Ready for Summer

We are now officially ready for summer. Thanks to a wonderful anniversary gift from Nana and PopPop, we purchased a new patio set for the backyard this weekend. We enjoyed our first meal of burgers, hot dogs, and potato salad on it that night, now we are ready to have friends over for a big BBQ. Who is up for it?

Mother's Day Gifts

I'm a little late posting photos of LP's Mother's Day gifts this year, but that's because we finally got together to celebrate this weekend. LP worked very hard on these and was so excited to give them. Her godmother, Auntie La, got a tote bag since she never cooks, but I forgot to take a picture of it this weekend.

Nana's Apron: LP told me that her Nana loves rollercoasters because they get to scream on them, so she drew a rollercoaster for her. There is a sun and raincloud and rain drops in the sky, flowers along the ground and a rollercoaster cart with people in it on the left side.


Nannie's Apron: LP drew a picture of Spooky, Nannie and Grandpa's cat. Spooky is black and white, but we didn't have a black fabric marker, so LP focused on the green eyes and pink nose.


Eka's Apron: LP drew Eka a large flower around her name with a stem going halfway down the apron, and apparently at the bottom is a person. I'm guessing all the spots are freckles or something?

99 Bottles of Wine on the Wall

Bobu came over on Friday to help LP Dad get the hot water working in the kitchen sink again. He also brought a great present for LP Dad's birthday, a wine rack for our pantry. I don't think it will actually hold 99 bottles, but I think it will hold 40-50 so we're going to have to start stocking up!

A Very Special Flower

On Thursday, LP brought home a special Mother's Day present she made in preschool. I finally got to open it this morning and I love it. She made the card herself, painted the flower and added the stickers. This is one flower I will definitely keep forever.

Gifts for Mom

Just a little reminder that Mother's Day is this weekend. I'm a little late with my post this year, but if you have already taken care of a Mother's Day gift, you can tuck this idea away for another time. Even though you don't have time to get the finished necklace before Sunday, it would still make a wonderful gift as a kit or a gift certificate. I am glad that I was involved in the actual process, LP Dad gave me the kit and we did the cast together as a family. Everytime I look at my necklace I remember sitting with my husband and my daughter, laughing at our practice attempts.

I have had my fingerprint necklace from Tina Steinberg for over a year now and still receive compliments on it all the time. A little silver polish is all it takes to keep it looking brand new, and I love having a little bit of LP with me even when she's at school. I find myself feeling her tiny little print when she isn't with me, almost as a subsitute for holding her hand. She loves to put her finger back in the print to see how much she has grown.

One of the most common questions (after where it is from) is whether she has options for moms with more than one child. She now has many different options for multiple fingerprints, whether you want one charm with all the prints on it, or individual prints put together in one piece of jewelry.




She other has other types of mom jewelry now, my favorites is the round glass pendant with your children's names.



All photos in this post are the property of Tina Steinberg and are posted with permission.

Pigtail Hat

It took LP awhile to grow hair. I think her hair has grown more in the last year than in the two years before that combined. Now that she has enough for pigtails, she asks to have them all the time. Once the weather started getting colder we ran into an issue, how to wear a hat with her pigtails.

Nana to the rescue again! She knitted LP a hat with special pigtail holes, so she can look cute and stay warm at the same time. Thank you Nana, it is perfect!

Butterflies

Uncle Dave and Uncle Michael gave LP a wonderful Christmas gift, butterflies to watch over her while she sleeps. Uncle Michael found these beautiful butterflies made out of feathers and decided that they had to go in LP's room. Uncle Dave made a perfectly balanced mobile out of them, it is delicate enough that just breathing is enough to set them in flight. LP decided they needed to hang directly over her head, we both love laying in her bed watching them fly.

Keeping Warm

A great big thank you to Nana for LP's new pink hat. It has already kept her warm on our fall outings and LP is very proud to wear it. We all had fun turning off the flashlights to watch it glow during our trip through the corn maze, I still can't believe you found glow-in-the-dark yarn to knit it with!

A Birthday Present

With a paintbrush, a canvas, and 4 colors of paint, Lilypad Princess put her artistic talent to work to create a birthday present for Lilypad Dad.




The finished piece, all set to be hung in his locker.

My New Toy

Everyone needs to get a toy for your birthday, no matter how old you are. This weekend we finally got out to get my birthday present, my toy for this year. It is a Polar F6 Heart Rate Monitor. Now I can really make the most of my workouts. And as the weather gets nicer, I can turn my walks with Lilypad Princess into useful workouts as well by making sure that my heart rate reaches my target zone while pushing her on her bike.

