Showing posts with label Toddlers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Toddlers. Show all posts

Sunday, 10 November 2013

Good Morning Sunshine!

My munchkin is turning 2 in just over a month (WHAT?!), and I realized this weekend that she is quite possibly the most inspirational human being I know.

She's a BIG talker-- a real chatterbox-- (hard to believe with such quiet, reserved parents), and she tends to say a lot of laugh-out-loud and/or cute things. She also tends to shock us on a daily basis with what comes out of her mouth. I am actually sitting here, shaking my head and smiling just thinking about it. It's more than pride-- it's amazement.

Before you stop reading, I'm not that mother-- the one who will sit and tell you that she has the world's most perfect child. I will be the first to step up and admit that we undoubtedly started with the whole "twos" thing early. We're on a daily rotation of smiles, whining, tantrums, mommy-clinging, laughs, hyperactivity,  fits and cuddles. It's quite draining, actually.

The thing is, this Saturday morning, she said something that took my breath away. I woke up to her morning noises, went into her room, said "good morning", and opened her blinds to let in some light. Standing in her crib, she looked out the window, smiled and said, "good morning sunshine!" What made me stop in my tracks was the fact that it was a particularly grey November Montreal morning. There was no sunshine to be seen. From her not-quite-two-year-old perspective, that was completely insignificant.


Then, I realized it was not the first time she started her day like this. No, actually it's the first thing she says nearly every single morning. Every morning for her is a "good morning sunshine" kind of morning.

As I smiled and scooped her up for a big morning hug and kiss, I realized just how amazing that is. What if we all started every morning with a "good morning sunshine", not yet knowing just what our day might have in store for us? What if every day-- no matter how grey, or cold, or sleepy-- actually started out full of possibility and positivity? ...Out of the mouths of babes...

I can only hope that my adult brain can step aside for a moment and allow me to greet every new day through the eyes of a toddler.

Happy Monday, everyone!


Thursday, 31 October 2013

Adventures with a Toddler: Our Halloween Costume Saga

Happy Halloween everyone!


So this one was really an adventure- trying to find a Halloween costume for my not-quite-two-year-old.


As you can see, things started off pretty well with the elephant costume Mama wanted to attempt to use for the second year in a row.
It was looking like we had an early win!
...and then this happened...
...and this...

So we tried something a little different.
Neither Mama nor munchkin were impressed.
In the end we went with what just felt "right" for all of us! A happy little Habs fan! 



Trick or treat! 


Have a safe and fun Halloween!


Love,

The Kujos



Monday, 21 October 2013

Morning Giggles for Another Manic Monday

This morning was a bit of a rush in the Kujo household. Mondays generally are- waking up to an alarm for the first time in a few days, getting everything ready for daycare for the week, general sluggishness. I was up and out with the dog by the time Hubby was waking Miss R. I came back inside with just enough time for bye-bye hugs and kisses all around.

I sat down at my desk in my office, and I get a notification that I have a new email from Hubby:


After telling her several minutes earlier that Mommy went to work, munchkin and I had the following chat:

R: "Where did Mommy go?"
Daddy: "You know where Mommy went, you tell Daddy where Mommy went."

R: "A Mommy home."
Daddy: "No, Mommy's not home, do you you remember where Daddy told you Mommy went this morning?"

R: "A Mommy home?!"
Daddy: "No Rosie.....Mommy went somewhere this morning, do you remember where?"

R: "Danna!!!"
Daddy: "???"

R: "Jordana!!!"
Daddy: "Rosie, who is Jordana?"

R: "A Mommy Jordana!!!"


Ahhhh life with a toddler. 


I got a good smile and giggle out of this one, so I thought I'd share.



Anyone else out there have a Munckin Monday Morning today? Would love to hear yours! Feel free to share in a comment below!

Wednesday, 16 October 2013

Wordless Wednesday: Books Are Our Friends {linky}



That moment when your child cuddles up with your favourite storytime books and "reads" the words out loud for the first time...

Leave your WW Post down below! Would love to check out all of the fun photos of the day! :)





Wednesday, 9 October 2013

Wordless Wednesday: We Love Fall {linky}

That face AND juicy apples fresh from the tree? Who could ask for more?!

Ok- maybe some homemade apple pie, too!




Leave your WW Post down below! Would love to check out all of the fun photos of the day! :)

Thursday, 26 September 2013

The First Time Leaving Baby

Today I am a sad Mommy in need of some pep talking. Tomorrow I leave to spend my first (and second) night away from my baby girl. Yes, I know I have gone longer than most in taking this leap (she's 21 months), but maybe that's why it feels so scary.


I have a fun-filled, busy weekend in the Big Apple to celebrate my BFF's upcoming nuptials, and I am SO excited! It's all just a little bitter-sweet: getting some needed mommy time, time with old friends and family, but I know I will be missing my girl. 

Goodness knows she'll probably be having too much fun with Daddy to even notice I'm missing!



Help a Mama out, dear readers... Pep talk? Advice? Words of encouragement? Please leave 'em in the comments below!

