Quality Christmas gift ideas (for kids)

I've written in the past about some of the ways we keep it simple around here. I also recently posted a few gift ideas for a two year old, since we celebrated Asher's second birthday back in October.

In light of the upcoming Christmas holiday, here are a few thoughts on the subject of giving gifts to kids.

First, some other bloggers with wise words on the subject:
1. Lindsey Kubly
2. Erin Boyle (Reading My Tea Leaves blog)

Secondly, I tend to get a bit uneasy with the excess that comes at Christmastime. I know from experience that less is more (especially with little ones!), and that getting too many gifts at the same time is actually counter-productive and stressful.

We give our kids four gifts each year (something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read), and this year we're starting a tradition of giving four small stocking stuffers, to be opened one per night on the evenings leading up to Christmas day. My parents gave the kids their gifts when they were here this past week, and we'll give our gifts at a separate time from the other things our kids receive from family and friends-- to spread out the excitement, and to give time for them to actually use and enjoy each present. (*In my mind, this is a major key to simplicity and contentment at Christmas, the time when our cultural tendency toward excess is wildly obvious!)

In general, I prefer gifts of experience (or time) over toys. Museum memberships, movie theater tickets, aquarium/ zoo passes, and swimming lessons are all brilliant things to gift to children. Even though things can be useful and fun (especially if they are high quality things like I've listed below!), children truly thrive on quality time with the people they love. So bonus points if you can gift an experience that they can do with their parents, grandparents, friends, etc. :)

So, without further ado, here are some great gifts I'd suggest for your little ones this Christmas. Many we have already, and others we expect that the kids will get for Christmas or an upcoming birthday:

MagnaTiles. This is the number one toy in our house. They are expensive, but worth every penny!!  They get used by both kids, every day, multiple times a day. We build roads, and garages, and houses, and animal pens, and hospitals, and so, so many more things with MagnaTiles. Definitely worth the cost, and definitely worth getting at least 100 pieces if you have more than one kid.

Strider balance bike, sport version. I have recommended this balance bike before, but just realized one specific perk of this specific bike-- the sport version is made so that the bike seat and handelbars can be adjusted without tools. This has been SO awesome in our transition period, as Charlotte learns to ride a two-wheel bike with pedals and yet sometimes wants to revert back to the speed and confidence she had with the balance bike. We're trying to get Asher started on the balance bike, too, so it's great to be able to adjust the seat/handlebars quickly as they take turns with our Strider.

Kid's guitar. We actually got one of these for FREE, from someone in our local "Buy Nothing" group!! Her son had outgrown it, and she responded to my request. Asher is obsessed with music and loves to pretend he's playing guitar with the little plastic vacuum we have, so I'm really hoping he will think an actual guitar is the best gift ever. It's been hiding in our living room closet for over a month; I can't believe he hasn't discovered it yet!

Toddler-sized outdoor tool set. I'm SO excited for Asher to get this as a Christmas gift! He's used a similar set before, and he's going to be thrilled to "help" in the yard with all these tools.

Dollhouse. (Note: this link is different than the one I've used in the past. The dollhouse looks more open-ended; I envision it being used as a barn, or maybe a fire station, or school building...) I'm using a tutorial from Lindsey Kubly's blog (see link above) to make one for the kids (mostly Charlotte), and already bought the bookshelf from IKEA. My parents put it together and now I'm going to add the posterboard to the back and wrap up some furniture to put inside. Here's the furniture we're going to use: Bathroom. Kids' bedroom. Kitchen.

Calico Critters family set. I plan for the kids to use these adorable animals in their dollhouse, and hopefully for many, many other creative games. They are the sweetest, and my children are far more interested in animals than dolls these days, so I think they will work well with the dollhouse.

Art supplies! We don't have a ton of this type of material at our house, partially because Asher isn't super interested in sitting still for art projects, but also because Charlotte is mostly into coloring in big coloring books with crayons or markers. But these are some art supplies we have used and loved...

Neon colored paints. Charlotte got a similar paint set from her grandparents and it was a HUGE hit. I'm hoping she'll be really into these bold, neon colors as well, since most of her paints are running out by now (after 6 months of frequent use!).

Tiny markers (THE BEST for little hands!!).

Giant coloring pad (great for paint, watercolors, or regular old markers)

Water WOW coloring books. These are our absolute favorite airplane activity! We have at least three sets, and they get used a lot, even when we aren't traveling. Asher, especially, likes to use them when Charlotte is painting at the dining room table.

*Looking for more ideas? Here's a post I wrote back in August, about the toys we love in our home.

Asher: eighteen months

[This was written last spring, when Asher was 18 months old. It's being published an entire month after his second birthday. Poor, neglected little guy!!! :(  ]

In classic reality for the second child, I've gone almost two full months without posting an update on Asher's growth and life. The 17 month post will never be, so I'm jumping into the 18 month post, just a couple of weeks late. Ha!

Growth/ development: Asher's a walking, running, talking machine! It took him so long to learn to walk, but he picked up running in about ten minutes. It's hard to keep up with him as he wanders all over the house, and in the yard, and down the road to splash through puddles and peek at the pig in our neighbors' backyard.

At his checkup last week, Asher weighed 27 pounds and was 33 3/4 inches tall. He didn't gain much weight since his last checkup, but he grew a lot taller! Since birth, Asher's been seeing one of the doctors at our local family practice. Sadly, that doctor left the practice and this month Asher saw someone different for the first time. He didn't seem to notice (or mind) a single bit, but I feel really sad about the loss of this relationship and am not as satisfied with the new doctor. Bummer.


