CUP O' COBBLER RECIPE

With the Summer months coming and the fresh fruit soon to be abounding, I thought I'd pull this recipe from the archives and share it with you once again. This is so fun to make with kids on a Summer evening after a day spent berry picking. Enjoy, and be sure to let me know if you give it a try!

I've said it here before, but I love to cook - and it isn't just because I love to eat. I do, but there is something poetic about food that has always appealed to me. The significance of meals withstands any season of life. A certain recipe can bring you back to your childhood even if it's been twenty years since you last tasted it. An out of sorts day can turn memorable as soon as you gather around the table together and share in a meal, even if it's a simple one. You can create ties to your community and let your roots sink deep into your neighborhood just by inviting people over for dinner. It can be the most important gift you can give when someone is having a hard time financially, is under the weather, or is in the trenches of learning to care for a new life. Sharing in meals together is something that I feel has lost it's importance in society over the years, but it's something I hope to deeply ingrain in my children. There's something vulnerable about opening your home to someone, allowing them to see your flaws more closely, allowing them to put things into perspective and see that you're just human like them. We all have dirty kitchens. We all have loud kids. And here in this city, we all have small spaces.

TROPICAL BANANA NUT BREAD

Once upon a time I had a goal to bake something new each month for a year. It started out decent enough with a fairly tasty and successful raw cashew cheesecake in January, but come February, my ideas of being such a domestic goddess were promptly squashed, resembling the cake I attempted to make. I had high hopes for a beautiful, photogenic, decadent German chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting on the sides and a coconut pecan topping. The middle of the cake sunk. The frosting was too thick. It was a disaster that ended in a pile of crumbs held together by brown goo, topped with coconut mush. It was still tasty, but it was not picture worthy. I thought seriously about creating a 'nailed it' meme, but was not in good enough spirits at the end of the whole ordeal to laugh at myself yet. I was frustrated and I was sweaty and all I wanted was a piece of (okay, like half of a) cake and a bottle of wine. That's how bad that baking experience was. Thank God I still have my Kitchen Aid mixer to pull me back to reality or I might never bake again. (Who am I kidding? I love cookies too much.)

After I lost my baking juju, I waited for baking inspiration to strike, and I waited, and I waited, until I neared the end of the month, saw some old bananas on my counter and thought, "Eh, those'll do." So I set out on a quest for a banana bread recipe, but I didn't want the plain old stuff your Grandma makes and I think it's just wrong to add chocolate chips. (I know that statement will probably cause uproar, but I like chocolate chips in cookies. Period. Not in waffles or pancakes or banana bread or anything else that people toss them into. They were made for cookies.) While browsing Pinterest, I came across a recipe for Tropical Banana Bread on theKitchn and it was like an eHarmony commercial. It was love at first sight. I had to make it.

So I did, with a few little additions of my own, and it turned out better than I could have imagined. I mean this has to be what Manna tasted like.

MORNING GLORY MUFFINS

I've been taking a bit of a break from blogging. I wasn't sure exactly why I was stepping away or how long I'd be gone. I just knew that I needed time to organize my thoughts and hone in on what I really want to use this space for. Last week, inspiration hit and I started brainstorming on paper and here I am: I'm back. While I wasn't writing, I managed to sort through older posts to tweak some things and mostly make it all a bit more accessible. I originally posted this recipe a few years ago while I was in the throes of the 'morning sickness in the middle of a Brooklyn Summer and this window unit is not cutting it' stage of my life. I basically laid on the couch all day, nauseous and in my underwear, and fed my kid a bag of Goldfish for lunch. It was fun. We took these on the road with us to Niagara Falls and I will forever equate Morning Glory Muffins with Canada and my pregnancy with Noble. I stumbled on a more basic recipe years ago and since then, we've made them our own by tweaking them just right until they became a staple in our house. My favorite thing about these muffins, besides how healthy and filling they are, is how versatile they are. As long as you keep the ratios generally the same, you can add anything you like. We've added blueberries, oat bran, flax meal, chia seeds, and more. When I think of muffins, I think of food and I want something that tastes like food, not cake. This is really the only muffin recipe we bother to make because we enjoy them so much. Don't let the long list of ingredients intimidate you though! It may seem daunting or expensive, but they come together quickly, easily, and cheaply once you have the basic ingredients in your pantry.

