Goodbye, July!

Tomorrow is August.  Autumn.  August.

It's time to start thinking about picking apples (the Honey Crisps are usually ready at the end of August), hayrides, pumpkins, and HOODIES!!  It makes me so excited I want to do a backflip in to a tall glass of apple cider!

Anyway, the latest and greatest on Professor X... he's discovered his tongue.  And it's adorable.  This morning, we played Patty-Cake and Peek-A-Boo.  Then, I put him in front of the bathroom mirror and he went wild with the big smiles!  I pointed out my facial features and when I got to his tongue, he stuck it out.  Now, when he sees one of us stick out out our tongues, he wants to stick his out, too.  Below is a clip from yesterday at daycare.  Along with the big grins, about 20 seconds in, he gets some tongue action.  Enjoy!

My Go-To Mama Style

I don't keep up on the latest fashion, by any means, but when it comes to finding cute comfy clothes on the cheap, I'm your girl.  Here are some of my go-to mama style favorites!

Skinny Sweatpants // Striped Hoodie // Marled Socks // Denizen Skinny Jeans // Draped top // Tory Birch flats

Most weekdays, I lounge around the house in comfy leggings or (confession) my old maternity pants.  I typically pair them with a soft hoodie, my favorite soft t-shirts from Target, or a comfy zip-up sweater.  Even when going to a friend's house for an evening of socializing, you may very well find my in my comfy clothes.

On occasion, this will not work and I must put effort in my wardrobe planning.  For example, going out to a nice brunch with friends or a Friday night out on the town (by the way, I need more of these in my life!) calls for something cute like a maxi dress or something like skinny jeans and a flowy top, like this one from Target.  This top does a great job of hiding those mama hips!  My pre-pregnancy jeans have fallen by the wayside and I sometimes have dreams of fitting into my large variety of Paige denim and Tory Burch leather boots (only fit the skinny legs).  But, till then, my Denizen skinny jeans and Tory Burch ballet flats will have to do!  I'm also digging Old Navy's RockStar Distressed Skinny Jeans and at $25 (on sale now!), why wouldn't I?!

And then, there are those days you will find me in my robe, marled socks, and top-knot on my head just watching for the clock to strike "Bed-time!"

Friday Favorites

Xavier has a new trick.  We had the Early Year's Roll & Swirl Ball Ramp out for him to play with for a few months now.  For a while, he liked to shake the balls and take the ramp apart.  Recently, he learned that if he puts the ball at the top, it will wind its way to the bottom.  And the best part is he now remembers that's what you do with this toy and doesn't need us to show him to get started.  He'll see the toy from across the room, smile and get excited, zoom-crawl over to it, while laughing the whole time, and then, this...
   

He's so proud :)  I love how he sticks his legs straight out when he's excited.  One of his favorite things to do is experiment putting other toys at the top of the ramp, like a block, keys, and the TV remote.

I haven't done a Friday Favorites in a while, so let's get right to it.

1.  Graham Crackers and Ritz Crackers in the short stack - So they don't get stale as quickly.  I just saw these at the grocery store!  Wow, the things that excite parents of toddlers ;)

2.  Homemade breakfasts - I'm a fan of kicking it up a notch with the pancakes (in the cast iron skillet with lots of butter, the red-velvet kind, and what I want to try soon, with sprinkles).  I also like this waffle tin from Crate & Barrel.  Breakfast is quickly becoming our favorite meal to make at home and we have fun mixing it up.

3.  Good Summer Music Playlists - I love having a good playlist at my fingertips for when I'm taking Xavier on a stroller ride or sitting outside.  On mine found here, I have some Black Keys and One Republic.

4.  Iced Passion Fruit Tea From Starbucks - The Starbucks near my work recently passed out samples of this tea and it is so refreshing!  It's a little to sweet for me, so I get half black tea, and half passion fruit.  I don't take any sweetener since the passion fruit tea has enough.

5.  These wine glass writers are a must have for identifying your glass at a wine party.  And these bottle tags are certainly unique and sure to be a conversation starter.

