As cute as the bum-print idea is, I happen to find my one-year-olds' extremities to be super adorable, so I thought it would be a great idea to make a footprint Valentine for the father of my twins. I especially like the idea of taking one footprint from each of them and combining them into the shape of a heart.
Supplies
This is just what I used. Obviously, variations can easily be applied
black and red acrylic paint*
vellum (or semi-tranluscent) paper
Scotch tape
small, thick book
sponge
scissors
paint brush
Elmer's glue
Mod Podge
glitter
puffy paint
toothpick
8 x 10 inch float frame**
*I recommend water-soluble acrylic paint so it can easily be removed from baby's foot.
**A float frame is just a picture frame with two pieces of glass that are meant to sandwich the picture in rather than having a solid backing. I got mine at Michael's.
Oh yeah, and don't forget those little feet—super important
Henry's foot (left) and Winry's foot (right), February 2016
One Small Step...
The first step (pun intended) in this process is getting the footprints from the tiny people. This can be a little tricky since mine are only about 16-months-old and not the best at staying still. I recommend doing it when they're strapped into their highchair and distracted by something yummy.
Gimme that foot, you little face
I used bright red acrylic paint for Winry's foot, and mixed a little black in to make a darker red for Henry's foot. Use the sponge to apply the paint evenly over the foot. I would pat it with the sponge too so you don't have paint streaks showing up in the footprint. Keep a damp cloth handy to wipe foot off once you're done before baby has a chance to toe-paint anything.
Pressing Tip: To make the foot-pressing easier, I lightly taped the vellum paper onto a small book so I had something flat and substantial to press the foot against.
Paper taped to book
Also, make sure you have more than one sheet of paper handy in case the first try doesn't turn out well. Babies like to throw challenges your way now and again.
Paint footprints on vellum paper
Once you get some good ones, let the prints completely dry. Cut them out however you like once they're ready.
Add Some Sparkle
The classy thing to do would probably have been to place the footprints into a heart shape in the float frame and maybe paint a simple heart around them, but I found puffy paint and glitter, so the classy option was immediately voted down.
First, I figured out how I wanted the cut-out footprints to overlap and dabbed a couple of dots of Elmer's glue to the backs of the vellum paper in order to tack it down onto the back sheet of glass from the float frame.
Glue Warning: You may want to keep these dots of glue small or possibly brushed out a little. I kept mine in dot form and later realized that they made the vellum paper wrinkle a little where the glue had made contact since it was a little too much concentrated goop in one area. Double-sided tape may be a better option.
I then brushed Mod Podge into a heart shape around the mounted footprints and sprinkled on the glitter.
Be quick and generous with the Mod Podge so that it doesn't dry before you get a chance to glitterize it
After letting that dry and removing the excess glitter, I painted the words above and below the feet and added a different color of glitter while the paint was still wet.
The footprints and glitter are contained inside of the frame. After everything dried, I placed the second sheet of glass on top of my glittery art and placed everything into the frame.
Puffy paint for the outside—I wanna touch it!
The puffy paint is applied last on top of the front of the glass to add a little depth. I simply traced the shape of the heart and added a few dots. I made a few streaks in the puffy paint heart with a toothpick.
I had previously posted about two stain-removing concoctions made up of common household items, which I referred to as Berry-Be-Banished and Grease-Go-Gone. As you can probably surmise, the first one removes berry stains and the second, grease stains. The details of these ingredients and instructions can be found at the original post, 'Tis the Season for Stains.
Since then, I have discovered two things—hence the addendum.
1. Berry-Be-Banished removes blood stains
I had a hunch that this would do the job on blood since it contains Hydrogen Peroxide. I've been told in the past that Hydrogen Peroxide is good for cleaning blood stains. I prefer the Berry-Be-Banished mix (again, found on 'Tis the Season for Stains) since it contains soap and baking soda in addition to the Hydrogen Peroxide and gives the stain little to no chance of survival.
IMPORTANT NOTE: When dealing with blood stains, use cold water. Hot water can actually bind the blood to the fabric, which is the opposite of what we want.
