Mum’s NumNums- Snack Attack
27 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: banana, food, graham cracker sandwiches, kid friendly, Mum's NumNums, on the go, peanut butter, quick kid breakfasts, recipe, snack
Okay, really, let’s be honest. How often do you find yourself running around the house, frantically late for a playdate, trying to get out the door, get the kid’s socks on (or find one that matches…), and you still haven’t brushed your own hair??
Well, if your days are anything like mine, the answer is “Why, all the time!”.
Sometimes busy days don’t always go according to plan. Which is why this quick yet healthy snack is always my Plan B, and everything is portable if you have to take this snack on the road!
Peanut Butter & Banana Graham Sandwiches
PB and B
Now by the photo, I’m sure you have figured out how to throw this together. But in case there is any need for clarification, here is my “recipe”
1) Break Graham Crackers into quarters. I used honey, but I am sure the chocolate ones would be yummy too.
2) Spread Peanut Butter across the Grahams. Almond Honey Butter is also quite good.
3) Top with sliced banana. We have also used diced apples, sliced strawberries, or diced pears to switch it up.
4) For younger kiddos, like Chazz, I top it with another Graham to keep it all together. Well, mostly.
Now doesn’t that sound great?! Peanut butter is a good source of calories, just one Tablespoon has about 90 calories, it packs quite a protien punch, and is an excellent source of Potassium, Phosphorous and Magnesium. Top that with the Potassium, Iron, and Vitamin C from the banana slices, and you have one kid-friendly (and mom approved!) snack.
Back On The Blogging Bandwagon
19 Sep 2011 6 Comments
Yes, I am making an attempt to get back on the blogging bandwagon. {Even if it means a lot of picture posts to start!}
But first, I need to catch you all up on the wonderfully strange world of toddlerhood. Chazz has been doing so many little awesome things lately.
He does a lot of semi-coherent babbling. A few of his favorite words are milk (of course), die-uh-perr, tank you, and yelling “XBOX!!!” (our console has voice controls, and it won’t be long before he will figure that out!). Also he recognizes Elmo anywhere, and loves to point him out, on books, tv, and his toys.
Chazz signs milk, water, eat, and most recently, please. Which is sweet to see. We were pretty lazy about signing to him the last few months, but he has really been picking it up since I re-started.
As far as daily life? The kid drinks way too much milk (as in 2 gallons a week!), dislikes the carseat and baths, loves the park, and I am just sure is a little rock star in the making. He dances, drums, sings, and moshes around our living room.
Chazz just started sitting on his potty seat, rather than taking it apart for daily inspections 
And today, I finally got his big boy day bed set up in the new house and he seems to like it better, and just might stay put, even without the side rail holding him in.
The kid loves to climb stuff. Everything must be tested for its climbability! The entertainment center and windows have become favorites. Chazz will drag his potty or a big pot over as a step stool to get to stuff on the counters. Oh, he also thinks sitting ON the table is better than at it.
Chazz even climbed the ladder on the 10 foot slide by himself multiple times last week. Without even looking back or seeming to care that he was WAY off the ground. I, of course, was about two inches behind him the whole way up. And he would turn around and slide down on his belly, laughing the whole way down. A heart attack for me, but apparently a blast to an almost two-year-old adrenaline junkie!
So this is Mr. Chazz on the daily. Trying to climb everything, talking, and making every single day a mini-adventure.
Faux Hawk Lovin’- The First Hair Cut
14 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Chazz, faux hawk, first hair cut
A certain little man got his first hair cut yesterday!
The New Look
Doesn’t he just look stellar in his little faux hawk!?
And it wasn’t half as crazy as I had it all worked up in my head to be. I thought I would cry. I didn’t. I thought he would scream, or worse, wiggle and end up with a buz cut… He didn’t. In fact, he sat pretty dang still. He was occupied with using the spray bottle on himself, and for the occasional sip of water. The gal who cut his hair was smiley, quick, and entertaining. She even spiked up his hawk with a little green colored gel to match his outfit. And he didn’t squirm that much at all!
