Easy Toddler Meals

We are always working to try new and interesting foods for Sadie, with a focus on what we can easily make, freezes and/or reheats well, and is a combination of tasty and nutritious. Fortunately Sadie is a pretty good eater, but she still shoots us down from time to time!

Black Bean Burgers

We love this black bean burger recipe from Weelicious because it's easy to throw together, the patties can be frozen individually and reheat wonderfully, you can sneak in any veggies you want, and Sadie just loves them! Our only twist is baking them in the over for 10 minutes on each side instead of pan frying them.

Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese

I love cauliflower, and I happen to love macaroni and cheese. Sadie also happens to love macaroni and cheese but so far has not been a big fan of cauliflower. Easy solution? Cauliflower macaroni and cheese! We really like Michelle Obama's cauliflower mac and cheese - super simple to throw together. And if you can't buy fresh cauliflower, just steam a bag of frozen cauliflower and puree. So simple, tasty, and good for a few days worth of meals!

Pumpkin Waffles

We like making a special breakfast on the weekend, and a big hit this winter has been all different kinds of waffles! We recently happened upon this pumpkin waffle recipe from Food.com and we love it. Better yet, we make a big batch of waffles and freeze some to eat on days where we don't have time to make a fancy breakfast. Just pop a frozen waffle in the toaster for a few rounds of toasting (depending on your specific toaster) and you're all set with a yummy waffle without all of the work.

Pizza

We like to make up a few homemade pizzas on the weekend and then eat the leftovers at the beginning of the week. The best part with a toddler is that you can load it with veggies, which are completely disguised by melted cheese! Use any pizza dough recipe or pre-bought dough, some red pasta sauce from a jar, and any cheese and veggies you want! Sadie's most recent pizza featured broccoli and black olives and she absolutely adored it.

Egg Scrambles

Our most common go-to meal for Sadie is an egg scramble. We throw in whatever veggies we have on hand (usual steamed peas and broccoli) and Sadie just devours her veggie scramble. It's so easy to make and since we always have eggs on hand, it's a quick and easy way to get her some protein.

What meals are in regular rotation for your toddler?

Toddler Room Design - Doors, Curtains and Fabric

Progress on Sadie's "big girl" room is rapidly underway! In fact, we have a move date set for later this month and we've been working to make the room "Sadie ready" bit by bit. Needless to say, I've been doing a lot of online shopping and a whole lot of sewing!

Our biggest project to date, with the help of a good friend, was to replace the vintage French doors with a standard door. While charming, the old doors were difficult to open and close (they lead out into a sun room) and the thought of all of that glass combined with a wild toddler made me nervous. I love the new door and will sleep easier at night knowing it's safer.

While the doors were getting fixed, I was frantically looking for curtains. With the tall windows in the room, we needed curtains that were around 96" long. And we needed them to be light blocking/blackout curtains. A hefty - and expensive - quest.

After endless amounts of obsessive searching, I landed on West Elm's "Sketch" curtains. For $19.99 a panel, these curtains were a steal!

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As you can see from the picture above, these definitely weren't light blocking. My compromise to get curtains that were of a good quality but not boring (as many light blocking curtains can be) I ordered Eclipse's light blocking panels to attach to the back of the curtains. At $20 for a pack of 2 panels, these were a great deal. You do have to secure the hooks through the back your curtains (something their instructions aren't very clear about), but the finished product works well to keep the room dark on the sunniest of days (and definite need with a young child in the room). Because the light blocking panels are not as wide as the actual curtain panel, when the sun is shining brightly you do notice where the panel starts and stops so it's not a seamless effect, but this was a great budget saver for us as actual blackout curtains can be quite pricey.

With the curtains set, it was time to move onto fabric! I have been in love with designer Lotta Jansdotter since I stumbled upon her fabrics when working in Sadie's nursery. On a hunt for new fabrics, I fell in love with three different designs that perfectly coordinate. They still pull in the blue and yellow of Sadie's current nursery but with a fresh new perspective.

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from left to right: Ball and Leaves in Schooner; Wide Strip in Sunspray; Basket Weave in Schooner

 

These fabrics are lovely in person - rich colors and playful designs. I've had so much creating a new sheet, pillow case, and quilt for Sadie. I just can't wait to see everything actually come together in the room! Bedding sets for children are quite easy to make yourself and are much more inexpensive than buying an entire set. I'm definitely planning on sharing all of the tutorials I used.

 

Now that the big items are out of the way - door, bedding, curtains - I'm having fun with all of the little details. Currently in the works are a polka dot decal wall, some adorable little wall hooks, coordinating stuffed animals...the list goes on!

 

In the meantime, each day we are reminding Sadie that the office will soon be her room, and talking about where her bed will go. She loves spending time in "daddy's office" so we hope she'll love it just as much when it's her big kid room!

