Thursday, July 12, 2012
Busy Bag Swap Full
Thanks for all the interest in the swap. As of right now, all the spots are taken. Check back every once in awhile and we may do another in the future ;)
"Hold Tight"
I figured out Lydia's biggest fear this week. Being dropped. I am positive that she has never been dropped but I guess this is her fear because randomly through out the day she will be ask "hold me". When she is picked up she then makes sure that the person will "hold tight".
A great way to get a hug from a always on the go, never stopping, too busy to stop little girl!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Busy Bag Swap
Last summer we did a busy bag swap and Lydia has thoroughly enjoyed each of the activities. We are in need of new age appropriate activities SO thought we would see if anybody else is interested in swapping busy bag activities. It is much easier (and cheaper!) to make 20 of the same activity ;)
What is a busy bag you ask?
Each Ziploc bag is filled with a simple age appropriate activity that helps build fine motor skills, encourages learning, and most of all keeps little hands busy. Our activities over the past year have gone to the grocery, road trips, doctor offices, entertained while Mom needed 10 minutes, and have also been a loved activity to do with mom or dad. Without a doubt these activities are played with every single day!
The details of this particular swap:
Colors Activities:
Shapes Activities:
Letters Activities:
Numbers Activities:
Just for Fun Activities:
What is a busy bag you ask?
Each Ziploc bag is filled with a simple age appropriate activity that helps build fine motor skills, encourages learning, and most of all keeps little hands busy. Our activities over the past year have gone to the grocery, road trips, doctor offices, entertained while Mom needed 10 minutes, and have also been a loved activity to do with mom or dad. Without a doubt these activities are played with every single day!
The details of this particular swap:
- The activities are below and are most appropriate for young preschoolers.
- Each activity should cost approximately $1.00/bag (Approx. $20 commitment)
- Each activity should be bagged in a Ziploc bag - with instructions if necessary.
- Last day to sign up is July 16th
- Busy bag assignments will be emailed out by July 18th.
- Participants are responsible for bringing the busy bags to my house (North Raleigh) by August 6th.
- Busy bags will be ready to be picked up by August 8th (dependent on everybody getting bags finished by August 6th).
We would love to have you participate, simply email DeAnna at DeAnnaStojan@gmail.com. Include in your email:
- Your Name
- Top Three Activities that you would like to do
(I will try to make sure each person gets an activity of their choice). - Female or male felt doll preference
- Tell a local friend or two - the sooner we get to 20 participants the sooner we can PLAY!
This is a local busy bag swap to the Raleigh NC area.
Colors Activities:
- Summer Popsicle Activity
5 colors. - Matching Colors Shades
5 color shades - Dyed Pasta Stringing
4 different colors and pipe cleaners or yarn for lacing are perfect! - Shaped Crayons
5 different colors. Muffin tins are a good shape too if you do not have a mold. - Stickers, Homemade notepad, Crayons
Self explanatory ;) Dollar Store would have all the supplies to do this for $1.00/bag.
Shapes Activities:
- Trace a Shape Game
one laminated game board (or game board slipped into a page protector), washable crayon or dry erase marker, game cards printed on card stock - Lacing Cards
3 different laminated shapes and yarn for lacing - Double Trouble Shape Game
1 laminated grid, 16 large foam shapes, and 16 small foam shapes
Letters Activities:
- Alphabet Sticks (2nd Activity on page)
Upper case and lower case letters on one side of the Popsicle stick. - A - Z Letter Match Up Cards (3rd Activity on Page)
Printed and Laminated to match up with letter tiles and/or alphabet sticks. - ABC Scoops
Please make durable for lots of play time. Card stock or laminated... - Letter Tiles
Upper case and lower case letters
Numbers Activities:
- Lulu the Ladybug Game
10 black spots are sufficient - Number Boards
Numbers 1 - 10 are sufficient. - Five Fabulous Frogs
Five fabulous somethings (frogs are the example but any object would work too. Be creative and see what you can find allot of to fit in your budget!) Each bag should contain 5 laminated cards and 15 small objects - but not chocking hazards. - Number Tiles
Numbers 1 - 20
Just for Fun Activities:
- Felt Pizza
This will need to be simplified to make at $1/bag. Maybe no stuffing the pizza crust and cutting the felt into crust, sauce, cheese, and a topping shapes??? - Sponge Towers
40 sponge blocks are sufficient. - Dress up Doll (bottom of the page)
One doll and two outfits. Will let you know how many boy dolls/outfits and how many girl dolls/outfits we need upon sign-up. - No Sew Felt Fishing Game
Four different colored fish and one fishing pole
In the event that a link isn't working activities can also be found at http://pinterest.com/deannastojan/busy-bag-swap/
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Happy Birthday Lydia!
