Abuelita Dolls

We are off to Houston and Indianapolis for the Holidays but I wanted to post about these Abuelita dolls. They are by Baby Abuelita and each sing about 6 traditional Hispanic lullabies. They are really cute and Lizzy really likes to listen to them. One is Tita and the other is Tito for her. Strangely enough the abuelita doll sounds a lot like Lizzy's real Tita and even sings the same songs she does! These dolls can be found at Target. Be back to post after the Holidays! May your Holidays be Merry and Bright!

 

S'Mores by the Fire

Christmas Express

I found this neat idea for the Christmas Express and tickets at this blog. Click on the blog link to read all about it and print your own tickets. For our Christmas Express adventure we watched polar express (some of it) and had popcorn in our pjs. Later Lizzy found her ticket somewhere in our home to ride the Christmas Express. I took her ticket and we went for a ride. First we went to Dunkin Donuts for hot chocolate and munchin donuts to have on our drive. Then, we drove around the neighborhoods near us to look at lights. Lizzy was amazed by any house that had lights. Then we found a few impressive homes on the same street that we all enjoyed looking at.

Hand Rolled Beeswax Candles

For St. Nicholas Day Lizzy got a Candle Making Kit. With it she rolled all the teachers and staff at her school candles to give to them for Christmas. Each candle was personalized with something that Lizzy thought that teacher would like. A flower, triangles, stars, balloons, circles, and stripes. These were easy enough for Lizzy to roll on her own and I cut out the shapes. We really enjoyed making these candles together. I'm sure we'll make more soon to use as dinner candles. This is the link to the kit.

Salt Dough Ornaments

Lizzy and I made salt dough ornaments last year that are hanging on our Christmas tree this year and I'm sure for may more years to come. This year we made more salt dough ornaments! 1 Cup Flour, 1/2 Cup Salt, 1/2 Cup Water. We let ours air dry for a couple of days but you can also bake them for 3 hours or microwave them until they harden.

 

Footprint Manger

Like the Christmases past Lizzy again made a footprint craft. I love looking at the little tiny reindeer feet from Lizzy's first Christmas. This year we made a manger. Lizzy is very interested in baby Jesus this Christmas so it was perfect.

 

Cinnamon Ornaments

We made some cinnamon and applesauce ornaments that smell so good. The cinnamon ornaments are just a bottle of cinnamon (4 oz.) and 3/4 cup apple sauce. You can let them air dry for three days or bake them at 200 degrees for 3 hours. Create your own unique ornaments at home ... it's so much more fun and nice to look back on.

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

This Christmas we will be traveling to Houston and Indianapolis to visit with family. I can't wait to see family and I'm starting to get homesick! We have again decided to celebrate our own Christmas on St. Nicholas day this year just us three at home. I prepared a ham Christmas dinner with all the trimmings the night before, set out the wooden shoes, and read Lizzy the night before Christmas. Lizzy is having so much fun this Christmas. She got a personalized video from Santa and just loves watching it. The morning of our Christmas Lizzy woke early but didn't go into the living room where the presents were until later than we expected. Finally she came into our bedroom and let us know the wooden shoes had been filled and St. Nicholas had brought gifts.

Lizzy took her time opening all her gifts. Her big gift was her first big girl bike. Some cinnamon rolls and a bath later she was out riding her new bike to the park! We had a nice simple St. Nicholas day at home and Lizzy got exactly what she wished for a new bike and a telescope! Can't wait for more holiday festivities with family soon!

 
 

Happy Birthday Grandpa! Love, Lizzy!

Rainbow Stratch Paper

Lizzy got a Thanksgiving package from her grandma and grandpa in the package were lots of cool things Lizzy enjoyed the rainbow scratch paper the most. Lizzy likes all things arts and crafts!

On another note, I am looking to make some changes on this blog to free up more picture storage space but for now I am taking a little break from blogging. Be back after St. Nicholas Day!

Cardboard Rocket Ship

Lizzy got an early Christmas present from her great Aunts over Thanksgiving a cardboard rocket ship! The next day Lizzy wanted to play with it so Mike and I put it together. Everyone colored parts of the rocket ship in with markers for quite a while over the next couple of days and it's no where near all colored in. I can see us all coloring it in a little each day until it's complete. Lizzy pretends she is in the galaxies, mars, and home. Lizzy and I played inside the rocket ship. It's pretty big to fit Lizzy, Bella and I. Later Lizzy put all her stuffed animals in the rocket ship for a sleepover. Lizzy has enjoyed it. It takes up quite a bit of space in our living room but Lizzy is having fun with it. When it gets too beat up or Lizzy loses interest it can be recycled so it's eco friendly too!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are Thankful for Family. We had a very nice Thanksgiving with family. Lizzy loves going to Aunt Vivian's house there is always lots of fun things for Lizzy there. Toys, coloring table, necklace making, games, family time, turkey, and pumpkin pie. Lizzy had a great time and so did we! Happy Thanksgiving!

