Category Archives: Family Life

Easter Basket Ideas for Babies and Toddlers

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Spring is just around the corner, which means it’s almost Easter. I love picking out fun things for spring and summer to put in Buddy’s Easter basket. It’s a challenge though to find Easter basket items for babies and toddlers that aren’t candy or a choking hazard. Here are some of the things that I’ve put in Buddy’s Easter basket. I have it sorted into things specific to babies and toddlers, as well as ideas that work for both ages.

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

Great for Both Babies and Toddlers

  • Bath Toys – Buddy’s first Easter was in Florida, so many of his toys were beach and bath toys to leave at Nana’s house. His favorite that year was this Munchkin bath ball and these Float and Play Bath Balls. Last year I got Thomas and Friends bath toys for him. Some other bath toys we love are Munchkin Barnyard Friends bath toys and the Munchkin Fishing Toy.
  • Balls – I bought the Bright Starts Activity Balls for Buddy as an infant, and they were a favorite for a long time. We throw beach balls around all the time at our house, and that would be perfect for an Easter basket. Koosh balls are also lots of fun.
  • Pull back vehicles – I got a pull back James train for Buddy and it is by far the best pull back toy I’ve ever seen. He also has pull back planes and a pull back penguin that he loves.
  • Cars – Buddy loved the O’Ball Go Gripper cars when he was younger (and he still does, although we play with them less). Last year he got a VTech Go Go Smart Wheels FireTruck. We haven’t done hot wheels yet, but he got a small Lightning McQueen car at Christmas, and we will probably will buy something similar this Easter.
  • Books – As an infant, Buddy loved small finger puppet books and the Indestructible books, which are so great because they take up no space! The dollar store also has nice, small board books. Buddy is now starting to appreciate paper back books as well.
  • Small stuffed animals – Buddy got a Teeny Ty as a early birthday gift from a friend, and he is obsessed with it! We will be getting him another one for Easter.
  • Finger puppets
  • Small instruments – kazoos, egg shakers, or other small instruments. Buddy loved this musical instrument set as an infant.
  • Bubbles
  • Pinwheels

Babies:

  • Teethers
  • Rattle
  • Pacifier
  • Bibs

Toddlers: 

  • Puzzles – We got a great two piece one from the Target dollar spot. There are also great ones at the dollar store.  This one is similar to one I made for Buddy.
  • Crayons and coloring books – We love Crayola triangular washable crayons. Our current set is well loved and it will be nice to have a new box.
  • Color Wonder markers and  Color Wonder paper
  • Card games – Buddy loves games! We put this Go Fish animal game, and an World of Disney Eye Found It card game in his stocking this year, but they’d also be great in an Easter basket.
  • Stickers – Puffy ones are our favorite, and right now there are some great ones at our dollar store. Party stores also have great stickers for cheap.
  • Animal figures– Last Easter, Buddy got some Little People zoo animals. This year I think we will get some dinosaur figurines for him.
  • Colorforms – They are reusable stickers that are so travel friendly. We love them! Here is a link to some great ones from Frozen, but you can also find them sometimes at the dollar store.
  • Fun Band-aids – Buddy wants Bandaids all the time. I’m sure he’s not the only toddler who would find this fun.
  • Squishy toys
  • Play doh and tools – We have these dough tools from Caryko that are great!
  • Water wow – We love these for travel! You can paint with water and then it dries clear. Last Easter Buddy got this one.
  • Temporary tattoos
  • Sidewalk Chalk – We went through a ton of sidewalk chalk last year. Buddy will be really excited to see this in his Easter basket this year.


What will be in your kids’ Easter basket this year? Please share your ideas in the comments.

Five Things I’ve Learned as a Teacher That Have Helped Me As a Mom

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I consider myself lucky that I got to have a lot of experience working with kids before I became a parent. I’m a middle school teacher, but before my first year of teaching I worked in a day camp with elementary age kids, and I was an aide in a kindergarten and first grade classroom. So I’ve had a lot of time working with kids of all ages. Here are the things I’ve learned that have helped me the most as a mom.