LIVING SIMPLY • NEWBORN ESSENTIALS

one • two • three • four • five • six • seven • eight • nine • ten
eleven • twelve • thirteen • fourteen • fifteen • sixteen

Noble is now six weeks old and since we're moving out of the newborn phase, I thought I'd share a list of things we've gotten a lot of use out of. I learned a lesson after buying things for Ev - it's best to stick with simple things for babies. I made the mistake of buying tons of cute clothes for her and am paying the price now as I organize and try to sell box after box. This time I vowed to only buy things brand new that we could reuse. We're unsure whether we'll actually make the leap and have more babies after this, but we'll have what we need just in case. When I was pregnant with Ev, I poured over those 'baby registry checklists' and worried if I didn't have every little thing listed. This time around I had a better idea of what we would actually use and need (and have space for in an apartment). I really didn't even glance at a list. We spent considerably less this time while preparing for Noble, but I really don't feel like we're in need of anything. It feels good to be clutter free!

SLEEPING SPACE • I debated on going the bassinet route at all or just putting him straight into a crib, but (like always) we were unsure how long we'd be in this apartment and our bedroom is tiny. I didn't want to waste all that precious walking-around-the-bed space with a crib if we could use a bassinet until we moved into a bigger space. This was my inspiration for his 'nursery,' so I went on a scavenger hunt for all parts involved at a reasonable price and decided on the Jolly Jumper Rocking Moses Basket Stand, the Tadpoles Woven Palm Leaf Moses Basket, and an IKEA Rens Sheepskin for a mattress, which totaled around $100 - cheaper than any complete bassinet set I could find, and made of all natural materials. We just tuck a muslin blanket around the sheepskin to catch any spit-ups.

NURSING SPACE • The dreaded rocking chair search has been ongoing since I was pregnant with Evie. I'm convinced the perfect (affordable) one doesn't exist! I had originally decided to just settle for a glider because they're so darn comfortable (and so darn ugly), but I just couldn't pull the trigger. So I ended up going the next best route and settled on a classic, solid wood rocking chair with a nursing stool. It isn't horrendous, huge, or expensive, and it won't fall apart after just one baby. A My Brest Friend pillow was especially handy with Ev and I still have mine, but found that I used it less this time around since I was more comfortable breastfeeding and knew more about getting the proper latch, etc.

DIAPERING • I haven't talked much about our love for cloth diapering here, but briefly put - we're believers. As with most things, we prefer the simplest system - prefolds with a water proof cover. I tried pocket diapers for a few weeks with Ev and they were the bane of my existence, so we stuck with what we love and know. We already had Bummis organic prefolds from diapering Ev that we loved, but they were discontinued and I had heard good things about Green Mountain diapers, so I thought I'd try those. So far they are just as good, if not better than the Bummis ones. We use cheap washcloths from IKEA for cloth wipes. We also use Seventh Generation disposables at night and when we're running errands because - well, I'm not super mom.

BLANKETS • . . . because everyone knows blankets are the thing you need the most with a newborn. I'm sure you've heard of Aden + Anais Muslin swaddle blankets. I wasn't sure if they'd live up to the hype, but we love them. We have a bunch of different blankets and these are the only ones we reach for. Take my word - they're worth it! I also knew we'd need a heavier carseat/stroller blanket and I wanted a knit one made from natural materials (not acrylic). I found this wool + cotton blend one at H&M and it really is a steal for the quality. I also use it to take Noble's monthly growth pictures on, so it will end up being his keepsake blanket. I did the same thing for Ev and her blanket is here.

CLOTHING • Because we decided not to know the gender, my clothing shopping was limited this time around, but I really didn't mind as much as I thought I would. I believe babies should look like babies, not little men or baby dolls, so I naturally pick up fairly neutral clothing anyway. I'm a white onesie kind of Mama. When doing the limited amount of shopping I could do this time around, I opted for organic basics that we could use with the next baby. I had good luck at Old Navy and H & M. H & M has some especially affordable organic options.

