365 wk 17

23- B and one of his best friends hanging out and being musical. Or something like that.

24- Sometimes I have 2:30 pm dance parties to wake myself up. Sometimes B is up early from his nap and not amused with my dance parties.

25- B was helping me out in the studio today.

26- B went to pick out a birthday present for his cousin. He got her a shopping cart but wast pretty sure he wanted to keep it for himself. He thought it was awesome!

27- We took B to the farm cruise and he loved it! He is all about animals these days. I love taking him to farms and zoos!

28- Hattie's 1st Birthday party was today! B didn't even mind giving her the shopping cart. (It may have helped that he had a million other toys to play with there and Maddox even gave him a really cool Buzz Lightyear!)

29- It was a beautiful day outside! We soaked up as much outdoor time as we could and tried not to look at the forecast (highs of 40 later this week??? no thanks!).

PB, Pyramids, & Teaching about Healthy Choices

I eat peanut butter. And I love it. I could share some links to some medical journals talking about how peanut butter is healthy for you but, then again, I could also share some links saying it's not. That's the funny thing about the internet and books and television. People can write what they want with or without many (or any) facts to back it up.

(Side note: I don't have any facts to back this up.)  ;)

The FCS student in me loves reading med journals. I also like reading blogs (like 100 Days of Real Food) and getting other perspectives. Even more than that, I like the idea of not eating crazy chemicals and eating more 'natural.' (I say this as I'm downing a Pepsi. Just kidding. But it does sound good right now. Ha.)

Ahem. 

So while I'm eating my brand X natural peanut butter (yum) and comparing the back of the food label to the brand X creamy peanut butter, I'm a little surprised to find out that the creamy version is actually healthier for me than the natural version.

At least according to everything we learned in school. 

I was confused. (And I have a degree in this stuff.)

I ask my health certified husband and he's not sure either.

How is it that two people certified to teach your children about making healthy food choices have no idea what the healthier (note: healthier doesn't exactly = healthy) option of peanut butter is? (For the record, we ended up choosing the natural but only because it tastes better.)

Did you know that in most classrooms kids are learning about nutrition via the food guide pyramid? And that the food guide pyramid may not be what you think it is? In fact, in the short amount of time that I've been out of the classroom, the food guide pyramid (or, uh, plate) has changed again. 

Have you ever wondered about why those guidelines change so much? Why there's always 'new and improved' ideas on what it means to eat healthy? My guess is it's because we just don't have long term studies on a lot of these 'healthy ideas.'

So how do we know what is right? How do we make informed healthy choices? How do we teach our kids to eat healthy?

(You may be thinking your kids are too young for the traditional health lesson on eating right but even registered in home daycares have to follow certain food guidelines. Just by being in an environment where certain foods are served according to certain guidelines, your children are learning about what is good to eat and how much of it they should be eating. Just by telling Beckett blueberries are 'yum' and candy is 'yuck,' we are teaching him what food choices we want him to make.) 

So how doe we make those healthy choices?

That wasn't a rhetorical question. I really want to know. ;)

At the H house, we are sticking to the 'make healthy choices when you can and practice moderation when you must' rule of thumb. Well that and common sense. 

(And okay... I use the term moderation very loosely sometimes.) ;)

How are you teaching your children about healthy eating choices? 

P.S. Please don't send me a bunch of alternatives to peanut butter (and especially not the powdered version....). Unless you want to buy me a blender to make my own real peanut butter; I'll listen to that idea. Thanks. ;) (What can I say? I love my peanut butter!)

Spring, is that you?

RAK #15

It's time for another week of Random Acts of Kindness!


Huge shout out to all you awesome Hickstionarians doing the dare with me!
1. Molly 2. Lisa C. 3. Kelsey L. 4. Deanna 5. Haley 6. Erin G. 7. Jamie 8. Jessica G. 9. Mindy C. 10. Jess R. 11. Bethany 12. Kari S. 13. Mary S. 14. Ashley D. 15. Alison K. 16. Donna 17. Teri B. 18. Mal H. 19. Heidi 20. Elizabeth K. 21. Tab 22. Kerry 23. Jen E. 24. Amy 25. Julie O. 26. Mandy 27. Todd 28. YOU!

