Cowboy party

When we first moved back to New Jersey, I was afraid that we wouldn't find community.

Silly me.

Last week our toddlers group held a cowboy party for the kids.
Costume?  Party?
Yup.  I've found my kind of people.

Psst- Tomorrow I'll share how I crapted Baby Chuck's cowboy costume from felt, cardboard, and a cake tin. 

Fun with food coloring, soap, and milk

We've now had 2 days of cold and wet weather.  Baby Chuck and I try to go out in the mornings, but we usually stay at home in the afternoons because parking spots are so difficult to find.  (Curse you, parallel parking!)

So... what's a cooped up mama and 16 month old baby to do?

Well, yesterday we tried another food coloring activity.  This time we found Steve Spangler's amazing science page.  He had a demonstration that involved food coloring, dish detergent, and milk.   Look what we were able to do:

Ooh.  Psychedelic!

Materials:
- milk  (we used whole... but I bet you could use other types of milk... but the intensity may differ...)
- bowl / container
- food coloring
- dish soap
- cotton swab

How to make cornstarch toddler paint

Now that Baby Chuck is down to just one nap a day, I'm working on finding new and cheap ways to entertain him.  Earlier this week I made toddler paint using a recipe I found at the Stay at home educator.

Here are some photos from our first painting session.    

For some reason he really wanted to hold a bottle of cooking wine... *sigh*  artists...

I was worried that he would get paint all over himself, but  he did a good job keeping it on the paper.

Tada!  Here's his finished work:

Baby Chuck Norris?  Nay... today he was Baby Chuckson Pollock.

As the paint dried it took on a thick, crumbly texture, so I don't think this would the recipe to use if you wanted to frame your child's artwork.  But, if you're looking for a fun, new, (and cheap!) experience, then I highly recommend this simple three ingredient recipe.  The paints were easy to make, Baby Chuck had fun, and clean up was super easy.  

To make your own toddler paint, just mix together

• 2 T cornstarch
• 4 T water
• a couple of drops of food coloring.  (I put in 4 drops and then dipped my finger into the paint.  Eeek.  Bad idea.  It turned blue and the color took a while to scrub off.   That's why we ended up using paint brushes instead of just painting with our fingers.)

Psst- if you have any ideas/suggestions for cheap and simple ways that I can keep Baby Chuck entertained during the day, let me know.  The cold and wet weather outside has forced us to stay indoors.  Needless to say, we're getting a bit stir crazy.

Currently...

Baby Chuck's two favorite things in the world are keys and buttons.

Is this a stage that all kids go through?

Merry Christmas!

Hope you have a wonderful time celebrating with friends and family.  

Here are some photos and a video from our recent Toddler Time Christmas party.

 

 

PC218897.AVI from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

A boy and his ball

PC138573.AVI from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

So... what do you do all day?

As a stay-at-home mommy, I always seem to get asked this question:  "So... what do you do all day?"  I never really know what to say, eat bon-bons and shop online?  (Just kidding.  I wish.)  Usually I just mumble something about housework or going out.  

Yesterday, I set my mind to capture what I actually do every day.  After seeing the "Picture an hour" series on Bluebird Vintage, I thought I'd also try taking a photo every hour of my "work" day.   

So, for those of you who are curious about the exciting world of homemaking, here's what one stay-at-home mom does at work.

8:15- Hubby came home and then we put Baby Chuck down to sleep.

So there you have it- a typical day with Baby Chuck and me.  

Bottled smiles and laughter

If I could, I would bottle up all of Baby Chuck's smiles and laughter and keep them in my pocket.  Then, whenever I met someone who was sad or going through tough times, I'd hand them the bottle and have them take the goodness in.  

Blue hands and feet

How was your weekend?

Good, I hope.

Hubby, Chuck, and I have been fighting a nasty bug.  I think Baby Chuck got it around Thanksgiving and then he passed it onto hubby.  My immune system fought a good fight, but I finally succumbed sometime last week.  

Blech. *Sniff sniff*

Baby Chuck and I stayed home for quite a bit, but we pushed ourselves to go to Toddler Time.  This Friday they did a hand and foot painting activity.  I think the children enjoyed being artists for a day.

Dancing again

Someone's dancing again....


PB247837 from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

Boogie down

Sometimes when he's eating, Baby Chuck busts out a move or two.

It's really cute.

But you can't blink or else you'll miss it!

PB147413.AVI from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

PB187610.AVI from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

What's up, Baby Chuck?

Yesterday Baby Chuck was having a blast playing with his toys.

I took the opportunity to take some photos.

He's such a funny little guy.

 

PA236589.AVI from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

Jam monster

A couple weeks ago we located a bread that was gluten and soy and nut free.  

Hooray! 

It was seriously the best discovery ever.

Now he's able to enjoy bread and jam on a daily basis.  

"What is this stuff?"

"Oh my gosh, it's delicious!"

"I wonder if mum will let me have another piece?"

Guess what?

Baby Chuck made a new (furry) best friend.

P9165868.AVI from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

We're slowly entering toddlerhood- eep!

P9165844.AVI from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

Future biker?

I think Baby Chuck might become a rough and tough biker. 

He's picking fights with balloons...

P9095639.AVI from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

and "riding" his big boy harley

P9055463.AVI from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

Impromptu photos

Baby Chuck is currently napping and if I were a smart mommie, I would be napping too.  But I'm not.  Instead, I'm looking through some recent photos. You've probably noticed that I don't upload many photos of myself.  I just like posting pictures of Baby Chuck and hubby because they are so much cuter.

But, I'm making an exception here.  I just love how these photos capture our interactions. 

Babies really are a lot more fun at this age!

And now, time to nap...

Hungry Caterpillar party prep: The invite

In one more month Baby Chuck will be turning one. We're celebrating with a Hungry Caterpillar themed birthday party.  I'm super excited because hubby's aunt and I are going to make a lot of things by hand.  I'm not sure how everything will turn out... but  I know we'll learn a lot in the process. 

       
(Note:  Unfortunately, I can no longer send out the powerpoint slide that I used.  My computer died awhile back and this was one of the files that I lost. )

Note:  I'm a copycat.  I found these images and phrases on the internet and pasted them onto a ppt slide.  :)