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SOLO ROADTRIP WITH A TODDLER

one: melissa & doug reusable sticker pads • two: m & d latches board • three & four: color wonder paper and markers (we have this travel tote, but I really think a clip board would be a better option)

• five: water wow painting pads • six: fisher-price travel doodler • seven: finger puppets • eight & nine: lots and lots of stickers & a pad of paper • ten: a play and travel tray

Whew.

So there are approximately five million and one things to read out there to prepare for a road trip with a toddler, and plenty of them have tips that were helpful while we went on this grand adventure where vacation and the depths of parenting meet, but I found it nearly impossible to find anything geared toward a parent traveling alone with a child, in a car (not on a plane), for days (not a three or four hour trip). There are two groups of women I consider the strongest women - military women and New York City moms, and while it's been comically trying at times, I'm proud to have been in those two categories in my lifetime. There's something about the lack of public bathrooms, physical impossibility of carrying your stroller, child, and all other normal items down four flights of subway stairs, and the overall chaos of city life that can't help but challenge you and refine you into a stronger woman and mother. As far as military women go, we've moved four times this year and while that isn't the norm, plenty of military spouses have similar tales to tell. When I told my family about my plan to head to Missouri, the response I got was, 'Wait a second. You're going to drive 1,000 miles, alone, 20 weeks pregnant, with a two year old, in the middle of Winter, to go live in a hotel for three months?' And I just nodded and went on my merry way because I don't think twice about these sorts of things anymore or I start to panic. When you have no choices, you learn not think about something too long and you just buckle up and go. You realize quickly that you can make it through pretty much anything. Two days in the car with a screaming two year old? Buy some earplugs and drive through it. You'll get there eventually and everyone will recover. Luckily, my kid has been training for this her entire life, since this is her eighth road trip in her almost three years of life. She's a road trip pro, but I feel like I've become quite the 'pack up and go' pro too. Though she's probably a bit more agreeable in the car than most kids, I was still a little intimidated at the thought of driving solo and entertaining her sans iPad, since I'm usually the one entertaining her from the passenger seat while Alex is at the wheel. We made it through and dare I say, we actually enjoyed ourselves a little.
Here are some tips for a solo road trip with your kid:

- plan out your stops: After one too many times of listening to a baby screaming in the backseat while we frantically looked for a good place to stop, we started planning our stops ahead of time. It's amazing how much more peaceful a road trip can be when you know exactly where you're going. There are plenty of options when you're traveling in warm weather, but it's much more limited in the Winter. I mapped out the Chic-fil-a's along the way, so that I could have decent food to eat and she could have a place to burn off some energy. I also mapped out all the Starbucks along the way, so I knew where the point of no return (no coffee) was in places like Oklahoma, where you can go stretches of 100 miles without seeing a gas station, much less a coffee shop. I went so far as to write down the mile markers for every rest stop and welcome center on our route in case I was caught in a panic and needed to know how far away the next one was. In the warm weather months, it's smart to find a few parks along the way. Sometimes it can be a bit challenging to find parks in a place you aren't familiar with, but the easiest way I've found is to look on town and city websites for the place you plan on stopping or to simply pull up Google maps and zoom in at the streets around the interstate, looking for green spots, then googling the name to be sure it's a legitimate park. Bubbles and a soccer ball are good things to stash away if you have to stop at a place that doesn't have a playground, so they have something to do besides walk in circles.

There are also the holy grails of road trips with kids that are impossible to find online - rest stops with playgrounds. You people are in luck though (or at least you people who ever travel i-40 through New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma, or i-44 through Missouri) because I kept my eyes peeled and wrote down where they are on this particular route. i-40 Eastbound, there is one just past the New Mexico/Texas line at mile marker 129, while there is one Westbound just before the NM/TX line at mile marker 132. On i-44 in Southern Missouri, there are rest stops with playgrounds on both sides at mile marker 111.

