Granola

I keep reading about these toddlers who just love helping their parents.  They happily clean up, fold laundry, and set the table.  For the most part, this is not true of Baby M.  If I say, "Hey, do you want to help me with something" he will most likely answer "No" and go about his business.  If I leave an unfolded basket of laundry out it will soon become an upside down laundry "cake" in the middle of the floor.  However, there is one place where he does love to help, the kitchen.

The minute I start prepping something in the kitchen he is there shouting "I want to help yooouuuu!"  Of course, when I suggest that the best way for him to help me would be to pick up the crayons all over the kitchen floor, he is not interested.  He wants to crack the eggs, saute the veggies and chop the carrots.  I don't want to discourage his culinary aspirations so this lead me to seek out safe activities that he could help me with.  We ended up doing quite a bit of baking, which is fine, but we really don't need another batch of cookies in the house, even if they are the healthy oatmeal ones from Alicia Silverstone's cook book (which I must note are my favorite oatmeal cookies EVER).  So I was happy when I came across this recipe for homemade granola at wholeliving.com.  I feel a lot better about letting Baby M snack on granola than cookies, especially granola made with flaxseed meal, egg whites and natural sweeteners.  I love this recipe because we can easily customize it with different fruits and nuts and most importantly, Baby M can help with almost all the steps.  There is lots of measuring and stirring and not much contact with a hot stove.  He still fights me over cracking the eggs, but I win out most of the time.  Hope you enjoy it too.

ReDiscover Roller Coaster

Last Saturday our family visited ReDiscover in Culver City.  ReDiscover is a non-profit that recycles discarded materials to use in hands-on art and learning projects for children.  Every Saturday from 10am to 1pm their warehouse has drop-in art hours where your kid can go crazy with glue, wire, tile, fabric, wood scraps, etc.  The cost is $5 per project, and you can use as many materials as you'd like.

Our visit to ReDiscover was actually prompted by the fact that I finally convinced my husband that we no longer needed his AYSO soccer trophies from 1982.  After calling around I found that ReDiscover would accept the box of trophies as a donation.  So, after lovingly photographing all of the trophies, on Saturday morning we headed over to ReDiscover to drop them off and decided to stay and make some art.

The amount of materials in the warehouse was a bit overwhelming.  Bins and bins of fabric samples, plastic do-dads, wall-paper, ribbon, ceramic tile, wires, buttons, etc.  The staff person gave us a quick tour and while pointing out the boxes of wood scraps suggested to Baby M that they might be good for making a roller coaster.  From that point on Baby M was set on constructing a roller coaster.  And not just any roller coaster, a "very scary roller coaster."  So we helped him glue pieces of wood together and decorate it with stickers, fabric, beads, etc.  Ultimately we only took home a small section of the roller coaster, because we just couldn't manage taking home all 6 feet of his masterpiece.  We were there for a little under 2 hours and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  While we were working, several adult artists came in to pick up materials for their professional projects as well as a few other preschoolers and a 10 year old who was building an X-ray machine for a school project.  The mood was festive and cooperative and we never felt crowded.

Baby M is 32 months old and I don't think I would take a child much younger than this to the drop-in art at ReDiscover.  The area is not child proofed-- there are lots of potential choking hazards, a hot glue gun within easy reach and many of the materials requires the use of wood glue or wires.  This is not a place you go for your basic crayons, glue and poster paint art project.   But for preschoolers and older kids ReDiscover is a great chance for them to explore new materials, express their creativity and learn about recycling.

All Aboard! Surfliner to San Diego

For Memorial Day our family decided to take the train down to San Diego for the day.  Baby M loves trains and while we've ridden trains at parks, malls, farms, etc., we'd never taken him anywhere on a full sized train.   So on Sunday night we logged on to Amtrak.com and bought our Surfliner tickets-- 3 round trip tickets from Union Station to Solana Beach, where we would meet up with my family for a BBQ.  It turns out the tickets were a little more than I was expecting ($170 for the 3 of us) but at that point I had already talked up the trip to Baby M so there was no turning back.  

