I swear I do wear her, too, but I don't have all that many photographs of myself. She's now nearly 3.5 and we're still going strong.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Stranded on a Desert Island
If you were stranded on a desert island with your kid, what one item would you take with you? Without a doubt, we'd take our ergo. Is she tired of walking? We can carry her for as far and long as needed. Is she exhausted? Nap time. If it were lost or destroyed, we'd buy another one tomorrow...or possibly wait until babysteals had another deal on them.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Momma's Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
If you have a little princess and are headed to a Disney Resort, you know -- or soon will know -- of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. While I've heard that the experience is pretty incredible, I just cannot fathom spending that much money to have glitter put in my child's hair. That being said, Frannie is 3, and princess glamour is the kind of thing she dreams of.
This April we went on the ultimate family vacation to Disneyland and we knew there was a reasonable risk in Frannie having a meltdown if she couldn't have a $60 hairstyle. So we went prepared. Beforehand, Katie watched youtube videos and looked at step-by-step illustrations on how to do princess hair and we practiced in our living room. We bought gel (for about a dollar), glitter hairspray at Claire's in the mall (for about $5), and an assortment of bow clips to augment our little princess's hair. It turns out that Katie is pretty amazing at doing hair.
We also armed ourselves with an assortment of princess dresses, mostly homemade. Not crafty? Don't worry. Two of her dresses were straight off the rack at Costco for about $20 and they are far more comfortable and better made (and machine washable) than anything Disney is going to sell you.
The result: We enjoyed a week at Disneyland with a very happy girl who never once begged for princess hair or dresses because she arrived at the park each day already dolled up. The one concession was a Queen Elsa crown that a lovely clerk at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique saved behind the counter for us when the new (very small) shipment arrived. It was worth every penny.
This inside-out french braid wraps around her head in a crown shape. It's perfect for playing and for napping:
Minnie Mouse buns:
Modeling her Costco "Minnie Mouse" dress:
A princess bun with jewels and one of her comfy princess dresses (a t-shirt top sewn onto a Princess Tiana skirt, cost: $3.25):
Here's our princess wearing another Costco "princess" dress that Grammie surprised her with:
Wearing the polar fleece Ariel cape that was made by Momma at her request:
A view of the top half of the new Costco princess dress (now known as her Elsa dress) and her Elsa crown:
A back view of the braid crown:
This April we went on the ultimate family vacation to Disneyland and we knew there was a reasonable risk in Frannie having a meltdown if she couldn't have a $60 hairstyle. So we went prepared. Beforehand, Katie watched youtube videos and looked at step-by-step illustrations on how to do princess hair and we practiced in our living room. We bought gel (for about a dollar), glitter hairspray at Claire's in the mall (for about $5), and an assortment of bow clips to augment our little princess's hair. It turns out that Katie is pretty amazing at doing hair.
We also armed ourselves with an assortment of princess dresses, mostly homemade. Not crafty? Don't worry. Two of her dresses were straight off the rack at Costco for about $20 and they are far more comfortable and better made (and machine washable) than anything Disney is going to sell you.
The result: We enjoyed a week at Disneyland with a very happy girl who never once begged for princess hair or dresses because she arrived at the park each day already dolled up. The one concession was a Queen Elsa crown that a lovely clerk at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique saved behind the counter for us when the new (very small) shipment arrived. It was worth every penny.
This inside-out french braid wraps around her head in a crown shape. It's perfect for playing and for napping:
Painting Without Pants
Småland and Stretching the Truth
The background: I have loved IKEA since I first visited it with my parents when it opened in Seattle. It has the fun mix of organizational tools, interesting new items, and tasty treats that has the potential making of the perfect shopping experience for me.
Then I became a parent: And we depended on IKEA to make this baby thing affordable. The Sniglar crib (which I treated with the mineral oil sold for protecting wooden cutting boards) and a nice little crib mattress came to the rescue. Best of all furniture was low profile, which was critical in the baby's tiny bedroom. With a baby and then eventually a toddler, trips to IKEA were enjoyable. She loved the Swedish yellow pea soup.