- get and stay organized: Keep things contained - in the front seat and floor board I had a bag for toys, a bag for books and Highlights, a bag for cold snacks, and a bag for dry snacks. At each stop, I would pull out a few activities and snacks from the floorboard and put them in the passenger seat so they were reachable until the next stop to minimize the swerving across two lanes unintentionally while digging for a toy incidents, clean up the chaos that had happened in the backseat while I was driving, and pull up the next stop on the GPS. You always feel like you're in too big of a hurry to get back on the road to clean, but it makes a big difference in your sanity level.

- have a few new things up your sleeve: This is rookie advice, but don't bring all the same toys your kid has been playing with at home and expect them to be entertained for longer than say, five seconds. I'm not a huge proponent of buying my kid a new toy every week, but road trips are the exception. Keep in mind, simple things like stickers, tape, aluminum foil, or pipe cleaners can often keep them entertained far longer than any toy, especially because they're usually off limits at home. If we could have, a huge tote of library books would have been parked right next to Ev's seat so she could reach them all, but since we'll be gone for months that wasn't really an option. See the photo above and links for more road trip friendly toys. Also, don't underestimate the power of the Target dollar section and the like. Even if you don't want a bunch of junk floating around at home, $10 is worth a few hours of entertainment and you can throw it all out when you get home.

- try to keep to your normal schedule: Now some people swear by driving at night while their kid sleeps, but that's usually a recipe for disaster for us, so we try to stick to our normal schedule. We eat breakfast before we hit the road, have a 2-3 hour chunk of driving that needs to be filled with entertainment, stop for lunch and try our best to wear her out, get back on the road and declare it nap time so we can drive 60 miles with a full bladder but refuse to stop because she's sleeping, stop once more when she's finally awake and try to finish out the rest of the driving before dinner time. That kind of schedule limits you to eight hours of driving, nine tops, but we've just accepted that and don't push ourselves any further, which brings me to. . .

- have realistic expectations: Don't expect your toddler to ride six hours straight without protest, stay in the car during gas stops, or any other convenient, but crazy notions you may have. When you find yourself getting frustrated at their requests for something else to play with or the unceasing noise from the back seat, take a deep breathe and remind yourself they're two and this is a hard task for them. Muster up some patience.

- don't rush your stops: . . . or zone out on your phone at rest stops. Run, play games, be silly, be loud, climb in the play place with them and get crazy looks from all the other adults. Your kid will be much more willing to get back in the car if you've connected and played together, even for just a few minutes. There are also tons of ways to connect in the car. I would start a story and ask Ev to continue it, talk to her about what we were seeing outside the windows, ask her to sing me a song, teach her a new song, give her some sea creature stickers and ask her to color them an ocean/home and some food, etc.

- give in a little: We usually don't eat at fast food places period, but we rarely order kids meals or let Ev pick out her food. Road trips are the exception. We hardly let her down from the table to run and play during meal times either, but road trips are the exception on this too. Treat it a little bit like vacation.

- limit the sugar: While I'm all for giving in a little, a sugar hyped kid strapped into a car seat for hours is a force to be reckoned with. Try to pack healthy snacks and let the sugar splurges happen when they have time to run it all off. Be sure to open all packages and put everything into little snack packs that can be handed into the backseat without a worry of a huge mess. There's no reason to be passing a Costco bag of baby carrots back and forth the whole drive. A little basket with a few options for them to choose from that you can pass into the backseat might be fun too.

- save a few fun Pandora stations ahead of time: Good music makes everyone feel better when you're getting antsy in the car. And channel surfing while driving is no fun, so find some before you hit the road. Some of our favorite stations: indie singer-songwriter + classical relaxation are good for nap time, 90s alternative is good once you thumbs down some of the hard rock and thumbs up Matchbox 20 and the like, PG comedy is fun without running the risk of hearing your toddler repeating the F word from the backseat with the today's comedy station (and yes that happened on a past road trip), Ray Lamontagne will always be my perfect station, and Disney is fun for kids. We also have some old tapes in our middle console for backups when my phone doesn't get a good enough signal to use Pandora. Books on tape might be a good option to entertain you during nap time.

