North Carolina Transportation Museum

We REALLY enjoyed our trip to the North Carolina Transportation Museum!  The term “museum” is probably a little misleading, at least in my mind, since everything was outside.  It was a old train yard that stores and exhibits old trains and other vehicles.  The museum is located in Spencer, NC, which is about one hour north of Charlotte on highway 77.  Admissions are $6 for adults and $4 for kids ages 3-12.  Kids under 3 enter for free.  Our little guy is 15 months old and he seemed to have fun.  Who knows what actually goes through a toddler’s mind?  We saw lots of different kinds of trains and were able to climb up on some of them.  We saw old cars too.  We also went on a short 30 minute train ride.  I would have liked a longer train ride but it was probably perfect for my little guy.  He would have been antsy with a longer trip, although mommy was ready for a break!  I’m glad we brought the stroller because we walked most of the day!  I’m also glad I brought a snack but next time I’ll bring a picnic lunch.  There was no food on the grounds but there were picnic benches.  I also think our little guy would have liked more things to climb on than just trains.  He climbed up some steps to get on the trains but I think a little slide area or playground of sorts would have been nice.  After our trip, “train” is much easier to find and identify in all our kid/picture books.  I think that these types of trips help make the pictures come alive and provide great learning opportunities.  He’s only 15 months and I’m already obsessed with his education!  I took lots of pictures and I’m going to make a book for him of his trip to the museum.  I discovered that these books are really easy to make on my Mac through Iphoto but I think you can also make them on Snapfish or other photo sites.  Hoping to hit all the museums in our area this summer, especially now that it’s so hot!

Yummy Toddler Snacks: Veggie Nuggets and Date Bars

Whew!  Summertime and we hit the ground running.  Two weekends ago we visited the North Carolina Transportation

Why We ‘Montessori’

The Pains and Sensations of Childbirth

Main Street Children’s Museum in Rock Hill, South Carolina

Baby B and I enjoyed visiting the children’s museum in Rock Hill.  We went last week when it was rainy and we couldn’t go outside.  Rock Hill is about 35 minutes south of Charlotte along highway 77.  The museum is right in the downtown area so there is plenty of parking.  The museum there is smaller than Discovery Kids in Huntersville, North Carolina but there is still lots to do.  Their website has a good picture (http://chmuseums.org/general-information-cm/) and I have provided some below.  Baby B really enjoyed the play-kitchen.  He’s 14 months but I think there was more stuff geared towards older kids.  He’s just getting to the age where he wants to sit in a small chair and maybe sit along enough even to eat!  We are practicing using a kid fork.  Baby B also like the kid-size broom and the wooden train.  There’s a wooden train at the Barnes & Noble in Birkdale Village, so he was used to that toy.  The museum also included a tree house, a ship, dress-up clothes, and fun pulley.  In the end, I have to admit that Baby B probably most liked the kid-size toilet although her refused to sit on it.  He just liked flushing it!

PB Crackers

Who needs Lance or Ritz when you have Mom?  Mom stuff is almost always better anyway.  I’m pretty proud of my PB crackers idea although I would not be surprised if I stole it inadvertently for another brilliant mom.  I would also not be surprise if you have already tried this 🙂  This week I made a new toddler snack – PB crackers – and it was one of those rare moments when I felt like a truly wise and creative mom.  I felt on top of the world!  Then my dog ate the poopy diaper I left in the bathroom and brought me back down to earth.  Ah yes, that’s more like it – chaotic, crazy, messy mom 🙂  So, my PB crackers are basically a homemade nut butter with tahini (which is a “complete protein” according to Super Baby Food book) and a little maple syrup mixed together and smeared between two crackers.  Let them sit in the freezer or frig until they harden and stick together.  In the end you have a great snack for toddlers.  Other options: graham crackers, honey or Nutella.  Any other ideas?  Stick a bag of them in the frig for the week and grab on the go.  It’s good to acknowledge the little successes in life.  And this was one of mine.  🙂

 

 

Mommy Blog Recommendation :)

I’ve really enjoyed reading Moms of Purpose!  She’s a working mom with three active boys.  Great blog, great ideas.  I like her last post about choosing happiness.  I recommend checking her out 🙂  Enjoy!

 

Busy Bag Ideas – Easy to Make Toddler Toys

Last week I attended my first Busy Bag party!  It’s a great idea.  One mom hosted the party at her house and the other moms brought homemade toddler/baby toy for all the other moms.  So, I made 8 puff ball containers – one for each mom at the party.  Each mom presented their toys to the group and then passed them out.  I left the party with 7 new toddler/baby handmade toys.  Pretty cool!  All the moms were REALLY proud of their toys and we all loved sharing what we had made.  We plan to do it again and use new toy ideas.  There are lots of ideas online.  Below are two that we have enjoyed so far.  I made the first one – the puff ball container.  I always save all my yogurt and butter containers, so I actually had 10 of them in the cupboard.  I knew they would come in handy at some point.  Baby B loves it!!  The second one is cut up pool noodles on a rope!  Baby B loves to pull them off but hasn’t figured how to put them back on the rope.  He’s only 14 months 🙂  You should be careful about your baby or toddler eating either the foam noodle or the small puff balls.  They shouldn’t be left alone with the toys.  You can use these toys to teach numbers, colors, and math concepts like adding and subtracting.  Have fun!

 

 

 

 

 

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