Then she hit 37" and I became a liar: And the Småland Play Area - the holy grail of IKEA for children - opened its doors to us. The ball pit that my child had eyed for over a year was finally available to her...as long as Mommy was willing to bend the truth. Here's the deal, my kid is pretty much potty trained (except for the whole pooping once a day never in the toilet thing). The problem is, "pretty much" doesn't cut it if you're 20 minutes from home and have an accident in the car seat, the restaurant, or the beloved ball pit. While she sometimes wears proper training pants at home, she mostly wears pull-ups when we go out. Now, when you check a small child into Småland, the first thing they do is measure them (and goodness they must be clearly 37" tall). The second thing they do is ask to ensure that your child is not wearing diapers or pull-ups. I get it. They need to keep a clean play area. They don't want to deal with the potential leak of bodily fluids. In my world, the pull-up is our extra insurance policy that they won't have to.
Mommy is a liar, but the wee one is oblivious: This morning we arrived at our local IKEA 20 minutes before opening to ensure we'd have a spot in Småland. A friend of ours who has 3 small children met us there. Today I yet again answered the question in a way that stretches the truth...because the reality of my life at this point in the process is that those pull-ups she was wearing (concealed beneath carefully selected outfits) are akin to disposable training pants. The consequence of my actions: AN HOUR of mommy time, when we three happy moms could sip an inexpensive beverage while browsing in peace, followed by a delightful lunch with 4 happy (tired) children. When we left, the pull-up was still dry.
A related thought: I wonder if the people checking children into Småland have every had someone answer the question by inquiring about her/his undergarments.
Then I became a parent: And we depended on IKEA to make this baby thing affordable. The Sniglar crib (which I treated with the mineral oil sold for protecting wooden cutting boards) and a nice little crib mattress came to the rescue. Best of all furniture was low profile, which was critical in the baby's tiny bedroom. With a baby and then eventually a toddler, trips to IKEA were enjoyable. She loved the Swedish yellow pea soup.
Then she hit 37" and I became a liar: And the Småland Play Area - the holy grail of IKEA for children - opened its doors to us. The ball pit that my child had eyed for over a year was finally available to her...as long as Mommy was willing to bend the truth. Here's the deal, my kid is pretty much potty trained (except for the whole pooping once a day never in the toilet thing). The problem is, "pretty much" doesn't cut it if you're 20 minutes from home and have an accident in the car seat, the restaurant, or the beloved ball pit. While she sometimes wears proper training pants at home, she mostly wears pull-ups when we go out. Now, when you check a small child into Småland, the first thing they do is measure them (and goodness they must be clearly 37" tall). The second thing they do is ask to ensure that your child is not wearing diapers or pull-ups. I get it. They need to keep a clean play area. They don't want to deal with the potential leak of bodily fluids. In my world, the pull-up is our extra insurance policy that they won't have to.
Mommy is a liar, but the wee one is oblivious: This morning we arrived at our local IKEA 20 minutes before opening to ensure we'd have a spot in Småland. A friend of ours who has 3 small children met us there. Today I yet again answered the question in a way that stretches the truth...because the reality of my life at this point in the process is that those pull-ups she was wearing (concealed beneath carefully selected outfits) are akin to disposable training pants. The consequence of my actions: AN HOUR of mommy time, when we three happy moms could sip an inexpensive beverage while browsing in peace, followed by a delightful lunch with 4 happy (tired) children. When we left, the pull-up was still dry.
A related thought: I wonder if the people checking children into Småland have every had someone answer the question by inquiring about her/his undergarments.
Sushi
I know we're doing lots of things right when it comes to raising Frannie, but it's little things that make me think of it. Friday's little reminder came when we decided to go out to dinner. We wanted a fun, easy dinner, meaning we wanted to go somewhere where 3-year-old Frannie would be happy with the food and the atmosphere. I had been thinking about someplace close to home, like The Oak (where Frannie enjoys the macaroni and cheese) or Bar del Corso (with delicious pizza). If we were up to driving a ways, I figured The Old Spaghetti Factory (with their awesome kids meal options) would be fun. When we asked Frannie where she'd like to go, she declared, "Shushi!" So off we went to our favorite kid-friendly sushi restaurant, Genki Sushi. Frannie is a huge fan of the fatty salmon. It's great to see her enjoying sushi (especially the raw fish). It also means that at 3 she is no longer a cheap date.
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