Lizzie's 2nd Birthday {Top 10}

We just had Lizzie's 2nd birthday party on Sunday. It was a blast!

Now that I have hosted 2 birthday parties for my little girl, I think I've learned a couple of things.

Here are my top 10 birthday party tips

1 - Plan more than 5 days in advance. As my due date approaches rapidly, I realized that the month of June would be gone before I knew it, and Lizzie had been looking forward to a birthday party for weeks. So at the last minute I talked to my family, wrote up invitations, and jumped into high gear on preparations.
*bonus: avoid planning a birthday party for the 37th week of your pregnancy. I won't say much more than this: hormones, exhaustion, irrationality, irritability, and a time constraint.

2 - Do choose a theme. Last year, Lizzie was into balloons, so the "theme" was balloons. It gives a direction for the party, even if it's not anything elaborate. This year, several months ago, I found these super cute Very Hungry Caterpillar invitations at Target on clearance. So for $1.48 I had my theme. And Lizzie was on a Very Hungry Caterpillar kick, so it worked perfectly.

3 - Don't plan your birthday party on a holiday. For some reason, people tend to not have 1-3 PM free on Father's Day. Go figure. I knew it was a risk, but I knew it was going to be the day that worked for my family, and if some friends could come too, all the better. The reality is that if everyone I'd invited could have come, we would never have had enough space. We definitely would have had enough food, though!

4 - Be realistic about time. Within a 2 hour birthday party for a two-year-old, there's enough time to eat, blow out candles, eat cake, open presents, and hand out favors. If you want to add games or crafts or other activities, give yourself a longer time frame, or don't count on feeding people a full meal.
*bonus: don't plan it during a toddler's naptime. Lizzie was getting so sleepy while opening presents, she was almost impossible to move her from one gift to the next. Of course, she also LOVED her gifts and wanted to spend an hour playing with each one. Again, be realistic about time.

5 - Get as much as possible done before the party. This party was lunch immediately after church, which meant that not only did we have to prepare for the party, I had to get myself and a slow-moving child out the door and presentable for church, all before 9:30 AM. Although a little bit of last minute preparation is inevitable, I didn't want to still be decorating or laying out food as guests arrived. 
*bonus: pick up a couple of pizzas the night before, so you don't have to plan dinner the night before hosting a party, then have leftovers after the party.  I had everything cleaned up and put away shortly after everyone left, and got to enjoy a clean house, and a refrigerator stuffed with leftovers.

the spread! 
"and that night, he had a stomach ache."

6 - So, make lists--lots and lots of lists. I made a list of decorations and where they would go, a list of things to go in the favor bags, a list of things that needed to be done to the house, a grocery list, a "we forgot it at the grocery store so we have to go back" list, and a food list. The smartest thing I think I did was to make a map of the table layout, down to which tray would hold which food. It saved me many minutes of standing in the middle of the kitchen feeling confused.

7 - Ask someone else to help with pictures. While hostessing, tending to a busy toddler, and trying to eat herself, Mommy doesn't have time to take good pics. I mostly got a lot of poorly timed 'candid' shots. Fortunately, I did at least take pictures of the food, which I was kind of proud of.

8 - Apply a 'make your own' concept to foods for picky eaters (i.e., toddlers). We did a sandwich and fruit buffet, and cupcakes. Avoid the need for flatware. Use paper products so cleanup is a cinch.

Fact: multicolored clothes cover a multitude of stains

9 - Dress the birthday girl in multi-colored clothes, to hide the frosting dyed with half a bottle of artificial coloring. This was an accidental discovery, but I'm quite pleased with it.


10 - Enjoy the party!  Engage your guests, hug your birthday girl, read a story, laugh!

Sam takes a minute to read Harry the Dirty Dog

Let some things slide; perfection is not realistic. It's a party for a two year old, for crying out loud. If you Yes, I ran out of time to assemble PB&J sandwiches for the folks who didn't want lunchmeat. Yes, I forgot to slice the plums. No, we didn't get to do the "beautiful butterfly" craft I had ready to go just in case there was a lull. No, I didn't get to make every decoration I had wanted to. But there comes a point where it is necessary to stop the prep and enjoy yourself and your guests and your child. I'm glad I managed to do that. It was a lovely party, Lizzie was beaming from all the attention and the fun, and a good time was had by all.

Happy birthday, beautiful Lizzie!  You're the most amazing little girl I know.

We're back! {Top Ten} April So Far

This has been a full month.  It has been wonderful.  I wish I had started a list of bullet points of everything that's happened in the past few weeks, so that I could put together an intelligent recap of our April.  Or at least so that I could remember things.  But I didn't, so this is the brief run-down of what we've been up to!