Alder Smoked Salt

For my birthday, Jumpin' J and his mom and dad sent me a grinder of Salish, Alder Smoked Salt from Saltworks. It is a Pacific Sea Salt that is slow smoked over real alderwood, and a wonderful way to add authentic smoked flavor with no strange aftertaste. They recommend using it for cooking fish, chicken, steak or to top a creamy pasta dish.

My favorite use for it so far has been on my leftover steamed chicken and vegetables. I sprinked on a little bit of lime juice, then some of the salt. The smokiness of the salt and tartness of the lime juice made the perfect contrast and made a very healthy meal delicious. Actually now that I'm talking about it, I want it again! I've also tried it sprinkled on popcorn for a lot of flavor without all the calories of butter.

Thank you Jumpin' J and parents!

Lilypad Likes: Ladybug Magazine

A new issue of Ladybug Magazine just came the other day. Nana and PopPop got Lilypad Princess a subscription for Christmas this year. She is so proud to get her own magazine in the mail, and we love snuggling in the chair together to read it at night.

Ladybug is a magazine for 3-6 year olds. Each issue contains stories, poems, songs, and activities to enjoy together. You can find more information about the magazine here and read through a sample issue here.

A Playdate, A Shower, and A Bath

Today's playdate was also a small baby shower for Buby's mom and little sister on the way. All the running around yesterday that led to such a special day was for pink and green plates, Bebe's colors. It was all worth it though, I was happy with the way the table came out and even the Gerbera Daisies were the perfect color pink. Blue House Mom, Barefoot Princess's mom and I all think alike, not only were all the gifts for Bebe wrapped in the same pink and green, but they all had pink polkadots as well.


As the girls arrived, the dress-up immediately began, so poor Buby arrived to a house full of princesses. They spent lots of time playing, jumping, and trying to share (although Lilypad Princess had some issues with that today) until hunger got the best of everyone and it was time to eat.

After all the food was done, it was time for the kids to create their own gifts for Bebe. Each one received a new, white onsie and a tube of fabric paint. Things went downhill quickly from there. Buby stuck to his one tube of blue, made some nice lines, took one look at the girls and quickly ran away from the ensuing mess.

Lilypad Princess, Barefoot Princess, and Munchkinetta quickly learned how much fun sharing the paint could be when you started mixing colors, especially with your hands.

LP's work in progress


BP's work in progress


LP showing off the artwork on her hand



(Thank you to Buby's mommy for this picture)

This "shower" quickly turned into a joint bath for Lilypad Princess and Munchkinetta after they decided to take the paint to their bellies as well as the onsies. Fabric paint apparently doesn't wash off of skin very easily though, so both girls still have multi-colored bellies.

Here are the final products for Bebe.

Munchkinetta                                Barefoot Princess

Buby                                                Lilypad Princess

Lilypad Likes: Dragonstone Castle

Lilypad Princess received her Christmas gift from her Aunt Christina today, Dragonstone Castle by Haba. It is the cutest soft "book" that can be opened up wide or formed into a box to make a castle. It also comes with a princess, knight, and dragon. The castle folds flat and all the pieces fit back into the plastic bag with a handle to take anywhere with you.

Lilypad Princess loves it, we spent a good portion of the afternoon flying the princess and knight around on the dragon's back, checking out all the features of the castle, and having everyone go in and out of the castle through the door.

Dragonstone Castle is actually a wonderful toy designed for babies age 6 months and up. The pieces are all soft and squeezable, the colors are all bright and fun, and each piece has things to discover and explore. The castle has a bird that can pop in and out, a caterpillar that slides along a rope, child-friendly mirrors, and crinkle paper. The knight squeaks and the caterpillar is a rattle. I think a baby would love this, and as LP's interest in it shows, would get lots of play out of it for years.

I have found it on a few different Websites, including Oliebollen.com. According that Oliebollen, this was a Parenting Magazine Toy of the Year.

A Backyard Playground

My current hunt is for the perfect swingset for our backyard. Grandpa and Nannie want to buy Lilypad Princess a swingset, they have been waiting two springs for her to be old enough for it. This year she is climbing, sliding, and swinging on every piece of equipment at the parks, so I think she is ready.

My dad has asked me to do the research and let him know what I think would be the best one for her. I've just started looking, I didn't know there were so many options out there (or how expensive they could be!) I would like a wood set that will hold up for years of play. Of course a slide and some swings, and I think I'd like a little clubhouse as well.

