100 (Attempted) Ways to Entertain a Young Toddler, Day 48: Wash the Dishes

There are blogs and articles and books that all recommend today's activity for toddlers: Wash the Dishes. It makes sense. Kids love water, and kids love mimicking their parents. I expected today's activity to easily earn an A grade.

I put a few drops of soap into a large bowl (just enough to create some bubbles) and added water. Then, I placed that bowl onto a couple towels to (hopefully) catch most of the splashes. I pulled out a new sponge and gathered up a few pieces of tupperware. I tossed in Oliver's Lego dog, too.

Oliver watched me as I demonstrated how to use the bowl of water to wash the dishes. I used the sponge, and then I grabbed an extra towel to dry the dishes. Oliver was definitely interested, and he quickly began washing the dishes, just as I'd done:

Oliver seemed to enjoy it...
...for about three minutes. He left to go play with the pasta. I was able to convince him to come back, but he only dunked his toy dog a couple more times before running off again.


I asked Oliver if he was all done. He answered yes, so I got everything cleaned up. It wasn't too much work, but for less than five minutes of fun, I felt like it wasn't worth it. Fast forward a few more minutes, and Oliver is whining and pulling the bowl and tupperware back out of the cabinets. So, I set everything up again. Oliver played for maybe another minute before running off again. I'm currently updating this blog, and the bowl of water is just sitting there, unused.

It might be worth it for other parents to try out this activity because it sounds like something a lot of kids would love. However, based on my experience, I'm giving "Wash the Dishes" a C- because my toddler didn't enjoy it very much, and it required time to set up and clean up afterwards.

100 (Attempted) Ways to Entertain a Young Toddler, Day 47: Classic Mario

I almost didn't put this activity on my blog. It's just not my style. At the same time, if there are any parents reading my blog for tips to entertain a bored and eager toddler, I want to have a variety of resources for them.

Today's activity isn't free unless you already own a game system. If you don't own one, then I don't recommend going out and spending hundreds of dollars in hopes your child will be entertained by it. If you *do* own one, well, put it to use!

Last week, my husband decided to introduce our son to Super Mario Bros, which we have on our Wii. Really, though, you can use any nonviolent game. Anyway, we don't really watch TV or movies at our house. We're not big fans of TV (especially my husband), and we just don't have time for movies anymore. So, because we're not constantly sitting in front of the tube, I decided not to mind that he wanted to introduce our son to video games. I know it's been his dream to be able to sit down and play video games with our son one day, and I'm not going to take that away from him.

And, so, Oliver was introduced to Super Mario Bros. He loves it. Andrew calls Oliver his "jump guy." Andrew controls the arrow keys to make Mario move, and Oliver presses the jump button over and over.

Oops, they fell down a hole:

Oliver is starting to understand how the game works (sort of). In fact, he'd jump up and point out all the coin blocks on the screen for Andrew and him to get.

For the first time today, Oliver decided he wanted to play himself. Andrew showed him the arrow key. It was very difficult for him, but Oliver would make Mario move or jump. He couldn't really do both. He was so excited that he made Mario move himself, that he repeatedly yelled excitedly at the screen and pointed to Mario. I'm pretty sure it was the best 15 minutes of Andrew's life.

Other parents might not approve of video games for their children, and I respect that completely. For us, it's a lot of fun, and I was amazed at how much Oliver could understand and how well he could maneuver in the game. At this point, he never plays longer than 10 or 15 minutes, but I'm sure we'll have to have time limits set in the future. In terms of fun and entertainment for the entire family, I give "Classic Mario" an A.

Meatless Monday: Baked Pasta with Roasted Grape Tomatoes, Zucchini and Red Peppers

Today's recipe is easy and flavorful. I got the basic recipe from a forum I frequent, and I had to try it out because of its simplicity. The roasted vegetables add so much flavor. Try to get the tomatoes just perfect by roasting them until they collapse. At this stage, they seem to have the most flavor and ideal texture.

Baked Pasta with Roasted Grape Tomatoes, Zucchini and Red Peppers (serves 5)

1/2 pound dried pasta (rigatoni, mostaccioli or even penne)
1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes
1 zucchini, chopped
1 red bell pepper, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put a large pot of water on high heat to boil. Spray a 13 x 9" baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or lightly wipe with oil.

2. Mix tomatoes, zucchini, bell pepper and garlic in a medium bowl. Spread vegetables onto baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-30 minutes, until tomatoes collapse.

3. Meanwhile, once the water is boiling, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta well.

4. Mix cooked pasta, roasted veggies, and cheeses together in the roasting pan. Return to oven and bake for approximately 15 more minutes, until the cheese is bubbling.