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| Almost Mobile... |
This Year:
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| Big pools are so much fun (we won't show the pitiful pictures of Lydia trying to play in her baby pool from last year!) |
The birthday girl had a weekend of parties with friends and with family. Sadly I forgot to take pictures but thankfully other people were on the ball and took pictures!
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| Aunt Holly Sent Lydia some beach toys (yes I know this isn't the beach!) |
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| Grandma and Pappaw brought Lydia a new baby doll. |
Cupcakes with Friends...
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After a nice nap, a few of Lydia's cousins and family members came over for Party Round Two:
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| Butterfly (aka: "fly") Cake |
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| Dad showing Lydia how to blow out the candles before the wax dripped all over the cake... |
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Journal of Potty Training
This blog is really used so that out of town family members can see what is going on in our house. AND I am terrible about filling out the baby book. One day I will dust off the cover of the baby book and try to remember her milestones. Or better yet, just print the blog and make a memory book!
Anyway, all that to say I hesitate to publish this entry but I wanted to remember (and family members out of state want to know!) how potty training went. Lydia really was very simple and easy and every kid is different. So friends please read this is a comical journey and I will pray and cheer for you during your potty training adventure!
Day One:
SO we have a very excited but teething toddler. James and I have debated on the intelligence of tackling this adventure TODAY but Lydia is so very excited. But also getting new molars, recovering from a week with lots of extra attention and never hearing the word no, and in the excitement of her new bed I am not positive that she is sleeping the greatest yet. (Or she is just really tender from the teeth and vacation!)
Strike while the iron is hot is our thought process. And Lydia is excited to get to be naked, eat marshmallows, and play with mom. So we are giving it a gentle and sensitive try today! Wish us luck ;)
P.S. James decided that he needed to make a down payment on giving Lydia icecream and really wanted to take her out for a treat tonight. We compromised and she had a treat at home. Lydia's new favorite word "down payment please".
Day Two:
The good news - the only bribery needed was to glue a pom pom onto a piece of construction paper (ofcourse when somebody gets 12 pom poms on this special piece of paper then she gets an ice cream cone!). We will save the better bribes for something different.
Two accidents yesterday. Seven successes (even got her poops in the potty!). I think that is fantastic! After a day of chasing a half naked toddler, cleaning up bodily fluids, and being home all day I needed a break. A shower seemed like the perfect thing. James took over potty training for 20 minutes and got to clean up pee from a little potty, serve brownies, assist in gluing a pom pom to the construction paper, and was so thrilled to hear the water turn off in the shower!
So far the morning of day two went ok. After being home all day yesterday, we wanted outside. Lydia had just done her thing on the potty. We slipped on some new undies and shoes and walked to top of the driveway to get the newspaper. Thought we would be golden for this little adventure. Wearing her new undies she had a mini accident outside. And then inside she had another mini accident. Moral of the story: I guess the toddler is just going to remain inside, naked, and doing her thing on the little potty in the middle of the living room for a little longer ;) I know better but it is a work in progress!
