Trains and more Trains

Boggie absolutely adores TRAINS or as he calls them"CHOO CHOO!!" His little heart skips a beat and he tries to catch his breathe as he yells out "CHOO CHOO!" on the top of his lungs whenever he sees or hears a train .... it's pretty AWESOME!

I am not sure when it started but I think he was about a year old when this passion for trains began. 

What's pretty amazing is how much my father loved trains, he grew up jumping on and off of trains through out his child hood. One of his last wishes was to ride a train across North America, that never happened but we managed to take him on a short little train ride, he was not impressed at all. I think he wanted to ride a train for days not hours!!

I see the same thought process in Boggie. He is not happy just playing with a train for a few hours his WHOLE day revolves around trains if I let him. He plays with his train set, we watch Thomas and Friends movie and even will go the mall just to ride the train.

This mama it's pretty darn proud of my son and I love to see what a passionate and determined little boy he is becoming.

I found this adorable wooden train by Melissa and Doug for $14.99 at TJMaxx. If you have not checked out Melissa and Dougs toy line you should. They have the best wooden toys for kids (not just trains) and most of them are very educational and age appropriate for toddlers which provide hours of FUN! 

Does your little one have a favorite toy? What was your favorite childhood toy?

Starbucks and Toddlers

In case you haven't experienced this yet with your LO, at two years old they want to be just like you.

They want to wear your shoes, clothes and in my case my son even grabbed one of my bras from my drawer and tried putting it on. I couldn't help but sit back and watch him! He managed to but one arm in through a strap and then he threw it across the room. He is so smart and wise (wish I could do that with my bra son) bras are stupid.

It's flattering how much they look up to us has parents and want to imitate us, but when your trying to get something done and you can't oblige them ...... the dun dun dun.... TANTRUMS can creep up REAL quick and we all know those are not very pretty when your in the middle of let's say Starbucks?!

When Lucas and I go to Starbucks of course he wants to have what mommies is drinking,a double shot soy latte and NOOOOO I do not give him coffee instead I ask for a small cup with a lid (it makes a perfect sippy cup) with half filled (don't want them spilling it all over) of soy milk. Boggie is happy and that means Mama can enjoy her drink too ... ah. Little tips like this can make a world of a difference in toddler life.

Do you have any tips or tricks up your sleeves Mamas when your out in about with your LO? What does your little one like to drink or eat when out in about? Are you glad the treat receipt is back? I am!

What's the funniest thing they have tried on lately from your closet?

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend

Till next time

XOXO - Boggie and Mama

Tantrum Tuesday

Boggie is officially in tantrum mode and boy is it CRAZY! Today we went to our usual storytime, he sat quietly and afterwards we went over to the children section where there is a train table. If I haven't mentioned this before, Boggie is OBSESSED with trains .. like OBSESSED ! He wakes up saying Choo Choo ... he plays with trains for hours wants to watch Thomas the Train all day long.

So back to the tantrum story after playing at the table for about an hour it was close to noon and it was time to go have lunch and take a nap. I always tell him "One more minute" Simply because he understands the number one has time and it's easy way to give him a concept of time. 

He went NUTS, which is normal for him but then I fought to get him in the car for about 15 minutes what seemed like an hour!

That was just the first of many in the day. One thing is for sure Boggie is a very passionate individual and his determination is powerful. Great quality as a man not a TODDLER. 

I am so impressed by his focus and drive when he wants to do something. Despite all the tantrums we had today, he always pushes me to new boundaries I never knew I could go. My patience is stronger then ever, and his screams in public are less embarrassing then ever. I feel more and more confident in my parenting skills then never before and for that thank you Boggie!

The end of the evening he cuddle with his papa in his tent for story time and my heart melted as I looked at my son and all the changes and growth he is going through, this experience is truly AMAZING! 

My Bob

When I turned thirty my life has I knew it turned upside down and I felt like I was a Pinata and was taking a beating with a stick over and over, I wonder every minute how long I could  keep it all together? I eventually broke into a million pieces.