My goal is to get 30 on board- would you join us??

Last week's RAK was to donate items after spring cleaning. I'm pretty sure people must think I'm dying with all the things I'm trying to pawn off on people that walk through our door. Are you in need or want of kitchen items, clothes, random house decor and a ton of other stuff? Feel free to come visit and see if there's anything you'd like. :) Once I've pawned as much as I can off on family and friends I'll be making that drop off to the local pantry for sure!

How did you do last week??  Do tell! 

This week's random act:

RAK#15: Leave an outside toy (a ball, sidewalk chalk, bubbles?) at the park for a child to find.

For those of us in the midwest, it looks like spring might actually find us after all! Hopefully it will be warm enough to spend plenty of time outdoors soaking up the fresh air. While you are out and about, stop by a park and leave behind a surprise for a child to find (attach a note letting them know they can keep it). 

What items can you think of that would be fun to find at a park?

Please join us (even if you didn't jump in last week- you can either catch up or just start where we are)! Check out this post for more info.


Happy RAKing!

Toddlerhood

It's all fun and games... until the toddler learns how to open door knobs......

That is B's latest trick. He's been shutting doors all over the place for awhile now but today he thought opening them might be a good trick to. He thinks it is so awesome and he is so proud of himself.

Mama doesn't share the sentiment.

With B's 18 month (half) birthday right around the corner, I find myself feeling really sentimental about all the things that still make him little. I know that sounds crazy to those of you with middle schoolers... or college goers... or grandkids.... but this transition from baby to big kid is rough on me.

Every single day he's doing more and more 'big kid stuff' and less and less 'baby stuff.'

i.e. Today he made muffins. He had never made muffins before. I'm not even sure he's seen me make muffins. But he knew exactly what to do. I handed him the cupcake liners and told him we needed to put them in the pan. I went to preheat the oven and by the time I got back to the counter, he had all the liners in the cupcake pan. Some were wonky. Some had two (or three) liners in them. But the basic job was done. And he did a good job. Next we gathered the ingredients. I measured. He stirred. I scooped. He poured. I put muffins in the oven. He warned Dakota the oven was 'hot!' and held his 'stop' hand out to keep his dog safe (and he hadn't heard anyone else say the word 'hot' yet today). As he sat patiently waiting for his muffins to finish baking, I couldn't believe how 'old' he looked.

R will often say things like, 'I can't wait until he's old enough to play at the gym while I work.'

I find myself thinking, 'I can't believe he won't nap in my arms anymore.'

It's a fine balance on the tightrope; looking ahead with excitement while cherishing the memories of my baby. Loving all the ages & stages but saving the most room to soak up the stage he's in today.

Today I find myself delighting in his voice (it's seriously so fun to hear him say words on his own!) and in awe of his sense of independence.

But.... while he's taking a nap, I'm looking at pictures from a year ago and cherishing those chubby cheeks that are disappearing much to soon for my liking.

(I'll be sure to give them extra kisses when my sleeping babe wakes up.)

Happy Tuesday, friends! What stage of life are you soaking up today?

365 week 16

16- B and his snack time date.

17- 'Let peace reign. Let Grace rule.'

18- Mr B was boycotting another dreary day and did not want to get out of bed. I didn't blame him one bit! We are definitely ready for some sunshine and warmer temps!

19- Ever since B got to watch movies in flight, he LOVES his shows. Toy Story is his favorite (he only has #3 so we watch it over and over and over...). Daddy lets him watch a little before bedtime. He thinks he's big stuff. Bonus points if he gets his movie party in mommy and daddy's room.

