Book of the Day

Today our favorite book (because we read many during the day) was Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr..  This book is a great way to introduce the alphabet to young children  She loves the Chicka Boom Boom song and bounces while we sing the story.
The alphabet is boldly and colorfully displayed in the front and back of the book.  Aaralyn loves singing the ABC song when we look at them.  I started pointing out "Aa" is for Aari and she took to it like a moth to a flame!  So, I would add a new letter every few days: "Mm" is for Mama and Mimi, "Dd" is for Dada, "Pp" for Papa...etc...  If I ask her where the letters are she can point to them.  Just to be sure it wasn't a fluke, when we are out to eat, I will write the letters that she knows on her placemat and ask "what is this letter for?" and she gets them all right!  It's amazing to me how much her little brain soaks up in a day.  She is like a little sponge!

Oh and please excuse the footsie pj's with the tutu - she still isn't feeling up to par after her cold, so I let her veg out all morning :)

Getting the Dishes Done!

Anyone who has a toddler in the house knows that getting 20-30 minutes free time to do the dishes is almost impossible!  I'll set Aari up with a quiet activity and get her interested in it, whatever it may be that day, sneak off and start the dishes only to find her suction cupped to my leg screaming my name over and over again, and all this? Only 2 minutes into the dish washing routine!  If I'm lucky, I maybe got my coffee cup washed and rinsed.  But I am Mother hear me ROARRRRR!!!! I have a new plan of action that has been working like a charm:

Step 1: Select funky, upbeat music and turn it up!
Step 2: Bust out the vat of toddler instruments and put them in the middle of the kitchen floor!
Step 3: Nonchalantly start playing the egg shaker to the beat and pretend like it is THE coolest thing EVER!
Step 4: Hand it over to my now, interested toddler and VOILA - I have at least 15 minutes of free time to finish the dishes :)

Having her in the kitchen allows me to interact and praise her while she is exploring her instruments and showcasing her love of music.  It's a win-win situation :)

Rockin' out on the drums, baby!

Something Very Satisfying

There is something very satisfying about taking the cloth diapers out of the dryer or off of the clothesline, folding them and getting them ready for the next day.  It reminds me of when she was a newborn and I was folding all her onesies and bibs and burp cloths on a daily basis and putting them away neatly.
Now that she's older, I don't have a daily load of laundry to do for her, not that I should be complaining about that...but I like folding her little clothes- it reminds me of how lucky I am to have this amazing little human being in my life!
I know that it's just one more thing to add to the list of things 'to do' but I feel good about it.  We won't be contributing one hundred diapers(or more) per month into the local landfill and even though we may not be singlehandedly saving the planet by making the switch to cloth, I like to think that every little bit helps.  
Plus, I consider it practice for the second baby! :)  It will be a good feeling to do cloth from the very beginning with the next baby.

Sorting Activity

I made this cute little felt sorting activity for Aaralyn around Valentine's Day using 8 x 11" felt sheets in pink, white and red, that I purchased at our local craft store for 29 cents each.  I cut out hearts in varying sizes and kept one of the felt pieces whole so she could stick them to it.  This was a very inexpensive craft and it is helping her to learn concepts such as size, shape and color.  It is also a new texture for her to explore!

Here we were talking about the BIG and little hearts

Aari likes to count them as she piles them on the felt:
"Two, three, two three!"

Aari loves to count!  She usually skips one and starts with two, ends at three and starts all over again!

Dough What Fun!

Yay for play-dough!  What kid doesn't love rolling and cutting and smushing colorful dough!  Aari asks for her "pey-doh" a couple of times per day.  I set her up at the dining room table with a silicone cooking mat to contain the play-dough.

Super excited about it!

The recipe I use to make this playdough...

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp cream of tartar (DO NOT OMIT)
1 cup water
1 Tbs cooking oil (we use canola)
A few drops of food coloring or 1 packet of kool-aid (adds color and scent)

Place all ingredients in a saucepan on a medium heat setting, stirring constantly.  When the dough forms a ball, turn it out onto a piece of waxed paper to cool.  Knead it several times before use.  Store in an airtight container.  This dough will keep for well over a month if stored properly.

**Helpful Hint**
After time, if the dough starts to harden, try kneading it with a few drops of cooking oil.  It will help to condition it and you may get several more uses out of the dough!

We have the play-doh fun factory mega set for all of the cookie cutters, cutting, and rolling tools.  I think we purchased it at BJ's Wholesale Club for $14.95.

Happy play-doughing!