Sleep/ schedule: Asher switched to one nap just in time, because at the end of February our family rhythms changed with the addition of an afternoon babysitting job. I leave the house at 2pm with both kids, so Asher's nap needs to happen before that. He usually wakes up for the day between 6 and 7, then goes down for his nap between 11:30 and 12. If not woken up, Asher will often nap for 2.5 hours, but on school days I always have to wake him up to get out the door for baby-sitting.

He goes to bed around 7pm, sometimes closer to 7:30 if he's taken a solid nap and doesn't seem fussy. Other than sleep times, Asher doesn't have any specific schedule. He mostly spends time playing independently, exploring, and wandering around making messes. His bedtime routine is very simple and he almost always goes to sleep quickly and easily.

Communication: We can't believe how much Asher talks! It would be impossible for me to list how many words he uses-- far more than Charlotte did at this age. Both Joel and I are surprised by how much he can say, maybe because we expected him to develop his vocabulary slowly since he is a boy. But we were wrong! Some of his favorite (or most used!) words include: Char-Char, Daddy, Momma, ba-ba (bottle!! still!! haha!), ME!, MINE!, NO!, yes, please, see, ball, keys, car, Bible, book, dog, cheese, and drive. He knows many animal names and can make a lot of their sounds. My personal favorite is his imitation of an elephant, which includes waving his hand up into the air like an elephant's trunk while snorting out a gust of air!

Likes: Being outside, holding keys, pretending to drive cars and open doors with keys, picking up rocks, pushing toys (such as the baby stroller or shopping cart), opening and closing doors, sitting in our laps to read books, being near Charlotte, wandering down the street to check out the pig, splashing through puddles, water of any kind, using the pretend faucet in our play kitchen, stacking/ knocking over towers, hugging stuffed animals, listening to songs on YouTube, dancing, looking at picture books, hugging, kissing, snuggling, and identifying objects and animals. He is THE MOST FUN little boy on the planet. 18 months is such an awesome  age!!!

Dislikes: Being told NO, being made to sit down or be strapped into the car seat, food that doesn't interest him at that exact second, not drinking from a bottle all day every day (HA!), having toys taken by his sister, and not being allowed to watch his favorite music videos over and over and over again. He also doesn't like having to come inside before he's ready! This has proven to be a real challenge, as the weather for the last four months has been unbearably rainy. Charlotte loves to play inside and can keep herself pretty well occupied inside for most of the day, while Asher gets antsy and frustrated if he can't go out. I have a hard time balancing their needs and their varying interests in these current stages of development. 

It blows my mind how much joy one little guy can bring to our world. We love you, Asher Bash. Sooo many hugs and kisses!

gifts for a two year old

In typical second child fashion, Asher turned two last month and I'm just now getting around to writing anything about it! We had a really special day celebrating the best little boy on the planet. I'll post an update soon, because he's learning and growing a mile a minute and I don't want to forget a single detail about him at this age.

Today, though, I'm going to share some of the awesome gifts Asher got for his birthday. Some were from us, some were from other family and friends. (Amazon affiliate links included; if you click the link and purchase, I get a teeny tiny percentage.)

1. Big Red Barn board book. We read this book about 5 times a day for about three weeks. It fits right in with Asher's current obsession with all things farm, farmer, tractor, and animals. Adorable book! We all love it, though it was Asher's gift ;)

2. Schleich baby farm animal set. Asher got some Schleich farm animals last year and they are played with a TON by both kids. I was guessing this set would be a good addition, and I was right. He LOVES playing with "baby cow, daddy cow," and does all sorts of imaginative activities with his wooden barn, his tractors, and these sweet little animals.

3. Kid-sized folding table. I wasn't sure about a kids' table for a long time, mostly because I feel my kids get so chaotic at dinner time, and having them all bunched together at a separate table just seemed to invite craziness. BUT we have used this table soooooo many times since receiving it for Asher's birthday. The kids paint and draw there. They set up tea parties there. They eat evening snacks and morning smoothies there. Sometimes we have an early morning family "breakfast picnic" there. Though we've been using it constantly, and haven't put it away in storage at all, I LOVE that this table can fold up to be stored in a small space. (Note- it doesn't come with chairs, which is fine because we had already been given four small chairs that work perfectly with this size. There are some other sets on Amazon that come with chairs, but we didn't need those.)

4. Plan Toy tea set. I LOVE the Plan Toys brand. This wooden tea set is beautiful, sturdy, and just all around great. Both my kids love it, though Asher doesn't get to use it by himself very much unless Charlotte is already in bed ;) because she always has some specific plan for it.

5. The Biggest Story ABC board book. This is a really fun, little-kid version of the book The Greatest Story (which we LOVE but don't own!). A little bit heavy on the plagues in Egpyt for our tastes, ha, but overall a great summary of the Gospel story, with bright, beautiful illustrations.

6. Play Silks. We didn't get this exact set, but I think it's fun to have the option of so many colors. My kids have used them for all sorts of things-- table cloths, head scarves, baby blankets, hide-and-seek covers, etc. etc. etc. Highly recommend this kid of toy, as the options for imaginative play are basically endless.

7. Zig Zag car racing track. Again, this isn't the exact set we have, but it's very similar. The little cars in this set are super fun, and very easy for two year old hands to navigate. Such a cool toy!

8. DUPLO construction set. I'd forgotten all about DUPLOS, so this was a really fun surprise that Asher got from his aunt and uncle. He plays with it A LOT, and since there are two vehicles in the set, the kids often use them together. Asher especially loves to make rough and tough construction noises, and he does make believe play with the trucks while he babbles aloud to them. So stinking cute :)


And.... a few things we're considering for our two-year old's Christmas gifts:

9. Are You Ready to Play Outside? We have many books by author Mo Willems in this house. He's a great storyteller, and his illustrations are awesome. This book is one in the Gerald and Piggy series. I'd never heard of it before, but I find it especially perfect for my Pacific Northwest children, who play outside in the rain for half of the year. :)

10. Toddler- approved headphones. Charlotte got this kind for Christmas two years ago and they are AWESOME. Sadly, hers have been squished in carry-ons too often and are now cracked, so we need a replacement for any future plane travel. These come with a splitter, so we can plug a second pair in and two people (or two small children) can watch/listen together. Total win!