Today is Christmas in July!  We celebrated by eating Mexican food on the back porch and admiring Xavier's Christmas tree.

I drew on the driveway with sidewalk chalk...

and Xavier ate it.

Happy Weekend!  May it be Merry!

Summer Bucket List - update

We've quickly checked off a few items on our summer bucket list.  Here's a recap of some summer activities thus far.

My attempt at being artsy.  haha!

We tried popsicles with Xavier.  They didn't take very well although, you wouldn't know it from the pictures!  Trust me, we took like 60 shots and got 3 good ones.  He wants badly to hold them and to not be freaked out by the coldness.  Don't these pops look professional?  

Check out the interior layer of red!!  For these popsicles, I poured half OJ, let it freeze for 5 minutes, then filled the rest with Tropicana's Strawberry/Banana juice.  I used the Zoku pop maker.

Here we are at our local Graeter's.  I can't tell if X was more enthralled by the ice cream or by taking Steve's sunglasses off his head.

Water-Wednesdays at daycare.

Xavier and his good buddy, Chase.

Xavier's first art project with Dad!  We took Xavier to the Art Museum kids area, where he played with tops, made art out of colored masking tape, ate paper, and banged wooden blocks together.

It's been an eventful summer and we have some more fun things planned!

Feeding the Babe

Xavier is always surprising us with his abilities.  He spends about an hour or so each day at home with us during the week before we start the bedtime routine, so when the weekend comes, it's fun to watch all the new skills he picked up at daycare that week.  We have been experiencing with different kinds of sippys; some with handles, others without, some with plastic straws built in.  He liked to play with them, turn them upside down, and try to suck the liquid out the bottom!  We've worked with him to teach him to suck out the top and he kind of caught on, but only when we hold the sippy for him.  So we got lazy and figured we'd wait a while to try again.  But, we always leave the sippys in his basket of toys to play with.

About a month ago, I was in the kitchen preparing some breakfast casserole for X's dinner.  Steve put a First Year's Take 'n Toss sippy we got from the baby shower on the table and X immediately grabbed it, put it in his mouth, tilted it up, and started drinking.  Um, wha?  The sippy has no handles, straw, special features.  Apparently, these are the sippys they use at daycare and he's been drinking from them for a while now (thank you daycare for your efforts!).  We didn't even know!  Steve and I are shocked by this kid all the time!!

In case you're interested, some of the sippys we tried were:

Lansinoh mOmma Straw Sippy, Zoli BOT Cup, Nuby Sippy with Handles

Xavier is now at the point of eating what we do.  We have pretty much given up on feeding him baby food because he prefers to feed himself.  We just started feeding him eggs and strawberries, even though technically we were supposed to wait until the first birthday (said somebody).  I know moms with kids of all ages struggle with ideas to keep meals interesting.  Here are some things X has liked so far.  Hopefully it inspires you to come up with a new meal idea or two for your little one!  Xavier eats a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with an afternoon snack.  Also, in-between these meals, he takes a 5-6 oz. bottle of formula, 4 times a day.

French toast sticks, blueberries - We cut the french toast into sticks before dipping to make all the sides crispy!
Nutri-grain blueberry muffin, Cheerios or Chex, grapes

Pancake, bananas - Dipped in Nutella to keep it interesting.  We save the pancakes by freezing them (parchment paper in-between each one to prevent sticking together), then popping in the toaster before serving.
Egg & Cheese on an English Muffin, strawberries & kiwi - If you're feeling adventurous, throw some spinach or other veggies in the eggs for added nutrition.

Crockpot Chicken, Roasted Potatoes, and Edamame

Mini Veggie Pizzas, Applesauce - A great meal to sneak in some healthy veggies!

Mac & Cheese, Spinach, blueberries - I make mac & cheese in a mug, a healthier alternative to Easy Mac.  I use 1/3 cup of water, 1/3 cup macaroni noodles (happened to have Rotini on hand) and microwave for 6 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.  Then I add 1/4 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of finely shredded cheddar cheese, and microwave another 2 minutes.
Quesadilla with veggies & cheese, avocado - I mix it up with turkey or chicken deli meat.

