This past Saturday, I attended the third annual Minnesota Blogger Conference. Lindsi and I went for the first time last year and it was fabulous, so I did not miss the chance to attend this year! Like last year, I was so busy socializing, tweeting (until my phone died) and paying attention to the speakers that I completely forgot to take photos! Unlike last year though, a LOT of people knew who I was (or at least had heard of Toys In The Dryer). It may have helped that we were on the Minnesota Blogger Conference website's front page for a Q&A about last year's conference. The funny thing though, is that I was most memorable for the logo t-shirts we wore to the conference last year. Everyone asked why I wasn't wearing my shirt. They also asked why my partner (Lindsi) wasn't with me. Unfortunately, for personal reasons, she was unable to attend. Photo is from our Plates In The Dryer event but it is a great shot of our shirts. Again, I gained a wealth of information at … [Read more...]
Lunch Box Notes
We all know that bento box lunches are the rage lately. Search the internet and you'll find all kinds of moms showing off how creative they can be with their kid's lunches. In fact, Lindsi has come up with some great bento lunches! I, however, am not that creative, nor do I feel I have the time to go crazy packing a lunch that my daughter may (or may not) scarf down in 10 minutes. I bet most of you feel the same (kudos to those who are more like Lindsi though!). So how do I make my daughter's lunch special? How do I compete with an awesome bento box? I put random notes in her lunch box! This is not a new idea. In fact, my mom used to put notes in my, my sister's, and even my dad's lunch box when I was growing up. From a simple, "I love you," to a longer heartfelt letter, I loved being surprised when I opened my lunch. I now pass the tradition on to Nutty and will continue it when Tottie is in school. Like my mom, I have no set schedule. Random notes are much more … [Read more...]
Fall Sun Spiral
My girls love anything you can hang from trees. They love wind chimes, sun catchers, and wind socks. Tottie and I had some time together this morning before preschool so I thought it would be fun to make a fall sun spiral with her. When it was finished and hanging on the tree, she was so excited to watch it twirl around and catch the light! To make your own fall sun spiral you need: Clear contact paper (2 pieces, equal sizes) Small leaves you find on the ground Glitter Any other flat, small decorations you may want (we used foam shapes) Sharpie Scissors 1) You'll start by drawing a spiral on one piece of your contact paper. Make sure it is on the contact paper side and not the backing side. Also make sure your lines are wide enough apart to fit your leaves in between them and have a bit of room left. 2) Next, peal the backing off the contact paper and add the leaves, glitter, and other decorations to the sticky side. Make sure to keep the decorations … [Read more...]
Kids In The Kitchen–Guest Post
Getting your kids in the kitchen may seem like a lot of work, but it is one of the best ways to teach them life long lessons! I am going to tell you about the amazing benefits that you and your child will receive from spending time together in the kitchen while we bake monkey bread. Let’s start with washing our hands. This is the perfect time to teach your child a thing or two about microbiology. You can say something like this: There are teeny, tiny bugs that are invisible to your eye. They live all over the place! Some of them help us, but some of them can make us sick. It’s important to wash our hands so that we only keep the good ones around us. Let’s sing happy birthday twice as we rub our hands together really fast with soap, and then we can rinse them with water. Why do we have to rub our hands together really fast? Good question! That’s what’s going to get the bad bugs off, since soap alone won’t do the trick, so rub, rub, rub! Click photo to enlarge Now it’s time to … [Read more...]
Early Second Language Learning–Guest Post
As an adult, have you ever felt frustrated when you couldn’t communicate with another person due to a language barrier? Perhaps you then wished you would have studied a foreign language beyond the mandatory high school or college courses. In today’s society bilingualism and even multilingualism are a norm. As the demographics of our country rapidly change, it is vital to understand about foreign cultures and languages. Employers greatly value individuals who are bilingual and frequently applications who boast these skills stand out in a highly competitive job market. There have been a wide variety of research studies demonstrating the benefits of early second language learning . School systems all across the country continue to implement and improve their foreign language curriculum. Many schools now offer elementary language immersion programs where children are taught by teachers who speak fluently in the targeted foreign language. The goal of immersion programs are for students … [Read more...]
Pillow[ology] by Sleep Number
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Ok Lindsi and Jamie, isn't it Monday? Aren't you suppose to be doing an activity post? Why are you talking about pillows on an activity day? Please click to make bigger. Let us explain...According to WebMD, "Pillows can not only impact the quality of our sleep, but also how healthfully we rest and recharge." According to us, and based on common sense, if you aren't rested and recharged, you can't spend quality time with, or do activities with your kids. Both of us have slept on some BAD pillows and we've woken up with headaches and sore necks. We live out the next day, or two, drugged up on ibuprofen (or something stronger) and can barely get by, let alone, do extra activities with our kids. Sleep Number knows that not only does your bed make a difference in your sleep, your pillow does too. That's why they've come up Pillow[ology] to help you find your perfect pillow so you can rest and have energy to do things with your kids. We had a chance to visit our local Sleep … [Read more...]
