Savvy Toddler Mom Has Moved

Guess what?  It’s official.  I got my own place and I’m moving out.

Look for Savvy Toddler Mom at http://www.savvytoddlermom.com.

Kindergarten Readiness

For all those people that I told about this article and meant to send them the link, here it is.  This fascinating article by Elizabeth Weil from the New York Times, “When Should a Kid Start Kindergarten?” about what the kindergarten cut-off date does for older and younger children kept me reading to the very end of page six. 

What a dilemma!  The toot’s birthday falls just a couple of months after Utah’s kindergarten deadline, August 31st.  Even still, it’s a problem that affects everyone, as children share a classroom and their interaction is part of the school experience.

I am of the opinion that Weil states on page 6: “the reality that individual children will always mature at different rates.”  However, it is terrifying to think that sending a younger child to kindergarten too early will doom the rest of their academic years.  Yikes.  They will never catch up, she says.  It’s a problem.

I was especially interested in this topic, not only as a mother with kindergarteners in my future, but also as someone that skipped kindergarten.  I’m not sure of the specifics, but I do remember taking some sort of test and then being escorted to the first grade classroom.  I was five years old and wouldn’t be six for another four months.  I did just fine… at least, I think so.  My biggest complaint was that I couldn’t drive or date until half way through my junior year of high school.  Oh, well.  I survived.  I graduated at 17, went to college, graduated again at 21 (with honors, no less), got a job and got married.

I joke now that since I skipped kindergarten, I’m still trying to catch up on nap time.

So, again, my take on it is that all children are different.  I think it is a heavy responsibility, then, for us to know our children well enough — and be educated enough about what is involved — to make an intelligent decision for them.  It could change their lives forever.

Also, reading to them every day wouldn’t hurt either.

Flip’s Gymnastics is Hiring

I take the toot every week to his “jumping” class at Flip’s Gymnastics in Bountiful, Utah.  He LOVES it.  I’ve got him enrolled in their Toddler Gym class – very similar to other toddler tumbling classes I’ve tried out.  It gets him running and jumping, climbing ladders and walking balance beams… not to mention learning how to listen to a teacher and follow directions long before starting preschool.  He gets some serious active time, but he also gets to interact with other children in new and different ways.  It’s ALL good.

Flip’s has a whole bunch of classes for your tumbling child.  If you are looking for something to keep them busy (and you busier) after school, check them out.

Beyond that, though, I learned today that they are looking for some new coaches.  They are losing a bunch to the lure of higher education (read: some are going back to college in a couple of weeks) and they need to find some school-season fabulous people to coach.  Their flyer reads: “Come be a part of our incredible team!  We need coaches for all levels! Come in and pick up an application in the office or call us at Flip’s!”  Their number is 801-298-2323.

If you do decide to check out this job opportunity, let them know you heard about it from Savvy Toddler Mom.*

*As always, this is not a paid advertisement.  I love Flip’s and would love to see them get some great new people!

At Least 10 Toddler Meals

I was with some girlfriends the other night — one that has two toddler boys and one that is expecting her first child, also a boy.  The 2-toddler mom and I were sharing our boredom with making the same toddler meals over and over again for our kids.  Somedays I feel like that’s ALL I do.  Prepare one, get the toot to eat it, clean up, and five minutes later (or at least it feels like it), start the next one.  UGH.

Anyway, I was saying that I think I could come up with 10 toddler meals, but that’s about it.  10.  I know, I am desperately lacking in the creativity AND culinary departments.  (I just have other stuff on my mind!)  I try really hard to feed the toot whatever SavvyDad and I are having for dinner… but when it comes to a nutritious breakfast and lunch when I’ve already grabbed a bite of something not-so-good (today it was a strawberry yogurt and diet coke… yeah, yeah, I know…), I need to make him something all his own.

So, what’s the solution? 

A) I need to eat healthier.  However, that’s not going to happen overnight.  I’ve got 15+ years of grown-up bad habits and quick tricks to keep me going on my to-do list.  I’m just going to have to make an effort, though.

B) Toddler Meals.  You’ve got your staples, just like I do.  I want to hear them!  Here is the list that the 2-toddler mom and I came up with… for your benefit as well as our expecting friend!