That's all I've got! If you have anything to add, feel free to comment below. I also thought it might be fun to share your favorite Pandora stations because we all need new music, even when we aren't road tripping!

OUR FIRST SUMMER IN NYC

I feel like the snow-capped Winter days are just barely behind us, but I'm already dreading their return. I've been trying to think of the all the things I wanted to do when I was holed up in a one bedroom apartment with three adults and a two year old and a dog in DC during the unending polar vortex of 2014 or what I always dreamt of doing when my sole desire in life was to move here? I've found that it can be quite overwhelming to think about all the possibilities, all the things you want to see and do and experience in a city this size. It can also be kind of exhausting, trying to run all over the city to here and there and 'I've always wanted to do this,' but it's a good kind of exhausting and we're all exhausted practically all the time, that's life, so why shouldn't it be the good kind? Summer and I, we kind of have a weird relationship. I'm much more of a Fall girl, but Summer is a welcome contrast to Winter because I could just say no to Winter forever.

I used to think snow was pretty and it probably still is, but when you've seen snow like I have (piles of dog pee stained ice on the sides of the sidewalk and black sludge on the edges of the road that never melts), it just ruins it for you. I will always take snow on Christmas, and maybe New Years, but after that I'm ready for Spring already. We (mostly Alex because I could never do that to Brooklyn) keep talking about going back to Albuquerque eventually, mostly for the perfect weather. Most people think New Mexico is a hot barren wasteland like Phoenix. I like to nod along when people talk about Albuquerque like that because it feels like I'm keeping a little piece of perfect weather heaven a secret, and I like secrets. We moved here knowing it probably wouldn't be forever and while Alex has sealed the deal and is a diehard not-forever-New-Yorker, I'm still open to the idea of being one of those 90 year old ladies hoofing it up and down the subway stairs at a surprising speed, married to the cute old man that sits on the bench with me outside the market a few blocks from our apartment and 'ooh's and 'ahh's at all the babies that walk by. I like to stop and let them stare at Ev extra long because it feels like seeing into the future and Ev is a really nice baby to gawk at in my opinion. She bats her eyelashes and says 'hi' and 'bye' at all the right times and usually isn't too grubby.

Anyway, back to Summer - we're trying to make the best of it because a part of me will die when Winter comes. I'm the Queen of lists, so I made one of our Summer plans, a sort of Jacobs' Summer manifesto if you will. It's all pretty obvious Summer things, but it makes me feel a little less panicky when Alex asks, 'So what are we doing with weekend?' and I have a list to consult. We have plans to mark berry picking off the list this weekend and I'm way more excited than a grown woman should be about picking strawberries. I think I'm actually excited about the drive there more than the strawberry picking because living in the city makes getting in a car a novelty. It's like going to a theme park or something. 'I get to ride in the car today?!'

On another note, it's been kind of rainy lately, but it hasn't rained at all. Isn't that weird? Soupy days in the Jacobs' house call for dance parties among other things like fort building and letting my two year old watch way too many Disney movies and rotting her brain according to the parenting Gods of the internet, but let's focus on dance parties because I have a confession. I am the worst dancer ever or maybe I'm the best dancer ever and my style just hasn't caught on yet? It resembles Elaine from Seinfield. I just don't know what to do with my hands. I get too excited and the music gets to me and I just lose control, then I'm like 'Get yourself together!' and I just clam up and that makes it even worse. My freshman year of college I went to a club and anyone that knows me knows that's hilarious, but everyone I came with started to dance, so I started to dance because I didn't want to be that girl that is sitting alone and thus invites all the guys to come and ask her questions, so I danced. And I thought I was doing pretty good until a guy came to dance beside me and my mind said, "Your good dance streak is over." My body promptly followed my thoughts and this guy, he noticed. You could see it on his face. His eyes got wide and he tried to cooly back away, but keep dancing. So I gave up on trying to dance like everyone else or trying to dance in public period and saved up all my spastic dance moves for my toddler on rainy morning to the credits of Ferngully.

