Whooo can resist these adorable owls?

Natalie has been all about owls for at least the past 6 months.

The current season and cooler weather seems like the perfect opportunity to share our favorite owl books as well as several variations on a Pinecone Owl craft idea.

Here's the basic idea ...

And several How-To Variations on that idea ...

Variation #1

this one came from Chitown Momma

Variation #2

Variation #3

Variation #4

Accidents Happen: Emergency Consent Form

No matter what kind of Accident Happens to your toddler, it's important that his/her caregivers know essential information and have your official permission to seek appropriate treatment.

The best way to have those things all in one place and in the hands of the caregiver ... an Emergency Consent Form.

This is one that was passed along from a friend. I tweaked it a little. This is what I use for my toddler. I found it especially helpful when hubby and I went out of the country - for our 10th anniversary - and Grammy came to stay with NHV.

The form can be downloaded as a Word document. Save it to your computer, edit it with your information and print it out. Or just print and hand-write the information.

Hope you find this useful!

Question of the Day - 2

As moms (and dads), we are suppose to have ALL the answers, right?! The big ones like the hows and whys. And the more mundane wheres - like my shoes? I tell ya, Alex Trebek's got nothing on the moms of the world!

It's a good thing we have each other to rely on. To share what works and what doesn't. To suggest a new approach. To tell about the latest and greatest and the oldies-but-goodies. To speak from experience. To learn from mistakes. To impart wisdom. To provide ah-ha moments :)

Allow me to pose a few toddler-related QUESTIONS for you to ponder. If you have some insight, please leave a comment ... start a dialogue ... let's build up our arsenal of ANSWERS.

What does your toddler eat for breakfast?

I am in a total breakfast rut. And I know I rely too much on carbs because that's what I like in the morning. Typically, my toddler eats multi-grain pancakes or waffles, half a banana or a few apple slices, and about 8 ounces of milk. Some mornings I make scrambled eggs with cheese or french toast. Sometimes NHV will tolerate a bowl of oatmeal, but it's not her favorite. Any ideas? Does your toddler eat the same thing day-after-day? What options do you offer?

Can't wait to get some ideas about breakfast for toddlers!

A Little Luck of the Irish ...

I had so much fun with this giveaway! Almost as much fun as traveling to Ireland for a weeklong getaway ... almost!


Thank you for humoring me with Skittle flavors, pot of gold finds, baby girl name choices, and most delightful, the heartfelt proverbs - you can read those at the end of this post!


The Winner ...
It seems my dear friend Chitown Momma (who has also done a guest blog for me) had the luck of the Irish on her side ... or maybe it was her numerous entries ... either way, she's our winner! Woo Hoo!

And here are those Proverb Entries I promised ... so sweet and creative!

Miss Mel said...
May you always have your silkies and sockies for the tearsrubber pirate and mermaid boots for the rain, warm milk in your Snow White cup,endless tickles to cheer you you, those 100 stuffed animal you each love near you,and all your heart might desire.

Raising Z said...
May you always have a smile that lights up the room,a George to cuddle, sunflower butter on toast,good friends to cheer you, family members who love and cherish you, and all your heart might desire.

Terri said...
May you always have magic kisses to heal your wounds, ice cream for the tears, prayers to calm your fears, a warm bed to crawl into, the power of love around you, and all that your heart desires.

Chi-town momma said...
This is for my toddler...May you always have cars for racing, your dog for snuggling, books for reading, music for dancing, giggles to cheer you (and everyone around you), those you love (who love you back even more!) near you, and ALL your heart might desire!!! Each night our prayer is "Dear God, Please keep Benjamin/Taylor Happy, Healthy and Safe. Amen!" If my kids are always blessed with these three wishes, life is perfect!!!

Epiphius said...
A house is not a home, but you'll always have a home in our houseWe'll give you everything you need, but not everything you wantWe wish for you unconditional love, enless belly laughs and a life full of light.