1.  Almost 3 weeks ago, my sweet and dear friend, Michelle, drove 800+ miles from Michigan with her boyfriend, Rob, solely to visit with us.  That is a good friend there. 

Rob, Michelle, and Lizzie, at the park

Michelle was my maid of honor in my wedding.  Whenever she gets married--which shouldn't be too far off now--she's already picked me for the position, though with the title Matron. 

Michelle & Cindy, all dressed up

We used to stay up until all hours, talking about all the things that girls talk about--school, boys, relationships, our spiritual journey, boys, and dreams for the future.  While they visited, we got our "late night" time in during the early morning, while Lizzie and Rob slept in. 

Having Michelle as a friend is like having a sister.  No matter how often we see each other, we can always pick up where we left off.  And I hope that my girls get to be such close friends, too.

2.  In preparation for having houseguests, we had to clean.  Their stay motivated us to rearrange our guest room and make it livable. 
Before:

(Yes, I do understand that the blocks and colorful toys add drama, and make it look worse than it was, but it really was that bad.  I found that I had not filed or even remotely dealt with paperwork since October.  October, people!)

After:

 3.  We ventured to the Southeastern Railway Museum.  Lizzie loves trains, more than I would expect a girl to love trains, and we are right around the corner from this surprisingly great "museum" of trains and transportation. 

 

4.  Sam has another job prospect lined up, and it starts at the beginning of next month.  It's a three-month internship contract, which we are praying will become a permanent position.  He is excited to get back on track with a construction job, since his most recent degree is in construction project management.  I am excited for him, too!  The retail place has been God's provision for us, however, it's only an interim job. I am also looking forward to the retail schedule coming to an end and having a regular work week, that starts with early mornings and early bedtimes.

5.  We went to Texas and back!  We put approximately 2500 miles on our truck, but it was worth every mile.  Along the way we stayed with friends in Hattiesburg, MS, spent several days with Sam's family in Houston, made a 24 hour trip to stay with more friends and make a cameo appearance at a home church in San Antonio, returned to Houston, then departed for Mobile, AL, for one final stay with more friends, before heading home.  

6.  While in Houston, we got to go to the zoo, which was so much fun.  We went during nap time, so even though Lizzie was slightly zombie-like, she did really love being there.  

7.  Lizzie adores her grandparents.  Both sets.  She was actually disappointed when we told her we were going home instead of going back to Yeh-Yeh and Ni-Ni's house.  

 

When we did get back home, we got to visit with my family, too.  My mom is back in town.  She'd been in California for nearly a month, helping her sister care for their mother.  Her mother is still hanging in there, so she may need to fly back out soon, but we hope that her mom will hold out until after the book launch on May 3, at least.

 

8.  I arrived at my third trimester.  There are now only 11 weeks left before my due date of July 11 (Lord willing, no more than that!).  I am feeling quite large, my ankles are feeling quite larger, and whatever energy I had in the 2nd trimester is gradually leaving.  I'm glad we got to travel together as a family of 3 this month.

9.  Lizzie is making some "big girl" transitions.  While at Sam's parents' house, she went #2 in her potty for the first time.  That was a big deal.  She hasn't done it since, but she's put forth some good effort.  We haven't put forth a huge effort to push potty training, but we are giving her opportunity to try, especially if she asks. 

As of last night, Lizzie has decided she is no longer interested in sleeping in her crib.  So, she has slept on her crib mattress on the floor - which actually means, on the floor itself - for one evening and one nap.  The going to bed process has been a bit of a struggle, but once the lights are off and the door is closed, she has stayed in her bed like a big girl!  If we can keep this up until the new baby comes, then we'll only have to get one more mattress, instead of a whole new crib set. 

10.  Easter.   Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!  That we have a resurrection and the hope of the gospel, the strength of the same Spirit who raised Christ Jesus from the dead also in us.  It is truly indescribable.

Lizzie got to experience an egg hunt for the first time.  She was a little foggy on the details until she picked up a few eggs.  Then she got the hang of it.  And as soon as she got to what was on the inside (chocolate candy! stickers! bubble gum - we didn't know about that one until she gave me a very chewed up piece), she was pretty stoked to find more!

 

Those are our highlights.  How has your April been?

{top ten} recipe for a good morning

Mornings.  Sometimes I love 'em, and sometimes I hate 'em.

