Last night I interrupted a train game being played by the hubster, Alex, and Eliana to ask the hubster, "Is this dried pee right here?" The hubster came into the bathroom to see what I was inquiring about and said, "I would say that it is."

"OK...." I replied and I took a deep breath. I calmly told Alex, "Buddy, it's so important to keep your pee IN the potty when you have to go. Only get the water in the toilet with your pee. K? Keep it IN the potty."

Alex quickly answered, "Oh! Sorry I did that 3 times yesterday, mom, but I was just trying to put flowers on the wall to make you happy!" {big smile} He then ended the conversation and started his train game again by yelling "ALL ABOARD!"

LOL...I don't even know what to do with that. *sigh* Three year olds...

Boys Will Be Boys?

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I recently stumbled upon Bella Tunno while "window shopping" for headbands for Eliana. What I found, beyond headbands, was a website filled with stylish, practical accessories that any mom could use for her little ones and love. From burpies, to bibs, to diaper bags, Bella Tunno is a one stop shop for everyday, mommy needs.

When corresponding with Bella Tunno, I was offered to review a couple of items for our road trip. The 2 items selected for me could not have been better.

Let's talk about the Little Linker first. This handy item attaches on one end to a child's cup/bottle/toy and on the other end attaches to their stroller/car seat/high chair. It's available in 2 styles but I chose the "Sassy Lassie". I just loved the colors for Eliana.

The Little Linker has a strong, nylon webbing that is attached to thick, polka dot elastic at either end. On the cup pictured above, the elastic fit snugly around the cup but not so tight that I feared the snap would come undone.

The snaps are plastic but much stronger than I expected they would be. This picture is to illustrate how thick the elastic strap is.

I'll say one thing about the Little Linker. I bought from a different brand who had the same idea a few years ago when I needed it for Alex. And although I really liked the idea, it slipped all the time and only held a certain shaped cup. I figured what I had was better than nothing at all but this is exactly what I wish I had years ago. 

**You can buy your Little Linker for $12.

And to help keep Alex busy and tidy while we're traveling, Bella Tunno sent a Designer Diner in their "Preppy Boy" style. Mind you, this is only one of the many different styles they offer for the Designer Diner but I thought this would be the best for us.

This is the perfect item to have on the road with us for my son. I know we're going to get a lot of use out of it whether we're eating in, eating out, or eating at a picnic table at a rest area.

The Designer Diner is made of fabric that I can easily wipe clean. When it's untied and opened up, it shows off its creative side with its chalkboard fabric and chalk pouch. This comes with chalk that is colorful and non-toxic too so I don't need to worry.

Something like this is going to help pass the time while Alex is waiting to eat or waiting for the rest of us to finish eating. And when he's not coloring on his chalkboard, the chalk pouch can be removed {it Velcros on} and the mat can be turned over to create a place mat.

Honestly. What kid wouldn't like something like this? This will keep Alex's hands busy and give him something that he's familiar with no matter where we are.

I love how it rolls up and ties too. It's great to throw in the diaper bag and go.

**You can buy a Designer Diner in your choice style for $22.

I'm so grateful to Bella Tunno for sending these lovely and helpful items for my little ones. I'll be back stopping by the website again to buy a headband when Eliana is a little bigger.

**The opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.Others may have a different experience and may not agree with my opinion. Thanks to Bella Tunno, who sent the products to review. I was able to keep the items at no cost to me in exchange for my honest review.**

Bella Tunno ~ For The Road (review)

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Did you know that Learning Curve has a line of Thomas & Friends wooden track set made just for little hands? If you browse the shelves at your local toy store, you may see one or two of these new sets for sale. 

Learning Curve recently contacted me and asked if I would like to check this out with my son and, of course, I said "Yes!". 

Alex is a huge fan of Thomas & Friends. He knows every train's name and he has a small collection of wooden trains and track. This new line of Early Engineers is made with both younger and older children in mind, though. It's specifically created for little hands (18 months of age and up) but is eager to grow right with your child. 

I have some photos to illustrate what I mean. It truly is amazing. 

Here is the Thomas Wooden Railway Early Engineers Roundabout Station set. It's perfect to purchase as a starter set or in addition to the other sets as well. As you can see, it's made with wooden track. This is the same sized track as the sets made for older children. The trains are made bigger so little hands can get a better grip on them and the other pieces are made to easily be added, subtracted, or changed to suit your child's interest in play.

The set includes the roundabout, Maithwaite station, a tree, spinning cargo, and a ticket booth/gate. Each piece has a circular bottom that fits into the shapes on the roundabout grass. The cargo and tree can be switched as well as the station and ticket booth. This offers a child independence in play which is great for his/her imagination and self esteem.