What about you? Any awesome gift ideas for the toddlers in your life? Please share!

my two cents on "potty training"

I'm not a potty training expert, and don't claim to be. My experience is limited to my own two children, which is far from a reasonable sample size.

But my experience with potty training has been very positive overall (!!!), and I'd love to support other parents in what is often (or is often viewed as) a difficult and stressful process. 

My first, and most important, piece of advice is to buy the ebook "Three day potty training," by Lora Jensen. The author IS an expert, and her method is very straight forward, gentle, and effective. We followed this ebook to a T with both kids. I cannot recommend it enough. The Kindle version is $7.99-- you seriously can't beat that! Totally worth every single cent. 

Based on the ebook and my own experience potty training Charlotte and Asher, here's what I think are the most important ideas. 

1. "Readiness" is overrated. I decided to train both of my kids at times that worked for our family. It was summer, Joel had flexible hours, the weather was great so we could be outside, my friends were in town and could help with childcare, and we didn't have any big commitments or travel plans. Both Charlotte and Asher could communicate their needs/ wants and both were able to recognize when their diaper was poopy (and could verbalize when they were actually pooping!! ha!). Based on some reading, it seems that 20-30 months is the ideal time to potty train. Charlotte was exactly 30 months and Asher was just over 22 months. *I definitely wouldn't suggest going past the 30 month range-- for us, the 2.5-3 year window brought lots of defiance, which doesn't lend itself to learning such a big skill.* We had very little resistance from Asher at his young age. He's been very willing to use the potty and very enthusiastic about telling us when he has to go. I'd say it was actually easier to train him because he was so eager to please and willing to come along with me for things. Based just on my two kids, I absolutely don't support the sentiment that boys are harder to train-- frankly, I think the only thing more difficult is making sure to aim correctly so there's not a mess of urine all around the toilet. Ha! 

2. Go cold turkey. Don't use pull-ups. Don't switch back and forth based on circumstances or location. Just stay home for a week so you can control the setting and not be anxious about accidents in public places. Accidents are absolutely vital to success in potty training-- kids must feel wet and recognize the necessity of keeping their underwear dry. Pull-ups do not help with this recognition; they feel like diapers. Also, a tip-- roll up your rugs and lock the door on carpeted rooms! Hardwood floors and tile are your BFFs during potty training. ;)

(*A note about our family: Charlotte was 2.5 years old when we trained her, and we did underwear at nap time and bedtime from the beginning. She woke up with a wet bed for three nights, then consistently got herself up to pee and went right back to bed/ sleep. Some nights she woke up to pee twice. She never went back to diapers and we didn't consider pull-ups at all. Just recently she started sleeping many nights all the way through, without waking to use the bathroom at all, but most nights she will use the bathroom once. Asher was under two years when we trained him, and the nights didn't go as smoothly. For a full week we put undies on him at bedtime, and he would wet his underwear but keep sleeping, then wake up hours later wet and cold and mad. It interrupted his (and our!) sleep dramatically. We tried many things, like partially waking him at our bedtime to pee, or partially waking him around 1am to try. None of those things worked, so we started putting one of his cloth diapers on at bedtime. He doesn't like it and asks for underwear, but it's made his sleep much easier. Sometimes he wakes up dry, but not always. I'd say in the last 14 days he's woken up dry at least 11, which is pretty good. We will try without underwear again after I travel to visit my parents, but with time changes and new sleeping arrangements for that trip, it doesn't make sense to rock the nighttime boat right now. My point in all of this is to try going cold turkey, following the directions of this ebook exactly. If nights don't work out, you can adapt. But your child might surprise you and be ready for 24-7 undies much sooner than you'd expect!*)

3. Get full time childcare for your other children during the three days of training. This is a big challenge, and probably the hardest part of potty training this way is adjusting the rhythm of the whole family, especially siblings who aren't being trained. But it was ESSENTIAL to my success, both times. Sometimes a long weekend is a great time to train, because one parent can do the full time training while the other takes care of other children and does the laundry, meal prep, errands, and household chores. We chose to train during a work week for Joel so we didn't have to sacrifice our weekends as a family, but it worked because he had shorter work hours and could be home in the early morning and late afternoon, and because I have friends who stay at home full time and who could add my kid to their household life for a few hours at a time.

4. Cut everything else out of your schedule for at least three days. We didn't leave home at all during the beginning of training, and after those three days we carefully picked outings where toilets were easily accessible, where I could give the training child my full attention, and where there were no carpets to ruin ;)! I didn't cook much, or clean at all (except doing laundry galore!!). We had a frozen lasagna for dinner one night and takeout another. Joel did a lot of the housework and fully cared for the non-potty training child when he was not at work.

5. Be consistent. This is a good parenting principal in general, but one I find to be very difficult sometimes. But deciding right away that we weren't going to use pull-ups and just dealing calmly with accidents proved to be amazingly effective, and also empowering to the kids. Lora Jensen, the author of the ebook, emphasizes consistency, and I think it's absolutely essential to the potty training process, especially if you want to have it be effective and relatively short. 

