Shaving Cream, Bubbles, and Paint

I've been desperately trying to find things for Madeline and I to do this summer. Playing with toys is just not fun anymore unles they're someone else's toys, or someone else wants to play with her toys. While I was bored at work the other night I spent some time online searching for activities to do with toddlers. I found a lot of great ideas and decided to try a few of them out.

Our first activity was shaving cream on her high chair tray. She liked it until she decided that she didn't like her hands getting dirty and wanted me to clean them off every 30 seconds. The fun didn't last as long as I thought it would.

The next day I took her crib matress out of her crib and put it against the couch as a slide. Madeline climbed up it a couple of times, but really didn't think it was that big of a deal. Fun time = 5 minutes. A little disappointing.

The next day we (meaning I) made a Fruity Cheerios (if you haven't tried them, they're awesome, but highly addictive) necklace. The holes are a lot smaller than Fruit Loops, so I guess it was way too advanced for her. The eating part was right up her alley, though.

I bought her a bubble wand that we tried out yesterday. She decideded that she was a big girl and needed to hold the wand and blow the bubbles herself, which led to frustration because she wasn't able to dip the wand back in the bubbles. The whole experience ended in a tantrum. We'll have to keep practicing.

We also got an awsome package in the mail yesterday from my mom. We've both been searching for "paint with water" books for a few weeks now, and she finally found a couple at a random dollar store in Logan. Did anyone else grow up doing those? They're great - the paint is already on the paper and you just paint with a wet brush. This was probably the favorite activity. She was so proud of herself, and the only mess to clean up was a puddle of water on the table.

It's been so fun to watch her learn how to do new things, and I'm glad we've found more things to do. I think playdough is next...

Looooong Mornings

I have been wracking my brain this week trying to find things to occupy Madeline's time in the mornings since she's decided not to take morning naps. It seems like each activity only lasts 10 minutes. There are many, many 10 minute intervals to fill in the 6 1/2 hours of morning. Perhaps the most precious thing I have lost in this schedule change is time to shower and get ready all by myself. When Madeline is in the bathroom while I shower she usually spends most of the time trying to climb into the shower with me.

Yesterday I decided to get out my nail polish bin for her to play with on the bathroom floor while I was in the shower. She's played with the little bottles before and we've never had a problem. I poked my head out of the shower several times to check on her. But, while I was shaving my second leg I noticed that she was being much to quiet. I opened the shower curtain and saw her sitting on the ground with bright red nail polish on all of her fingers, a drop on her lip, a couple drops on her leg, and one small drop on the floor. I got out of the shower, grabbed her hands so she wouldn't touch anything, and scrubbed them with nail polish remover. Somehow she had unscrewed the top of the nail polish bottle. I had no idea she knew how to do that! Luckily there wasn't a single spot on the new outfit my mom had just sent her.

I forgot to clean the two spots on her thigh, and throughout the day I kept pointing at them and asking her what happened. She was so funny - she kept pulling her skirt down to cover them. She does the same thing when she skins her knee. I guess she can't stand to look at any blemishes on her body. Good luck when your a teenager, baby!

Cruisin'

We had the opportunity to go on a cruise last week. It was something we had been saving and planning for for a long time. It was soppossed to be a private getaway for Scott and I. We had booked a 5 night cruise to Cozumel and Progresso, Mexico several months ago. Due to the swine flu scare, our itinerary was changed two days before we were to leave. The ship would instead be sailing to Montego Bay and Grand Cayman on a 7 night cruise. So, we ended up having to bring Madeline with us. After some discussion, we've decided that we're still glad we went, but here are a few things I learned while on our trip:

1. It's not really a good idea to bring a toddler on a cruise
2. A portable dvd player can be a LIFESAVER for an unprepared for five hour drive with a toddler, especially when her mother was just coming off of working a night shift and was in no mood to entertain. It was also extremely helpful as a mode of entertainment for two parents that had to be locked in a dark room with said toddler at 8pm each night.
3. Thirty dollars is BARELY enough money to bring to Jamaica to get to the beach, to get on the beach, and to get back to the ship. We forgot our debit card in our room and were almost stranded in Jamaica. It was also kind of a scary place. I wouldn't have minded getting stuck on Grand Cayman, though.
4. Any hands free method of carrying your child is awesome. Thanks for the backpack, Erin!
5. The water off the coast of Texas is nasty. When we looked over the side of the ship on the second day of our cruise I was amazed at the difference in the color of the water from the first day. Bright blue is much prettier to look at than murky brown.
6. A couple pads of butter, a lemon wedge, and three forks can provide several minutes of entertainment during dinner for a 14 month old.
7. You really can't expect a child to nap in her crib while her parents are in the same room. Nor can you in good conscience let her cry for very long in her crib for fear of disturbing everyone else's nice vacation. Basically, the child probably won't sleep much.
8. I am extremely grateful that I or my husband don't work on a cruise ship. Some of the crew that we talked with are away from their families 10 months out of the year. I can't imagine.
9. It's really nice not to have to cook or clean for a week.
10. Vacations are rejuvinating and tiring all at the same time.

Doctor's Cave Beach in Jamaica

Montego Bay, Jamaica

Grand Cayman Island

Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman

All tuckered out!

(I would have left her there for the night if she'd had a diaper on)

At dinner together on formal night

Previously mentioned butter. She must take after her mom in her love for butter.