Through Thick & Thin...

Life for me has been an absolute whirlwind lately. Even though Keri and I are a team and are pretty much the same person our lives are extremely different. As for Keri we all know she is expecting baby #2 (Gummy Bear) very soon! I could not be more excited and happy to meet my second niece! :) Then, on the very different and opposite spectrum of life there is me ;)

Unfortunately, my grandfather just lost his battle to terminal lung cancer. It has been a bit of a long road to travel but being with him in his last couple weeks have meant so much to me. It was very difficult to stand next to his bedside and watch him pass but in the end I know he was comfortable. My immediate family was able to be there for him throughout his last hours. His passing was followed by a beautiful private service. I could not be more thankful for the wonderful and loving support system that has been surrounding me these past few weeks. To everyone who has sent my family and I their well wishes, sweet thoughts & condolences it has meant more then you can even imagine to me.

On a brighter note... since January I have been very busy planning a fun and feisty Bachelorette Party for one of my dear friends of 25 1/2 years! ps. I will be turning 27 this August! So that should give you a little insight as to how close we are! Needless to say the weekend was a success and she had a wonderful time! (I hope! ha ;) )

For the past year all she has been telling me is how much she has been wanting to visit Ocean City, Maryland! Between the beach, all of the bars & of course the infamous SEACRETS! We just had to find out for ourselves what everyone has been talking about. I have never been there and all I wanted was to make all of her wishes come true! I pulled the troops aka the Bridal party together and with everyones hard work and dedication we truly had a beautiful weekend for one beautiful Bride-to-be!

We stayed at The Princess Royale in Ocean City, Maryland. It is an ocean front resort with a hotel and a condominiums attached. Our Bachelorette Party stayed in a three bedroom, three bathroom condo! There were thirteen women all together! Everyone slept comfortably and our fridge was stocked with food and alcohol!

Here are some pictures from the fabulous weekend!

This picture was upon our arrival! Beautiful Bride-to-be & a yummy Malibu Barbie Drink!

Nothing like dipping your toes in the water with your sister!

The Calm before the storm... HELLO SEACRETS! Seriously, one of the best times I have had in awhile! I highly recommend going there! 

SO much fun!

This was the view from our balcony! It was one of the most serene moments of the trip! My close friends know that I hate sleeping with any doors or windows unlocked but by the last night I couldn't resist the natural sounds!

On our very last night of the Bachelorette trip we were blessed enough to see a SUPERMOON! Beautiful to say the very least.

Now that it is back to reality for me I feel like I can finally breathe a bit and focus on myself again! No more running back and forth to the hospital or being so on edge when your phone rings. There is three weeks left until my beautiful friend says her "I Do's!" I cannot wait and feel so very honored to stand next to her side. Now allow the whipping of my butt into shape commence! :)

Have you planned a fabulous Bachelorette Party or have some fun stories from one you have attended?? We love hearing from each and every one of you! Feel free to comment with some fun stories!

XOXO,

-D

Book Review Tuesday!

For today's book review I wanted to scale back a bit and focus on the babies. I feel that since Thomas has grown up so much lately we have entered a different tier of books. Every once and awhile we break out one of his baby books but he usually shakes his head "NO" when I pull an "immature" book off of his shelf! Sheesh! ;)

In this summer's theme of KEEPING THINGS SIMPLE, I decided to go with ..... 

Image found off of Amazon

This is one of my favorite books and authors for my really little ones!! Sandra Boynton does a wonderful job in her writing and rhyming. This is such a simple board book. The illustrations are colorful, fun and a great size! Always enough to capture the attention of your baby! There is a great connection to the six early literacy skills. Phonological awareness, narrative skills and vocabulary to name a few. The rhyming is SO MUCH FUN! "A cow says, MOOOOO!, a sheep says, BAAAAA!, three little pigs say, LA LA LAAA!" This book is just filled with serious amounts of silliness! The animals are all whimsical. If you choose to introduce this book to your baby they will know all of their farm animals very quickly! I know this is what helped Thomas to learn at a fast pace!

Both images found from apple.

As mentioned above, I HIGHLY recommend this book for its phonological awareness! Its ability to help your child start and build up their vocabulary skills and help to develop some interpersonal skills as well! 

Please feel free to share some of your favorite board books and reading moments below! Whether you are a Mommy, Daddy, Caregiver, Teacher or friend we love to hear from you!

XOXO,

-D

Monday Ramblings

I feel like the weeks are just flying by and I can never get everything done that I have planned! My to-do list is getting longer and longer. I spent the other day organizing Makenna's closet and trying to make room for baby #2's stuff. The access to the attic is unfortunately through that closet. So I wanted to make sure that before I blocked it with a shelf, I got out all the stuff in there that baby would need for at least her first three months. Which meant we still had bins sitting all over our hallway a week later. I am not the most organized person in the world… which drives my husband CRAZY. When I do try to organize I am OCD about it and it takes an entire day to get it done, but the rest of the house suffers as a result. I keep seeing "cleaning schedules" on Pinterest. I really need to check some of them out. With another baby on the way I need to get more organized. Anyone use a cleaning schedule?? Feel free to share it with me, please! I am lucky that my husband is the total opposite of me. He does most all of the vacuuming, laundry and general house de-cluttering. 

