7QTF: Elsa's Escapades

 A long, long time ago, in a blog far away, I wrote a post about toddlers.  

Well, now my dear sweet baby Elsa has reached terrible toddlerhood.  I am not a fan of one-year olds.  I like babies and I like kids older than three, but could just as soon skip the ones and twos.   

And, so, for your Friday Quick Takes Entertainment, I bring you Elsa's Escapades in honor of a little 14-month old wrecking ball.

As an aside, I'm a bit ticked off that Disney decided to come out with a new movie (Frozen) and name the princess Elsa.  Last year when Elsa was born, the name was only #724 in popularity in the United States (although it was #5 in Sweden).  I am going to be quite ticked if the name suddenly skyrockets in popularity.

Anyway....

1.

Future Tattoo Artist.

Elsa likes to draw...on herself. 

Look at those lines...the artistic formation...the carefully drawn patterns traveling up the thumb.  It all means something I tell ya. 

It means she is quite clearly right-handed. 

2.

She's also a fan of drawing on paper....and books....and walls....and floors.  Her fine motor skills are rather remarkable for someone her age.   If you're thinking of buying stock, I predict that the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser company is going to see a large increase in sales. 

3.

Future Book Worm

4.

Eater Extraordinaire

Must have food NOW.  And, who is the idiot who gave that child a ceramic plate?

Someone has smartened up and given her a plastic plate.  Because you know, Her Royal Highness refuses to eat off a high chair tray.  Oh no...she INSISTS on eating off a plate and with a fork...just like everyone else.

At least she's using her fork.

Notice the hand tattoo.

Until she doesn't. 

5.

Death Defying Dare Devil

Good thing she has her big brother to watch out for her.

6.

Runaway Bunny

C'ya Mom.  I've got places to go and people to see. 

7.

Exceptional Mess Making Skills

But thankfully she's super cute!

And, I could just eat her up.

Baby for dinner!  And, all you organized people don't look...yes my cabinets really are that unorganized.

If only she would just stop wearing my shoes.

Go see Jen for more Quick Takes

Five Favorites for Babies, Toddlers, and Advent/Christmas

I haven't posted a Five Favorites in awhile, but with Christmas coming up, I though y'all might want some suggestions.  Or not...but humor me anyway.

All these links are affiliate links, which means if you buy from Amazon, click on the link and at NO COST to YOU, *I* earn like a penny.   Or, if you want to buy ANYTHING from Amazon, you can click on my link on the right (the one that says "Buy From Amazon") and if you buy something big, I might even earn two pennies I could rub together.  In fact if you do any shopping at all on Amazon, if you click that link, I earn a few pennies...and it doesn't cost YOU anything.

So, without further blah, blah, blah...here are my 5 Favorites.

1.

Peekaru Baby Wearing Vest

I LOVE taking walks and hiking and we go on walks fairly often, and I'm not about to let a little thing like 35 degree weather slow me down.   When the weather is warmer, I prefer to use the jogging stroller, but in cold weather I don't feel comfortable sticking a baby or toddler in the stroller, no matter how bundled up they are.  We are walking and moving so staying plenty warm, but the baby/toddler is just sitting/lying there and it can get pretty cold just sitting/lying there when it's cold outside.   So, I usually babywear when it's really cold, because then the baby/toddler shares in my body heat and stays warm.

Enter the babywearing vest...which is basically like a big vest that goes over both of us.  As a bonus, it covers up baby/toddler's feet and hands (since in my experience, zero toddlers or babies happily keep mittens on their hands) and from feeling her hands and feet she stays plenty warm and snug in there. 

I can wear her in front.

Or put the vest on backwards and wear the baby on my back.

Love it.

2.

Phillips Avent BPA free Natural Drinking Cup

I love this because it's NOT a sippy cup and is a good transition to teaching kids how to drink out of a regular cup.  The toddler can drink anywhere along the rim and when their upper lip touches the rim, the liquid drips out.  Now...it's not totally spill-proof, if it's thrown on the ground, or dropped or anything touches the inner rim (as is likely to happen in a diaper bag) it will leak slightly...but that is why it comes with that green top,...for traveling in diaper bags. 

It did take Elsa a little bit to learn how to drink out of it without dribbling water all down her front.   Unlike a sippy cup or bottle or breastfeeding which involves sucking action and the liquid being drawn straight into the back of the mouth for the easy swallowing, the child has to learn how to move the liquid to the back of the mouth for swallowing.  But they have to learn someday...and this cups makes it easier.  And, I like to get my kids drinking out of regular cups as soon as possible because I hate sippy cups.  We always lose them and they have a million parts that get lost or dirty and I just find keeping track of them to be super annoying.  I'd rather they learn how to drink out of a regular cup without spilling or making a mess that much earlier. 

3.

Nativity Fabric Advent Calendar

This is a fun calendar to keep track of the days in Advent.  I like that it is cloth and velcro and the kids can play with it and move the pieces around and still keep everything together.
4.

The Nativity Play Set

So all the other bloggers are posting about how they love the Little People Nativity Play Set.  We don't have that one...we have this one, which I like a lot.

We don't do any fun stuff where the wise men travel around the house and get lost or anything.  That's too complicated for me...we just set it up and play with it.

5.

Advent Sacrifices

I'm not super strict on this, but we've been trying to limit sugar/desserts/sweets during Advent.  Normally, we don't eat a lot of desserts anyway, but things always tend to slide in the fall starting with Greta's Birthday in October, closely followed by Halloween/All Saint's Day, then my birthday and then Thanksgiving.  So, I feel like Advent is a good way to get us back on track with limiting sugar/sweets.  We still eat them if we are out at a party and for special feast days (like St. Nicholas Day), but overall we're going to stay away from any cookie baking or sweet eating until Christmas.

Go see Hallie for more 5 Favorites.