shall see come September. Our little one turned one today and we had her party this past Sunday and it was about $250. We are thinking, a pot luck for the next party will bring costs down as the total number coming will not change since it's all family attending. We were going to do pizza for this last party but we are pizza snobs so the cheapest kind we like is about $24 a pie. We had Italian food ($180) catered and we had the left overs for dinner. I also ran a few inexpensive kid games as I had about 10 sweet faces to entertain. We did pin the tail on the bunny (cost of cotton balls), an inside Easter egg hunt ($10 with plastic eggs and candy) and a cotton ball spoon race down the hallway. Winners received a small chocolate bunny (.44cents ea.) and everyone took home a goodie bag with items I bought from the Target $1 area. Even in this area, I got cheaper, as I only bought $1 items that came in at least sets of 3-5. For Laney's 2nd birthday I made a duncan hines Dora cake ($3 cake mix) with a gifted Dora cake tin pan. My sister who is a cake decorating snob, flipped out and bought icing to make it look pretty. This time, I let her make the whole thing. She made an impressive pretty princesses cake (see photo) and I hope she didnt spend more than $20 on decorating it.

Bye Bye Dora

I've been turning off the TV more. When we get home from daycare/work, I let the kids roam around while I get dinner ready. The easiest thing to do is turn on the TV. But I don't even though I like listening to the news while I cook. Instead the girls play and chatter is the background noise or I put on a kid's music CD. Sometimes at the end of the meal, I might turn on Dora or Little Bear but that's after Janae as eaten most of her dinner otherwise she gets distracted and won't eat while the TV hums.

What's for lunch?

With my first child Janae, I got stressed when I thought of feeding her; I kept thinking she would choke on a cheerio. With my second approaching her first birthday, I feel like I am professional feeder. For Belle's lunches, I make a sandwich out of a slice of whole wheat bread, 2 slices of deli chicken and a couple of slices of cheddar cheese and then I chop it up in little bite size portions. I also cut about 15 grapes in half or any fruit and pair all that up with some little cheddar multi-grain baked fishies.

For lunch or dinner, I heat up canned low sodium soups and add frozen peas and carrots. I strain the juice off for my little one but my toddler now loves to drink the broth. Their favorite soups are the Campbell's Select low sodium Italian Wedding Soup with little meatballs, spinach and small rice noodles. I always keep a frozen bag of peas to add some green to anything they are eating. Whether it's mac n cheese, spaghetti or pizza.

Cereal desserts

I am in love with General Mills anything. For the past few weeks, my after dinner dessert has been Reese's Puffs - peanut butter and chocolate puffs with whole grain goodness. Today, I bought a box of Fruity Cheerios (healthier Fruit Loops) and Chocolate Cookie Cookie Crisp. Now I know these are not the best for me, but much better than me baking a few dozen peanut butter or chocolate chip cookies which has been the go to dessert. My daughters love munching on these cereals and we have also discovered Kix. Since 2005, all General Mills cereals are made with whole grains. The higher your intake of whole grains, the lower your risk for diabetes, certain types of cancer, heart disease and obesity. Nuff said.

The new pacifer

I love gummy bears so when my husband bought home the vitamin kind from Costco, I got joyful. How perfect, my favorite treat with nutrients for my daughter. Lately, this sweet bear has become a pacifier. I pop one in my two year old's mouth as she wakes up cranky or when she sits on the toilet to take her first tinkle. I bite off a little for my 11 month old and another for my oldest as they get settled in their car seats. The ride to daycare is eased if but for savory moments as the sugar pours into their tummies. Oh, and yes Mommy gets a couple too.

We play

Lately I have been really focusing on my kids when I get home from work. I try and do all the big cleaning while they eat dinner and then join them as they finish up. After dinner we usually play in their room and often times I would bring in a load of laundry to fold while they played. But lately I let go of my need to have folded laundry and just play and really enjoy my time with them. Even when they take baths, I have take a magazine in to read while they splash, but lately I sit on the edge of the tub, play and talk with them.