1. Be consistent with expectations and consequences 

Cleaning up after ourselves is an expectation at our house.

This is one of the toughest parts of being a teacher and a parent. Luckily for me, I’ve gotten to figure out what works for me over the course of many years, and each year I get to start over. What I’ve learned is the only rules that exist in a classroom or home are the ones you enforce. If you say you need to clean up your room before bed time but only enforce it once a week, it’s confusing to kids. If you enforce your rules consistently, kids know what to expect and it’s easier on everyone. Consequences can be positive or negative, and they should be positive whenever possible.

2. Always have a plan… and a plan B

Keeping busy during a long delay at the airport.

Planning is one of my favorite parts of teaching, and I enjoy it as a parent as well. At both home and school, I think about what I want to teach or do. I look for activities that will be appropriate for interest and ability level and work with the materials that I have available. But in both school and home life, things do not always go as planned. I have backup filler activities in my classroom if technology isn’t working, or if a lesson ends early. I also have these as a mom. A lot of times, these happen when we are encountering an unexpected wait. We love to sing songs and play the color game. (I see something orange. Can you find it?) I also have a small finger puppet, a spare diaper, wipes, and a disposable changing mat in my purse. Because sometimes things happen unexpectedly, and I always like to be prepared.

3. Kids like having a routine 

Buddy has always loved to read while he waits for me to be ready to play.

Kids of all ages find comfort in knowing what to expect. As my kids enter my classroom, they know that they will always need to pick up papers, set out their homework, and get working on their starter problem every day. I always greet my kids at the door and remind them what to do, but I’ve discovered on days when I’m doing something last minute or have lost my voice, they will do these things without asking. At home, Buddy and I have a routine for after school. We often run errands, so he asks where are we going today when I get him. When we get home, he plays on his own while I change clothes and go to the bathroom. He knows that I will come play after 10-15 minutes, so he doesn’t worry too much about what I’m doing during that time. On weekends, we have our lunch and nap time at consistent times. We also have routines set in place during the summer. One of the things I do is to set a summer schedule of different themed activities each day. (Read more about that here.)

4. Jobs are helpful for both kids and adults

Buddy likes to help emptying the dishwasher.

I’ve blogged about this before, but I will say it again. I think it’s important for kids of all ages to have chores and expectations. In my classroom, I hire students to do different jobs and they are paid in extra credit for each week the job is completed correctly. It makes my life easier, and they enjoy having the responsibility. Buddy has had jobs since age one and several of them started before he could walk. He loves helping, and I love having the help. Read here and here for more details about Buddy’s chores at age one and two.

5. Kids learn more when they are having fun

Buddy was having so much fun learning about shapes.

I’m not sure if all parents are aware of this, but you are one of the most important teachers in your child’s life. Young children learn shapes, numbers, letters, colors, and much more from their parents. Older children learn work ethic and perseverance from their parents, and often they ask parents for help with school work too. No matter what you want them to learn from you, they will learn and remember more if they have fun while they do it. My class plays games or does puzzles almost every day. My favorite teacher resource is TeachersPayTeachers.com. I don’t think many parents know about this, so I’m sharing it here. There are a ton of free and fun resources available for parents and teachers alike. You can search by topic and click on a filter to show only free resources. You can also search for fun stuff, which is another favorite filter of mine. Here are a few favorite, free resources for preschoolers on TPT: Make it Stick pre-K games, Crocodile Snap Alphabet Game, Penguin PreWriting Practice Cards, Customizable Name Mats 

I hope those teacher tips were helpful to you in your life as a parent. If you have any other parenting words of wisdom, please feel free to share a comment.

Cooking With Kids: Banana Muffins

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Buddy and I got a snow day last week, and it was Buddy’s first snow day ever! We spent the morning outside in the snow, but I needed an activity to keep us busy in the afternoon. I decided it would be a great time to bake something, and I quickly found this recipe for banana muffins from The Busy Baker. Luckily, we had everything we needed to make the muffins.