Dealing with a Sick Toddler

I am currently dealing with a sick little one.  Fever, runny nose...all the classic symptoms of the common cold. It is so difficult to take care of a sick toddler who doesn't yet have the language skills to tell you exactly what is wrong.  I try to deal with it by covering as many bases as possible.
For the fever, I try to hold off on the motrin/tylenol unless the fever really goes over 102 or she is displaying signs of discomfort. A fever, after all, is an important autoimmune response to viral or bacterial threats on the body.  So, when she has a fever, I know her immune system is responding appropriately during a cold.  I push fluids constantly to keep her hydrated.  Aari only drinks milk or water so when she's sick, it can be difficult to get her to drink.  For meals, we try and offer soup, mostly, to help with hydration.
In our house, we use a vapor bath by Johnson and Johnson and do 2-3 baths per day to help easy any body aches and I find that it really helps to clear out the congestion.  If she wakes up in the middle of the night and is congested and not breathing well through her nose, we will run the shower and get it nice and steamy in the bathroom and one of us will sit in there (not in the shower, just in the bathroom) with her for 10-15 minutes, reading books to her or just snuggling her for comfort.  This really helps clear out the congestion.  We started this when she was an infant and had her first cold.  We would steam her and then suction her.
Other than that, we really just have her rest frequently.  Lots of snuggles and movies! :)

Is it Bum-Genius??? Nope...It's Bum-Tastic!!!!

I installed the bumGenius diaper sprayer yesterday without incident!!  It was just like the packaging stated, I did not require any additional plumbing supplies, plumber, or husband to install! lol!  Okay, so I added the husband part, that wasn't stated on the label.
It was very simple to do.  The directions were well written with pictures and explained fully how to properly install the sprayer.  I tried it out for the first time today and it worked wonderfully to remove all the stuck on stuff!   Prior to having the sprayer, I had been wondering, at times, what I had gotten myself into!  But the sprayer makes cleaning the poop cloth diapers a breeze.
Here is a pic of the sprayer installed...I left the hose part longer in case I wanted to stretch it over to the tub for any reason..

Cloth Diapering Journey, rumparooz

I went to Bellani Maternity yesterday with the intent of picking up another blueberry pocket diaper but instead came home with a Rump-a-rooz one size diaper.  I am definitely intrigued by this diaper.  It's a pocket style system with gussets on the inside which are supposed to provide for a better fit.  I am washing it now before first use and will try it out tonight.  It definitely looks a lot trimmer through the leg area as compared to the other pocket diaper I have.
Here are some pics:

The Rump-a-rooz in its cute packaging

Opened up

The patented gussets for a slimmer fit

Pocket with inserts

The diaper cover with two inserts

***Update***

The rump-a-rooz pocket diaper worked fabulously for overnight.  Aari is a stomach sleeper and there was no leakage out the top of this cloth diaper!  No sheet changes the next morning! :)

Cloth Diapering Journey, Day 2 & 3

I continued to use the flip system with the stay dry inserts and it went well.  I'm still trying to get the fit "just right" but other than that, the inserts work well to keep her dry and wick the moisture away from her.  When she pooped it was pretty messy and got on the cover so I'm still trying to find a way to keep it just on the insert...if anyone has any tips on this let me know!
I purchased the bum genius diaper sprayer and will attempt to attach it today...I'm sure I'll have pics along the way of that whole experience.

Cloth Diapering Journey, Night 1

I decided to go with a pocket style diaper for nighttime use since Aari is a heavy wetter.  We got one blueberry to try and worked out well!

This is the blueberry pocket diaper with the two inserts in it.

This is the blueberry on Aari before bed

Let me preface what I'm about to write next by saying: Aaralyn usually wets through her disposable diaper nightly.  I was changing sheets daily!  Well, I am excited to report that when she woke up with the blueberry, she was dry!  And the fleece lining that is in the diaper wicked all of the moisture away from her skin so she was completely dry!  The diaper felt like it weighed 10 lbs.

This diaper worked well for my heavy wetter.  It is great for nighttime use, when she woke I just tossed the whole thing in our 'wet bag' to await laundry day.

I will say that this diaper is pretty bulky in the crotch.  Aari has thinner legs so it works out okay for us but if you have a baby with cute chunky thighs, it might be a tight fit.

A Day at the Beach!

Yesterday was a beautiful day!  We took full advantage and headed down to Narragansett Beach with Mimi and Pop to enjoy the sunshine.  Aaralyn loved the "wadah" and ran around finding rocks and chasing the sea gulls.  She definitely would have gone in if we didn't keep wrangling her back to dry land! :)

With my blueberry at the beach!

Aari with Mimi and Pop

Penny, Aari and I

The Girls!

Checking it out with Mimi and Pop

Coast Guard House and the Towers in the background

Little Monkey!

So excited to be at the ocean

"I'm not finished...didn't I tell you to stop taking pictures???"

"Let me tell you something, Mom, enough of the pictures!"

Love the pointer finger!

Beautiful Narragansett Beach

Cloth Diapering Journey, Day 1

So, yesterday was our first day trying out the flip cloth diapers during the day.  They are very easy to use.  The insert fits right inside the cover under two small flaps located in the front and back of the diaper.  I didn't adjust it to the right fit the first time I put it on, and of course...she pooped!  The insert had bunched and didn't catch it all so it was on the cover and a little messy to deal with, but not as bad as I thought and not enough to set me running away from cloth forever!   Not an issue with the diaper, it was the way I put it on.  Rookie mistake #1 under my belt!   I rinsed and put the whole thing in the wet bag and we started fresh with a new cover and insert.

