Snow Dough & Other Winter Activities for Toddlers

On the same weekend that folks in the north east were snowed in. our neighborhood brought in snow. Welcome to Texas!

Maddie had a great time playing in the snow and even went sledding for the first time!

In preparation for our neighborhood Snow Day, Maddie and I spent the week doing winter activities. She had never actually seen snow before, so I was super excited to introduce the concept with this snow dough from Powerful Mothering. I even stored it in the freezer to make it more realistic. The "dough" (more of a powder) was awesome - it made a crunchy sound/feel like snow, wasn't too terribly messy, and held Maddie's attention for like 20 consecutive minutes on multiple occasions! ;) 

  

We also made these super cute mittens. Maddie loves to play with pom poms, and gluing them on paper was a big hit! I used this coloring page as a template.

                               

I super lucked out a couple weeks ago and found some winter crafts 90% off at Hobby Lobby. Yes, 90%. I picked up a package of large wooden snowflakes for about 50 cents. Score! I let Maddie paint them without much assistance. I'm proud of myself when I step back and let her go on her own ;) I taped them on the paper roll on her easel, and once the paint had dried, I removed them from the paper and hung them on a window. Toddler painting tip: egg cartons make great painting palettes!

I was pretty excited about this no mess winter sensory bag from A Little Pinch of Perfect, because - no mess! I didn't have Tapioca Pearls (what?) or water beads, so I just left those out. I did find some cheap snowflake confetti at Michael's, so I added those in. If I could do it again, I would leave out the mini marshmallows. They made the gel cloudy and were generally just a little gross looking. I made the sensory bag while Maddie was napping and popped it in the fridge to chill. So fun! While I was making the bag, I also made a sensory bottle using the same items but water instead of hair gel. I love the way the glitter floats around in the bottle - my fascination greatly trumped Maddie's.

                                    

We also colored this cute snowman, and as usual, checked out a few snow related books/DVD from the library.

This week was probably as close as we'll get to "winter" in central Texas. The high next Sunday is close to 80 degrees, so we'll be pulling out our shorts rather than donning winter coats. You will absolutely not find me complaining. 

Toddler Zoo Animal Activities [and a blog remodel!]

First things first, you'll notice that I've re-branded the blog. I felt it was time for a few reasons:

1. Frankly, nobody calls me Coop or even Cooper. But somebody calls me Mama roughly 800 times a day. When I first started this blog, we had just bought a house, I was obsessed with HGTV, and I had planned to write about house projects and decorating. But let's be real, since we didn't win the $900M power ball jackpot last night, our house isn't getting remodeled any time soon. We've done a few small projects here and there, and maybe I'll share them sometime, but the focus of the blog has really shifted to my experiences in motherhood. I felt that adding "mama" to the name would better represent what I write about.
2. Why "polka dotted"? Because of my life-long love for polka dots, of course! When I was 5, my mom redecorated my room in red and white polka dots. Ever since, I've been hooked. I love polka dots because they can be simple and classic or spunky and fun. "Polka dotted mama" sort of sounds like I've been splattered in paint or something, and I'm planning to share more crafts and activities on the blog. Some of my posts have been a little heavy lately, so I'm hoping to make things a little more light-hearted in the new year. Of course I'll still share my life honestly, even the hard parts, but I'll also share the day-to-day fun we have: crafts, activities, favorite recipes, etc.

The old URL will no longer work, but you can still access all of my old posts using the new URL: polkadottedmama.blogspot.com

                                                                                                                                                 

And now, on to toddler zoo animal activities! As previously mentioned, I've been selecting a theme each week now that I'm home with Maddie. I plan a few crafts, activities, or "field trips" related to the theme. I received some blog feedback that my readers might enjoy seeing more details about the activities Maddie and I are doing. Last week, we focused on zoo animals. We even capped off our fun week with a visit to the Austin Zoo! 

Let me also caveat that I personally don't feel Maddie (20 months) is ready for a "school" schedule or structure. Rather, I'm just incorporating learning into play time. I also think that repetition is really key at this age, so focusing on the same topic for a full week really helps drive it home.