6. Say, "Tell me when you have to go potty. Let me know when you have to pee. Keep your underwear dry. Tell me when you need to go!" a hundred million times a day, for a long, long time. To me, this phrase and this attitude completely eliminates the power struggles that often are associated with potty training. Giving children ownership by using this phrase (and following Lora Jensen's ebook EXACTLY ;) ) really puts the ball in their court and teaches them to identify their own need to use the bathroom. These days, I know Asher will need to use the bathroom every couple of hours, so I ask him and remind him and encourage him to go, in hopes of avoiding an accident while he's playing intently in the backyard. BUT during the three days of training I never set a timer to tell him he needed to go, I never said, "You need to try!!! Sit on the potty!!," etc., because that can so often lead to anger and frustration and a major conflict with toddler emotions and their desire for control. (As all parents can attest, am I right?!) 

Finally, 6. Get a lot of underwear. I would say 15-20 pairs, and then do a load of laundry partway through the day so some of the wet undies get cleaned right away. My friend lent me some that her son didn't really like using anymore, and we added those to our stash. It was such a relief to know that the accidents were going to happen in order for learning to occur, but that we had plenty in the house. I even bought one extra package that we didn't open and I returned later, but it was nice to have a peace of mind that they were there if necessary. Asher's been trained for less than a month, and very rarely has an accident, so we aren't going through more than one pair of undies most days, but it was totally worth the money to buy extras for the first week of training. 

Questions? Comments? Criticism? ;) Let's converse below! 

living simply: toys we love

Last year I wrote about some of our favorite things. Most of those were things we had around the house, and I'm a firm believer that kids will play with any old thing, if given the time and opportunity to be creative.

But! But, having a few really good toys is a great privilege, and one I do not take for granted as I care for two young children. Most of these are made to last, and though some are fairly expensive, I definitely think they are worth the cost. In no particular order, here are the toys we love.

1. Magna Tiles. I cannot recommend these enough. I think everyone should own these, and the more the better, in my opinion. Charlotte and Asher have had these for at least nine months, and they have been used in so, so many ways. For awhile we were building giant towers that Charlotte said were animal hospitals. They had garages and potties and parking lots. These days, both kids call them "ice cream" and Charlotte sorts them by colors and puts them in her "freezer," while Asher carries the triangular ones around pretending to lick them. We also use Magna Tiles along with our wooden barn and farm animals to make "cow houses" for Asher, who loves to drive a little tractor around his farm.

2. Play kitchen. This is BY FAR the most used toy in our home. Joel's dad made ours from an old TV stand when Charlotte was tiny, and she definitely dominates it so much that Asher really only gets a chance once she's asleep. ;) But we love it so, so much, and it's worth its weight in gold for how many playtime hours have been spent in creative play there. I also recommend some play food, and some other kitchen supplies, preferably wooden or metal since plastic gets kind of gross and also is easily smushed by not-so-careful toddler hands. (On my wishlist for the kids: this adorable wooden tea set)

3. Doll house and/ or wooden barn. I'm planning to make a doll house using this cool tutorial. Our neighbors asked us to store their giant doll house for a few months, and my kids played with it a lot. However, it was so big that it got difficult to store once they lost interest and I really think kids get tired of staring at unused toys after a while. Once I make ours, I plan to move it around to different parts of the house, and eventually I will retire it to use as a regular old bookshelf. I also plan to buy just a few pieces of furniture; another friend has a cool house but there are SO many pieces of furniture that someone Asher's age can easily get overwhelmed and just not play with it at all.

We bought this classic wooden barn from another neighbor's garage sale, and along with this set of animals from Asher's first birthday, it has gotten a lot of use. There's SO much creative play that can come with well-made, basic toys.

4. Schleich animals. We asked Asher's grandparents to give him a set of animals for his birthday and they've gotten a lot of use. There are sooooo many cool Schleich animals on Amazon, so do a bit of searching to find ones that your kids would like best. I hope to expand our collection in the coming years (this wildlife set looks awesome!).

5. Outdoor toys: swing set, kiddie pool, Strider balance bike. (Note: we have this balance bike in green and it took a loooooong time for Charlotte to love it. But we all persevered, and now she's definitely ready for a pedal bike. I'm just feeling intimidated about deciding which to buy!)

*Let me say that we have A LOT more toys than this in our house.. Mostly because people give us toys, which can be good and bad. Good because it's nice to have free stuff, but also bad (sometimes very bad) because-- as I said in my last post about simplicity with kids-- there's a lot of junk that disguises itself as children's toys, and some things we've been given aren't good quality and don't get used. I try to move things out and pass them along if they aren't beautiful or useful or well-loved.

But it's not always easy. Both of my kids adore stuffed animals (which I can't really stand!) and they use them and I just can't de-stash those darn things as much as I'd like, since they love and use them a lot. Also, I bought two used sets of Littlest Pet Shop toys (which are plastic and gaudy and not beautiful at all!) from my neighbor (for $3!!) and gave them to Charlotte for Christmas last year. She has spent countless hours playing with those things, and Asher really likes them as well. So there's that. Ha! :) BUT I'm so, so glad I bought those used and didn't pay full price!

Now let's share! What are the most loved and used toys in your home? Do you have any of these that my kiddos love? 

A time for listening, and a time for speaking up

About nine months ago I started listening to Upside Down Podcast. I can't quite remember how I found it, except that the Internet and social media are a tangled, mixed-up web, and one thing (or one blogger) leads to another :)  I think the timing lined up with this past presidential election, a season of shock and disgust for me personally, and of tumult and unrest for our country overall. Sadly, it took that election and the immediate aftermath to snap me to attention.

The first few episodes of Upside Down Podcast hit me hard.

The hosts were discussing poverty and race and the Church in ways I had never considered, mostly because my own experience and education are rooted in my own privilege. Anyway, I listened. I prayed and I thought and I listened some more. I shared aloud with Joel a little, but mostly I tried hard to listen. And to listen well, with ears and a heart that were ready to be softened and convicted and challenged.