Per Serving:
Calories: Approximately 385
Protein: Approximately 20 grams
Cost: Approximately $2.10

100 (Attempted) Ways to Entertain a Young Toddler, Day 46: Foot Trace

From blogs online to toddler activity books, I've read that kids have fun if you trace the outline of their feet. Apparently, older toddlers even have fun doing this, and they can draw in toenails after their feet are traced.

I was skeptical, and so I kept putting this activity off. Today, I decided to try it. It's so simple. Grab a piece of paper and grab a marker. Ask your toddler to stand on the paper, and trace his foot.

It didn't go so well. Oliver would stand on the paper, but I'm sure there are a lot of toddlers that won't. However, Oliver wouldn't stay on the paper for more than a few seconds:

I'd start to draw a line around his foot, and he'd run off. Rinse and repeat. This is what I ended up with:
That's not very useful. I demonstrated for Oliver how I could quickly trace my own foot.

He wasn't interested. I showed him toenails, but that didn't interest him, either. Honestly, he just had zero interest in this activity. It was as big of a flop as I'd thought it might be

The good news is, this activity wasn't a big waste of my time or our resources. It was simple to do. It just wasn't any fun. I give "Foot Trace" a D.

Labor Speculations

With about 8 weeks left to go, I'm starting to think more and more about my upcoming labor. Like many pregnant women, a lot of my free time is spent online, reading pregnancy and mother forums. I've realized how much I didn't experience in my pregnancy with Oliver. I hear from mothers regarding their babies dropping or losing their mucous plugs or having bloody show. Oliver arrived at almost exactly 41 weeks (induced), and I had none of that.

I hope I get to go into labor by myself this time around. I'd like to be at home when those first contractions arrive, and I'd like to know that my body is ready and getting geared up for delivery. My midwife says that she lets women go two weeks past their due date before induction. I'm wondering if that's enough time to get my body rolling. My mom told me that my sister was nearly three weeks late. Sigh. Further, the due date I was given based off of my cycle was November 13. Based on ultrasound measurements, they corrected my dude date to November 8. That gives me even less time to go into labor myself.

I also worry about what size our baby girl will be if she goes multiple weeks past her due date. Will I be able to deliver her? Will our health be at risk?

Once I hit week 38 (assuming I hit week 38), I'm going to talk to my midwife about safe remedies that might help get labor going. While pregnant with Oliver, I tried drinking a lot of raspberry tea near the end. It didn't help. I read that some mothers take capsules of primrose oil, as it is supposed to thin the cervix. I think I'll talk to my midwife about that, too.

As for my body, I've been noticing a few changes. I haven't dropped yet, but I'm noticing that things seem to be settling in somewhat. My baby bump appears slightly (but not significantly) lower. I've gotten a few Braxton-Hicks contractions, which I'd never experienced in my last pregnancy. I've also had some menstrual-like cramping, although it hasn't been too painful or frequent. I'm hoping these are signs that my body is slowly prepping for labor and will be ready to go when November arrives.

Now that I'm entering into week 32, I feel happy and confident knowing that we don't have to worry about delivering too prematurely. Although I'm still at risk for my water breaking early, I no longer feel like it's going to drastically effect the outcome of this pregnancy. Every day and week does make a difference at this point, but delivering at 8 months pregnant would be a lot better than delivering at 6 months pregnant! I feel like I can relax and start happily speculating about the future. Andrew and I both think it would be cool to have our baby on 11/11/11, but I can't help but think it will be later. If I was to guess, I'd pick November 20 as our little girl's arrival date.

Oliver's First Music Class (Again)

Oliver had his first music class today! That's kind of a lie. He's taken music class once before, but that was last winter (March - April). Today was his first music class since then.

Now that Oliver's older, music class doesn't conflict with his nap schedule. It starts at 9:30am now, and Oliver doesn't nap until 11:30am. So, that's good. I wish I could say that this first music class was a lot better than the last time, but that was not the case. Oliver confidently walked with me from the car to the rec center. I'd let him know there would be music and kids, and he sounded excited. However, just as we were about to step into the room, Oliver freaked out. He yelled, "No!" When I tried to tell him it was OK, he just threw himself to the floor.

I had a talk with Oliver about the class again. I told him there were kids and music, but crying isn't allowed. Then, I picked him up and carried him to the doorway and let him watch for a little bit. Then, I took him inside. He kept saying, "No," the entire time, and I felt bad. But, I tried to stay confident, and I took off his shoes and our jackets. I let him watch the kids for a while, and then we took a seat on the carpet. All of the other kids (like last time) were running around and playing. Oliver was too scared, but he did watch them.

When music class started, the teacher took out the guitar. Oliver was upset about this and started to cry. Thankfully, it only lasted a minute or so, and then we were on to the next activity (remember, this is the ADD music class!). He loved the activities where we danced and paused or danced and dipped. As soon as he'd get into it and start having fun, the activity was over.

