Friday Favorites

Happy Friday friends! February sure snuck up on us there didn't it? I'm ready to dive into all things hearts and love, but first there's the Superbowl AND my birthday! Sharing a few Friday favorites before getting some Friday night Ice Cream with little man!

I love finding yummy smelling bath products for myself, so you can imagine that find a kid friendly version feels like hitting the Jackpot. SoCozy has the yummiest mango smell and it leaves Jacobs hair soft and shiny. They also have a styling cream that is working wonders on his cowlick! Seriously nothing else holds it down! Anyone who purchases any Socozy products at Target, CVS or Walgreens From Jan 9th - Feb 13th should save their receipt and then long onto: socozy.com/sweepstakes and upload a picture of their receipt to be entered into their family vacation sweepstakes!

I've been thinking forwards a little bit to switching Jacob over to a toddler bed. (It's coming, I know it) and on my search for toddler bedding I found these sheets and fell in love. I know he will love them too. 

How amazing does this recipe for raspberry sticky buns look? I'm thinking they might be a winner for our holiday cinnamon roll tradition this Valentine's Day!

A dear friend of mine recently had a baby girl and it sent me down the rabbit hole of all things cute and girly. If there's ever a little girl in our family you can bet she's going to own one of these flamingo swaddles. And maybe a flamingo plush too!

I mostly watch the superbowl for the commerials, but how fun is this superbowl bingo for kids to play along? I'm going to let Jacob use goldfish to fill it in - that is if he doesn't eat them all! And for the adults - a drinking game!

We're big fans of muffins around here - blueberry, cranberry orange, chocolate chip, we don't play favorites. These blackberry lemon poppyseed ones are going on our breakfast menu this weekend!

We're about ready to pull the trigger and order the OK to Wake Alarm Clock. Here's hoping we can train little man to sleep in a little longer.

My favorite candies are back, just in time for Valentine's Day!

Last weekend was a busy one, but this weekend we plan to relax around the house and maybe curl up with some popcorn and a good movie. There will also be a run up to the outlets because someone has decided to start outgrowing his 2t clothing. It might have made me weepy to start putting some of them away. Can't believe he'll be 3 years old in just four short months!

Sleepless Nights

If you are one of those parents who's children has never struggled with sleep issues, this post is not for you. Also, I hate you. Just kidding. But kind of. Jacob has had his fair share of sleep trouble - it started the second night after he was born in the hospital. He'd wake every 30 minutes or so, then cry and refuse to sleep until we rocked the little clear bassinet back and forth. The nurses insisted he was just cluster feeding and that he'd do better once we were home. But he wasn't any better at home. He hated to sleep flat on his back so we ended up using the rock and play with him. And then he stayed there for the next 8 months. At 8 months we sleep trained him in his crib and he started sleeping through the night in there but naps were still a mess, often lasting only 20-30 minutes. Finally after his first birthday I went on summer break from my teaching job and was able to work with him and get him on a consistent schedule napping for 90 minutes twice a day.

His wake up times were still pretty early at that point, but at least he was sleeping through the night and napping on schedule. We'd hit bumps every so often when he got sick or was teething, but for the most part things were well in the sleep department. Sometime before his second birthday he dropped his second nap and moved to one midday nap for 2-3 hours. This didn't seem to affect his nighttime sleep at all. 

Then, shortly after his second birthday, we potty trained. Starting then, if he would wake up at night we would get him out of bed and take him in to use the potty, whether or not he asked to. Then, some time in late fall he got really sick and was requesting water all night long. Because he was sick we felt as though we needed to go in there every time he cried and give him water. But once he got better, he still woke up all night long either requesting water, or just crying until we went in there to tell him to go back to sleep. 

It's not that he wouldn't go back to sleep. It's that we had to physically get up out of bed and go in and tell him to go back to sleep (or give him some water) to make it happen. This was happening 4-5 times a night. For months at a time. We were exhausted. We were grumpy. And guess what? So was he. He started protesting bedtime. Claiming he had to go potty even when he didn't and then sitting on the toilet for forever doing nothing. He started screaming and trying to refuse baths. And when it was time to go to bed he protested that too, requesting more water and holding the straw in his mouth for forever but not actually drinking to keep us in the room longer. 

It. was. a. mess. 