Side Note: No, my daughter did not get into an adorable baby knife fight. A few droplets of blood escaped the bandage from her vaccination shot.
I think it is worth noting that this blood stain had dried on the pants the day before I tried cleaning it, and it still came out almost immediately after I applied the Berry-Be-Gone mixture. Even so, I threw it in a load of laundry (with cold water) afterwards to get that real good clean.
2. Grease-Go-Gone works on cotton fabrics as well as denim
In the previous stain-removing post ('Tis the Season for Stains) I had successfully used the lighter fluid trick on a pair of jeans. Since then, my husband battled some devious french fries and greased up a cotton t-shirt, giving me an opportunity to test another fabric.
Psst... I think my grease-staining husband might be Batman
IMPORTANT NOTE: On lighter (both in color and weight) fabrics than denim, I recommend following the instructions from 'Tis the Season for Stains but reducing the lighter fluid soaking time from 20 minutes to 10 minutes.
On my first try with the t-shirt, the grease stain disappeared, but a very faint mark was left behind—so faint that I thought it was just shadows from the light. It seemed that the lighter fluid was making this small mark. This is why I recommend reducing the lighter fluid soaking time by half.
I actually lightly covered that area with lighter fluid again, soaked for only 10 minutes, rinsed the area out thoroughly with cold water and used the Berry-Be-Gone treatment, including throwing it in the washing machine, for good measure. This seemed to do the trick as you can see from the above image.
Henry doesn't mind sporting his sister's floral shirt on laundry day, January 2016
My husband makes a mean cranberry sauce every holiday season. This year, he bought more frozen cranberries than we needed, so I've been using them for baby food.
It's very simple and only involves three ingredients.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup cranberries (frozen is what I use)*
3 Gala apples
baby oatmeal cereal
*IMPORTANT NOTE: Cranberries contain good stuff like Vitamin C and antioxidants, but since they are also acidic, it is not recommended that they be fed to a baby younger than eight months. And as always, introduce new foods one at a time to determine if baby has any allergies.
INSTRUCTIONS
Rinse your apples. Then core and cut them into small pieces (roughly half inch cubes). You can peel the skins if you want. I find that Gala apple skins get plenty soft and baby-eatable after being cooked and puréed, so I don't bother removing them.
Put the apples and cranberries in a large sauté pan. Fill pan with water until it about halfway covers the fruit. Then set the stove to medium-low heat and let simmer until most or all of the liquid has evaporated.
apples and cranberries in sauté pan
Drain the remaining water, if any, and throw softened apples and cranberries into a food processor. Blend until smooth. You can add whole milk, formula or breast milk while blending if needed—just make sure not to use whole milk until baby is at least one-year-old.
When ready to serve up to baby, mix desired amount of purée to baby oatmeal cereal. I use the Gerber Oatmeal Cereal and mix as much milk (or whatever nutritious liquid your baby is consuming) as needed for desired consistency. You can make the purée to oatmeal ratio whatever you want. I typically do about half and half so that the sweetness and tartness of the fruits are not too strong.
Cranberry apple oatmeal, soon to be on my children's faces
Henry (left) and Winry (right), aka My Messy Faces, December 2015
Storage tip from a previous post, Pumpkin Apple Purée Recipe:
I like to make a fairly large amount of baby food and freeze the rest in ice cube trays.
It's convenient since each cube is one ounce of food. You just take out however much you need the night before and let it thaw in the refrigerator until it's yum-yum time.
Ice cube tray tip: If you're having trouble getting the frozen cubes out of the tray, run warm water along the back for a few seconds. Then they'll pop right out.
Side Note for Turkey Season
While checking to see if cranberries were safe for babies to eat, I came upon a web article from Parents Magazine, Holiday Foods Babies Can Eat Too. It had some great food recommendations as well as a few recipes for babies.
I have a co-worker who was due this month with her first little baby. As this wonderful lady had been getting bigger and bigger with baby over the past few months, I tried to pass along any tips or product recommendations that I could think of since my first-time baby experience was relatively fresh in my mind.