But can I just admit something?
I really didn’t want to cut it. Roman and I both loved the skater boy waves and perfect curls in back. I loved running my fingers through his hair until he passed out on my chest. (or until my arm fell asleep, whichever came first.) I loved how his sopping wet hair after bath time came just past his shoulder blades. sigh.
However. . .
The multiple accidental gender confusions were getting on this mama’s nerves. I mean, HELLO, can you not see the camo pants and blue Cars sippy cup??? Even little kids at the park were thing he was a she.
But really the final straw was how dready it would get in the mornings. Chazz has a lot of super fine hair, and it would work itself into the most intricate of knots overnight. The tears from trying to negotiate and brush his hair every morning was getting out of hand! I even wanted to cry.
Or just give in and let the kid have dreads for real.
So it was time. For us to let go of the baby hair, put a stop to the morning tears, and for Chazz Man to get a new look. I think it was a Win Win!
Why Hello!
10 Aug 2011 2 Comments
Life is going by faster than I can keep up, and our Little Man is growing even FASTER!
It is a little after 1 AM right now, but I knew I had to catch you all up on Mr. Chazz sometime.
Today was a big day! We finally turned his carseat forward facing. (And if you are wondering why the heck we waited so long, this article might help.)
Wow was it weird to turn around and see his handsome little face! Haha, it was kinda odd, but a big step for all of us.
Recently, we got Chazz a “potty” of his own. He has been so interested in the toilet lately, we figured we could let him at least investigate his own. And maybe stop investigating ours? We shall see!
We are just about THREE months away from his second birthday, a long haul away from anything resembling potty trained. (errrm, and to think, this time last year, I had Chazz’s birthday planned to a “T”, I better get going!!)
Also? The kid has more teeth than any toddler I know. Like a billion… Or 8 on top, 4 completely in on the bottom, with 2 more peeking through, to be exact. WOWZA! And man has he been testing them out. Not just on my arms (and his favorite, my collarbones hahhh OUCH!), but on almost anything he can. Glass counters and cups, shelves, toys, innocent sippy cups (bye bye soft tip!). Chazz is so interesting in figuring out how to best use them
Alright, alright. Now for the fun part, pictures!
MAY
JUNE
4TH of JULY
LAST NIGHT
*cricket cricket*
26 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
That is the sound my blog makes.
Well, if a blog made sounds.
And while it has been dead quiet around here, it hasn’t been any thing of the sort in real life.
Mmhm. We all have been running around like little crazies. It has been all work, work, work for Roman and I, and play, grow, play for Mr. Chazz.
The stores I work at moved from one building to two seperate locations, which is always fun fun. The boutique moved right across the street, but it might as well have been across country. You would have probably laughed if you saw us jay walking running arm loads of clothing and rolling racks across the street, Main Street traffic and all.
Roman has been working hard at his job. I really hope he can switch to days sometime soon. It is feeling like we only see each other in passing. BLAH. But this only temporary, right. A means to an end. We just keep hoping something better comes along, or a different shift comes up. So cross your fingers for us!
We’ll be moving back into town at the end of May. What a relief that will be. The amount of time we spend driving is insane. The gas badget is even more so! Moving AGAIN will be both a blessing, and a big pain in the butt, lol.
Chazz Man’s 17 month ‘birthday’ came and went faster than you can say “WAIT!” And I know I say this every time, but I wish I could just hold on to these moments just a little bit longer.
The kid is almost a year and a half old.
With every month, you can find me google-ing milestones to make sure he is on track. He always is, but I always find myself worrying. But this month I was a little proud to see him exceeding most of them. Mama’s little overachiever :]
Walking. Oh yes, running.
Climbing. Mmhm. A little too much for my liking, in fact. Nothing is safe, no matter how high it is. He even scooted his time-out chair over to the TV stand to try and climb up it. Oh man, I’m in for it! Smarty Pants.
