Toddler Soup

I've been told that, as parents, we are building a brain for the first five years. So, on this rainy afternoon we made "toddler soup". I had bagged up four different herbs: dill, oregano, Italian parsley and mint. I brought out a simmer pot and lid, a measuring cup with water, then laid it all out on the kitchen counter on top of a towel. 

We identified, smelled and plucked each herb one by one into our "soup". We put it over low heat and let it simmer. It made the house smell like an Asian apothecary but it was worth it as we poured it into bowls and pretended to slurp it down, picture a soup "tea party". 

Time elapsed: seventy minutes. It filled the time between dinner and bath with something new and interesting for B.

What are some activities you do with your toddler on rainy afternoons?

Family Vacations (and other things I hate about summer)

Whack! Right in the eye!! OWWWWW! Was that a TOE?? Jeez! These are sounds I hear in the night as we co-sleep with our toddler on "vacation". I put that in quotations because I really don't think driving to visit family qualifies as a vacation. It's more of a summer task. Yes, I love my parents (in small doses) and my siblings, but I don't like getting the queen (which felt like a twin) bed to share with our child, in the guest room decorated by Aunt Rita in 1979. I don't like the squish of pink carpet between my toes. I abhor fabric softener that smells like a mix of eau de toilet and fertilizer. Are those mothballs on the Laura Ashley comforter?

My brother, who's also visiting with his wife and children pokes his head into the bathroom (still no privacy) asking if I want orange juice with my pancakes. I nod in a sort of a stupor, hadn't I left all of this behind in high school, and then I yell through the closing door "with VODKA!"

Bon Voyage!

Sequins... (and other things that don't flush)

It was a hot and steamy summer morning. I needed to entertain B while I got ready for the day. I thought I was being so swift with my "Pinterest-esque" idea of having him play with shaving cream, sequins and "mouse-ka-tools". I figured he would smell "fresh and clean" once we washed it all off.

My perfect plan went down the shitter, well, almost. As we are in FULL potty training mode I have been leaving our main floor toilet open and accessible for B to use. When I came to investigate a banging sound, I found him emptying the last few bits of "glitter" into the toilet with the "sprinkler" (a.k.a recycled Parmesan cheese shaker). When our eyes met, he quickly flushed and threw down the shaker like a college co-ed throws the weed in the toilet when the RA walks in (or so I've seen on TV). As the toilet water rushed down the drain, the pee followed, but a few seconds later, bloop bloop bloop, a little shimmering rainbow reappeared. Oh joy. At least it wasn't poop mixed with sequins, right? 

What's your favorite toddler toilet tale?

Start a Children's Book Club!

What are your favorite books to read (and re-read) to your toddler?

Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas: Children's Book Week - Share Your Favorite Childre...: Did you know this week is Children's Book Week ? It is & I have a fun book filled week in store for you! Today, I am g...

Carousels (and other things that make my head spin)

Round and round we go, will the whining stop, nobody knows!?! What is it about a toddlers apparent deep seeded desire to sabotage their parents every effort to create "fun family memories"?? 

Someone once told me that everywhere you go with your kids until age twelve is for them to make memories, usually at the expense of the parents sanity. Of course, I thought, "not me, I love doing childish things like going to Disney World and riding carousels", oh how wrong I was. I loved doing those things when I wasn't compelled to deal with nap schedules, potty training and apply zinc sunscreen (read white goop everywhere) to a slimy octopod. 

So, why do we do it? Why do we pay good money, or should I say overpay, for park entrances, crappy fried food and mediocre entertainment? Why can't I be happy in my own back yard all summer? It's perfectly nice, lots of toys, the bathroom is clean (most of the time) and I can trust the food. Are we sadists? 

What's been your favorite place to spend family time this summer?

Happy 4th of July!!

I wish my toddler and my animals knew it was a holiday, then they may have let the house sleep in, but noooooo, not gonna happen! Up early and crabby, B wanted to "go on an adventure" but every step of the way in getting to our adventure he dug his heels in. Brushing teeth, nooo! Putting clothes on, nooooo! (He would prefer to be naked 24/7) Getting in his car seat, heck no! By the time we were packed and in the car I was already exhausted!! Thank God for Starbucks and a shady spot. Big Daddy played with B while mommy took a break...daydreaming of a custard swirl on a cake cone, or a margarita, whichever comes first :)

Sand & Water (and other tales of toddler terrorism)

Let me paint the picture for you: a beautiful hot July day, sprinkler going, kiddie pool with a slide, lots of pouring containers, a sandbox and friends. It should have been a fun-filled, joyful day, not a tearful discipline-riddled one.

B has known these children since before he could walk. They have played together nearly once a week for two years. They always play so well together. Not today. B decided today would be the day to test his limits. He persisted in testing his limits about every twenty minutes for three hours straight. 

Throwing sand at one friend, pushing another down the kiddie slide, pouring a bucket of water over another and clapping his hands around the cheeks of his littler friends. This move looked straight out of a scene from the WWF Smack Down (World Wrestling Federation) although I'm positive he's never seen that series or this type of behavior displayed. Is it just in the DNA of all little boys? Is it a phase? Am I raising a demon? 

Share your tales of toddler terrorism...