Funny Faces: Learning About Emotions

by Nicola Smee

(book image is a link to Amazon)

This delightful book about a little boy’s encounter with three playful bears perfectly illustrates the connection between feelings and expressions.

Another fabulous library find - I have been hitting the jackpot lately - this book sealed the deal on emotions for my toddler. After reading and discussing this book for a few weeks, she is now pointed to faces in all the other books we read and using words like, "happy, sad, angry, frightened, and worried," to describe them. I especially love NHV's worried expression ... looks more like a fish face than worried ... it's priceless!

A few months ago, my Natalie started making strong connections to happy and sad. From about 16 months or so, her daddy and I played a silly game of putting a big smile on our face and saying, "Happy!" and then making a frown face and saying, "Sad." She thought it was hilarious, and we appreciated the acknowledgement of our obvious acting talents - ha!

From there, I tried to help NHV identify when she was obviously feeling happy ... like when she gets to share a cookie with daddy or we decide to go to the zoo. Then came the mention of, "Oh, that baby sounds sad," whenever we'd hear a baby crying in the story. I am certain that one is bound to bite me in the rear when baby sister arrives and cries because she's hungry or needs a diaper change ... I am going to be hearing a lot of, "Baby sad?" from NHV!

This book was a very natural next step.

• It is very, very simple, which means the text is minimal.
• The story follows a boy's playing in the woods (happy) when a bear takes his ball (sad and then angry). The bear and its cubs return (worried and then frightened) to play with the boy (happy, again.) Those are the situations I can remember - had to return the book to the library just yesterday - I think there are 7 emotions/expressions in all.
• The illustrations are hand-drawn (not "real" faces) but it's still very effective.
• The last page is a mirror with a facing page that shows all the expressions covered in the story.

This is definitely a book worth checking out ... if you are working on the idea of emotions/expressions with your toddler :)

Which emotions does your toddler identify with? Do you use the word frustrated with your toddler?

Scroll down to the next post for your 5th (and final) chance to enter the Speks Sing Along CD GIVEAWAY! Contest will close Sunday evening. Winner will be announced on Monday, October 5th - just before I go pick up my mom from the airport ... woo hoo!

the Speks Giveaway - Final Chance to Win!

Here's your 5th - proverbial - chance to win a copy

of this fantastic kids' music CD ...

If you haven't already read my review and listened to this Irish-inspired music,

it's only a click away.

May you always have walls for the winds,

a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,

laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,

and all your heart might desire.

This is a popular Irish proverb/blessing. Your FINAL CHANCE TO WIN requires you to wax poetic ... or at least proverbial ... and rewrite this proverb addressed to your toddler. It can be funny, ridiculous, sincere, sweet, ... whatever. And there's no pressure, all efforts are considered an entry .. but I know some of you will undoubtedly impress :)

Because this one requires a little brain power, I am leaving the giveaway open until Sunday evening ... that's three days worth of proverb-writing potential :)

the Speks Giveaway - 4th Chance to Win!

Here's your 4th - wee little baby - chance to win a copy

of this fantastic kids' music CD ...

If you haven't already read my review and listened to this fantastic music,

it's only a click away.

Perhaps you've heard ... there's a wee one on the way, and she's going to need a better name than "wee one."

image from here

Here's your chance to give a little input on what we should name Baby Girl 2.0 ... IF we decide to go with an Irish origin ...

According to yeahbaby.com, these were the top 30 most popular Irish baby names for girls ... way back in 2003 (it's the best I could find).

Emma - Sarah - Aoife - Ciara - Katie - Sophie - Rachel - Chloe - Amy - Leah - Niamh - Caoimhe - Hannah - Ella - Lauren - Megan - Kate -Rebecca - Jessica - Emily - Laura - Anna - Grace - Ava - Ellen - Shauna - Roisin - Holly - Aisling - Lucy

To enter and possibly WIN the Speks GIVEAWAY (see details above), simple leave a comment with your Top Choice(s) from this list of girl names.