Day Three:
Can we say stir crazy??? Yesterday Lydia and I were both ready to break out of the house. I lost track how many accidents we had outside (but atleast they were all outside and in the rain!). Last night we went out for milkshakes and sundaes because well, sometimes you just NEED chocolate!
We did at the very end of day two succeed in getting all our pom poms glued onto our chart. SO YES WE ARE HAVING ICECREAM CONES TONIGHT!
I am happy to report for day three that Lydia woke up with a mostly dry diaper (which has been her normal for awhile now). Went potty right away and was so proud of herself. After baking birthday cupcakes, we went to Target to buy those icecream cones (and pick out big girl panties!). Lydia was so very proud that she was dry and out of the house - she showed everybody her dry panties. Every poor soul in Target was really proud of her - genuinely excited even (praise the Lord that people were kind to my not so modest child!). We talked on the way home and Lydia just told the neighbors that she was dry rather than showing them. Small steps of victory!
Fingers crossed that we can remain dry the rest of the day ;)
Anyway, all that to say I hesitate to publish this entry but I wanted to remember (and family members out of state want to know!) how potty training went. Lydia really was very simple and easy and every kid is different. So friends please read this is a comical journey and I will pray and cheer for you during your potty training adventure!
Day One:
SO we have a very excited but teething toddler. James and I have debated on the intelligence of tackling this adventure TODAY but Lydia is so very excited. But also getting new molars, recovering from a week with lots of extra attention and never hearing the word no, and in the excitement of her new bed I am not positive that she is sleeping the greatest yet. (Or she is just really tender from the teeth and vacation!)
Strike while the iron is hot is our thought process. And Lydia is excited to get to be naked, eat marshmallows, and play with mom. So we are giving it a gentle and sensitive try today! Wish us luck ;)
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| Coloring the Potty Chart |
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| Pretty much sums up our day - sitting on the potty and reading books! |
P.S. James decided that he needed to make a down payment on giving Lydia icecream and really wanted to take her out for a treat tonight. We compromised and she had a treat at home. Lydia's new favorite word "down payment please".
Day Two:
The good news - the only bribery needed was to glue a pom pom onto a piece of construction paper (ofcourse when somebody gets 12 pom poms on this special piece of paper then she gets an ice cream cone!). We will save the better bribes for something different.
Two accidents yesterday. Seven successes (even got her poops in the potty!). I think that is fantastic! After a day of chasing a half naked toddler, cleaning up bodily fluids, and being home all day I needed a break. A shower seemed like the perfect thing. James took over potty training for 20 minutes and got to clean up pee from a little potty, serve brownies, assist in gluing a pom pom to the construction paper, and was so thrilled to hear the water turn off in the shower!
So far the morning of day two went ok. After being home all day yesterday, we wanted outside. Lydia had just done her thing on the potty. We slipped on some new undies and shoes and walked to top of the driveway to get the newspaper. Thought we would be golden for this little adventure. Wearing her new undies she had a mini accident outside. And then inside she had another mini accident. Moral of the story: I guess the toddler is just going to remain inside, naked, and doing her thing on the little potty in the middle of the living room for a little longer ;) I know better but it is a work in progress!
Day Three:
Can we say stir crazy??? Yesterday Lydia and I were both ready to break out of the house. I lost track how many accidents we had outside (but atleast they were all outside and in the rain!). Last night we went out for milkshakes and sundaes because well, sometimes you just NEED chocolate!
We did at the very end of day two succeed in getting all our pom poms glued onto our chart. SO YES WE ARE HAVING ICECREAM CONES TONIGHT!
I am happy to report for day three that Lydia woke up with a mostly dry diaper (which has been her normal for awhile now). Went potty right away and was so proud of herself. After baking birthday cupcakes, we went to Target to buy those icecream cones (and pick out big girl panties!). Lydia was so very proud that she was dry and out of the house - she showed everybody her dry panties. Every poor soul in Target was really proud of her - genuinely excited even (praise the Lord that people were kind to my not so modest child!). We talked on the way home and Lydia just told the neighbors that she was dry rather than showing them. Small steps of victory!
