Catching up

So, I didn't post all of our adventures with the Johnson's while they visited.  But, we had fun, we did lots, Claire was cute.  Here you go.

 

Of course we had to see the sea lions and a beach or two.  We also went to the aquarium (cause Claire LOVES it).  i want to point out that the leafy looking thing (picture next to the Nemo tank) is a "leafy sea dragon" not sea weed.  We took a drive to see Pebble Beach and all of those golf courses.  Claire loved having her Grandma and Grandpa Johnson around.  We're so glad we got to have the visit.

 

And here are some extras of my silly girl.  She sometimes likes to pose for the camera (unfortunately, it is often for a fake camera, but sometimes I can get it with a real camera too).  These first three are just outside of our house.  She asked me specifically to go outside and take her pictures with the rocks and flowers.  Okay!  And then she wouldn't hold still.

 

She likes to wear all sorts of hats.  She teaches me so much.  I didn't know a laundry basket was a hat.

She is all about taking this little bag everywhere as her purse.  She can actually stuff quite a bit in there.  It does come in handy at the store for keeping her occupied and in the shopping cart.  I just need to take inventory of what's in there so I know what we should have when we leave (she's not a klepto, she actually just likes to drop things on the floor...FUN).



Batman Girl

One of the many wonderful ladies here had a brilliant idea to put together a super hero park day.  She had super hero training games and little certificates and prizes for all the kids at the end.  She seriously did everything!  We just needed to bring something to share for lunch and she did the rest. 

I'll be honest, I was excited because I could make Claire a super hero costume.  I knew I wanted it to be easy, so I looked at what she had in her closet that I could re-do.  She had black leggings and a black shirt.  I was getting rid of a yellow shirt.  So all I needed to buy was the black shirt for the cape and voila, she was bat girl (but she calls it batman girl).  She was so cute and kept her costume on until later in the day when she spilled bubbles all over herself (luckily it was a small bottle and mainly got on her).  Her friend Ian was also batman.  They looked so cute together matching!  Here are the photos to enjoy.

 

Oh! Did I mention that there was no sewing involved whatsoever.  I got a shirt that was 2 sizes to big for her and just got off the front so she could have a cape that slipped over her head.  I cut a strip of the yellow shirt (the one I was getting rid of anyway) for the belt and then just cut out ovals from that shirt.  The bats were cut out of the front part of the shirt that became the cape.  And then fabric glue came to my rescue for the attaching part.  I am still thinking I may go back and do some applique stitching.  But this entire costume took me maybe 20 minutes and that's only because of distractions. For real...SUPER EASY!  Go make one for a kid right now (or yourself cause seriously I won't judge)!

Weekly Fun

So, I know that you really only care about the pictures.  So, to save me some time, I'll just post the photos for now and update with the words in case someone actually looks back at the post.

No Break Time

So, being away from family I really miss my break time.  When Claire and I have nothing to do (that is code for "Claire has energy, mom is lazy and not in the mood to think of something creative) we used to go play with Jessica or my mom (this also allowed talking to an adult in the middle of the day...yeah, that was nice).  Now, I can't be lazy (unless I want to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for the bazillionth time...I've counted, we're pretty close to a bazillion). I also can't get much done around the house because Claire doesn't like me to be boring.  As a matter of fact.  I was shocked when we were at the park and I wanted to talk to a friend, so I told Claire, "Mommy just really wants to be boring okay?  I'll sit right here and watch you."  and she let me be boring.  If it looked like I was having fun, she would point at me and say, "Be boring!"  It was hilarious.  Anyway, normally she has to show me all the cool stuff she has/makes/sees.  Some of you may be saying, let her play outside. HA! She won't play outside by herself. I open the door for her, and she whines for me to go outside.  This gets me upset that she's whining and I really don't want to go outside now because I don't want her to think her whining is what would make me go outside. So now what?  Well, we can only take so many baths so we aren't bath painting on a daily basis.  Besides, that would start to get old and I wouldn't have it as my magic pixie dust anymore.  I really don't want to just sit her in front of the TV.  But I really really really just want to make my kitchen something I can stand to look at (so this eliminates any activities away from home)! I have found some ways that work: play dough and beans (mind you, I still don't have very long because she is always excited to show me something or have me "eat" what she has made, but if I can manage to work without drawing attention to myself, she can play for quite a while).

