Bread Crumbs

Winter this year has been terrible. It's snowed a ton and just been plain freezing for the last two months so we haven't been able to get out much. The play dates we go on have been great as had the library, but I've been trying to come up with other ways to keep her entertained and learning at the same time on those days we are stuck inside the house. After browsing around Pinterest one morning I found this  Fun Toddler Activity  pin that I pinned awhile back. I happened to have tons of extra cardboard boxes from the holidays o I thought I would give it a try. Supplies: Cardboard Box Markers (though you can probably use crayons or colored pencils as well) Balls or Toys that are solid color X-ACTO Knife or Scissors Packing Tape The first thing I did was try to find a cup or mug that was big enough for the balls we have to fit through them. Once I found that the canister from my food processor was the perfect size I went through my markers to see if I had...

After out night at   Castaway Bay   we headed over to Kalahari Waterpark to meet my in-laws and brother-in-law.   Kalahari Waterpark   is the best indoor waterpark I have ever been too. We've been to Kalahari numerous times over the years since they opened and they just keep getting better. The indoor waterpark is huge and has some many different activities for guest of ever age to participate in. They have 19 attractions and rides that everyone in the family can enjoy.  This was the first time we've went with a toddler so it was a little different than all the other times we have been. I spent most of my time in the new area for toddlers called Coral Cove. They have a kids play area, two slides, mini basketball hoops, and bouncers. Lexi had such a fun time in this area especially because she could stand up and walk around in the water. She loved the musical fish they have near the back as well as the bubbles that were shooting up around that same area. She...

We recently drove up to Sandusky for a weekend away with our family. Our initial plans changed so we decided to stay at Castaway Bay for the night before joining our extended family on Saturday. Castaway Bay   is Cedar Point's indoor waterpark resort. It features hotel rooms and suites, an attached waterpark, arcade, fitness center, a craft and child activity center, three restaurants, and shops. They also offer an adjacent marina for rent. We drove up on a Friday and arrived around 2pm. Pulling into the resort we figured we would have no problems getting into our room early as the place was pretty empty. Once we got inside our hunch was correct and we were able to check-in early. I booked the standard Starfish room which features two double beds and sleeps four. The room also included a microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker, and TV with cable. The room itself was nice and decorated in a very beachy way lot of light blues and pictures of beaches. The one complaint I ha...

We wish for more patience – what does that mean?  An ability to feel content waiting?  Less stress when things don’t go your way?  What does being patient mean to you? I think that wishing for patience means just having more peaceful moments in your day-to-day life. We all have to wait at certain times so I think the ability to feel content and stress less is what wishing for patience truly means. I think that just being able to realize that you can't control everything and taking the time to enjoy every moment of life is what patience's is all about. Are you ever impatient because you are trying to control too many people, events or situations in your life?  What can you let go of in order to be more patient? I am definitely impatient because I am trying to control people, events, or situations in my life. I am your typically Type-A personality that needs to control everything in my life. I like things done a certa...

I hope everyone had an enjoyable and safe new year. I've been so busy the last few days and haven't had a moment to sit down to blog. With the New Year there is always a lot of talk about resolutions. I don't make them and I don't plan to now. I think it's a waste since most of the resolutions don't last for longer than a month. I know that's how it used to be for me. I use to make vows to work out more, eat better, do better at school, etc. and I found that it only lasted for a month maybe two at most. Now I just resolve to do better year round. The whole eating better and working out resolutions is pointless unless you are ready and willingly to make a lifestyle change. I think the idea of wanting to do these things is great, but you shouldn't wait until the New Year to do them. I also think that if you stop you should just start again and not wait until next year to try again. I fall off the horse frequently through the year and have found that I...

Merry Christmas! I hope you all had a wonderful day and got to spend lots of time with your family! Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning at our house now that Lexi is getting older. She still doesn't understand the whole Santa thing yet but was super excited for all her new gifts. The last two days have been really relaxed and casual for us. Christmas Eve I finished wrapping a few gifts. We listened to Christmas music and went to a wonderful Christmas Eve mass. After mass we had a nice dinner, which Lexi loved the steak and corn part of. After dinner we give Lexi her gift from us, which was Christmas pajamas and a book.  She had so much fun opening the box up and looking at her new stuff. After bath time Lexi was treated to cookies that John made for Santa. While snacking on the cookies we watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas then we read Lexi her new book called Santa Comes to Ohio (Thanks Aunt Lauren for the recommendation). We got to Skype with Grandma Dia...

My sweet little girl turned one on December 12th. I still can't believe it has been a year. I thought my pregnancy went by fast but this first year went even faster. On December 7th we celebrated Lexi birthday with our immediate family with a Pretty in Pink birthday celebration. My idea behind it was that I didn't want to spend a crazy amount on her party since she won't remember any of it. Everyone told me that the first birthday is more for the parents and family anyways. I totally agree and after looking at various themes I liked the idea of Pretty in Pink.  Decorations My decoration ideas came from Pinterest and were simple and inexpensive. I got all of the supplies at the Dollar Tree and I had the scrap booking paper on hand already.  Her birthday banner I made using scrap booking paper and the computer. My husband printed out the letters and we cut them out and pasted them to the circles I cut out. I used the food processor canister for the size of the circl...