The last nine months, for me, have been a season of listening, and of coming to understand (a teeny, tiny bit) the reality of racism and poverty and marginalization in our country. The reality of the role I have as Christian, and as a parent of the next generation of Americans. Though I desperately want to change hearts, and actions, all over, I have the most influence on the heart attitudes of my own children and those within my personal community.

So. The time for me to speak up is now. I have listened and will continue to listen and learn.

But I know enough to be confident that I cannot be silent, and carry on as usual. I must speak to my children, and those within my sphere of influence, about God's word and what it says about people and how Jesus came live and die and rise again... to set them (us) all free. I must be honest about our country's history of prejudice, and I must expose my kids to the beauty of diversity as much as I can. I must tell them that racist acts and attitudes like we witnessed in Charlottesville this week are despicable in the eyes of the Lord. I must guide them toward seeking justice and looking out for the downtrodden of society, and for those in their lives who need an ally or an advocate or a friend.

There is so little I can do; one person in one family in one small, mostly white, suburban town.

But my children and my friends and my children's friends should see in me the love of Jesus.

They should see in me a heart that is open to hearing hard truth.

They should see in me a mind that is willing to confess my own sin and my own role in calling racism what it is, and in stopping the spread of hateful attitudes and acts toward people of color.

I've compiled a list of great resources below, particularly for Jesus followers who may be in the place I was nine months ago or the place I am in today.

These folks are clear and relevant. They've been incredibly helpful to me as I wrestle through the things I've learned, and especially following the events of this past weekend.

1. Upside Down Podcast (My favorite episode is their interview about "The Talk" that black people give their children, with Tyler Burns, which aired last December. Search for it right away. So eye opening!)
2. This sermon, given by a friend of mine who pastors a church in suburban New Jersey.
3. A poignant article by Jemar Tisby, a man I've recently started listening to (on another great podcast, Pass the Mic)
4. A personal, practical blog post (the author writes as a mother of black, and white, children)

on living simply, with children

I cannot count the number of times I've heard this statement: "My kids don't play with their toys. They make messes, and make noise, and their toys are all over the house, but they don't really PLAY with any of them."

This is so, so common. It's very sad, and, I think, a serious problem with our culture as a whole, and with my generation of parents and children specifically. Let's chat about the issue a little.

First, two great resources for anyone interested in dealing with this problem directly:
1. The Simple Families website and podcast.
2. The book, Simplicity Parenting, by Kim John Payne.  

Second, this is one of my own personal "soapbox" topics. I feel extremely passionate about raising kids well, and (probably because of my background in education) I'm hyper-sensitive to the positive/negative affects that parenting choices have on children in their present and future lives. I think simplicity is important, but also really, really difficult.

Third, this is not in itself an issue of real spiritual significance. As a follower of Jesus, there are some absolutes that I hold onto without question. This is not one. Though I think creating a safe, creative, simple space for children is valuable, it doesn't in itself point them to the cross of Christ, and thus, this topic of conversation isn't an absolute for me.  The issues of biblical simplicity, in the sense of sharing things in a community, and living with less, and giving to the poor, are different than what I'm writing about now. Though maybe they can be a discussion here some day, now that I'm thinking of it... :)

Alright, so with those three important notes, here are some ideas and points that I've been mulling over in the last year. Some will be their own separate blog posts in coming days (or months.) I'd love to continue the conversation in the comments below, if you'd like. :)

• There are many things that are awesome for babies and children to have. And there are many, many things that make parenting easier (hello, high chairs and baby food pouches!). But, there are many, many, many things that are absolute junk. They clutter up our houses and our children's minds. And this clutter, this excess, actually becomes a serious imposition to children developing the way they should... children in general aren't spending enough time outside, are watching way too much TV, and are failing to learn basic life skills such as independent play, sharing, conflict resolution, and problem solving. Teachers notice. Grandparents notice. The society as a whole notices. And we parents often notice, but we aren't sure what to do to combat the problem. This includes me. I'm not speaking typing in judgement here-- I'm working through this in my own home, and with my own family. But as parents, we are our children's protectors and their advocates. For their good, and for the good of future generations, we need to combat this culture of excess and waste and general overwhelm. 
• I cannot recommend the book Simplicity Parenting enough. It is so, so practical and relevant and wise. 
• Some future blog post ideas: great toys that we love and use and highly (highly!) recommend; how I've set up / how I maintain a relatively simple home (and life) for our children; how we spend our time and develop a simple schedule for our family; activities and creative play that my kids do regularly; conversations to have with children regarding our choices toward simplicity. What else? Leave post ideas below!
• Bonus! A few ladies who lean toward a simple way of parenting, and whose blogs I really love... Lindsay Kubly, Erin Boyle, and Erin Loechner. 

back to blogging. and, Amazon links

Ahem.

There's no easy way to jump back into blogging after six months. I don't have much in the way of an explanation, except that 1. I don't want to add to the noise that often IS the internet, so I found myself at a loss for (written) words, and 2. the blogger app is terrible and doesn't work on my phone or ipad, which are the only two devices we use regularly at home.

So, there we have it. Explanation done and done.

Well... also, I have two kids. And another on the way. (Yes, that is my way of announcing that Baby 'Berts #3 is on the way. Most readers probably know already, and somehow, sadly, the third child doesn't end up with as much fanfare as his/her siblings. Healthy dose of reality for us all. :) ) I will share more about this new little life sometime in the near future, but for now let's just say that though he/she gets forgotten in the chaos of life with other kids, he/she was very much hoped and prayed for, and we are absolutely delighted to be adding another bean to our bunch.