Animal Matching Game

I picked up these animal figurines at Hobby Lobby (regularly $9.99 but used a 40% coupon from their website), and I already had a set of animal flash cards (similar to these) from the Target dollar aisle (I've seen similar ones at the Dollar Tree too). I laid out the animal figurines for Maddie and then one-by-one we went through the flash cards and matched them to the figurine. She really only had the attention span to do this one time though, but we did a couple times during the week. 

Animal Sensory Bin

I'm not even going to pretend to fully understand the concept/purpose of a sensory bin. But basically I think it's just a container filled with some sort of rice/bean/pebble/water/sand/etc and some objects/cups/funnels/etc thrown in. Then the kiddos get to pour, stir, feel, and play. For our zoo animal theme, I borrowed (yes borrowed, I plan to return!) some little rocks from our neighborhood playground. I put them in a plastic bin and tossed in some sticks, leaves, and her animal figurines from above. I thought she would enjoy digging her animals into the rocks. But I was wrong... she just wanted to throw the rocks out of the bin (argh). We had a good experience with a fall sensory bin I put together using different colored beans, but the rock bin was a fail for us! We'll try again another time.

Magnetic Animals

I picked up a few of these painted wooden animals from Hobby Lobby for $0.67 each. I already had a roll of flexible magnetic strip on hand, so I attached a piece to the back of each wooden animal. I used green painters tape to make zoo "cages" on the fridge, and Maddie had fun rearranging the animals. You could use this concept for farm animal "pastures" or blue painters tape for underwater animal "tanks".

Coloring Page Puppets

I printed out a few zoo animal coloring pages that I found by doing a google image search. After Maddie colored this one, I cut out the animals and glued popsicle sticks to the back to make puppets. I don't think she really grasped the concept of "puppets" but still enjoyed naming the animals when we played with them.

Animal Stamping

On our Hobby Lobby run, I also spotted these zoo animal foam stamps. Maddie has already entered the "I do it myself" stage, so crafts are getting a little trickier (read: sloppier). I usually plan to have enough supplies on hand to do a craft twice: once with assistance and once independently. For the stamping, the first time through I helped Maddie dip/paint each stamp with a color and carefully place it on the construction paper. The second go-round, I just let her have at it. You can't make out many of the animals, but she was really proud of herself ;)

In addition to the activities we did, we also checked out a few zoo-related books from the library, and the "Zoo Train" Signing Time DVD. Prior to this week, we had only watched the Baby Signing Time DVDs. The regular Signing Time DVD, intended for older children, was still entertaining to Maddie. It worked well for us to learn animal names even if she didn't really pick up on any of the sign language.

And finally, on Friday morning, we visited the Austin Zoo! It was my first time at that zoo, and Maddie's first ever zoo trip. The Austin Zoo was cute and affordable. Until she turns 2, Maddie gets in for free at a lot of places, including this zoo! I'm soaking it up while I can. The Austin Zoo is unique because it's a rescue/rehabilitation zoo, meaning that they assist animals in need (elderly, sick, surrendered, from labs, etc). Maddie's favorite animals were the llamas and the deer because we got to feed them. And by "we", I mean me. I conquered my own fear of letting them eat out of my hand, but Maddie wasn't quite ready. She also really enjoyed riding on the choo choo train at the zoo!

All in all, I think zoo animal week was a success. Maddie now recognizes many of the animals we learned about and likes to talk about the "mamas and cheer" we fed at the zoo! :)

A Day in the Life

So, what exactly do you do all day at home?

While no one has flat out asked me in those terms, I know that people wonder, just like I did before it was my reality. On my last day at the office, a male coworker (obviously childless) asked me in complete naivety if I was looking forward to sleeping in every day on my long vacation.

Every day is a little different, but I generally stick to a routine of: morning errand, nap, afternoon activity. Each week I designate a theme and we do a few related crafts/activities. Here's a glimpse into an average day (today):

6:45 am: I wake up to my (snoozed once) alarm and get dressed/ready before Maddie wakes up.

7:15 am: Maddie is up and we read a few books in her room. This is new and I'm pretty sure she'd read every book on shelf at this time if I'd let her. It's a stark change from the past 8 months when she would ask to "eat eat eat" breakfast as soon as I walked through her door.