Testing out tools. Check. Chazz brushes his hair (with anything resembling a brush or handle.) He helps push the vacuume, and even grabs our spot vac out when I’m using the big one. He has been insisting on using silverware (which soon turn into food launching devices.) He just gets more and more independant every day.
One “milestone” warned that they may drop their morning nap. Oh dear Lord, please, no. Haha. Chazz dropped to one nap quite some time ago, so I really hope this doesn’t apply. The kid gets a little cranky without it.
That is so much to accomplish in just 17 short months! And Chazz has power housed through it all.
Oh. We have an eye check up for him in May as well. This is hopefully the big one. We’ll most likely get a better exam done, and they can tell us more of what he is seeing. So pray pray pray he cooperates!
Until next time!
Easter Fun
25 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: easter, holidays, photoshoot
Easter is just that much more amazing when you have a kid. And I’m sure it will only continue to get that much more so as Chazz grows up to enjoy all of the reasons to celebrate.
Roman and I helped Chazz run around to find eggs, and even hid a few of his own in the seat of the tricycle. He was a lot more into the whole thing this year, and I think he got the idea of egg = fun. Although I don’t think he appreciated the candy as much. Chazz tried a piece of jelly bean, but I think he much prefered them for the maraca-like sound they made in the plastic eggs than the sugary goodness inside.
He shook eggs around all afternoon, enjoying all the sunshine that finally decided to show up around here! And we enjoyed snapping some pictures of our big little monster having a blast.
What's in here??
See that long hair? Love it.
My Boys
Mama's Little Man
I hope you all had a nice Easter as well!
So You Think You’re Ready To Have A Kid, Huh?
26 Mar 2011 2 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: humor, mommyisms, preparing for parenthood
This is making the rounds on the net, and I had to share it.
So don’t think that this is my clever work. Oh, no. I only have the time to live these insane lessons, not write them down!
————————————————————————————–
Just in case you are contemplating bringing a child into this world, here is an 11-Step Program to see if you are ready:
Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.
Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their…
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child’s breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.
Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.
Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel…
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can’t get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off. 8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM. 9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive) Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.
Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? T o find out…
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?
Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out. Time allowed for this – all morning.
Lesson 6
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don’t think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don’t look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.
Lesson 7
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week’s groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.
Lesson 8
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.
You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.
Lesson 9
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you’re thinking What’s Noggin?) Exactly the point.
Lesson 10
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying “mommy” repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each “mommy” occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.
Lesson 11
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the “mommy” tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.
Can you pass all 11?
Welcome Spring!
26 Mar 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: spring time fun, toddler activities, what we've been up to
We had to do something in celebration of Spring’s arrival.
The weather around here has apparently NOT got the memo.
It has been bitter cold and windy. This morning there was even the “S” word all over our yard. [you know, snow.]
What??
Not cool, Mother Nature. Not cool.
We needed something to liven up the place. Literally.
Chazz and I went on an adventure to the gardening store and picked out some funky plants, bright planters, and some good ol’ dirt.
While there, we had one of those moments too. Those warm fuzzies moments.
Strolling through the dirt aisle (me, pondering why an entire aisle is dedicated to dirt), I asked Chazz if he thought it was quite silly that we had to buy dirt. And right on cue, he said it, “DIRT!” (really accentuating the “T” like he does.)
Ohmygosh I was so proud! He said a word {a clear, audible word!} other than “Mom” or “Dad” and totally un-provoked.
I’m sure I beamed for like, 3 aisles, all the while trying to coax him to say it again by saying “dirt” 150 times.
But nope. And he hasn’t said it since. Stinker!
Chazz even pick out a plant. He wouldn’t take his eyes off of it after we walked by it, and kept turning around in the cart to see it, making this high-pitched whine whenever we lost sight of it.
I personally was torn between it ($12!! For a plant!?) and another smaller, less spiky looking variety (not $12… for a freaking plant)
Until he kinda gave me a cute-but-a-little-threatening look like “don’t make me throw a tantrum up in this place, lady. That plant is MINE!”
The heart wants what the heart wants.
