Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Summer Picnic Dress
Summer Picnic Dress- Tie Straps
Pretty in Pink
I came across this little gem from The Cottage Home while perusing Pinterest, recently. I had some random pink fabric hanging around and figured I'd try it out. I'm not much one for store-bought patterns (being a mostly self-taught seamstress, I find them hard to figure out), but this tutorial was simple and easy to follow.
I did alter the pattern, slightly, by adding two extra inches to the main body on the 4T pattern (I like Lil' Miss' dresses to be a little longer in length). It did seem to take me awhile to finish, though (about an afternoon). I guess that's what happens when you sew with a three-year old interrupting you every couple of minutes!
This was also the first time I had ever used rick-rack in this manner (I admit, I was a little worried). Next time, I might add a small ruffle, instead of rick-rack, but for this dress, I liked the trim addition.
All that time and effort paid off, though, when Lil' Miss informed me that, upon trying on the dress, that it had the perfect "twirl."
Lil' MIss Gifts- 2.0
I'm giving Lil' Miss Gifts on Etsy another go-around. This time, with princess cover-ups! I have made a Cinderella, Belle, Snow White and Sofia the First cover-up, so far (not all are pictured). I'm also open to trying my hand at Aurora and Rapunzel- I just have to find the right color pink terrycloth.
So, go ahead and have a look. I'm open for orders!
So, go ahead and have a look. I'm open for orders!
Friday, July 26, 2013
Nuby Mommy Blogger- Octopus Floating Bath Toy
In between rain storms, flash flood warnings and other acts of nature, we've been trying to squeeze in some pool time, this summer. The last time we went for a dip, we brought along the Nuby Octopus Floating Bath Toy to play with.
Lil' Miss was only so-so about this one. Let's start with the positive; I like that both the octopus and the rings all float in the water (makes it easier to find the rings and Lil' Miss doesn't swim underwater). The octopus itself is cute and friendly for children.
I believe my daughter's biggest problem with this toy, though, is the fact that the rings are so small (and the legs are quite chunky) that it's hard to actually get them onto the octopus legs. Therefore, she quickly lost interest in the toy as she grew more frustrated trying (and failing) to get the rings onto the legs. I understand that the toy is supposed to help develop hand/eye coordination, but even as an adult, I found it difficult to accomplish at any distance.
Here is what Nuby has to say about the Nuby Octopus Floating Bath Toy;
- 18 months +
- Floats in water
- Helps develop hand-eye coordination
- Fun colors and shapes stimulate the senses
- Includes 3 rings to toss and fit onto the Octopus arms
- BPA FREE
- www.buybuybaby.com / buybuy Baby
Connect with Nuby at:
www.instagram.com/nubyusa
“I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I may receive items to sample or review.”
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Sentence of the Day- Fashion Wars
Today, Katy and I walked around the mall. Even though it's still July, all of the swimsuits seem to be on sale! So, I decided to check out suits for Katy, in the next size up, for next summer. I really like the two piece swimsuits with the t-shirt-like tops and separate bottoms. More sun protection (usually, these suits have SPF built into the material- win!) and easier to take on an off for emergency restroom breaks (just sayin' ;-).
Anywho, we were looking over the selection at Old Navy and I pulled out an appropriate pink ensemble and showed it to Katy. Our conversation went something like this:
Me, holding out a cute pink two-piece (as described above), "Look at this one, Katy! It's pink- your favorite color!"
Katy, "No, I don't like that one."
Me, "Why not? It's got a heart on it. And ruffles!"
Katy, countering by holding out a little string bikini (little girls actually wear those?!?!?), "It's not cool, Mom. I like this one."
Oy! And so the fashion wars begin... isn't three years old too young for that?!?!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Sentence of the Day- Portrait
Portrait of Mommy by la artiste
Katy was drawing on her Magna Doodle, this afternoon, while I was sewing. She ran up to me and excitedly told me that she had drawn a picture of me. So, I stopped what I was doing to inspect her "masterpiece." Then, after I had properly "oohed" and "ahhed" over it, she told me, "You like my picture? You need to take a picture of it and post it on the blog."
Hahahaha! So, here it is, Katy Grace- your masterpiece debut on the world wide web! ;-) I love it!
Prima Ballerina Katy
"Because Tuesday night was my last (summer) ballet class, Mommy and Daddy got to come in and observe the class."
"First, we started with some tap dancing."
"T is for Tap, tap, tap!"
"Then, we did the 'Fishy Song.' It's not really my favorite song to dance to."
"Lastly, we partnered up and did the 'Lollipop Song.'"
.
"Wheee... I like to twirl!"
"I had fun at my summer ballet class!"