20- It's VEISHEA! My favorite part of VEISHEA is the food. I'd been having a really good week and thought I'd try out some Veishea treats. Of course I got sick right away from it but B LOVED his Veishea treats and even made his first visit to the gyro stand! :)

21- B was napping and R was trying to sneak pie into the house in between running errands. How awesome is he? :)

22- Big night for B- he had his first bike ride AND his first visit from the ice cream truck man. He wasn't real impressed.....

Link Love

I actually made it to the computer a little this week. In the midst of pain and hurt, I'm thankful for the encouragement and smiles and good that surround us. Here's some smiles from my week (or so).


My friend Alison shared this article on Facebook. Joy or "Just Wait" when it comes to parenting. I had read the original article before but it's always a great reminder. I love the author's perspective.

Teaching in a college town, we would often have college students needing to present a project and would ask for a group of students for their presentation. On more than one occasion, we had young women teaching young teens about liking themselves. Dove has been running a 'Real Beauty' campaign for the last decade and a lot of times the college students would use parts of the campaign in their lessons. This ad has been making the rounds on social media. The photographer in me likes the photoshop one too.

And to be fair to the guys... here is their version. ;)


A Facebook friend posted part of this poem this week as a status update. I'm not pregnant but I still loved it.  -- 'There's no hurry. We're relaxing in this golden pregnant time, in this pause which is just hers and mine.' --


I have a friend obsessed with Michael Buble´. I kind of am too after seeing this video. Maybe I'll be the crazy mom doing that for B someday (though judging by his mom's musical talent, not likely)......

.....and in the meantime, this video of the two year old bandit is a little more like the B we know. ;)


I loved this article from a recovering Sanctimommy. I could totally relate. I've used social media and the Hickstionary to defend my parenting choices or to make me sound like a better mom to all the ones with judgey eyes. Or worse- sometimes I'll read status updates/blog posts about parenting choices and the mom with the background in child development in me wants to write a counter-post and I become the judgey mom. Ouch.


Off to date night.... on the couch... in sweatpants. Cheers. ;)

RAK #14

It's time for another week of Random Acts of Kindness!


Huge shout out to all you awesome Hickstionarians doing the dare with me!
1. Molly 2. Lisa C. 3. Kelsey L. 4. Deanna 5. Haley 6. Erin G. 7. Jamie 8. Jessica G. 9. Mindy C. 10. Jess R. 11. Bethany 12. Kari S. 13. Mary S. 14. Ashley D. 15. Alison K. 16. Donna 17. Teri B. 18. Mal H. 19. Heidi 20. Elizabeth K. 21. Tab 22. Kerry 23. Jen E. 24. Amy 25. Julie O. 26. Mandy 27. YOU!

My goal is to get 30 on board- would you join us??

Last week's RAK was to make a meal for someone. I didn't technically get this done but my husband did cook two nights in a row as we hosted dinner for friends and I do plan to get an eatery gift card to a family with a new baby before the end of the week so I'm hoping that counts.

How did you do last week??  Do tell! 

This week's random act:

Donate items after spring cleaning.

I know it doesn't exactly feel like spring here in the midwest but I'm hoping today's rain brings new life in blooms here soon! (Some warmer weather wouldn't hurt either.) :) In the meantime, this dreary weather is perfect for staying in and getting some spring cleaning done. After you've checked some things off your cleaning to do list, donate some of the items you no longer need. We have a clothing pantry here in town that I'm hoping to take several things to in the near future. 

 Do you have items laying around that could be donated? I know a lot of people drop off to Goodwill but maybe your community has other places that could use donations as well? I've heard animal shelters like donations of old blankets. I know art teachers are always looking for random objects like egg cartons and of course FCS teachers love fabric donations of most kinds. :)

Please join us (even if you didn't jump in last week- you can either catch up or just start where we are)! Check out this post for more info.


Happy RAKing!

365 wk15

9- Miss Hattie came to hang out with B while I rested.

10- Grandma spent the night and B got a donut date in the morning.