We started by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and putting muffin cups in the muffin tin. Buddy thought that was a lot of fun!

Then we put three ripe bananas in a bowl and mashed them with a fork. Buddy and I took turns mashing them, since it was a little difficult for him to do a thorough job of this on his own. 

Next, I measured 3/4 cup of white sugar, and Buddy poured it into the bowl. 

Then, I cracked an egg into a measuring cup, and Buddy added it to our bowl. We also added 1/3 cup vegetable oil and mixed it with a wooden spoon. We needed to take turns again to make sure that everything was combined. 

Next, we measured 1 and 1/2 cup all purpose flour and put it into a different bowl. 

Then we added the rest of the dry ingredients (1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt) to the bowl and mixed with a fork. This step Buddy could do by himself. 

Buddy helped me pour the dry ingredients into the wet ones, and we took turns mixing it with a wooden spoon. We also threw in some chocolate chips to the mixture, although the recipe doesn’t call for it. (I used a small amount that was left in the bag, which was about 1/4 cup.) Then we used an ice cream scoop to add batter to the muffin cups. Buddy tried to help me with this, but it ended up being a lot easier for me to do it myself.

The muffins baked for about 25 minutes, and then they had to cool. (We did that during nap time.) When Buddy got up from his nap, we each had a muffin as our afternoon snack. They were very moist and so delicious! We both loved them, and Hubby did too! We will definitely be using this recipe again the next time we have to get rid of a few old bananas.

 

Love Note Scavenger Hunt

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I first read about doing a love note hunt for Valentine’s Day in Real Simple magazine. They suggested hiding a note about something that you love about your children each day in February. Then on Valentine’s Day, they can look for all 14 notes. I thought it was a great idea, but 14 notes would be too much for Buddy.

After a little thought, I decided to take that idea and make it into a scavenger hunt for Buddy. We usually buy Buddy a small gift for Valentine’s Day, and this hunt will lead to that present. My mom often did scavenger hunts for my sister and me growing up, and we loved them! It’s a special tradition that I want to continue for Buddy.

I cut out 6 hearts out of red construction paper. On each heart, I wrote one thing that Hubby and I love about Buddy. I also put where to find the next clue. Since Buddy is still pretty young, I wanted to keep the hunt clues pretty straight forward. I’m very excited about doing our hunt this year, and I plan to make it a tradition for years to come.

Since it’s not Valentine’s Day yet, I don’t have any fun pictures of Buddy to share. But I wanted to share the idea before Valentine’s Day in case any of you want to do something similar for your family.

Cooking With Kids: Banana Bread Cookies

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I love banana bread, so when I first saw this recipe for banana bread cookies, I had to try it. They have become my all time favorite cookie recipe. The cookies are easy to make, and so delicious! They are very moist and taste like the perfect combination of banana bread and chocolate chip cookies. My favorite part is I don’t feel too guilty when I eat them because they have banana and oats.

Buddy and I made these before Thanksgiving to bring with us on our 9 hour car trip. (These were a great car snack – delicious, filling, and satisfying!) This was Buddy’s first time baking cookies with me, and he had a great time.

The first thing we did was to put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. I measured the ingredients, and Buddy put them in the bowl. 

Then we put two sticks of butter into the mixer, and whipped them until they were fluffy. This was Buddy’s first chance to use the stand mixer, and he thought that it was amazingly fun! I let him turn it on and off (with close guidance), and he thought that was the best!

We added some brown sugar and whipped it up some more. I measured it out, and then I put it into a bowl to make it easier for Buddy to add on his own. 

Then we added two bananas, vanilla, and eggs to the butter mixture. We turned the mixer on low to combine the ingredients. Usually I have old bananas in the freezer that I use for these cookies, but this time we happened to have two very ripe bananas on hand. 

Next we added the flour mixture into the batter. This was a little messy for Buddy, but not too bad. 

