Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Pom Pom Puzzle - Hours of Toddler Fun!

This is AMAZING. I have never seen Raymo so entertained by an activity as he is with this Pom Pom Box (For lack of a better name...). My sister-in-law saw a mom doing this activity with her child and since she shared the idea with me, my life is changed! Raymo is obsessed with putting things in and out of other things as I'm sure all toddlers tend to be... This quiet, peaceful activity will have your toddler entertained for hours! Literally, HOURS. The Pom Pom Box of good cheer and wonder allows your kiddo to work on their fine motor skills as they put the Pom Poms one by one into the slit in the top of the box. Simple, yet genius.


Materials:

- A Ziploc container with lid (any size)
 
- Small Pom Poms (can buy at the Dollar Store for $1)

- Scissors

Directions:

Cut a small hole in the top of the Ziploc lid. It should be large enough that your toddler's fingers don't get stuck but small enough that the Pom Poms won't fall out.

Give the little squirt a handful of Pom Poms and show them (if they need the help) how to put the Pom Poms through the opening. When they run out of Pom Poms, dumo out and restart!


BEST THING EVER.


Follow me and Pinterest these ideas as I try out more toddler activities with the Raymers!


 




Friday, June 21, 2013

What Not To Let Your Toddler Do

As we wait for our jobs to start, we are living it up in a small (very small) hotel room. I've always been pretty bad about making regular dinner meals (that's the goal for 2014! ha.), so not having a full kitchen isn't the problem. The issue lies in the fact that Raymo is a toddler. A very rambunctious, crazy, rowdy, boisterous, ape-like toddler.

 This sweet boy?!


Yes, THAT sweet boy.

He climbs everything. He hides all of our things. He pulls every. single. article. of. clothing. out of our drawers. He chases the dog. He deleted this blog post the first time I wrote it. He jumps on the bed. He falls off the bed. It is non-stop.

 However, as former educators, Ray and I are choosing to look at this as a good lesson(s) on what not to let our kid do. So here you go:

Top 10 Lessons We Have Learned

 1. Don't let the kid color on the bedroom door. With crayons. And markers. And then pens.
 

 2. It is not wise to let the kid put stickers all over you. Especially your face. Ouch.


3. It is not a wise idea to substitute the door for your face when it is time for sticker art.

 
4. Babies are not good at giving pedicures.


5. Phones are meant to stay plugged into the wall because they don't make very good trampolines (among other reasons, I'm sure).



6. Peanut butter sandwiches should not be eaten on the couch. 
There is no post picture because immediate action was called for....

  
7. Don't interrupt a reading kid... Enough said.


8. If you give a boy a slushy, you will never get it back.


 9. Gift bags cause kids to run into the wall. Which becomes a game. Which doesn't end well.



10. Boxers do not make good horses.




So what I've decided to do this upcoming week is to find activities to entertain him that are only a bit destructive/painful. Compromise. He's learning and I'm learning. Stay tuned....

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Road Trip! {Raymo Style}

Our drive from Phoenix to Dallas was fairly smooth and uneventful - yay! We decided to leave Friday night at 4pm in hopes that Raymo would sleep through the night and thus the majority of the trip. Silly us! Who wants to sleep when you can stay up ALL NIGHT LONG watching Toy Story on repeat!?!?

This Guy. And his doggy friend.


Now, I'm not a believer in using the TV as a sitter. However, when it comes down to a 16-hour car ride that consists of being hit in the head with flying plastic dinosaurs and pieces of turkey sandwich, Woody to the rescue!

To be fair, there were moments when he would rather play with stickers than watch Woody and Buzz...




And of course he drove a good amount of the way! Or at least thought he did...


All in all, we made it by 11am the next morning and we were only a little bit insane.

Moral of the Story: Toy Story DVD on repeat and an unlimited supply of stickers = Safe Traveling with a Toddler