The end.

2014 SUMMER MANIFESTO

STAPLES

fly a kite • build an epic sandcastle

explore all the best splash pads • blow a lot of bubbles

buy some sidewalk chalk • picnics in the park

swimming • beach days

FOOD

lemonade • plastic bag ice cream • seafood

farmer's market • berry picking • watermelon

MUSEUMS, ETC.

zoo • aquarium • children's museum

transit museum • high line

FAMILY

cookout in a park • thrifting • fireworks

free movie in a park • ev's first carousel ride

free kayaking

TOURIST

governor's island • walk across the brooklyn bridge

summer streets • statue of liberty • ellis island

ON MY SHELF • SUMMER READING LIST

1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8

In my opinion, there are two summers - the first few weeks of Summer that could probably be categorized as Spring in which you feel motivated and adventurous, so you go to festivals and on picnics and explore new neighborhoods, then there's the rest of Summer when you can't bare to move too much in your house without being drenched in sweat, much less go for a walk on the streets, so you go into a Winter-like hibernation and that is what a Summer reading list is for, my friends. That miserable time of the year is coming and I'm not saying we're going to sit in the house the entire month of July - I'll make an effort to not do that because I know I'll be wishing for the hot days come Winter, but I also know I'll be making my way to the beach with a book and a cooler and that will be my to-do list for the day, many days this Summer. It feels really good to be able to say that because beach days were once a year events when I was a kid, probably less. The fact that we have so many backyards to choose from this Summer has me giddy! New York City has it all whether you're looking for sunny beaches, solitude in a lush, green park, a walk in a soulful, lively neighborhoods, or a moment to stand and marvel at the uplifting, towering skyscrapers. Anyway, books - I've put together a list of the ones I'll be throwing in my beach bag, but I also know of a ton that I've already read that would make good company in your beach chair. I love to talk nerd with anyone about books, so don't be shy. Enjoy!

EVIE READS • BOOKS FOR TODDLERS III

Me. . . Jane by Patrick McDonnell: If you've been following along through this series, it's no secret we love Patrick McDonnell in this house. I'm pretty sure at least one of his books has been in each of these collections. They're simple and heart warming, the illustrations just embody childhood in a way that most other children's book fail to, and they're entertaining for me, an adult, to read as well. This is a story about Jane Goodall and her childhood toy named Jubilee. If the name Jane Goodall doesn't ring a bell, you have to research her. I find her fascinating. Anyway, this story has a touch of whimsy that will make it a childhood classic and content that will story your and your child's hearts and encourage you to get outside and love this Earth we live on.

The Children Who Loved Books by Peter Carnavas: This is one of my favorite children's books of all time and I never say that lightly! I feel like this book was written with my soul and our family in mind. It is just absolutely perfect in every way. It's the story of a family of four (and a few animals) who live in a camper full of books. The illustrations are quirky but comforting and I immediately fell in love with the family! I really can't believe I've never heard of this author before. We renewed this book as many times as the library would let us and still could have read it every night afterwards. I'm on a mission to find more of his books and to make 'The Children Who Loved Books' a regular rotation in our bedtime story lineup!

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood: We actually happened upon this book when Alex's mom sent us his copy from his childhood. Evie immediately fell in love. You see, she loves bears, she loves mice, and she loves strawberries, so it seems this book was made for her. It's about a little mouse that finds a strawberry. A conversation happens with the reader about the big hungry bear that loves strawberries and the many ways the mouse can try to keep the bear from finding his strawberry and eating it up. To a two year old, it's suspenseful, clever, and exciting. Ev loves that she is included in the story. This is a classic that any toddler should read at least once!