Last, we added oats and chocolate chips to the batter. The recipe also calls for walnuts or pecans, which I’ve never used. Then we stirred it briefly before turning off the mixer.

Once everything was mixed, Buddy and I used soup spoons to form balls of cookie dough. (The recipe says to use a teaspoon, but I prefer bigger cookies.) Then we baked them at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. I totally forgot to take a picture of our final product, but they were great! Since we had a ton of cookies, I took a bunch to school and they disappeared almost immediately!

You can get the full recipe on White Lily’s site here.

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Stocking Stuffers for Babies and Toddlers

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This time of year, I’m always looking for great gift ideas for Buddy. Stocking stuffers are especially difficult for little ones because anything too small can be a choking hazard. But there are still a lot of great things available for stocking stuffers for young kids.

Buddy was 8 months old at his first Christmas, and a year and a half at his second Christmas. This year he is two and a half. Below is a list of things that I’ve gotten  for his stockings. I’m also including a few of our favorite travel toys that we got at a different time of year, but that would be great in a stocking.

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

Great for Both Babies and Toddlers

  • Bath Toys – I got the Munchkin Barnyard Friends bath toys for Buddy’s first Christmas, and we still play with them. This year I bought the Munchkin Fishing Toy to go in Buddy’s stocking.
  • Balls – I bought the Bright Starts Activity Balls for Buddy as an infant, and they were a favorite for a long time. We throw beach balls around all the time at our house, and that would be great in a stocking. Koosh balls are also lots of fun.
  • Pull back vehicles – I got a pull back James train last year and it is by far the best pull back toy I’ve ever seen. Buddy didn’t even know Thomas and Friends at that time, and now that he’s obsessed with trains, he loves it even more.
  • Cars – Buddy got O’Ball Go Gripper cars last year. This year I have a small Lightning McQueen car for him.
  • Small board books – As an infant, Buddy loved small finger puppet books. We have also done Indestructible books in stockings, and they are so great because they take up no space! The dollar store also has nice, small board books.
  • Snacks – Puffs, yogurt melts, fruit snacks
  • Small stuffed animals
  • Toy phone or remote – Buddy got this Fisher Price phone in his stocking as an infant and this VTech remote last year. This year we got a Thomas the train “phone” that makes sounds for a small board book.
  • Finger puppets
  • Mittens and mitten clips
  • Ornaments – This year I bought a firetruck ornament for Buddy on one of our trips this fall that will be in his stocking.
  • Small instruments – kazoos, egg shakers, or other small instruments. Buddy loved this musical instrument set as an infant (his favorite gift on his first Christmas.) Some of them are too big for a stocking, but several would fit well.

Baby Stocking Stuffers

  • Teethers
  • Rattles
  • Bibs
  • Pacifiers

Toddler Stocking Stuffers

  • Two piece puzzles – We got a great one from the Target dollar spot. This one is similar to one I made for Buddy.
  • Crayons – We love Crayola triangular washable crayons. Our current set is well loved and it will be nice to have a new box.
  • Color Wonder markers – We have one book (Thomas – of course) but it only comes with a few markers. Buddy will find more in his stocking and extra Color Wonder paper later on Christmas day.
  • Card games – Buddy is just starting to get into games. We have a family memory game made on Shutterfly, this Go Fish animal game, and an World of Disney Eye Found It card game for his stocking this year.
  • Thomas the train minis – I bought one set of these minis before a trip this year and Buddy LOVED it! I’m excited to give him some new ones with some of his favorite trains.
  • Stickers – Puffy ones are our favorite, and right now there are some great ones at our dollar store. Party stores also have great stickers for cheap.
  • Duplo animals – Buddy is obsessed with Duplos. We got him this animal set earlier this year. I found some small bags with a mystery animal and a few squares at Toys R Us that we will put in his stocking this year.
  • Colorforms – They are reusable stickers that are so travel friendly. We love them! Here is a link to some great ones from Frozen, but you can also find them sometimes at the dollar store.
  • Fun Band-aids – Buddy wants Bandaids all the time. I’m sure he’s not the only toddler who would find this fun.
  • Play doh and tools – Last year I wanted some small tools that we could use on a plane. I found these dough tools from Caryko that are great!