These are a few things that make my mornings better:

1. Getting enough sleep.  We're night owls, and have lately barely gotten to bed before midnight.  It is a terrible habit, especially while having some kind of pregnancy insomnia.  So "enough sleep" for me is better than 6 hours.  It is preparing me for having an infant again, when "sleeping through the night" means longer than 5 hours at a time. 

2.  Coffee.  You know I love it.  And without it, I get a headache in the afternoon.  So, it really makes the whole day go better.

3.  A quiet time.  At least 15 minutes with an open Bible and no interruption.  Extra good if it comes with coffee.  And the Holy Spirit, of course.  Many bloggers are getting involved in Maximize Your Mornings.  I have almost started many times, but have not made the dedicated commitment yet. 

4.  Setting realistic expectations for my day.  This goes in all directions:  Expectations of what I can accomplish, of what I can expect from my 21 month old, of what I can expect from my husband.  If I think I can clean the bathrooms and organize the pantry and still go to the grocery store, while keeping peace in toddler-land and making a delicious dinner for all of us, you can expect me to melt down by 2 PM.  I'm usually better off re-prioritizing before I go into angry, overwhelmed mode. 

5.  Having a dinner plan.  If I know what I will make for dinner, a huge burden of stress has been lifted from my day.  And if it's something easy, all the better.

6.  If I can wake up before the toddler does, I feel like I'm 4 steps ahead of the game. 

7.  And if I can get dressed, wash my face, brush my teeth, and perhaps even fix my hair and put on makeup, before anyone else needs me, I feel like I'm ready for just about anything. 

8.  This one is completely out of my control, but if there is sunshine in the morning, my day is that much happier. 

9.  Breakfast.  Ideally something with a substantial amount of protein in it.  Sam appreciates when I eat a good breakfast, too--I'm a lot nicer.

10.  I have noticed that on days that my computer is not touched before noon, everything goes much more smoothly.  As much as I love it, it sucks the life out of my days.

What makes your mornings lovely?

10 Ways to Keep Sane While Waiting at a Government Office

Being unemployed and relying upon various forms of government assistance allows countless hours of waiting in plastic chairs with others in similar, or worse, situations.

Here are ways to keep entertained while waiting.

1.  Keep your toddler off the floor.  And out of the waste basket.  And away from the door.  And coloring only on the paper.  And from dropping every other Cheerio.  And from eating the dropped Cheerios.

2.  People watch.  Imagine their stories.  Engage someone and find out her story.

3.  Make lists.  Grocery lists.  To do lists.  Top 10 lists. 

4.  Work on the Sudoku puzzle from Sunday that's really hard and is probably halfway wrong.

5.  Practice your [insert commonly spoken foreign language in your area] with the woman sitting next to you.

6.  Brainstorm ideas for blog posts.  Add to the lists you're writing.

7.  Watch tiny newborn babies sleep, and listen to their hoarse but gentle cries when they wake up, and get all mushy thinking about having another one.

8.  Watch overtired and bored siblings push each other off plastic chairs and be reminded of the benefits of birth control.

9.  Mentally map out every drive-thru between the office and home, and imagine what you would eat at each one.

10.  Pray.  In the Spirit.  For the mom you overhear telling her story to the worker at the counter.  For the other worker at the counter dealing with an irate person.  For a job to call back.  For your name to be called so you can get home and eat something.

11. And for good measure:  Text.

Tuesday - Top Ten Kitchen Gadgets

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and these things make the time better, easier, or just plain happier:

1.  My Rice Cooker.  We eat a lot of rice around here, what with Sam being Chinese and Lizzie's favorite food being rice and beans.  In fact, when Lizzie is hungry she opens the cupboard and points to the rice cooker and says "ice!"  (Other times she goes to the refrigerator and starts clucking like a chicken: "bock, bock" because she wants chicken.)  It is old, it has '90s stylized flowers on it, and it has a warning beside the steam vent that says:  

"Note: It's very hot and vapour out from it when cooking.  Don't cover it with cloth or other matter, otherwise there's danger."

I love the Chinese.  

2.  My Crock Pot.  What would we do without slow cookers?  Spend a lot more time with roasts in the oven, and on the stove, that's for sure.  No, I didn't take a picture of it.  What is your favorite crock pot recipe? 

3.  My French Press.  I actually have two of them.  One for a single (large) cup of coffee, and one for more cups of coffee.  I don't know how many it is supposed to hold, and I use the very scientific method of pouring in mugs of water when I go to make the coffee.

4.  Tea Kettle.  One cannot make coffee without hot water.  It's also useful for heating/humidifying the air in the kitchen quadrant of the house.