• Chicken nuggets – oh, how cliche!  Costco has a couple of options here, including the dinosaur chicken nuggets.
• Grilled cheese sandwich
• Meatballs – Costco has these, too!
• Mini corn dogs
• Ravioli
• Scrambled eggs – one of the toot’s favorites
• PB & J sandwich – the toot hates peanut butter, though (sigh).  Does he know how inconvenient that is?
• Quesadilla – 2-toddler mom recommended adding deli meat as well for additional protein
• Mac and cheese – another cliche, but also another toot fav
• French toast sticks & bacon – a frequent breakfast at our house
• Cheeseburger/Hamburger – referred to by the toot as a “cheese sandwich,” not to be confused with “grilled cheese”
• Hot dogs – a recent addition to our repertoire… the toot will eat it with the bun and everything!
• Cereal
• Pizza – I don’t make this as a toddler meal, but it’s one of those sure-fire things that the toot will eat

Add to any of these a fruit and a veggie… this week we’ve had peapods, carrots, grapes, applesauce, blueberries, peaches, strawberries, and broccoli.

Other random snacks and sides are yogurt (LOVE the gogurts), crackers (fish crackers, especially), snack pudding (yes…), and fruit snacks.

Alright, I’ve laid my ideas on the table… I want to hear what else you’ve got!

Pioneer Day

“The new country lay open before me: there were no fences in those days, and I could choose my own way over the grass uplands, trusting the pony to get me home again. Sometimes I followed the sunflower-bordered roads. Fuchs told me that the sunflowers were introduced into that country by the Mormons; that at the time of the persecution, when they left Missouri and struck out into the wilderness to find a place where they could worship God in their own way, the members of the first exploring party, crossing the plains to Utah, scattered sunflower seed as they went. The next summer, when the long trains of wagons came through with all the women and children, they had the sunflower trail to follow. I believe that botanists do not confirm Fuchs’s story, but insist that the sunflower was native to those plains. Nevertheless, that legend has stuck in my mind, and sunflower-bordered roads always seem to me the roads to freedom.” (from My Antonia by Willa Cather)

Today is Pioneer Day.  The Salt Lake Valley — the entire state and much of the Wasatch Front, for that matter — has a remarkable heritage from the Mormon pioneers that traveled across the plains in covered wagons and handcarts in 1847, suffering unspeakable cold, hunger, illness, and loss.  Why?  So that they could find a place where they could live and raise their families in peace and safety.  Those inalienable rights… life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness… had eluded them in the east and in Europe, so the LDS leaders lead them to strike out west.

There is a monument at the mouth of Emigration Canyon that depicts that moment of “we are here.”  (You can imagine all those pioneer children asking, “Are we there yet?” all 1300 miles.  Yowza.)  Brigham Young came over the Emigration summit and looked over the Salt Lake Valley — the desolate desert land — and said, “This is the place.”  (He actually didn’t say that… he said something like, “This is the right place.”)  I’ve often wondered what the pioneers thought of thought.  Did they think, is he crazy?  There is NOTHING here.  But on the other hand, they were probably pretty tired of traveling and thought here was as good as anywhere and here was HERE and not any further.  (The monument, for those of you that aren’t locals, is the “This is the Place Monument.”)

The Salt Lake Valley proved to be a good place to settle.  I could go on and on about why, but that’s not the point I want to make today.  The point I DO want to make is that I am lucky enough to have a state holiday to celebrate my family’s heritage.  My great-great-grandmother traveled across the plains in the Willie Handcart Company.  (Apparently I can hardly speak OR type about her without crying.)  I purchased a book recently specifically about the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies and how, by leaving so late in the year, they got trapped in the winter weather and had to be rescued.  The stories passed down from my grandmother are unbelievable.  The trials they endured… the sacrifices they made… the miracles that occurred… what a legacy!!!

I am extremely fortunate to have found a book (and I’m sure there are more) about this specific moment in my family history.  My great-great-grandmother’s name appears right there in it… that is my family’s story.  When my children are older, I will be able to read to them from it and show them the pictures.  It’s been researched and documented, written and published.  All I had to do was purchase it to provide my children and their children with an education of their ancestors… who they were and what they believed in.

As this is my maternal grandmother’s family, I wish it was as easy for all the other lines of which I am a descendant.  We even have a parade today to celebrate my great-great-grandmother’s legacy.  She was quite remarkable. 

