Author Archives: Casey

Stuff I Do With My Kid When I Can’t Think of Anything to Do With My Kid: Kitchen Edition

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Today I would like to share with you 2 activities that I do with Bug when I can’t think of anything else to do with Bug.  Each lasts about 10 minutes… which is just about enough time for me to fold & put away laundry.

1.  “Washing” dishes

I totally credit my mother with this one.  I put a towel on the floor.  I pull up a chair.  I fill up one side of the sink with soapy, bubbly water (“Bubbo! Bubbo! Bubbo!”) and some already clean dishes.  I turn on the faucet on super low and let Bug wash & rinse some dishes.  Prepare for a wet baby.  The end.

2. Playing in the kitchendrawer

Lame name for the game, I know, but whatevs.  Bug has several lower kitchen drawers that he has access to, but obviously the one that he can’t reach is his favorite.  After he washes dishes, I pull his chair over to the drawer, remove the items that could poke his eye out, put a couple of stainless bowls on the counter and let him go to town.  This game actually lasts longer than the dish washing game… or maybe it feels like it lasts longer because of all of the noise he’s making.  Either way, totes worth the mostly uninterrupted laundry time for Momma.

What are some easy-to-set-up/no-brain/totally-out-of-ideas activities that you do with your kids?

Yo

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I couldn’t come up with a good title.  Yo is all you get today.  Or, this week.  Here are my reasons excuses for not blogging this week”

  • My 30th birthday was Saturday.  Hubby threw me a kick-ass biker gang party.  Not what you think.  I am still recovering.  There will be a post about this.
  • Mother’s Day was Sunday.  Mother’s Day = busiest day of the year at work.  I am still recovering.  There will not be a post about this.
  • Bug & I are flying to Iowa this weekend (yes, Iowa) to visit my best friend Randi.  This week has included lots of little trips to the store to get things for our big trip… like snacks, stickers, Dramamine, nighttime diapers and the contact lens solution that I ran out of last night.  One trip should have sufficed, except for I am the biggest space cadet on the planet (yay mommyhood) and I forget things even when I make lists.  I should be packing at this very moment.  I will probably need a few days to recover from flying along with a toddler.  There will be a post(s) about this.

A lot of words are about to follow.  I feel like you needed that picture to prepare.

In other news, this morning was one of those lovely periods where Bug was testing every. single. limit.  Calmly saying, “No, we don’t fill-in-the-blank” a gajillion times in three hours is ohmygodsoexhausting.  “No, Eli, we don’t put our feet on the table” turns into barely touching a toe to the table, which totally still counts in Mommy’s book, which leads to threatening (calmly) time out, which leads toalmost touching a toe to the table with the most impish look you’ve ever seen (the look that screams “I’m not touching it, I’m not touching it, I’m not touching it!!”), which leads to Mommy ignoring the toddler, which leads to a different misbehavior.  Yay.

So, after our super trying morning… the one where Momma surprisingly kept her cool… we headed to the doctor’s office to check out a nasty cough that Bug’s been harboring for about a week.  For those that care (Great Nana, that’d be you), he just has a little respitory infection that would probably just work itself out.  But since we’re flying tomorrow, Dr. M. prescribed a Z-pak.  As we left, Bug really wanted to walk down the sidewalk the surrounds the office and touch the plants.  After a morning of him not being allowed to do anything he wanted to, a morning of hearing a lot of “no” and not a lot of “yes,” I decided to let him take his time.  Normally I scoop him up and put in right in the car, but I felt like he needed a minute to make the rules and decide where we were going.  Turns out he only needed like 5 minutes of that.  We talked about the leaves and flowers and what colors they were and how they grow.  He led me down the sidewalk and we played a little peek-a-boo around a bush.  And then, he was ready to get in the car.

We had to run a few errands after that and he was not only a very good boy, but a very fun boy as well.  We sang a lot, danced a lot, laughed a lot.  Mostly in the middle of Wal-Mart.  We had several strangers come up to us while we were eating lunch out to say what a well-behaved toddler he was being.  I wanted to say, “Well, you should’ve seen him this morning!”  Instead, I said thank you.  And Buggy said thank you, too.

