2015 Valenites

For the past two years I have made Valentine with my sweet Shane. Unfortunately, I never took pictures of the past ones but this year I remembered to! We had a wonderful time and Keith even tried some straw painting! We mimicked our Christmas Cookie Cutter Cards this year and used a heart, everything pink, red, and white and discovered a new way to paint with straws!

Supplies

glue

white, pink, and red construction paper folded in half

pink, red, and white paint

a straw (not pictured)

heart shaped cookie cutter

glitter

plate

wet wipe or wet paper towel for cleanup

Directions

1. Spread the paint color or colors of choice out onto a plate. Dip the heart shape cookie cutter into the paint and stamp onto the constriction paper. 

2. Dip the tip of the straw into the paint and stamp onto the paper for decorations

3. Using the glue, decorate the hearts, around the hearts, write words like "love" or "you and me," then sprinkle with the glitter.

4. Allow to dry then write your Valentine a note!

Lunches for Mama

Today I am sharing the last of four posts on what our family eats for lunches. In November, I shared what I pack from Brian's lunch which he takes almost every day to work. In December I shared what I make for Keith who, at the time, was ten months old. Last month I shared what my picky eater Shane eats. He is the most challenging member of my family to feed. So much so that at the suggestion of our pediatrician we are meeting with a nutritionist next month to talk about more creative ways to expand Shane's food choices and get some protein in him. Today though, I am sharing what I eat for lunch. 

When I make my lunches it is normally 5pm, I am watching The Brothers on my own, and everyone is hungry! Being that the three of us that dine in all eat a bit of a different meal, I have found that simplicity and overlapping is key for our evening meal to run smoothly. In the winter I really like hot meals and quick meals so I try and keep extra or make extras that can be assembled during the rush of the evening. If I can make one item that everyone likes then I can supplement the rest with what I know each of us will eat. These days Keith and I are eating a lot of the same foods these days so most of the time I just need to cut things up a bit smaller and find a way to get fruit, veggies, and protein into Shane. Lunch runs most smoother these days and I have found a way to get a hot meal while avoiding PB and J!

Day 1

Chicken, tomato, cucumber, and ranch salad

cinnamon apple muffins

apple sauce

Day 2

German pancake

scrambled eggs with tomato

banana slices

Day 3

whole wheat tortilla 

refried beans

tomatoes

avocado

cheddar cheese

Day 4

fried egg

fried zucchini

fresh diced tomato

Day 5

whole milk yogurt with strawberries and coconut cashew granola

friend egg

baked tomato with green onion

Other Meal Ideas

apple butternut squash soup

chicken noodle soup

grilled cheese and tomato

taco salads

noodles with chicken, peas, and marinara sauce

caprese salad

leftovers

If you missed the other posts about lunches you can find them below.

Toddler Lunches

Infant Lunches

Husband Lunches

Friday Favorites:Favorite Children's Books

Before I became The Brother's Mama I was an elementary school teacher. I graduated from my master program during a season in which teachers were not being hired and so I became a substitute teacher. Eventually my substitute work led to a long term job as an elementary school reading specialist three days a week and I continued to substitute teacher elementary classes the other two days. During this choppy and inconsistent season of jumping from classroom to classroom day after day I found some calm and cheer in my small reading groups. I fell in LOVE with teaching reading as well as rediscovering a passion for children's literature which I had not dwindled in since my undergraduate studies.

Books are imaginative, creative, adventitious, encouraging, suspenseful, humerus, eye opening, and educational. I hope books are the at the start of every child's personal story, engraved and etched into their little minds so they grow a love for reading. Today I am sharing my top picks for Infants and Preschoolers. They are what The Brothers love and I hope you do too!

Favorite Books for Infants

Good Night, Gorilla is a goofy book about a gorilla who takes the keys from the nightwatchman at the zoo and breaks himself and all the other animals out of the zoo. Mostly comprised of illustrations with very little wording, this book is wonderful for language development. Infants can point and identify various pictures to grow and expand their verbal skills. I also recommend books  like this to ESL students. 

Good Dog, Carl is one of a series about a dog named Carl who is playful and adventurous and gets into all kids of mischief. Just like Good Night, Gorilla, this book comprised of illustrations with very little wording, this book is wonderful for language development. Infants can point and identify various pictures to grow and expand their verbal skills. I also recommend books  like this to ESL students. 

