Monthly Archives: May 2018

Serving Letter Cookies

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In the last week or so, Buddy has shown a lot of interest in letters and numbers. I couldn’t be more thrilled since one of my summer goals is to work on his letter and number recognition. He knows the letters in his name and a few others, but I’d like him to know all (or most) of them by the end of summer.

*Disclaimer- this post contains affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*

I spent a little time looking for alphabet activities, and I found a lot of great ones. This activity was especially exciting because we had already been playing with our foam letters a lot recently. When I saw foam letters used as cookies on Fantastic Fun and Learning’s blog, I knew Buddy would love it. He was already serving up stacks of these letters as pancakes and birthday cakes, so making them cookies was an easy shift. It also has everything I love in a kid activity – there is little setup, and we already had all the materials at home.

To start, I grabbed a baking sheet, a spatula, a sharpie, and some leftover plates from Buddy’s last birthday party. Buddy had already been playing with his foam letters earlier in the day, so they were already ready for us. I asked Buddy to pick out some letters and put them on the baking sheet. Then I wrote each one on a small plate and told him what the letter was. We also discussed a word that started with each letter. 

I showed Buddy how to scoop up the letter with the spatula. Then I told him he had to serve the cookie on the matching plate. Again, we discussed the name of the letter as he was looking for each plate. Once the cookie was served, we took turns “eating” it.

Buddy had a lot of fun serving and eating the cookies. He had so much fun that he asked to do it again as soon as we finished serving up all of the letters. So I put all of the letters back on the baking sheet and we did it again!

Once we had finished the second round of this activity, I pulled out some magnetic letters (affiliate link) for Buddy. He started by scooping them up with the spatula and putting them on the baking sheet. 

Eventually, Buddy wanted to spell things with the magnetic letters. He was able to spell his name on his own. Then he asked for help spelling out the names of different people in our family. It was a lot of fun, and a great use of the magnetic letters.

If you have any other great ideas for alphabet activities, please let me know!

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Cooking With Kids: Hawaiian Chicken

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I’m not much of a cook, but I want Buddy to learn how to cook. We’ve had a lot of fun together trying new kid friendly recipes together. This week, I want to share an old favorite of mine – Hawaiian Chicken. I love this because it is so easy, and so delicious!

The original recipe comes from Six Sisters’ Stuff’s blog. That version uses frozen chicken breasts, a can of pineapple, and a bottle of barbecue sauce. I’ve adapted it a bit over the years, and here’s how I do it.

I start by putting chicken breasts in the crockpot. We have decided that we like fresh, thin sliced chicken breasts the best. (Frozen works just fine though too.) I put them in the crockpot myself because I don’t really want Buddy to handle raw meat.

The next thing to add is the pineapple. We use pre-cut, fresh pineapple. I bought a small container, and Buddy dumped it into the crock pot on top of the chicken. 

Recently, I started adding green pepper to this recipe, and it adds a great crunch and flavor. I cut up the pepper, and Buddy added it to the crock pot. 

The last step is to add barbecue sauce to the top. We usually add most of a bottle, but it’s not always one full bottle. (More often than not, its whatever is left in the currently open bottle of barbecue sauce and then more as needed from a new bottle.) Buddy loves barbecue sauce, and he loves being the person to pour the sauce on top.

The Hawaiian chicken cooks in the crockpot 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low. I love that I can come home at 4:30 and still have time for it to be done before our 6:45 dinner time! We serve it over rice, and everyone in my family loves it. I hope your family does too.

Things I’ve Learned as a Mom

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In honor of Mother’s Day, I want to spend this week reflecting on life as a mom. Last year, I made a list of things I love about being a mom. When I reread it this year, it still is all so true. Being a mom isn’t easy, but most of the time it’s great!

This year, I want to share an article written by my mother in August 1989. She had a weekly column in our local newspaper, and she often wrote about my sister and me. Her column is an inspiration for this blog, and I often think about her as I write. Here are her lessons from motherhood – and I’ve added some more of my own at the end.