7:30 am: Breakfast downstairs. Today it's banana bread muffins (that she "helped" me bake yesterday), and blueberry Greek yogurt. During breakfast, I call the dentist to make an appointment for Maddie. Over the weekend, she chipped her two front teeth in the bathtub. The dentist has an 8:30am appointment available so I nab it.

8:00 am: I teach Maddie the meaning of the word "hurry" while we race to get out the door for the dentist. She sort of grasps it, as evidenced by that fact that her arms are pumping as I wrangle her into clothes, brush her teeth and hair, and gather everything into our bag.

8:25 am: We arrive at the dentist just in time. Maddie does great during her appointment and the dentist doesn't have any immediate concerns about her chipped teeth. Off we go to our next stop!

9:15 am: Quick trip to Hobby Lobby to grab a few items for our theme week: Zoo animals!

10:00 am: We arrive at the neighborhood library for story time. We pick out a few zoo themed books and DVDs while we wait. Maddie listens to one story time book and then dances around obnoxiously during the remaining books (sorry other attentive babies). Afterward we visit with friends outside for a few minutes.

11:30 am: Back home for lunch. Maddie whines incessantly while I attempt to heat up some soup and mixed veggies. I calmly explain to her that I can't hold her because I need to make lunch and she should find a toy to play with in the meantime. She continues on... "up, up, up!" I lose my cool and spew something along the lines of "for the love, this will only take me 5 minutes!!" I regain my composure and put in one of the DVDs we checked out, Signing Time: Zoo Train. This holds her attention for approximately 10 minutes, just long enough to get lunch on the table. During lunch, she spills half of her soup on the table and smears her hands through it while saying "mess, mess!"

12:15 pm: We read books again in Maddie's room and get ready for nap. 

12:45 pm: I slip out of Maddie's room after rocking her to sleep (yes, yes, I do still), and throw in a load of laundry. We're having slow cooker lasagna soup for dinner, so I toss the ingredients into the crockpot. On Mondays, I deep clean the kitchen, sweep/mop the floors, and clear out the fridge & pantry so they're ready when I grocery shop on Tuesday. Afterward, I tidy up the living room and switch out the laundry.

2:15 pm: Ideally, I still have about 30 mins left of nap time. I set up our afternoon zoo activity - magnetic animals in masking tape "cages" on the fridge. Then I sit down on the couch to read a magazi- ha! Almost had you. I do sit down for 5 minutes to recharge. Then I see Maddie start to squirm on the monitor, so I head upstairs to change into gym clothes before she's fully awake.

2:45 pm: You guessed it, we read more books in Maddie's room! :) Then we head downstairs for a snack. Today it's peanut butter tortilla "sushi" rolls and raisins.

3:15 pm: I fold the laundry I washed earlier, and Maddie "helps" by pulling all of her clothes out of the basket and strewing them across the living room floor. Thanks, girl. She repeats the word "santa" no less than 40 times while she practices the zipper on her Christmas jammies (that she's still wearing in January, no shame).

3:30 pm: We put on our jackets and shoes, then take Bailey down the street to run free in an open field. Maddie runs around too until she hears sirens in the distance and then begs to be held for the remainder of the outing. Trucks, airplanes, motorcycles, lawn mowers, sirens, anything remotely a little bit loud - all terrifying for Maddie. Also, the sun is really bright and she keeps asking me to turn it off ;) Did I mention that we can't turn on our dining table light? or the bathroom lights? If Maddie deems a light to be too bright, she will repeatedly demand that you turn it off immediately.

4:00 pm: I strap Maddie into her stroller and we go for a quick jog around the neighborhood pond and stop at the playground on the way back. She doesn't care to climb on any of the equipment today, she's content just to play in the rocks. I let her pour rocks all over my yoga pants because, whatevs.

5:15 pm: Back home to finish dinner preparations. The whining starts again, so I turn the DVD back on, but she doesn't give two toots. I successfully convince her to play with the animal magnets on the fridge.

5:45 pm:  Dinner time! I realize I've made a mistake in meal planning and we're having soup twice in one day. Oops! Maddie doesn't seem to mind.

