J o e y & A l e e t h e a - super cool handmade monster clothing and more! :D

Just an Autumn day with my babies and the beast

 

Look at my thirsty bunch...I don't know why they look so tired. All cute and all tired, this was after our walk...but two of them up there didn't do any walking! The other one though, the furry one, did plenty of pulling.

It was a hot sunny day (mid October and 77 degrees), and I guess I needed a challenge. So I gathered the troops and we went for a walk. Me, and that beastly and playful dog along with those two adorable little monster kiddos in their buggy, pushing them up and down our neighborhood's hills.

We were out under the beautiful sunny sky and all the while we're walking I'm holding the leash while the furry kid a.k.a. little "Ms. Pully Longstockings" was attempting to tug us in the directions of squirrels every 2 minutes. Notice the tiny little foot-long leash on Aleethea? Yep, there's a really good reason for that thing. Where is Cesar Millan on days like this? Some days I can almost see him drive up to our house in one of his shiny new rental cars, then take Aleethea for a walk while inline-skating up our block. Wouldn't that be awesome?!

So by the time I got to the corner with the babies and the beat, I was sweating. A dog, an almost 4.5yr old, an almost 2.5yr old, and a bicycle-trailer-convertible-stroller-thingy. But do you see how comfy Joey and Lily both fit in that thing? hehe. They're so adorable, and they love sitting next to each other too. It was such fun for them to be riding around like that, just hanging out and noticing nature, and telling each other the funniest little stories.

They call that orangey goodness their "buggy", and it is awesome - it handles really well - so very easy to maneuver, and I also easily schlepped it down our front porch steps. Anyway...getting back to that 6-year-old pup up there...how many times can one say "heel" without sounding ridiculous. I mean really. I need the Dog Whisperer to come whisper something to Aleethea. Something to the effect of "ack!". That should do it, yes? After we turned the corner she did start heeling and walking a bit more calmly...but wow was she all trying to be the pack-leader, trying to get me to follow her lead. Can you imagine? She is hilarious. What a smart pain in the butt that German Shepherd Dog is! She has the energy of a pup, and it's a good thing she is not only amazing and beautiufl, but also 99% trained...because that other 1% is a wild beast! And gee those hills in our neighborhood are much steeper than they look from the car window.

All in all, what a wonderful workout, and lots of fun for all of us.

I can't wait til tomorrow to hook the bike trailer up to my bicycle, and also connect Aleethea's doggy-bar to my bike too. ha! Wish me luck.

DIY household cleaning tips + cough and sore throat remedies

Not the most fun post I've ever written...(with the exception of the super cute Monster Cupcake Dress)...but definitely up there with the useful ones!! 

Here's a list of household cleaning tips that I found over at TipNut. I love that site! Some tips I'd never heard of -- or had really ever thought of before. TipNut has categories such as Cleaning, Crafts, DIY and Household. Useful stuff. 

For example...here are some handy how-to's:

• remove stains from marble and granite
• clean the refrigerator daily in 10 minute chunks (That's Lily up there cleaning her kitchen.)
• clean the dishwasher (yes, the dishwasher)
• how to get rid of fruit-flies
• how to remove white-heat stains from wood tables
• 10 ways herbs can freshen your home

So that's where we get our sparkly cleaning references when needed! 

Oh! And since that time of year is coming around...just in case you need to whip up a batch or two of natural DIY cough remedies, or need homemade solutions for a sore throat, also check out TipNut for those. All the cool kids are doing it. haha. :D

What's your favorite cleaning tip? I'd love to hear it!

get unwired: nature activities

"Today's kids are increasingly disconnected from the natural world", says child advocacy expert Richard Louv.

Here's a wonderful resource - a listing of nature activities for kids and families on his website: http://richardlouv.com/children-nature-resources

Here's this National BestSeller, "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv:

You can read the book's beautiful description here: http://richardlouv.com/last-child-woods

Also here's another good book for daily adventures - this one is for activities for the "bigger" kids in grades 4th thru 6th, entitled "Go Outside: Over 130 Activities for Outdoor Adventures."

And have you heard? 

"This year, the publisher of the Oxford Junior Dictionary decided to replace dozens of nature-related words, such as “beaver” and “dandelion,” with “blog” and “MP3 player.”:

Yes, replaced. Is that not insane? You can read more here:  http://www.childrenandnature.org/blog

So put your Ipod/Iphone/Blackberry or MP3 down on this handmade wood stand...for just a little while, anyway:

And instead go outside with your baby, your infant, your toddler, your dog, your husband (not in that order of course!) and go pick up a leaf, a stick or even a bug. But don't forget to track those childhood adventures with a nature journal - you can find plenty of journals on Etsy.