Makenna is at such a fun age! She'll be three this September and I'm trying to soak up as much of this time as I can. The stuff that comes out of her mouth sometimes is absolutely hilarious. Most days she refers to us as Mommy Pig and Daddy Pig, but she likes to call me random words all the time: your majesty, superhero, tree, rock or whatever she is looking at. I thought I would share some of the funnier comments with you all…

She leans over and smells a marker, "oooohh it smells like poo poo and marshmallows!"   

Playing doctor, "I feel like you are going to have a heart attack. Let me check you out." She turns around and puts the stethoscope on my butt.

"Mommy, you understand?" after everything she says.

Drops something in the sink. "It's gone for the ages."

The kids were screaming and I kept telling them to stop. They didn't listen so they both got a time out. I hear Makenna say to Matthew, "It's ok Bubba. My mommy will get better after we take her to the doctor."

"I love goldfish! They are so….friendly!" 

The Doctor says to her, "Do you know what your mommy is having?"

Makenna: "Yes, she is having a Gummy Bear."

I took her to the bathroom at a restaurant. The toilets were really low to the ground and small. She looks at me and says, "You better not sit on this. Your butt is way to big."

What are some funny things your kids have said? I love hearing about the things kids say! They are usually hilarious and brutally honest. We will be back with a book review tomorrow! We also have a fun craft, another product review and a great recipe lined up this week! 

My family is going on vacation soon, so I will also be talking about traveling with kids. 

Someone is VERY excited for vacation!

Hope you all have a great week!

- K   

Muffins, Muffins & More Muffins!

Keri and I were approached by a company that represents Garden Lites. A delicious vegetable company! These muffins are Gluten free too! Which is a HUGE hit in one of the household's that I Nanny for! They were kind enough to send us five boxes of veggie muffins to taste test on our kids! This was our very first opportunity we received the third day our blog launched. Needless to say the word excited was a complete UNDERSTATEMENT!

We received five yummy flavors;

• Zucchini Chocolate
• Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip
• Veggie Blueberry Oat
• Carrot Berry
• Golden Corn 

Keri and I split up each package of muffins so we could equally divide them amongst the children. Just to give some background on their ages.... Thomas is two years old, Makenna is almost three years old, Matthew is three and a half years old and Michael is six years old. Thomas LOVED the Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip muffin and the Golden Corn muffin. Makenna and Matthew LOVED the Carrot Berry and Veggie Blueberry Oat muffins. Michael LOVED the Golden Corn muffin and I absolutely LOVED the Zucchini Chocolate muffins. 

Keep in mind the children who are under the age of four years old have not been introduced to chocolate much in their early lives :) All from personal choice. So just because they are not used to it they did not really enjoy the full Zucchini Chocolate muffins. However, myself on the other hand who is extremely into chocolate REALLY enjoyed them!! :) 

In our homes these muffins were a TRUE WINNER!!  They are a great healthy snack and the kids thought they were cupcakes. They got a dose of fruit and veggies without even realizing it! As mentioned above go check out their website  at www.gardenlites.com You can also find these muffins in Wegmans, Whole foods, Target, Stop n Shop and MANY MORE stores! Make sure your go buy a box and try them out for yourself! SUPER YUMMY! 

XOXO,

-D

Book Review Tuesday!

YAYYY! I always get so excited when Tuesday rolls around. Keri and I have received so much wonderful and positive feedback about our book reviews. Without further a due here is my favorite book of choice for this week....

This children's book is amazing for so many reasons. The moral behind Pete the Cat's story is, "No matter what you step in, keep walking along and singing your song... because it's all good." I love how Pete the Cat finds a fun way to say don't sweat the small stuff! Throughout the entire book Pete showcases such a positive attitude. The illustrations are fun, colorful and rustic. Pete the Cat undergoes a couple of shoe transformations. Whether he stepped in mud, strawberries or blueberries Pete keeps the same casual face and just keeps strolling all and singing his song. This book teaches children the art of just being able to chill out. Whether that means that mommy won't be able to refill your sippy cup right away, or you spilled something on your new shirt. No worries, it will all be okay.  

I truly do not want to ruin the book for anyone however this story comes with a CD where all the kids are able to sing along with Pete the Cat. This book is perfect for a story time or circle time. I have talked to teachers who have used this book and they all said it was a winner in their eyes. You can find it in your local library minus the fun CD or you can order it offline CD and all! 

I hope you all enjoy it! 

