Hailey's Picks: Board Books for Toddlers

I don’t know about you, but around here we read ALL the time. Not just me reading my eBooks or magazines and such. But Hailey loves books already (Especially now that she’s getting a little more of an attention span).

I do have to insist on board books still. She likes to be involved and turn the pages which can get rough at times. It also makes it easier for when she is looking at them on her own. We’ve tried a couple of books with tabs and stuff to lift up but my little monkey is still a little too overzealous with them.

I cringe every time a book gets beat up…I guess it goes back to when I was a little kid and it was ingrained in our brains that bending and tearing up books was a mortal sin or something.

Onward to our current list of faves:              

 

 

 

 

    1)     Noodle Loves the Beach

This is a simple, one-line per page book with cute illustrations of a panda bear and his mom at the beach. This book actually does have some interactivity to it, but it’s definitely made for the age… it can withstand Hailey (and that is sayin’ a lot).

 

2)    Little Blue Truck

Beep, Beep, beep! Love this book…we actually bought it as a special from B&N a while back. A really sweet book that’s a bit longer than your normal board book but it still keeps their attention.  Hailey started out liking it because of the animal sounds and now every time she sees a truck she says “beep, beep, beep”.

 

    3)    Llama Llama Nighty Night

Follows Llama as he goes through everything he does to go to bed. It’s great because it helps with a nighttime routine and she can go along with llama. It has a nice rhyme and cute pictures.

 

 

4)    Tumble Bumble

We actually just bought this book a couple days ago and it’s already a favorite! It’s the story of a little bug as a goes for a walk and meets all kinds of new friends. Soooo cute! Love the nonsense rhyming and adorable illustration.

 

 

5)    We technically have so many books it’d probably take me days to list them all, but some of other standards are Sandra Boynton books and Dr. Seuss (who doesn’t love those?).

Of course we HAVE to have an e book included. Our ALL TIME favorite is Nighty Night. This was the first eBook I bought for Hailey (and it was before the child even knew what a book was). I love it because she can now help to turn all the lights out for the animals so they can go to bed. They just got a couple add-ons where you can get even more animals.  It was well worth the price!

 
 

 

Gettin' all dolled up!

Making sure everything is in order.



 My little glamor girl had her first haircut today. She was super excited….the girl does love the one on one attention! Thank goodness she’s used to having to sit still for us to paint her cute little toenails on those cute little pigs (not that mommy is biased or anything).

 

At the park and watching the trains.

We decided to make it an all-out girls day….a little trip to the park and water fountain. She got to watch the train go by. Then off to lunch at a cute little restaurant where we shared some yumminess.

A little walk around the cute shops (not that I was trying to wear her out for a nap or anything ....)

And then...of course we had to finish it off with a treat from the cupcake shop. Hailey picked out the yummiest wedding cake cupcake with mile-high frosting (mommy should have taken a picture of all the deliciousness....but it didn't last long enough for that!!!).

 

 



The little ham at her best with the new do.



 

Welcome Wednesday Hop

Wordless Wednesday

Source: Pinterest

LOVE this! This is Hailey's favorite game right now....she tries to get everyone involved. We have ALL kinds of variations. It's so funny how at this age they think we can't see them when they hide. Hope everyone is having a great day.

Woot, Woot....I got not 1 but 2 in the SAME day!

All I gotta say is: YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!

I got not one, but TWO Liebster Award nominations this week…on the same day even. These were from two awesome ladies with great sites of their own Melissa from Adventures with CaptainDestructo and Trish from Hand Full of Stamps. Thanks so much Melissa & Trish for nominating me…I was sooooo excited when I saw it!!!

The Liebster Blog Award is given to bloggers by bloggers. It is a way to acknowledge each other and say “you’re doing a great job”. It is for blogs with 200 or less followers, so it’s also a great way to spread the word about smaller blogs and get them more readers and followers! When you receive the award, you post 11 random facts about yourself and answer 11 questions from the person(s) who nominated you. You pass the Award onto 11 other blogs (make sure you tell them you nominated them!) and ask them 11 questions. You’re not allowed to nominate the blog(s) who nominated you! (To get the button, right click the picture on my page and save the picture to your computer. You can then upload to your blog.)

Random facts about me:

Sorry ya’ll…I cheated on this one…I had two of these and trying to come up with random facts twice just wasn’t gonna happen.

 

1)     I LOVE the colors pink and green and even went to the extent of making Hailey’s room pretty much all pink and green.

