There are few things Gracen loves more than getting mail, even if it’s just flyers and junk. So imagine her excitement when we arrived home to this heavy cardboard tube and I told her it was for her…
Ya, she was beyond thrilled.
She let me hold it just long enough to slice the label that was holding it together, and then carefully went about opening her mystery package, not knowing that it was going to be filled with goodies she (and her Papa) had helped me choose and personalize online.
The first thing she found was this beautiful growth chart, personalized with her first and middle names, and printed with gorgeous babushka dolls. She loved it so much that she was doing a nervous-sounding giggle in between little shrieks and stomps. And I’m so glad she did. Being half Ukranian, I’ve always loved babushka dolls too. My Baba had several in her house while I was growing up and I always thought they were very special. Later, when my Dad went to work in Russia when I was a teenager, he brought me back two of the largest, most beautiful matryoshka dolls I’ve ever seen, and I still have them to this day (note to self: they need to be dug out of safe keeping and displayed in Miss G’s room asap).
Also inside the package were a ton of gorgeous personalized labels. What I hadn’t thought of in advance, unfortunately, was the fact that Grae would think that they were just stickers and immediately want to stick them in her notebook (obviously – com’on Mama!) I explained that these were special stickers… Ones meant for lunch containers, drink bottles, and clothes – not just paper, and she seemed to be semi-okay with that.
I quickly tucked the labels away and asked if she wanted to help me hang her growth chart up – luckily, she was sold. She was a great little measuring tape/pencil-tack passer and in no time, we had her new growth chart hung.
Once hung, it was time to measure her… 86.5 centimetres – meaning that if the whole ‘measure at age 2 and multiply by 2′ theory turns out to be true, she’ll be taller than her 5’ 4” Mama. Yay for that!
Here’s a closer look at Grae’s labels. Aren’t the woodland creatures and the muted colours paired with red adorable? These are iron on clothing labels that are washing machine and dryer safe!
And these little babushka doll ones are stick on name labels that are dishwasher and microwave safe, but can be put on almost anything.
In the next couple of weeks, Grae and I will be putting all of these new goodies to the test and seeing how they hold up when paired with a very busy toddler. We’ll be sure to share our findings with all of you soon!
♥
All items are from Stuck On You.
While Miss G and I have put together and enjoyed 
In order to make the most of them, I knew I wanted Gracen to be involved in the putting the sensory jars together. I gathered up a bunch of materials while she napped and set them out as a little surprise for when she woke (we also ended up using some shampoo on a whim during the activity). Since I had the time and the paint on hand, I chose to give our jar lids a quick coat of silver spray, but it isn’t necessary.
When Grae woke up, she was excited to started. She pretty much led the way, and I just made sure we had some water and one of the thicker liquids (baby oil, cooking oil, or bubble bath) in each jar. One thing was for certain – there needed to be glitter in every jar. No exceptions there. The other thing I found interesting was that Miss G automatically colour coordinated the glitter with the coloured water (hmmm… wonder where she gets these things from??)
(The blue one is the exact same combination as this one, but with blue water and glitter.)
When Grae declared her jars done, I ran a thick strip of hot glue around the inside of each of the lids, then quickly screwed them on as tight as I could. Once they’d cooled, I tried my darndest to unscrew one of the lids, and couldn’t, so I decided they were good to go.
We were headed out into the backyard to splash in the pool, so along the sensory jars came. Gracen really liked shaking them up and watching “the sparkles dance”. 
Here’s a look at the jars just after shaking them. Photos don’t do them justice, but they’re quite mesmerizing actually… calming even, so I can see why parents who use time outs would find these to be a helpful time out ‘tool’.
Gracen adores her Papa and they always find little things to do together that I would never think of (see photo number 2). 
Sniff sniff.
Following the music.
Bouncy castle sliding.
Sitting still.
A little kitty.
Star decorating.
‘1, 2, 3, 4, 5 G’s!’
Dancing time.
Bubba and her balloon.
If you’re a parent to a toddler and you’re not too far away, I’d say a visit to this little playground would be well worth the trip.
(As a side note, I know that her leg positioning looks a little awkward in this photo, but having her feet propped up like this isn’t her usual riding position. Normally her legs are either criss-crossed or down to the sides, and because she’s never known any different, she doesn’t mind one bit. Our plan was to keep her rear-facing until her second birthday, but as the day looms near and I continue to read articles like 
Luckily, I was able to find plenty of bushes right along the road to pull up to and pick from while Grae snoozed peacefully with the car doors open. Let me tell you, it worked out for the best that she fell asleep. Blackberry picking is dangerous work. 
Gracen really enjoyed the play areas. Besides loving the different types of swings (as she always does), she really liked the playgrounds too. Both were different than the ones we normally visit and had some great new tunnels and climbing structures for her to try out.
The wading pool was a hit also. Although it was COLD (like really cold), she was happy to alternate pool play periods with warm up breaks on our blanket in the sunshine. What I really liked was that I could easily go in wearing my skirt and because it was so shallow, I felt comfortable sitting along the edge while Miss G splashed her little heart out. 
I think we could visit once a week, every week and never tire of it.
Here’s our list of ingredients: Plain organic whole milk yogurt, frozen no-sugar-added strawberries and raspberries, a ripe frozen banana, a handful of baby beets, a few teaspoons of chia seeds, and some whole organic milk.
Another must for this recipe? Supergirl and her super girl baby.
Get started by dumping your frozen berries into your blender. Closing your eyes makes for a better challenge. Nothing Supergirl can’t handle though.
Chuck in your frozen banana. Again, amp up this step by trying it with your eyes closed.
Next, add your beets in one. by. one.
And then dump your chia seeds in too.
Next, carefully add your milk. The more you can get into the blender, the better.
Lastly, add a generous scoop of yogurt.
Blend everything up until thick and bright.
Serve with a straw or a spoon. Or both.
Watch your little superhero gobble it up.