Positive Discipline

Positive time outs? Yes, your kid messes up and you give them time to "regroup". Not in a dark closet or in the bathroom on a cold floor but in their room with a teddy bear. Sometimes the child wants to be near you for the time out or by themselves. But give them time to think about what just happened in a positive space.

I just organized and attended a Parents Brown Bag at my work on this subject of positive discpline. "A misbehaving child is a discouraged child," our speaker said. She introduced and advised the balanced "backbone" parenting style of high kindess and high firmness. What really opened my eyes was making a list of all the things we wanted our children to be at 18 years of age. Our list included: sweet, lovable, responsible, independent, balanced, and secure. Of course we all want this little perfect person in the end but as Melanie showed us, we have to role model it first. Show them consistently the person we want them to be.

Cooking for the masses

I have a friend who makes spaghetti sauce twice a year. He cooks HUGE portions and then freezes them in those reusable Glad/Ziploc containers with the blue lids. We eat spaghetti once a week and I need to make a habit of cooking bigger portions so I am not repeating what could of have been done once instead of four times a month. Even if I could enough for one month that would be a huge win on time for me.

My Friends Tips - Food

Pancakes - I take out the griddle and make a huge batch of pancakes for the week. I put three pancakes in each zip lock bag and store in the refrigerator. Every morning I grab a bag and throw it in the microwave.

Trail Mix - We use cold cereal (honeycomb, cheerios, honey wheat rice chex…something crunchy), sweet raisins, peanuts or honey roasted peanuts, chocolate chips or peanut butter chips, goldfish crackers, coconut, banana chips. We make a huge batch and stick in little snack baggies. She eats it all the time.

Smoothies - We make fruit smoothies and freeze them in red keg cups. When our little one wants one we just nuke it for a few seconds, stir and we are good to go. I add protein powder on occasion.

Tag your it

I have this really good friend, her name is Sharpie. You know how on flickr.com and even this blog site, you can tag your pictures or blogs with keywords. Well, I have moved this latest rage to my house. For instance, I just bought a new case of wipeys, took the sharpie out and tagged each container with the name where it will reside. The key thing here is to keep the container in the tagged room. The one labeled bathroom stays in the basket in the bathroom on top of the toilet and the one in the bedroom stays in the basket with the diapers next to the bed. I also tag my big ziploc bags with "Belle''s Diapers" and "Janae's clothes". Do not underestimate the sharpie. The sharpie is your friend. Embrace your sharpie.

My Friends Kiddie Tips - Coming Home

Some advice my mother always gave me was as a working
mom, as soon as you arrive home at the end of your
work day, give your children 15-30 minutes of your
full attention before starting dinner or your other
mommy chores and they seem to be much more content
playing and not so klingy for your attention!

Ikea

Ikea had their twice yearly sale and the girls and I went yesterday. I bought some great deals to decorate their room and organize. My favorite were these little boxes with lids http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80098583 I bought six of them and placed puzzle pieces, game pieces, crayons in them. I want more boxes. Like now. I could use them in the kitchen, bathroom...

Ikea is so kid friendly. In the restaurant area they have a little area for kids to play, family friendly bathrooms with nursing and diaper changing rooms, and a little daycare to drop off the wee-ones. Lunch was $6.27 for three of us and their meatballs and gravy are delicious!

My Friends Kiddie Tips - cloth diapers

I use old school white cloth diapers for everything...I have at least 20 burp cloths if any of the girls get a cold, as they are softer on the nose than tissue and great to use as a changing pad for poopies – cozier than portable plastic pads. Use as a cover up when nursing. You can then bleach them to sanitize them for the next time and they are pristine clean!

Kiddie Clutter

As some of you know, I am on a journey to clear my home of kiddie clutter. Easier said than done. The other day, I removed their bin of toys from our living room and our bedroom. I am officially reclaiming our adult space. I also "retired" a bin of their toys and placed them in my closet and will exchange them out in a month. Less toys, less mess for mommy to clean up. Less mess, and a happier mommy? Sure...