Garage Sales

Kids cost a lot. Diapers, clothes, food, and toys toys toys. Last year, I hit one garage sale in a neighborhood across the street from mine. I found a Richard Scarry book with lots of short stories, a Thomas the Tank Train set and a Hanna Andersson quilted jacket like this one but yellow, altogether I spent $5.00.  The jacket is my daughters absolute favorite, and it can totally work for a boy, so it'll last for years.
Well now, that Tesla is old enough to play outside more and more I really want to get things that will be good for out door play so I have been hitting garage sales on a more regular basis. T also has a lot of friends who are boys and a little brother so I'm trying to find things that will appeal to them too. (Not just girly stuff.) Last weekend I found a Mega Blocks Firetruck, Little People Dinosaur set and some army guys and planes and such.

All for $8.00!

Not bad right? Tesla loves the truck but mostly the dinosaurs. I haven't showed her the army stuff yet. That will be strictly outside, because there's a lot of them and they are just cheapy toys and will most likely get broken quickly. The firetruck was pretty gross when I got it. It was covered in spiders, dirt and I think animal hair. Not sure though. It was probably played with just outside and these things happen. I soaked it in some water, soap and vinegar, scrubbed the whole thing down and used some goo gone for the labels that were kind of coming off. It looks great! I think everyone will have fun with it.
The other night we also found a Little Tikes Playhouse for the back yard for $35 on Craigslist. I still need to clean it and then put it back together before we show T but it will be a great addition to play time. I'm still looking for more activity items, like a T-ball set, but I there's no rush. In the mean time I'll keep hitting garage sales and see what I find. I'm hoping the lady who had the one last year that I bought the Hanna Andersson jacket at will have another one this year! She has two little girls that are about a year and half older than Tesla, so the possibilities are endless for good things I can find there!

What are you looking for at garage sales?
Let me know you're reading along and leave a comment.... You know it would make my day!

About 5 seconds of spring!

Tonight just before dinner Tesla dressed up in her fairy dress and had some fun outside! Makes me smile!

Some Days are just too beautiful!

Man oh man. Yesterday was just a perfect day. First of all it started with an imperfect week, and by that I mean busy. Play dates, class, errands. I'm just not one of those people that enjoy doing stuff constantly and to me a perfect day involves a happy kiddo, and T is happy when we are home. We get plenty of time to play, we get to take two naps, and we get to hang out. I mean how great is that. To top it off there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Tesla and I played outside for quite some time. Thanks to my sister we now have three new toys she can play with, they include a Little Tikes doll house, a kitchen and a vanity. I know the vanity is supposed to go inside but it's fine under the deck.

I have set up a couple of chairs our there so if she ever decides to play without me I could theoretically sit and read a magazine and have a martini... Just kidding. Lemonade of course.

Tesla loves to make the rounds. She goes from the back play area to the side of the garage, then all around the driveway, over to the grassy null and then up the hill to walk around and gaze down at the house and then back down the other side into the back play area. Seriously she could do this 20 times and not get bored.

We're having good fun together, she took a nice long nap, after the days activities which allowed me to make dinner in solitude. 

Lunch out with my girl

Last week Tesla and I went out for lunch together at the Bravern. I wanted to check out the new mall and the new Sur La Table. It just happened to be near lunch time so I figured we would get lunch there. I didn't actually know about any restaurants though so I didn't know what to expect. The Bravern is a very high end shopping center, with a Hermes, Chimmy Choo's, Sur La Table and Neiman Marcus, la de da! There wasn't anything that I was really interested in shopping for, because I don't shop at those locations and because I'm on this whole "less is more" kick, but I sure do like looking around. I get a lot of inspiration when I window shop, and often see clothes or other items that I can make on my own.

Anyway, we had lunch at the Artisanal Brasserie and Wine Bar. It's a french restaurant that was fabulous. When we walked in, the place was pretty busy. I was a little afraid that since Tesla tends to scream at restaurants that this wasn't such a good idea, but I asked the greeter that we wouldn't mind being sat out of the way. He put us in an empty part of the restaurant which lowered my stress levels quite a bit. He then brought over crayons and  a coloring placemat, the tablecloth also had paper on it so no worries about her going over the placemat at all.

A few minutes after sitting down and getting situated they brought out a Nuby sippy cup. How cool is that? I'm impressed right there. So we had lunch got helped a bunch and all the servers and busboys had fun playing with Tesla. Lunch was super good too, although if you're on a diet I would recommend a plan before going. They have a lot of cheese there and therefore a lot of lunch items that feature cheese. I had the Croque Monsieur. It's not for the faint of heart. But it was super super good.

