Posts Tagged ‘thirty months old’
I’ve been trying introduce M to activities that keep her busy and entertained. She enjoys drawing and markers, so I figured she’d enjoy painting.
Crayola Color Wonder Fingerpaint
This is great. This paint only works with the Crayola Color Wonder paper. The color doesn’t get anywhere. Because it’s a gel, it’s easy to clean up.
At first, M was a little apprehensive about touching it, but it didn’t take her long to get used to it. She loved making splotches all over the paper.
The colors are a little muted on the Color Wonder paper. The colors are not bold, but it’s a only a kid’s fingerpaint. She’s not the next Monet. We did notice that the longer the paint sits on the paper, the stronger the colors came out.
The gel dries a little sticky, so if you want to save your child’s artistic creations, I would not stack the pages on top of each other, even if you think that the paints are dry.
This set seems to be a “one time use” fingerpaint set. M dug through the gel pots and used up the fingerpaint in one sitting that lasted about an hour. I did try to save as much as I could by scooping up the globs of gel on the piece of paper and scraping it back into the pots.
You can find fingerpaint refills here:
Crayola Color Wonder Paint Refill – Set of 2 (Tropical and Classic 75-2038)
M enjoyed this very much. I look foward to getting some refills and letting her paint again. It’s a great activity that keeps her still and quiet for at least an hour.
Clicking the image and the link will take you to my Amazon affiliate account. Any purchases made with those links will provide me a percentage of the price. Please consider using the link if you are looking to purchase this featured product. Thank you.
(Don’t forget to click these badges to rate my blog and vote for me. All you need to do is click!)
IKEA stool
Posted on: March 30, 2014
We have two of those step stools that IKEA sells.
M calls it her “little table.”
She’s always known that she can pick it up and put it down, but she’s always thought of it as another one of her toys.
A few weeks ago, the notion that these “little tables” are mere toys has changed for her.
I’m assuming that she’s observed us countless times picking it up and placing it against something in order for her to step up onto it and gain some height when she needs it. She’s watched us taking it from the bathroom to wash her hands, to the kitchen to help me make pancakes.
A light bulb went off in her head.
She could do that too!
Oh boy, is it helpful and dangerous at the same time.
It’s helpful because she now realizes that she doesn’t need to climb her personal Everest that is the bed. She now takes her little stool and uses it to climb into bed. It’s dangerous when I wake up at 5am, forgetting it’s there and nearly breaking my neck just trying to go about my day.
It’s helpful because now I can ask her to carry it to the desired room when we need to do something. It’s dangerous because she just does it on her own. We’ll just see her carrying her little stool to wherever she needs to go with or without or permission or supervision.
Hubby and I are on hyper alert whenever we see her taking her “little table” places. We always have to make sure she’s not putting herself in danger or she isn’t doing anything mischevious.
Life with a toddler is definitely interesting.
(Don’t forget to click these badges to rate my blog and vote for me. All you need to do is click!)
It never ends..
Posted on: March 29, 2014
M is just finishing another round of germs. This time, it was congestion and an ear infection.
This year is just the year of sickies.
It seems like she’s been battling a cold every month or so since November of last year!
It also always seems like she just get can’t get a simple cold.
They always follow this pattern. She gets super congested, then she coughs. The cough may or may not lead to asthma symptoms. She may or may not end up with an ear infection.
It’s only March and I’ve taken so many days off to be “nurse mommy.”
She needs to live in a bubble..
(Don’t forget to click these badges to rate my blog and vote for me. All you need to do is click!)
Gymboree
Posted on: March 27, 2014
Saturday was M’s very first Gymboree class. She was signed up for a free trial class in Play & Learn 6.
To read more about my huge flub on trying to get M into the correct age ranged class, click here.
We arrived to the class 10 minutes before it started. In the ten minutes, M had time to get acquainted with the play area. It really didn’t take her very long before she was running around and having a great time sliding and climbing, running and jumping.
She was definitely in her element.
