Life as a Mommy

My son is currently drinking out of straw sippy cups, but I have given thought to switching him to the "big boy" cup. When I had the opportunity to test and review the Nuby's Fun Drinking Cups I was looking forward to it wondering how my son would do with a regular cup. When the cups arrived he was SO excited and kept picking them up saying "Wow!". Dinner time came and I decided to give the cup a try. He didn't quite get not to tilt his head and the cup back the whole way.. He ended up soaked!! But I LOVE these cups! They are the perfect size for his small hands and very durable. I'm sure with some practice he will be a pro at regular cups.  About Nuby Fun Drinking Cups   18 months + 10oz / 300ml Bright colors and fun designs Durable enough to withstand the challenges of daily use Great size for toddler’s hands BPA FREE Here are some pictures of the cups close up ( we have a yellow and blue cup ) I love the little designs all over the c...

The zoo is one of my favorite places to go and spend time with my son. He absolutely loves seeing all the animals! Today we went with a fellow mommy friend and her daughter! I do have to say that today was one of my favorite trips! The leopard was pacing in front of the window and my son would follow him back and forth or sit on the window ledge just watching him. :) Grant and the leopard. :)  The aquarium is always a big hit. Seeing all the fish and penguins! And of course he gets to run and not be strapped in his stroller. Here we are taking a quick break for a picture. The polar bear was also a favorite today. He was pacing back and forth in his cave and would come really close to the window. My son thought it was great and kept backing up when the polar bear came near him. My personal favorite of the day was the Sea Lion! It was SO cute. When we got there, there was a lady and her daughter playing with it ( showing the sea lion a small rock then tossing...

When it comes to bath time it's something my son LOVES! He has quite a few bath toys but always ends up just playing with the cup we use to rinse his hair. When I got the chance to test and review the Nuby Fish Swoosh I was SO excited! Here is what the Nuby's Fish Swoosh looks like.   The suction cups were very strong and the toy didn't even fall off with my son pulling on it! The orange string hanging from the bottom of the net can be pulled so you can store the fish in the net after bath time is over! So nice! Bath time came, and I had the toy all set up in the tub ready to play. We walked into the bathroom and my son gasped! He tried to get in the tub with his clothes on. I put him in the tub and he was so happy! Dunking the fish through the hoop and pulling the string tight so the fish stayed in the net and didn't fall out. Here is the Nuby Fish Swoosh in action!! :) Each fish has a hole in the mouth so you can squirt water! My son thought i...

I just wanted to share one of my favorite quotes. :)

Lately I have been trying to do more crockpot recipes.. I found one that looked super yummy and I knew my son would eat it ( which he didn't but that's ok, he's picky sometimes ) .. It was called "Crockpot Cheesy Chicken" and could be made with noodles or rice. I chose rice. Ingredients: - 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts - 2 ( 10 1/2 ounce ) cans condensed cream of chicken soup - 1 ( 10 1/2 ounce ) can condensed cheddar cheese soup - 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder - salt and pepper ( optional )  Directions: 1. Place chicken breasts in the crock pot 2. Mix the undiluted soups together with the garlic powder and pour over chicken. 3. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours, until chicken is tender. 4. Serve with the delicious sauce over rice or noodles! This recipe is definitely on my list of meals to make again!

I have been saving bottle caps for awhile now from milk jugs, soda bottles, juice bottles to have for crafts. It's a rainy day here in Pittsburgh so I decided to put some to use. I made some Homemade Stamps!  My son had so much fun and kept singing "dot, dot, dot" while he was stamping. This is a cheap and fun activity for kids of ALL ages!  Here's what you will need: ( pictures of supplies will be included in this post ) - foam stickers - paint ( we used fingerpaint and washable kids' paint ) - bottle caps - paper ( we used construction paper ) TIP! At first I dipped the stamp into the globs of paint.. but that didn't do very well. So I used a paint brush to spread the paint out more, and that worked MUCH better! Hope this tip helps. Here are a few pictures of the stampers! All I did was put the foam stickers on the flat part of the bottle cap! Here are the stamps in action! :) After a bit my son just ...

My son and I did a very easy and fun craft Saturday morning. I will call it the "Shredded Construction Paper Collage" ;)  What you will need: - construction paper - glue - stickers - and anything else you want to add to your collage Below are some pictures of our craft morning!

This was the cutest and easiest craft ever, I think! My son had a blast painting and singing "dot, dot, dot"!  Things you will need: - Construction Paper - Glue - Q-Tips - Paint ( we used Crayola Washable Kids' Paints ) First, I used a piece of brown construction paper and cut out a tree shape. Next, I got a white piece of construction paper and glued the cut out brown tree to the paper. Then I let me son add his red, yellow and orange dots ( leaves ) all over the paper! Such a fun fall activity! This last picture I just gave him a plain piece of paper and paint brush and let him paint whatever he wanted! :)  

This is the perfect activity for a Hot summer day!  All you need is an *ice cube tray, food coloring and water* I bought a cheap ice cube tray from Family Dollar to use for this activity. Filled the tray up with water and started making different colored ice cubes by putting drops of food coloring into certain cubes. Last, I put the tray in the freezer so the ice cubes could freeze. :) After the cubes were frozen I got an aluminum tin and stuck a few pieces of paper in the tin, and let me son choose a few color ice cubes. Below are pictures of my son enjoying ice cube painting! :) His paintings are currently hanging on our refrigerator.

We left Pittsburgh Saturday morning at 6am for the beach.. it was supposed to be a 6 1/2 hour car ride but the horrible traffic made it much longer! The car ride went well until we hit Hershey, PA. My son was just not having being in the car seat anymore. We stopped for lunch and used the bathroom. Then it was on the road again.. I tried keeping him happy with coloring, toys, and snacks, but that didn't help and I figured he needed a nap anyways. He eventually fell asleep and napped until we were about 1 1/2 - 2 hours away from the beach.. He did alright when he woke up, just fussing and whining because of course he wanted out of his car seat. We have a very nice time. Enjoying the beach, the swimming pool, and the board walk. :) My son LOVED the sand and the swimming pool. At first he didn't like the ocean water, but he got used to it and ended up liking it. Here are a few pictures of our vacation. 

The Pittsburgh Zoo is one of our favorite places to visit here in Pittsburgh! My son loves seeing the animals. We will definitely be getting a membership next summer.