Seven years ago this week, I trooped around the State Fair, great with child.  Like all parents-to-be, I zeroed in on babies and small children through some instinctive radar.  It’s kind of like when you get a new car and all of a sudden you can spot the same model zooming past at 70 mph three lanes away.

When you’re a non-parent someplace like the fair, you half-expect there must be a booth somewhere where you can rent-a-kid, because they’re everywhere: sticky, crying, squirming, spilling, whining, running, shrieking. Occasionally, rarely, you might see a sweetly sleeping tyke on someone’s shoulder, and you think, “that’s the kind I’ll have.”

Right.

A week past my due date, it was a little late for second thoughts.  But I remember feeling a little alarmed by it all.  For some reason, I kept thinking back to all the times I babysat and how wonderful it was when the parents got home.

Since summer is filled with birthdays at my house, it is a time of taking stock.  No one has to tell me I’ve gotten older; as for better — well, it depends.

Seven years ago, I was certainly better read.  I saw more movies and plays. I cooked more, I wrote more letters, and otherwise did a better job keeping up my end of a friendship.

All in all, over the last seven years, I seem to have lost ground in a lot of ways.  We still get a newsmagazine but I can’t recall the last time I read it cover to cover. Seven years ago, I guess.

Still, I have to admit there are some things I’ve learned in the last seven years:

  • I now know what to do if I come across a crayon on a floor: leave it there.  For if you put it in a pocket, and it goes into a dryer, your laundry will never be the same.  Few things are forever, but melted crayon is one of them.
  • You can toilet-train using a drink-and-wet doll and piles of gaily wrapped presents and bribes and sweets.  Or you can shrug and wait until the child begs for Snoopy pants and get pretty much the same results.
  • Goldfish are boring, cannot be boarded anywhere and are not considered by small children to be a substitute for a “real” pet anyway.
  • How to wash a kid’s hair without getting any water in the eyes.  I promise.
  • Seven different Sarahs, nine different Kates, and six variations of Kirsten, and how to keep them all straight.  Most of the time.
  •  Apple juice may look like it won’t stain but it will.  Trust me.
  • “Baby Beluga” and the rest of the Raffi repertoire.
  •  “Goodnight Moon” without even having to have the light on. ‘
  • To remember to call it “The California Raisins Song” instead of “Heard it Through the Grapevine.”
  • Not to try to explain to gas station people that the reason there’s silky nightgowns and lingerie in the backseat is because your toddler uses it as a lovey.
  • How to receive a bouquet of dandelions and birthday presents crafted of Kleenex graciously.
  • How to pack a lunch in 90 seconds or less.
  • Why it is a good idea to buy slip-on shoes even after the child knows how to tie her shoes herself.
  • How to make an animal out of pancake batter, playdough out of flour and a Barbie island hut out of Easter grass and an old infant seat.
  • How to leave a crying child and go to work and not cry yourself.
  • How to work with a child on the lap, under foot, across the table, or on the other end of the phone.
  • When to stay home and watch “Willie Wonka” with a sick child, three times in a row.
  • Where the Dr. Seuss books are at the library.
  • How to sew on a Brownie patch, which is only a little bit easier than sewing on a tin can.
  • The answer to the riddle “What can you use to brush your teeth, keep the rain off your head, and unlock a door?” (A toothbrush, umbrella and key, dummy). 

OK, so I no longer know who heads the opposition party in Canada.  I’ve forgotten how to fold a crepe, and I haven’t been to the opening night of a play in years.

But in the last seven years, I’ve learned how patient I can be, and how impatient too.  I can do more at one time and accomplish less in 24 hours than I would have ever thought possible.  I also care more about some things, like life in the year 2020, than I did before.

As I deftly blew up and tied off a dozen balloons for my daughter’s birthday, I thought how much I’ve learned.  And with just a wince, how much — from how to close a stroller one-handed to where to change a diaper at the fair — I no longer need to know.