My marriage of seven years came to an end with a divorce a year later. This situation defined me, and still is a big part of who I am today.When this happened it felt like a death, the death of my x-husband that is. Although he was alive, he was no longer the man I loved and knew ... he was gone ... everything was gone. My core was rocked, my sense of who I was and my faith was shattered like a broken mirror. I couldn't see much of anything clearly at the time, it was one of the most dark times in my life.

I had lost complete control of what felt like everything in my life except for my hair. Hair you may say? Yes something as trivial as hair was a big deal back then.I decided I would cut it really short one day because I could, and that haircut made me feel like I had regained just a little bit of control when everything else in my life was chaos. My new haircut empowered me it gave me hope for the future.

Funny how a haircut can do that? But it really did! Sometimes when things get tough its good to step back and look for the small things that we can change or do to make us feel better. SELF LOVE is so important. 

Of course the hair did not solve all my problems but what it did do was give me confidence. Confidence in a new future and that I could move on and I DID. Eventually I found my way to a new a new chapter in my journey of life. Of course with the help of my creator Jehovah, my close friends, Derek and family. But I will never forget what that little BOB haircut meant to me and how it made me feel. 

In August I will be thirty five, MUCH has happened in those five years. My hair grew for one, lol. Now I am a mother, a wife again ( I remarried 3 years ago to an amazing man Derek). Suddenly as my next birthday approaches I felt a little overwhelmed, I started to feel "old" and to think to myself half my life is over! I know ... I know....all silly thoughts .... 35 is the NEW 25 right? SURE! Okay whatever make you thrity somethings sleep better at night.

 I did what I had once done oh so not long ago, I chopped my hair and got a bob haircut.

What do you do when you feel a little down? Does a haircut make you feel anew? Or is it just me?

Hello Monday

Today Boggie woke up bright eye and bushy tail at 6 am and said "Mama PLAY!". I think he dreams about playing, ah what a beautiful life my baby has. I smiled and kissed him and said "Ask Dad" .... my way of getting a few more minutes of shut eye.

Mondays are always bitter sweet, Dad has to go back to work and our time together as three comes to an end. 

On the other hand it's Boggie and Mamas special little time to cuddle and play and see what adventures we can find during the week!

After playing for 20 minutes this morning he crawled back into bed with me and said "Chee Chee" (what we call breastfeeding) He still BF occasionally whenever he wants, and that is perfectly okay with me. These days EBF it less and less, he seems to be weaning himself  off and that works just fine.

After a little while he fell asleep again snuggled up against me. Now this is a perfect Monday morning and a perfect way to start out our week.

What are you up to this week?

First cut is the deepest

Whah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My baby boy got his first haircut today after much resistance on my part!! I couldn't come to seeing his little locks of curls being cut off, but it was probably cause I knew the reality of it all ... it would be the end of an era!

The little baby I anticipated the arrival of for 9 months (months that seemed like a billion years) is now almost TWO?!?!?!?!

It's been done, the little lockets of curls were placed in a little baggie and now I will be one of those weird mamas who will pull out the bag of baby hair and show it off to all who enter my house after my son has left.

                                               Boggie and his NEW LOOK!

Summer fun!

Happy weekend everyone! Hope you all are enjoying some time outside with the your little ones and friends.

We've been really enjoying this summer with Boogie. Last year it seemed like he was still in the BLOB stage (that what my friends and I call the infant stage) Toddler years can be a lot more fun! Yes I said it (it was a good day here) , although this age is super tough in some aspects (toddler tantrums and attitude mostly) it's a lot better in many ways.... you'll see!

Boggie is saying tons of new words everyday and lots of phrases. On the top list ... his favorite phrase at the moment is "I DID IT!" and I love hearing him say such positive reinforcement to himself. You can never have to much confidence. He much rather skip a nap most days now and  says "PLAY MAMA!" all day long. It's really an awesome time in our lives! What is your little toddler saying these days?