I hope this helps with your holiday shopping! Please add a comment if you have a great stocking stuffer that I’ve missed!

Cooking With Kids: Baked Ravioli

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Buddy and I recently made baked ravioli together. I was looking for an easy recipe to try with Buddy, and I realized ravioli would be good to try. We used this recipe from Betty Crocker.

First, I preheated the oven to 350 degrees and greased a glass baking dish. Then, I pulled out the ravioli, spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and a large spoon.

I scooped a few large spoonfuls of sauce into the bottom of the pan. Then, Buddy used the spoon to smooth it out.

Next, Buddy and I put a layer of ravioli on top of the sauce. We used the fresh packaged Buitoni, but I have also done this with frozen ravioli. We ended up using two packages so we could have enough for company and another night of leftovers.

Once we put down the ravioli, we covered it with a layer of sauce and cheese. Buddy is getting better about sprinkling out the cheese evenly instead of throwing down clumps of cheese.

After that, we repeated the steps with another layer of ravioli, sauce, and cheese. We also added a little Parmesan cheese to the top.

We covered our pan with aluminum foil and baked it for 40 minutes. Then we took the foil off and baked for another 15 minutes.

This ravioli was so easy, and so delicious! Buddy’s Nana and Great Aunt were visiting us, and they were so impressed that Buddy made our dinner! We all loved it, and Buddy’s asked for ravioli several times since we made it. I would highly recommend it as an easy and fun recipe for kids.

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Easy Chores for a Two Year Old

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I think it’s important for kids of all ages to have chores and responsibilities. That’s why I hire students to do various jobs in my classroom. And that’s why Buddy has had chores since he was  one.

I blogged about Buddy’s chores as a one year old here. At that time, Buddy was 21 months old, and his chores were: putting away toys and books, putting clothes in hamper, dusting, cleaning up food messes, and helping with laundry. Now that he’s two and a half, I’ve expanded the types of things I ask him to do at home. Buddy loves helping, and he enjoys doing all of these tasks.

Carrying Mail

Buddy and I get the mail together after school every day. Some days, he wants to carry it all. Other days, he only wants one or two things. Carrying the mail makes him feel very important, so he loves to do it.

Pushing the Trash Bins

Buddy thinks pushing the trash bins is so much fun. We have to do it together because, clearly, the trash bins are way too big for him. But I enjoy the help. Together, we make a good team.

Throwing Out Trash

It was an exciting day in our house when Buddy figured out how to do the step lever for our trash can. Now he can actually throw away his trash without any help from me. This is particularly helpful when I’m busy with something else. For example, tonight I was cleaning up our dishes, and I asked Buddy to pick up some food from the floor and throw it away. And he did!

Picking Up Ice

This is my favorite thing Buddy does for us. Our refrigerator randomly spits ice out on the floor, and it’s so annoying to stop what I’m doing to go pick it up. Buddy loves running to get the ice and throwing it into the sink.

Wiping Tables

Buddy and I have been cooking a lot together recently, and he’s great at wiping up the table when we’re done. I also ask him to wipe up his little table when he gets crayon on it or after we play with Play doh.

Unloading the Dishwasher

Since Buddy loves to help, he’s always eager to get into the dishwasher when Hubby and I are unloading. And unfortunately, everything is just too high for him to put away much by himself. I’ve read some mom blogs that said they had the kid dishes down low so the kid can put it away. That didn’t work for me though. I like how my kitchen is organized, and I didn’t want to change that for the sake of having Buddy help.