A note on vegetables:  Xavier isn't the biggest fan, especially when also being served fruit, meat or carbs.  So we keep it interesting by adding a splash of soy sauce, lemon juice, or seasoned bread crumbs.  Sometimes we sneak them into his grilled cheeses and quesadillas.

For other "___ in a Mug" recipes, check out here and here.

Some Meal Time Favorites include:

Baeba Utensils - Great utensils because they are easy to hold on to.  Love all the colors too!

Boon Grass Drying Rack - We have been using this since day 1.  I am obsessed with it.  It can also double as a drying rack for your wine glasses;)

Take & Toss Sippy Cups - To our surprise, Xavier likes the no-frills sippies!  As much as I want him to like the cute ones with the straws or handles, he prefers these!

Silicone Bibs - A must have for messy eaters.  It is helpful for catching things like Cheerios and pasta.  It's also super easy to clean.
Noggin Playlist - This playlist is great for keeping him entertained while I'm busy cleaning up the kitchen.  We pop the iPad in the iGuy, turn on the guided access to keep X from switching between apps, and it gives me 15 minutes to get everything cleaned up.

Lastly, I leave you with Xavier drinking out of a mason jar.  Grandma in Lewisburg would be proud.  And so would his ancestors. :)

Summer Nights

Now that 4th of July is over, I feel sort of blue.  The next holiday won't be here till Halloween, and I still have to get through the rest of summer.  Luckily, the summer nights have been nice and cool and we have been spending a lot of QT on the back porch.

Here's a roundup of our summer night favorites:

1.  String Lights - I am so majorly in love with our new string lights.  I have been wanting them in our backyard, somewhere, the past few years, and finally got around to putting them up just in time for our 4th of July party.  These are amazing lights.  They don't get hot, so you can string them through your trees, and they have a nice, soft glow.  I've already rearranged them 3 times and they've only been up a couple weeks.  Ha!

2.  Oil lanterns - I absolutely love the look of my lanterns at night!  We put citronella tiki oil in the lanterns and it works great to keep the bugs away.  They are from Pier 1 several years ago.  These are similar to the ones we have, but they aren't lightable.

3.  Tree Swing - We hung Xavier's toddler swing from one of the trees in our yard.  We bought some climbing rope from Home Depot and attached it.  It's great for during the week because after dinner, the last thing we want to do is get packed up to go the park for a half hour before it's time to start bedtime.  Xavier loves, loves, loves it!

4.  Before summer is over, I'm determined to have a full blown picnic somewhere.  I want picnic blankets, an entire full-course meal, complete with kraft gable boxes for each of us.  Doesn't that make you want to have a picnic too?!  

5.  Sweet treats on the back porch.  Cherry Cordial ice cream is my jam!  Add a splash of Hershey's chocolate syrup for some extra happy Alli!

Summer is almost over!  Start making a list of fun outdoor things to do before it's time to pack up your back porch for the winter!

The sun never sets on a badass.

Baby Proofing 101

The house is a lot bigger these days with baby on the move.  We have been doing lots of baby proofing lately, and recently installed baby gates.  At first, Xavier was kind of weirded out by the gates.  He didn't know what to think of this obstruction in his path.  He just sat and stared at it!

But, now that he's used to them blocking his crawling, he tries to break through.

We bought 3 gates, placing a gate near each entry to the steps in our house.  If you decide to mount the gates to your banister, you can't use the tension style, you have to screw the gate in to your banister.  Or, get some wooden blocks to screw it into.  Then tie strap the block to your banister.  We decided to find other places to mount the gate so we'd have wall space on both sides, thus allowing us to mount the gate using tension.  

We like these Regalo Easy Step Through baby gates because they have a door that easily lets us walk through.  The gate doors are super easy to open and shut and that little red thing at the top is the lock feature for when kids get older and mimic how you open the gate.  We keep the gate doors open at night so we can walk around like normal.  