Dad had July 4th off so we schedule a family photo shoot that morning ( I will share those pictures with you soon) and then we had breakfast at our favorite little local spot in Dunedin, Florida called Sweet Pea's Cafe.

 If your in Tampa Bay and are looking for something locally owned and operated with simple organic choices definitively check out Sweet Pea's Cafe, I recommend there iced coffees and breakfast sandwich, Boggie loves there buckwheat strawberry pancakes.

Do you have any local kid friendly restaurants in your area? Or organic cafes? Love to hear about your faves in case we are ever in your neck of the woods. Have a great weekend.

Boggie loves books

On Tuesdays at our local library there is a toddler story time. I started taking Boggie when he was about 18 mo. at first he would just crawl around the entire reading room while I chased him but so do most of the other kids. It was nice to be around other mamas and care givers. I felt like these people were in the same boat and it felt good not to be alone in the frustration toddlers can bring. Now he will sit for the most part and listen ..... sometimes.

Every week the librarian has a different subject that she will read a few books from, we also sing along with her a few songs and then we have a craft project that goes with the theme of the books she reads. 

Boggie mostly wants  to play on the awesome train table they have in the children's area. "Choo Choo Mama" he says! 

I highly recommend a small set like this one to see if it sparks some interest for your little one .... Boggie LOVES trains and plays for an hour or more sometimes all by himself and we all know Mamas how amazing it is to have an hour of calmness in the house. 

You know we all love a good sale and today there was a BOGO book sale at the library. Check out what we picked up....

A dollar for both books! 

And ..... some DVDS too! We love Little Bear at our house based off the book series published in 1957 a MUST SEE!

Two buck for  two brand new DVD's  .... SCORE!

Have you visited your local library lately? Our community libraries have different events going on all the time... make sure to check it out there activities! 

There really is nothing like opening a book and taking our kids "back in time" when things were so much more simpler.

Boogie Bowls!

Hello MONDAY! Another month we say good bye to and hello JULY ... hard to believe we are already halfway through Summer huh?

I remember hearing "older" people say "time flys!" and I would just role my eyes in my mind (afraid of them smacking upside the head if I dare roll my eye at them) and think to myself what the heck are the talking about, there crazy?!?!

Now I am the "old" one and I GET IT!! It feels like yesterday that I was learning how to tie my shoes with Bert from Sesame Street and now I am watching Elmo ( his favorite) with my Boogie?!

My baby boy he is almost TWO?!?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! Make it stop please!!

To my fellow newborn mamas slow down and take in every moment and ENJOY it  ... I know it can seem so hard and overwhelming most days in the beginning of the journey  but I promise in a blink of an eye everything changes and that little tiny baby will be walking all over the place and then running faster then you and oh I can't forget to warn you ...... throwing CRAZY tantrums in the middle of Starbucks!

We had a great weekend despite the summer thunder storms popping and pouring through out the weekend... typical of Florida summers!

Sunday after our meeting we went BOWLING, haven't done that in ages but when you have a kid suddenly everything seems funner and exciting all over again especially since it was Boggies FIRST time!!!
This  Mama was super excited to see his little face at the sight of hundreds of BALLS.

We went to the same bowling alley my dad would take us as kids and it really made me smile to be there now with my son....Boggie.

During the summer  KIDS BOWL FREE~ you just pay for the shoes! Isn't that AWESOME!! Gotta love free stuff! Make sure to check out this deal in  your area everybody ~

Aren't these the cutest little shoes ever?

He loved the bowling alley because there were  BALLS everywhere!!! He LOVES BALLS!

Just goofing off 

It was an eventful night, bowling with 12 kids to 5 adults is not a very good ratio we quickly found out! (It was CRAY CRAY) I recommend you wait till your child is probably a little older then Boggie cause he really was not able to hold the ball and bowl but he loved the experience and especially had a blast pressing all the buttons in the Arcade.

What did you guys do this weekend? Have you found any fun free activities in your area to keep the little monsters busy?

Can't wait to hear what you guys all did this weekend!