Toddler Tuesday: Links Edition

Did you know? There was an even darker ending to Toy Story 3 Originally.- Eshhhh and this is a kid's movie?! Breaking my heart! 

Yum

13 Fun Activities to Keep Your Toddler Busy- rainy days, cold days, hot days, all the days.

Mommy and me outfit ideas of moms and sons- a mom of twins!

Toddler Tries to "Save" Sister in Wresting Match- this is too cute, check it out

Parents.com's List of Best Books for Toddlers- some of my favorites are on here. I've used Sheep in a Jeep for older kids in lessons about force and motion too!

Daily Toy Rotation Boxes- maybe a good idea if you need to keep your toddler is bored with some of their toys.

And a few other links:

What employees like the most about working at the best companies 

Apple to Phase out iTunes Music Downloads - very interesting. This could mean a lot of changes of how we listen to music. As it is, most music is leased on streaming services rather than owned. Artists seem to be making less and less from their music.

VA Beach Navy wife, mother qualifies for 2020 Olympic trials, proving that moms are awesome. 

This looks lovely. It's a Hot Chocolate Bar Party. It's cold outside, so it is the perfect time. 

What's the worst thing Netflix could subtweet about your viewing activity?

That's it! Hope you enjoy! 

Chick-Fil-A Family Nights

You may not know it, but several Chick-fil-a restaurants near us have a free kids club. The one in Norfolk doesn't, but it does have a family night. Depending on your store, you can register for the once a month kids club here, or come to the Ghent one in Norfolk for their Wednesday family night. Chick-fil-a is one of the few places that still has a free indoor playground.

I'll admit- the playground was cool, but I made a huge mistake. We met Neil there, and so I let R play before we ate. Mistake... when it came time to eat R didn't want to sit down. Whoops, lesson learned. Needless to say, Neil, Bubbie, and I took turns eating while R played and ate nothing. Also embarrassing- R did great climbing up. But wouldn't go through the tube. He liked just sitting up there and watching the other kids. When I needed to get him down, that meant I had to climb up there in a skirt to get him. Parenting win!

Two Wednesdays a month the store has a craft. One Wednesday they have face painting, and the other a balloon artist. This time was a craft, Valentine's day cards. We made one for Bubbie. R wanted all the stickers and didn't understand when they didn't stick without picking off the back. Norfolk family night is from 5:30-7:30. It gets busy quickly, so go early! Another option is to download the app and order your food there to pick it up.

You may be wondering- what the heck does a vegetarian eat at Chick-Fil-A? I was wondering the same thing when I told Neil about checking it out. They have a yogurt parfait, a side salad, and a super fruit side. Their fries are also fried in a totally different type of oil than their chicken. Who knew? I was impressed that they gave these little placemats to the kids. I didn't even realize until later that they have a sticker side and can stick to the table while he eats!

Talking to some of the people there, I found out that there are lots of people who come weekly. Some of the kids even seemed to know each other. The night was a little stressful since R wouldn't eat, but next time we will know better. Eat first, then play. . Lesson learned! It's a nice free thing to do on a weekday or a rainy day.. 

Buyer's Regret

The first baby means that you buy and register for everything, because who knows really what you'll need. Neil, my mom, and I stood wide eyed at Target and BabiesRus. So many people gave us conflicting advice for our registry that we just scanned everything. Bottles? Get one of each brand. Diapers? Try one each one, because really, you never know.Today I'm sharing our buyer's/scanner's regret.. aka what we never should have bought or registered for. If you bought this for us- thank you! Sorry it didn't make the cut for big R.

01. Baby mittens- I know that these are so babies don't scratch their faces. But I never put them on. R slept swaddled, so he couldn't have scratched his face anyway. They looked totally adorable the ONE time we used them though?

02. Any bottle that wasn't a MAM. It leaked, he couldn't get the milk out. You name it, it was a problem. MAM for life.

03. Lovey. I know I'll get a lot of slack for this one, but R has never cared about a lovey. We have one and I sometimes give it to him, but he typically throws it on the floor.