11- It was our first day post op without any help. It was just B & me. I was still pretty miserable and super sore and I needed to get to DSM for my post op with the surgeon. It was the longest wait and the worst Dr appointment ever. I was crying before we even got to see the Dr but B was a champ. He has had a crazy month of being across the country and back then passed around from grandma to neighbor to aunt to grandma to aunt to (well you get the idea) and he has been a trooper through it all. He sits more patiently in Dr offices than I do and he gives the best hugs and kisses and giggles. He just smiles all the time! I don't know how I got to be the lucky one to be his mom but I sure am thankful for him!

12- B and daddy have been watching the masters. B got his first set of golf clubs from grandma for Easter and he was taking lessons from the pros. (And daddy.... the broken club is evidence of that.) ;)

13- I tried to get caught up on some {cb}h work but apparently B didn't like the idea. It took me forever to find the computer mouse and when I finally did it was in the toy box. Well played, son.

14- This little copycat loves to take pictures like mommy.

15- B spent the morning running around like a crazy man. You can't tell by the picture but Dakota did too.

Yours

Does God ever beat you over the head with repeatedly share a lesson with you (or are you a faster learner than I am)?


I'm stubborn. I like control. I like plans.


And I'm a slow learner.




With that combination, as you can imagine, God 'hits me up side the head' plenty.

Often times a verse will follow me around for days, weeks even, until I take action.





I recently typed in B's baby book, 'We are so blessed to call you ours.'

Even as I typed it I knew it wasn't true. Not really.


Not Beckett, not this house that my husband built, not the reliable car that he bought me to drive, not a single thing we hold on to.


None of it is ours.






This beautiful devotion really spoke to me today. At first because that is us. We are the family that is being blessed over and over again right now. God is using friends and family to provide for us in so many ways.

And then, in closing, she says,


'Lord teach me to treat all I have as Yours.'


Yes, last night I told Rusty, "Okay. You can sell the house. I know it's not ours. I know it's just a 'thing' and a so very temporary thing at that. I know it doesn't matter where we live. I know it's really His anyway and I know He will provide."





And then I went and hugged the kitchen sink.....




Like I said... I'm a slow, slow learner.



I'm so appreciating all of your prayers during this time of refinement. Love to you guys!

Puzzle Master

The power went out tonight. It's only happened a couple of times in the five years we've lived here and we have no idea why it went out (but it was kind of nice).

We huddled up by the light of the window where we read books and did puzzles. R had picked out some animal shape puzzles that B hadn't done before. B wasn't real successful on them and disappeared into his room. He came back with an easier puzzle of simple shapes. He rocked those and judging by the way he was motioning for us to clap for him I think he knew it.

P.S. While I'm bragging about the kid can I also tell you he pointed to all the blue shapes and said blue (well, 'boo' actually but those that speak B talk in the house knew what he meant).

P.P.S. I'm just gonna go ahead and admit that working in the 18-24 month room at church had me doing all sorts of skills testing on B today. He'll be in that room in a matter of a few short weeks and I found myself comparing him to the other kids in the room. Why do we (please tell me it's not just me) do that? I know he's perfectly ready to move up. I know he's doing just fine. Yet, I still found myself in teacher mode working through a checklist of skills.


Anyhow...... B is a puzzle master and he aced the skills test. ;)

FOR SALE// Photography Equipment

Photography Items FOR SALE

I'm cleaning up my storage room and upgrading some equipment so if you are looking to upgrade
or add to your camera bag, I have some great deals for you!


FOR SALE:


Canon 5d Markii (body only) // $1400:

Canon T1i and Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6IS // $450:







Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS // $2,000 (only used twice):





Westcott Spiderlite medium softbox with bulb // $225

B's Baby Book

I know I should probably be promoting the printed album that my print company sells but the truth is I don't own any. I know I would love them- the sample pages I've seen are awesome and I know their quality is the best of the best but.... great quality printing is expensive. And spending a lot of money on a photo album I want to be able to let B sit down and enjoy reading just didn't sound like a great idea to me. And okay.... I'm cheap. ;)


So instead of ordering an awesome professional album of B's first year, I settled for a pretty good version from Blurb instead. (I had actually planned on ordering through My Publisher but they didn't offer the square size I need and my templates were already designed so I went with Blurb for the square pages.) I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the photo book. Held next to a Shutterfly book (which I've gotten lots of free ones of and FREE is always good!), the weight and quality difference is definitely noticeable. The paper is thicker and the pictures are clearer. The photos are sharp and the color quality is great. I was impressed!

