I Want To Put My Feets In! by Tomato Mama

This afternoon Pickle and I were playing with some Moon Sand in his sensory box. We had the tractors out, some "brick" molds, and some cookie cutters I was using for tracing some felt. He grabbed the cookie cutters and started trying them out in the sand. He cut shapes into the sand, molded with them, and stacked them up to let the tractors fill them up. This was all nice clean ( ish) fun. Then, the socks came off.

"Pickle, why are you taking your socks off?"

"Don't look at me Mama." (Uh-oh, that's never a good sign!)

"Do you want to try putting your feet in the sand?" ( He always does this in the sandbox, I had a pretty good hunch this was where this was heading.)

"Yes please!!!!!! I wanna put my feets in the sand to see if it tickles!"

How could I say no to that? He put his feet in. It did tickle.

It was also cold and soft. It was fun, it got messy, and it was learning! Kids want to explore the world with their entire selves. They are storing all of this information and putting it together in their heads to figure out this amazing world. Yes, it got messy. Do I care? Ok, I kind of care. Moon Sand sometimes drives me crazy because it ALWAYS sneaks out of whatever container we put it in. The clean up (which Pickle assisted me in) didn't take long, and it was worth it. Will we do it every day? No, but I'm glad we did.  Now, who knows what he will think up next time. I can't wait to see!

Kitchen Adventures: Serving the Rainbow in Bowls by Duck Momma

Goose will be six months old on Monday. I can't believe time has flown by already. We are now embarking on exciting new adventures as we begin tasting what the world has to offer. I am excited for this stage, I will not be relying solely on jars of food. I want her to start out with wide base for food. Not only is food something that can be enjoyed in so many ways, but I want to broaden her horizon and tastes. I will be sharing our adventures in home creations. I am armed with highly recommended cookbooks for babies, as well as knowledge and encouragement from Baby Led Weaning sources, and with my own enthusiasm for cooking and fresh ingredients. This will be a messy sticky ride I'm sure.

The trickiest thing about being a mom looking for advice or suggestions, is that no one has the absolute right answer. There are a million ways to do things. And for anyone who is in the same boat, I'm sure you know what I mean. I am finding that its good to take in lots of options (make sure you have sound sources) and tailor your actions and choices to you and your baby. You are the expert on your baby, its fantastic and terrifying. This goes for all aspects of parenting I think. 

So branching out slowly, we have discovered peaches and cinnamon, pears and ginger, fresh bananas (fun to hold), sweet potatoes and cinnamon. We can't wait to  try simple baby "meals" and I will be posting successes as well as terrific failures. On the docket soon: beautiful bright beets, tasty turnips, avocados, avocado banana guacamole, eggplant,  and more. We are going to sample the rainbow, not only new experiences for her but for Momma too! (what in the world do you do with turnips or beets? Stay tuned!)

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Kitchen Adventures by Duck Momma

Here at our home on the pond, we eat at home most of the time. And Most of the time little Goose is with me in her little saucer watching me work. I show her what I am blending, mixing, or mashing. She watches things simmer, smells good things baking, and hears all the sounds. Some of my earliest and best memories are with my mom in the kitchen and I want to pass that to my little one.

So what do honey and chili powder have in common. . . well nothing right now but I'm sure she will dream up some lovely recipe for them in the future. I am collecting sturdy and standout items for her little kitchen someday. I used to make woods soup when I was little (and was always offended when no one would try my muddled mixture of bark, berries, leaves, etc.) I moved on to my Easy Bake  which turned out some interesting creations(I rarely used packaged mixes). And God bless my dad, he would bravely taste them and then enthusiastically ask me to make more of whatever it was for him to take to work the next day. I was so thrilled and proud. . . I can't imagine what his poor stomach went through.

The things I learned by experimenting and testing the limits of will with my family, did eventually turn me into the cook and foodie I am today. Its something I am really proud of and I love to share that. So now I look forward to sharing my love for food and all that it entails with Goose. Someday too soon, she will be big enough for her own little kitchen and it will be well stocked with tools for her imagination.