Then a friend of mine posted a picture similar to my one above of her elementary school age kid unloading the silverware. Her point was to point out how funny it was that her son felt the need to sit down while helping. But for me, it was a great source of inspiration. Buddy is great at sorting, and he loves sorting the silverware. I always put away the steak knives, but Buddy can do the rest himself. He is so proud, and I’m so thankful that he’s no longer underfoot while I’m unloading the dishwasher.

Washing the Windows

Yes, I make my two year old wash the windows. And it’s amazing. Washing the windows was on my summer bucket list, and I told Buddy he could help or play by himself. Of course, he wanted to help. So I sprayed the whole window with cleaner, and then I wiped the top half and Buddy wiped the bottom half. He really enjoyed the whole process, so we’ve done it a couple times since then.

I’m so proud of Buddy for being willing to help me around the house, and I hope that doesn’t change for a long time. If you have any other ideas for good chores for young children, please share in the comments.

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Cooking With Kids: Delicious Drumsticks

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Last week, I wanted to find a new recipe to try with Buddy. He really loves cooking, so I want to give him new recipes to try. I found a recipe for Delicious Drumsticks in a cookbook from my childhood (Alpha Bakery Cookbook). It sounded like an easy, fun meal that Buddy could make mostly on his own.

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

Here is the recipe: 

I started by preheating the oven to 425 degrees. Then I measured the dry ingredients, and Buddy dumped them into a large bowl. (1/2 cup flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.)

Once they were in the bowl, Buddy mixed them up with a spoon. Buddy loved the word “paprika” and kept repeating it with delight over and over!

I melted half a stick of butter in the microwave in another small bowl. Then, I found a large spoon to help with the coating in the butter bowl and the flour bowl.

For each drumstick, I put it in the butter bowl first. Buddy used the spoon to help coat the chicken in butter. 

Then, I moved the drumstick to the flour bowl.  Buddy used a spoon to help coat the chicken with the flour mixture. Once it was coated, I moved the drumstick to a glass pan. (I used an 8×8 one as suggested in the recipe, but it was a tight squeeze to fit all six drumsticks.) 

Buddy loved using the spoon to scoop the flour mixture! He wanted to keep playing even after we had finished coating all of the drumsticks. So I let him scoop and dump for awhile as I cleaned up the rest of the kitchen. Then I asked Buddy to help me wipe up the flour when he was done.

This was a fun and easy recipe for kids, and everyone in my house enjoyed eating our delicious drumsticks. I’m sure we’ll make chicken drumsticks again soon.

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Cooking with Kids: Stromboli

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I’ve been making Stromboli for a long time. It’s easy to make, and is a fun variation on pizza. I don’t remember where I found the original recipe, but I’ve adapted it to make it easier. Since I’m always trying to involve Buddy in the kitchen, I thought this would be a great recipe to try with him.

To make Stromboli, you need Pillsbury pizza dough (the kind in the tube), pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, pepperoni, basil, and olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 425. Spread out the dough on a baking sheet. Mix a couple of tablespoons of olive oil with basil, and brush it on the dough. Buddy really loved using the basting brush for this part. 

Next, cover half of the dough with pizza sauce. (I actually forgot to do just half this time. It’s ok to cover the whole dough too.) You only need a few tablespoons of sauce. I usually use spaghetti sauce and then use the rest of the jar later in the week with pasta. In the original recipe, the sauce isn’t used until the end for dipping. You can serve it this way if you prefer.

Cover the sauce with mozzarella cheese. This was Buddy’s favorite part! We like a lot of cheese in our Stromboli, so we used the whole bag. 

Next, put a layer of pepperoni on top of the cheese. You can sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top of the pepperoni if you wish. (I usually do.)

Fold the dough over so that the edges meet. Use your fingers to press the loose edges together. Buddy decided to give the whole dough a few pats, but that isn’t necessary.  

Bake the Stromboli for 20 minutes. It should be a light brown when it’s done. Then you can slice  and serve it. My whole family loves Stromboli, and it’s so quick to make. Buddy had a lot of fun making the Stromboli, and I’m sure he’ll be involved the next time I make it as well.

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