Once class started, I brought M into the middle of the floor mat. It was easy for her to refocus on what was going on. I was a little nervous that she would rather play than follow the teacher, but she did really well.
She followed along with the class. She followed directions. She did what she was told. She listened and played.
There were times where she would wander off and want to play, but I would just gently guide her back and refocus her attention on class participation.
The class was very fast paced. They would do one activity, then the teacher would blow a whistle or ring a bell to indicate a change of activity. M caught on pretty quickly with that concept. She would play until the teacher would make a sound. When M heard the sound, she’d stop what she was doing and look at the teacher.
It was great. M had so much fun and I really think this is going to be good for her. She’s more exposed to kids her age and she will start to learn about structure and following directions and listening to a teacher.
I regret not taking her sooner, but I’m glad she’s having the opportunity to do it now.
(Don’t forget to click these badges to rate my blog and vote for me. All you need to do is click!)
Product Review: Play-Doh
Posted on: March 25, 2014
M has been obsessed with Play Doh for awhile. Why haven’t I posted a product review yet? In any case, here we go!
Play-Doh Sweet Shoppe Ice Cream Cone Container Craft Kit
I bought M this basic set to get her started. It came with one can of Play Doh Plus and two cans of regular Play Doh. The accessories are two small ice cream cones, a spoon and an ice cream scoop, and an extruder that looks like a syringe. The base of the main container contains a lot of different molds that look like ice cream toppings and candies.
From the start, M loved it. She loved to put Play Doh through the extruder and make “noodles.” She loved to fill in the ice cream cones.
From a mommy’s perspective, it’s great. It’s a great way to keep M busy for an hour, sometimes longer! It’s much better than having her time occupied with WATCHING Play Doh videos on Youtube. I’d rather that she actually PLAY with the Play Doh.
I do have a few issues with Play Doh.
– It smells. Play Doh has a distinct smell that isn’t super pleasant. I did play with Play Doh in the past, so opening a fresh can of it does smell like my childhood, but it still stinks. The smell doesn’t linger, nor does it fill up the whole room. It just smells.
– It sticks. We have carpet in our apartment. We have to layout a plastic trash bag underneath her play table. If the Play Doh gets on the carpet, and someone steps on it, then it’s stuck. It’s pretty much the same affect when Play Doh gets on clothes and gets pressed into it. I’m sure there are methods of removing playdoh, I’ll have to do my research.
– It sticks on hands. I’ve noticed that the Play Doh sticks onto M’s hands. By the time she’s done playing with it, she’s got a thin layer of stuck Play Doh residue on her fingers. This isn’t the greatest since M is still a thumb sucker. I have to make sure that there is no Play Doh residue on her thumb when she’s done. If I don’t, she’ll be ingesting it due to her thumb sucking. I know Play Doh is non-toxic, but the idea of her ingesting it is disturbing.
Overall, I love PlayDoh. I’ve always loved it as a kid, and I’m so happy that M loves it as much as I did.
Before I purchased the actual Play Doh, I researched some homemade versions and made them. I wanted to test out the interest factor without spending the money. I also wanted to see if she was ready to play with it without putting it in her mouth. There are tons of homemade play doh recipes on line. All you have to do is pick one to try it out!
Clicking the image and the link will take you to my Amazon affiliate account. Any purchases made with those links will provide me a percentage of the price. Please consider using the link if you are looking to purchase this featured product. Thank you.
(Don’t forget to click these badges to rate my blog and vote for me. All you need to do is click!)
Grinding..
Posted on: March 24, 2014
M’s been grinding her teeth in her sleep lately.
Ugh. I hate it. It gives me the willies and I know that can’t be good for her little teeth.
Sometimes I think I’d rather she suck her thumb in her sleep than the grinding.
I’d rather deal with the braces than her grinding her teeth into stumps!
I need advice. What do I do to stop it?
(Don’t forget to click these badges to rate my blog and vote for me. All you need to do is click!)