She helped me make the play dough which was really fun.  She only stirred for like, I don't know, 10 seconds, then I got to take over.  She did like kneading the dough, though...it was warm and squishy.  We actually made the play dough about 2 weeks ago, but it is still perfect dough. The recipe said it can last up to 6 months. I'll keep you posted on that.

The beans was more of a compromise.  We don't have a sand box; I didn't want to drive to the beach because Nathan was going to be home soon so we wouldn't have had much time anyway; but Claire got sand toys for her birthday and wanted to play with them.  So I opened a bag of beans and let her shovel them around to different containers to her heart's content.  I told her to keep the beans on her tray and to pick up any beans that fell on the floor (mainly so she wouldn't just dump them on the floor).  She does really well with keeping the beans contained and she LOVES to play with her beans.   She asks to play with them almost daily...no, I think daily. She still hasn't quite figured out the implications of bigger and smaller, though. She will pour the beans from a bigger container into a smaller container and just keep pouring even when the container is full...and now over flowing...and now I step in and say, "Oops, pick them up."  I need to get her more beans! I'm thinking of coloring some rice and throwing that in as an option.

 

We do still take a lot of baths, and I still like to stay in the bathroom or just make quick trips to put something away or grab something, but this actually a break time for me.  She will play quite contentedly in the tub singing, and talking to her toys, and asking me what number she is holding, etc.  But, this is a time where I can do my makeup (if it's a morning bath), or just veg on pinterest or facebook, or play a mindless game on my ipod. However, I do spend a bit of time blowing bubbles, or helping her paint when we get that out.  But she is just fun in the tub.  Sometimes I wonder if she is extra imaginative in there because it's always been a Claire play Mom just be life guard time.

 



In case you were worried that I don't take her to the beach because of my earlier comments, that's not true.  However, it's not always a perfect day.  We did have one day where the planets aligned ever so nicely this week.  The weather was nice and we had the opportunity.  Yes, she is wearing a long sleeve shirt.  It was chillier in the morning. No she is not wearing a swim suit.  Trust me, if you had your choice between a heated pool and freezing cold ocean water, you'd choose heated pool too.  She likes to play in the sand and watch the waves.  But if the water even looks like it will touch her feet, she runs.  It's quite fun to watch actually.

Extra silliness is stored inside until Daddy comes home.  She loves to be silly with him.  She really likes to steal his candy.  The best is Fun Dip because it makes her tongue change colors (Nathan is still a germ-o-phobe, fun dip comes with 2 sticks).

I also like when Nathan comes home.  Sometimes (emphasis there, he is seriously busy that I feel bad to leave) I get to go do something for myself like a girls night, exercise, or get my hair done!  I really wanted something new with my hair.  I was sick of it long because it was getting in the way if I left it down, so it was constantly up. And I'm not really good with hair, so I rotated through like 5 hair styles.  My hair was long enough that I was able to donate to Locks of Love.  I was really excited about that.  I am also pleased with the final product.

And this, well, this is just funny cause it's true.  I laughed when I saw it because Nathan is always asking where things are (or putting things away in the wrong spot). I just chuckle about it.

 

Have a marvelous week! Sorry that I was 2 days late on this post.  I'll try to get it together. :)



Claire Turns 2!