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Sentence of the Day- Christmas in July
On our recent road trip to FL, we gave Katy a pen and a piece of paper to entertain her in the car. She likes to "write." After scribbling for awhile, we asked her what she wrote. She informed us that she had written a letter to Santa Claus (never to early to start, I guess). She told us her letter said the following;
"Dear I love you, Santa Claus. Hate to break it to you, but I won't be sitting in your lap, this year. Love, Katy."
That girl just makes me smile.
"Dear I love you, Santa Claus. Hate to break it to you, but I won't be sitting in your lap, this year. Love, Katy."
That girl just makes me smile.
St. Augustine, FL with Grandma and Pop-Pop Tinkey
El Galleon Spanish Ship
Beachin' it with the Grandparents.
Just call her, "Fisherwoman Katy."
Pretty Girl in Nature.
This past weekend, we met up with my parents in St. Augustine, FL. They wanted to try out their new RV and we just tagged along for the ride.
We arrived in St. Augustine Friday evening- just in time for dinner. FL welcomed us with a torrential rain storm as soon as we crossed the state line. (Must be something about Jacksonville.... ;-) We ended up taking a short break at the FL welcome center because visibility was limited. Oh well- free OJ!
However, things cleared up enough for Lil' Miss to take a dip in the pool after dinner. Katy was able to swim off all of that pent-up energy she had from sitting in the car, all day. She also did a bit of showing off as she displayed her swimming and jumping skills (unassisted!). Guess those swimming lessons are paying off....
Saturday, we went into the historical part of St. Augustine. We met up with our family friends, the Meyers, and toured the city. We rode the Red Train from Ripley's Believe It, Or Not! all around town. We enjoyed a bite to eat at PizzzAlley in the nice, cool AC. (St. Augustine in July is HOT and HUMID!!!). After lunch, we had the opportunity to tour the El Galeon ship that was only in town for a short while to commemorate St. Augustine's 450th anniversary.
After a hot and sticky day in town, we dropped Mom, Dad and Katy off at the RV while Ted and I got the chance to meet up with our friends, the Nolands, for a child-free dinner (Hurray!). We met them at the A1A Ale Works and enjoyed a nice, leisurely dinner catching up with old friends. We took our time eating since another torrential rain storm came through (notice a theme, here?) while we were inside. After dinner, we walked around town. Then, of course, we ended the night with some ice cream from Kilwin's- Yum!
Sunday morning, we woke up and hit the beach. The sky was overcast, but at least it wasn't raining. The beach wasn't very crowded. Katy enjoyed digging in the sand, building a sand castle with Pop-Pop and hitting the waves with Ted.
After the beach, we decided to go to the pool. Katy really is getting better at swimming. It doesn't look pretty, but she's getting quite adept at the doggie paddle an treading water.
After the beach and pool, we went back to the RV and got cleaned up. My Uncle Jonathon and my cousins Derek, Hannah and Joseph came down from Jacksonville for lunch. The Meyers also joined us. We all enjoyed a nice lunch before yet another rain storm forced us inside.
Ted, Katy and I left the lunch party and headed to the St. Augustine outlets to do a little shopping.
Then, when we got back from shopping, Pop-Pop gave Katy her first fishing lesson. While they didn't catch anything, Katy really seemed to enjoy herself (go figure- my child would like the beach, camping AND fishing!). Katy also really enjoyed feeding the ducks that wandered the campground.
After dinner and fishing, we finished off the trip with some campfire s'mores- yum!
We packed things up and left on Monday morning. Other than an emergency stop on the side of I-26 because Lil' Miss was desperate for the restroom, our car ride home was uneventful. Thanks for sharing your vacation with us, Mom and Dad Tinkey- we had fun!
Monday, July 22, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
Nuby Mommy Blogger- Squid Squirter™
We love going to our neighborhood pool! We live in a very family-friendly neighborhood, so, there's always bound to be other kids swimming at the pool. Lots of those kids- young and old- have these foam squirt guns and Lil' Miss loves to watch them in action. So, when I had the opportunity to review the Nuby Squid Squirter™, I jumped at the chance!
Lil' Miss loves playing with the Nuby Squid Squirter™! For a supposed "baby" toy, this little sucker can really shoot some water! I love that it still gives Lil' Miss the "squirt action" of a water gun, without the "gun" aspect. Lil' Miss just loves that that it shoots water (and pretty far, at that!)! She played with it for a good 45 minutes on the first day that she took it to the pool. We love it- there is nothing negative to say about it!
Here is what the Nuby site has to say about the Nuby Squid Squirter™:
- 18 months +
- Great way to make bath time fun
- Hold the Squid under water and pull the handle back until the chamber is filled with water. Then push down on the handle and watch the water squirt everywhere.