Now, on to the second bit from the title of this post. I've signed up to be a part of Amazon associates, which I hope will generate a (teeny, tiny) bit of income from this hobby of blogging. I think that if I post links to things that we love, or that I would recommend, through this blog, I can earn a little bit of money back if those items are purchased by any of you. I haven't tried yet, and I really don't expect this endeavor to be at all lucrative, but I wanted to be upfront about that right away. At no cost to you, Amazon might give back a little bitty bit to me, and to my growing family. We use Amazon A LOT, and expect many of you do as well, so let's all benefit from this part of the system.

Charlotte: three years old!

I know every parent feels the same, but I cannot believe how fast time is flying. I can look at photos from Charlotte's birth, or her first few days of life, and feel like they were taken just yesterday. My baby girl just turned three, and I can't believe it!!

Charlotte is a growing girl. Her shoe size is between and 8.5 and a 9. Her old sneakers (size 8) are too tight but the next size I have (9.5) are definitely too big. We're still needing boots pretty regularly, so hopefully she fits into her sneakers come spring. She weighs 30.5 pounds and is 40.5 inches tall. She's very thin; her pants are either 3T or 4T, but they are often too big on her waist. Big pants don't pose a problem, though, because she needs to be able to take them off to use the bathroom. She potty trained very easily back in August. Her independent personality and three days of hardcore training made for a quick and easy adjustment to no more diapers. She sometimes wakes up at night to use the bathroom, but usually goes right back to sleep. She's very capable of doing the whole process herself, but recently started wanting one of us to "help" her with the wiping and pants and the like. 

We love to chat with Charlotte, and to listen to the things she says. Her brain is always working, making connections and wanting more information. She's begun asking "why?" many, many times each day. Though it can be exhausting, her curiousity is wonderful. She often repeats things (or variations of things) she hears us say. For example, today she told us Bear couldn't go to church because she had sick germs. And later, I offered a used cup of Asher's, to let Bear have a drink. She refused, saying, "No, Mom. That's old. Bear needs a new drink." 

Last night in bed, she asked me: "What do policemen have?"

When I didn't respond immediately, she said, "Do they drive cars? Or ambulances?" 

The cutest.

One not-so-cute thing, is the sleep difficulties Charlotte's been having this month. She's in the middle of a transition to drop her nap, but some days she's too exhausted to go without it. The days she doesn't nap, she goes to bed pretty easily around 7 and falls asleep by 8. If she naps, her bedtime is much. Lster (closer to 8:30) and she stays in bed awake, often for 45+ minutes. Unfortunately, most nights Charlotte wakes up at least once, and many nights this month she has woken up 2-4 times. It's as if she forgot all her self-soothing techniques she used as a baby, and can't get herself back to sleep without Joel or I coming to lay in her bed for a while. Needless to say, we're exhausted! 

Charlotte has so much energy and loves to play. She creates towns and buildings and homes, then lets her cars and animals live their life. She talks to her stuffed friends, and has started to say hello to strangers. She sometimes tells people that she's three now, and will go to school next year. She's growing in her ability to play nicely with Asher, and there have been some really sweet interactions lately. Sharing is still very difficult, as is accepting someone else's idea of how something should be played. She's very independent and very opinionated, but also very nurturing and encouraging. 

We've been getting new books from the library lately, to add to our personal rotation of favorites. Charlotte often gravitates toward 1-2 books we've chosen and wants to read them before every nap and at every bedtime. She really seems to grasp complex concepts in the books, but sometimes makes us giggle with the conclusions she draws from looking at the pictures and putting together things in her mind. 

Charlotte loves to play with stuffed animals and is very careful when she plays with small things such as rice and beads and Pom poms. She's creative and cautious and so much fun. 

Charlotte girl, you are a delight. I'm so proud to be your momma! 

Asher: sixteen months

Growth/ development: Asher's fifteen month checkup was in the middle of last month. That day, he weighed 26 pounds, 6 ounces. He was 30 1/4 inches tall. He's at the very top of the growth chart for height, and average for weight. Since he started walking this month, he's slimmed down some :) If he's wearing a cloth diaper, 18 month onesies are too tight. He can still wear pants in the 18 month size, as well as 24 month. He wears size 5 shoes and has 8 teeth. Still seems to be working on molars, as he is drooling like crazy and constantly putting his fingers in his mouth. He seems extra fussy this month, as well.

Asher is finally walking! I'd say he walks 85% of the time, and crawls the last 15%... mostly on unstable ground like playground mulch and garden soil. Or when he's very upset or exhausted. He is pretty steady on his feet these days, and can carry things while walking and turn around to walk another way. He gets this proud look on his face. It's the cutest!

Communication: Asher has a lot to say. He babbles a lot, and when he talks to his grandparents on FaceTime, he goes on and on as if he's been wanting to chat with them! He will point and gesture with his hands, and raise his voice to make a point, though we rarely know what that point might be!

He still has the same signs, but the number of words he says seems to be multiplying rapidly. I can't even keep track of how many words he knows. The ones he says most frequently are: Noooooo, Daddy, ba-ba (ball, bottle), car-car, baby, Hiiiii, Bye-bye, choo choo, and Mama.

Sleep/ schedule: While he's doing a solid job on his one nap (2-3 hours daily), Asher's night sleep wasn't great this month. He rarely sleeps all the way through the night, often waking in the 2-5 am range, fully awake and fussing. If we give him a warm bottle and put him back to bed, he will usually sleep until 7 or 7:15am. It's a bad habit, but I'm using the excuse that our whole morning is better if he sleeps until 7, as opposed to waking for the day at 6am. His nap is almost always at noon, but we adjust it slightly based on his morning wake time.