Considering her list was written almost 30 years ago, so much of it is true for my motherhood experience as well. A few more from my own personal list:

  • How to find enough energy to get through middle of the night crisises – a kid covered in vomit, a kid screaming from a nightmare, or a kid who is too congested to sleep.
  • How to leave work at 4:00 when you’d rather work until 5:30.
  • The names of Thomas and all of his friends, and lots of other things about trains.
  • How to tell the difference between a backhoe and a front loader.
  • The importance of carrying a spare diaper, wipes, and a disposable changing mat in my purse for after school errands.
  • How to keep a toddler entertained on a long road trip or plane ride.
  • That singing a song can help increase a child’s patience when waiting.
  • The importance of ignoring my phone and my work so I can have quality time with my son.

I have a lot still to learn, and I wish my mom was still around to help me with some of the things on her list. (I have yet to attempt to sew on swim patches, and it takes me a lot longer than 90 seconds to pack a lunch.) Still, I’m proud of what I’ve learned so far in my three years of being a mom.

Do you have great lessons you’ve learned as a parent? Please share in the comments.

 

 

Party Games and Activities for Preschoolers

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A couple of weeks ago I blogged about Buddy’s third birthday party, but I didn’t have the time to include all of the games we played. Buddy loves games, so I knew I wanted to included some fun games as part of our party. We had guests from ages 2-6, so we needed games and activities that worked for a variety of ages.

The best advice I have for anyone planning a birthday party for a toddler or preschooler is to have most of the activities open ended stations. There are lots of different stations that can work for any theme. Here are the ones we did at Buddy’s parties:

  • Books
  • Puzzles
  • Photo Booth
  • Dress up
  • Coloring and Stickers
  • Playdoh
  • Blocks or Duplos
  • Sensory Bins
  • Craft tables
  • Cars or Trains
  • Chalk and bubbles (if it is nice enough to be outside)

If you would like more details about how we did these things at Buddy’s parties, please read here about Buddy’s second birthday and third birthday parties. One of our guests loved the stations so much she asked for some for her birthday party!

I did include some games as stations at the parties as well. We did a toss game (toss the coal in the hole for our train themed party) and a ring toss as well (tricera-toss game for a dinosaur party). There wasn’t much structure to these games, so kids could do them independently or competitively with a parent or friend. The ring toss game was a huge hit at our most recent party, and I’m sure we’ll do something similar next year.

I spent a lot of time looking for more structured games to do at the party, and it was tough to find things that worked for young children. Here are the ones I did:

  • Bingo – There are many free printable bingo games available online. I found a Thomas the Train one for our party. We played until everyone won.
  • Cake Walk – This was the favorite game at the party. I printed out a picture of each Thomas the Train character on paper and laminated them. I then printed out a smaller version of each picture and cut them out. Each guest started on a picture and they walked in a circle to music (the theme song to Thomas and Friends of course!). When I stopped the music, everyone stopped on a picture. I drew a card and the child on that picture got to go pick a prize. Then I removed that picture, and we started again. I kept pulling cards until every picture was chosen, so every child received a prize.
  • Prize hunt – I asked my sister to hide Thomas the Train minis during our bingo game. There was one train for each kid. They were so excited to go look for their own train! You could easily do this for any theme.
  • Train race – When the kids found their trains, they raced them against each other on a board. This was a little confusing for them, though, and was my least favorite of my games.

Other ideas:

  • Duck, duck, goose – This is better if played outside or somewhere with a lot of space to run. At a birthday party of mine growing up, it was a dog theme and we did “dog, dog, puppy”
  • Red light, green light – This would have been great for our train theme if it had been nice enough to play outside.
  • Pin the Tail on the Donkey – There are ways to adapt it for any theme, and many pre made versions that can bought for different themes.
  • Musical chairs- There is one less chair than kid, when the music stops, the person who is missing a chair is out.
  • Musical statues – We almost did this one. Everyone dances to music and freezes when the music stops.
  • Piñata – This was a favorite at my birthday parties growing up. I debated doing one this year, but I decided Buddy would enjoy other games more.

Do you have other ideas to add to this list? Please share in the comments.