Best Word Book Ever is just as the title says! It has over 1000 labeled illustrations to grow your child's vocabulary. Talking to your child teaches them first hand but if you want to show them a snowman in summer, a pumpkin in winter, and an ocean beach when you live in Colorado books like this help bridge the gap. Again, I recommend books like this to ESL students and this book grows with your child. Shane is three now and still loves to read this book because he can identify every object or person in the pictures. However, Keith, who just turned one also loves reading this one. It is hardback but the pages are paper as opposed to the board book style so it is one that offers good quality reading time with adults. 

Peek-a WHO? is a book I don't know I would have recommended before I had kids however, both The Brothers loved this book. I can't explain how much they adored this from about 6 months on. The pages have a cut out in them so you can get a peek at the next page and the last page has a mirror on it and most infants I know, including my own, love to look in the mirror at themselves. The design of this book as well as the rhyme gets little ones excited about books and reading. As a mom to little ones it is a goal to get them into reading from an early age.

Baby Faces, or any similar book, is a great way to start and teach important emotional vocabulary to your little ones before they hit two. Keith can mimic silly, happy, angry, stinky, surprised, and shy faces already. If I ask him to make a silly face his nose scrunches up and his tongue sticks out. I know this is such an important skill set to be able to associate emotional words and phrasing with facial cues so that Keith can start to verbally express himself as well as understand  facial expressions when mama or other adults make faces.

Favorite Books for Preschoolers

I am a Bunny was given to Shane as a gift when he turned one and it quickly became one of his favorite books. He loved the illustrations, the description of the seasons, and the length of the book is perfect for toddlers. Children this age love to hear the same book over and over again because it  allows a child to remember and retain the meaning of new words. Where parents may get tired of reading the same book a dozen times the repetition of the phrasing and structure of the story will help your child grasp onto new vocabulary! This one I have read easily 100 times and I still love it!

Harry the Dirty Dog is a classic book about family and friendship. Harry, who does not like baths, runs away to play and becomes so dirty his family does not recognize him when he returns home. Harry finally convinces them to give him a bath, which he hates, just so his family knows he is home. Shane love this book! It is a cute story and gets Shane excited about reading. 

Little Blue Truck is one of three in a series that has a great theme of friendship. I love Little Blue Truck Leads the Way as well which talks about not cutting, taking turns, and being kind. Some books are goofy and for fun but these two have such great lessons in them that they are the kind I want to fill my home with. Shane can recite this whole book to me word for word but more importantly is the conversation that follows about what a good friend looks like and how Shane can be a good friend to others. I also like the different animals to continue to grow and expand both The Brother's vocabulary. 

Let's Be Thankful  and several other books from P.K. Hallinan I have linked and referenced a couple times in my short time blogging. I adore the illustrations and the rhyme makes children engaged with the words. Shane had this book memorized before he turned two because we read it over and over and his vocabulary grew immensely. Shane often asked "what is that" when reading this one which is exactly what I want kids to be asking when reading with parents at this age. He learned about fireflies, cotton candy, shooting stars, and so much more. 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is such a sweet and classic book. It is visually appealing, it has a fabulous array of vocabulary, the cutouts of this book make the layout unique and exciting, and the repetition of the wording lets children quickly become familiarity with the book. I also like how students can work with food, days of the week, sequence, and the life cycle of a butterfly. This is my favorite book of all time for so many ways. I have a copy Brian gave me for Christmas the first year we were dating and this was the theme for Shane's first birthday party! 

Today I am linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals. Some of these are personal favorites from reading with the boys and some of these are book I studied and learned about from my BA in Family and Child Psychology or during my Master in Teaching Studies.

Thankful Thursday: Childhood Friendships

This weekend we have 10 little buddies of Shane's meeting us for his 3rd birthday party! 10! I am so thankful for friends for my children. Shane is such a spirited and social boy. He lights up on Sunday when it is time for Sunday School, he gets a kick out of play dates, and at the park there is no shyness when it comes to making friends.

This is a sweet picture from this summer that our friend Chris took and it makes me so happy. Chris was the best man at our wedding, and has been one of Brian's best friends for years. Now their boys, just 9 months apart, are little buddies and we are so blessed by this family and friendship. 

New Years Resolution Results for January

This year I wanted to make my new years resolution this year about me which, to many, may sound selfish. However, I find when I care for myself I take better care of The Brothers, Brian, my house, and life in general. You can read all about my New Years Resolution here. I thought it would be good to write a monthly update on how I am doing to hold my self accountable. 

1. Exercise 

I set out to work out three times a week this month. Every time I did a workout I wrote a little WO on my calendar so I could keep track. Despite having an ear and sinus infection last month I made every week except one which I only did two work outs and I made up for it the following week by working out four times. Some of these workouts were just a quick little 15 minute jog on my treadmill  but I still did it!

