Playroom Update!

A friend of mine's mother was giving away a living room set and I jumped on it the second I saw it was available.  We now have a very nice sofa and chair with ottoman in our basement!  Our friends came to help and it was such an adventure getting it down the stairs hahaha but it's there now!

Our next project is to organize all of the toys for our boys and set up activity centers for a playroom.  We are also going to get a small TV.  The playroom has more floor space than our living room does and it will be much easier to let our little baby grow and explore down there than on the first floor.  I've been looking at organization ideas on Pinterest and we are going to look for some gently used bookcases and shelving units at garage sales and thrift stores very soon.  As we make progress I will update with pictures.  It will be a long long project.  Our baby is due in January and we are hoping to have it done by then.  It just depends on what we are able to find.

We don't want to put Conrad's baby toys into storage since his little brother is on his way soon.  It will be a busy play room so I'm thinking of setting it up like a pre-school setting.  We're so excited! I'm going to look into some more crafts (handprint paintings, etc) to hang on the walls down there.

We have so many plans for this apartment.  We want to stay here until I'm done with school and probably even longer until my career is well established.  Hubby and I were talking about our dream home ideas last night and we started exploring prices for the houses we would like.... definitely going to have to wait a while haha.  But it's so worth it.

So anyway-- what kind of activity centers do you have set up in your playroom?  Or what kind of activities would you like to see? :)

Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce!

Originally from thefrugalgirls.com: http://thefrugalgirls.com/2010/10/homemade-crockpot-applesauce.html

We used the exact same recipe, only doubled.  It came out sooooo delicious!! We used a mix of Pink Lady apples and Fuji apples.  Next time I want to try a mix of apples and pears! I am so happy with the results.  We made it late at night because I wanted it for breakfast with pancakes in the morning :)  Even our son loves it!!

Here is a picture of the ingredients for the glaze as well as the chunked up apples in the crockpot.  We took the time to peel the apples and it's totally worth it.

Ingredients: 

-12 medium apples

-1 cup of water

-2 tablespoons of cinnamon (or more/less to taste)

-2 teaspoons of sugar (or more/less to taste)

-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Recipe: 

Core and peel and chop apples into 1/2 inch chunks.  Place the apples in the crockpot.  In a separate bowl, combine the water, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla extract.  Mix well.  Pour the mixture over the apples and spread it evenly, stirring around to coat well.  Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 4-5 hours.  Once the apples are soft, mash them up into the desired texture.  You can use a handmixer or food processor to make it super smooth.  We chose to leave it chunky.  Enjoy!

Featured on Foodie Friends Friday linky party! http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com

Breakfast was a bust :(

Trying to be an awesome mommy, feeding my son a balanced diet.  Boy... it's not going well.  I made him a waffle this morning and put some nutella spread on top and chopped up a banana.  I sure thought it sounded amazing.  He had other plans.  He threw a fit because he didn't want it at all :(  This is tough! I'm going to have to be super creative and get him to eat better.

For lunch today he's going to have a creamy potato and garlic soup.  I know he loves it.  I don't think I'll get a battle.  I'm just hoping I can get some fruit and vegetables in him.  This is the toughest thing I've ever tried to do.  He is definitely getting pickier by the day.  We're trying to let him make his own decisions and help us prepare his food.  It's not going well.  I'm already exhausted and it's only 11:10AM.  Wish me luck!

New Ideas For Toddler Meals

Recently our son has become the pickiest eater I've ever met.  We're also battling with him on eating actual meals and not just snacking throughout the entire day.  I think he will have a tough time adjusting to school days if we keep letting him eat all day long.  We are now working on toddler meals, limiting snacks, and incorporating an activity schedule (much like pre-school).

I am starting this tomorrow morning with breakfast.  I plan on taking some pictures and giving a rating scale of how successful each meal was and how the day went.  We're tired of being frustrated and having daily battles with our defiant 4-year-old.  I'm stressed and tired and pregnant haha.  It's not a good combination when I'm trying to get my son to eat.  Wish us luck!

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Check out Zulily today and let me know what you think!

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Snacks and meals for toddlers

Conrad is totally going through a growth spurt right now.  His little body must know he's turning FOUR tomorrow! <3 =]

I'm looking for some meal ideas and other snack items for him.  Here's a list of some of his favorite foods.  I want to make sure I incorporate the healthiest options for him, so if you have suggestions, please share!!