XOXO,

-D

Simple Summer Activites

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend! 

Danielle and I are slowly adjusting to our summer schedules, so we should be back to our normal five posts a week now. Today I want to share some of the stuff we have been up to lately. It's always hard to find ways to keep the kids entertained without spending a ton of money going places. Here are some free activities that Makenna and Matthew love to do over and over again.

After we pick Matthew up from camp we usually head to the park for a picnic. We pack up lunch, snacks and a blanket to use if there are no picnic tables available. They love to eat outside and watch all the kids play. Bonus, they usually finish all their lunch without any issue because they know they have to eat before they play. When lunch is finished we do all the regular fun park stuff; swings, slides and sand boxes. To keep the kids entertained a little longer, I started making up some other things to do. 

We usually have a ball of some sort or a little train in the car. One of the kids takes the item to the top of the slide and the other stands with a bucket at the end and tries to catch it. Then they switch places. They will do this for an hour non stop. 

Another activity that will keep them entertained for HOURS is water play. Every night when we make dinner, Makenna gets all her buckets, cups, spoons, shells and any random toy and sits on the deck. She loves to play with water and when its time to clean up she never wants to. So simple, but she has so much fun!

What kid doesn't like playing in water on a hot summer day? Another water activity they love is playing carwash. We take the bikes, scooters and play cars outside and set up a little carwash station. We make sure to dirty them up with some chalk if they are looking to clean. Some old rags with a bucket of soapy water and another bucket of clean water to rinse is all you need. Sorry I forgot to take pictures of this one! 

The last activity that the kids are loving this summer is pretend camping. Matthew got a really cool Thomas blow up bed. They pack up some necessities and camp out in the living room floor to watch a movie. We also build tent forts and read books inside.

So that's what we have been up to the last week. What are some fun activities you and the kids have done? Please share below! Danielle will be back tomorrow with a book review. 

-K

Book Review Tuesday!

I am a huge fan of books that help to teach children manners and proper behavior. I especially love to read them the stories when it pertains to them and the different feelings, emotions and stages that they go through. Even though most of my little ones are toddlers they understand everything that is going on around them. They have the ability to identify with the books even when they can't fully communicate with us. I know every child goes through this stage and sometimes Thomas still struggles with this just a little bit ;) ... you know that moment when they look at you and drop their food all over themselves and the floor! WAIT, DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT... NOOOOO! Haha you know we all think it in that moment and most of us even voice it. Thank goodness for the awesome book, "How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?" by, Jane Yolen.

Image found from slcbookboy.

Image found from scholastic.

Image found from Google.

"How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?" just happens to be apart of an amazing series! At the end of this post I will mention some of the other stories in this series. For now, let me rave about this one! When Thomas was heavy into the screaming stage at mealtime and throwing everything you placed in front of him this book was the best thing that ever happened to us. Not only did it keep his attention but all he wanted to do was read it over and over again. The author, Jane Yolen does a wonderful job of starting out this book by teaching proper table manners. In the first half of this book she states all of the things that should NOT be happening at the dinner table. The second half of this story showcases what great table manners should be! One of the best idea's the author had was using Dinosaurs to help get her point and her themes across to children. By using Dinosaurs instead of humans you get these hilarious pictures. They have human parents and bystanders that watch with these horrid looks on their faces. All of the pictures are awesome! It beautifully captures the awful behavior of the dinosaurs and the funny and shocking disapproving looks from their parents. It is honestly hilarious. The book is filled with tons of fun rhymes. "Does he belch, does he burp, or make noises quite rude?" When I read it to Thomas during meal time I usually say all of these rhymes in a funny and quite annoying high pitched voice. I also act some stuff out. He absolutely loves it. I am sure its a scene but anything for the little man ;) Another fun perk of this book is that somewhere on each page the Dinosaurs full name can be found. So if you have an older child you can make a game out of it. More or less an I spy... I spy a name that starts with the letter, "T." If they find it you can proceed to tell them the name and try to have them pronounce it. Your older child can even try to do some research on each Dinosaur to find out what they ate and how they lived. There are so many things you can do to make this book more fun and educational then it already is!

"How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food," is beyond comical and so simple in its approach to teaching children table manners. For Thomas this book was an absolute home run! It never gets old to him and he now loves Dinosaurs. It really has helped him to grow and understand what should and should not be done during mealtime. 

Some of the other awesome books from this series is:

• "How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Room?" 
• "How Do Dinosaurs Say I love You?" 
• "How Do Dinosaurs Go To School?"
• "How Do Dinosaurs Play With Their Friends?"

You can see exactly where the author Jane Yolen has gone with this series. Absolutely GENIUS!! Like I said above, this series is a HOME RUN in Thomas's house!

What are some books that have helped to teach your child some important lessons? Have any suggestions as to what books you would like to see showcased for Book Review Tuesday? Comment below to let us know! 

XOXO,

-D