I’m sure you’ve heard of Lacing cards, right? They’re usually a shape or a picture with holes around the edges that toddlers and preschoolers can use to practice “sewing”. They’re great for hand eye coordination and learning about patterns etc. So a few months back, I wanted to get one for O, but being the cheapskate that I am, balked… View Post
A Very Hungry Caterpillar Birthday Party
Last week O turned 3. ( I know!) Not really one to get emotional about things like going to school, this one got me. Three just seems so old! O had plans to see both sets of Grandparents within two weeks on either side of his birthday so we decided to just have a little playdate on a weekday morning… View Post
Birthday Weekend Recap
So last weekend was my birthday. It often falls on or around Labor Day which is pretty awesome because, THREE DAY WEEKEND! This year I didn’t have any specific plans but I ended up having a lovely weekend (am I the only one that milks their birthday for the whole weekend if at all possible?). I started off with a… View Post
Our Food Allergy Story: Back to School
It’s back to school time, a busy and anxiety producing time for most parents (and kids). Add a food allergy and the thought of someone else caring for your child, and it’s downright scary, especially for a young child. O is turning 3 this week which is a great age but it means he’s still so young he doesn’t completely… View Post
They’re Two, They’re Four, They’re Six, They’re Eight…. (Day out with Thomas the Train)
Did I get the song in your head? Last weekend, as an early birthday present for O, we went to check out Day out with Thomas at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL. It took us about an hour and fifteen minutes to get there from downtown Chicago and it turned out to be a really cool museum. We… View Post
Preschool Tote Bag Tutorial (aka I can’t believe my kid’s old enough for school!)
So last thursday we sent little O off to his very first day of preschool with his snack, his drink and his little tote bag. (Back to school printable available here!) I’m not generally the kind of mom who has a hard time separating or gets weepy about things like this. Nervous? Yes. Excited for him (and me! I get… View Post
Baby Bear Hat Knitting Pattern
This adorable Baby Bear Hat knitting pattern is a quick and easy knit and makes a great gift for the newborn, baby or toddler in your life! As I mentioned previously, it’s new baby season in my neighborhood. I made a couple Super Easy Baby Shower Quilts a couple weeks ago and I also wanted to add some cute knitted… View Post
Kids Art Gift Wrap
About a two years ago I decided that if at all possible, I was going to stop buying wrapping paper and gift wrap. It was Christmas at my parents’ house and the giant garbage bag just full of wrapping paper kind of made me feel sick. Of course, sometimes it can’t be helped, like if you are giving a gift… View Post
Dulce de Leche Coconut Bars Recipe (aka Nut Free Five Layer Bars)
I had to bring a dessert to a ladies’ night out recently and decided to go with these Dulce de Leche Coconut Bars because I haven’t made them in a while. You might be familiar with Seven Layer Bars, right? Once upon a time, this was a Seven Layer Bar recipe. But after O’s diagnoses with peanut and tree nut… View Post
Breaking Bad Jello Shots – a Breaking Bad Season Premiere Party
Happy Monday (or as we call it, the day after Breaking Bad is on)! If you’re a fan, you know the season premiere of the very last season was last night. And if it isn’t obvious, Aa and I are big fans. Yes, it’s pretty violent. But I still think the pilot episode of this show is one of the… View Post
Super Easy Baby Shower Quilt — Tutorial
You know how there are certain ages in life where it seems like you are surrounded by big life events? Like when you’re in your mid to late twenties and lot of people you know are getting married? My brother is in this category and I think last summer, he and his girlfriend went to something like 9 weddings (can… View Post
Vacation
We just got back from an entire week of vacation (awesome!) in Wisconsin with my family. There was a lot of this: We were gone for six days and I made it through five books. (Have I mentioned I like to read…ALOT? Well, I do, I really really do.) But I didn’t do all of my reading alone: Apparently I’ve… View Post
High Rise Farming
Ok, maybe high rise farming is a silly title. High Rise Gardening? Urban Tomatoes? Anyway, when I was growing up my dad always grew something in the summer. He’s had always had plants and flowers, sometimes vegetables. And when I was really little, at our old house, we even had raspberries. I think those were less “gardened” and more “growing… View Post
Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
I’d say 90% of the time, if given a choice about dessert, I go with chocolate. Unless there are strawberries. And Strawberry Shortcake is my kriptonite. (The dessert, not the character. Although I did LOVE Strawberry Shortcake the character when I was little. I had a little Strawberry Shortcake action figure that actually smelled like strawberries. She was awesome! I’m… View Post
Herringbone Dresser
Until about a year and half ago, we had two wonderful cats. (Trust me this story is going somewhere…) We got them from a shelter when we first moved to Chicago when they were six weeks old and completely adorable. They were brother and sister and we named them Yuko (left) and Hiro (right) after some friends we met in… View Post