Wishlist Wednesday - More Stuff for Ish

I got another catalog yesterday (must be the season!) - this one was from Sensational Beginnings. And while most of the kiddie catalogs I get are filled with the same stuff, this one had a few different things that I would like to get for Ish.

This is a combo water table/play mat sort of thing that I think Ish would love. He could push the boats around, splash in the water and generally make a big wet mess. This would be an outside toy of course.
This vacuum and dust buster actually work. I'm hoping it would cut down on the amount of vacuuming I have to do every week.
Ish's fascination with all things cars continues, so I think he would get a kick out of this - so simple, just wood and wheels, but it looks like fun!
And last, but certainly not least, how cool would it be to have a bouncy castle in our very own backyard!

This used to be easier

We have an awesome chair in our family room from Pottery Barn - called a Chair and a Half. You could easily fit two people on this thing. I love it! When Ish was first born I used it to prop him up and take pictures of him on it. He was so cute and cooperative back then. See, here's proof - young Ish at 8 weeks old - isn't he cute???
Here's a less cute version at 18 months. While he gladly accepts the invitation to sit in the chair, he doesn't really want to just sit.
I don't know what he was attempting to do here.
Something caught his eye on tv in this shot - he went immediately to couch potato position.
This is the best I could do. He's not looking at the camera, one of his pants legs is riding up and I couldn't get him to hand me the puzzle pieces for anything - but yet, he's still so stinkin' cute!!

Santa No, Easter Bunny YES!

So, according to Ish, sweet old man with a beard in a red suit is a big no, but humongous bunny with huge glasses wearing a weird 1970s outfit is a-ok!

No problems with our Easter Bunny shoot today at the mall. He smiled, waved, looked at the camera and really seemed to enjoy himself. I don't get it - but I was happy to not have to buy $26.95 worth of useless pictures (as we had to do with Santa!).
We celebrated with chicken nuggets and french fries at the food court - where Ish returned to his usual camera-hating little self.

Did I tell you that Matt's new/used car has a built-in dvd player?

Don't bother me right now mommy, I'm busy. We're never in daddy's car and this is the coolest thing I have ever seen. I want to concentrate on the awesomeness.

Oh yea, there's music and animals!!! I love music and animals!! And the animals are singing - this is genius!! BRAVO!!

I love these Muppet things.

That's it - we're taking this car everywhere from now on!!! Ok mommy?

Wishlist Wednesday - All About Ish

The new One Step Ahead catalog came yesterday. Needless to say, I spent the evening drooling over all the items I want to get Ish.

The first is a pair of water shoes - if we dare venture somewhere where there are sprinklers and running involved, these will come in handy. Plus, they're cute!
If we are able to re-do our decks my plan is to let Ish play outside on the small fenced-in deck outside our kitchen on days when inside play just won't do. I would love to get him a water activity table that he can entertain himself with. This one is electronic - I think he'd get a kick out of it!
Lastly - I'm thinking ahead here but this is so neat - a bedtime/awake time clock. When I put Ish to bed I tell him to sleep until I come for him in the morning. Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. This clock would let Ish know when it's time to get up - and when it's time to put his head back down and sleep some more!

Multi Tasking

Excuse me mommy, my super secret Get-Smart-type car phone is ringing and I need to answer it.
Hello? Yes, this is Matthew. Yes, I accept the mission. This phone will self-destruct in 5 minutes when I throw it down the stairs. Good day.

Spring has sprung!

We had B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L weather here in NY this weekend. We took advantage by heading out to a children's tag sale at the local firehouse early on Saturday morning. After braving the crowds, we took a break outside Starbucks (note the bag of cookies in Ish's hand - just like mommy, he HAS to get something when at Starbucks!).
He didn't want to eat the cookies - just wanted to hold them. There is a bag of crumpled cookies in the back seat of my car as I write this.
We didn't get much at the tag sale, but we did score big with this car activity table. The Home Goods tag on the underside has it priced at $69.99 retail - we paid $15! Ish loves it.
There are tons of blocks on wires.
And of course, the ever important car pieces!
The tag sale season here is long and competitive - and although Ish has a ton of toys, I'm sure we'll find a few things for him again this year!