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A Beautiful Brownie Variation by Duck Momma

Best brownies ever + peanut butter = Happy Momma

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Alphabet Energy Burner! by Tomato Mama

How do 3 year olds have so much energy? Mine never stops moving. He at such a busy, interesting, curious age and I love it! I feel so bad for him when we are stuck inside and I'm always looking for ways to help him burn off some of that energy. This morning alone we had a pillow fight, played hide and seek, and chased each other around in the snow. After all of this, he was still full of energy so I decided it was time for the ABC game.

I cleared some space on the rug and spread around some stuffed ABC's I made a little while back. Then I called out different instructions that Pickle could act out.

Put your head on an H...

Run in circles around the K...

Put one foot on the D...

The possibilities are endless. Some other favorites are...

-Run as fast as you can to...

-Go do a dance on...

-Put one finger on...

-Shake your booty next to...(Wish I could have gotten a good shot of this one, it's hilarious!)

-Put your ear on...

-Go sing a song to...

-Go Tickle...

You get the idea. In nicer weather we draw the letters on the driveway and do this activity there. If you don't have stuffed letters you can always put down pieces of paper with letters drawn on them. This idea is not only great for running off steam, but it is an opportunity to work on letters, shapes, colors, body parts, you name it! 

Mommy Journal by Duck Momma

bKeeping a journal is such a great way to record and reflect on moments in your life. My mom kept a journal for me and it is one of the most treasured items I own. I absolutely treasure my family and little momentos that reflect our past. It is a book that provides little prompt questions, places for recipes, pictures, and personal notes. It is so wonderful. I have read it cover to cover, like the best collection of stories ever, because it is.
The journal I have started for Goose is a handmade made and painted journal by an artist I found on Etsy.com. It just screamed at me. All those individual doors are so unique, just like every doorway or path we choose through life. I have a family tree started and have written down songs that my mom sang to me, that I now sing to her, as well as songs I sing her (like Irish folk songs).
I want to write down stroies from my childhood, recipes, funny stories featuring her as a baby, advice. . . I want this to be something for her to have forever, maybe even pass on to her children. Even if it just makes her smile once, if she thinks, " My mom really loves me" it will all be worth it.

On the left is a journal my mom kept for me. It has all sorts of memories and stories.
On the right is the journal I am keeping for Goose. It will include everything from a family tree, songs we sing, stories, memories, recipes,  and advice.

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Adoption Day! by Duck Momma

Every year I get to celebrate my Adoption Day. It is one of the most special days of the year, very much like a second birthday. How lucky am I? Really, how blessed am I; I have a mom and a dad who waited so long and wanted me. They adopted me when I was two weeks old, February 22 is the day everything was finalized.

It wasn't always easy being adopted. When I was little, I sometimes worried that it was just a piece of paper that said I belonged in this family. But my mom would always hug me close and explain it was more than paper, it was love and answered prayers. I have always known I was adopted and have always been very proud. My parents were always very open and it was never a scary or negative thing. Its part of who I am. Sometimes kids in school didn't understand or even believe I was adopted, it was a foreign concept to them, that was hard too, but I was still proud and I helped shine light on the subject.

My Mom and Dad on a family vacation

I am so unbelievably grateful for the amazing family I have. My parents are such amazing supporters, teachers, role models, mentors, friends. . . I could never ask for more. In fact, I pray I can follow in their footsteps as I raise Goose with my husband. My mom and dad encouraged me to always be me. They are the most loving giving people I know. I love you two so much, I could never have asked for anything more.

I always like to take time, especially today, to reflect on how grateful I am for the friends I am blessed with as well. They are my family too, and I wouldn't be where I am today without them. They are awesome cheerleaders, cried upon shoulders, laughing buddies, and more. They have sat and watched silly shows in the dark while I was down, they have supported me when I thought I would never have a baby, they picked me up and had the greatest patience, they have celebrated my victories, and soothed my defeats.  I love you all.

And to my husband, you are my best friend. My strength. My calm. You are my Superman. I love you.



My Mom and me on Apple Day 2009



I am blessed.