We arrived at Union Station 30 minutes before our train departed and parked in the $7 lot across the street.  Our train left right on time at 8:30AM.  Baby M loved seeing the big double decker train and the train tracks.  I loved the fact that we had plenty of room.  Our coach seats had so much leg room that the only way I could kick the seat in front of me was if I stretched my legs out and pointed my toes.  Baby M couldn't reach the folding tray table on the back of the chair in front of us, which the person seated there should be very grateful for.  Although most of the time there was no one seated in front of us or behind us.  The car remained pretty empty for the majority of the trip. We had brought our car seat along and it fit nicely on the floor in front of the seat next to me.  (There is no way to install the car seat on train, we just brought it to put in my parent's car in San Diego).  We rode past train yards, construction sites, recycling plants and Angel's stadium-- perhaps not terribly scenic, but totally interesting to a 2 year old boy.  Once we got down to Orange County we cut over to the coast and had a lovely ride along the beach.  We took a walk down to the cafe car, had a snack (they mostly had pre-packaged food items) and before we knew it the 2 hour 10 minute ride was over. 

Once in Solana Beach we walked down to the beach and Baby M played on a nearby playground.  As an aside, there was tons of free beach parking-- I couldn't believe it.  You never see that in LA!  Then we headed over to my parent's house for a traditional Memorial Day BBQ.  We came back to the station just before 7pm to catch our train home and were disappointed to find that the train was delayed.  We stood on the platform for 30 minutes watching the Estimated Arrival Time increase in 2 minutes increments until finally it held steady at 7:36pm.  Entertaining a toddler on a cold, narrow train platform is a challenge and this was the low point of our trip.  If we had known how long the train was going to be delayed we would have waited in the station, but since the ETA was changing every couple of minutes we were never sure.  Once the train finally arrived we were back home in a little over 2 hours.

Traveling by train is actually a great option for toddlers.  They aren't confined to the car seat, can walk around to the different cars, eat snacks as needed and visit the toilet whenever they want.  As parents you don't have to deal with surly security agents eyeing your sippy cup or a packed cabin full of harried passengers.   Since Baby M does fairly well on a 2-3 hour car ride, we probably won't take the train to San Diego too often, but I would definitely consider it for trips to San Francisco or other towns in Northern California.

Underwood Family Farms

So, it's been awhile since my last blog post.  I got into a tussle with an avocado and a chef's knife and I lost.  I cut my hand, severed a nerve,  ended up in surgery and have been recuperating ever since.  I'm still typing with one hand, but hopefully I will get full motion back in a few weeks, although I was told to expect the numbness to persist for a few months.

After surgery I went and stayed with my in-laws for a few days so that they could help out with Baby M.  While we were there we had a chance to go to Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark.  What a great place for kids!  The farm has animals to feed, mini tractors to ride on and fields where you can pick your own produce (not certified organic, but pesticide free).  It's beautifully landscaped and not nearly as dusty as you'd expect a farm to be.  We went on a Tuesday afternoon and the farm was not crowded at all.

Tickets are $3 to get in (under 2 is free) and you can purchase tickets to ride ponies, pan for gold or ride the little train.    We skipped the rides, but did spend a dollar to buy food to feed the goats, alpacas and chickens.  We brought a picnic lunch which we ate in the grassy play area while Baby M enjoyed digging in the sand and riding the tiny toy tractors.  Then we took a walk around the animal pens, stopping to feed a few animals and to watch the biggest pig I have ever seen have a bath.  We also stopped to play on the big wooden train across from the pig pen.

Finally, we headed out to the fields to pick some strawberries.  It was a bit of a trek to the strawberry fields and luckily we had the foresight to grab one of the wagons provided by the farm.  Baby M was happy riding in the wagon, but I don't think he would have made it if he had to walk the whole way.  The vegetables (beans, lettuce, broccoli) were much closer to the entrance.  Fresh picked strawberries are delicious and these were no exception.  They were big, bright red and juicy.  Baby M really loved looking for the berries and helping his Lola find the biggest ones.  We paid $1.99 a pound for a nice big basket.  If you don't want to pick your own, you can buy the farm's produce from their stand near the entrance, for a slightly higher price.  But why miss out on the fun of running around the fields?