Food: Asher's kind of unreliable about his eating, still. He LOVES to drink whole milk from a bottle, which kind of drives me crazy, though I'm not willing to go cold turkey on the bottles because I know the comfort helps him settle for sleep and I'm too exhausted to mess with his sleep.

Some of his favorite foods are black beans, cheese, steamed baby carrots, bread (and pizza!!!), yogurt, smoothies, meat sauce, and all kinds of fruit.

Activity: As always, this little man stays busy! He adores being outside, and just started liking to swing again. He will whine at the door, saying "Wheeee" and pointing at the swing until we take him out to play. He likes to be pushed fast. He also loves to explore the yard and open the doors and windows on our play house. If Charlotte is nearby playing, Asher will be happy to hang out and do his own thing. He also loves to wrestle and snuggle and read books. He's such a sweet, communicative guy. We adore him! 

Asher: fifteen months

Asher's fifteen month birthday is also the start of a new year: 2017! What a big year this has been for our little guy. We can't imagine life without him. 

Growth/ development

After his fifteen month well check in January, I will add his height and weight. He wears the same size 5 shoes that he's been wearing, 18 month clothing (And sometimes 24 month clothing, especially if he has a cloth diaper on!), and has seven teeth. He's been drooling hardcore for the last month. It makes me wonder if he's working on molars, but none have appeared yet. 

He went from a few tentative steps at the beginning of the month to full on toddling just before the New Year. It seems that if he's playing a game, or holding onto something (like a ball, or Christmas wrapping paper), he's more confident to walk longer distances, such as across the room. 

Communication

Asher regularly uses the signs for more, please, and all done. When he signs "please," he also says the word. 

We can't believe how much this guy talks!! His words include: please, cheese, cracker, keys, hot, hat, more, hi, buh bye, bath, bottle (baba), no no no, garbage truck, tractor, choo choo, and juice. 

He knows the sounds for lion, duck, horse, sheep, cow, pig, and dog. Sometimes he meows like a cat. Ha. 

Sleep/ schedule

Despite two cross country (and cross time zones) trips this month, Asher was a champion sleeper. Most nights he slept 12-13 hours straight. A few nights he woke up once for a bottle, then quickly put himself back to sleep. 

He also transitioned to one nap this month. He handles the day best if his nap is around 12pm, and he usually sleeps 1.5 to 3 hours, depending on the day and circumstances. He took a lot of naps in different places this month, but handled them all very well. We are grateful for this good little sleeper, especially considering how poorly he slept for his first nine months AND that his big sister is now sleeping far worse than she has in her whole life. Oy! 

Food 

Asher's appetite varies greatly from day to day and from meal to meal. It's hard to get an accurate understanding of how much / when he wants to eat, since we've been traveling and out of our routine so much this month. Some of his favorite things to eat are mashed potatoes, clementines, berries, ham/ pork, and bread of any kind. He loves to snack, and he loves to drink milk from bottles. 

Activity

Asher is such an active, rough and tumble guy. He is so busy, always on the move!! He loves to explore, especially outside. He is a social butterfly, and enjoys playing with Charlotte and hanging out with friends and his family. He loves to wrestle with Joel and plays sort of rough with Charlotte (sometimes it's well received, sometimes... Not so much ;) )

Fifteen months is such a fun age! So much to learn, so much to do, and so many words to babble! 

Asher: fourteen months

Growth/ Development 

Asher seems to be thinning out a little. He has a checkup in January, so no height and weight measurements this month. He wears size 5 shoes, size 18-24 month clothing, and he finally got his sixth tooth!! 

Asher's pretty close to walking. He has taken one or two steps, and spends a lot of the day standing while he plays. He's gaining confidence and becoming more interested in walking, but still crawls rapidly around the house and yard to get himself where he wants to go. 

Our boy is growing in his understanding of spoken words, and in his use of words and signs. He can communicate a lot more now than he could one month ago. 

Sleep/ schedule

This was a sad month, with Asher getting his first serious cold which turned into a double ear infection. He was on antibiotics for the first time, and got a really bad diaper rash from some digestive adjustments to the antibiotic. Poor little guy was miserable for Thanksgiving dinner, crying and needing to be held. 

Needless to say, his sleep and daily routines have been all out of whack. Many nights he woke up fussing, many mornings he had a bottle at 4am and slept until 7:30. Some mornings he was wide awake at 6, just like "normal." Some days he took two naps, other days just one. He went to bed at all different times, mostly in the 6:45- 7:15 range. 

I can't decide if he's (I'm) ready for just one nap. In some ways, it'd make our days easier because the kids could have similar schedules and we'd have two big windows of time to do things, but I've also gotten used to the rhythm of staying home until he wakes up from the morning nap. Charlotte and I often do messy or fragile activities/ toys during that time, and I also catch up on chores and household tasks then. Plus, I'm afraid if he's overtired he will start waking up in the night. Also-- he wakes up soooooo early sometimes that it seems impossible to keep him happily awake until afternoon nap time. We'll see. 

Communication

Asher does signs for more, all done, food, please, and (sometimes) thank you. He also does a motion for washing his hands (adorable!!!!) and sometimes makes a clicking noise when he's hungry. 

New words this month include WaWa (water), Peppa (when he wants to watch Peppa Pig, or talk to his Grandpa, haha), baba (bottle / baby), and he finally says Momma consistently! :) He snorts like a pig and woofs like a dog. 

He nods yes and shakes his head no. He waves hello and goodbye, blows kisses, and gives real open mouth incredibly sweet real kisses. He points at a million things a day, and makes all sorts of babbling noises- his voice is the sweetest sound.

Food

Since he was so sick this month, Asher regressed a bit on his bottle drinking. I've been offering food as consistent as always, and especially try to give healthy things I know he likes. But it's difficult to fill up his belly at exactly the right times. It's easier to give a bottle of milk, and I know bottles are comforting to him. This is an ongoing challenge for me. 

