Glimpse

Bedtime is my favorite time with 3 and Ruby. Maybe this will jinx things but we have a great routine with 3 and he goes to bed very easily. Naps are another story but bedtime we got. It is usually all four of us involved in some way, with Ruby being the most passive participant. Perhaps a little tv, a small bit of milk, a book or two, brush teeth, another book, kisses and carried off to bed.

Ruby is of course a little different. Getting her ready for bed is fun because we lounge on the big bed for a bit and oh man she coos and ahhhhs and I just melt into a big pile of mush. She's usually been eating off and on for most of the late evening so who wouldn't be happy? Anyway, pajamas are put on and maybe we come back out to hang out with her daddy more. When she's sleepy we go back into our room for one last feeding and snuggle before dreams come. Also, as a small sleep tip - swaddle swaddle and more swaddled. Big fans here! 

The last glimpse of 3 in his crib is a little bittersweet for me. I leave the room and usually wish I had more time for him in the day. I try to carve out special time just the two of us but some days I wonder where the time went. He seems a little bigger each night which is by far the most bittersweet.

Ruby takes a little last glimpse around her after she's been put in her crib. During the day it seems she is always observing and wondering about the world around her so why would the evening be any different. There's just so much to see! 

Good night friends! 

xo,

Michelle

Lately

I had another baby! 

Ruby Grace - born 9/5/13

 Then I ate everything in sight. 

Eggs, bacon, muffin, apple, oatmeal, OJ, milk, coffee. Delish.

So basically that's life these days. 

A toddler, a newborn and a ton of calories. 

 

xo,

Michelle

My Boy and My Bump

 There's my boy. 

And there's my bump. 

Waiting for baby #2 any. day. now! 

When doctor's say any day now how soon do they mean? 

Ah nevermind. We are enjoying each moment as a family of 3 and can't wait for "Muffin" to join us. Blogging took a big hiatus during this pregnancy. I had great writing plans but decided other things needed my attention :) I know I'll be even busier with 2 under 2 but hope to check in on The Urban Whisk when I can.

Be well and enjoy the end of Summer!

xo,

Michelle

Sparkler

 A Happy Belated Fourth of July via a picture taken in June! 

Is there anything better than Sparklers??

xo,

Michelle

Good Morning!

Just love this song.

 

xo,

Michelle

MWM - Piles

Welcome to the first MamaWhisk Monday!! 

I wrote about doing these MWM posts on Friday and oh my gosh I'm meeting my first goal with a post!  

I think Motherhood can often be described by the word "piles".

You know, piles of laundry, piles of dishes that need to be washed and of course piles of books. 

Let's talk about my favorite pile - books. On the subject of books I am a pile person.

Do you know pile people? Shout Out to Kate for the term "pile people', her love of literature and for sharing her words on Lost In A Book Somewhere. Thanks Kate!! Piles on the nightstand. Piles on top of the books on a bookshelf because every shelf is full. Beyond full. Piles next to the bookshelf.  Piles are the best.

Back to piles and Motherhood. I love the pile of books we've started for 3. Board books for now and a mini-library of big boy books for later on. Goodnight Moon, Urban Babies Wear Black, and Cicka Chicka Boom Boom are three titles on a regular rotation through story time. While he was still known as "Pancakes" a lovely group of ladies threw a baby shower and everyone brought him a book. We have a small library as you can probably imagine. 

I leave books pretty much where ever 3 can find them. Books should be accessible and shown love and opened often. Typically they are on a low coffee table so 3 can grab one whenever he wants.

 I love reading before bed when we're snuggled together the three of us on the couch. Drink a milk, brush teeth, read books, kisses and then bed. It's the last momenst of our day together and it always goes by too too fast..

If you've been around board books you've probably noticed that they are all about the same size. Urban Babies Wear Black is about 5.5 inches all around. Little marshmallow fingers love find this to be the perfect size! Last month I bought 3 a new book, I am a Bunny. The illustrator Richard Scarry, is a favorite of mine from childhood. He wrote the "Busytown" series, "Best Ever" series, as well as many other books with beautiful, rich pictures.

 I was so excited to find one of his books in board book format that I didn't realize it would be bigger all our other books, with a few extra inches in height. "The Bunny Book" has quickly become a favorite.

 I love this winter scene. The pine trees, the snow falling, the dark sky. I also love that 3 is holding it in his lap, picture facing out. I saw this moment and thought "Oh my boy is a genius! All my read-a-louds in 'teacher style' have really rubbed off on him!" 

And then he flipped it upside down.

Still my smart boy of course :)  Just a little more age appropriate perhaps.

Do you have a favorite children's book? Please leave a comment! Always looking for new titles for us to discover. Thanks for checking out MamaWhisk Monday. And go check out Kate's blog.

xo,

Michelle

Keeping of the House

Two kinds of Housekeeping to discuss. 

First - the obvious. 

The kind of housekeeping we probably all dislike. 

Cleaning. 

The only room I truly care to keep spic & span is the bathroom. I liked cleaning the bathroom as a little girl. We had a very small bathroom. Somehow, there were treasures in that tiny cramped room. A water pic toothbrush set with 4 different brush heads, my grandfather's lava soap in a tub, my mom's cleanser and moisturizer with the pink lids. As a little girl I guess it was all magical to be able to clean up a room where so much stuff was off limits normally.  I love thinking of these kinds of childhood memories, I don't know I'm a big sap!

I use a spray cleaner in the bathroom from The Honest Company these days. It smells great, is non-toxic and is delivered to my door in a monthly bundle of goodies. BAM.

Second - Blog Housekeeping

For many good reasons blogging has taken a back seat the last few months. Probably safer to say the last year and a half. I still keep up with some favorite blogs but wish I made more time for a post of my own. 

I have a challenge for myself for the Spring and Summer. 4 posts a month. 

2 posts will be a new feature I'm going to call "Mama Whisk Mondays".  A place for me to write about the fun things we've done as a family, a baby/toddler product we love, etc. Sensory Bins are our jam right now so expect a few posts about those!

2 other posts I hope to write about cooking & eating, what The Urban Whisk was all about in the first place. Or at the very least Wordless Wednesday posts of something food related. 

Look for the first Mama Whisk Monday post this coming Monday! 

TV3 says come to his kitchen anytime :)

xo,

Michelle

Wordless Wednesday

xo,

Michelle

Pinterest Project

Happy January! 

Things have been busy....like a 4 month break from blogging busy. Ahhhh life.

Baby is no longer a baby. We're in that delightful gray area between baby and toddler. AKA 14 months old! 14 months!! Time flies. 

I've been wanting him to drink straw with a little more ease than he currently has and smoothies came to mind to give him an incentive to sip. They are yummy and a great way to eat fruits & veggies.

I turned to Pinterest and found a great recipe that included one of his favorite foods - avocado!

Avocado Blueberry Baby Smoothie 

via the Lemon Bowl

hearts added because well, we loved it!

It was so good I made a second double batch for us grown ups. Yummm. 

It's cool, refreshing and so healthy! 

 Smoothie or otherwise, what are you drinking these days?

xo,

Michelle