I recently posted about my french press and my kettle, and then I was embarrassed by how tarnished the kettle was, so I spent 15 minutes scrubbing it recently.  Here is the result!

before

after

5.  8-cup Pyrex mixing bowl/measuring cup.  Making waffles for 20?  Straining chicken broth?  Popping 8 bags of popcorn?  I love this thing.

image credit: amazon.com

6.  Mesh strainer.  You have to have a mesh strainer.  Try rinsing quinoa with a colander.  This version also doubles as a hockey mask.

7.  My 5-Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven.  I use it several times a week.  It was my Christmas present last year, and no other domestic item has been so appreciated as a Christmas present.  It was the star of my shrimp & sausage gumbo recipe.  And it's red, which just plain makes me happy.



 8.  Cast Iron Skillet.  If you haven't seared steak on cast iron before, you have to give it a try.  It will change the way you sear things forever.  Nothing gets as hot or retains heat as well.  And stuff doesn't stick to it the way it does to my aging "non-stick" skillet.

9.  Ring Box.  I have had this small trinket box since I was very young, and I have no idea where it originally came from.  But now it sits on my counter, within arm's reach of the sink, to keep my rings safe while I am washing dishes, mixing meatloaf, or cutting chicken.  Everyone should have a place to store rings.  And safety pins.  And clips that go to something but no one remembers to what.


10. The rotating utensil holder thingy from the Pampered Chef.  It has 3 tiers and rotates like a Lazy Susan.  It keeps a huge number of serving spoons, spatulas, measuring cups, chopsticks, ladles, and kitchen necessities easy to access, standing upright, and taking up very little space.  It makes me happy. 



What do you find indispensable in your kitchen?

Top 10 Favorite Board Books

With a 16-month-old who enjoys the sound of ripping paper, our accessible book collection is very sturdy.

Additionally, with a 16-month-old who likes repetition, our book repertoire is fairly consistent.
With no further ado, for Top Ten Tuesday, here are Our 10 Favorite Board Books:

1. Caps For Sale, Esphyr Slobodkina

We read this at least once a day. And at random moments Lizzie will smirk, shake her finger in the air, and say "tsz, tsz, tsz!" Caps For Sale is especially wonderful when your child is obsessed with hats, monkeys, or foot-stamping, as mine is.


2. Gossie, Olivier Dunrea
"Gossie is a small yellow gosling who likes to wear her bright red boots. Every day." You don't know anyone who likes to do the same thing Every Day, do you? A few weeks ago I had a revelation from this book; it still impacts my heart when I read it.

3. Gossie & Gertie, Olivier Dunrea

Gertie is Gossie's friend, who follows Gossie, but not all the time. The catchphrase, "Follow me!" is useful when I want Lizzie to come along. Following Mommy is more fun when she relates it to the story.

4. Hippos Go Berserk, Sandra Boynton

We have borrowed this from the library multiple times. It has actually taught Lizzie some counting. She counts to two, and points out the numbers on the page while I read it.

5. Girl of Mine, Jabari Asim

This is the sweetest book, and it elicits hugs and soft cuddles every time I read it to Lizzie. When rocking her before bed I can make her literally melt as I quote: "Giggly, wiggly, precious pearl. I'm so glad that you're my girl!" We have had it from the library for nearly 6 weeks now, and I'm sure we will have to buy it ourselves, because we can't just keep it on perpetual renewal.

6. The Wheels On the Bus
I really can't find any info on this specific book... it just has the very annoying song, which I have abbreviated, and the pages have flaps. It is terrible. But she loves it, so I can't hide it from her, can I?

7. Where Is Baby's Belly Button? Karen Katz

My aunt sent the "Lift the Flaps" collection of Karen Katz's books, and they have been a hit. Belly Buttons are fascinating at the moment, so we like this one. Sadly, several flaps have been exuberantly severed from their pages.

8. Baby's First Bible

There are few more precious things than having a toddler who can barely speak asking to read the book about Jesus (using ASL for Babies' "book" and "Jesus").

9. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle

Who can't love a caterpillar who eats one apple, two pears, three plums, four strawberries, five oranges, a sausage, a chocolate cake, a lollipop, swiss cheese, ice cream, a cupcake, a piece of cherry pie, a pickle, a slice of salami, and a piece of watermelon, then eats a green leaf and turns into a butterfly?

10. Pajama Time, Sandra Boynton

Sing-song rhythm, and it's all about getting pajamas on. "Jamma, jamma, jamma, jamma, P! J!" Anything that redirects toward bedtime is a winner in my book.

What are your favorites? They don't have to be board, they can be made of regular paper. You have to be very gentle with paper. No ripping. Very gentle.