Tuesday, 24 September 2013

AYFKM?!: J. Crew Baby

J. Crew's announcement that it will be adding a line of baby clothes to its collection has inspired a new type of post I will affectionately be categorizing as "Are You Freaking Kidding Me?!".  [A close-second was "Kujo's Kall-Outs".]


Let's just take a quick look at a screenshot of the J.Crew Baby Landing Page...

Above you can see the "above-the-fold" view of the page (with my annotations in red); a.k.a. what they deem to be the most important content for anyone navigating to the page; a.k.a. what will keep you clicking and eventually get you buying. 

Italian Cashmere?! For reals? 

Yes, I would LOVE to dress my little girl up in this adorable polka-dotted (MamaKujo LOVES polka-dots), cozy looking sweater, but not for ONE-HUNDRED-AND-SIXTY-EIGHT FREAKING DOLLARS! $168! I cringe at the thought of a Mommy-sized sweater for $168. Are you freaking kidding me?!

Babies get dirty. They spit up, drool, vomit, poop in their pants, roll or crawl around on the floor. They also grow out of clothing sizes in the blink of an eye. I'd sooner toss $168 into the diaper genie! 
And $24 for a bib?! Are you freaking kidding me?!

You do know that a bib's entire purpose for existing is to GET DIRTY, don't you?! Babies wear bibs to catch the spit up, drool, food, vomit, etc. that is constantly leaking from their faces so that their $168 dollar Italian Cashmere sweaters won't get ruined. Why would I spend $24 for a shmatah?!


There are also sandals for $120, blankets for $228, wool stuffed toys for $88, and on and on, and I need to stop before I vomit!  

Does anyone over there at J. Crew Baby even have kids?! Don't even answer that because I won't believe you if you tell me you do. Or I'll just know that you're a shmuck.

I love J. Crew's style- some of my favourite pieces in my wardrobe are J. Crew staples. I also love baby clothes (who doesn't?!). This is just one of those cases where 1+1 does not equal 2 for this mama.



Leave a comment down below-  I would love to hear your reactions to this. What do you think? Am I over-reacting?!


Friday, 30 August 2013

TGIF: My Silly Mommy Moment of the Week

You know your brain is fried when...


Hello out there!

Today's post will be a quick one because I JUST HAD to share it with all of you.


This week was particularly hectic at work. Yesterday was the craziest day of all. Exhaustion, late work day, transit commute home (my car was in for repairs). I was TOAST by the time I got home at nearly 7pm.

Hubby had to run out to do a quick errand, so this mama was alone for end of supper, bath and bedtime.

I have to say that considering just how out of it I was feeling, everything was going pretty smoothly. Bath and playtime lead to story time without a fuss. Babygirl went "night night" with a big hug and kiss.

Hubby came home disappointed that he missed saying goodnight. I told him munchkin had just gone down, so he could still pop in to give munchkin a kiss.

It turns out...


I forgot to switch off her lamp.

Oops!


Just thought I'd share the laughs (even at my own expense).


I would love to hear all of your Silly Mommy (or Daddy) Moments- share a comment about "that one time" below!



Happy Labour Day Weekend Everyone!





Tuesday, 16 April 2013

Kale Chips- A Healthy Alternative (Seriously) to Potato Chips

Okay, okay, I know there are a million blog posts out there about Kale Chips and how to make them, but I HAD to. After discovering for myself just how EASY these are to make, I had to share with the world. Even better... my 16-month-old is CRAZY for them. If I can get her to eat kale and beg for more, then there must be something worth sharing- yes? YES!




Fresh Kale


STEP 1: Separate leaves from stem. Discard stem.

STEP 2: Tear leaves into 2 in. (approx.) pieces.


STEP 3: Line baking sheet with leafy pieces and sprinkle 1-2 tsp of cooking oil on leaves. (I lined my baking sheet with parchment paper to make clean-up quick and easy.) Toss so all pieces are covered. [Note: Some of my pieces in this pic were too small. They shrink A LOT!]


STEP 4: Bake in oven at 375F for 20-25 mins.


STEP 5: Optional- Place chips on paper towel to soak up any extra oil.  Sprinkle salt or parmesan or other flavorings on chips and toss.

Easy peasy! 



Happy snacking!!!

Sunday, 3 March 2013

Happy 2nd Birthday B!!! (I'm Baaaaack)


Yeah, so I disappeared... Going to dust myself off and try again...


Soooooo- my niece, B, just turned 2! I've spent the weekend working hard to make the perfect cuppies for the occasion. I have to say, I am VERY proud of my results!


Let me start by introducing my best friend in the world. This is  Betsy, the Queen of all Pink Ladies.
My life would not be the same without her in it. <3




Chocolate chip filled cupcakes, fresh out of the oven, with special celebration wrappers!





Chocolate frosting- decadent!
Babygirl (who is now 14 months old!) could NOT get enough of the spoon after this one!


The results...
Pretty perfect if I do say so myself!



So there they are- chocolate chip cupcakes with chocolate frosting and candy star sprinkles. I would share the recipe, but it's not mine. Check out Martha Stewart's Cupcakes recipe book if you're having a hankering. It's my bible. 


That's it for now! Time to head over to the party.