I learned today that sometime you have to choose your battles and let the toddler make the rules.  It might just change the feeling of your whole day.

Love Where I Live

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There is usually one day a week where I take Bug to school at 9 and then I don’t have to be at work until 4. Usually on those days I get as much housework done as possible.  Today, though, I decided to take advantage of where I live.  I dropped Bug off and went for a run by the beach.  I brought a book and a towel and plan to spend the next hour or so laying on the sand.  I might even stand up long enough to go for a swim.

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In other news, I turn 30 tomorrow.  More on that later.

The Boss of Me

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When I was little, I used to tell my parents, “You’re not the boss of me!”  Actually, I think I said “voss,” but you catch my drift.  These days, I find myself saying that same exact phrase, and I find myself saying it quite often.  In all reality, digging deep, Bug iskind of the boss of me.  He dictates when I wake up most mornings and when I eat lunch and what activities are going to happen on any given day.  That’s not what this post is about, though.  You see, Bug has become quite the bossy little mister.  He may or may not get that from me.

Bug’s mastery of the English language is rapidly improving, and the words and phrases that most often escape his lips are directions.  For Momma.  This is what I’ve heard so far this morning:

  • Momma, that way! (Referring to where he wanted me to carry him after I picked him up from his crib.  I obviously don’t know that I should bring him to the breakfast table, because we don’t have the same routine every morning or anything.)
  • Momma, eat them! (Referring to blueberries that he didn’t want to eat.)
  • Momma, get up! (Referring to not wanting me to sit down to fold laundry.)
  • Momma, do it! (Referring to wanting me to put in a puzzle piece.  And hit a golf ball.  And shoot a basketball.  And seventeen other things that I apparently needed to to doright now.)
  • Momma, right here! (Referring to exactly where I should stand when shooting the basketball.)
  • All of these come on top of the long-ago mastered “more!”

I would like to make it known that just because my son is very bossy doesn’t mean that we always give in to his demands.  We try pretty hard to explain to him that just because he tells us to do something doesn’t mean that we have to do it.  Sometimes, Momma doesn’t want to eat the slobbery blueberries that you just took out of your mouth, son.  This is kind of a difficult dichotomy, because we don’t want him to think that just because Mom & Dad don’t always follow his directions doesn’t mean that he doesn’t need to follow our directions for him.  For the most part, our directions for him aren’t just things we want him to do… they are things like brush your teeth, put on your shoes, eat lunch, clean up your toys, etc.  I do try to let him win small battles sometimes so that he doesn’t feel like a complete slave.

The other part of him being so bossy is that he sounds so darn impolite!  We are really encouraging the use of “please” and “thank you” when he bosses.  “Momma, get up, please” sounds so much nicer!  In general his little manners are good, so this is just a continuance of things we’ve already taught him.  On that note, I love when we tell him to do something that he doesn’t want to do.  He’ll say “no, thank you.”  Like tacking on that thank you will make us say, “Oh, no problem, Buddy.  You don’t have to take a bath just because you said thank you.”  Funny guy.

Are your kids bossy pants like mine?

Martha Project 6: One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

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This might be kind of cheating on the “project,” because not only am I not going to do the whole step-by-step picture tutorial thing for these cupcakes, but I also did not make the cupcakes as stated in Martha’s book.  *GASP*  I have good reasons:

1.  Bug helped me make the cupcakes.  Baking + Toddler = Super Fun.  Also, Baking + Toddler = no way in hell are pictures possible.

2.  The recipe calls for Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  I mess this frosting up every. single. time.  It takes a long time and therefore I get peeved because it takes me 30 minutes to realized it’s not working.  I think this is due to me not having a) patience and b) a stand mixer.  Also, I don’t love Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  It’s too, ummm, buttery for me.  Not enough sweet.  And, these cupcakes screamed sweet.