But I'm getting ahead of myself......

To get organized for the album I went through my folders by month and pulled my favorites. (I store my photos on the computer by year, date, name i.e.: 13MAR Hicks. Sometimes I put subfolders in the monthly folder i.e.: 13MAR31 Easter.) The easiest way to gather the info for the text was pulling it off the blog. Unfortunately, I hadn't been blogging the entire year so there were a lot of blanks to fill in. Fortunately, I had a lot of it written in his actual baby book and well baby check papers. If you're trying to condense the information in your book, try to choose just the pictures and/or info that tell your story. If the picture doesn't strike emotion or memories in you, you can leave it out.

To design the book (I used Photoshop), I used the same basic template throughout and added a little text to help jog my memory down the road. I tried to keep it to 20 pages but I was nowhere close to that. (I did cover from birth to December 2012 though so it was a bit longer than a normal year and also that first year has all kinds of things that most years wont have so I was okay with it. In the future I plan to order them for the year so this year will cover Jan-Dec.) I tried to stay away from putting too many pictures on a single page but there was just no way around it for some pages.  If you don't want to design your own template, you can just gather a folder of images and drop them into the album designs online. Super easy!


In his book I wanted to cover major milestones, big events, favorite things and every day moments. I think we did a pretty good job of hitting all the major bases (and this isn't even all of the pages!).

Here's a sneak peek:

 

Have you recorded your story lately? Do you print photo books or make a fancy scrapbook? Do you keep a Smash journal or share your story in another way? I'd love to see how you record your story.

Giveaway | Financial

Did you know April is Financial Literacy month? I admittedly did not, but my good friend Mary let me know. :)

Mary is a certified public accountant by trade and on top of taking care of her husband and two (soon to be three) young boys, she provides financial services for others. (Visit her website to see more about what she does!)

Mary is passionate about helping others manage their money and helping them get to financial freedom of their own.

And lucky for you, she's offering some tools to help your family out as well!

One lucky blessed reader will win the Financial Peace Junior Kit AND My Little Critter children's book: "Just a Piggy Bank" by Gina and Mercer Mayer.

"Financial Peace Junior is designed to help you teach your kids about money. It's packed with tools and resources and step-by-step instructions for parents. What can be intimidating is made ultra-easy. There are ideas for activities and age-appropriate chores, and all the tools you need to make learning about money a part of your daily life. Your kids will love the exciting games and toys. The lessons of working, giving, saving and spending are brought to life through fun stories in the activity book, and they'll love tracking their progress on the dry erase boards! Financial Peace Junior doesn't just give you the tools to teach your kids to win with money - it shows you how."

Beckett got his own Financial Peace Junior Kit and had fun going through it with us. While it's recommended for ages 3-12 and he's still young for it, he was drawn to the bright colors and all the pieces (especially the calculator buttons) and he actually sat and listened while R and I talked about it. Talking about it with him now is building a nice foundation for him as we get ready to really start using the kit.

The kit also got us talking about how we want to handle certain things (like allowance) with B as he gets older. The kit includes a chore chart and we talked about having chores that you can do to earn money and chores you are expected to do as a member of the family. Currently if we ask B to 'do his chores' he will take a washcloth and clean the table after eating. He's also started putting his own dishes in the sink after meals and putting his dirty clothes in the laundry basket. There are other chores that he *thinks* he's helping with (like loading the dishwasher and sweeping the floor) so we let him participate in those as well. He currently loves doing chores and being a 'helper boy' but I imagine the day will come that he wont love them as much and earning his allowance through them will be a good motivation to get them done. :)

I also liked the Give, Save & Spend envelopes in the kit. Currently we put all of B's gift money into his college savings account but as he gets older, he'll get to have a say in where his money goes. I like how the clear envelopes offer a concrete visual of the amount of money he has in each category. It's a perfect starter budget for a little one!