Alex loved that he could successfully set everything up and move it around on his own. He quickly began a dialog with his new Thomas the tank engine train and then decided he wanted to add others of his in as well.

It's wonderful that Learning Curve knew that children want to build on their play experience and added in a way to easily do that.

The set comes with 2 connecting pieces that fit to the end of the Early Engineers track and connect to the standard wooden track. Alex ran off to get some track and a few trains. In no time, Alex had a track designed and assembled.

Even Percy and Sir Topham Hatt stopped by for a visit. 

Watch the video to see some of these new sets in action!

http://media.learningcurve.com/products/SKU/TWR_EE/index.html?xcid=701

My overall opinion of the Thomas Wooden Railway Early Engineers Roundabout Station is that it's a wonderful gift for a Thomas lover. I wish these had been made when Alex was younger. If, at 3 years old, he gets excited to play with it, I can only imagine what he would have thought of it when he was younger. The set is easy to use and durable. I can see it lasting for years and years in this house. 

BUY IT:  You can purchase this set for around $25 from Learning Curve.

** The opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.Others may have a different experience and may not agree with my opinion.Thanks to Learning Curve for the product to review. I was able to keep the item at no cost to me.**

Learning Curve: Early Engineers (review)

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So I decided to give myself a week off.

Alright...the week decided to take me away. That's what really happened.

I needed to gather myself and deal with some issues that were going on here at home and, for now, I think I've got it under control-ish.

(I'll have to blog about my "rule of 'ish'" sometime. I LIVE by it!)


Let me fill you in on what's been going down. We live in a 2 bedroom home. There are 4 of us here. (Most of you know this.) Our goal is to have our 2 kiddos sharing one room so we (the hubster and I) can have our room to ourselves. We even fixed up the master suite to be accommodating to 2 children and took the smaller bedroom for ourselves.

Eliana's been sleeping through the night like a champ and I decided to begin putting her in the same room as Alex. He and I spoke about this a bit and he didn't seem to be mad about it at all. I took this to mean that he was alright with it. Instead, I should have taken it to mean that he didn't quite understand exactly what he was giving the "OK" to.

Within days of Eliana sharing a room with Alex for naps and bedtime, my home was in complete chaos. Alex couldn't contain his frustrations. He was going bonkers and I had NO clue what to do or why he was doing the things he was doing. After some thought, though, I figured that it had to do with Eliana being in "his" room for both naps and bedtime. He didn't want to share.

This is what was going on last week. Chaos moved to action. I took Eliana out of his room and decided that we would completely back off of the whole idea for a bit. Then I had to do damage control. Alex was visibly upset by everything and I needed to spend time talking to him, boosting his self confidence, and making sure that he understood his importance in this family.

All is well, now.

Eliana is fine and Alex is behaving normally again. (a.k.a., he is acting like a toddler boy getting into the normal kinds of mischief).

*Whew*

So, as long as nothing crazy happens, expect things to get back to normal-ish around here. ;)

The Times, They Are A-Changin'

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...and it's completely and utterly my fault. However, it is pretty hilarious how this all came to be.

Toddler's don't get lost all by themselves, you know.

Well, at least not in my home.


So, here's the story. Earlier this evening, Alex was having a hard time settling into bed. He kept wanting to get up and cause a ruckus when the hubster and I just wanted to watch (what turned out to be) a completely horrible movie. Is that too much to ask on a Friday night? I think not.

I decided enough was enough. So off I went to Alex's room to have a long talk about why obedience is important.

"Ah-HA!" I thought to myself. "I'll just see what his little Bible has to say about THIS."

I whipped open his little boy-themed Bible and found the first reference to the word "obedience".

"OK, buddy. The Bible is going to explain why listening to mommy and daddy is super important. Ready?"

Alex eagerly stared at me and waited for the story I was about to tell.

It turns out, his Bible seemed to think that using a war explanation was a great idea. I found myself reading things like "When you obey it's like being in an armored tank. You're safe in God's protection. But when you disobey, you're not in the tank and you're an open target."

I know. I KNOW. That makes NO sense if you have very little Bible knowledge and you're a 3 year old boy. I kept thinking to myself, "great! How in the world can I explain this?"

Alex chimed in. "It's a tank? Is it at the quarry?"

"Um. Sure, buddy. The tank could be at a quarry. The important thing is that you need to obey."

"But where is the tank, mommy? I don't see it."

"It's in your imagination, Alex. It's pretend. Get it?"

(I knew I was losing him so I decided to make the big point I was trying to make.)

"Alex, it's time for you to stay in bed and get some sleep. Until you fall asleep, you can tell your lion what the Bible says about obeying. 'If you listen to mommy and daddy, it will keep you safe.'"