2. Reading

I decided to read one book a month that was not about parenting. I selected Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist this month. I admit, I actually finished it a day late but I read and I loved it! What I like most about this author is the way she writes the most descriptive sentences and that her books are independent essays compiled into a thematic book. Her writing is simply beautiful and if you want an uplifting book this is a great read. 

3. Date Night

You can read about the date I planned for Brian here! This was a fun and special evening and such an easy resolution to make and fulfill.

German Pancake: Adapted from Macrina Bakery

My family works on eating whole foods, clean eating, real food, or for lack of better words unprocessed foods. I try and make sure that we fill our home with meals that are as minimally processed and close to nature as possible. We choose whole wheat flour over white, natural sweeteners like maple syrup and honey when needed, and we read food labels to make sure there is not artificial dies and preservatives added. Due to this commitment we often adapt recipes to fit into this life style choice. This recipe, from my favorite bakery Macrina, is one of my favorites so we swapped in some whole wheat flour and honey and the results are amazing. The Brothers ate this up and I enjoyed dinner too!

Ingredients

3 eggs

3/4 cup whole milk

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 T pure vanilla syrup

2 T honey

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2T butter

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degree F.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, honey, and vanilla and set aside.

3. In another medium bowl, mix together the flour, sifted, and salt. set aside.

4. Melt the butter in a 9 inch oven safe saute pan, let cool slightly, then whisk it into the wet ingredients. Next, make a well in the dry ingredients and pour all the wet ingredients into the well. Mix the ingredients together until just combined.

5. Next place that butter coated pan back onto medium heat and get the pan warmed up. Pour the batter into the pan and let the pancake brown a bit.

6. Pop the saute pan into the oven and let it bake for 20 minutes. You know it is done when it puffs all the way up and look golden brown.

I like to top with apple sauce for my kids but you can also serve this with saute apples or maple syrup!

JUMP 3rd Birthday Party

On Saturday we celebrated our spited and sweet Shane turning three! When asked what he wanted to do for his birthday party, Shane wanted to play with his friends which included his BEST friend Daddy, Grandma Buffy, and little toddler buddies. Shane actually did ask for a host of other people to attend but for the first time I had to look at our space and budget and make our party a little smaller this year. By smaller, I mean under 40, which for my home is quite a large amount so we looked around and found a great place to host.

When looking for a venue in the winter months for toddlers we are a bit limited in what we can do. I love the idea of a park but weather is wet this time of year. We looked at the Children's Museum near us but I worried we would not spend as much time with our friends in a large area that open to the public at the same time as our event. I finally found a gymnastics center that offered a 3pm party so we could try and fit nap/quiet time in and there was a party room. The only draw back was that we had to limit our party to 12 participants but parents were not included in the count and could come join the fun. 

We had a wonderful time at Northshore Gymnastics Center! When we arrived there was a little bin to drop gifts off and someone at some point moved that to our party area. Each child had to sign a little waiver form as did the adults and then we could head out on the floor. We had a HUGE area for 30 minutes with trampolines, hula hoops, balls, balance beams, a climbing rope, and some music going on. Most of the kids jumped on trampolines and tossed balls or rolled hoops on a big floor area. It was wonderful to watch the introverted kids be able to play with no expectation to chat and the spirited children who won't sit still could freely run and jump with no expectation other than to be safe. Parents could chat and mingle and everyone enjoyed themselves. After 30 minutes we moved to the other side of the gym and had a giant inflatable slide, foam pit to jump in, slides, bars, and a few other trampolines. The kids were wild!

Look close and you can find me chasing my toddler who ran off and ran fast. This also lets you see the inside of half the gym. 

Foam pit!

The slide and some fun soft blocks to climb on.

After an hour of play time we went upstairs to an open area with some tables for treats and gifts. Seeing as it was so close to dinner we opted for orange slices and mini muffins. I made pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips and some cinnamon raisin muffins. 

For party favors I printed off these little Valentines from Slightly Askew Design and tied them onto an apple pouch. 

I was a little nervous kids would be disappointed with muffins over cake or applesauce over candy and toys but no one seemed to mind and I was so much happier with some healthy choices before dinner time.

We opened gifts and then most of the toddlers, including mine, were starting to get tired. We all said our goodbyes, loaded the cars up, and headed home to have dinner and cake with our out of town guests. 

We had a wonderful time at Shane's third birthday party. I was a little sad to not host this party but after seeing how much fun kids had and how much easier it was for clean up for me I have to say I would do something like this again. Shane absolutely loved spending time with all his friends which is exactly what he asked for. We are so blessed that our little firecracker has so many buddies who love him and wanted to come and celebrate with him.