Then and Now

The weather has finally changed for the better here in NY. The past few days have been sunny and warm (well, warm by NY standards anyway). It's been nice enough to go out for a few walks - which Ish loves and bonus that I actually get exercise. I found this picture in my March album from last year. A happy Ish in the big stroller, ready to hit the pavement.
Here he is just a few days ago (almost exactly a year from the previous picture) - in the little stroller a little disappointed that I strapped him in for our walk instead of letting him walk with me (we have no sidewalks here and Ish is a runner, so that ain't happening!). He's still cute though.

Wishlist Wednesday - A Few Updates

Besides the two large projects I'd like to take on in the house (updating the kitchen, new decks), there are a few small things I'd like to take care of as well. So my wish today is to update a few of the little things.

The first update I would like to do - replace the carpet in the family room. This is the last carpet in the house that we need to replace from the previous owners. Although it is a newer rug than the others we have replaced, it still has some stains that we can't get out and looks quite worn out. Plus, the previous owners had pets - and the damage they did in the other rooms was NASTY, so I can only imagine what lies underneath this rug. Just thinking about it makes me nauseous. The sooner we can get rid of it, the better.
The second update is quick and easy - but surprisingly, not cheap! The current handle of our front door is gold. I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE all things gold (and yes, that includes gold jewelry). I would love to replace it with something simple in nickle/stainless/silver. Every time we go to Home Depot I drool over their selection - but the ones I like range from $160 to $250.
We have a contractor coming out on Saturday to give us an estimate on replacing our decks - I have a feeling once he gives us a number, the $160 door handle won't seem that bad!

More Freebies

Because I like to share!

Pampers Potty Training Kit:
http://www.pampers.com/en_US/potty-kit-request?utm_source=ggl&utm_term=pampers&utm_campaign=Easy%2BUps%2BEngagement&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=pg1079942s

Hasbro Toys Coupons (great if your kid is a fan of Chuck the Truck toys!):
http://print.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=15162&zid=st48&nid=20

Free St. Patty’s Day Coloring Pages (I like free coloring pages since all Ish does really is scribble on them then rip them!):
http://stpatricks-coloring.com/

Nick Jr. Printables (same reason as above! Ish LOVES Moose and Zee):
http://www.nickjr.com/printables/index.jhtml

Free Snikkidy Snack Product (sign up for their newsletter to get a coupon via email - these snacks can be found at Babies R Us):
http://snikiddy.com/index.php

One Step Ahead - this is the catalog that I ordered Matthew's book sling from (it is scheduled to arrive today!!!):
15% off your first order of $75 or more
Code: BRWS15

Johnson&Johnson Milestone Charts - you can download the PDFs here:
http://johnsonsbaby.com/zerotothree.do

$5 Coupon for Gerber clothing at Walmart (sign up as a Preferred Parent):
http://www.gerberchildrenswear.com/OFFERSANDCOUPONS/SpecialCoupons1/tabid/251/Default.aspx?utm_source=eblast&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=walmart_eblast2

VocalPoint - this doesn't really have much to do with babies/toddlers, but if you aren't a member, you should sign up today - they give great full-size samples (I just got a full size Pantene in the mail yesterday and just signed in to request the new Puffs to Go pack):

http://www.vocalpoint.com/index.html

This about sums up what we did this rainy weekend...

Rain Delay

My wish for another nice weekend did not come true. Apparently Mother Nature thinks NY needs a good cleaning and has sent a weekend's worth of rain our way. So, no outside fun for us. We ventured out to church tonight and Matt caught this picture with his cell phone. Ish sat and watched other parishioners walking through the rain. I truly believe that if we opened the door he would have had a ball running through the massive puddles outside.