He loves baked oatmeal, sweet potatoes, pomegranate seeds, raisins, cucumbers, bell peppers, and all kinds of breads/ muffins (mostly we've been eating banana muffins lately). 

Activity

Asher's favorite thing to do these days is climb. If nothing else is available, he likes to climb my body. It's not the most comfortable thing in the world, to say the least, so I try to give him opportunities to climb something else (playground equipment, stairs, beds/ couches, etc.) as much as possible. He likes to stand up while playing, and he lives for the great outdoors. We've had a lot of fun lately, pushing him around in the stroller or wearing him outside in the hiking backpack. 

This month Asher played in snow for the first time. He liked it! 

He also loves to watch the Christmas lights on our tree, and on our neighbors' houses. 

14 months is such a fun age. We love our big boy! 

Asher: thirteen months

Growth/ development

Asher is big! He's like a tank, and his chubby thighs are just irresistibly sweet! No official height or weight this month, but his shoe size is 5 and he wears 12-18 month clothing. He STILL only has five teeth! I can't believe how long it's been since he last got a tooth! 

He can stand on his own, and walk while pushing a toy. He isn't too interested in walking, though, because crawling is soooooo much faster. Our boy is really growing in the communication realm lately, babbling to himself and making all sorts of sounds and noises and gestures to get his point across. He's also started to use some baby sign language, which is awesome. 

This month Asher cut down on his bottles a lot! He drinks 2-3 bottles of milk a day; it's mostly whole cow's milk with some pumped breastmilk mixed in. I would say his total milk intake is between 15-18 ounces (with only 4-8 ounces being breastmilk) -- personally, I wish he didn't drink so much cow's milk because our diet has a fair amount of dairy in it and I don't want to overload his system with dairy. It's something I will continue to work on-- giving him lots of healthy meals to fill his belly with a well-rounded diet enough that he doesn't ask for milk bottles as often. He doesn't seem bothered by the milk at all, his system is handling it just fine. We'll see what the next month is like. 

Sleep/ schedule

Though he consistently wakes up too early for our liking, Asher has settled into life as a pretty good sleeper. He almost always sleeps from 7ish till 6ish. His naps are regular and almost always 1.5 hours each (morning roughly 8-9:30, adjusted based on his wake up time that day and afternoon roughly 1:15-2:45pm). 

Every once in a while Asher stirs or cries in the night but he usually puts himself back to sleep quickly. If he's woken up in the 4-5am range, though, he doesn't settle back easily even though he's exhausted. We often give him a small bottle of milk to help him relax and he will go back to sleep for a few more hours- this usually happens once or twice a month. 

Communication

Says: Dada, hiii, hot, dog 

Signs: more, all done, thank you 

Also points (and grunts!! Loudly! Until we understand him!), waves hello/ goodbye, gives high fives, and blows kisses (the most adorable thing on the planet!). Hilariously, his motion for signing "thank you" is the same as his motion for blowing kisses. Makes me giggle :) 

Food

Eats three meals and at least two snacks a day. Just started using a loaded fork and spoon this month! He loves eating this way, must feel proud to be such a big boy. 

Likes black and kidney beans, smoothies, quiche, frozen peas, corn on the cob, anything sweet (banana or zucchini muffins), pasta, pizza, shredded pork, and whole fruit (don't even think about cutting up that pear, banana, or apple! He wants the whole dang thing to gnaw on!). 

Doesn't like cut up fruit, whole pieces of chicken or beef, and chickpeas. 

Activity

Asher loves being outside. He will be completely miserable, clingy, and fussy, but then we take him out into the yard and he's a total peach. He also loves exploring, climbing, and taking things out/ putting them back in. He likes to read books, play with cars, ride in the stroller, climb onto Charlotte's kitchen stool, open cabinet doors, and feel various textures. 

Asher adores his big sister and is really starting to be quite a Daddy's boy. He is snuggly and silly and our family just can't get enough of his sweet little self. Happy 13 months, baby boy! We love you so much! 

Life around here lately, 3

Charlotte is 32 months old (almost three years!) and Asher is one. I'm almost 32 ;) 

We're on day 7 of cloudy/ rainy and cool weather. Fortunately, we've had a pocket of sun here and there, and it's not constantly raining, which is a big relief. I'm in a much better place physically and emotionally than I was one year ago at this time (with a brand new baby, in a house that wasn't our own!), and the icky weather isn't getting me down as much as I was afraid it might. We've managed to have some play dates and swing on the swings and visit the library. All those fun bits help us manage the rain fairly well. 

Both children are in really fun stages right now. 

Charlotte is constantly creating... painting, coloring, making dinner parties for her stuffed animals, using play dough to create cookies for a snack, setting up a restaurant in our new play house, and just making things in general. She's also making really significant conversations lately. She's asking about Bible stories we read, and questioning song lyrics that we sing. She's noticing tiny details in books, and asking a million questions a day. I love chatting with her, and teaching her things. Sometimes the listening is exhausting, and I struggle to really truly pay attention and engage. Working on that. 

Asher is constantly exploring... He crawls all over the house, checking everything out. He loves to take things out of the recycling bin and touch every object. He likes to crawl into the bathroom, and if the lid isn't closed, he tries to explore the contents of the toilet! Ick. Using a push toy, he can walk down the hallway or across the living room. He's always cruising from one chair to the next, or from the  couch to someone's nearby arm/leg. If there's a door open, Asher immediately bolts to get outside. He's had a lot of clothing changes lately, and I'm doing a lot of laundry since his pants get completely covered in mud the second he's outside! It's worth it, though, because he is unbelievably happy playing in the yard and crawling along the driveway.