6:10pm: Dad's home!! He joins us for dinner and Maddie tells him about her day. She demonstrates how she said "ahhh" for the dentist and that she played with her friend Isobel at the library. Then Tom does the dishes while I clear the table and tend to Maddie. Isn't he the best? 

Before I started my new gig staying at home, I worried that we'd be bored all day. But I've actually found it to the be the opposite - I struggle to fit everything in! I am really enjoying our routine. When I was working, I felt like I wasn't doing my best at work or at home. It was like I just couldn't keep up with either, so I was failing at both. I finally feel like I have my life in order now. The house is (fairly) clean, we always have fresh groceries, the laundry piles have diminished, and most importantly, I am so much happier. I know that I'll have to go back to work someday, and I'll figure out how to balance it again, but for now I'm savoring these days with my little girl. Given the choice, I'll take reading Zoom Zoom Baby for the 5th time over reading emails any day.

10 Things I've Learned About the "m" Word

Miscarriage.

The taboo "m" word. I said it, and I experienced it. 

A short time ago, I miscarried our second baby at 8 weeks. I had something called a "blighted ovum", which actually means that the baby never really developed. But my body didn't recognize that, and continued to grow a gestational sac for a baby that had stopped growing at 5 weeks. I'll share the full story in a future post, but for now I just want to share a few thoughts.

Here are 10 things I've learned from my experience:

1. Miscarriage is rarely talked about; it's an unspoken agony. I understand why people don't talk about it. It's painful, both physically and emotionally. But it's also painful to feel like you're alone in the experience. Given the statistics, I'm certain I know women who've had a miscarriage, but I don't know them by name.
2. Speaking of statistics, it's estimated that 1 in 5 pregnancies will end in a miscarriage, and 1 in 4 women will experience a miscarriage in their lifetime. Miscarriage is so common that it's the reason many couples don't share the news of their pregnancy until after the first trimester, when the risk of miscarriage decreases significantly. We had only told close family and friends, and it was just right for us. Enough people to feel supported, but not too many that I had to share news of the loss before I was ready.
3. Because it's taboo to talk about it, those who experience a miscarriage may feel forced to go about their days in silent suffering. I miscarried over a time period of about a week. And all the while I continued to go to work, pick Maddie up from daycare, smile and make small talk with complete strangers. I went to the grocery store, a football game, and even had our fall family photos taken. I didn't know how to handle it all... call in sick? cancel plans? cry in front of everyone I faced if I tried to explain what was happening? Nobody even knew we were pregnant in the first place. So I just went about my days.
4. Physically, it can be really painful, and quite traumatizing. I wasn't prepared for that in the slightest. After having a successful first pregnancy with Maddie, I had the "it'll never happen to me" mentality about miscarriage, and therefore had never really read anything about it.
5. And the labs, oh the labs. I had 5 blood draws and 2 ultrasounds in a few week period. One of the blood draws was done on a Saturday, when the lab is closed. So I got to sit in a Labor & Delivery room, waiting, alone, for the longest 15 minutes of my life, listening to a brand new sweet little baby cry in the room next door. While I mourned the loss of mine. It was the same L&D where I had delivered my healthy baby girl just a short time ago. The juxtaposition of it all was heartbreaking.
6. Once it happens, you get to delete all of the new pregnancy apps you downloaded, leave the online groups you joined, and return the maternity clothes you jumped the gun on buying. Inevitably, you'll miss a listserv and an email will come through: "Week 9 of your Pregnancy!"  
7. You might find yourself using phrases like "lost the pregnancy" because it sounds softer than "lost the baby" or "the baby died". It's sad no matter how you phase it.
8. People might not know what to say. Be patient; they want to say the right thing to show they care. If you're wondering what you should say to a woman who has miscarried, something as simple as "I'm so sorry for your loss. Please let me know if you need anything" would be perfect. Just don't say "everything happens for a reason". Nobody wants to hear that there is a reason their baby died.
9. Even as you start to move forward, past the initial stage of mourning, there will be reminders. Photos of babies, run-ins with pregnant ladies, the prenatal vitamins on your counter, the sudden realization that you can eat lunch meat again. I'm fairly certain I heard "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" on the radio 500 times in a few weeks span. Undeniably, I even made a cover song playlist because it became "my song". The reminders will hurt for a while, but eventually you'll be able to see those things again without bursting into tears.
10. If it happens to you, you might feel like your body failed you. You might feel angry or even guilty. I jumped on a trampoline with Maddie at 5 weeks pregnant. Logically, I know that it is highly unlikely the two events are related. But I still think about it. Know that it's not your fault. It's just science. The most common cause of an early miscarriage is a chromosomal abnormality, and there is absolutely nothing you could have done to change it.

