From the category archives:

Kids

In the blink of an eye

by Stacy on August 30, 2010

It happened so suddenly, almost seemingly overnight. Although I know rationally it MUST have been a gradual change. Something happening right before my very eyes during each and every moment but when totaled up in hours, days, weeks and months seems so giant I almost tremble just thinking about it.

One day, I had babies.

The next day, three beautiful children.

I’m not sure yet what to think of these new creatures taking over my home, but I’m quiet sure I’ll love them every bit as much as their younger counterparts.

We’ve traded tantrums for sibling rivalries
Blocks for Cars
Puzzles for Pretend
Bottles for Cups
Milk for water
& even pull-ups for big girl panties

Who knew it would happen so fast and right before my eyes like this. Like a rug was pulled out from under me I am speechless, yet in awe at the same time. Watching the three of you morph in to your new selves has been such a tremendous experience and I wouldn’t change it for all the day jobs in the world!

I’ve had the pleasure this week of watching Happy make so many connections. Symbols are becoming letters he can translate at will. Dinosaurs are his true love and current infatuation. Last week, we checked out 7 dinosaur books from the library and today when I came back from laying Little down for his afternoon nap, Happy took me by the hand to show me something he had made for me. (He’s such a sweet boy)

He led me into the living room telling me to close my eyes and not to peek and when I opened them … there were all 7 books propped up across the couch (with one Art book & one Cars book thrown in for good measure, of course). It was story time and boy, could I tell this was going to be a good one. We sat there, curled up on the couch together for an hour and a half reveling in tales of the Triassic, Jurassic & Cretaceous periods. Captivated by the meat eaters, tall necks and giant beasts that once inhabited our great planet. Elasmosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Baryonyx, Deinonychus …. we learned of them all, all the while holding each other as tight as possible, neither of us wanting our Mommy & Happy time to end.

To Be Continued …

{ 6 comments }

Wholesome Whole Wheat Applesauce Cake

by Stacy on August 12, 2010

Wholesome Whole Wheat Applesauce Cake
from one of my favorites, Trainer Momma

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Mix it all together and pour it in a 9×13 pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 mintues.

24 bars at 110 calories each. (64 calories!! without the chocolate chips)

This recipe appeared in my reader one morning and I jumped up and made a batch right away. I was that stoked for something wholesome and simple and new to feed the kids in the morning. I was out of chocolate chips so I used carmel bits and pecans and it was delish. The perfect accompaniment to a berry smoothie in the morning and they held up so well I think I’ll make some to take with us on a VERY LONG road trip I’ll be telling you about real soon.

The base of this recipe was so tasty I’m going to try making some banana bread out of it too.

The kids & I baked this together so it is a very kid-friendly recipe and just in time for back to school. Oh yeah & speaking of back to school, I’m guest posting over at Simply Modern Mom today with a ton of ideas on what to pack for school lunches. I hope you’ll head over and check it out, it’s my first guest post and I’m a little nervous.

{ 6 comments }

Shared Spaces: Boy Girl Rooms

by Stacy on August 5, 2010

I have quite the affinity for shared bedrooms. I love everything about the whole concept – sleepovers that never end, the closeness between siblings it encourages, the space it saves in your home, the lack of space for unnecessary junk in the room itself, the decorating potential … it all excites me.

Depending on who you talk to one might tell you I am an only child. Or, some might tell you I have more brothers and sisters than you can shake a stick at. Truth is, it’s a little of both. I was adopted. Several times over. How does one get adopted several times over you ask? Painfully. Adoptions don’t always work out, families get divorced or long for children of their own. Skipping from one family to the next until I found the one that was right for me made me much of the person I am today and sharing rooms with so many children during my time in foster care, transition homes and finally amongst my own inherited family made me love the concept of bunking with others even more. No matter how alone I felt on the inside, there was always someone there with me at night to talk with, find solace in and just be myself around. It’s these positive experiences I hope to share with my own kids.

My children share are small (4,3 & 1) and the oldest two share rooms now. If the rooms were a bit larger, I’d move all three of them into one room. If the house were larger … I’d have more children and move all of them into one huge bunk house of sorts. How, do we do it you ask? By keeping the bedroom a place used only for reading and sleeping. All of our toys stay in the playroom. Our bedrooms are a place we got for quiet time, for naps and for cuddling just before bedtime. This will change as they grow older, I’m sure — but for now it leaves me plenty of time to decorate their space in a truly unique way.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be asking for your help in decorating their shared space and I thought I’d use this post to open up the discussion. Let’s talk about shared spaces a bit, how do you feel about them? How would you make a shared space work for both a boy and a girl. And of course, eye candy!!

via Domino Mag

via Garnet Hill

via Pottery Barn Kids

via Design Dazzle

Image via Pottery Barn (long ago)

Image via Simplified Bee

Ok, your turn!
Now you tell me, Have you ever shared a room with a sibling? Looking back on it now are you glad that you did? What are some reasons you will pair your children in the same room or even do whatever it takes to give them each a room of their own.

And as for the eye candy … Which one is your favorite? What do you notice about all of these rooms that makes them similar? What do you think is the secret to making a boy/girl room look cohesive and planned instead of mismatched and overloaded with colors and themes?