Of all of the subjects that we discussed, the best tip I could possibly offer a new parent is how to soothe a fussy baby.
Why You Should Love Dr. Harvey Karp
Soothing a fussy baby is something every first-time mother and father are going to want to learn quickly. I definitely recommend listening to the expert on the subject, Dr. Harvey Karp.
To me, his look is a bit stuck in the 90s, but his advice and methods are current and the best ones I've ever used.
I haven't read the book of the same name, but I watched the DVD called The Happiest Baby on the Block, and it is genius. Spread the word to every expecting mother you know. She'll thank you for it. In fact, if you're wondering what to get for a baby shower that's not too pricey but super useful, then I highly recommend the DVD.
You can wrap baby in a swaddling blanket (see how-to video here)
Some swaddles come with zippers or velcro to make it a little easier; I recommend the velcro (this was one we had and liked) since it is easy to snuggly adjust based on baby's size as he or she grows
Side/stomach position
This is for soothing, not for sleeping—sleeping should always be done on back
Shushing
This is basically any loud white noise, so you could shush in baby's ear or use a white noise machine of your choice
Relax Melodies is a free app available for Android and iPhone that has many white noise sounds and a customizable timer to shut itself off at the end of the countdown (I love to use it myself too when I have a little trouble getting to sleep)
Swinging
Any rhythmic motion can be good whether it's your arms, a rocker or an automatic swing
My husband and I were super grateful to have an automatic swing like the Fisher-Price Snugabunny Cradle 'N Swing. The product description from the link will give you all the information you need, but I'll say that my favorite features were the multiple swing speeds, the mirror in the center of the mobile above baby, the option to swing side-to-side or head-to-toe and that the music/sounds and swinging will shut off automatically after a while
Sucking
A pacifier or your own clean finger can help in a pinch
My daughter tried to help Mommy out by offering her fussy brother a finger after pacifier fell out of his mouth,
from November 2014 when they were only a few weeks old
*Consider your face blasted with title alliteration. Boom!
When making resolutions for the New Year, there are three common themes:
Improve Your Health
Learn Something New
Try Something New
If I may be so bold, I would like to suggest a few realistic goals that fall under these themes and apps that will help in achieving these goals.
NOTE: All of the apps mentioned in this post are free and available for most devices (iPhone, Android and Google Play), so you mostly have no excuse... mostly.
Improve Your Health: Get Yo' Fit On
There are a bazillion different exercises and diets and general fitness tips out there, so let's keep this super simple with something everyone needs—water.
Water is also probably the easiest health/fitness resolution goal with seven solid benefits. Details of the benefits can be found through WebMD.
from opening title of Legend of Korra
My husband is a Water Bender. Are you?
Stay slimmer
Boost your energy
Lower stress
Build muscle tone
Nourish your skin
Stay regular
Reduce kidney stones
Water is the great equalizer in the health and fitness world. Everyone needs it no matter what your lifestyle is. And odds are, you're not drinking enough of it. You always mean to, but then you get distracted by your day and forget. It's like flossing; we all agree it is good, but we rarely follow through to make it habit.
Perhaps you don't even know how much water you should be drinking. I aim for about 72 fluid ounces a day, but it all depends on various factors like your age, weight and activity level. Don't worry. The app I'm about to recommend will take this into account, which is how I got my goal.
Like I noted at the top, it's free and available for Android and Google Play (not for iPhone though**). There are in-app purchases available, which are mostly ads that pop up every now and then. But if I don't have to pay for something, then I'm ok with the occasional X-button hitting to make an ad go away.
**Although I have not used it personally, Waterlogged is a similar app that is available for iPhone. I can't share the details, but it is rated pretty highly, so it may be worth checking out. Please feel free to comment below if you have had any positive or negative experiences with Waterlogged.
There is also a paid PRO version, but I haven't used it. If you're curious about it, there is an option for a three-day trial within the menu of the free app.