2)    I could probably live on sushi and veggies for the rest of my life. (do I….no, but it’s a thought)

3)    I used to be a firefighter.

4)    On the work note….have worked in the medical field in some way, shape or form for like the last (yikes) 20 years. The last 10 specifically in Pediatrics.

5)    I am LOVING doing the stay at home thing with Hailey…I thought I’d be bored silly and pulling my hair out a LONG time ago.

6)    I don’t like odd numbers…if I can make stuff even, I will.

7)    Music is an important part of Hailey and I’s days…every time she eats or we go in the car…we have music.

8)    If you get me started talking or writing (as you’ve probably figure out)…good luck getting me to stop.

9)    Needless to say, I don’t normally meet a stranger…outgoing and friendly is my middle name (I guess that’s where the girl gets it from).

10) I actually come from a 5 kid blended family as well.

 

A Collective sigh of relief to have that one done….

Questions I Was Asked by Melissa:

 

1)     What is your favorite food? Sushi and all kinds of fruit and veggies.
2) What is your dream job? I am actually doing it right now…staying at home with Hailey and doing some Graphic Design, Marketing and PR on the side. (A big change from the norm of working in Pediatrics.)
3) What did you want to be when you were a little kid? That’s easy…a doctor.
4) What was your favorite book as a kid? Yikes, I’ve had so many and I’m still a bookworm.
5) What is your favorite color? I love pink and green, but to only have one choice it would be green.
6) What season is your favorite? Summer is by far my favorite season. I’d much rather be hot than cold (YES, even after Georgia’s 100 degree weather this summer).
7) What is your favorite holiday? Hummm…it’s pretty close between Halloween and Christmas. I love decorating and how much family/kid involvement are in both!
8) If you could have one day to do anything, what would it be?
9) Which chore would you rather do, dust, grocery shop, or laundry? I’m wondering when shopping became a chore. (LOL, as long as it’s during the week, during the day) I’d by far pick shopping over everything else.
10) How many kids did you think you would have as a child? (I always said I would have twins Adam and Amy.) That’s funny because I always wanted to have twins that were a boy and a girl so I could get it over with in one fell swoop. Obviously I was outta the loop on that one….thank you god for not listening to me!
11) What do you look forward to most about fall? I know I just got done extolling the greatness of summer and surviving the heat, but I am looking forward to the cooler weather, changing of the trees, the kids back in school and holidays coming up.

If I can eat this....you can make it through (she's cheering you on)

Questions I was asked by Trish:

1)     If you could meet one person in your lifetime, past of present, who would it be? Yikes, I have no idea…lemme think on it!

2)    What’s a MUST on your bucket list? Travel out of the country. I’ve been to Mexico and South America, but I’d like to go to Scotland, Greece and Australia.

3)    If you could be a cartoon character which on will you choose and why? Hummm…I’m thinkin’ I like that cute new show on Disney called Doc Mcstuffins. When you were little…I don’t know about you, but I was always working on my dolls and stuffed animals. (I guess it was a precursor to my adult job).

4)    Who inspires you the most? My husband…he’s amazing. I think that man could do absolutely ANYTHING he put his mind to.

5)    What is your favorite color and why? I love the colors pink and green, but if I were to have to pick only one…I’d go with green. That’s a Kelly or grass green. I think it’s probably because they are colors you see a lot in nature (specifically in the garden).

6)    What is your favorite movie? It’s so hard to pick just one movie. I have it narrowed down to Somewhere in Time and Gone with the Wind.

7)    If you could do anything for one day what would it be? Oh…where to start!

8)    Which is you favorite coffee, tea or soda? I don’t drink coffee so that’s off the list, I try to limit soda but I still like it, and I LOVE green tea. I could go with a Starbucks iced green tea with 2 splendas right now!

9)    What is you biggest pet peeve? Do I have to pick just one? LOL, no seriously….my kids leaving the cabinet doors open in the kitchen. At one point my husband started taking them off…needless to say that backfired. It made it too easy for them!

10) Why did you start blogging? I love to write and have been doing it in some way, shape or form my whole life. A lot of our family is spread all over the place…sooooo writing and getting pics and info about Hailey to everyone were a couple of the motivators. All the other stuff that came with it was just the icing on the cake.

11)  Do you Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest? For how long? Actually, I do all three. It’s crazy how they can suck up time and you not even realize it….so I limit how much I’m on them. I’ve been on Facebook for years, but Twitter and Pinterest have only been for about the last 6 months or so.