Not all of the kids were very well behaved. One little guy liked to throw things--anything. Another little one liked to hit walls and windows with his instruments. I was glad I don't have to deal with those behaviors from Oliver, but I also wished he wasn't the only kid who wouldn't play the drums and maracas. He didn't for any of his classes last time, and he didn't this time, either.

Class is 45 minutes long. By the end, he was socializing a little more. During the maraca song (second from the last), he enjoyed walking up to each kid and touching his maraca to theirs. He also enjoyed clean-up and liked to put all the instruments away for the teacher.

In all, it wasn't the worst experience ever, but it definitely wasn't fun yet. Oliver spent a lot of the time whining and saying, "No," and telling the teacher to turn the music "off!" I can't help but feel discouraged when he buries himself into my lap as all the other kids drum on their drums. Still, I remind myself that this is why Oliver's in music class. He's there to get comfortable around kids and get more socialization. It's tough at first, but I hope it pays off.

100 (Attempted) Ways to Entertain a Young Toddler, Day 45: Short and Tall

I got today's activity from a website that I think is written by the same woman who wrote The Toddler's Busy Book, but I'm not certain of that. I found the activity online at this link.

The activity is called, "Short and Tall." You use leftover paper towel and toilet paper rolls for the activity, which is what appealed to me. I prefer using things from around the house for fun because it's free and, in my unprofessional opinion, fosters more creativity. Anyway, I took one empty toilet paper roll and one empty paper towel roll. I cut off approximately three inches from the paper towel roll to create a small roll. So, I had a short, medium and tall roll, like this:

The activity recommends encouraging your child to stack them, in order, by height. I stacked them with the plan of showing Oliver their increasing heights, but he was so excited to see them stacked that he ran over and knocked them down. Within a few minutes, it became obvious that the activity would not be a lesson in size but, rather, a game of standing up and knocking down. That's OK, too. At least he had fun! Here are a few photos of Oliver standing up the rolls and knocking them back down:

I'm hopeful that I can teach Oliver about height eventually using this game, but it will take enough exposure for the novelty of knocking down the tubes to fade first. In the meantime, I'm not sure how long I will appreciate having empty rolls strewn about the kitchen floor!

I like that the game was free and used items that almost all households have. I liked that Oliver found the rolls entertaining. On the downside, it didn't keep him occupied for long (maybe 5 minutes). Also, I didn't cut one of the rolls perfectly straight, and it couldn't stand up on one end. Oliver got a little angry about that. In the end, I think I have to conclude that there's nothing really wrong with this activity, but there's nothing very special or long-lasting about it, either. I give it a B-.

100 (Attempted) Ways to Entertain a Young Toddler, Day 44: Yogurt Fingerpainting

 My cousin (cousin-in-law?) blogs about creative activities she does with her two kids. I've been wanting to try some type of finger-painting with Oliver, so when I read her entry on yogurt fingerpainting, I decided to give it a try. As an FYI, I've read that some mothers will make vanilla instant pudding and use that instead of yogurt. I've also heard that some mothers just use shaving foam, but that probably only works for toddlers who wouldn't be interested in trying to eat the "paints." My son was one of those toddlers, so I might try using shaving foam in the future to see if it's any different/better/worse.

I put approximately 1/3 cup plain yogurt into three bowls. Later, I learned that I made way too much. Oliver probably would have been fine with a few tablespoons of each. Anyway, to each 1/3 cup of yogurt, I added 8 drops of dye. I decided to go with primary colors so Oliver could (maybe) enjoy mixing them to create new colors. Here's Oliver's palate:


As I mixed the yogurt with the dye, Oliver peeled off the paper I had taped and ready to go. I'd used the back of some holiday wrapping paper. My cousin put her little guy (who is nearly a year) into his high chair and let him paint on his tray. Do what works for you! Anyway, I had to re-tape the "canvas" before I could let Oliver play. So, that explains why there are tears all over the paper. Ha!

I put a glob of each color of yogurt onto the paper. Oliver touched it a bit and then asked me to wipe his hands. So, I had to keep a towel on hand. I showed him how to drag his finger through the paint, and he started to mimic my movements.

We had to constantly pause to clean his hands because, apparently, my son doesn't like stuff on his hands. I swear I'm not an overly cleanly mother, so it must be Oliver's own cleanliness issue.

Oliver enjoyed the paints for a few minutes, but, in the end, it just wasn't his thing. He swirled some paint around, splashed some on the floor, and then left to go play with his dry pasta again.

All done with finger painting!