What's cool about this water reminder app is that you can tell it what size glass you normally drink out of and what time of day you're awake, and it will break up your awake day into segments in order to achieve your goal.
Mine, for instance, is broken up into four and a half sections. Each section has a goal of 16 fluid ounces (that's the cup size I chose and the volume unit I prefer). There is a count down between each section that will remind me that I should have drank my 16 ounces by now.
Each section and water goal will be different depending on your individual variables.
The reminders at the end of each section are based on the time you tell it you are awake. I play it safe and cushion my times by half an hour or so. This ensures that the reminders do not go off when I am trying to snooze (you also have the option of setting different times for different days in case you like to sleep in on your weekends).
I was concerned that the reminders might become obnoxious, but the sound that goes off is a pleasant bubbly tone. And the notifications that pop up on my phone are usually encouraging in nature rather than judgmental. Sometimes there are even little water facts, which are also posted on their Facebook page.
I have definitely been upping my water game since I started using this app. And the gamer in me likes that I can hit a button every time I finish a glass of water and have a feeling of accomplishment. There are even achievements that you can earn, which of course, makes me feel even prouder and more motivated every time I hydrate myself.
I've also become determined to make the little water drop guy, who appears near the end of the day, happy. It brings me a strange sense of satisfied responsibility. It's like the same part of your brain that lights up when you take good care of your Tamagotchi (remember Tamagotchi?!?).
Don't worry, little guy on the left. We'll get to the party-hat-wearing finish line together.
Remember taking a language class for like 1–3 years in high school? Remember how you've forgotten nearly everything you learned about that language? Well, Duolingo can help!
Duolingo
It doesn't have to be a language that you have already "learned" and then completely forgotten. You can start a whole new one. There are fifteen from which to choose.
I've only tried the Spanish option so far, but I'm really curious about the Irish one.
This language app is neat because you don't have to sit through a lecture. It's a lot of repetition in both typing and speaking form. So it feels faster paced than a sit-down class because there is more interaction, but the repetition is what is going to make the words stick in your head.
Again, this is fun for a gamer mentality because you unlock achievements and get points. You can even invite your friends and try to outrank them in points.
Some of the Lingots (Duolingo currency) that you earn can buy lessons for less common topics—like flirting—which is bonus learning fun.
Thank goodness I have a year to earn 30 Lingots and unlock the Christmas topic.
I confess that it has been over a year since I used this app, but I've been excited to get back into it. This also brings me to another interesting feature: you have to keep practicing your skills or your lesson meters deplete.
My meters are all dangerously low! I must learn now!!
Where all of these meters were once full, you can see that after a year's neglect, they are super low. When you think about it, it's like a chart for your brain, showing how little you remember now because it's been so long since you practiced and reinforced these skills.
And don't think that you'll have to go back to the basics every few weeks to keep the meter up. The lower lessons are incorporated into the newer lessons and keep those meters filled as they're taught in different ways.
The biggest reason I stopped using this app is because two little wiggle worms entered my life over a year ago, and there wasn't any time or energy in me to try to learn extra stuff. But they're over a year old now, and I feel like I'll be able to fit it in here and there. You can do a short lesson for only like five minutes. Duolingo is good about breaking everything up into manageable pieces.
Hear that, my darling, little faces? Mommy is blaming you.
Also, don't worry about parts of the lessons that you are supposed to speak out loud. If you're in a public place or don't have a device with a microphone, you can simply click that you cannot speak right now, and it skips it.
Easy and fun and languagey (Disclaimer: Languagey is not part of any real language)!
BONUS SUGGESTION:Khan Academy is another great source of free knowledge. It's great for any age and covers various topics including Chemistry of Life, Probability and Statistics and Coding. I usually go right to the website for the free learning, but there are free apps for iPhone and Android now too.
Try Something New: Adventure Go!
This last suggestion is not an app but a podcast. A co-worker friend recently told me about it, and I have already finished the 29 episodes in about a two-week period (the 30th episode just came out today, so Mama gets a treat for the ears later).
