Alexander at 9 months

As babies tend to do, Alexander has grown, learned, and changed a lot in the past month. He is generally a happy kiddo and we're so thankful for him.


At 9 months Alexander:

• Is 21.75 pounds and 30.5 inches
• Wears 12-18 month clothes
• Can sit (but doesn't like to very often)
• Can do a real crawl, very fast
• Can say Mama, Dada, and nigh-nigh (night-night), and yum-yum
• Can clap (loves to clap for himself when he does a good job) and point
• Will occasionally hit his diaper for a diaper change or put his hands together for more, but generally likes to squeal instead of sign when he needs something
• Loves to eat any solid food close to him as well as tons of milk still
• Has had his eyes change color slightly over the past month and we're wondering what color they will turn out to be

Happy Anniversary and Birthday My Love!

On Sunday my husband and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary and today is his birthday! I am so thankful to share our lives together. I hope we are given many many more years together.

I love you honey!

And even if its name is quite unfortunate, death by chocolate is an awesome dessert for any occasion. Just assure whomever you are celebrating with that you do indeed wish them a long and healthy life.

Mandarin Mondays: B.B. miqi (The Chinglish Files)

Baby Mickey?

Happy 4th of July Everyone!

Simple 4th of July Fun

In case anyone is looking for some fun things to do on the 4th, here are a few really simple (and cheap) things we've done to celebrate!

 

Patriotic water balloons

Independence Day Learning Activities

Fireworks in a Jar

Crayon resist firework painting

Flag Cake

Flag Pie

Cookie Fireworks

Patriotic balloons

Really homemade s'mores

Mandarin Mondays: One Price More Surprise (The Chinglish Files)

New Year-New Look!

It's hard to believe but it's already been two years since I started this little blog. A lot has happened in our lives since then, and I thought it was time to change up the look of the blog. So my husband and I gave it a new design.

 At the very beginning my blog looked like this...

 And it has still changed very little this spring...

And now it is much more personalized!

Thanks so much to my wonderful husband for putting my sketches together and making everything look fresh and put together!

Guest Post: Organic Banana Berry Smoothie and a Healthy Pregnancy Diet

Today we have a guest post from Katie Moore of Moore from Katie who is very passionate about healthy living and healthy pregnancies. Her Smoothie recipe looks delicious!

As mothers, we all want the best for our children. We want to do all we can to protect them and ensure their health and happiness. Most of us also want to set good examples and take care of ourselves, so we're better able to take care of our families. For me, making healthy lifestyle choices throughout my pregnancy was the first step in being a good parent.

I first took an active role in my own health during my pregnancy with my daughter. Like most first-time expectant mommies, I was extremely nervous at the thought of carrying, giving birth to and raising a baby. And since I'd never really been around babies prior to my pregnancy, I had no idea what I was doing! I started by talking to my obstetrician about all the ways I could protect my and my baby's health. He gave it to me straight and let me know that there were a few lifestyle changes I desperately needed to make. He also give me advice about everything pregnancy related, from changes in my body, to delivery options, to cord blood banking!

Diet was my first order of business. My doctor talked to me about essential vitamins and minerals as well as the possibility of pregnancy-related deficiencies. He prescribed a prenatal multivitamin, but recommended I get the bulk of my nutrition through a balanced, natural diet. He also told me about the importance of organic foods, explaining the health benefits of foods free of pesticides, dyes and other potentially harmful chemicals. Upon further research, I knew that an organic diet was definitely the best choice during pregnancy. I made the switch to organic produce and began experiencing higher energy levels and an improved sense of overall well being. For the first time as an expectant mom, I felt peace of mind. I knew that I was doing my part in protecting my baby's health and development.

My search for tasty organic recipes led to my discovery of smoothies. I learned that these delicious concoctions were the best way of getting several servings of fruits and vegetables in one sitting. I was also pleased to find that there is virtually no end to the combinations of flavors and benefits provided by fruit and veggie smoothies. For example, recipes like the one below can be tweaked and adjusted but will always pack a powerful punch of flavor and nutrition. Plus, preparation is so easy!

Organic Banana Berry Smoothie

• 2 cups of purified water or organic milk
• 1 organic banana
• 1 cup of raw organic veggies (Greens like spinach, chard, kale and romaine lettuce are great for smoothies!)
• 2 tablespoons of organic peanut or almond butter
• 1 to 2 cups of wild or organic berries
• 1/2 cup pineapple
• 1 teaspoon each organic chia and flax seeds
• 1 cup ice (optional)
  
  
  1. Just throw all the ingredients in a food processor, blend and serve!

I enjoyed my all-natural pregnancy lifestyle so much that I've continued it for the past few years. I feel good knowing that my children understand the importance of all-natural and organic foods and products. I know our lifestyle is healthy and we're all the happier because of it!

Katie is an active blogger who discusses the topics of, motherhood, children, fitness, health and all other things Mommy. She enjoys writing, blogging, and meeting new people! To connect with Katie contact her via her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter, @moorekm26

DIY Upcycled Birthday Reusable Streamers (Long Festive Garlands)

For Aaron's 5th birthday I made checker board inspired garlands to use for streamers. I made similar streamers for the Candyland inspired party we threw when my husband's parents came. Both sets of streamers added a festive air to our dining room.

I love how excited my kids get about streamers and balloons and declare it a birthday or holiday as soon as they see them. And unlike paper streamers these are easy to save and reuse in the future.

It would be easy to make red, white, and blue for any upcoming 4th of July celebrations, or customize these for any theme you wanted.

Since I used old felted wool coats that were just going to be thrown away, these decorations were free and gave a second life to someone else's discards. They are made very similarly to the Valentine's heart garland that I made in January. There are more pictures of the process in that post.

Homemade Upcycled Reusable Streamers

• Assorted fabrics that won't fray easily (I have used felted wool and fleece)
• Sewing machine (although you could do this by hand with a needle, it would just take longer)
• Thread
• Scissors

1. First I cut out a bunch of shapes free hand. The shapes and sizes vary slightly, but I kind of like it that way. I did make the same number of each fabric.
2. Then I arranged them in the order I wanted to sew them in a big stack. I choose to make a repeating pattern since the shapes and sizes vary some.
3. Then I sewed  them together using a straight stitch on the sewing machine. I started sewing the shape on the top of pile and then just lined the next one up right behind. For pointed shapes to feed into the machine smoothly, it seemed to work best to sew them point first and over lap them slightly with the next shape just under the one being sewn.

Hang them up and throw a party!