My challenge to you is to make an effort to gather your own family’s legacy and preserve it for your children… your little toddlers that will someday want to know.  That should know.  That need to know.

Must Have #3: The World’s Best Diaper Cream

With the birth of my third niece, I have been thinking about those newborn must-haves.  One of the biggies is “The World’s Best Diaper Cream” dubbed such by my sister-in-law nurse and brother-in-law pharmacist.  The secret formula is easy: mix Aquaphor with Creamy Desitin (both available at Costco, of course) at a 1:1 ratio and you’ve got the good stuff.  It works wonders.

I also recommend going to your local pharmacy and getting an ointment jar or two to put it in.  One for the changing table, one for the diaper bag.  And maybe one more on hand as a back-up for when the changing table jar runs out at the worst possible moment.

My recommendation on diaper cream application is to apply after EVERY poopy diaper.  I understand that it is the skin’s exposure to poop and urine together that causes diaper rash.  This rule of thumb has served us well.

Here’s a fun pic of the new family…

She made it!

E is here… after a very rough labor that resulted in a C-section.  Mom and baby are doing fine… mom and dad are very exhausted.  E didn’t arrive until 4:23am today… unfortunately, I was not able to be at the hospital when she was born.  I can’t wait to meet her!

E’s delivery has resulted in a retelling of all the worst labor stories out there… several people close to me have had horrible experiences (including me!).  I’m nurturing a firm opinion that induction of labor is NOT a good idea if you are just past your due date and you are FINE.  Give it a few more days, girls, and make it easier on yourselves and your baby.  If you haven’t gone into labor yet, it’s probably because you aren’t ready!

New Niece on the Way

It was a crazy week last week… and the week before… and the week before.  I think that “having a crazy week” has been my status quo for quite a while now.  Motherhood!

Things have been especially crazy lately with tons of family in town for the 4th and the pending birth of my latest niece.  Why is my niece’s birth affecting my schedule?  Well, mostly because I procrastinated getting her quilt done.  Yes, I made the horrible mistake of making a baby quilt for my first nephew and now I’m paying the price.  On the bright side, I’m getting pretty good!

As my sister-in-law is currently in labor at the hospital, I barely made the deadline.  I delivered little… hmmm… let’s call her “E”… little E’s quilt yesterday to her parents.  My sewing machine is still smoking.

Oh, to have a newborn!  With my sister-in-law on the precipice of motherhood, I can’t help but think back to the newborn days of my son and the wonder and amazement I felt.  Still feel.

I have this amazing, amazing photo my husband took of me holding the toot for the first time — umbilical cord still attached and everything.  He’s a lovely shade of lavendar (no, really).  My face is red and swollen and my eyes are overflowing with tears.  It’s the most beautiful thing in the world.

I’ve got my fingers crossed for my little sister-in-law… it’s not looking to be a short labor.  Hang in there!

I have two more sisters-in-law expecting little girls of their own (one in six weeks and the other six weeks after that!).  I am taking a break from quilts today, but tomorrow it is back to the sewing machine with me.

Here is a photo of my latest and greatest:

Each of my three new nieces will have a different polka dot fabric… E’s is the yellow with pink dots, the next is the red with pink dots and the third is the white with yellow dots.  All three will have one square of the other two (check them out in the center of the quilt).  Pretty clever, huh?

Now… since I know my two brothers and their wives will probably read this and wonder where THEIR kids’ quilts are… (this is a tradition I’ve been careful to maintain with my husband’s family, but not my own).  I’m sorry, guys.  You had the bad timing of having your kids within a year of the toot being born and it just didn’t happen.  The adjustment to parenthood was too overwhelming.  LOL

Maybe with your next child I will make two.  But only if you are really nice to me.

Treehouse Children’s Museum in Ogden

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting for the first time the Treehouse Children’s Museum in Odgen, Utah.  What a place!  I didn’t know quite what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of exhibits and activities it had to offer.

Positioned as a place where “children can step into a story,” the museum is filled with exhibits designed to feel like pages from a giant story book.   From knights and castles, dinosaurs, a doll hospital, and a schoolhouse, to firetrucks, trains, tea parties, and a treehouse (!)… there was something for everyone.  Inside the museum is a giant treehouse that houses a circular staircase to the upper level of the museum.  The tree branches stretch out between the separate levels and provide a fairytale ambiance for the entire museum.  It is absolutely charming.