Review on the cupcakes?  They’re good.  Very easy to make… hence the one bowl.  I’ve learned that pretty much all of the cupcakes I make from this book are a little on the dry side, so I’ve started really underbaking them, which helped make these nice & moist.  I highly recommend using my buttercream recipe… it was a good match.  The Martha recipe calls for gumdrops to be put on top, but I wasn’t feeling that, so I left them out.

So, here’s the boring written out recipe with no pictures for Martha Project #6 – One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes with Casey’s regular ol’ supersweet buttercream frosting – page 152.

Here’s what you need: (Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes)
Makes 20 regular-sized cupcakes.
For the cupcakes:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 warm water

For the frosting:

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter – room temperature
  • 3-4 cups powdered sugar (best if it’s sifted)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream (milk will work fine, too)

Preheat your oven to 350 and line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder & salt and mix on medium with an electric mixer.

Reduce speed to low and add eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and water, beating until smooth.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Ready for this?  Batter’s done.  I told you it was easy.  Pour batter into cups, filling each cup 2/3 of the way… I like to put about 3 tablespoons in each cup.  Bake for 16-18 minutes, rotating tins halfway, until a skewer or toothpick poked in the center comes out clean.

Cool on wire racks, in tins, for 10 minutes and then turn out onto racks to cool completely.

For the icing: in a medium bowl, cream butter on medium for a couple of minutes… until nice & smooth.  Add powdered sugar a few tablespoons at a time until desired consistency.  Add salt & vanilla.  Slowly add cream.  If it’s too thin, add more sugar.  If it’s too stiff, add more cream.  Easy peasy.

Fill a pastry bag and pipe away… I used some kind of star tip to make the starbursts pictured, but I didn’t write down which one it was.  Whoops!

Cupcakes will last 1 day, frosted, at room temperature or refrigerated for up to 3 days in an airtight container.  Cupcakes can be frozen by themselves (no frosting) for up to 2 months.

 

Things Happen in Threes… Right? RIGHT?

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1.  Two weeks ago Bug had the stomach bug.  So did I… and Hubby, my mom, my in-laws, 80% of Bug’s preschool class and half of my staff at work.  I wrote about it here.

2.  Last Wednesday, Bug got sent home from school with pink eye.  I didn’t write about it.  Hubby took him to the doctor, got him the drops (a.k.a. Satan to a toddler, by the way) and it cleared up in a couple of days.  Hubby’s eyes got itchy.  My mom got it.  If you said the word doctor, Bug would start saying “eyes.”

3.  All weekend, Bug had a fever.  He was happy and didn’t have any other symptoms.  Took him to the doctor Monday.  Ladies and gentlemen, we have our first ear infection.  His pediatrician was impressed by what a good boy he was while she was looking at his ears.  Didn’t make a peep… just a funny face.  Got him antibiotics (FREE at Publix… woot!) and his fever is gone.  Thank goodness this one isn’t contagious, because we’d all be sick for sure if it was.  Also, now if you say doctor, he says “ear ouchy.”  I’m not sure if his ears ever really hurt that bad though, because he didn’t start saying that until the doc asked if his ear was ouchy.

So we’ve had 3 illnesses/health issues in 2 weeks.  I’m hoping that’s all for awhile.  Of course, as I write this I am reminded how incredibly lucky we are that we haven’t been plagued by many health problems with Bug.  I know so many other babies that have crazy allergies, need constant medication and have even had open heart surgeries.  So, I guess I should be thanking God for a healthy child who is developing a strong immune system… and I should be praying for continued health and a strong, safe life for my little prince.

Dizzy Dragons

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Can you see that happy little boy in that rapidly spinning dragon?  The dragon that was spinning faster than any other?  That’s my almost-2-year-old.  These are the rides that he prefers.  Sadly, this is pretty much the only ride he’s tall enough to ride.  His mother?  The one not in the picture?  She can barely even watch the Dizzy Dragons without wanting to yerph.  Suffice it to say that me and the teacups are NOT friends.