I turned to everyone I could. I text friends and family, and posted all over social media asking for help, and our tribe SHOWED UP. You listened, you offered advice, and you just plain commiserated, because even if it isn't sleep issues - no kid is perfect and we've all been frustrated parents dealing with something. And we are crazy thankful. There is such relief in knowing that someone's got your back and has been there before. We got quite a bit of really good advice and started implementing some of it right away. 

I'm not sharing this with you because I think it's a cure all, or because I'm boasting that we've (mostly) cured our kids sleep issues. I just want to share with you what we've learned so that if you're there - struggling all night with wake ups, perhaps some of these ideas will help you too. 

First, we learned that bladder control at 2.5 is not great. And that by getting him get up to go potty whether he says he has to or not is not helping him have better bladder control. It's just teaching him to wake up at that time out of habit. Nothing is going to help improve bladder control except time and muscle maturity. We cut out night time bathroom breaks, continuing to make sure he goes right before bed. 

Second, we made the decision to leave the water bottle in the bed. Since that was his number one request, we thought if we left it there he might drink and fall back asleep. The first night I told him I was going to leave it he cried "no water, no water!" I left it anyways. He slept through the night and in the morning, the water bottle was full and his pull up was dry. He hadn't drank any of it. That's when I realized - he wasn't crying for water in the night because he was truly thirsty. He was using water as a crutch to get us back in the room because we felt guilty that he was thirsty and crying about it. As soon as we started leaving the water, he started sleeping through again without crying for it. You can't cry for what's already there right? 

Third, we learned that we should reassure Jacob of our plan and then STICK TO IT. We tell him before bed every night that we expect him to sleep through the night without crying and that once we tuck him in we will not be returning. We feared the worst the first night, that we may be in for hours and hours of crying before he gave in and realized that no, we meant it and we are not coming back in. He didn't end up crying at all, but we were prepared to stick to our guns if he had. And we will in the future if he does. As long as you know that your child is safe and their needs are met, it's ok to let them cry until they understand that you mean business. In our case, it had truly become a power struggle and he was crying not because he needed anything, but to manipulate us back into the room. Yes, they are capable of that even at 2. If crying is not for you, that's fine! You won't get any judgement from me. We all have to decide what is best for our families. 

Now that we have night wakings under control, it's time to finally face another problem we've had for quite some time. Too early morning wakings. Jacob will often wake between 4:30 and 6, instead of between 6 and 6:30, and be ready to go for the day. He'll genuinely think that it's morning and unless we go in and tell him it's still night time, he won't go back to sleep. We're thinking of trying an OK to Wake clock, since he has a very good understanding of stop lights and "green means go." We already have black out curtains that keep it very dark in there, a blankie with ribbon tags that he rubs for comfort, and a sound machine that drowns out any morning noises, like the shower running when I get ready for work. If you have any other tips or ideas to help the problem I'd love the hear them!!!

10 chores your toddler CAN do

 

It's a fine line we walk isn't it? Between babying our kiddos, wanting them to stay little forever; and helping them grow into mature little people capable of taking care of themselves and their things. We used to do everything for Jacob, but lately we've been giving him more and more responsibility. We've been amazed at all the things that he CAN do, and we've kicked ourselves for not starting sooner!

Ten chores your toddler CAN do!

1. Throwing away their own trash: string cheese wrappers, banana peels, pullups, etc. Unless your trash can is super complicated, toddlers can do this!

2. Tossing their dirty clothes in their hamper: if you have a fancy one they can even sort lights/darks. Jacob puts his PJs in once he gets dressed for the day, and then the clothes he wore that day go in when he gets ready for bath.

3. Putting their dirty dishes in the sink: even without a step stool, my guy has been tall enough to toss his dirty plates, cups, and utensils up in there for some time. This saves me from collecting them around the house.

4. Helping to carry out/sort the recycling: Jacob's favorite job is to help daddy carry out all our plastic water bottles/milk jugs/ cardboard boxes and help him sort it all into the bins. We are careful to keep him away from any sharp edges - like you find on cans.

5. Loading/unloading the washing machine and dryer: (as long as they can reach) we give Jacob a basket of dirty clothes and instruct him to put them all in the washer. Then we add the detergent (toddlers should be kept away from detergent) and start it. When it's all done in the dryer we have him take it all out and put it back in the same basket. Then we fold it. We don't have him do any loads with blankets or sheets, he has a hard time with those.