Toddlers & Tiaras – M style
Posted on: March 22, 2014
I used to LOVE watching Toddlers & Tiaras. Not because I aspired to have a pageant kid, but because the show is just so outrageous!
I always thought the sassy walks were fun and the facial expressions were just entertaining.
I used to tell myself that if I had a daughter, I’d teach her those things because I thought it would be funny to see.
Last night was the night.
I bought a couple of new outfits for M and I was trying them on her. She started walking around and I knew that was my moment.
I walk over to her and show her the sassy walk. I start saying, “Sassy walk, sassy walk, sassy walk..” while doing it to make it seem like a fun thing to do.
Just like I imagined, she started to copy me. It was cute.. sorta.
Apparently, her “sassy walk” resembles Godzilla trampling over the city of Tokyo. No joke.
So much for the dream…
(Don’t forget to click these badges to rate my blog and vote for me. All you need to do is click!)
Mommy facepalm!
Posted on: March 21, 2014
Gymboree offers a free trial for their classes. I found a time slot that worked for my schedule, so I decided to take up the offer.
The class was for Play & Learn 4, ages 18-22 months.
Ok, that should work. So I signed her up thinking she was 20 months old.
I received a call the morning of the class.
She asked me, “I just wanted to clearify M’s age. She’s….”
Then, it clicked!
SHE’S 30 MONTHS!!!!
I was so embarrassed. How could I have made that mistake!?
The woman on the phone was super nice and helped me move my reservation to the Play & Learn 6 class, ages 28-36 months.
Hubby told me it was wishful thinking. I want to think of M as younger..
I think he’s right.
(Don’t forget to click these badges to rate my blog and vote for me. All you need to do is click!)
I’m still not the bad guy..
Posted on: March 20, 2014
The other day, we were at her hair stylist. It’s a place specifically for kids. It has a waiting room that is just full of toys, that M LOVES!
After her haircut, she wanted to play, but we had errands to run. I compromised and told her she could play for about 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes was up, I told M it was time to go.
“No. I play in toys.”
I walked toward her to hold her hand and guide her to the door and that’s when it all melted down.
She pulled all her weight down to the floor and started to cry and beg to stay.
I picked her up and she was bawling. If anything, she should have been mad at me for taking her away from what she wanted. Instead, she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me so tightly while crying her eyes out.
I comforted her and explained to her that we couldn’t stay and she eventually calmed down.
I mentioned to my mom that I’m so glad that she hasn’t learned how to get mad at ME for taking her away from the situation. I told my mom that I was still glad that she was still innocent enough to come to me for comfort after I was the cause of her tears.
I’m so happy that I’m not the bad guy.. yet. I hope this doesn’t change for a long, long time..
(Don’t forget to click these badges to rate my blog and vote for me. All you need to do is click!)
Potty training?!
Posted on: March 19, 2014
M knows what to do. I sit her on her potty and she knows what to do.
Isn’t that half the battle?
Does she tell me when she needs to go? Not at all. It’s a complete guessing game.
I’ve been trying to take her every hour. She just gets mad. If I ask her if she has to go and she says ‘no,’ she means it. If you ask her again, she’ll cry.
There are those moments when I ask her, she says, ‘yes.’ Sometimes she does her business. Other times she sits on the potty, nothing happens, then I put on a new pull-up and within minutes she does her business.
We give her incentives. Mini m&ms are her treat of choice. She knows that when she uses the potty, she gets m&ms. Does it help encourage her? Not really? But we still reward her for the good behavior.
We bought My Little Pony panties that she LOVES to look at. We tell her that she can wear them if she can keep her pull-ups dry and only use the potty. She tells me ‘yes’ like she understands. Someday it will click.
So do I think she’s ready for full-on potty training? No.
But I’m still going to continue to encourage her about potty using. One day it’s going to click.
I just have to be patient…
(Don’t forget to click these badges to rate my blog and vote for me. All you need to do is click!)
Living life in the carpool lane.. 