So the bright, spiky plant came home with us, and so did my pretty flowers.
Bromeliad
Win-Win.
After his afternoon nap, we got to re-planting, AKA playing in the dirt/trying to eat leaves.
Green Thumb In Training
Chazz loved walking out on our patio to help me.
I think it was the first time he has, since it is normally covered in either snow or ice melt. Neither are toddler-friendly! So he got a kick out of opening the front door and walking in and out like a big kid.
And trying to eat our newly potted plants. What a turkey!
Checking up on his plant.
Despite the weather lately, Chazz and I had a wonderful time welcoming Spring. Now hopefully the sun will come out and stay so Chazz can help me grow these new plants!
It’s Wednesday, Right??
23 Mar 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Cuddles, webcam wednesday, Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
[and my own]
Webcam Wednesday
All in one fabulous post today.
For the Wordless Wednesday crowd
Love this kid to pieces.
I actually got Chazz to sit still a second and snap a webcam pic.
I love hanging out in his room on Wednesday mornings. And remebering to take a webcam pic makes it even more memorable.
He plays with his toys, and I catnap for a bit. And we usually share a banana or a smoothie. (right now, a banana.) And listen to music. The kid loves tunes!
Webity Cam Wednesday 0_o
It’s that little bit of extra Quality time before the madness of the day begins. <3
Surely, This Isn’t My Kid
21 Mar 2011 Leave a Comment
A Walk In The Park
He couldn’t be. Because my Chazz Man couldn’t be 16 Months Old…
He couldn’t be walking EVERYWHERE.
Or eating his breakfast all by himself.
Playing tricks and causing trouble.
Its too soon for all of this!
He should be cradled in my arms, not squirming to get down to play.
I should be trying to decode his newborn cries, how is it I’m hearing him say “I did it!” from the other room?
He should be in his stroller napping away at the park, not walking next to us.
Or running ahead of us.
He should cling to me as I leave for work, not happily let me leave as he pushes his cars around.
My little noise box of a baby, is no longer a baby. In any sense of the word… Chazz is a walking, talking little. . . kid.
I’m enjoying this age. But struggling with it too.
Chazz is growing into a whole seperate human being. With unique feelings, emotions, attitudes. :]
The personalitity is what I think is really getting me. Its like, “ok, who are you??” Like meeting a new friend.
Chazz is so determined, strong-willed, and clever. He’s a funny guy. He laughs if we laugh. And is always trying to get smiles. Or to get a laugh out of us. Because of this little attribute, we’ve started to call him nicknames like “ham” and “cheeseball.”
Dad's Dude
He also has begun to get so “wise” in his old age.
Chazz likes to push buttons on the XBOX, but especially loves our phones and remotes. He turns off the answering system (no, I’m not ignoring calls!) and thinks it is just the coolest thing.
He speaks in what I call “Chazzese,” where words are all said together, with the random “DAH” (perhaps dad?) for good measure.
For example, his new (first and only) phrase, “I Did it!” goes more like:
“eye-dih-itt”
We have fun decoding what is what.
Chazz is a smarty. He points out his nose, mouth, sometimes his ears, and he loves to show us his belly button.
I love asking him to “show me your nose” and have him point to it [and I love that he then picks it even more!]
Along with walking, talking, and ‘tude, Chazz is also becoming a little more independant than he usually is. ::ahem velcro baby. cough cough::
Which kinda sucks.
I miss snuggling him all night, nursing him back to sleep if he woke. Feeling his little chest rise and fall while he snoozes away.
Its hard to look over in the middle of the night and see him in his crib, passed out, totally content with it.
Right now, in fact, he is playing alone in his room. I keep having to run over and open the door, because he obviously wants to be alone, he keeps shutting it!
But it is also okay.
I am no longer on a four foot leash.
I don’t always have a bathroom “buddy.”
I can cook a halfway decent meal.
It isn’t all bad.
Just different.
16 Months and counting then I guess.
{yes, I really did hope he would stay a baby forever.}
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