I Love My Cub

I found out today while grocery shopping at our neighborhood Cub that kids under 12 can get a free apple and a free cookie from the bakery. I'm not sure if this is all Cub Foods store as this was entirely new to me, and the cashier did not know the answer to my question, but was kind enough to give me the information in the first place. So check your local Cub and let me know! The Boy will be enterained eating FREE snacks so I can have more time to spend looking at all my favorite foods.

Toddler Entertainment

I found this activity to be quite entertaining for The Boy, for about 15 minutes, which we know at 19 months is pretty good. I took a piece of cardboard and punched holes all around the edges using a hole punch. I tied a large knot at one end of a long shoe lace and allowed The Boy to sew inside and out of the holes. What other fun and cheap activities do you do around your house with kids?

Chorebuster

My husband and I have frequently had the "who does more chores debates". I have now found a way to put an end to it and keep up on those chores that are easy to put off. It's called Chorebuster. Chorebuster is a free internet resource for organizing your chores and generating a calendar for your family to keep track of what's on the "to do list".

Each week I print out a calendar that includes checkboxes next to each chore, and tape it to the refrigerator door. The Boy is too young yet to have his own chore list, but I imagine that this will be a nice tool when he is able to pull his own weight around the house. It also includes an option of adding rewards to each chore, a handy resource for sure!

Get Computer Time

Do you have to wait until nap time or bed time to read your blog roll, check your email, or do your online grocery shopping? It's usually what's happening in my house that allows me time to get online and post to my blogs. But every once in a while I check in to work email or upload photos with The Boy on my lap.

I can typically spend a few minutes on the laptop, if the main part of the screen is taken up with a You Tube video of old Sesame Street clips, particularly ones that have Elmo in a starring role. In the future I may use this as an alternative to buying dvds to buy time while I make dinner, etc.

Camping with Toddler

I don't have much time to write as we are heading off for another weekend of camping, this time in The Metro. However, I did want to share my sweet camping treat for The Boy that I am bringing along. Now that it's been berry time for a couple of weeks, and we've been stocking up on blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries we some times end up with more than we can eat. When the berries start to get mushy, I toss them into our Magic Bullet and puree them. I pour the pureed mixed berries in little plastic containers and stick them in the freezer. When we pack up the coolers, I toss a few of these inside, they help keep things cool, and they make a great summer treat for the boy. After spending a day or two in the cooler they end up being a real fruit slushy to be enjoyed on a hot summer day. Enjoy and have a great weekend.