My biggest takeaway from the experience is that it needs to be shared. I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me; I'm not asking for sympathy. This baby will be in my heart forever, but we're moving forward. We'll have another healthy baby someday. But until then, please don't ask me when we're going to have another baby unless you're prepared to hear the whole story.

If you're reading this and you've been in my shoes, or if you remember this post someday in the future, I'd be happy to commiserate, swap stories, or remember together. The sisterhood of motherhood on earth is real, even if your baby couldn't stay.

Xoxo,

Casey

Life in the Fast Lane

For the past few years, I feel like I've been living life in the fast lane. No, not the rock&roll/sex/drugs/&alcohol fast lane. More like the career/marriage/house/babies fast lane. In the past 5 years, I graduated college, started my job, got engaged, planned a wedding, got married, got promoted, bought a house, moved cities, had a baby, and got promoted again. I'm exhausted just typing that.


Well, it's time to pull this mini-van over and cruise in the slow lane for a while. Life is passing me by and I'm going to take some time to soak it in before it's gone. Exactly one month before my 28th birthday, I quit my job. That's right, I'm joining the ranks of the stay at home moms. Just call me Sammie! As in SAHM-ie. SAHM = stay at home mom. Ok I'm really reaching now.


I never envisioned myself as a stay at home parent. Like ever, until maybe a year ago. Growing up, both of my parents worked... often multiple jobs, night shifts, deployments, while going to school... to make ends meet and provide a happy life for our family. Since I turned 15, I've always been employed too. Movie theater, ice cream shop, daycares, golf courses, on campus, internship, full time, part time. Hard work is in my blood, and something I assumed I'd always do.


Even when I first had Maddie, I didn't see myself staying at home. In fact, when I first returned to work, I was still on some sort of hormonal feminist watch-me-conquer-the-world kick. Imagine... I just had a baby, now I'm growing her with my pure liquid gold, I can balance a job and a baby and a crazy paleo diet and only sleep 5 hours at night in two separate blocks. I am woman, hear me ROAR!!!  As you might guess, that lead to exhaustion quickly. Once, when Maddie was sick with hand-foot-and-mouth and she couldn't go to school for a WEEK, Tom and I were trying to decide how to split up the week between caring for Maddie and getting our work done, and deciding who would need to stay up until 2am to get it all done. That's when the wheels really started turning for me. What if I stayed at home? Would our lives be easier? Happier?


For almost a year, we thought about it, talked about, weighed the pros and cons, looked at our budget, talked about it some more. And we ultimately decided that the best decision for our family is for me to stay home for now. Sure, it means big budget cuts, but the stress level in our house should decrease immensely. Now I'm not naïve, I know this isn't going to be a cake walk. Staying at home does NOT mean watching soap operas and painting your nails all day. It's cooking and cleaning, tantrums and messes, grocery shopping and errands; but it's also snuggles and kisses, books and crafts, play dates and outdoor adventures. I'm certain there will be times when I'm frustrated and exhausted, mumbling under my breath something about how I never should have quit my job, stupid stupid stupid. But I'm hopeful that for every moment like that, there will be sweet moments too. Milestones and learning and playing and loving.


I've explained to probably 25+ co-workers, friends, and family members why I'm leaving my job. And every time, it just boils down to the fact that I can't get this time back. Taxes and computers and desk jobs will always be there for me (in fact, I'm enrolling in a program with my employer that helps me keep my license current with the intention of coming back in 5 years). In the big picture of my career, this is really just a little blip on the radar. The 5 years I slipped away to be with my baby. My top boss told me as I was walking out of his office, you won't regret this. And he's so right, I won't.