It is about three adult brothers, Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy, and their father, Clint, playing Dungeons and Dragons together. I know it doesn't sound like it would appeal to anyone who has not played D&D, but neither the woman who recommended it to me nor I have ever played the game, and we just love this McElroy family and their silly hijinks.
You can subscribe to it through iTunes or steam it directly through this website. Although, if I understand their message correctly, they prefer that you subscribe, which is free, so that they have a higher rating or ranking or whatever—it helps them and costs you nothing is the bottom line.
And again, you don't have to know how to play—or even like the idea of playing—Dungeons and Dragons to enjoy the podcast. Griffin is a word smith of the highest caliber and forges a fun-filled, adventure-packed fantasy world. And all four McElroys play with love, humor and gusto!
The first episode is by far the slowest, but they have a lot of setting up and explaining to do—not unlike any pilot episode of a television show that we later become obsessed with.
Two of my favorite aspects of this podcast are the general jokes and humor that everyone brings to the table and the character voices—the best of which are Taako (played by Justin McElroy) and pretty much every character that Dungeon Master Griffin manifests into being.
Part of the humor that I love so much comes from the three adventures testing the limits of the Dungeon Master's world just for the poops and giggles of it—such as rolling to see if Magnus can swipe a book away from a 10-year-old boy just to play Monkey in the Middle or clarifying the appearance of an enemy's captive by asking the Dungeon Master what celebrity he most resembles.
It is a lot of fun and keeps me smiling and giggling throughout my day. It has even inspired me to make my own 2016 resolution to attempt a beginner's game of D&D.
BONUS SUGGESTIONS for other podcasts I love (all free and available through iTunes):
My Brother, My Brother and Me
Another humorous podcast by the McElroy brothers that is advice-themed
Below is an animated excerpt from episode 182, animated by Tyler Crowley
This American Life
Different stories centered on one theme that can easily make you laugh or cry
Radiolab
About curiosity and ideas involving science, philosophy and human experience
Freakonomics
The hidden side of everything with an economist's perspective
If all else fails...
... with your resolutions, try some nifty reverse-psychology.
I have mixed feelings about children's toys that play music or make sounds at the push of a button. The biggest plus is that the sounds draw the kids in. The biggest minus is that hearing the same sounds and/or songs over and over again will make the parents die a little inside. So if you're going to get a toy that could potentially drive you crazy, I recommend the My Pal doggies from LeapFrog.
There are two options—the green puppy named Scout and the purple puppy named Violet. They are sold separately, but I have one of each because I have a boy/girl set of fraternal twins.
Made by: LeapFrog Recommended age: 6–36 months Warning for parents: You may find yourself singing along to all of the songs whether you want to or not.
One thing I appreciate about these two options is that Scout is typically for boys and Violet is typically for girls, but they don't have to be. The neat features that come with this toy can be set up for either gender on either toy.
That super neat feature is that the My Pals can be hooked up to your computer or mobile device and programed to say your child's name, which is incorporated into songs they sing and things they say. You even have the option to have the toy spell out your child's name in a song.
PROS:
Has three separate sound buttons on the paws (the fourth is to turn it on/off)
There is a pretty good variety of sounds and songs, so you'll tire of them way less quickly than many other toys with sound that I've heard
Program your child's name into the toy
I especially love that the My Pal will spell out the name in song
Can also program your child's favorite animal, color and food, which is also incorporated into things that the My Pal says and sings
Obviously, it's a little hard to get these favorites out of someone who can't speak yet, but you can always change it later as they contradict your initial best guess
The collar with the name lights up, which captures your child's attention even more
It's still a stuffed animal, and even though I wouldn't recommend you leave it in their cribs...
Soft and light enough for kids to handle
Safe when they drop it
They can snuggle it and give it kisses
Things with sounds keep the kids occupied
Things with music can make your kids dance
The night songs feature on the foot will sing your children to sleep
Can be set for five, ten or fifteen minutes and will shut off automatically
I recommend watching the video provided by LeapFrog. You can even hear what My Pal sounds like (Scout and Violet have the same voice, which, as my husband pointed out, bears a striking resemblance to the voice of Aang (Zach Tyler) from the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender).
