The View From 3 Feet

This afternoon Michael got hold of my camera and I saw him pretending to take pictures. He seemed to understand the whole concept, so I showed him how to push the button. This kept him quiet for a whole hour! We left for grocery shopping and he insisted the camera come along. We left it in the car in case other shoppers didn't want their picture taken! As soon as we got home he was back at it. I mean, it IS an amazing invention, even to a 2 year old.

Here you will see what Michael loves and finds intriguing :)

His mama & sister of course!

His Dog Trux

Mom & {some of} Dad

Miss Dixie

Wheelie Frog

Teeeeeeeeeese Ma!

View from the front yard

Ma & sis again!

This is actually my favorite! How big things are at 2'11" !

The next 3 are pretty self explanatory.

I made it in 4 pictures. Guess I'm the coolest thing in his world. I'll take that :)

The Thoughts She Thinks

Why does he do this to me?! WHY?!?

I'm having shit luck with this.

What? Come on, tell me! What's so funny ma?

Why can't people just listen? GOD.

Do they not see this face? Do I need to scream or what?

Do you think she is really our mother?

Who farted?

Put down the camera or I WILL become physical.

Christina aint got nothin on me!

A Wise Man Once Said...

A compilation of words spoken by the little man.

Ba- Mom

Dada- Dad

Dis- Dix(ie)

Pees- Please

Oof- Woof

La Lu- Love you

Sees- Sister

Ba bye- Bye bye

Lo- Hello

NO NO NO- no no no (with finger pointed!)

Roooolll- Roll (he rolls on the ground)

Teese- Cheese

Duce- Juice

Buh- Bink

Nose

Eww

Shhh

Soos- shoes

La La (the song la,la,la,la elmo's world...)

Emo- Elmo

Moose

Downnnn

Yayyyy

Buhg (Booger the cat)

Spa Bob- SpongeBob

His words aren't too clear, but his mama gets it :)

My "Stay At Home Mom" Schedule

This is my favorite schedule yet! It's going to change slightly on Tuesdays &/or Thursdays when we start storytime.


7:30/8:00 am Everyone up. Change diapers. Tenley bottle, Michael milk. After bottle Tenley plays in jumper, Michael free play/tv time.

9:00 am Kids breakfast.

9:30 am Tenley nap. Breakfast for me. Dress Michael. I get dressed for gym. Michael free play (no tv on).

10:30 am Tenley up, dressed, given bottle.

10:45 am Leave for gym. (If no gym- CLEAN!!)

12:30 pm Home from gym. Michael lunch & free play. Vacuum house.

1:15 pm Tenley bottle.

1:30 Both kids nap. Sleep no later than 4 pm (haha I wish). Once up, Michael gets snack & juice followed by free play (tv can be on). Tenley gets floor play & can have puffs.

3:30 Dads home. I do one of my daily cleaning tasks (bathrooms, kids room, kitchen, etc.)

4:15 Tenley bottle.

5:00 Start dinner. Tenley quick nap for 30 mins if needed depending on how long she napped.

5:30 Dad gives Tenley dinner

6:00 Family dinner

6:30 Kid's baths.

7:00 Stories. Tenley bottle & Michael milk.

7:30 Kids to BED!! Mom and dad time :)

Free play doesn't necessarily mean "free". Crafts, reading, songs, & playtime with me is a great fill in!

Baby Friendly Foods

I've been on this kick of making some homemade food for the babies. Tenley has started solids so it's fun giving her new foods to try! She is on veggies and fruits for now. Mike surprised me with a food processor for Christmas and it's one of my most favorite things!! So far I have made a few batches of:

Bananas (no need to be cooked, just mashed with fork)
Peaches
Avocado
Apples
Sweet Potato
Green Beans
Butternut Squash
Carrots

I plan on adding plums, pears, and peas very soon.

I do not have ice cube trays (I've been meaning to pick them up!) so I used some tupperware. It doesn't leave them in perfect cubes, but I estimate the amounts she will eat in a serving. Here is how they come out, and hey, it does the job! I just freeze, then transfer to a feezer bag.

Bananas :) mmmm looks tasty huh? :p

One quick snack I love to have on hand for Michael is granola bars. However, they are like $2.00

for a box of only 8. For about $5.00 I can make them myself and make about 30-40!! Stored in an airtight container they stay fresh awhile. I got the recipe from a fellow blogger at http://blog.wantingwhatyouhave.com/2009/08/frugal-food-friday-chewy-chocolate-chip.html

Another staple lunchtime meal we always have on hand is chicken nuggets. However, there are so many additives to those "bagged chicken" meals, I figured why not just make my own? Here is what I do:

Slice chicken breasts into strips
Mix flour, garlic powder, salt, & pepper in a bowl
Beat eggs in a separate bowl
Heat oil in frying pan

Dip the chicken into the flour, then into the egg, then flour again (this makes the batter stick to chicken better). Then add to pan. Cook about 3-4 minutes, then flip. Cook until no longer pink.

I then lay the chicken out on a paper towel covered plate. After they cool down a bit, add to a freezer bag. Since the chicken is already cooked you can re-heat by microwaving! OR bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

MmMmM now THAT looks yummy!

I'm THINKING about making homemade cookies too, because the Michael man LOVES cookies :)

Do you have any healthy meals or snack ideas that are good to keep stocked?