Fingers crossed that we can remain dry the rest of the day ;)
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| Opening her big girl underwear! |
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| James and I got off easy with this purchase - no expensive Disney characters just bright colors for us! |
Day Four:
Which is also birthday party day. Cupcake play date with friends in the morning. The local cousins and family party in the evening. Trip to the park. To only have one accident and all that chaos is amazing in my opinion! Dry for nap time.
Day Five:
Father's Day. Lydia stayed dry at church, grocery store on the way home, playing outside, told us she had to go potty, AND then saw one neighbor that needed a quick hug. Didn't stay dry for the last hug but she did stay dry for a long time and tried the little people potty at church. We consider that a great day ;) Dry at nap time again!!!!!
Day Six:
Mom teaches on Mondays and Lydia goes to daycare. I was not expecting success at the babysitters for the newly potty trained little girl but she stayed dry. Whoohooo!!!!!!!! AND dry at nap and night time. Can we hear a cheer???
Day Seven:
I thought James and I were going to be getting a raise when we potty trained Lydia. No more diapers in the budget. Which is true. But we have spent $20 - $30/month on diapers and wipes since she was a brand new baby (hurray for sales and coupons!). I believe that we will be allocating that $20 - $30 to toilet paper and water for the foreseeable future though.... Can I get coupons for the water bill??? Sale prices???
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
The Mind of a Toddler
Mom: Today is your last day being one. What do you want to do?
Lydia: Oh!!!!! We shall see.
Followed by a dance and then a fit when the dance made somebody fall into the wall. Think we will settle for the park!
Lydia: While sitting on the potty: "Bye bye pee pee. Bye bye poop. MOM where poop?" Oh, dear child. I would love to know where your poop is. I think we will find it at the most un-opportune time possible though :(
Lydia: Oh!!!!! We shall see.
Followed by a dance and then a fit when the dance made somebody fall into the wall. Think we will settle for the park!
Lydia: While sitting on the potty: "Bye bye pee pee. Bye bye poop. MOM where poop?" Oh, dear child. I would love to know where your poop is. I think we will find it at the most un-opportune time possible though :(
Friday, June 15, 2012
Magical Land of Kentucky
Or if you are Lydia the magical land of "Tucky".
We all had fun on our journey. I was terrible about taking pictures but thankfully Grandma was on the job!
Day One:
(Lydia thanks all her friends who kindly sent her car toys, movies, and tvs! They were all a lifesaver!!!!!!)
Took Lydia a little bit to warm up to everybody BUT not Aunt V. She and Aunt V had a bond from the first instant (I thought maybe it had something to do with the adorable puppy that would put up with anything but after we returned home Aunt V is talked about allot and the puppy has been forgotten).
Day Two:
Day Three: (Did I mention that I was terrible about taking pictures???)
Day Four:
We all had fun on our journey. I was terrible about taking pictures but thankfully Grandma was on the job!
Day One:
(Lydia thanks all her friends who kindly sent her car toys, movies, and tvs! They were all a lifesaver!!!!!!)
Took Lydia a little bit to warm up to everybody BUT not Aunt V. She and Aunt V had a bond from the first instant (I thought maybe it had something to do with the adorable puppy that would put up with anything but after we returned home Aunt V is talked about allot and the puppy has been forgotten).
Day Two:
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| We won't even mention all the food that Lydia got to eat! |
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| A PARK!!!!!!! |
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| Checking out the Car Dealerships in Lexington |
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| Checking out the toys at the car dealerships in Lexington... |
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| Looking for a dog I am sure! |
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| Storytime and lunch were the agenda for the day! |
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| Early Morning Drive |
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| Mid Morning Breakfast |
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| Cookies to Celebrate we are HOME!!!!!! |
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