The Grinch put it best when he spoke of all that Noise! Noise! Noise! Noise!
The pause before My Pal says the child's name is a little awkward (you can hear it in the LeapFrog video)
Counter-con: this, however, is not a surprise and is even kind of funny, especially when you start singing along with the awkward pause
Children's names can be limited and unusual ones may not be available
My daughter's name, Winry, for instance was not available, but her nickname, Winnie was
Counter-con: I could still have the My Pal spell out W-I-N-R-Y for the song
Counter-con: you can always use a term of endearment that is available like Sweetie
To Prevent Grinchy Noise! Syndrome:
Make it a sometimes toy and/or nighttime song toy.
After we first got the My Pals, we let the kids have complete access to them during playtime, which meant we heard the My Pals a lot. When it started becoming a little too much NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! I put the My Pals up next to their changing pad.
Henry plays with Scout on the changing pad
This was a great alternative because then they could play with it in shorter bursts for my sanity, and it would captivate them while I changed them—so much less sitting up or rolling over while extracting a poopy diaper (at 14 months, they can otherwise easily sit up and roll over).
I almost always use the nighttime songs when they take a nap or go to bed too. It's great to have song mechanisms these days that turn off automatically on their own.
More Babies with My Pals!
Winry and Henry with Violet and Scout
Buttons easy to push for tiny fingers
Henry looks down on Scout, in a good way
Light enough for easy baby-lifting
Winry lights up Violet's collar while Henry snuggle-tackles Scout
Henry has got some sloppy kisses for Scout... or he is eating him, maybe?
Winry grooving to the music
... with an oddly serious expression
Blocks are always awesome. I dare anyone to think back on their childhood and not find a happy memory with some sort of block-like toy.
And there are so many types: wooden ones, plastic ones, connecting ones, mega- ones—all wonderful. But this time I'm going to endorse the wooden, magnetic connecting ones.
We have two of the 22-Piece Tints Endeavor Block Sets and three of the Green a la Carte Cubes Block Sets (4 blocks per set). However, more and more different sets keep coming out, so the 24-piece set seems to currently be the standard medium-sized set.
Made by: Tegu Recommended age: 1+ year Added bonus: Blocks help children's brains develop lots good
Haven't you heard that blocks are good for you? NPR recently did a story about wood blocks, mentioning that "early childhood studies have shown that children who play with blocks have better language and cognition skills than control groups" (full story here).
Tegu also has an impressive chart. I don't know about you, but I trust a good-looking chart.
This chart makes me want to help my children be good at stuff, image from tegu.com
I'm also a big fan of any child's toy that is fun for me to play with as well (besides Tegu, Squigz are another great example).
My 13-month-old twins aren't quite ready to use these blocks to build, but as you can see, they enjoy handling them, banging them together, pulling them apart and—inevitably—chewing on them.
PROS:
Fun for the kids and the adults
Good for solo play and/or group play (hear that, moms of multiples?)
Comes in many shapes and colors and various sets
If people double up on them for gifts, you just think of it as expanding your set
Smooth wooden surfaces are easy to wipe clean
It has magnets! ... Magnets are proven to be cool by science!!
Magnets are strong enough to stick to other metallic surfaces
Blocks in general make brains good :)
They'll play with them for many years
You can feel good about the company you are patronizing (see their Our Story Page)
Tegu donates towards replanting efforts for trees
Their factory is in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in efforts to bring world-class employment standards to Central America
Safe, good quality product
magnets are deep inside the toys and not accessible
use non-toxic, water-based lacquers
CONS:
They're a bit pricey
My advice is to get them from amazon.com or zulily.com when they're on sale. Zulily requires that you sign up in order to view their site, but it won't cost you anything. It's worth it since I've found better sales for Tegu through zulily than anywhere else.
You can even search specifically for the Tegu brand. Then click on the heart, and you'll be notified when it goes on sale.