04. Microwaveable sterilizer- We received this from a friend who was getting rid of it because it took up too much room in her house. Nice gesture. It took up too much room in ours too. Had to go! Boil some water in a pot y'all.

05. To go with the microwaveable sterilizer, the nipple holder for the dishwasher. The bottles were too big to go in, and I felt like the nipples didn't get clean in there. Some people love them though- they can have mine.

06. Specified burp rags- They are super cute, but a wash cloth, towel, or receiving blanket works just fine.

07. Shopping cart cover- we had a beautiful shopping cart cover. It was soft, cozy, and had toys attached to it. I think I used it all of two times. The first time in a shopping cart, the second time as a make shift type thing in a high chair at a restaurant. Real life... it takes too much time to put on the shopping cart. Who are these moms with all this time?

That's about it. I know that some people probably loved some of these items. I'm curious to see what you regretted and what you couldn't have lived without.

Toddler Tuesday: Music Edition

Source

We take music pretty seriously around this house. Neil and I both credit our friendship and eventual relationship on our love for alternative music. We started going to shows together, and everything else came from there. We still go to shows, collects records, listen to music podcasts, and a lot of our friends are in the same music scene as we are. R even had a "rock"-a-bye baby shower theme. His bedroom has a guitar hanging, he has band posters above his crib, and he has quite the collection of band onesies. Music helped shaped my political views. It helped mold how I think about humanity and the world. It has furthered my determination for animal rights. It is one of the things that I told nearest and dearest in my life. We are hoping that he grows to love music as much as we do. 

Selfie before Descendents came on! Also, shout out to our Lead Singer Syndrome All Access Club friends. If you like alternative music, check out this podcast. You can join and become one of us! You may recognize the patches from some of R's jackets. 

We have all seen the stats. The craze for a while was for pregnant women to play classical music around their belly. Then everyone said that babies should be listening to classical music as much as possible. Whatever the craze is, we know that music is connected to the brain. 

• How music affects developing brains & why it's important to teach

• Music for energetic kids when you are stuck indoors- a list of links to songs with some movement for kids. 

• More songs for counting, role play, and story telling

Here are a few of R's favorite songs. La Bamba because Bambas are his favorite snack. Barbara Ann because "ba ba ba" was some of his first sounds, Blitzkrieg Bob because who doesn't love to run around to that song, Forever Young because we have the book and I hope he listens to the lyrics, My Boy Lollipop because I used to sing it to him, and 1968 because it's perfect car mosh music. What are your kids jamming to? 

Root beer floats at Doumars

This weekend Bubbie, R, and I went on a grandma, daughter, grandson date. First stop... the perfect root beer float. My grandfather LOVED root beer floats. (As a side note, I'm not a fan of beer, but if you haven't had a "Not Your Father's Root Beer" Beer, you're missing out. Chelsea and I have made alcoholic floats from it more than once.) We saved the ice cream cones for a warmer time, but we will post on that when it happens! Neil and I hadn't been to Doumars together until recently, but I used to go a lot when I was in middle school. It's open late, so it's great for sharing an ice cream after a date. My mom hadn't been in years, and it was R's first time.

I don't drink a lot of soda, but I love a good root beer float. Heads up, there isn't a lot for vegetarians to eat on their menu, but my mom got the cheeseburger and loved it. She said it was the perfect size. The prices literally can't be beat. The float was $3.80 and the burger $2.80. Their deserts are all made from scratch and are hand made. Heads up, they are closed on Sundays.

Doumars has been open at this location since 1934. It's an old timey diner. The counter wraps around the place, the people are friendly, and the stuff is handmade. If you've never been, you should take the trip. They even have outdoor curb service if you don't want to leave your car. I definitely wouldn't advise letting your toddler drink a float in the car though.

Our review: 

R and I "split" one. By that, I mean that, after the first taste, he climbed across the table and ate the whole thing. After our treats, the three of us headed to ODU for Big Blue's birthday. We only stayed until halftime because it was getting late, but the game was fun. They had free cake and ice cream for the kids and several of Blue's friends were in attendance. 

We love our dates with Bubbie. Another trip to Doumars to come once it is warmer outside!