Use Your Imagination

I've been wanting to take the kids to Toledo's new Imagination Station since it opened. It's the new science center with lots of interactive, hands-on exhibits to teach different concepts of science. Many of the bigger exhibits are geared towards older kids, but they have a very cool "little kids" area and there is just so much to see and do throughout the whole building!

I'd been mentioning it to Craig and we planned to go Saturday, but then Saturday came and he wasn't feeling up to it with his sore knee. Not surprisingly, however, when Sunday arrived and the Fantasy Football end-of-season league party was scheduled (where the group of guys meet up at a sports bar and watch games), the knee wasn't a problem. Hmmm... funny how that works isn't it? IMAGINE that. (No pun intended.)

So instead of staying home, the kids and I packed up after nap and picked up my parents for a couple hours of science fun. Will has no concept of staying-close-to-mom. He'll just wander about wherever he pleases and I wanted to be able to really check stuff out with him. So I called in reinforcements to help hold Sophie and keep an eye on Will.

Here we are in downtown Toledo making are way to the center:

Inside the center, one of the first things we saw was this awesome contraption where you could send billiard balls along these crazy mazes and, in some instances, control their route by spinning levers and such. It was bright and colorful and had some musical chimes and sounds for each path. And in the end, your ball came back to you. VERY entertaining. Will LOVED picking up the balls and sending them back on their way.







My son is ELECTRIC! :)


A fuzzier picture (no flash), but much more activity.

Moving on the little kids area, they had a tree house with tunnels, slides and ladders.





Sophie checks out a littler slide.




Construction Zone


Will's very favorite part: the fire truck complete with dress-up gear and buttons that make sirens and lights. He even made a new pal.





Firemen... ahem, fireman and firewoman.




They also have a play grocery store complete with pretend food, carts and checkout lanes (Will had no interest here - LOL) and a play hospital with ambulance (more lights and sirens) and admitting area with intercoms, baby nursery and lights boards for x-rays. Will wigged out when I intercom-paged him in the ambulance from the admitting room. :)

Inside a triangular mirror with a kaleidoscope effect.



An air machine that suspended a ball above the tube. (I'm very scientific about my explanations here aren't I? LOL Thankfully, they have signs posted all over that explain every exhibit.)



Inside the water area, there were demonstrations of sailboats that you could race, all kinds of messier dump-and-pour toys, a "river" of water that you could create a dam using plastic inserts, and rubber duckies that could float along the river.

A "submarine" with more buttons and controls inside to play with. (Buttons rock!)



Back out in the bigger areas, we controlled the flight of two hot air balloons... by pressing and holding different buttons! There's a whole scientific explanation for that too, but of course I wasn't reading much with a busy two year old. You can also see the person riding the bicycle "tight rope" between the balloons.


A giant piano! How fun! Too bad Will wasn't quite heavy enough to make it work with each step. He really had to stomp.




So mommy helped him out with a piggy-back ride and some hopping/dancing across the keys.

One step inside the "off-balance" room where the floors were crooked and the walls and objects were all skewed, and Will went straight down on his belly. He wasn't hurt, but when I helped him up he looked totally confused as to what sort of other world we'd just walked into. He clearly wanted to leave the room and I was okay with that because it made me dizzy too.

Lots of play with lights. More mirrors and glow-in-the-dark lights.



Will checking out my dad's image behind this back-lit wall.

Pepper the dog lit up and growled when you rang his "doorbell". I think Will thought it was real.



Papa and Will pulling the rope to raise the bowling ball in the right tube, only to let go and the force of air shoots the tennis ball in the left tube way up into the air. Then it falls back down into the net.




We were only there just shy of two hours, but we packed a lot into that time and will was pooped on the way out.




Stopping at the restrooms before we left, Sophie was mesmorized by the bubbles.



We're definitely coming back with Craig again soon!

What's For Dinner? Week 3

Sophie liked the blueberry-banana-tofu! She also decided cottage cheese and sweet potato is a great combo. We never got around to the mango (we'll do it Monday night instead) but she did get a lot more practice with "finger foods". Mostly Cheerios and little bits of cheese, but I think she's really enjoying the new challenge! Her pincer grasp is coming along though she still needs some practice getting the food into her mouth. It usually somehow works it's way down into her palm and then she can't seem to manuever palm-to-mouth. :) Here she is in action:





Still working with the sippy cup. She does pretty well with this Avent cup, though we mostly use the Playtex sipper without the spill-proof valve. The valve slows them down - too much like a bottle.


