Toddler Activities

Found this website when I was looking for some activites / crafts for Matthew: http://www.preschoolexpress.com/toddler_station.shtml. Lots of good ideas!

I am also a HUGE fan of this book.  It has a lot of great activities for toddlers and preschoolers that you can do with stuff you already have around your house.  It also teaches you how this "play time" is actually "learning time."



On another site I found an idea to fill up a container with rice and let him play with it. I had an old oatmeal container that I filled 1/4 full with rice and then gave him some small tupperwarelike bowls. He had a blast! He was very excited to show it to daddy when he came home. The only problem is that he took the new oatmeal container (still filled with oatmeal) and kept saying "rice mama rice" :-)

One Year Later (+8 days) and I am back

I am back and ready to start blogging again. Since I last posted, we had another baby girl, Maria on July 4th -- the same day as her brother -- only two years later. Life is busy (but very good) with 2 kids. She is making it easy on us because she is already sleeping through the night. She was a good sleeper to begin with and when I swaddle her, she becomes even better (Yeah!!)

Less is More

We hear "less is more" all the time, but I was thinking about it yesterday as I was cleaning. Now that my son is walking, our coffee table has been disassembled and put under our couch, our side tables have been completely cleared of everything except the lamp....and now dusting downstairs hardly takes any time at all. And this is when I thought, less is more. Because I have less things to clean, I have more time to spend with my family and work on our business. Yeah!! Maybe I won't ever put it back?

My Reading List

I decided to start posting my media list online.

You can find the link on the side of my blog or click http://jmagro.googlepages.com/home to see what I am reading, listening to, or watching.

Getting to Work On time

I started going to bed earlier and getting up earlier. It has made a huge difference in my day. Getting up at 6AM before anyone else in the house is up (including our dog who just looks at me and falls back asleep) has given me a head start on my day.

My shower is peaceful, my breakfast is enjoyable, my coffee is enjoyed while reading a good book. I am able to greet my son and husband with a smile instead of a half awake face. I started doing it because I was thinking that when I was working, no matter how late I went to bed the night before I still had to get up at the same time. I knew that being a mom is a job (every mom does), but I decided to apply the same "get to work on time" principal to my day. And I love it. Just like I used to when I was the first one in the office at work.

Garage Sales - Little Tikes

Yesterday I went to one of the best neighborhood garage sales I have ever been to. All the houses in the brand-new neighborhood cost at least $800,000+. I couldn't believe some of the stuff I saw. People were selling stuff that was still in the stores. And most of the people with garage sales were selling baby/kid stuff. I got my son a Little Tikes Workshop for $8. My sister and I had the kitchen version when we were growing up and loved it. I brought it home and washed it (Lysol Sanitizing wipes are the best!) and the he really likes it. I had to take away some of the parts because he is still too small for them, but he likes what is left to play with a lot.

I couldn't get some of the crayon off of it so I went the Little Tikes website and found the following advice on Little Tikes products...

On if they offer a parts catalog: Sorry, we do not have a parts catalog. Due to the ever-changing products we manufacture, it would be difficult to maintain an accurate printed parts listing. For parts ordering assistance: * E-mail us using the contact form found on our website. * Fax us at (330) 650-3875. * Write to The Little Tikes Company, P.O. Box 2277, Hudson, OH 44236-0877 ATTN: Consumer Service. *MasterCard, Discover, and Visa accepted.

On cleaning Little Tikes Products: The best method of cleaning plastic is to use hot water and a detergent solution with a soft bristled brush. We do not recommend one brand of cleaning product over another....I haven't tried this yet, but when I do, I will let you know what detergent(s) I use and which works.

I also discovered that you can buy things directly from their website and for usually cheaper than on Amazon or other places....www.LittleTikes.com

Almost forgot...

Here is the webpage that goes with the book from my post yesterday. www.flylady.net
you can find most of the info in the book on the website for free. The book just has it in a more logical format.

Why I love Checklists

Ever since reading Sink Reflections (great book on how to manage a home realistically) I have been a big fan of checklists. I don't follow everything that the author suggests, but I have used many of her ideas to develop my own system for keeping my house clean.

Today I was putting that little check mark under "vacuum the floors' (Tuesday's chore - my least favorite) and I felt so good I wanted to go ahead and do Wednesday's task just so I could add another check mark to my calendar.

2 Poems

Here are two poems I wrote shortly after my son was born. He turned one on Tuesday, the 4th of July. I can't believe it.

Matthew's Poem
You were given to us on the fourth of July
Our gift from God above

You’re beautiful your daddy cried As he hugged your mommy tight
We looked at you and couldn’t believe the miracle we held
A perfect boy with life ahead so brilliant and so bright

Now I have a prayer for you I’d like to share today
I pray to God and Jesus his Son
John 3:16 becomes your prayer
So you live out his promise for you in Romans 8:28

I pray for us your parents
For wisdom, patience, love
So in all we do we nurture you to lead you as you grow

I pray for all your teachers
To guide your precious soul
So that all your learning guides you with your serving

I pray for you and your friends
To always be a support
So that you will love each other and laugh along the way

I pray that God prepare a wife
To build a family with you
So you can learn the joy we felt when we first saw you

I pray that when the trials come
To test you on your way
You look to God and say to him “please show me the way today”

I pray these things for you each and every day
So when you meet your Savior in heaven
he says these words to you
“Well done my good and faithful servant.
You’ve run an amazing race
Here’s the place I made for you I am so proud of you” Amen

--------------------
Joy
There’s a new boy in town
His name is Matthew M.

He smiles, giggles, coos, and talks
All about his day

His hair is brown and fuzzy
It really quite a spike

His tummy’s round and full of life
To keep him warm at night

His eyes are full of joyous song
That look right to your heart

This Matthew M is quite a boy
He gives us so much joy

Make Your Own Toys - Post 2

If you scroll below you will see my idea for a make your own water play table. Here is another toy I came up with using my son's formula container.

I cut a hole in the top. He likes to try to put all of his blocks and various things he finds around the house in the canister.

I also filled another one with some dried split peas (small enough so that if it opens up he won't choke on them if he eats one). He likes this too and we get it out whenever I put his baby cd on so he can make some music.

If you have any toy ideas, post them in the comments section. If you have a picture, email me and I will post it here on the main page.