- Encourages development and play
- BPA FREE
Would you like a Nuby Squid Squirter™ of your own? (Trust me, it's fun! ;-) They are available for purchase at:
- www.buybuybaby.com / buybuy Baby
Connect with Nuby at:
www.instagram.com/nubyusa
“I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I may receive items to sample or review.”
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Sentence of the Day- Hair Stylin'
As we walked past a young guy with a very LARGE afro (complete with pick stuck in it), Katy exclaims (rather loudly, I might add), "Whoa! Look at his funny hair! I guess he didn't stand still for his mommy (to brush it)!"
Hahaha! Thankfully, the kid just laughed.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Sentence of the Day- The Moon
This evening, while driving home, Katy spotted the moon. She pointed out her window and shouted, "Oh, no! They took a bite out of the moon!" (referring to the fact that the moon was only a crescent and not a full circle). Sometimes, it's refreshing to see the world from a three year old's perspective.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Monsters University- Katy's First Visit to the Movie Theater!
Katy's First Movie Theater Adventure!
Bring on the Popcorn!
We took Katy to see her first movie (in the theater), this afternoon. We chose to see Monsters University. Katy had a great time and did really well sitting quietly throughout the film. There was only one time (at a key, emotional moment) where Katy blurted out loud, "Why he (Sully) sad?" This elicited more than a few chuckles from the parents around us. All in all, a good time was had by all!
Friday, July 12, 2013
"Eat Mor Chikin!" (Cow Appreciation Day 2013)
You look "Moo"valeous, Darling!
(We each decorated a cow mask to look like ourselves. Katy's had a polka-dot bow and lipstick, mine (pictured) was sporting my new red glasses and Ted's had a mustache.)
"Who you calling chikin?"
(BTW, Ted had a sign that read, "Eat," I had a sign that said, "Mor" and Katy's sign said, "Chikin," after the CFA catch-phrase, "Eat Mor Chikin.")
Today was Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A (aka, dress like a cow and get a free meal). So, we donned our black and white and all enjoyed a free meal. Thanks, Chick-Fil-A!
Nuby Mommy Blogger- Splash n’ Catch™ Bathtime Fishing Set
Due to all of the rain and storms that we've been having lately, it's been a little over a week since we've been to our neighborhood pool. To Lil' Miss, that seems like FOREVER! So, when we saw a hint of blue skies, this afternoon, we took our chances and headed to the pool.
Lil' Miss brought along the Nuby Splash n’ Catch™ Bathtime Fishing Set to try out. She really liked paddling around to catch the four colorful shapes. Hubby and I would throw each of the shapes away from Lil' Miss, in order to get her to "swim" to them. This way, she could practice her kicking, paddling and bubbles (that she's been learning at swim lessons, this summer) and it didn't even feel like she was "practicing" (WIN!).
Here's what we liked:
-I like that the net and four shapes float. In a pool setting, with a child that is just learning to swim, I don't need anything that sinks. Of course, this probably is a non-issue in a regular bathroom setting.
-Just like the site promised, this toy does promote hand/eye coordination. Lil' Miss would have to judge when to scoop her net, in order to catch the shapes. Also, it taught her to keep the net upright in order to not loose any shapes that she had already caught, while trying to get more shapes.
Here's what could be improved:
-The only thing that I didn't like about this toy is that the shapes are supposed to "link" but because of their thick plastic (which is good for little hands to grip and see in the water), they are hard to link together.
Here's what the Nuby site had to say about the Nuby Splash n’ Catch™ Bathtime Fishing Set:
- For 18+ months
- 4 colorful characters to catch in the net
- Helps develop hand-eye coordination
- Characters can be linked together
- Great for bath time or the pool
- BPA FREE
- www.buybuybaby.com / buybuy Baby
- Tuesday Morning
- Bealls
Connect with Nuby at:
www.instagram.com/nubyusa
“I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I may receive items to sample or review.”
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Monday, July 8, 2013
Letter of the Week- "J"
"J" July 3, 2013
(This one's a little out of order- for her name, that is- but Katy really wanted to write it and I wasn't going to fight it.)
Friday, July 5, 2013
Letter of the Week- K-A-T-Y Spells Katy!
"K" June 14, 2013
"A" (and "K" review) June 19, 2013
"T" June 23, 2013
"Y" June 26, 2013
"K-A-T-Y" June 26, 2013
At the end of Preschool I had been noticing that Katy is a bit behind her peers when it comes to letter recognition. She knows the alphabet song and can sing it with gusto! She can verbally tell you the letters (in order) that make up her name. However, when it comes to knowing the difference (and pointing to the correct letter) between an "A" or a "B," she's clueless.