Do you have a child (or know one) that would love this kit? Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win the kit AND the book!


To enter:

Mandatory:
1. Like Hickstionary & Sievers CPA on Facebook.

Extra entries:
2. Share the Hickstionary status about this giveaway on Facebook. (Or tag yourself in the giveaway picture.)
3. Follow Sievers CPA on Twitter.
4. Follow Sievers CPA on Pinterest.

(Contest ends 4/15/13, 10 pm CDT)

Good luck!




a Rafflecopter giveaway

RAK #13

It's time for another week of Random Acts of Kindness!


Huge shout out to all you awesome Hickstionarians doing the dare with me!
1. Molly 2. Lisa C. 3. Kelsey L. 4. Deanna 5. Haley 6. Erin G. 7. Jamie 8. Jessica G. 9. Mindy C. 10. Jess R. 11. Bethany 12. Kari S. 13. Mary S. 14. Ashley D. 15. Alison K. 16. Donna 17. Teri B. 18. Mal H. 19. Heidi 20. Elizabeth K. 21. Tab 22. Kerry 23. Jen E. 24. Amy 25. Julie O. 26. Mandy 27. YOU!

My goal is to get 30 on board- would you join us??

Last week's was commit to praying for someone all week (someone you don't normally have on your prayer list). I actually got a couple emails with prayer requests for friends of friends so that made it easy for me to add to my prayer list. I have an awesome group of friends that commit to praying for each other and our loved ones. I love that!

How did you do last week??  Do tell! 

This week's random act:



Take a meal to someone.

We usually think about taking a meal to someone when they have a new baby or a death in the family but what about the rest of the time? A gift of a meal is a great gift ANY time! R and I were super blessed with help this last week following my surgery and one of the best things was having people bring us meals and treats. We appreciated it so much and it was so nice not to have to worry about what was for dinner. So this week let's bless someone with a meal (even if they don't have anything major going on at the moment- it can just be an unexpected treat!). 

 
 I'd love to hear how this goes for you or what your favorite go to delivery meals are. I've seen some good ones on Pinterest. I love the ones that include muffins so they can also eat them for breakfast the next day.

Please join us (even if you didn't jump in last week- you can either catch up or just start where we are)! Check out this post for more info.


Happy RAKing!

365 wk 14

2- I basically worked 24 hours straight in an attempt to be caught up as much as possible before taking a break. Lots going on in the poor screen.

3- My gallbladder was removed today. This is what was acceptable to share of a before picture and I looked even worse after (if you can imagine).

4- The worst part of recovery is missing B. I am thankful that he misses me too but it makes me feel bad for him. He wanted to snuggle so bad this night so I tried showing him my owies and explaining that I couldn't hold him until they were all gone. The boy hooked me up with band aids and kisses. How sweet is that?!?

5- B had to wake up early today so daddy could take him to the neighbor's for the day. We've been so blessed with friends and family watching B and making meals for us. We are so thankful for all the help!

6- I really hate giving B too much screen time but today I'm thankful for his love for Toy Story 3. It keeps him entertained and lets me rest. I take back everything I've ever said about parents that use the tv as a babysitter. Parenting sure is humbling isn't it?  (Also, I didn't realize I got a screen shot of Ken tied up in his underwear....oops...)

7- R grilled out today and the rest of the lazy family sat around and watched. :)

8- It's a beautiful 70some degree day outside and I'm laying here staring at ugly drop ceilings again. And getting shots in the rear. At least B got to play out in the sun till he was covered in dirt. Here's to more pleasant, warm and dirt filled days ahead.