Maddie Grace at 16 months 10 days

I've been pretty good about keeping up with Maddie's baby book. It has a separate page for each of the first twelve months, and I diligently chronicled her milestones, likes/dislikes, travels, adventures, etc. every single month. But since her first birthday, I've yet to log anything in writing about her. I have a terrible memory, and I really want to remember her exactly the way she is right now; all 31 inches and 22 pounds of independence.

Maddie didn't walk until she was 13 months old, but she picked it up quickly, and now she only has one speed - RUN! She races through the living room and darts around corners. She'll make a mad dash for the laundry room (where we keep Bailey's water bowl) or halfway up the stairs in 2 seconds flat if the gate is left open. Her poor little knees are skinned and shins bruised from tumbles outside. She loves to be chased and she'll squeal with laughter if you catch her. Wagon rides in the neighborhood are a thing of past now, because Maddie will cry alligator tears until she's allowed to get out and walk on her own, er, run, that is. I can't even count the number of times I say, "Slow down, Maddie!" every day.

She's been signing words, mostly food related, since she was 11 months, but now her verbal vocabulary is starting to pick up. She currently says: shoes, ball, throw, hi, hello, more, down, and no. Make that, "no no no" complete with a finger wag. She nods her head yes and no (fervently), and she can point to the following body parts: eyes, ears, nose, teeth, hair, and belly button. Speaking of teeth, she has 9! Her first molar has just poked through this past week and a second one reared its ugly head last night. Popsicles and Advil all around! She still uses a pacifier at night and loves to snuggle her pink birdie blanket.

Maddie usually wakes up around 6:45, and immediately asks to "eat" using sign language. She and I head downstairs to have breakfast while Tom finishes getting ready. While she eats (usually fruit with muffins, waffles, or oatmeal blueberry bars), I pack my lunch and make my oatmeal. Then I get her dressed and she and Tom head out the door for work/daycare. I hurry to finish getting myself ready, and every day Tom calls me after daycare drop-off to give me the scoop - did she cry? who was there? did she run to Ms. Katie?  I usually pick Maddie up around 4:45pm, and her teacher almost always tells me, "Maddie had a pretty good day," with a shoulder shrug and strange emphasis on the word pretty that makes me wonder what exactly that even means. We head home to make dinner (which essentially means Maddie whines at my feet for 20 minutes while I try to whip up something quick but healthy, then finally give in and let her watch her favorite baby songs video). We have dinner by 6:00 and Tom is usually able to join us. Afterward, we play outside or go for a stroll, then it's bath-time, book-time, bed-time. I still rock Maddie to sleep every night, and it is my favorite part of the day. I love to hold her in the quiet stillness of her room, breathing her in and snuggling her close. Say what you will, but I'll rock her for as long as she'll let me. 

Other fun things Maddie does right now: climbs up the ladder to go down her slide, pulls out ALL the books to only read the first page, pushes in the kitchen chairs and closes the pantry door (every time she passes it), says "mmmMmm" when she loves her food, and "ahhh" when she drinks her water. She brings Bailey her dog toys, independently goes to sit down in the living room after a walk where we always read the mail, makes a disastrous mess at every meal, nods her head in approval after every song on her baby songs video ("yep, that was a good song"), and puts things in the trash can (sometimes real trash and sometimes not-trash). She's obsessed with bubbles, water, books, and phones (so she can see pictures of herself, naturally). She waves good-bye to her daddy every evening after story-time as he closes the door and turns out the light, she loves to sit in her little green anywhere chair to put on her "choos" (shoes), and to take things in/out of containers. Buttons, oh how she loves to press buttons, throw her flash cards, and inspect the bottoms of her feet. Her tiny, tiny size 4 feet.

Her budding personality is both sweet and sassy, sometimes timid but often bold. She's inquisitive and sometimes rebellious; she's one to test her limits but also to look for approval when doing the right thing. It seems like every age is my new favorite age with her - it's truly such a joy to watch her learn and grow! How lucky I am to have such a special daughter and to enjoy her at 16 months 10 days :)