Also?  The ominous sky in the background?  Yeah.  Torrential downpour + Sarasota County Fair = Mudfest.

Do your kids like the crazy fast fair rides that make me vomit?  Do YOU like them?

The Time Has Come for Time Out

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This week, we started using time outs with Bug.  You see, he is beginning to enter the phase that has been so enchantingly coined the terrible twos.  Not that he is anywhere near terrible.  Or even very badly misbehaved.  But he definitely pushes his limits and tests us on a more frequent basis than in the past. In the past, if Bug was exhibiting some sort of defiant behavior, we just did our best to redirect him… which usually worked.  We realized, though, that he is at an age where he needs to understand that there will be a consequence for his defiance.

Example: Thursday morning we were sitting on the couch watching Curious George and Bug turned around, smiled at me and then tried to bite me (which is something new).  He wasn’t biting out of aggression or frustration… he was just testing his boundaries.  I explained to him that we don’t bite and that biting hurts.  So, he started trying to hit me (also new).  I explained that we don’t hit and that hitting also hurts.  Then he hit me again.  I told him again, calmly, that we don’t hit and if he did it again he was going to have to sit in time out.  And then he hit me again.  Time out it was.

We have designated the bench in our living room for time out.  We rarely use it, so it carries no negative connotations.  These are the ground rules:

  • Defiant behavior 1 time = tell him it is not okay and why
  • Defiant behavior 2 times = tell him it is not okay & explain time out will happen if he continues
  • Defiant behavior 3 times = time out… explain why he is going to time out
  • Mom & Dad = stay calm.  No yelling.
  • Time out lasts 30 seconds (we’re still new to this, and at this point that is long enough)
  • If he gets up, we start over

I’d to throw in here that I don’t necessarily view time out as a punishment.  More than anything, I view it as a time for him to think about why he’s there.  A moment for him to think about why it is not okay to hit, bite and not listen… just to name a few.  On Thursday, we had two time outs.  One for the aforementioned hitting and the other for not cleaning up Legos.  This is a big rule in our house… cleaning up our toys… and he is usually VERY good about it.  After this tearful time out, he went right into his room and cleaned them up.  That evening, Hubby got to step #2 just one time and Bug changed his behavior.

Time out is something that I want to be consistent with, but it is not something I want to abuse.  Also, the pictures in this post have nothing to do with time out.  Or discipline.  Obviously.  They are just cute and I wanted to share.

When did you start “disciplining” your toddler… and how did you do it?

Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Peanut Butter Frosting

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There is a dessert auction tonight at Buggy’s school and I, obviously, signed up to donate a dessert.  Because dessert is what I do.  I had been undecided as to what make until a couple of days ago.  I have quite the arsenal, but I wanted to make something that was a) shelf stable, because I don’t know how long these desserts will be held at room temperature (i.e. cheesecake = not so much) and b) super unbelievably delicious and c) pretty.

I was totally at a loss as to what to make.  I almost polled you all, lovely readers, as to what I should make.  And then I remembered this cake.  Except for I didn’t want to make a cake, so I decided to turn it into cupcakes.  I’m not going to repost the recipe… just click on that there link above to get it.  I will tell you, though, that you don’t need to change a thing as far as ingredients go to convert the recipe to cupcakes.  You do, however, need to reduce the baking time to 14-18 minutes… and, as always, rotate the tins halfway through.  The recipe as is yielded me 32 cupcakes.

The frosting recipe isn’t enough to cover them, so I made an extra half batch, which was just enough.  There is only one thing I have to say about these: HOLY PARTY IN MY MOUTH, BATMAN.  I forgot how amazing this recipe is.

Eating Out with a Toddler

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Yesterday I wrote about eating dinner out as a family.  As soon as I posted it I realized that it might be handy to write about how to eat out with a toddler.

