Month: September 2011

So after many months of getting the urge to find a part-time job the seemingly perfect one for me and my family at this time has come my way but what also comes along with the excitement of having some adult conversation and mental stimulation isssssss mommy guilt and let me just tell you I hate mommy guilt but it is only natural I mean after being thrust into a full-time stay-at-home mom after being laid off a year and a half ago I immersed myself in playdates, creative play, imaginative play, arts and crafts and lots of elmo and dora:)  But what I've learned is sometimes being at home 100% of the time is not good for all parties.  Being a type A personality I pride myself on people and being at home alot of the time was a change for me, most days we'd try to venture out but there is also the unpredictability of toddlers.  My husband and I decided a few months it would be good for me to get out a few days a week and god has provided that exact opportunity.  The coming months I will blog more about work/life balance and how we can do and have it all as mothers, I just no longer have to make the most money or buy the expensive clothes:)  My perspective has changed so much for the better and as my children continue to grow it will change even more.

As I was looking around the house I was thinking what a great idea it would be to give information on all of the many toys we have at each age and how good or bad they were…I know I asked alot of my mom friends these questions but thru trial and error some are better toys than others…

For ages birth-4months.

We used teething toys, a bouncy seat, Fischer Price Oceans swing (photo below)-used for 2 kids and held up great!, an infantino giant tummy time pillow and rattles thats pretty much it

For ages 4 months-10 months

Our Fischer Price Jumperoo, soft covered books, crawling toy, stacking blocks, Fischer price laugh n' play kitchen, toy drums and musical instruments where indispensable

For 12 mo.+

Our playkitchen (bought at Walmart-says Step and is red & grey) our toddler who is 2 1/2 and our 15 month old have sooo much fun creating meals for us it was one of the best toys we could have bought!

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Step2-Lifestyle-Custom-Kitchen/5903083?findingMethod=rr

Walkers or push cars-I have a a love/hate relationship with because they fall alot when taking their first steps so you have to keep a constant eye

Little Mermaid Vanity Set-this I found at a consignment store and love it!
The girls both play with it equally once the baby became mobile she started interacting with it and now they do eachothers hair

If you live in FL the first day when you can actually walk outside and not feel like you can't breath is the beginning of fall in my opinion:)  The last 2 days have been beautiful and it got me thinking we have been indoors quite a bit the last 2 months because of the excessive heat and boy is it hard to entertain kids all day everyday mostly indoors.  I know we are all estatic about the change in seasons and I am equally as excited to put out fall decorations-yeah!  Today we rode bikes, swang and played in the sandturtle, a little Vitamin D goes a long way.  If you have a special craft idea please share it.  So here's to fall crafts, pumpkin painting and beautiful weather!

Well we took our 1st trip to Amelia Island and had a great time.  We ate at Sandy Bottoms which is at Main Beach directly on the ocean, they had live music and I had carribean mahi mahi which was pretty good I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars.  My husband ordered the nachos and wasn't too happy because they didn't have much cheese he's a cheeseaholic:)

We also ate at Barbara Jeans-yum the meal started with homemade pumpkin bread, jalapeno cornbread and huge soft rolls the portions were very large, he had the meatloaf and I had the turkey and fixings.  The sides were very fresh and southern, our whole meal with beverages was $37 + tip and thats with a kids meal

Another place we ate at was Slidders very good and has an amazing view of the ocean as well. I had a cobb salad which was fabulous and he had a chicken quesadilla equally big and delish!

Where not to go??? the Parkview Grille was down the street from our condo and serves breakfast so on the last day, the one day I didn't make homemade breakfast I suggested we try it, well 1st off we have 2 young children and breakfast out is supposed to mean somewhat of a break-so when a guy told us we had to go order our own food and handed us empty coffee cups I was less than excited.  THe food did come out fast but the hashbrowns were soooo greasy I wouldn't call them potatoes and all the waitstaff did is deliver your food not even refill coffee or check on you!!!  So avoid this one.

A group I am part of has a funny saying wherever you go there you are:)  It may sound simple but on our vacation this saying came in handy, our 2 1/2 yr. old who I blogged about being sick last week with a stomach bug also came down with a cold while we were gone.  Thank goodness we were in a comfortable condo with all of the fixings of home including many Disney DVD's-score as my dear friend Jen says:)  So we made the best of it for the most part but now that we're back at home and back to reality why is it that the manners that were so perfected on vacation go out the window along with the getting to the potty on time.  I'm giving her a break because she's been sick but my oh my I wish I could just make the kid sleep I know all things are better after a nap. My husband and I toyed with the idea of driving her around in the car today just so she'd nap!!! Sorry I have gone off on a tangent now back to vacation it was amazing we shelled, swam, vegged by the pool, watched wayyy too many movies, ate when and what we wanted to even if it meant a cupcake for breakfast and we were reminded that wherever you go there you are so be happy where you are no matter what is going on…  I try to stay in gratitude everyday even if its a less than perfect day being grateful for our family, our health, waking up or just a giggle from our baby changes things and makes everything a bit lighter….