Coming up, Sophia is going to have a very tropical week! I've got the mango prepped for Monday and I picked up a papaya for a salad this week and so she's going to get some of the papaya too - probably mixed with avocado or banana or both! Papaya is "in season" usually beginning in February until late spring, peaking in April/May. But Meijer had them on sale last week and they looked good. Check out this link for how to buy, cut and prepare a papaya: http://thaifood.about.com/od/thairecipesstepbystep/ss/howtocutapapaya.htm. Mangos, on the other hand, have a very long flat seed. I had to refresh my memory on how to cut one. Very weird: http://homecooking.about.com/od/howtocookbasics/ss/cutmango_2.htm.

Baking... I did make Aunt Cathy's chocolate chip cookies last week. (Craig's aunt is famous for her cooking. Pretty much anything Cathy makes, Craig likes. And me too!) I came home from the store Thursday night and Craig laughed at me because I was debating on what I wanted to do with my free time that night after the kids went to bed: use the treadmill... or bake chocolate chip cookies. I went with the cookies... and they were/are fabulous!

But I did attempt a workout for the first time in ages on Saturday during nap time. I tried the infamous P90X workout but didn't complete any one session. I dabbled in the chest/back workout and the plyometrics. I can do push-ups, no problem, and Craig says my form is good. But I've lost all ability to do pull-ups. What happened? I almost made the school record in high school! So I could use a little more arm strength I suppose, but I'm lifting kids all the time so I'm not worried about arm definition. It's funny: I could hold a baby all day with no trouble where Craig would complain that his arms are exhausted. And yet, he can do pull-ups and I can't. Anyway, the plyometrics were awesome and kicked my out-of-shape behind! But I LOVE the feeling of being whipped after a workout - it's kind of a high. So I'm looking forward to more of that and wanting to have Craig and I workout together when his knee recovers.

OKAY! Moving on from that tangent... (LOL)

I have a great recipe to share for kids and adults alike! It's a granola-type, energy bar filled with ground almonds, oatmeal, dried fruit and sesame seeds. I used REAL maple syrup for the binder. They're yummy and healthy and I was happy to use that as a substantial part of Will's lunch on Saturday since he's not always a sandwich-kid and is often lacking in protein. They were good for breakfast too and I'm planning to pack them with my yogurt for a morning snack this week. Here's the recipe (from my favorite Family Fun, of course): http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/energy-boost-bars-688876/

Okay onto this week's meals. I unintentionally went with a Mexican theme for the week. It just sounded good and who doesn't love Mexican food?
1) Chicken Tortilla Soup with chipotle peppers and fire-roasted tomatoes. How about a little bacon, cilantro, red onion and lime to jazz it up? Oh my gosh, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! I made it ahead today and we're eating it Monday night so I don't have to waste time cooking during the week. It's easily one of my favorites and I love to serve it when entertaining as well. Check it out at Food Network.com. I promise you will love it! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/chicken-tortilla-soup-with-chipotle-and-fire-roasted-tomato-recipe/index.html.
2) Beef and bean chimichangas (baked, not fried). I think I got this recipe from a Quick Cooking magazine YEARS ago! I love it for an easy make-ahead meal and extra portions freeze very well. 3) Green salad with papaya and mandarin oranges. A few years ago, my friend Jill and I attended a cooking class with a Jamaican "jerk" menu. This salad was absolutely amazing! Sliced papaya and canned mandarin oranges on top of a bed of greens. Then a dressing consisting of mayo, olive oil, fresh lemon and lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper. I think that's it? It's got a tangy bite to it and I may pair this salad with the chimichangas.
4) Hmm... for the extra day, I may just pull a soup from the freezer and do soup and sandwiches. Or maybe a panini night???

Fort William

There is nothing "funner" than building a fort when you're stuck indoors in the winter. Once, when I was a kid, we had three snow days home from school that we practically LIVED in our fort. My aunt and uncle and three cousins had come over to hang out one evening and we found out that school was cancelled for the next day before we even went to bed. (That is THE BEST feeling!) The roads weren't great and all of us kids were having so much fun, so my aunt and uncle decided to spend the night. We got to sleep in our fort! And then school continued to be cancelled for the next couple days and I'm pretty sure my cousins stayed for more than one night. Awesome memories!

Okay, so no snow days for us this week, but Craig had his surgery on Tuesday (torn meniscus repair) and now I'm pretty much on my own in the child care department for awhile. Since daddy was going to be layed up on the couch for the evening (Wednesday evening), Will and I built a fort in the living room to hang out in. Not quite as big as the one from my snow day memory, but still cool nonetheless, and it even had a tunnel of sorts to reach the main area. We included hoola hoops to crawl through, flat and fitted sheets draped over a card table and dining room chairs, and even a NO TRESPASSING sign. Then we brought in blankets, pillows, books, daddy's flashlight, and a snack (dry Raisin Bran Crunch - his new fave).