We put these outlet plug protectors in all the outlets X could get to.  He has yet to figure out how they work!  He is very curious but luckily these are almost impossible to get out!

These corner protectors are great for things like coffee tables and the dining room table.  I can imagine Xavier plowing into furniture any day now.  He already regularly bumps his head on corners of toys.

This hearth cover is amazing per friends who have it.  We don't have a hearth so won't be buying it.  I hear that even adults can slam their heads into this thing and come out of it without a single nick.

Lastly, we use this magnetic style system to keep kitchen cabinets and drawers closed and will never look back!  We did some research, and although these are more expensive than the alternative, they are worth it!  It's the only one toddlers can't figure out how to work, since the lock requires a special key to unlock.  It keeps the cabinets shut very tightly (keeping the babes from sticking their little fingers in) and THE BEST PART, there is a disable feature which is nice for when you are using the kitchen a lot and get annoyed by the locks.

It is suggested that you mount dressers to the wall to keep babies from pulling open the drawers, standing in the drawer, only find the dresser tipped over on top of you baby.  I'm trying to find an alternative to putting more holes in my walls!  Maybe, I'll be purchasing more magnetic style locks.

Weekend Fun

Steve went out of town for the weekend so Xavier and I took a trip to Grandma and Grandpa's!  The drive was torture because little did I know the kid had ear infections in both ears.  He cried 80% of the way.  It felt like that, anyway, probably because I was dealing with it by myself.  

Despite his infection, we did all sorts of fun things all weekend.  Luckily, he's easy to distract from pain.  Friday night, we had a cookout.  For the first time ever, Xavier got to explore Grandma's homeade mashed potatoes.

Mashed potatoes with a side of Xavier.

Shoveling them in.

I put Xavier in a bucket!

We played out back on the blanket and he was content for almost 2 hours taking in the sounds of the backyard.

Saturday, we went to Xavier's very first carnival in Tipp City where he rode the Dizzy Monster.  We all got dizzy and it was way fun to stumble off the thing.  

After the carnival, we went to an old-fashioned toy story where Xavier got a couple things.  I tested out the Jack-n-the-Box and he did okay with it.  He barely jumped when Jack popped out.  He's braver than his mama!

We went to dinner at a local diner, Sam & Ethel's, and Xavier charmed everyone there.  However, he was more interested in the half & half and jelly packs.

And, the best part, Xavier made a new friend :)

Fourth of July Festivities

Hi Friends!  We are recovering from an action-packed weekend of celebrating Fourth of July festivities.  In our neighborhood, July 4th is a bigger deal than Christmas.  When we first moved here, neighbors talked about how people start marking off their spots on Northwest Ave a week before the parade rolls through town.  On parade day, kids line the streets with lemonade and donut(!!!) stands.  The neighbor 3 houses down turns on his red, white, and blue lights in mid-June.  It's a big deal.

We started off the holiday weekend making festive red velvet pancakes.  These are really easy to make.  Just mix together a regular batch of Bisquick pancake mix (with the egg, milk, etc), add 2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder for each cup of Bisquick you use, add a little bit of red food coloring and Voila!

 These are the most amazing pancakes of all time!

Xavier showed off his mad salesmanship skills by attracting crowds of customers to our breakfast stand we put in the front yard before the parade started.  We get quite a bit of foot traffic before the parade, so we decided to sell donuts & cinnamon rolls.  If you can't read it, the sign says "Send Me To College" (compliments to Steve for the idea).  And, in case you're wondering, we didn't quite make enough money to send Xavier to college!

The parade lasted just under 2 hours.  Next year, we are following suit and putting out chairs to mark off our spot.  After the parade, we grilled out in the backyard with the grandparents, took them on a walk to see where Xaver will go to school, and lit sparklers.

Proud to be an American.

We had a wonderful time hosting 4th of July at our house and I do believe we started a tradition!