This time, I paid more attention to the placement of the insert and made sure to hold onto it while pulling it up between her legs.  The next diaper change she was wet and the stay dry insert wicked it away from her skin...she was virtually dry!  It was great!   There wasn't any of that funny chemical odor that I had been smelling when she wet in her disposables.  This is the point that I started to feel really good about my decision to switch to cloth!

I consulted with a couple of friends regarding getting the right fit and also read the "DUH" how to use and trouble shooting guide on the flip website after she went to bed so I would be able to start day two confidently.  It probably would have been helpful to read that section BEFORE I put the first diaper on but it wouldn't be me if I did things the easy way!

Going Green with Diapers!

I have made the bold decision to switch over to cloth diapers.  I know what you're thinking: crazy decision, right?  Actually cloth diapering has come a long way since our mothers were doing it back in the day!  In fact, there are so many options out there, that it can be absolutely overwhelming trying to decide which cloth diaper system to invest in.
This is where I'm at right now...in the thick of it.  I've been researching the different options via the internet, word of mouth from other moms who cloth diaper and also hands on browsing at a local maternity "mecca," Bellani Maternity.  Here is what I've discovered thus far:
The internet has great resources for everything involving cloth diapering including videos, 'how to' guides, pictures, etc...  There are many stores that sell online so if you feel comfortable choosing and buying online, it's great.
Word of mouth via other cloth diapering moms that has been invaluable.  It can get confusing, though, because most moms have their own system and what works for one doesn't always work for all.  However, if you're lucky enough to talk with someone who is using the same system you decide on, they can help you avoid rookie mistakes and tell you what works best for laundering the option you've chosen.
If you live in the Rhode Island area, Bellani is a wonderful resource!  They are incredibly helpful and even hold cloth diapering classes that you can attend.
There are trial kits available at some retailers that you can "rent."  They usually give you 6-8 different styles to try out for a few weeks and then you can return what you don't want, keep the styles you like and have credit toward purchasing your system.  I didn't opt to do this because the trial pack that was available to me had a lot of the smaller sizes in it and since we're starting out a little later than most would (19 mos into diapering!), it wouldn't have been worth it.
So, I ended up deciding to use the flip system during the day by Cotton Babies, Inc.  The flip system consists of a diaper cover and you have the choice of three different inserts: the stay dry insert, organic cotton insert or disposable insert. I purchased a day pack which included two diaper covers and 6 stay dry inserts. I will post more about the flip in a separate post to go into more detail.
For nighttime, I started with a Blueberry by Swaddlebees.  This is a pocket diapering system and was recommended by one of the mom's in Aari's Rock-a-baby class.  She has a son the same age as Aaralyn and uses these at night.  The benefits to this diaper for nighttime use are great.

Here is the blueberry pocket diaper (green) and the flip (pink) hanging to dry before their first use:

Things have been going well with the transition thus far...I will keep you posted!

Sensory Exploration

Aari doesn't care to touch things with unfamiliar textures right now.  I created an indoor sand table using a medium sized clear storage bin, some sand from a craft store, shells, and shiny glass pebbles.  I gave her various tools such as a spoon and paper cup so she could explore without actually touching the sand.  

She was tentatively putting her hands in after I showed her it was no big deal or "no biggie" as we like to say!

She also enjoyed placing the sand outside the sand table which is why, as you can see, I have our beach sheet on the floor to catch anything that didn't stay in the bin.

This was a really inexpensive 'sand table' and we use it often.  It's great to take out on a rainy (or snowy) day when you're stuck inside.

Snow What Fun!

This was taken a few weeks ago.  Aari was refusing to nap, so, I decided to bundle her up in all her snow gear and let her trek around in the 18+ inches of snow that we had on the ground.  She absolutely loved it!  She is drawn to anything involving nature and as you can see she found a pine cone and branch on this little adventure. Oh, and the best part about this outdoor time is that it expended a lot of her excess energy and she took a solid two hour nap when we came in!

So, when your toddler won't nap...take them outside in the fresh air, let them run around and explore and try again later.  

Stay at home mom-dom

Being a mom to a toddler is an incredible experience!  My little one hits the ground running and doesn't stop for the majority of the day.  I love how she soaks up everything around her like a sponge.  Finding simple activities to do with her throughout the day challenges her and keeps her from getting bored. We have made our own play dough, found shiny rocks and shells to sort and count and even love sorting fuzzy pom poms!
Lately she has been picking up several new words per day, which is amazing to me.  One minute I have no idea what she's saying to me and the next, she's speaking in sentences!
She is an amazing little girl and I am blessed to be a part of this whole experience :)
Happy Mothering!