Flying With a Toddler

After I posted our Spring Break pictures, a friend asked me about flying with a toddler. They wanted my tips. HA. Truthfully, I don't have many tips- we just lucked out with a great kid- but I'll share with you what did work for B (though I can't guarantee it will work with him next time).

1. Pack plenty of snacks. Snacks are B's love language. I try not to offer them very often at home but when we're out and about it's a great way to keep him happy.

2. Pack some new toys and books. I hit up the dollar spot at Target. I think they may be the only toys we've ever purchased him. Not many of them were a big hit but a few were. He loved his Captain America keychain. We also got him a little Leap Pad lap top. He loved pushing the buttons and playing on it. It wasn't all that cheap (it was maybe $17) but it did occupy him for a LONG time so it was worth the price. Also, he could read "Brown Bear Brown Bear" a hundred times in a row so it was the perfect book to bring along.

3. Pack more clothes, diapers, and WIPES (don't forget the extra wipes!) than you think you'll need. Those wipes work wonders on pretty much everything.

4. Bring a movie or other game/entertainment. We hate to let B have too much screen time but lately he is LOVING the iPad. He hadn't ever got to watch a show on it but we downloaded the Toy Story Toons for the trip and he loves them. (We actually pulled out Toy Story 3 tonight and he sat completely still for 45 minutes watching it before he had to go to bed. Yikes.) I debated long and hard about getting him headphones for the trip and ultimately I didn't. He didn't seem to mind but he also hadn't ever seen a movie on it so he may not have known it was supposed to talk as well. I think next year I'll definitely get him some kid headphones for it.

5. Offer drinks and snacks during take off and landing. I've heard a lot of stories about kids ears popping on airplanes but B didn't seem to notice. We kept him chewing, drinking and swallowing and he did a great job.

6. Let them run some energy off during layovers or while waiting. We did several laps at each of the airports we visited. There's also kid play areas at a lot of airports- B loved finding those. When it was nap time we put the canopy on the (reclined) stroller and covered it with blankets. I walked laps around the water fountain (for some white noise) and he was asleep after two laps.

7. Take a decent stroller. I know a lot of people advise against this for fear that it may get broken. I was leery too but everything I read online said it was safe to take the nicer one. We took a chance and in the end we are so glad we had it (B wouldn't have likely gotten a nap otherwise). I think when he's a little older we could have gotten away with an umbrella stroller but it was nice to have the nice one this time.

8. Be the last to board. And if you can choose your seats, sit as close to the front as possible for a quick escape after landing. The less time you're on the plane, the better. :)

8.b. Keep in mind if you are the last to board, you may have to check your carryon. Make sure you have what you need in the carryon you actually get to take on board. We had to gate check our small suitcase last minute and it had the extra diapers and our boarding passes for our next flight. Thankfully I had some extra diapers stashed in my purse and we were able to make our connecting flight in time for new boarding passes but it would have been nice to not have to worry about it.

9. Ask your friends that travel with kids for some tips. I asked several people ahead of time and got some really great ideas (especially for when B is a bit older)- I especially like the idea of bringing window clings for him to play with on the plane window. Busy books and other project activities are some other great ideas I found.

10. Check out other online resources for tips. I found a free e-book on the subject and it gave tons of great tips.  Jessica at the Mom Creative offers some tips that work for her. I think we'll be using the carseat on wheels trick next year when we'll have to buy his own plane seat. (And looking back, he would have probably actually napped on the plane this time if we had brought it along.)

And a bonus tip- Travel with shoes that stay on their feet well so you don't have to worry about losing them. I put Toms on him thinking they'd be easy to get on and off at security but neither security points wanted us to take his shoes off. Also related to security- Desitin (diaper cream) is considered a liquid so pack it accordingly. (Unlike I did.... oops.)


Do you have tips for traveling with a little one? Is your little one a great traveler?

