Toddler meal idea: a smorgasboard.

I've been trying to come up with new meal ideas for Buddy and on Monday, I remembered something I had pinned to my "good ideas" Pinterest board a few months back.

Toddler Buffet

The creator called it a "toddler buffet".  The idea - quite simple and quite fun.

1. Search your kitchen for a variety of healthy, fun and colorful foods

2. Fill each tray with the different food items 
     -make sure everything is bite sized!
     -if you can't think of (or don't have 18 different items, feel free to repeat!

 3. Present delightful meal to your child!

So, I thought I'd give it a try.  I named mine the "Smorgasboard".  Take a look:

My Smorgasboard

And here's a list of the items I included (I repeated some items a few times, as I could not come up with 18 bite sized items that are toddler friendly).

1. goldfish crackers
2. raspberries
3. blackberries
4. Joes O's from Trader Joe's
5. cheddar cheese
6. peas
7. tomatoes
Buddy liked it (see pic below)!

Buddy with his Smorgasboard

It was fun for both of us - a bit of a scavenger hunt for me to find food to fill the tray and fun for Buddy. 

(But I must be honest; he only ate three of the items - the raspberries, blackberries and tomatoes. But he's eaten and likes all of the items in there. Maybe he was just in the mood for fruit (tomato is technically a fruit I believe).

I definitely recommend this as a great option when you're out of options! Or just looking for a fun meal.

P.52 photo challenge: week 16.

Things that Grow is this week's theme.  Naturally, my go-to is buddy.  And since baseball is in the air and we just went to our first game of the season, let's make it a themed theme - got that?  

Ok - here we go. Same shot (pretty much), three years in a row.

2010 - Buddy in the belly

2011 - Buddy at six months (Spring Training)

2012 - Buddy at 19 months

I think it's inevitable that Buddy will be a White Sox fan. After all, he's gone to dozens of games (many in utero). Going to the Cell probably feels like home to him.

This also makes me want to formalize some sort of yearly photo/project of Buddy.

A lot of people do that during their baby's first year - you've probably seen those monthly t-shirts or decals.  Another great idea is to take a photo of your child next to/in/near the same item/object every month, three months, etc.  I've seen some really fun ideas on Pinterest - a baby in a laundry basket, next to a favorite stuffed animal, in their rocker chair  -

And here are a few really cute way to track the ever changing size & looks of your little one as he or she grows year by year.

Favorite Things
Every year on your child's birthday, create a photo print with their picture and a list of their favorite things. Make a memory book.









Yearly Interview
Every year, ask your child the same questions - see how they change from year to year.

If anyone has any other good ideas, I'd love to hear them! 

Pinterest: ever revisit your pins and boards?

It's like going shopping in your closet. Well, your virtual closet.  And more like browsing your virtual closet to see what you might want to actually turn into items in your real closet.

I've pinned so many things, I've forgotten what I've pinned.  I've even pinned the same item twice accidentally.

This morning I went back and looked through some of my boards.  Pinterest has made some changes that make visiting the site even more visually appealing.  Here's a glimpse at what awaited me when I went to my boards.

A beautiful array of colors and products!

Items that made me smile.

Items I wondered why I had pinned.
(turns out they were from my very early pinterest days, and I didnt' know about changing the descriptions then either)

Stuff I forgot I pinned.

And tons of great stuff I still coveted. Some of my favorites that I rediscovered:

   

Source: piperlime.gap.com via Julie on Pinterest

Amazing Marc by Marc Jacobs bag. I love it. This is the item I pinned twice I loved it so much. Maybe something for my birthday wish list?

Source: fab.com via Julie on Pinterest

"Carry On" carry-on bag. Cute. Like the play on words.

Source: fab.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: shopthetrendboutique.com via Julie on Pinterest

Very cute t-shirt. More than I'd spend on a t, but I do like this. Totally forgot I pinned it.

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest

LOVE this bracelet. Capital letters.  Found it at an Etsy shop, The Lucky Elephant.  It is so pretty, vibrant, fun and ... expensive.  Another item I'd love, but more than I'd spend. Another item to add to the birthday wish list?

Source: bellabyte.com via Julie on Pinterest

Cute and sweet print for the house.  Would be a nice addition to our walls.  Quite reasonable.

If you like any of these items and want to see  more, I welcome you to visit my boards. And remember to take a walk down your pinterest memory lane too. You never know what you'll rediscover.

ps - Another interesting exploration - seeing what has been pinned. I think that will be part 2 of my pinterest posting. Stay tuned for more.

Spring shopping: adorable items I'm coveting for the little guy.

I'm always on the lookout for some cute clothes or fun room decor for buddy.  I browse a LOT, as my 'baby baby baby ooh' pinterest board can attest.  I wanted to share some really cute items I've found - many great for both little boys or girls.

Grandpa Tee @ Nature Baby:

I believe in Snuffleupagus Tee @ babesta:

Chambray Bimini Tiny TOM Classics @ Toms:

Skip Hop Sheet @ Layla Grace:

Pearhead Wooden Banks @ Amazon:

Aren't these items cute? I've looked at some of them so many times, I really think it's time to buy. Take a look at my baby baby baby ooh pinterest board to see some other great finds. And I love recos - so share your pinterest info or favorite items here!

Hello Precious.

I love pinterest. who doesn't these days? Anyways, one of my boards is "ha ha. smile. laugh. funny." Pretty self explanatory, right?

Just have to share one of my favorites. I laugh EVERY time i think of it. And every time I see this pin. And my husband laughs too, which makes me laugh even more.

It's awesome. Enjoy.

Hello Precious.

And if you want to see some of the other pins on my ha ha. smile. laugh. funny. board - take a look.  To me, none as funny as Hello Precious, but a few strong runner ups....

And please share yours if you have any funny pics or sayings. I love them!

Ever gone to work when the office is closed?

Did the title give it away?

Yep, I'm at work.

But we're closed.

In honor of MLK day. as it should be.

So here i am in the office, all dressed up - way more than usual (actually IN a dress). just me.

I figure I'll stay for a few hours to get some stuff done. so I've cleaned and organized my desk and files, deleted tons of emails and am getting things in order for tomorrow. when there really IS work.

note: I did go through my emails last night to try to check if we were closed. I couldn't find any emails or our vacation schedule, so I played it safe and assumed we'd be open.

So now I'm taking a few to blog.  First, spoiler alert! In honor of Matt Leblanc's Emmy win -- a funny little item I found on pinterest a while back.

anyways, i was thinking about this blog. i really do want to make it of interest for others. so far i've been writing pretty stream of consciousness, which i'm not sure is of interest to anyone! aside from my mom (thank you mom). i've talked about a few products i like and included some helpful lists and sayings, but it's essentially been my ramblings of whatever is on my mind. which is nice for a diary-style blog. but i'd love to be a place where everybody knows your name. no, that's 'cheers'. i'd love to be a place where people want to go. to read. to learn. to relate. to find out about things (products, ideas, tips) relevant to them. to laugh. so if anyone is reading this and does have any suggestions for what they'd like to see - do let me know.