Painting in a Bag

Lizzy loves to paint. Often Lizzy wants to paint at home but it’s not always the best time to get messy so there’s painting in a bag. Put a sheet of paper in a large plastic bag, squirt some paint inside the bag, and seal it closed. Like finger-painting your child can use their fingers to move the paint around in the bag without actually touching the paint. Lizzy wasn’t very happy with painting in the bag she wanted to actually paint outside the bag but this is a pretty neat idea maybe for younger toddlers.

More Playdoh: Gingerbread Mat

I have found lots of free Playdoh mats and other teaching resources on Twinkl. I printed out all the ones I know I would use for Lizzy and the kids I work with and laminated them. Lizzy chose to play with the gingerbread mat. Here she is adding all kinds of things to her gingerbread. Lizzy and I played with these mats for a pretty long time I think they are a hit!

Apple Playdoh

The Pacifier Fairy

It’s official Lizzy is not a baby anymore. First Lizzy stopped the bottle, then she was potty trained, and now she has stopped using the pacifier. I hadn’t put much importance or pressure for Lizzy to stop the pacifier only because she has never had any other comfort item and she was only using it at night. But last week we couldn’t find her pacifier at night after looking for it for quite a while it popped into my head to tell Lizzy the pacifier fairy had probably come to take her pacifier to little babies that needed them. Soon after Lizzy went to sleep without her pacifier and has been ever since without any problems. To help Lizzy cope with the pacifier fairy taking her pacifier the pacifier fairy left her a note, a wand, and some money over night. Lizzy was very excited in the morning to find what the fairy had left her. This probably wasn’t the best way to stop Lizzy from using her pacifier but this is how it happened and it worked!

Caramel Apples

I made some quick caramel apples tonight after dinner. After making caramel apples from scratch, semi-homemade using caramels and the crockpot I learned neither way was very good or simple. Last year Mike introduced me to caramel apple wraps. They are caramel wraps that you cover your apple with and bake or microwave. Virtually no mess but they are not homemade. It is so easy I think this is what we will do from now on and it is what we did this year. Lizzy actually didn't like the caramel she said she only wanted the apple and peeled the caramel off. Since I don't like caramel apples much either maybe this is a tradition we won't continue next year. But, if you are looking for a quick and easy way to make caramel apples the wraps are the way to go!

Homemade Flashcards

Some of the flashcards we have been making are food flashcards. Using the grocery ad for that week Lizzy cuts out food pictures and glues them onto index cards to make a list of food to get at the grocery store. Some parents dread grocery shopping and without planning it really is something to dread. Involve your child in planning the list, is they can't read make picture flashcards, count the items as they go into the cart, bring snacks if needed, keep your child engaged and involved for a successful shopping trip.

Computer Time

Usually on the weekend at some point Lizzy wants to get on the computer to play Sid the Science Kid Gamesm on PBS.com. The only time Lizzy is on the computer is when she is skyping or when she is playing Sid the Science Kid games. Lizzy is starting to get a hang of using the mouse and playing on the computer. Sid The Science Kid is one of our favorite shows and games now. Each show they discover something new but there is usually an experiment to do at home along with the show which makes it more interactive and fun.

Dentist Visit and Flossing Activity

Lizzy went to the dentist for an exam and cleaning. Like usual she did great. This dentist said she was the best behaved child they have ever had! Lizzy's teeth are good she can begin flossing just to get into the habit of it but she really doesn't need it yet because her teeth are still all spaced out until she gets her molars at 6 years of age when the spaces should close up. Lizzy started practicing to floss on some mega legos with playdoh and floss.

Paper Dolls and Using Scissors

Lizzy has been using scissors since she was 2. We started with toddler scissors and now she cuts very well with child scissors. Lizzy helps cut coupons out and pictures she likes in magazines. Today we cut out paper dolls. Lizzy helped cut some things out but cutting out paper dolls was still quite hard. Lizzy had fun playing with the dolls and cutting out pictures.