This face was because he ran out of cereal and I hadn't refilled it yet.

Definitely Related

Yup... pretty sure she's my kid...








On the other hand, who do you think of when you see these? LOL





How about before we cut his hair?




Quite often, we can see both of us in both of them... But most of the time we each have a mini-me. :)

What's For Dinner? Week 2

First a glimpse of last week:

We went ahead with the blueberries (steamed and smooshed up with yogurt):



And then her 2nd new food last week ended up being cantaloupe, just diced and then ground a little bit in the food processor.

Here's Will helping me make the pesto pasta for dinner. He stirred the bowtie noodles and peas while they cooked together. Then we did an assembly line "chop and drop". I chopped. He dropped. Chicken, roasted red pepper, mushrooms, basil and the sundried-tomato pesto. I think helping in the kitchen makes such a difference in a kid's desire to try something new. Will's been offerred this before, but he ate it MUCH better last week after helping me prepare it.

Okay, onto this week:

I prepared a bunch of food for Sophie to restock the freezer: chicken, green beans, and "turkey apple loaf" (ground turkey, carrot puree, applesauce, bread crumbs and wheat germ - baked in a loaf pan and then scooped into portions for her food cubes).

NEW foods for her this week: we're going to try tofu! A great source if iron, protein and calcium, it works as a great finger food for older babies and is good blended with any fruit to create a sort of sticky "fluff" that makes good practice for little ones practicing with a spoon because it "sticks" to the spoon well. I bought firm tofu and I'm going to blend it with frozen blueberries, banana and wheat germ. This could also be frozen as a sort of "ice cream" as well.

And secondly, we're going to do mango. Depending on how firm the mango is on the day I cut it, it may or may not be steamed, and then smooshed/ground. Probably mixed with banana and/or pear.

Oh! And just today, Sophie has made great strides with her pincer grasp and is now able to pick up a Cheerio and put it in her mouth! Hooray!

Food for us:
1) Tonight was spaghetti and meatballs (Grandma Verna's recipe) - another good Sunday supper to simmer in the crock pot all afternoon. It's a family favorite for us because we ALL eat it and like it. I know I never mention side dishes on here, but we ALWAYS have a vegetable and/or fruit on the side along with some other side like bread or cheese - whatever I need to balance out the meal.
2) I'm doing that big salad again this week with chicken, white beans, tomatoes, Asiago, and a homemade balsamic and dijon dressing. Again, a family favorite that we all eat well.
3) On Christmas Day, my mom roasted a pork loin with a simple, bottled glaze called Charred Pineapple Bourbon Sauce. It was awesome! And even Will chowed down. So I'm trying that myself this week. Probably on Tuesday when Craig and I will be home after his surgery since it takes more time to cook. (More on the surgery topic later.)
4) And, darn it! I was all psyched to make some of Aunt Cathy's chocolate chip cookies tonight, but didn't have everything I needed, so maybe my dear husband will run out on his lunch break tomorrow to pick up a few things and then we can have the smell of cookies baking along with our roast for Craig's recovery.

Happy eating this week friends!

Weekend Stuff

On Saturday afternoon, we went to visit my Aunt Susan and cousin Sam's new house for the Skees Christmas get-together. The hostesses did a lovely job decorating and throwing the party - thanks ladies! And once again, I appologize for leaving the dish I signed up to bring... in my fridge at home. (What in the world am I gonna' do with a 13x9 of bean dip this week?)

I didn't take many pictures of the family or party, but the little kids were having a blast playing in the big cardboard boxes Sandy brought full of fancy flavored popcorn and Longaberger picture frames (her thoughtful gifts to the fam). So of course I jumped at the photoshoot op that was offerred. Will and Cora have so much fun together! We really need to squeeze in some more playdates before Cora's little sibling is born in June. (Can't wait to hear on Friday if it's a little brother or sister for Cora!) The other little boy is Trevor - long explanation of his extended relationship to the fam, but it was the first time we'd met him and he was a cutie.














My Goddaughter Cora - isn't she adorable?









Cora's heading home - Will hugs her goodbye.

And today, while Will slept the day away with his 3 hour nap (exhausted from all that sledding!), I had a mini-photo shoot with my best little lady while she played with toys in her room.

I think she must have scratched her forehead during her nap today. :(