The secret is...mango madness!

I recently read an article that listed some of the best nutritional finger foods to give your baby.

Here is the link: http://www.babycenter.com/0_finger-foods_105.bc?scid=momsbaby_20130312:6&pe=MlVCNWtSR3wyMDEzMDMxMg..#articlesection4

 I was thrilled to know that some of my favorite summer fruits were listed: bananas, seedless watermelon, cantaloupe and MANGO! With this list in mind, I headed to the grocery store to pick up a few things for my growing boy. I think it is important to introduce yummy foods to your little one that maintain nutritional value instead of empty calories. Besides, steeling a piece of Malachi's fruit is much better for my diet than steeling a couple Cheetos!

I was so excited to dice up some mango for Malachi this morning but I found he was getting frustrated with the small pieces. I suppose he is still developing his motor skills that allow him to carefully pick up food with his little fingers. After sharing about Malachi's frustration, my husband suggested leaving some juicy mango on the huge seed and giving it to him. Genius! It was like giving a pig's ear to a puppy. Malachi was chomping away! He obviously loved the taste and the huge seed gave him something big to hang on to as he made use of his new teeth!

Take a look at some of the photos of Malachi's mango madness!

The secret is... Become Hands-Free!

Today has been "one of those days", and that's putting it kindly. Actually, I feel as though the last few weeks have been filled with these types of days. I've had some good moments, but have been finding it extremely difficult to mark anything off if my to-do list! Like yesterday, I was so proud of cleaning my entire apartment. Everything was vacuumed and looked just the way I like it! I went into the room to nurse Malachi and by the time I came out of the bedroom, Stella (my annoying puppy) had my living covered in shredded paper towels. I just about lost it! If it weren't for her adorable looks, we would've had a problem. I'm telling you, an uglier dog and we might have had a fatality on our hands. Today was a marathon of attempts to get some cleaning done (since nothing stays clean longer than 5 minutes). It was terrible. Every single time I tried to do something productive, Malachi was trying to hurt himself ( fingers in the door hinges, attempts to pull the floor lamp over etc)or he was tired from his explorations and wanted mom to cuddle with him. I know this doesn't sound so bad, but now that I'm writing it down I realize that the problem had to do with lack of sleep, high expectations of productivity and a stressful week. Anyways, my husband called from work and I was literally holding back the tears, "I NEED A BREAK!". not my finest moment. I like to think I'm able to keep it cool.

After my hubby got back from work (and I received numerous hugs to console me for my hard day), we went to run some errands. I thought we were headed to WinCo for some discount groceries but my hubby took a surprise turn for Babies R Us! I've been suggesting a baby carrier purchase to aid me in my multi-tasking endeavors. I love having a man who listens to me! He bought me a carrier. Now I can be happy baby-wearing hippie woman! I plan to wear this kid as I blissfully whip through my to do lists.

The secret is...visit the pool!

For everyone out there who experiences real changes in season, excuse my Southern California comments for a moment. I love that smooth transition from summer to fall, from fall to winter, from winter to spring and spring to summer. I know that it is not a dramatic change. We certainly don't see spring flowers ascend from a snow covered ground, but there is so much to appreciate during each special time of year. After a rainy week, I am so happy to see the sunshine! Don't get me wrong, I have loved my cuddle time on the couch with my books. But I need the sun.

Today Malachi and I decided to get out of the apartment and visit the pool. After watching the new Twilight movie last week, I was reminded of how closely my skin resembles a vampire's. I am in serious need of some vitaminD! Luckily we had the entire pool area to ourselves! My protective mommy instincts against the undisciplined children of America were laid to rest after seeing the empty space. My protective instincts were able to focus on my adventurous son. Malachi is fearless! He loves the water and explored the steps in the shallow end. As I sat with him, I felt so much joy in the littlest details of our visit. I love that I can see amber highlights in Malachi's hair that curls ever-so adorably when wet. I love the way sunscreen smells. I love feeling warm in the sunshine. I love the way big beach towels wrap around you and are so much more superior in color and size than your average bath towel. It was a welcomed sense of relief and happiness.

After some time, we headed back to our apartment where I was reminded of one of my favorite things: the feeling you get when you peel off your wet bathing suit and put on dry clothes. It is like you emerged from your summer chlorine bath and are ready to relax. Your skin feels a little dry but oddly fresh. You are almost always a little tired from your pool time activities and are ready for a nap. Although Malachi can't verbalized this feeling, I know he felt it too. A fresh diaper and onesie did the trick. He laid down for a nap.

the secret is...write a poem!

I'm not sure if you remember the Grandpa poem that I wrote for my dad for his birthday, but yesterday was my mom's birthday and we thought a Grandma poem would be a great gift! I wanted to share the poem that Malachi *wink wink* wrote for his Grandma for her birthday! It is so nice to give someone a personal gift that really touches them. We framed this poem and let Malachi color all over the matting.

My Grandma

My Grandma sings me Jesus songs

About goats and hippos and sheep

My Grandma holds me when the day is long

And I really need some sleep

My Grandma keeps lots of books

With lots of pretty pages

She’s always telling me to “look”

Snapping pictures takes her ages!

I know my Grandma is proud of me

She shows me off to her friends

My Grandma holds me happily

She never wants visiting to end.

My Grandma gets down on her knees

She plays with me on the ground.

At the park, beneath the trees

We play with my little hound.

My Grandma makes me laugh so hard.

She always makes me smile.

If my little arms could stretch a yard,

If they could stretch a mile,

I’d give my Grandma the biggest hug

Wrap her up really tight

I want to show her all my love

Just like in this poem I write. 

The secret is...Sock-puppet fun!

The other day, the boys and I took a little trip to Barnes & Noble to pick up some (MORE) books for my never-ending MA thesis paper. After finding what I needed, I found Ernie and Malachi in the cute kid's section of the bookstore. Ernie had a puppet on his hand and was making Malachi laugh hysterically!

We really wanted to buy it but cringed at the $30 price tag!

The next day, Ernie's grandpa suggested that we make a sock puppet. Ernie grabbed a white sock and a blue sharpie and drew a little face on it. Gosh kids are so easy to entertain sometimes! Malachi loved it! He woke up laughing with us and it was such a cute memory!