 

I am nominating these awesome blogs for this award:

1)     Jenny @ Cassandra's Corner

2)    Christina @ Diary of a Delirious Mom

3)    Sara @ Confessions of aRedheaded Mama

4)    Claudia @ Lashes and Beard

5)    Cathy @ Carys and Charlie

6)    Carrie @ Adventures in Motherhood

7)    Mia @ The Chronicles of Chaos

8)    Amanda Mae @ Southern Glamourista

9)    Annie @ AwDylanis

10) Jennifer @ In it 2 Pin it

Questions for you lucky nominees:

I tried to come up with some random and different ones!

1)     Before you started this survey, what were you doing?

2)    What is the last thing you watched on TV?

3)    Without looking, guess what time it is

4)    If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

5)    If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?

6)    If you could change something about your home, without worry about expense or mess, what would you do?

7)    Do you have a garden?

8)    Is the glass half empty or half full?

9)    Do you sing in the car?

10) What is your favorite time of the day?

 

 Thanks again everyone!!!

You did it....YEAH!!!

 

Hailey's Picks: Some great songs to sing with your toddler part 1 of 2 (ok…maybe more)

I went a little crazy on compiling the list of songs…it’s just so hard to only come up with a few. When I started this I thought it’d be no problem to only do a few, but quickly found out that my list had gotten out of control (as I was writing them down…I kept thinking of more)!

Singing songs and nursery rhymes to our kids is fun for them and us…not to mention all the benefits for your little one. They not only help language development but are great for introducing learning in a fun way!

Most of these songs can be started before they even understand the ideas behind them  (they’re just that much fun). You’ll find that they start to associate with the song as you sing.

When Hailey was a newborn I would sing to her while putting her down to sleep or soothing (heck, I still do it…especially now that she’s figuring out how to postpone bedtime). For toddlers the songs that get them involved are the ones with dancing and/or hand motions; these work much better at keeping their attention.

I made sure to include the words and hand motions for a one stop shop…woot, woot!

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

The itsy, bitsy spider climbed up the water spout (touch the thumb of one hand to the index finger of the other and alternate like you’re climbing)

Down came the rain and washed the spider out (hold both hands up and wiggle the fingers then swish to the side as you lower your hands).

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain (Make the sunshine by circling your arms up to form a sun…then wiggle fingers for drying rain)

So the itsy, bitsy spider climbed up the spout again (repeat the climbing finger movement)

Five Little Monkeys

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed (hold up the number of fingers to match the verse & then bounce your fingers up and down on your other hand)
One fell off and bumped his head. (Hold up 1 finger & then hold head with both hands and rock head back and forth)
Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said, (pretend holding a phone)
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" (Shake finger like saying no, no)

Four little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped his head. Mama
called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Three little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Two little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

One little monkey jumping on the bed,
He fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"Put those monkeys straight to bed!"

*Do same hand motions for each verse

 

The Beehive

Here is the beehive, but where are the bees

(Make a fist with you palm down)

Inside the hive where nobody sees

(Peek into your hand)

Watch them come out, come out of the hive

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

(As you count you stick up a finger for each number…when finished counting take your first finger and buzz into their belly or nose, etc.)

 

Baby Bumblebee

I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
(Cup hands together as if holding bee)

I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Ouch! It stung me!
(Shake hands as if just stung)

I'm squishing up the baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
('Squish' bee between palms of hands)

I'm squishing up a baby bumblebee,
Ooh! It's yucky!
(Open up hands to look at 'mess')

I'm wiping off the baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
(Wipe hands off on shirt)

I'm wiping off the baby bumblebee,
Now my mommy won't be mad at me!
(Hold hands up to show they are clean)

Old MacDonald

Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O
With a "moo-moo" here and a "moo-moo" there
Here a "moo" there a "moo"
Everywhere a "moo-moo"
Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O

Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a pig, E-I-E-I-O
With a "oink" here and an "oink" there
Here an "oink") there an "oink"
Everywhere an "oink-oink"
Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O

Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a horse, E-I-E-I-O
With a "neigh, neigh" here and a "neigh, neigh" there
Here a "neigh" there a "neigh"
Everywhere a "neigh, neigh"
Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O

Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a chicken, E-I-E-I-O
With a "cluck, cluck" here and a "cluck, cluck" there
Here a "cluck" there a "cluck"
Everywhere a "cluck, cluck"
Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O

*Keep adding animals and their sounds – we end up with all kinds of non-farm animals!