Cedarworks has some beautiful sets fit for a princess (one style shown above). I'm not even sure they would fit in our backyard though, I think you would need to own a castle to install one. So our search is still on, if anyone has one that they love and would recommend, please let me know!

A Snow White Valentine

Lilypad Princess started off Valentine's Day by letting Mommy and Daddy sleep past 7:00, a wonderful gift for us. Then all three of us headed downstairs to let Lilypad Princess check her mailbox (she had a Valentine from mommy and daddy, and one from Nana and PopPop to open that morning), and to open her present.


It was a Snow White Valentine for Lilypad Princess this year. Although she had never seen the movie, LP has a love for anything Snow White. So she was thrilled to actually get the movie and insisted on putting it on right away. She cuddled up on the couch with Snow White, Dopey, and Grumpy (the new addition that was also a gift) to watch the movie with Lilypad Dad while I went to the gym.

A Big Thank You

A very big thank you to Blue House Omi for being so thoughtful to Munchkinetta's friends including Lilypad Princess. She sent each of Munchkinetta's friends a package of Dentek Fun Flossers. The first time I attempted to floss LP's teeth with regular floss she looked at me like I had three heads, ran away and hid behind the chair in her bedroom. But thanks to Blue House Omi's generosity, we have been able to make flossing a regular part of LP's bedtime routine (ok, it's still not the favorite part of the routine, but she doesn't fight either!)

I know now where Blue House Mom and Munchkinetta get their generous spirit for always thinking of others.

Christmas Favorites

Now that all the Christmas presents have been played with for a couple of weeks, the favorites are definitely emerging. Lilypad Princess has declared these the best Christmas gifts of 2007 for a 2 year old. Learning Resources Smart Snacks The cupcakes in this set are the source of weekly battles at preschool. So when I told Nana about the set, she decided that LP should have her own. Not only are the cupcakes a favorite, but the ice cream cones are a big hit as well. And I love the fact that they aren't just fun but educational too. The cupcakes teach shapes, the ice cream cones teach colors and the cookies teach numbers.


Jump Smart Trampoline This trampoline holds up to 80 pounds, has a handle to keep the kids safe, and counts for them while they jump. It also has a jumping game, makes silly sounds, or plays music. Lilypad Princess loves to get on and jump, jump, jump. She can get her little feet really high in the air, and has already started trying to do tricks. We have a little daredevil on our hands, but the funniest part is watching her do it in her Cinderella dress. I really like the fact that she's still getting plenty of exercise even when it's freezing outside and we can't leave the house.
Pat Pat Rocket Lilypad Princess has moved Rocket and the Little Einstiens to her bedroom. Before bed we take Rocket and the Einsteins on an adventure somewhere in the world, then we park Rocket next to the Little People House and she puts all of the Einsteins to bed in the house.


Radio and Microphone I can't find a picture of the exact one that Lilypad Princess got, but it's very similar to the one above only it is pink. The microphone plugs in and she can sing or talk without music, or sing along to tapes. You can control the volume of both, making your voice or the music louder if you want. I have enjoyed taping LP as she tells me stories through the microphone.

And the dresses, I can't forget the dresses. The first thing out of LP's mouth everytime you get her out of her crib is "My Cinderella dress please!" She is good about taking it off to eat, but otherwise wears it the entire time we're in the house. And she has been so excited to finally be able to wear "dresses" to bed, we put one of her new nightgowns on over her pajamas at night so she can wear a dress to bed.

Dress Up Trunk

I have alot to catch up on, including both Christmas celebrations, but with the Patriots game on tonight I won't be able to get all my posts done tonight. But here are a couple of pictures of Lilypad Princess playing with with her present from Lilypad Dad and me.


We found a trunk for her dress up clothes 2 days before Christmas, but it turned out to be the perfect one. We also bought a small, handled box to hold all the jewelry inside the trunk so it doesn't get lost or broken.

Checking out everything in the trunk

Wearing her favorite dress (we could have just bought this and she would have been happy)

Channeling Madonna

Lilypad Likes

Children are unique and so are their fingerprints. So what a great idea to create a piece of jewelry featuring their fingerprint. What a wonderful gift for a parent, grandparent or even a godparent.

I've found some wonderful fingerprint jewelry by Tina Steinberg. You have your child make an impression of their finger or thumb in the clay kit, then Tina Steinberg will preserve it forever in silver or gold in the style of your choice. She can even put multiple impressions on the same piece.

My favorite style is the Round Up My Love pendant which holds the entire fingerprint.