So, this week we've been doing all the turning 2 stuff.  Monday, we went to the doctor for our 2 year well check.  Claire did so good! We were reading Cordoroy Goes to the Doctor so she would know what to expect and know that it wasn't a big deal (she normally cries once she's in the room even if we're not there for her). When we got to the doctors office, we was so excited! There were cool toys all over and books too!  She loved it (I guess it was good we had to wait for a LONG time).  She seriously darted from my side so she could play and I took care of the whole signing in etc.  When it was our turn I told her we were going to play in a different room.  She bounced down the hall until we got to our room.  She stopped at the door and got worried when she saw the little exam table.  I could see it in her eyes like in a movie where it narrows in on the table and you hear the creepy music, but I reminded her that we needed to get her ready to be weighed and measured.  She hesitantly entered.  The nurse was so great with her and took her time so Claire would be comfortable.  She let her play with her measuring tape which Claire thought was so cool.  And throughout the appointment she did really well.  Her favorite part was standing on the scale and up to the height chart.  I think she felt like a big girl.  And just an FYI: she is healthy.  I was annoyed by 1 thing and figured it is probably for overbearing parents that they put in on there, but on her chart they wrote down her BMI.  First, why do we care about BMI, and second, if we did, why would we care about BMI for a 2 year old?! Whatever! 

Anyway, Claire and I went with a friend to a fun interactive museum yesterday since she was still technically free. :) It was a lot of fun. Claire loved the dollhouse, the diner, and the farm (and just running around in general).

Now I thought this was cooler than Claire did apparently.  She didn't last long in this room. But it was a giant Operation game board! But she just cheated and used her hands so she didn't appreciate it as much. :)  But I did get some cute pictures.

She spent a lot of time in the dollhouse.  I love that she is into pretend play.  It is so fun (and telling) to watch her mimic me and listen to what she says.

This was my favorite! She started "washing her hands".

And of course, Claire turned 2 today.  We had a fun day.  It was cloudy and threatening to rain most of the day, so we stayed inside today, but we still had a lot of fun.  I blew up some balloons and put them in her room this morning so they'd be there when she woke up.  She thought it was pretty neat. As a matter of fact, they had to be transferred to whatever room we were in.

We spent a LONG time in the tub today.  I made big batch of shaving cream pain so she had a lot of fun with that.  I don't have any pictures of her masterpieces because i had to hold the tin so it wouldn't drop on the ground and then I rinsed the tub before I thought about a picture, sorry.

After the painting, we drained the water and took a real bath where she still wanted to play with her "foams" (craft foam, you can see it in the background) and brush her teeth.  

After getting ready and playing with toys and watching Super Why on Netflix, we made her birthday cupcakes.  She was actually really good at helping me poor everything.  However, whenever I turned on the mixer, she would hop off her chair and say, "That's loud." But she did enjoy licking the beaters (and don't worry, I unplugged the mixer and just after this photo took them off).  I didn't let her have much, though.

She liked coming back to the oven to watch the progress of the cupcakes. 

 Here they are bubbling a little and that is pretty cool.

For her birthday lunch, we went to McDonalds for a happy meal.  I love her little hands clapping in this picture.

She was so funny when we were ordering.  The lady asked if she wanted apple juice and I said, "No, milk please." Claire then popped in, "Chocolate milk.  And Fries.  And cheeseburger."  The lady asked if she wanted apple slices too.  Claire responded, "Yeaaahh." She is too funny.

She is one spoiled girl!

This girl was a paper tearing tornado.  We could not get her still for any good pictures!

Her birthday cupcakes.

She did a good job blowing out each candle one at a time...

But dad wanted to help (to speed it up and have less spit over all the cupcakes).

Yummo!

Thank you to everyone who wished her happy birthday however you did it!

 

Great Weather

The weather has been nice lately (especially today!) so we've been out and about a little bit.  And Claire has been super cute...like usual.  She is finally playing on her own a little more without needing me to start (and continue) her play. One of the things she loves is her pom poms and easter eggs.  She is LOVING having her daddy home every night.  There is nothing like chillin on the couch with him and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Aren't they cute?!  And the blanket on the head thing is all Claire.  When we're driving and it's bright, she puts the blanket on her head...and falls asleep. I'm sure it looks great to the other drivers.

And one of my favorite things this stage is the way she says things and puts things together. It's fun to hear her talk (especially when it's to her toys).  Lately, these are some favorite snacks and she says them so cute that when she asks for them, I say sure.  I'll be sad when she says them right.