We then walked around, I wanted to give Tesla some time to get some energy out, so we walked about  outside the stores. She had a lot of fun chattering and looking over the balcony.

Walking around...

Doing her thang!

Schedules Work!

So I am not super rigid, I promise. But I do think that having a schedule and the consistency is really good for Tesla. For the last couple of weeks I have started only running errands twice a week. I've chosen Tuesday and Thursday but we can do other days too but I will try and never run the errands two days in a row. I think it's really good for Tesla to be home, learning, what I can teach her and playing with the toys that she has here. She responds well to Blanket Time! and to reading, music and other play time. She also allows me to do the chores that I need to do, like clean up the kitchen put the clothes away and so on. I am completely okay with changing the schedule around though and running an errand here and there on a non-scheduled errand day, but I have to tell you that when I was running out every day Tesla was not a happy camper to get in and out of the car seat, in and out of the cart and no play time for her. The other upside is that I think hard about where I need to go and I don't end up spending to much money, or buying things frivolously, and I do love to shop so it would be easy to do that.

Anyway this week we started going to the library. We went on Thursday to pick up some books that I had on hold and asked about story time. The library has the story time broken down to really specific age groups. On Thursday there was the 6-12 month age group and the instructor asked us if we wanted to join in and after explaining that Tesla was to old, she said that if she acted up we could always leave. Which was great, because then I got to see the younger age group which Tesla is too young for. The 12-24 month age group was the following day. So I had to break my rule of not going out two days in a row and we went again. It was so worth it!

The class was pretty big, maybe 20 mom's and their children, and the instructor was phenomenal. She starts off with a hello song and then sings a few songs that involve sign language and other movement, then reads a book, repeats singing, reads another book and then it's time to get props involved. She handed out ribbons that the kids could swing back and forth, and then it was play and socialize time. It was so much fun.

At the end of the class she did the bubble machine and Tesla loved it. So I went by the local drug store and picked up a bubble maker to play with.

When we got home Tesla wanted to stay outside, so we played in the yard, I blew bubbles and she slid down the slide a few times.

PHOTOS: First picture is of Tesla "playing" with her attachable chair for the table. Second Picture is of Tesla playing with a double bag of paint. It's supposed to be like painting but much less messy. Third, forth and fifth pics need no explanation.

Blanket Time

I have been educating myself about raising kids from various sources, blogs, books, websites and friends. Everyone has a different opinion on what is right and what is WRONG. I think you really need to sort through all the different messages received and figure out what best suits you and your style of parenting. But I do think it's important to educate yourself, especially as a stay at home mom, I have a few different jobs, one is keeping the house clean and organized, another is chef, and the most important is taking care of Tesla. So I read cookbooks, I read organizing books, why not read about parenting? I've ordered by the name of The Creative Curriculum for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos, I am really looking forward to reading it. I ordered it from the library because it's quite pricey but if it's really good, we'll go ahead and purchase it. It's for teachers but should have at least one interesting point in it.

One of the blogs that I've been reading The Lazy Organizer mentioned that she had read that Michelle Duggar from the famed 20 Kids and Counting! TV show on TLC does Blanket Training.  Basically you just put a blanket on the floor set the kid down with a toy and have them play there for a certain amount of time, that way you can get a couple of other things done while they are in a "safe" place, and the kid is occupied. Well I really like this idea because I think it really focuses theirs and your attention to an activity. When Tesla is playing her attention is often all over the place. She'll play with one toy then the next then the next but never really sits and plays with one for a long period of time. 

The way that I'm going to use the time for now is to focus both of our attentions on an activity. Either sing a song, learning a new skill or playing with a toy. By doing it with both of us it also means that I stop everything else and sit on the floor with her and just play. Now don't get me wrong I play with her throughout the day all the time, but often I'll get up and put something away, or start dinner or something else distracting. But as long as the blanket is out, we'll be playing. 

She loves the singing and clapping that we do. Often times she walks away and leaves alone, but I get up and say "Blanket Time!" in a cheerful voice and sit her back down. It's all a matter of habits. Eventually I'm hoping she'll understand and pull the blanket out herself. I know lower my expectations. 

More pics for Auntie Bubbles

Here are some more pictures of Tesla playing on her new toy from Auntie Bubbles.