Spring Break '13 | Phoenix

We were so lucky to get to spend spring break '13 with Aunt Mal Mal and Uncle Shawn (R's sister & soon to be bro-in-law). I have to say, traveling with a toddler is no vacation but staying with family (and having a house so B could have his own room) is the way to do it! Mal & Shawn are awesome hosts and Aunt Mal Mal spoiled B completely rotten. (He also loved her dogs!) It was a quick trip but we had a great time!

I recently posted about the highlights (or low lights, rather) of our first day of traveling, but I promise the rest of the trip gets so much better!! And to be honest, other than my sickly ending to the day our actual travel day was way better than we anticipated. B did a great job at the airports and in the air. It was a little cramped on our plane from DSM to Detroit but we made it work. B would not nap in the air but thankfully we had brought his good stroller and he was able to get a nap in it during our layover. (It looks like he's thinking in that picture- I wonder if he's trying to figure out what the heck is going on!) From Detroit to Phoenix, there were extra seats on the plane (I didn't know that even happened anymore!) and we were able to get three seats together so we had some room to stretch out. B had quite the set up and despite the long flight, did a great job.

Our first full day in town, we all met up with my friend Christa and her little guy, Andrew at the Phoenix zoo. Andrew is just a couple months older than Beckett and I was SO excited for them to meet and I'm always excited to get to see Christa! It'd been a couple years since our last visit. Extra bonus: Christa has a zoo membership and free zoo passes so we all got in free too! Zoo highlights: The squirrel monkeys that you could get up close and personal with. They were awesome!

After nap time we headed to the mall (because it had an H&M) and grabbed a couple things. Aunt Mal spoiled B-meister and got him some sweet kicks. (They actually stay on his feet SO good and as cute as his Toms are, these are his new full-time shoes! Kid is stylin') His fave part of the day? The puppy store at the mall. He went absolutely crazy, squealing at all the puppies and wanting them to play fetch with him. He ran back and forth no less than a hundred times. He loved it!



Later we checked out Rustler's Rooste for dinner and got to see where Aunt Mal Mal and Shawn will get married. The place has an amazing view and even better cotton candy. Oh and a slide! And a longhorn. And live music and dancing. And a guy that goes around making special balloons for you. And etc, etc. We cant wait to go back!



The next day we visited the Railroad park in Scottsdale where B got to ride a train and a carousal and had a blast at the park. He's so over the Iowa snow and ready to play outside!!



For lunch we ate In N Out (likely the highlight of the trip for R). I ordered mine protein style expecting to be disappointed but it was so good! I know I previously said I had never eaten a hamburger at a restaurant between junior high and pregnancy but that is a lie- I had eaten In N Out burgers during that time. They are totally worth it and that's saying a lot from someone like me who never orders burgers out!



I cant remember what we did this afternoon. I think B might have taken a four hour nap? (Okay I might have had a little nap too?) And I'm also pretty sure we soaked up some sun poolside. It was great to just relax for a bit!



That night we headed up to the mountains. B didn't notice how awesome the mountains were but he did start tugging his ears and digging in them on the way up. Had I been thinking ahead I would have had him drink from his sippy and eat some snacks (worked great on the plane!) but I didn't. We'll know better next time! I always say Iowa would be the perfect place to live and raise a family if it just had an ocean and a mountain (and shorter winters!). We LOVE the mountains! (You can check out more of the pictures we took up there over on the {cb}h blog.)

The NCAA tournament started Thursday so you know what R was doing all morning. I quickly filled out my bracket (maybe taking 30 seconds?) and hoped for the best. I spent the rest of the morning poolside soaking up the sun. I know we should have put our suits on and got in the big pool with B but we didn't. Instead, Aunt Mal set him up with his own little paradise and he LOVED it! He drug his little blue chair around everywhere he went and spent as much time with his girls (the dogs) as he could. They quickly became good buddies!



It was super sad to have to leave so I must have just put the camera away and sulked. I did find my traditional vacation Christmas ornament at the airport reminding me that Christmas '13 is just around the corner and spring break '14 will follow suit. ;) In the meantime, we will just settle for some warmer temps. Come on Iowa! Let's move on to spring now. :)