"OK, mommy." (he turned to his lion and said) "Lion, the Bible says there's an imaginary tank that keeps us safe. If you're not in the tank, you're gonna get a boo-boo."

At this point, I just burst out with laughter.

(sigh)

I was trying to teach my son a real lesson about obedience. I wanted to teach him from the Bible. I think it's important enough to try and show him where I get my ideas and rules from.

I guess I just need to be sure to read what his Bible says before I read it to him as a lesson. That way, I can know what's coming up and maybe...just maybe...I can really teach him something someday.

LOL

P.S. After all of that, Alex STILL got out of his bed. The hubster decided to "put me on the bench" and he went to take care of Alex himself.  (Apparently they could hear me cracking up as they were supposed to be having a "serious chat.") The first thing Alex said when his dad came to put him to bed was, "There's a tank. It's in my imagination..." I missed the rest since I couldn't hear him over my own laughter.

Apparently, poor Alex wasn't feeling too safe since he couldn't see the tank and therefore couldn't possibly be safely inside of it. He was concerned he was going to get a boo-boo.

BAH-HA-HA-HA! What in the world have I done?

Have you ever completely failed at teaching a lesson?

I think I'm going to leave the Bible teaching to Sunday School and just back-up what they say. ;)

Toddler Lost In Translation...

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I have a new obsession and it's all about accessories for my kiddos. No, I'm not talking about shoes this time. I'm talking about hats.

While browsing around on the internet one day, I stumbled upon Jamie Rae Hats and I didn't leave that website until at least 20 minutes later (if not longer). I kept clicking and clicking with every new hat I saw and I completely lost track of time.


As you can imagine, I was VERY excited to be given the opportunity to review some hats for Alex and Eliana. I had no idea what was coming to us but I couldn't say "I love these!" enough once the hats arrived.

After promptly placing the hats on Alex and Eliana, I talked on and on to the hubster about how adorable the hats were and started dreaming up the outfits that could accompany them.


Alex's hat is an Earthtone Tie-Dye hat. The colors are neutral so it can go with many of the clothes he has. At first he wasn't excited about wearing a hat but once he saw me put Eliana's on her before heading out for our playdate, he demanded that he wear his as well. It didn't exactly match the shirt I chose for him that day but I didn't care. I want him to be able to make his own choices and I was just excited for the photo-opp of him in his hat.

Alex in the Earthtone Tie-Dye hat from Jamie Rae Hats.

As for Eliana, she received an adorable hat from the Cultivate Your Own page in the Jamie Rae Hats shoppe. Here, you can design your own hat or hats to purchase exactly the way you want them. This is a great option for those who want the hat to be worn with a specific outfit and don't see that hat as an option elsewhere in the store.

The "ingredients" to make a hat like Eliana's are:
1. A Pale Pink hat
2. A Large Rose in Raspberry
3. A Raspberry Rhinestone at the center of the rose

Eliana in a Cultivate Your Own hat from Jamie Rae Hats

The hats are too cute, right? Well, I want you to see the hats I fell in love with on the website as well. Here they are in no particular order.

The Rainbow Tie-Dye Daisy hat featured on the front page of the Jamie Rae Hats website.

The Rainbow Tie-Dye Peony Hat

For boys: The Black Rocker Hat

The Candy Pink Lime Dot Sun Hat

And finally, my last selection is not a hat. It's a headband!

Daisy Headband

The hats are adorable and the quality of the hats are outstanding. I, for one, was impressed with how well the flower was attached to the hat and how comfortable the hat is for Eliana at the same time.

Since I know you found at least one thing you just "gotta have" for the little one in your life, go ahead and put it in your shopping cart for purchase. Jamie Rae Hats has offered you free shipping on any order! Just be sure to enter "CoffeeMrs" at checkout to take advantage of it.

** Thanks to Jamie Rae Hats for 2 hats to review.**

**This review is based strictly on my experience and opinion. I was not compensated in any way for the review itself or to influence my choice of words. Others may not agree with my opinion.**

Jamie Rae Hats (review & discount)

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We had a play date at our house today and I decided to pop in a video as the play date was coming to an end and the kiddos were getting antsy. (Yes, I said video. We have a VCR and a bunch of VHS tapes for our kiddos. It’s just cheaper.) When I put a tape in, however, it wouldn’t go all the way in and kept ejecting itself.

“Hmmm” I thought.  “Buddy? Is there something in here?”

Alex promptly cocked his head to the right and said, “Ummmm. Nope, Mommy.”

“Are you sure?”

“Oh, yes.”

Befuddled, I decided to put in a DVD and figure out the VCR mess later when there weren’t 3 toddlers waiting for a show. At that time, I tried 3 different tapes to make sure it was, indeed, the VCR that was the issue. Again, I asked Alex, “Did you put something in here, buddy?”