6. Dustbustering: unless they are afraid of vacuum noises, in which case forget it. Jacob loves to suck up all the dog hair that we sweep up from around our house. (twice a day!!)

7. Picking up their toys: toddlers can learn very early on that all of their things have a home and should go back to their home when they are done playing with them. Jacob puts books back on his shelves, trains back in bins, stuffed animals back in baskets, etc.

8. Feeding the family pet: we use a plastic measuring cup which makes it super easy for Jacob to scoop out dog food into their dishes. Even if they spill some on the floor you know your pet is going to eat it up anyways. If your dogs are good at walking on a leash (read: not pulling) your toddler can help walk them too. My dogs are NOT.

9. "Making" their bed: I use the term making loosely, but Jacob is responsible for getting all his blankets, stuffed animals, pillow and lovey back into his crib each morning. Kids that have already transitioned to toddler beds or big beds can practice actually making their beds.

10. Helping in the kitchen: we let Jacob help out with as much food prep as we safely can. Dumping ingredients into bowls. pouring into measuring cups, and mixing are all tasks he enjoys helping with. Every now and then I find something he can do all on his own - like pulling all the husks off ears of corn. 

Letting (or in some cases, making) little ones help out around the not only gives them a sense of independence, it fosters growing responsibility. Plus, every thing they do, is one less thing you have to do! What are your toddlers responsible for? 

Mommin' ain't easy.

It's been one of those weeks. 

There was an incident at a restaurant involving a half chewed crayon and a blue mouth full of crayon shards. There were screaming fits at bathtime, screaming fits at bedtime, screaming fits in the middle of the night. There's a large wound on the top of Jacob's foot and we have no idea what caused it. There was laying down in the middle of soccer and acting like a wet noodle when asked to get up. There was an entire dinner plate full of food that ended up on the floor. There was blisters on toes, spaghetti sauce in hair, and marker on the wall. There was not enough clean eating and far too many donuts. There was stress, doubt, worry, and there was definitely not enough sleep going on in this house. 

I get asked every so often if things are really as easy and photo worthy as they appear on social media and I'm here to tell you, they aren't. For all the perfect moments we blog about (and yes they are real, authentic moments!) there are a million more behind the camera that never get posted for the world to see. For every yummy recipe there's a sink full of dirty dishes. For every smiling photo of our boy there's a tantrum. Our dogs are cute but man they can tear up a bin full of recycling like no one's business. And don't even get me started on the house ok? It's never going to be fully clean and organized like I want it to be.

It can be tough to find the positive in each day. Sure, on the good days, when things go according to plan - it's easy. But on those pull out your hair, scream into your wine glass days? Not so easy. It doesn't help the world is so negative lately. Everybody disagrees with everyone else about this or that and it's tough to find common ground. It's so easy to get yourself down when it feels like nothing is going right. When the laundry piles never end. When you just can't take one more episode of Bob the Builder. When you're all out of ice cream/beer/your coping mechanism of choice.

Regardless, I try my darn hardest to find at least one sweet moment in each day to focus on. A few days ago we had a particularly tough day. I rocked Jacob before bed and sang "Twinkle Twinkle" all the while praying he would go to sleep quickly so that I could finally relax with the latest episode of the Bachelor and some sangria. He was quiet and calm with his head on my shoulder, and I realized that he isn't going to fit on my lap like that much longer. I told him I loved him before placing him in his crib and for the first time his little voice whispered back "I love you too, mommy." I cling tight to that. To those tiny moments that make it worth it. 

Finding the good in each day IS possible, even if it takes a little searching. The days are long, but the years are short. And they'll only be small for such a little while. 

Valentine Looks for Little Men

It's just a little over a week now until February which brings both my birthday and all things Valentine's. Haters call it a hallmark holiday, but I love celebrating all things LOVE. I've got lots of fun crafts and baking planned for the coming weeks, but today I've rounded up some festive looks for the little men in your life. Is it just me or is there always 10x more valentine's stuff for girls? I love a good challenge and I'm in smitten with these looks! I like to accessorize red and pink with shades of navy, black and gray to keep things masculine and fun. 