Tomorrow, Handy Mandy will be at the mall. That should make up for the weather in Ish's eyes!

Breakfast of Champions

This morning Ish was a little cranky - so when he pointed and grunted at the container of Count Chocula sitting on the kitchen island (note to self: don't leave the cereal out on the island anymore) I let him have it - no bowls, no milk, no spoon - just a boy and a very large container of sugary cereal. It made getting myself ready for work a little easier - and I like to watch him ever so carefully pick out the marshmallows in the sea of chocolate pieces, his face lights up like he just found valuable treasure. Can he get any cuter??!!

Some Freebies

I love getting free stuff (anyone who knows me, knows that's an understatement!). These are some baby/toddler freebies I've come across lately and thought I'd share:

Free 10 Pampers Gifts To Grow points: MARFACEBOOK2010

Free "What To Expect Guide to a Healthy Home": http://www.whattoexpect.com/home/healthy-home/orderform.aspx

Free $10 credit when you sign up at bTrendie (link from Money Saving Mom): http://moneysavingmom.com/2010/03/free-10-credit-from-btrendie.html

Free Huggies Snug & Dry Sample (from Costco - no membership required); https://www.shoppersampling.com/orders/index.php?sid=86674&lang=en

Free sample of Pampers Cruisers: https://www.pgeverydaysolutions.com/pgeds/pampers/brandsampler-login.jsp

Enjoy!

Wishlist Wednesday - The Impatient Edition

All I want today is for 2 items that I have on order hurry up and get here! The first is from the Huggies Enjoy The Ride Rewards program - I stalked people for their Huggies points for this (in real life and online). It's a crayon set for the tub - the only place I trust Ish with crayons! The email confirmation I got after I ordered it said "please allow 6 weeks for delivery" - SIX WEEKS! Hopefully it gets here much much much sooner. Much.
The other item I have on order is a book sling from One Step Ahead (I found a discount code online and decided to take the plunge - I have been drooling over this for quite a while now). Well, because it's being monogrammed (hey, it was free, why not!) the estimated shipping date is 7-10 business days from the warehouse, then another 5 days for ground delivery. 3 WHOLE WEEKS!
I have no patience for these wait times. However, I do not have the cash for expedited delivery - so too bad for me and my impatience! Sigh...

In Touch With His Feminine Side

We went to my niece's 4th birthday party this past weekend. It was a house full of girls. A house full of pink stuff. Matthew was comfortable with his choices - a carpet sweeper and a pink baby doll carriage. After all, they had wheels and he could roll and ram them into things, so it didn't really matter that they were pink and girlie.

The Weekend It Didn't Snow

It didn't snow this weekend. And the temperature was above 50 degrees. So we wasted no time in getting outside! We headed north to an outdoor outlet mall that has some pretty nice play areas. We set Matthew loose to do his worst.

Even though he thinks he's a big boy, he still needs a little help now and then.

This was the coolest little treehouse.

There were tons of buttons for Matthew to press (he's into buttons).

There was a neat curvy slide.

And the old standby straight slide.

Of course Matthew couldn't resist playing in the mounds of snow (like we don't have this at home).

Matthew worked up quite an appetite with all the outdoor play, so we stopped at Applebee's for lunch. They had crayons. Matthew loves crayons.

Right after I took this picture I had to yell at him not to eat said crayons.

He actually listened to me and decided to color the menu instead.

He here is totally uninterested in taking a picture with his father.

After lunch we took a walk around the outlets using Matthew's backpack leash. He did well.

I don't think he realized we were holding on to him - he just thought he was wearing a cool monkey backpack.

It was a long day - so we ended it by renting a car-stroller that kept young Ish entertained while we continued shopping.

I hope next weekend's weather is a little warmer - we might venture to the school swings if it is!