Breakfast:
-scrambled eggs with cheese
-yogurt and a nutrigrain bar (apple cinnamon is his favorite)
-applesauce

As you can see, breakfast is what we struggle with the most.  He doesn't like cereal (dry or with milk) and he won't touch oatmeal or toast.  I totally need some more ideas here.

Lunch:
-leftovers from dinner are usually a hit
-pasta of any kind including macaroni and cheese or pesto (his two favorites)
-soups! he loves soups
-lunchables (homemade or otherwise)- he loves the crackers, meat, and cheese being separate
-grilled cheese
-shredded chicken
-peanut butter & jelly sandwich
-pizza (homemade or otherwise)

Dinner: 
-pretty much anything we make he will eat, which I'm SO thankful for! We rarely have to cook something separate for him.  We will on the occasional night we have something spicy that we know he won't want.

Snacks/Sides:
-bananas
-applesauce
-carrots (only if they are canned or steamed.  He likes them super soft)
-pretzels
-goldfish
-yogurt covered raisins
-yogurt
-smoothies
-mashed potatoes
-rice
-CHEESE *his absolute favorite*

We can normally find a way to give him a well balanced meal.  I just wish there was more variety.  He is entirely too picky.  We've tried re-introducing foods he did not like in the past and he continually will not eat them.  It's tough on a super tight budget.  We can't afford to waste food at all right now.  Vegetables are the hardest.  Thankfully he will eat them when they are in soup.  We have soup quite often for lunch.  I'm totally running out of ideas recently.  I want to introduce new things and make them staples.  Any ideas?


Thanks!

How will big brother adjust?

I'm a full time stay at home mom. I attend classes online or at night a few times a week. I've had my entire summer off and I'm waiting to hear back from a few colleges to see if I can complete a bachelor's program. Conrad does not attend preschool or daycare. I'm nervous he isn't going to adjust well to having a little brother. We talk about it all the time. He pats my belly and talks to "his baby" and it's so adorable. He helps me around the house all the time and for the most part he listens and takes direction well when it's needed. I hope the trend continues and he'll be willing to help me when I need something for his little brother.

 I know he enjoys his time with me and I hope I can figure out how to balance everything. My husband will be able to take 12 weeks off to be home with us and have his own bonding time. We are so thankful. I think it will really help. My concerns are after he goes back to work full time and I'll be doing this on my own half the day. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited. I'm just also very anxious.

 Depending on finances, we may enroll Conrad into pre-school next Fall, or we may be able to enroll him directly into kindergarten. I need to look into it. I have a lot on my plate trying to figure out where my life is going to be in the next 2 years. I'm going to try to finish my bachelor's degree before Conrad is in the 1st grade. It's my goal. I'm really hoping I get accepted into an online program and the financial aid is enough to help us out. I want to be home as much as possible with our kids.

 For those of you with more than one child, how did your oldest adapt from being the only child to the older sibling? Any tips or advice you can provide? Thanks!

Thought I'd share some pictures :)

Here are a few pictures of Conrad from our wedding and other recent outings.  He looks like such a little gentleman! I can't believe he's going to be 4 on Saturday.  We're treating him to Chuck E. Cheese and getting him a Power Rangers birthday cake.  I stay at home with him and he doesn't have very many friends his age so I think this will be a really fun treat for him.

  

The family pictures are courtesy of our friend Ashley Pennington of Sonshine Photography :) Visit her blog too! http://youaremy-sonshine.blogspot.com/

He's going to be 4!

Where has the time gone? My baby boy is going to be 4 in just 8 days! He is growing into such a gentleman. He is very polite but he still has his moments of toddler tantrums. Thankfully it's getting much better. We are still working on potty training and I've been slacking on my part from the exhaustion of pregnancy. I'm really hoping to get him fully potty trained before his little brother arrives. It's our long term goal right now. I've been researching different tips and tricks on Pinterest and I have a few ideas up my sleeve that I'm willing to try very soon. He's sooooo incredibly excited to be a big brother! I had a bit of relief when we found out that we're having another boy, because Conrad didn't want a little sister as much as a little brother :) It will be fun to have them room together when they are older. I'm excited to start this new chapter with two little men in the house!