Auntie Bubbles Yard Addition

Yesterday we received Tesla's new toy from Auntie Bubbles. The Little Tikes Swing Along Castle It arrived too late in the day to put it together, but today it was the first thing on my mind. Tesla went down for her nap at 10:00 and I immediately ran outside and opened the box, which I'll have you know stated in big print on the side, assembled in 20 minutes! Well I think they meant actual time screwing things and inserting them. They could not have meant the time it took to get everything out of the box, find all the tools, read the directions, ask Jason for help with 4 of the screws, and figuring out if this is plastic bolt V or plastic bolt A. But don't worry I got it all set up for her when she woke up at 11:30. Just in time too by the time I got upstairs she was standing in her crib and not looking to pleased.

Play Time

Tesla and I went to the Kids Cove at Bellevue Square and played on their toys. It was so fun. Above are two pictures of her playing. The first picture is on a tug boat, she's walking around the deck. The second picture is her walking around the ferry. The Meydenbauer is a ferry that is commonly used in Puget Sound. I think we'll try going here often, it's a lot of fun, and plus I get to go window shopping which I love!

The last picture is of Tesla reading a book on her new chair from Grandma Myra and Pop Pop. How cute. She just loves sitting in it and we think she looks adorable!

Chillin'!

Have I mentioned how adorable my little girl is lately? Today I went to Stroller Strides. On Wednesdays we workout at a place called the Sportszone in Derry, NH. There's a soccer field that is completely inclosed so we can let the kids out. I was totally anxious to let Tesla out so that she could show everyone how well she crawled. Well at first she sat by me and played with a toy on the ground then she decided to go be social. She crawled over to one friend Amy, then noticed Chris and all the kids around her, who were having snacks. So she crawled on over to Chris, and preceded to sit in her lap and eat Teddy Grahams out of her hand. Never checking back with me, or calling out to me, nothing. Just hanging. I asked Chris if I could take a picture of them together. See how Tesla's right foot is blurry, it's because she's just kicking it back and forth, chillin'. How cute!

Firestation Tour

We went on a great tour of the Derry Firestation yesterday. The kids had so much fun meeting the firemen and sitting in the trucks. Most of them were a bit young for it, but you know a free activity is totally worth going to no matter what! Here's a couple of pictures of Tesla at the firestation. I should have one more coming from another friend who took pictures. When you don't have a camera patience in getting the pictures is something you have to learn.

Family Jump

Tesla, Papa and Charleigh

Well this week has been a busy one. Monday we went to the farm with some friends, but the Saturday before that we went to a family jump session that was held by Stroller Strides. The jump session was held by a company that has a small warehouse that you can rent filled with inflatable slides, inflatable castles and so on. Tesla's clearly too young but we went anyway. She had a lot of fun, watching everyone and playing on the floor with her pal Charleigh. Papa also held her in some of the inflatables and she got the idea of bouncing. The have a free time play several times a week in which the kids can come from 10am to 2pm and bounce for just $6.00.

Thank Goodness for Friends with Cameras

In order left to right: Adrian, Tesla, Grant, Nate

Today, Tesla sat up on her own for the very first time. I was just reading in the What to Expect the First Year that around this time a baby may be able to get into a sitting position on their own from their stomach and I could not figure out how she would do it, and Voila! She did it. It was pretty cool to see, because she was completely not impressed by it but I was.

I also went to a petting farm (not really a zoo, it was a farm stand with animals you could feed and pet) with Tesla, Grant, Adrian, Nate and their respective mom's. Tesla does not do well with animals. She pretty much was screaming the whole time. I'm going to have to go back there to get her over this fear. She's very afraid of cats too. She pretty much starts whimpering as soon as a cat comes into the room and it turns on to full on hysterics very quickly, which for a kid that doesn't actually cry all that often is not good. Perhaps I'll try going back to the farm on a more regular basis so that she can get over this. Funnily enough she didn't mind the chickens, which are my favorite!

Since our camera is broken, my friend Laura, Grant's mom sent me these pictures.

Swinging in the Fall!

Yesterday my friend Gwen and I took the kids, Adrian 11 months and Tesla, to the park to swing. Tesla had never been on a swing before and it was such a nice day that we thought it would be fun. Unfortunately I discovered that our camera was broken. Very annoying. I feel like nothing is being made quality any more, everything is just smaller. I took one picture with the camera before putting it away to see if the mechanics still worked. Worked they did, of course I couldn't see what I was taking a picture of but I think the results were okay, and it captured Tesla's first swing. I think she looks like she's been imprisoned. You must like SWINGING!!! She actually had more fun on the bouncy duck, but since I didn't know if the camera actually took a picture I didn't bother.
Since the screen is obviously cracked I handed the camera over to Jason to see if he could repair it. For 25$ he'll order a new screen and hopefully it will work. Apparently it's a common issue with this camera. Swell!