Honestly, setting up wasn't very difficult at all, and clean-up could have been a lot worse. I figured the entire kitchen would get covered in streaks of colorful goop, but it really didn't happen. Even though it wasn't very difficult, I definitely spent more time just setting up than Oliver spent painting. I was actually a little disappointed that Oliver didn't enjoy this activity more. As a kid, I would have loved it.


I give yogurt fingerpainting a B-. It is creative, fun, and not very difficult or expensive. On the other hand, it just wasn't interesting to my little guy, so it seemed a bit pointless. I see potential fun in yogurt fingerpainting in our future. I intend to try again in a few months or whenever Oliver is more interested in doing artistic activities.

Bear Creek Lake Park

Andrew wanted to take Oliver for a hike, so we headed out for Lair of the Bear. On the way, we passed Bear Creek Lake Park. It's about four miles from our home, and we've been meaning to check it out to see what the campground is like. We decided to spend the afternoon there instead.

Unlike most parks and open spaces in Jefferson County, Bear Creek Lake Park had an entrance fee. It's $5 a carload, which isn't so bad. As we drove into the park, there were forested areas for hiking and picnicking. We went further in to Big Soda Lake, which advertised a swim beach. It was quite the place! There was a playground, a bike rental shop, beach volleyball, and a swim beach full of kids. Further down was a dock for boaters and a place to rent boats.

Oliver wasn't dressed for swimming, but I'd brought an extra outfit along just in case. Thankfully, I'd put sunscreen on him before leaving the house, too. Andrew took Oliver straight down to the water. At first, Oliver protested because he wanted to go to the playground. Once he discovered the rocks along the shore, his attitude changed for the better.

He found more rocks!

Quick family shot:

Dredging up rocks from the water to throw:

I had to get back in the shade! Here are more photos of my two wonderful guys:

Oliver loved it when Andrew dipped him into the water:

We were only there for about half an hour, but for a toddler, that was enough time! He came back happy and worn out. We peeled off his lake-water clothes and let him pee in the back of Andrew's car (in the potty, of course).

After getting settled back into the car, we drove to check out the campsites.

I was very disappointed to find out that the campsites weren't in the forested area. In fact, there was no shade around the tent area whatsoever. It was just prairie. That would be a hot, miserable, and public place to camp. All the tents were close to each other, too, which meant that if Oliver got fussy while camping, he'd disturb all of the other campers. Boo.

As we drove on, we found two yurts. One was in the sun, but the other was in a shaded area, away from the other tents. How cool would it be to rent a yurt? Andrew and I made a mental note to try it out one day! Maybe we'll do it next season when Baby Girl is with us.

100 (Attempted) Ways to Entertain a Young Toddler, Day 43: Pasta Play

Yesterday, I spent most of the day at my parents' house because we had relatives visiting. After Oliver's nap, my mom decided to give him a bunch of stuff from the kitchen so he could pretend to cook. She gave him a large bowl, a small bowl, a small appliance of some sort (I think a water boiler), some measuring cups, some spoons and dried pasta.

I have never seen my son so happy and occupied for so long. Oliver played chef for about an hour and a half. He scooped the pasta from bowl to bowl, had fun putting lids on and off, stirred it around, and just enjoyed himself immensely.

Today, I decided to reenact the scene from yesterday. When Oliver and I were at the store this morning, I purchased a box of rigatoni pasta. The noodles are wide enough to fit on fingers.

Once we were home, I poured out about 1/3 of the box of rigatoni into a bowl. I cleaned out the mostly-empty flour canister and put that on the floor. After surveying my appliances, I selected the food processor. I obviously didn't give Oliver the blades. I put that on the floor with the flour canister and added a pot with a lid and a cupcake holder. I grabbed a few spoons and whisks, and, then, I presented Oliver with the pasta.

Oliver was elated and got to work right away. He transferred pasta into the food processor. Sometimes, he'd take the lid off of the processor, and other times he'd put it down the food chute.

After twenty minutes (literally), I went and heated myself up a mug of tea. I kicked my feet up, relaxed, and watched Oliver play.

And Oliver kept playing. And playing, and playing.

We started our activity at 3pm. Oliver continued to play until dinner time at 6:30pm. I got to play with him a bit, relax, fold laundry, do dishes, make dinner and clean up after dinner. Oliver didn't want to leave his pasta. In fact, he had two accidents while playing! I can't remember the last time he had an accident while he was awake, but he had two while playing with the pasta. Oops! He didn't want to come to dinner, either, even though I'd made some pasta for him to eat. Throughout the entire meal, he kept begging to go back to the pasta. After dinner, I let him play until bedtime. Even then, he was unhappy to be leaving his pasta behind.

I can't believe how entertaining pasta is to my son. Typically, I consider an activity to be a good one if it keeps him happily occupied for twenty minutes. The fact that he played with pasta for hours is unbelievable. I give Pasta Play an A+, and I'd give it bonus points if I could!