Or go checkout one of my favorite designer's shops - see Anna Maria Horner's website for this colorful little goodness:

Gosh that journal is just so super gorgeous!!

And to top off your nature journaling...take a look at these lovelies right here...they're natural twig pencils, carved from wood. How fun!

Such fun and inspiring stuff!!

Bye for now, we're off to play outside!

our new fitness plan starts here

Lately I've been wanting to get into a better exercise routine. Not just for me, but for the Hubbs Joe and our babies too.

OK, I didn't mean a better exercise routine. I meant to say an actual exercise routine. Not just the spur of the moment "hey I feel like going for a walk around the lake", or "let's walk instead of driving". No, instead I want to now say "Let's do another 50 crunches" or "Let's bike an additional couple of miles today."

So I found this way cool fitness blog called Living the Fit Life. The blogger is Kimberly who is a "personal trainer, former body builder and group fitness instructor."

She has a blog post entitled "pimp my abs", and you've got to see the fantastic exercises she's laid out for her readers!

I am so ready for an ab makeover. Plus I have a big exercise ball...so I have zero excuses. Working my core has always been a favorite part of working out for me, but since I've had two babies in the past three years, the core has been...well...busy carrying babies! :)

That blog post was all I needed to get started doing crunches again. A daily morning routine has always worked best for me. Before I do anything else, before breakfast, before fully waking up, I work out.

We own an exercise bike, but I was never really into it, it's boring. I'd much rather be outdoors riding my real bicycle instead. I've used that excuse so many times already, it's unreal. haha.

But bike riding is the second part of our new family fitness routine.

The weather here in Orlando these days has been a range of 55 degrees some afternoons, and then to 80 degrees on other afternoons in the same week. So whether chilly or hot, it's still fantastic bike-riding weather.

Now that my baby girl is almost 8 months old, I'm going to start looking into a baby-bicycle seat for her. And one for our 2 year old kiddo too. The Hubbs Joe and I each have mountain bikes, but we need child-seats.

Hmmm...so now for the questions:

What's the recommended minimum age for the infant and toddler bicycle seats?
And should we attach the kiddy bike seat to the front, or to the back of our bicycles?

Not sure how I feel about having my baby up in front of the bike though...does anybody really use those things? I mean, what if your kiddo has an extra dookie big head? Is it difficult to see the road? Does big baby head syndrome get in the way? Not that my baby has a big head, or yours either. hehe. Just sayin'.

Seriously I wouId love for Joey or Lily to sit in front of the bike, for the fun of it, and the full experience of bicycle riding, with the wind in their hair and the sights right in front of them. As long as it's safe, of course. And so the search begins.

For example, here's one:

So far I am really liking it. It's the "iBert Safe-T Front Mounted Child Bicycle Seat". I saw it on Amazon's website here.

The description says it was "Created by parents who were disappointed with the family bicycling options available..." . There's a plus!

Here are some of the specs from the manufacturer:

• Allows interaction with your child
• Child has a clear view
• No dirt, dust, rocks, or water thrown in child's face
• Small and easy to attach
• Easy and safe loading and unloading of child
• Maintains center of gravity
• Similar construction to rear-mounted seats
• One adult can take multiple children for bike rides
• Easy assembly
• Full clearance for knees
• Made in the USA
• Recommended for children one to four years old
• Maximum recommended height is 42 inches
• Maximum recommended weight is 38 pounds

Did you see that Made in USA bullet point? Yeah, that is a huge reason to buy this bicycle seat!

Product reviews are extremely important too. And wow 221 people reviewed it, with 148 reviewers giving it a 5-star rating. Nice. There were also some 3, 2, and also 1 star as well. Probably didn't fit their bike - but I'll go read those reviews too, along with the others.

Joey weighs 36 pounds, so if we do go with this one, then it will be for Lily. Because since Joey weighs close to the maximum recommended weight limit, and he's pretty tall for his age, his head would probably get in my way while driving. Haha! See?

We'll need helmets for the kiddos too.

It's definitely at the top of my list for an infant bicycle seat, but it's recommended for children one to four years old, as most seats probably are. So Lily is too young for it right now.

Hmmm...I wonder how long it will be before Joey gains 4 pounds. As in, can we get any use out of the above seat for Joey...and then use it for Lily when she's old enough? Joey will be 3 in May, so I'm thinking yes...but we'll see.

Off to chart Joey's weight here. And here is some information on child bike seats, and also child bike-trailers too to take note of, from Consumer Reports.

And I'll keep you posted another day on what I ultimately decide to do.

Have a beautiful weekend!  :D