I'm not saying that she's unintelligent. That's hardly the case- Katy correctly uses words like, "apothecary," "exquisite," and "scrumptious" in sentences on a regular basis- seriously! Instead of saying that something is, "yummy," she tells us that it's "delectable." We dine "al fresco," not just "outside." I'm telling you, this girl has an extensive vocabulary! Also, the girl has a personal library that rivals some public library's children's sections, so it certainly isn't due to lack of exposure to letters, books and/or the written word.
Up until this point, I haven't really pushed it. I figured, she's a smart girl (too smart for OUR own good!), she'll get it eventually... Mostly, though, I just think it just boils down to the fact that she's just not INTERESTED in learning her letters. I don't want to go all "Tiger Mom" on her, but I do want her to have a good foundation.
So, after talking it over with my reading-coach mother (thanks, Mom!), I decided to start introducing a new letter, each week. Since she is already somewhat familiar with the letters that make up her name, I decided to start there.
I broke out the alphabet flashcards and prominently display the letter of the week. I cleared off a shelf in her playroom to display books that are either about the letter of the week and/or have a lot of that week's letter in the book. I got an alphabet border from the dollar store and put it up at Katy's eye-level. Then, occasionally through the day, I ask her to point to the letter that we are working on.
For each letter, I use these printables for Katy to practice writing the letter of the week. I also use these printables to help Katy get used to consistently identify the specific letter we are working on.
Since starting this educational adventure, I've learned that Katy is an auditory learner. So, I try to verbally say the letters out loud, throughout the day. I also give her something to associate with the letter. For example, "K is for Katy," "A is for Apple." While reading books out loud to her, I ask Katy to look at the words and point out the letter that we are working on. Also, I'm trying to be more active about pointing out letters when we are doing everyday things (on signs, on menus, etc.)
We don't spend a whole lot of time on any one activity. We aren't super stringent on the order of things, either. For now, the goal is to get her to recognize letters and be able to writer he name. Mostly, we're just trying to incorporate letters more and more into our daily dialogue.
Depending on the letter and Katy's comprehension of it, we can either spend more or less than a week on any one letter. It's not a science and I don't want it to be a drudgery for Katy.
So far, though, I'd say that Katy is progressing nicely...
Tie-Dye Color Theory
Tie-Dye Fun!
Katy had the opportunity to do some patriotic tie-dye with some friends on the third. But, because nothing can ever be that simple, I decided to have Lil' Miss tie-dye an adult large shirt so that I could later make it into a dress. Katy has started to amass quite a collection of tie-dye shirts, so I thought that it'd be fun to change things up a bit and make a dress, instead.
White t-shirt + red dye + blue dye = Patriotic.
HOWEVER... when we got home and the shirt had set for the allotted amount of time and I unwrapped it, we ended up with more of a PURPLE tie-dye, instead. Red and blue make purple- every good artist knows that! (I guess we got a little too vigorous in our dying and let the colors blend together).
No worries, though, the shirt still turned out cute and I was able to make a fun, summery dress for Katy to wear. Plus, I made it so that when she grows up, all I need to do is remove the shoulder straps and -voila!- she has a cute tie-dye skirt! :-)
Nuby Mommy Blogger- No-Spill™ Nickelodeon™ Printed Flip-it™
After some delay (Thanks for resending the box and fixing the problem, V!), our new Nuby Products arrived. Right out of the box, Lil' Miss took the Nuby No-Spill™ Nickelodeon™ Printed Flip-it™, filled it with water and proceeded to use it. I'd say she likes it!
Lil' Miss likes the Dora the Explorer design and I like the provided space to put her name on the cup. She's always been good at using straws, so this is a nice (easy clean-up) change from her other sippy cups.
Here is what the Nuby website says about the Nuby No-Spill™ Nickelodeon™ Printed Flip-it™:
- Step 3: Straw Drinking
- 12 months +
- 10oz / 300ml
- No-Spill™
- Fun Nickelodeon™ prints
- A seamless transition to true straw drinking
- Encourages natural drinking action & oral development
- Perfect for on the go drinking
Would you like a Nuby No-Spill™ Nickelodeon™ Printed Flip-it™ for your own little Nickelodeon fan? You can purchase them at:
- BPA FREE
- Tuesday Morning
- DD’s Discounts
www.instagram.com/nubyusa
“I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I may receive items to sample or review.”
Thursday, July 4, 2013
"I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles..."
"Pretty bubbles in the air..."
"They fly so high..."
"Nearly reach the sky..."
"I'm forever blowing bubbles,
Pretty bubbles in the air..."
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