Author: becky

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….

Well the ongoing debate within the medical community is that being exposed to germs is good for children to build up their immunity buuuuutttt then there is the flip side like in the case of a new parent who is nervous about taking their kid out or the parents who are eager for a vacation so they don't want to risk exposure..  The week of our 1st vacation our  1 yr. old came down with her 1st cold so we had to postponse our trip thankfully the hotel let us.  Fast forward a year and a half and another kid later and the week before our vacation I was contemplating keeping our kids in a bubble for a week but since I can't do that or we'd all go insane…I did what any nice friend would do and offered to babysit a friends kid, he showed up with a runny nose which is not uncommon for him poor kid and poor mom but then the next day my daughter woke up sick I teased my friend that maybe he got her sick but as the day went onnnnn the symptoms were not the same she threw up poor thing….then I recalled hmm last week she was at the Y daycare and also around some new kids at another friends house….well considering this was her 1st time with a stomach flu we all handled it great and thankfully she's back to normal before we head out for vaca:)

Today I am babysitting a friends 5 yr. old and it feels like I still only have 2 with me, Zach is so good, has good manners and says please and thank you.  So far this morning we've painted, made a card, ate, done yoga, played the memory game, did legos, puzzles and now although my 2 yr. old looks tired she still is fighting the nap but the good thing is I didn't have to supervise every single activity because the 5 yr. old was teaching my 2 yr. old little things she doesn't know and I believe she may have even taught him a thing or two:)  So introducing older kids to your toddler is helpful for them to learn things they may learn better from a peer.

Our youngest daughter has entered the teething/seperation anxiety phase which I remember all to well with our first daughter.  When bedtime comes she wails and needs more "baa baa" and does everything in her power to get me back in her room.  Well since she is such a low maintenace kid its worked the last 2 nights…I'm a sucker for a shrieking baby what can I say I am no good at the cry out thing but I did give her 10 minutes then I scooped her up and rocked her and it got me thinking about when I was a kid and the fact that once we have kids we kind of nurture the kid inside as well so don't be afraid to rock her a little longer…

Today I was determined to not let my daughter watch more than 1 Dora after breakfast.  Some days while we wait for her sister to wake up I enjoy my coffee and realize how easy it is to let an hour of tv time fly by if your not careful even if it is educational but today I had a plan and a craft in mind for right after breakfast.  We made macaroni necklaces.  It was so fun and easy, Madalynn is 2 1/2 and did it with ease.

what you'll need:

pasta noodles we used ziti but elbows, ditalini, anything with an opening that you can thread a ribbon thru is fine

food coloring and vinegar

thin ribbon that you can tie and use as a necklace

Thats it!  use 2 tbsp. of the vinegar and 10-12 drops of food coloring to dye the noodles place ina  zip lock bag for 5 min. then dry.  We did about a 1/4 cup of pasta in 4 different dyes

Pottery Barn Reading List
-This is a great way to keep your child learning all summer long with Caldecott Books as well as Early Learning Approved Books.  For every list you complete your child will get a free book when they complete one list.

Book_List.pdf (1.36 mb)

www.potterybarn.com

I started a calendar recently for my daughter where every day she doesn't have an accident she gets to put a star on the calendar.  She gets so excited to see a few stars in a row, I keep telling her once we get to a week with no accidents she gets a small special gift.  We also made a calendar to count down to our family vacation to help her grasp the concept of time.   Everyday she gets to put an  X after dinner to complete the day. It's amazing how she is learning so much at the ripe age of 2 1/2.

Today my husband and I went on the boat with our daughter and my dad.  We love boating but I'll admit with the last 3 yrs. having flown by since having children we haven't made time for it much.  There is always some reason we put it off.  Today we made time for it and had a great time.  My mom watched our 14 month old and we cruised to disappearing island for a short swim and then had a leisurely stroll back, we saw a huge school of bait fish so my husband stopped and threw the net in, our daugher thought seeing the huge mullet he caught was the neatest thing ever.  What a nice day, sometimes we have to stop and smell the roses.

O.k. let me start this entry by saying do not do what I did and start training too early:)  Although I so appreciate all of you sweet people who said maybe she's ready and she's so smart give it a try if she's interested.  Fast forward 8 months later and it feels we've been cleaning up pee for years!!! Although that is an exaggeration she is only 2 1/2.  I am here to tell you the basics if your child expresses interest in their potty, can hold his/her pee or knows to give signals when ready to go #2 then he/she MAY be ready.  I again say MAY because although there are a few lucky souls who trained their kids in 3 days (I still say yeah right-with no accidents-I know your lying!!)  it has not been that way for us.  Now that we have entered the big girl panty stage we realized pull ups were a waste of money and time except at night, I wish I would have thought of a few things sooner so here goes:

1.Put a waterproof pad under the high chair or booster because most of our accidents have been while she was focused on eating or involved in creative play of some sort-i.e. painting, playdough, puzzles etc. she gets so focused she forgets.

2. Buy a portable potty for the car because with another baby it is not easy to pull over and take her into the convenience store

3. Do NOT make your child feel bad for accidents although my husband and I are human and we did loose our cool a few times after we knew she could hold it but failed to try, they are kids and this is a new concept just as any new skill it takes lots of times, positive praise and persistence.

4. Do NOT give super sugary treats they backfire, our best treats were fruit snacks -1 individual snack (NOT a whole PACK)per pee or pop.  They are healthy our goal is to transition when she has no accidents for a week to giving her the whole pack with lunch so this is a sign of being a big girl

5. BE PATIENT and talk to friends I know some people whose 4 yr. olds still have accidents it's progress NOT perfection