Little Owl's Night by Divya Srinivasan: I have plans to do a roundup of my favorite bedtime books, but I thought I'd give you a spoiler - this one will be on the list. A little owl takes you on a tour of the night forest. Crickets sing, frogs croak, and as the night goes on 'the moonflowers close and the morning glories open.' The little owl asks his Mama what the daytime is like and she begins to describe it as the sun rises and little owl falls fast asleep. It puts a twist on traditional bedtime stories, teaches children about nocturnal animals, and is comforting and poetic. The illustrations are beautiful, but still simple and easy for children to relate to. It's a must-have for anyone looking to expand their bedtime library!

Mother's Day Wishlist

1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10

Mother's day is just around the corner (maybe a little too 'around the corner' for me to finally get around to posting a gift guide, but whatever). I love celebrating holidays, especially ones focused around appreciating your family members, but I don't like the commercialized side of holidays that fills your house with clutter and your pantry with junk food. Every time I go to pick out a gift for anyone, a story that my Dad told me about his own mom always comes to mind. He had heard her mention that she needed a new broom, so he went out and bought her one for the next holiday. She unwrapped it and was so offended and thought that her son was trying to imply she was a witch - she chased him out of the house with it! Now that I go back and reread that, it isn't such an exciting story after all, but I'm running with it. I guess it's one of those 'you had to be there' stories. . . Now I guess I take after my dad in that I generally like to buy and receive useful gifts, but for some reason Mother's Day is different. I think Mother's day (and Father's day) gifts should be indulgent - something she normally wouldn't buy herself, so I've rounded up a list of things that are sure to please the Mama or wife in your life (or yourself - I'm not above buying myself gifts at this point). My husband says I have an impressive knack for gift picking - that's gotta mean something, right?

Here's a simple little list of ideas: a stylish version of something functional (like the camera strap or phone case), some succulents and pretty pots for the hopeless houseplant killers out there (like me), a pair of sunglasses since beach weather is coming soon (hallelujah), a few pricey little body care or makeup items that she probably wouldn't buy for herself, a pair earrings you know she'll love (The New Mexico in my soul is really loving the modern turquoise jewelry options that are popping up lately), or a delicate ring. Also, BOOKS! How did I not think of books when I was putting this together? Books are always a good option. And wine (my favorite red). And candles. Never underestimate the power of a good candle as a gift.

Happy weekend, friends!

Evie Creates • Googly Eyed Valentines

little hands trying to steal googly eyes

You know, I'm a really big proponent of technology - I mean I use it and enjoy it every day, but sometimes I just miss the pen-pal days. Sometimes I wish that someone would just pick up the phone and call or send a letter instead of checking in on Facebook or sending a quick text. Why does everything have to be 'quick' these days, especially when it comes to our relationships? I've been thinking a lot about ways that we can connect more as a family without technology lately and one of the most obvious ways is a handwritten card. We were wandering the isles of the craft store and Ev spotted the googly eyes. She thought they were so funny and was laughing loud and hard, saying 'EYE!' over and over again, so I grabbed a few packs of big ones and some materials to make cards for Valentine's Day to send to our faraway family. I say this craft is 'for toddlers' because finding ideas that are two year old appropriate is hard, but I think any kid would enjoy this and there is so much you can do with this basic idea. The main things that you'll need are a handful of some sort of plain cards/envelopes, some paint/brushes, googly eyes, heart stickers, and letter stickers. I also used some washi tape to spruce up the cards and seal the envelopes. All of our craft supplies are in storage, but I found most of this stuff on sale at Michael's. (They also always have coupons online.) I made some homemade stamps from a potato and a toilet paper roll too, but Ev doesn't grasp the concept of a stamp yet, so they weren't used much. She mostly just dipped them in paint and smudged it around.

painting a 'nun' (sun)

We started with the part Ev could do on her own and I finished the cards while she was napping the next day. We just used a cheap pink acrylic paint and I taped the card down to make it a little easier for her to manage. After it dried I hot glued the eyes to the cards and decorated with washi tape and stickers. I used some of the extra stickers to spell out some of the names of the people we're sending them to and 'Evie' on the others. Then I wrote some little notes in each of them, addressed them, and sealed them up with a bit of pretty tape. It was fun for her, simple for me, and I think our family members will get a smile out of them.

Have you done any toddler-friendly crafts for Valentine's Day?