BABY

Stud Muffin sweatshirt // red pants // navy heart slip ons // Snoopy pjs // hat and mitten set // red converse  // navy flip flops // Navy and pink striped shirt // pink shorts // Little Guy shirt

TODDLER

Navy and pink striped shirt // pink shorts // navy flip flops // Little Guy shirt // gray joggers // red converse // Snoopy pjs // red pants


Jacob wore his "Little Guy. Big Heart." tee to story time at the library this week. He loves playing with all the library's toys and the other kids and it's always a pain to get him out of there at the end without screaming. Thankfully we had made a coffee run prior and I still had cake pops to lure him out with minimal fuss. They were supposed to be for after dinner but, you do what you gotta do.

Garlic Lime Flank Steak

Oh man do I have a recipe for you today. Garlic Lime Flank Steak. This is our very favorite crock pot recipe, our go-to week night meal. It takes less than five minutes to prepare, requires things you probably have on hand already, and makes your slow cooker do all the work. 

Flank steak can run a bit on the pricey side. I usually pay around $18 but we always have enough leftovers for a second meal and $9 for two meals isn't bad at all! This recipe is low (no) carb, paleo, and whole 30 friendly. And it's downright delicious. It's the perfect meal to throw together and then forget about while you spend the day at the beach, a baseball tournament, shopping, wherever! 

We usually serve it over cauliflower rice, but it's tasty over any rice. Cauliflower rice is whole 30 and paleo compliant as well as low carb, but pick your favorite rice if you aren't following a special diet! If you are on the whole 30, you can replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos. We also top ours with homemade guacamole. We keep it simple mashing together avocado, salt, fresh lime juice and a little bit of pico de gallo. 

Here's the super simple how to:

1. Mix together in a bowl: 

1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 TBSP minced garlic

2 TBSP fresh lime juice 

splash of soy sauce
1 TBSP salt

1 TBSP pepper - add more if you like more kick!

2. Place Flank steak in your slow cooker and cover with mixed ingredients

3. Turn your slow cooker to low for 8 hours. 

That's it! By the time 8 hours is up, your meat will be tender and ready to shred and serve!

2.5

Oh the twos. The lovely, lovely, twos. I refuse to call them terrible, because even the worst moments of tantrums and stubbornness are redeemed with sweetness and love. We're really just amazed these days at all the ways he's growing. He laid out on the couch the other day with the iPad and I stared at him for the longest time just marveling at how long he's gotten. Nearly all signs of babyness are gone, which makes me want to weep. He's a little man through and through. 

We get stopped on the regular by people marveling over his speech. He talks. and talks and talks and talks. All day long. He says "Mommy" 25 times in a row even if I answer him the first time. If he wants in on what you're eating/playing/watching/doing he'll say "How about Jacob?" and if he doesn't want to do something he'll say "How about (anyone else)" He frequently says "Come on, Come on" as he drags us up the stairs to play trains for the 100th time. 

He's still picky about food but slowly branching back out. Pizza, PB&J, and chicken nuggets are favorites, but we can also get him to eat chicken, beef, shredded pork, rice, beans, most veggies and fruits. And dip. He'll eat almost everything if he can dip it. Ranch. Ketchup. Butter. He's not picky about dip. He has finally figured out the Munchkin 360 miracle cup (aff link), so goodby every other cup that we've tried because these are the best!

He's a busy little guy with soccer on Mondays and swimming on Tuesdays and Gym class on Wednesdays. Getting out energy is always a good thing, because he seems to have extra stores of it hidden somewhere. Screen time is about the only thing that keeps him still and quiet and we have to seriously limit it because he would watch/play all the livelong day if we let him. 

He love music, especially Taylor Swift, Sia, Lady Gaga, and anything Christmas. It's Christmas 365 days a year at our house. He recently made it all the way through his first movie SING! and I highly credit that to all the music in the movie. I rented a different movie a week ago and he cried when he realized it wasn't SING! 

Sleep is still hit or miss. He naps well for 2 hours in his crib, pack and play or daycare cot. He's become a master negotiator at bedtime. Always taking FOR-EV-ER to go potty or needing just one more drink. Sometimes he sleeps through the night from 7-6:30 and sometimes he wakes up several times a night needing to go potty or have just one more drink. Sometimes he wakes up much earlier at 5:30 or 6. He's really just all over the place with sleep and I"m praying this is just another phase that shall soon pass. 

He 100% believes that kisses instantly cure boo-boos, takes great pleasure in bossing around his pups, happily cuddles in anytime someone has a storybook to share, and gives the BEST hugs and kisses. He's our little dream come true and we love him SO much!

Blue jumper // Adidas track pants // The Rainbow Fish // Hoodie // Scooter // Helmet