The toot and I met my cousin and her three daughters there for Toddler Time yesterday.  On Mondays from 10am-12pm and Wednesdays from 1-3pm, there are discount rates in effect and toddler-oriented storytime, songs, and activities.  For the toot, who is only 2, it was $3 and adults were free.  (I think it’s more for older children…)  Normal rates are $5 for children and $3 for adults.  For more information on rates and directions, click here.

For two hours, we toured the exhibits, listened to some stories, and sang along with the FABULOUS pianist and music leader (I don’t know who she is, but I think she would be right at home on the Garrison Keillor show).  Unfortunately, the toot wasn’t interested AT ALL in making a “feelings” book with the other kids, so we ran around some more while his second cousins (they are my cousin’s children, so they are his second cousins…) colored and put their cute books together.

The only downside to the museum – and quite literally, the only one! – is that it is 30 minutes from my house.  It’s in Ogden just south of the LDS Temple on 22nd Street between Washington Blvd. and Grant Avenue.  I was hard-pressed to keep the toot awake on the ride home.  He had a great time, though, and we will definitely be back.

I picked up a calendar — looks like they have a lot of arts and crafts and other specialty programs going on all the time.  They also offer memberships that include admission, a newsletter, entrance to some members-only events, discount at the gift shop, and the opportunity to host a Storybook Birthday Party.  Additional details can be found here.

So, bottomline: even if you live an hour away, the Treehouse Museum is worth a visit!  There are plenty of activities for toddlers and older children alike.  The toot could have stayed all day, I think.  My cousin goes almost every Monday.  Her girls LOVE it.

A couple of additional notes…

Leave the stroller at home. (Or in the car, at least.) If you have a baby, bring them in their car seat, snugli, sling, etc. and plan on carrying them.  While the building is handicap accessible, strollers are discouraged.  If your child can walk, they will probably want to walk! 

Other than a sippy cup of water, I brought only my purse along.  We didn’t need anything else. 

We did do a good hands wipe-down with some anti-bacterial wipes when getting back in the car.  My rule is let them play and have a good time… make sure they don’t put their hands in their mouth… then wash hands well when it’s time to go.  It’s worked pretty well so far.

Happy Fourth of July

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m exhausted.  Whose bright idea was it to have a work day AFTER the holiday when you are supposed to stay up watching fireworks and then (for most of us) drive home in stagnant traffic?  I have a “holiday hangover.”

I had my first “Stadium of Fire” experience last night.  “Stadium of Fire” is the concert/vareity/fireworks show for July 4th in Provo, Utah.  I think it’s the biggest show available in the state.  You’d think with some serious years of experience at that venue — the BYU stadium — they could figure out a better parking strategy.  By the time we got there, SavvyDad and I were ready to leave already, we were so grumpy.  Provo Police, where were you?

Anyway, once we got in the stadium and in our seats, we had a really good time!  The toot loved the music, the dancing, the skydivers that parachuted into the stadium with the flag, and the F-16 flyover (really cool!), but NOT the fireworks the jets left behind.  Oh!  Even with preparation from us for the loud “pop pop pop” of fireworks, he did NOT like it AT ALL.

We left early.

Am I surprised we left early?  Not at all.  Did I think it was the right decision?  Absolutely.  Do I think other parents should do the same when their kids are frightened of loud noises, are out way past their bedtimes, and totally over-stimulated?  Yes again.  But do they?  Unfortunately not.

The toot was so wound up, he made it home awake after the hour drive to our home.  Also, because we left early, it was only an hour drive to our home.  I haven’t spoken to other family members yet (there were a lot of us there) to see how bad the traffic was going out, but I can only guess based on how bad it was going in an hour before the show started.  No, thank you.

By the way, we are ALL about flags over here lately.  We have to “find” them everywhere we go.  The toot has become a broken record player in the back seat. “More flags?” he asks.  “More flags? More flags? More flags?”  It’s adorable.

Luckily, this flag obsession has occurred simultaneously with the most patriotic week of the year.  That was a gimmee.

Here is a photo of the “Rocketman” from last night’s show.  I’m still deciding if I will ever go again.  It was a lot of effort (time, aggravation and money)… but it was a lot of fun while we were there.