Let me start by reminding you that I work in a restaurant.  While we are a casual restaurant and we certainly welcome families, we don’t see a ton of children.  Probably 2 or 3 tables in any given day might have kids with them.  Hey, I live in a retirement town, what can I say.  That does not, however, mean that I haven’t seen my fair share of misbehaved kiddos “dining” at my establishment.  We’re going to work this as a How-to Guide to keep both your child and the restaurant you are patronizing happy.  (Side note… patronize is a strange word… it has both a negative and a positive meaning.  Weird.)

1. What to Bring.  I don’t bring a full fledged diaper bag many places anymore, because I don’t really need it.  Bug is almost 2, so the essentials are pretty much down to diapers & wipes these days.  However, when we’re going out to eat, I do like to pack a bag.  We use a backpack more often than a diaper bag packed with:

  • A spill-proof sippy cup.  Bug can drink out of a cup, but this is less mess when we’re out & about.
  • Wipes.  Obviously we have some on hand for diaper changes, but I use them to clean Bug’s hands and face and sometimes the table after he eats.
  • Snacks.  I know we’re talking about going out to eat here, but snacks come in handy if dinner is taking a long time.
  • Toys.  Books, crayons, little cars… things that don’t make noise.
  • Placemats.  Okay, I don’t pack these anymore, but I used to bring these disposable mats that stick to the table.  Great for when Bug couldn’t/wouldn’t keep food on his plate.

2.  What to Order.  And When.  Depending on where we go, we usually order Bug his own food.  He doesn’t eat much for dinner, but he’s not an adventurous eater either.  I’d rather order him a hamburger or hot dog knowing that he’ll eat part of it than give him some of my blackened fish tacos knowing that he won’t even try it.  What I’m saying is… order something tried and true, unless you have a mini-chef on your hands.  No fun paying for food that kiddo isn’t going to touch.  We usually order Bug’s food when we order ours.  Like I just said, he doesn’t eat much for dinner… which means it doesn’t take him long to eat.  I don’t want his food earlier than mine because then I don’t get to enjoy my meal.  However, if your toddler takes forever to eat (Bug takes like 30-40 minutes to eat breakfast), then you might want to order their food before yours.

3.  Entertainment.  Half of the time, when we’re out to eat, Bug won’t touch the toys we brought for him.  BORING, MOM.  He would rather play with what is on the table.  Menus are fun, so are straws.  Bread is awesome, as are crackers.  Pointing out decorations and talking about them is a great activity.  We aren’t afraid to sing silly songs in public if need be.  That being said, there are things I absolutely will not let him play with or do, because it drives me nuts when I am working.  Sugar packets = no way.  They get crumpled and wrinkled and torn.  At work, I end up having to throw them away after some toddler has destroyed them.  Salt & pepper = no way.  Nobody wants to clean that up.  Screaming = no way.  If he’s going to be loud while we’re waiting for dinner, we go outside.  Walking around the restaurant = no way.  We sit when we eat dinner at home.  Same goes for when we are out.  Not to mention, a thigh-high toddler moseying around is dangerous.  A server might not see him and walk right into him.  And, super annoying… guests meandering around the dining room are in the way of those trying to work.  (Side note:  I definitely can’t let Bug walk around other restaurants because he would try to walk into the kitchen… he doesn’t get that he can walk into my restaurant’s kitchen but not others!)

4.  After Dinner.  Once everyone is all done (“aww done”) eating, pay as quickly as you can and get out of there.  But, not before cleaning up.  We’re fortunate that Bug has never been a big food thrower… maybe because we curtailed that early on, or maybe just because he would rather eat it than throw it.  That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t drop stuff and make a mess, though.  I do my best to clean up any major Bug-caused messes in restaurants.  I don’t mind leaving the minor stuff to the staff, but it’s not hard to pick up that cracker on the floor.  Too often do I spend 5 full minutes on a busy night trying to clean up after a toddler who has smashed mac-n-cheese into a booth seat or obliterated 12 saltines right onto the floor.  Bug isn’t allowed to make messes like that to begin with, but if he did I’d be cleaning as much up as I could and then tipping extra for the staff to finish up.

Well, that’s all I can think of… do you have any tips for eating out with toddlers?