We spent 2 hours at the farm, a good length of time for Baby M.  Moorpark is about an hour's drive from West LA, so I can't see us going back often, but I will definitely try to incorporate a trip to the farm the next time we visit my in-laws.  Underwood Farms also does birthday parties which I would totally consider if we lived a little closer.  If you're looking for a fun, educational experience I definitely recommend Underwood Farms.

Library Books

Baby M and I go to the library nearly every week and in the past I have spent a fair amount of time carefully picking out books for him.  I'd wander the children's section while Baby M played with blocks, looking for the perfect mix of books-- a variety of artistic styles, some with simple text and some with rhymes, some about trains and some about children from foreign lands.  If he expressed an interest in turtles I would find a book about a turtle.  But now that Baby M is two and a half and Mr. Independent he insists on choosing his own books to take home.  I am pleased that he is interested in books and reading, but I am not always happy with some of the lessons that the books he chooses impart.  Here are a few ideas found in some of the books Baby M has picked up that I could do without

1. Vegetables are yucky and should be fed to the nearest pet dinosaur
2. There are scary monsters in your closet, under your bed and peeking in your window at night
3. Ice cream is a good reward for just about anything
4. Little brothers are annoying
5. "Shut Up"
6. Girl trucks talk too much and might just be insane, while boy trucks are bent on destruction, or at a minimum, getting really dirty

Now I understand that some kids already think vegetables are yucky or that monsters are hiding in their bedroom, but I would really like to avoid introducing these concepts to Baby M if I can.  Sometimes when reading I'll change the story around, but then worry if I am hurting his literacy skills by not reading the words on the page.  Sometimes a book will mysteriously "get lost".  I still pick out books for Baby M and try to sneak them into his pile, but somehow The Stupids Take Off  always ends up on the top of the stack.

So how about it?  Have you ever been surprised by a message in a children's book?  How do you handle  it when you dislike the books your child chooses?

Baby M's Top 5 Toys for Toddlers

By request, here are Baby M's top toys for toddlers.  Baby M is two and half years old.  His interests include trucks, dirt, sticks, trains and dinosaurs.   So these are Baby M's favorite toys.  The ones he continues to play with week after week.  The ones that haven't broken after 2 hours and the ones that I haven't felt compelled to hide for my own sanity.  And, in case you were wondering,  I do not receive any free toys, coupons or any other sort of compensation from anybody.

Step2 Sand and Water Table
Baby M got this sandbox for his first birthday and he continues to play with it daily.  I am amazed at how much time he can spend happily digging, scooping and splashing.  Even better, he is quite content to play alone so that I can get a few things done.  The toy is not perfect; my patio is perpetually covered with sand and I need to re-purchase sand a few times a year.  Also, abandon any hope you have of the sand and water being sides staying separate.  If your child is anything like Baby M you will have 2 sections of muck within minutes of setting it up.  That being said, I highly recommend this toy.  It would be my desert island toy, if desert islands didn't already come with ample amounts of sand and water.




Animal Planet's Big Tub of Dinosaurs
Baby M loves dinosaurs and this set comes with 9 plastic dinosaurs,  a play mat, trees, rocks and volcanoes that you can set up to create a prehistoric world.  Baby M always wants to know the names of the various dinosaurs (actually by now he knows more of them than me!) and I like that this set prints each dinosaur's name on its belly.  Baby M and I set up the volcanoes and have the dinosaurs play hide and seek, look for food, play soccer, etc.  I also enjoy eavesdroping on Baby M when he plays with this toy alone.  His dinosaurs have all kinds of conversations, they usually go something like

T-Rex: Hey!  Are you a hungry, hungry herbivore?
Stegosaurus : Yes, I am
T-Rex: Roar

Crayola Sidewalk Chalk
Baby M likes to draw and I just send him outside with this chalk so he can color all over the driveway to his heart's content.  I like this set from Crayola because the chalk is nice and thick, doesn't break easily and there is a good selection of colors.  If we're feeling like being active we'll draw out a game of hopscotch.  If I think Baby M needs some intellectual stimulation we'll practice letters or draw a rainbow and talk about colors.  Sometimes we just draw squiggles.  I think because we can draw things on such a large scale and because we're doing it while we're outside he finds it more interesting than sitting at the kitchen table with a box of crayons.  (And I don't have to worry about crayon ending up all over my table, walls and hardwood floors)



Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway
So yes, it does seem every little boy loves trains and Thomas in particular.  We never really watched the show, but all it took were a couple Thomas and Friends books and trip to Travel Town to get Baby M on board.  We started with this oval set and then bought a few other pieces (a tunnel, some additional tracks, a Rosie Engine and a singing caboose).  Now our set up is still pretty simple but Baby M is seems happy with it.  I actually wouldn't mind having a few more pieces since I'm the one who usually ends up constructing the track and I'd like a little variety.  Once the track is built, Baby M is content to push the trains around yelling out "Uh oh, Rosie derailed!" every so often.  The wooden pieces are sturdy and go together easily, although I do know some parents who have spent a small fortune building out their sons' collections.


Bristle Blocks
We actually have a 50 piece Bristle Block set by Lakeshore Learning, but I'd love to have a larger set like the one shown here.  Baby M has several building toys that he enjoys playing with and they all have their merits, but the Bristle Blocks are my favorite.  Baby M can put these blocks together without any help from me and because you can connect them on nearly every surface it's easy to build complicated structures.  Baby M builds cars, airplanes, helicopters, robots, etc.  Also, unlike many of the building sets, the blocks do not specify what he is supposed to build, so they encourage his creativity.

A Trip to Sea World

Last week my mother and I took Baby M to Sea World.  Growing up in San Diego I took a lot of school field trips to Sea World.  It was basically a zoo for aquatic animals-- a few aquariums, tanks for dolphins and sea lions, the Penguin Encounter, some corny shows, the Sparkletts Water Show and, my favorite, Captain Kids World.  Captain Kids World was a playground with nets to climb on, giant bounce houses, and a maze of full size punching bags where inevitably a 12 year old would barrel through leaving a string of injured 3 year olds in his wake. 


It's been at least 15 years since my last trip to Sea World, and while much of it has stayed the same (the Penguin Encounter, the dolphin tanks), it definitely has more of an amusement park feel now.  The park has added a roller coaster, a raft ride and replaced most of Captain Kid's World with the Sesame Street Bay of Play.   They've also updated their ticket prices so that they are more Disneyland and less zoo.  An adult ticket costs $69, kids tickets (ages 3-9) are $59 and parking is $12.  It's definitely worth searching out discounts.  We got 20% off our tickets by showing our Southwest Rapid Rewards card and thankfully, Baby M, being under 3, was free.  Also, you cannot bring food into the park, so plan on buying your lunch or heading back to your car for a picnic.  I did bring in some snacks for Baby M and no one objected.


We got to the park around 10:30 and ended up waiting 30 minutes just to get into the park.  Buy your tickets in advance if you can.  We started out at The Sesame Street Bay of Play, which has Sesame Street themed rides and characters as well as some of the climbing nets from the old Captain Kids World.  Baby M enjoyed the spinning teacup ride and getting his picture taken with Elmo, but I have to admit I kind of miss the old unbranded, non-motorized, probably more dangerous playground that I grew up with.  We hit most of the exhibits breaking them up with lunch, the sea lion show (still as corny as ever) and the 4-D theater presentation of Sesame Street's Lights, Camera, Imagination.  The 4-D theater shows movies in 3-D but also has squirting water, vibrating seats and air jets.  Baby M managed to keep his 3-D glasses on and enjoyed the show, happily yelling out "I need an umbrella!" when it started "raining" in the theater.  There was one scary moment involving a giant flying cookie, but overall he did really well sitting through the 20 minute movie. 


We had fun at Sea World and since Baby M is particularly interested in sea creatures (and still free!) it was a great time for us to go.  But it was also a long and tiring day.  We were there for 8 hours on a hot day during Spring Break.  Some of the exhibits were crowded and the shows were very full. Baby M was pretty good about riding in the stroller, but still needed to be carried through some exhibits.  I'm definitely glad we went  but I don't feel a need to back again until he is older and can get more out of the shows and rides.