{ 13 comments }

Gifts for 3 Year Old Girls

by Stacy on August 3, 2010

I know a certain little someone turning three years old at the end of this month. Her mother is one of my best online buds and we’ve been searching for some gifts to make her birthday extra special.

Mom found this Fold & Go Dollhouse by Melissa & Doug ($32.50) which I think is pretty outstanding. So outstanding, one might be making its way in to our home on the next holiday.

Still, I wanted to give Mom a few more options for the birthday girl … here’s a list of toys that should last & hold a child’s attention for more than just a few minutes. Many of these toys are either in my home now, like a toy in our home now, or are on a list of toys that may be in our home soon.

1. Zanimoferme by Djeco – We don’t have this set but I’m a huge fan of Djeco and I just know Sweet would enjoy playing with this. She loves to build farms out of blocks and put all her little animals inside so this would be an extension of what she already loves. ($19.99)

2. B. Meowsic Keyboard by Branford- We’ve had this piano for months and it still gets lots of playtime. It’s extremely durable, plays over 20 songs & sounds and has a working microphone. All three of my children enjoy it. ($24.99)

3. The Picnic Game by Eeboo – I adore just about everything EeBoo puts out and I have a feeling this board game will be no exception. Sweet is very much in to board games right now (3.5 yo) although she doesn’t always play by the rules. This game not only leads to imaginary picnic play time (or perhaps even real ones) but also teaches her how to make balanced meals. How cool is that? Did I mention it comes with a red checkered cloth ($14)

4. Slice & Bake Cookie Set by Melissa & Doug – We got this set for Christmas last year and still play with it several times a week. Surprisingly enough we can still find almost all of the pieces. ($15)

5. My Real Digital Camera from Little Tikes – Well Boo! I was super excited about this adorable camera & was eager to get a pink one for Sweet & a blue one for Happy. I found it on the Little Tikes website but changed my mind when I read the reviews on Amazon. Looks like I’ll be looking for a replacement for this one. Anyone know of a great digital camera for little ones?

6. Eco-Friendly Tea Set from Green Toys – We love this tea set, we used it today actually to drink Sun Tea & nibble on Ghirardelli brownies. Personally, I think it is uber cool because it is made from recycled milk jugs! ($17)

7. Cupcake Stand by KidKraft – I think you are starting to get a glimpse of my obsession with play food. Not sue if it has something to do with my family roots growing up in restaurants or what? But I admit it, I am hooked. This one is a winner for me because it’s mix & match, cute on a shelf and my 1 year old loves to play with it too. ($25)

8. Dog & Carrier Set – These are every where right now, I know because every where we go my daughter grabs as many of them as her little arms can carry and hauls them all over the store. Then I have to plead with her to put them all back and leave empty handed. I’m sad this one is SOLD OUT already, I’ll try and find another nice quality version and get back with you … but in the meantime check out #9.

9. Disney Fairies Pet Doctor Set – This cute little play set comes with a play syringe, a note pad, a stethoscope and a little lightening bug. Tons of opportunities for all sorts of play. Sometimes Sweet cares for the bug, more often than not she is doctoring me as I lay “ill” on the floor and the cute carrier … well, she uses it to carry around her quilted puppy from Barnes & Noble ($24) [We got ours from Walmart]

Have a child you need help shopping for? Email me at kidsstuffworld@gmail.com – I’d love to help

{ 3 comments }

Afternoon Delight

by Stacy on July 15, 2010

This post is part of the Best Days series (more info on Best Days coming soon)

Little Ones,
Our second summer in Texas is in full swing and we are doing our best to stay outdoors as much as we can while staying semi-cool in the process. This means we try to go out early in the mornings or later in the afternoons.

Daddy has been traveling a lot (about 3 weeks a month) and we’ve been doing our best to find fun things to do while he’s away. You’ve been such troopers through all the transitions and are truly growing up right before my eyes. It saddens me almost as much as it amazes me how much your are learning and changing each and every day. Happy, you live to build and create things and are always happiest when we are outdoors. Sweet, you’ve been on a quiet art kick for a few weeks now and I thought it would be nice if I could find away to combine all your interests. (Little, right now you’re just happy to be involved in any project Big Brother & Sister are doing)

Painting the sidewalks sounded like the perfect idea and boy did you guys have fun with it! We filled Daddy’s car wash bucket (another of your FAVORITE activities) with some water and I gave each of you a paint brush. We brought out the sidewalk chalk paints we made and you guys went to town painting your masterpieces.

It didn’t take long before Sweet got the idea to paint herself. (Every art project we do usually ends up this very same way )

Here you had just finished painting your toes candy pink (nice color choice)

I promise everyone had a blast despite these next few snapshots

It seems some of us still haven’t grasped the whole concept of sharing.

This is pretty much what our whole week looked like. Afternoons on the driveway (the only patch of shade in our yard), laughing, joking, being together, and having a good time. We even ate dinner out here a few times and Boy, Oh Boy … did that make me the coolest Mom on the block.

I love you guys and our lazy summer afternoons.

Hugs & Kisses

Mom

Psst, ….“Come play at the Childhood 101 We Play link up”

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