“Ummmm. Mommy? (followed by a long pause)  No, I didn’t.”

“OK,” I shrugged.

Upon further investigation, however, I found a white, plastic ring that USED to hang on Eliana’s gym lying on the bottom of the VCR.  When I pulled it out, I said, “It looks like you DID put something in the VCR, Alex.”

“Oh, yes! I did, mommy! I put that in there myself.”

*rolling eyes*  Boys, boys, boys. Why are they always so busy and destructive? LOL

Story From The Home Front

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This morning started like any other. (OK….I DID get to sleep in today thanks to my growing son and that’s not “the norm” around here. Just humor me, k?)

…This morning started like any other. We woke up, had breakfast, and then got into our day. Alex asked for Jello after he finished his breakfast so, since we didn’t have any, we made some.

After breakfast and making Jello, Alex wanted to get into playing and a snack. As per normal, he chose to eat raisins.

I took to kicking back and JUST got my computer turned on when I heard…

“Momma!”

“What’s wrong, buddy?”  (Alex comes and rubs his nose on my knee and then on his lovey.)

“Momma, raisin is right there.”  (he points up his right nostril)

“Are you serious? You put a raisin up your nose?”

“Uh-huh”

“Let me see, buddy. Momma needs to take a look.”

(Crying and HUGE fits ensue as I try to see the raisin and then try to use the nose bulb to get it out. No luck.)

Alex started sniffing in and out and I saw the right side of his nose begin to drain. Crap-ola! The kid wasn’t making this up!

I immediately got on the phone with the pediatrician’s office and asked to speak to the nurse. After I told the receptionist what was going on (the nurse was on another call), she told me she would call right back after she spoke to the doctors in the practice.

In the meantime, I decided to get some clothes on and throw my hair into a pony tail (no time for makeup) since I knew we would be going somewhere soon. I also made sure Alex’s bag was packed up with things that would keep him busy and others that would keep his tummy full.

We ended up having to head to the Pediatrician’s office first. They wanted to make sure the raisin had not gotten into his lung. I called the hubster to tell him what was going on and then called my Mother-in-law for support. I was pretty scared when I heard the raisin could be in his lung. She gladly met us at the Pediatrician’s office and then stayed with us until the raisin was out.

The Pediatrician saw the raisin and then sent us to an E.N.T. (ear, nose, and throat) doctor for it to be removed. Unfortunately, we had to wait a couple of hours before we could get in to see that doctor and Alex was not allowed to eat or drink anything since they may have to put him under and surgically remove the raisin. UGH…seriously?

My Mother-in-law and I took Alex to the mall to buy him something from the Disney store and then he played on the playground there. (Thank heavens there were very few children and no wet pants. lol) After keeping him distracted and successfully redirecting him when he asked for food or drink, we headed to the E.N.T.

Thankfully, he was able to quickly and easily remove the raisin from Alex’s nose with no pain and no surgery needed.  After the screaming during the procedure itself (we had to pin him down to get it out), Alex was totally fine and happy as could be as soon as it was over. We thanked the doctor for his help and headed to the car where Alex could finally drink some water and eat a snack.

Woo Hoo!

2:00 was our lunch time today since that’s when we got home. After that, Alex went right down for a nap and I took the chance to get some rest, myself.

I’ll tell you what…I can’t remember a time when my morning was so crazy and stressful and I can’t believe that he PUT A RAISIN UP HIS NOSE! I know he’s not the first or last child to do something that like that. I’m just glad he told me what he did so I could get him in to the doctor right away and avoid him getting an infection otherwise.

**Sigh**

Thanks for listening. I’m heading off to bed now. Talk about tired….

9-09-09 and What Was He Thinking??

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That's my boy! Oh, I could just squeeze him. :)

For more Wordless Wednesday, click over to 5m4m or EM

Wordless Wednesday 6-03

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A boy on a beach could have sand in a bucket

but this bucket is far more exciting.

 

So what's in that bucket?

 

A FISH!

 

A very frightened fish...

 

...A very frightened fish that Alex adored and the hubster helped get back to safety.

 

The End?

What's In The Bucket?

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Aloha Friday is the day to relax and take it easy by asking a simple question. If you would like to join in the fun, visit Kailani at An Island Life.

My Question  Is (2 part question today):

Have you ever potty trained a toddler? Have any pointers to share?

We'll be taking our week (after Monday) to work with Alex on using the potty. I won't be "around" here much but I'll try my best to post my progress during the week for anyone who's interested. :) 

Have a great holiday weekend!!

Aloha Friday ~ 5/22

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Welcome to my day! from TheMrs. on Vimeo.

Who needs a Laugh??

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