 

 Claire likes laundry day, she gets to "help" me sort and then play with the laundry baskets.  On Monday, she wanted to sit in the laundry baskets and have them "closed".  She sat in there for a while reading her "Panklin" (Franklin) book.

We love park days! Claire loves when there are other kids there that she knows (and are her size).  She climbs on everything and can climb and go down slides over and over. We spent a little over 2 hours at the park today and she was only slightly willing to go back home. Because of her love of playing outside forever, she takes a good nap on Wednesdays.

Saturday we went to the wharf to get a caramel apple and because Claire wanted to see the sea lions.

Now this is just sad.  I went to get some zucchini for a recipe and I was expecting what we normally have in Idaho.  I mean even an inexperienced gardener can grow a massive zucchini.  I saw these and I thought, "What? These pass for zucchini?" They are as long as a teaspoon and about as wide.  I was saddened for the sorry people of around here who have never had a normal sized zucchini.

New Recipes

So I signed up for e-meals about a month ago since Totsy had a deal where I got a year subscription for 1/2 off.  It is quite wonderful! I love having the menu planned for me and then the grocery list made as well.  Let me tell you, it pretty much rocks.  Now yes, there are some things I don't really care for, but I want to try most of them.  I've tried some new things (I still don't like fish) and it has been fun.  Plus, in some way, it forces me to actually cook and get out of my rut...especially with side dishes.  Well, I want to share some of the recipes that have been huge hits that even Claire loves.  And really this is just some, we've liked a lot of the recipes.  My additions/changes are in red.

These first three I did a bit of a change.  Instead of doing your regular baked or boiled chicken breasts as called for in the recipes, I bought a rotisserie chicken that was already cooked and seasoned.  It was probably about 5 lbs or so.  And I just split it up amongst the three recipes.  It was so delicious!

Okay, so the changes I made.  As I said, I used a rotisserie chicken. I also used Bisquick dumpling recipe instead of the frozen dumplings (I wasn't so pressed for time that I couldn't mix up the Bisquick and milk, plus, it's something I always have on hand and it's super easy).  I also felt that I wanted veggies in the mix so I added 3 handfuls of baby carrots and chopped them up.  I also added some dried onion.  I would have done fresh, but I didn't have any cause I made the decision while making it.  I would love to give you a measurement here, but I just did it so it looked like it would be good.  The consensus was that this meal was AMAZING! It's totally a keeper and an easy stand-in for a fish recipe on the menu.

These two both had the rotisserie chicken and one other major change: I used bacon instead of artichokes. I'm sure they would have been delicious with artichokes, but I couldn't find any marinated artichoke hearts at Target or the commissary and those are the stores I went to.  But the bacon was a fabulous substitute because it makes everything amazing! Also, where it calls for minced garlic, I used fresh garlic and just guesstimated how many cloves.  I think I did 1 clove per Tablespoon.  Maybe more because we like garlic here.  These were so good.  I was excited for lunch for the leftovers!

 This was I followed pretty much spot on, I did add 1/2 an onion though.  I cut it cup into small pieces and put it over the tomato before the olive oil and vinegar.  I didn't do the Parmesan crisps either.  We just did our trusty grilled cheese cause that sounded more filling.

I followed this recipe spot on.  It was really good! However, next time, I will use a yellow onion because I think the flavor would be better.  We ended up leaving the onions in the pan and not eating them with the chicken because it was too strong.  Also, with the sweet potato and carrot puree, I would boil the carrots for about 10 minutes in the broth, then add the sweet potatoes and bake.  The sweet potatoes were soft before the carrots so it was a bit uneven (but that didn't bother Claire, she would have eaten the entire thing).

So there you go.  My adventures in trying new things and cooking well rounded meals.  We've really enjoyed it and I think it's perfect for Claire's approaching stage of uber pickiness.  Maybe this will keep her from being super picky or at least confirm what she likes (and hopefully it stays good food and not just chicken nuggets...which, she's picky about those anyway).  I hope you enjoy and can try something new yourself.