Toddler Room Transition

It's about time I start blogging on here more regularly, right? Right. As I'm pretty sure my monthly updates of Sadie are 99.9% so I don't forget anything (because, as you know, it's incredibly important that I remember what her nickname was at 14 months vs. 19 months).

Anyhow, I want to get back into sharing recipes, house projects, parenting, etc. A little bit of everything as we continue to enjoy our kooky little family.

Top of mind for me these days is Sadie's room! Yes, room - she's not a baby anymore and therefore does not have a nursery (although it seems like just yesterday I revealed Sadie's finished nursery).

It's amazing the amount of hours logged in that sweet little room, and how many changes we have made to it over the course of the past (almost) 2 years: adding in bookshelves, purchasing a toy bin/bookcase, removing all picture frames near the changing table (to keep them away from grabby hands)...so far the space has been able to keep up with our growing girl but soon we'll need to make some changes.

As Sadie gets bigger, I get more and more anxious about her room being down in the basement, two floors below our own bedroom. What works out really well with this set up is that her current room stays relatively quiet, meaning she's less likely to wake up when we have people over, someone rings the doorbell, we're cooking, etc. Steve can also have client meetings at the house in the evening because she's nicely tucked away in her little room. But as she gets bigger and someday soon will be transitioning out of a crib and into a real bed I don't like the thought of her down in the basement all on her lonesome. I want her closer to me!

So, soon we'll be making the necessary steps to transition Sadie into what is currently Steve's office on the main floor of the house.

The upside of this transition is:

• The room is closer to our bedroom
• The room is larger, with higher ceilings, nice windows, hardwood floors and a big closet
• The room is big enough that someday in the future it could accommodate two kids (not any time soon!)
• The room isn't in the basement
• I'm super excited about decorating a new room (!!)

The downside of this transition is:

• The room is directly off of the front door, meaning she will hear every doorbell, dog bark, mail delivery, etc
• Steve will have to move his office downstairs to her old room, which is less space and means he can no longer have evening client meetings at the house
• We'll have to move our piano out of that room and back into our living/dining area
• We can no longer use that room to store incredibly random things - our winter coats, things for the dog, odds and ends
• We have to spend a decent amount of money to replace a door in her new room before we can move her into it

So, these changes aren't exactly a perfect world scenario, but we live in a small house with a great location in a wonderful city, so I assume we'll always have compromises. Right? Right.

With that out of the way, on to planning a new room. The fun stuff. Sadie's room currently looks something like this:

And because we already have invested in this great dresser, we'll still be using this mustard yellow in the room.

And as much as I like the look of our West Elm Rocker, I don't really think it would fit well in the new space. Plus, we never really rocked in it so if we have another baby I don't feel the need to really have a rocker. I'm also incredibly sick of the fabric and that shade of blue (probably because I've been looking at it far too much over the past two years), so I'd love to refresh things a bit in the new space. Starting with some simple, gray curtains:

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We also got this awesome chair earlier this year upholstered in a great faux bois (re: wood grain) fabric. It's currently in our living/dining room but would potentially be displaced by the piano. I think it would integrate perfectly into Sadie's new room (don't mind the army of stuffed animals), pairing nicely with the yellow.

 

 

Initially we'd have Sadie in her crib, and then transition the crib into a toddler bed of sorts. Once she outgrew that setup, we'd need to get her a real bed. I was interesting in some sort of loft bed but I think it would be years and years before I'd be truly comfortable with her sleeping way up high. I love the classic look of this Jenny Lind-style bed.

 

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Finally, since we'll be making the switch from carpet to hardwood for Sadie, we need a rug! Fortunately we already own this hopscotch rug from CB2, and it's held up incredibly well over the years. It just needs a good steam clean and it will be all set for her.

 

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I think the furniture would really pop in a fun way, and everything else could be kept really neutral but still fun.

 

So, those are the plans. Now it's just going to be a step-by-step process of getting everything transitions over the next month or two: house repairs, moving of furniture, buying/selling furniture and other items, etc. Oh, and getting Sadie really, really, really excited about her new room!







Sadie at 19 & 20 Months

Again, I hope to start blogging on here more regularly. Time simply escapes me! Plus I have a new endeavor I'm trying to focus on - a new Etsy shop! Check out Sew Kooky. I'm hoping to get a lot of new, fun items sewn over the holidays to be listed soon.

In the meantime, Sadie continues to get bigger and bigger and oh so much fun! While her tantrums are definitely becoming more frequent, the time where she's happy and running around far outweighs the tantrums. She's so silly and loves singing and dancing. Plus, she still eats everything we give her (loves her veggies!) and sleeps 7pm-7am like always.

Nicknames: Say-Say, Say, Mooky, Bug, Buggy
Temperament: So happy and curious and polite (most of the time!). You always say "scuse me" when trying to walk past us (even if you're going somewhere I don't want you to go!), and you sign and dance like crazy.
Things I Could Do Without: Screaming and throwing tantrums. Please stop! It's so much more fun for all of us (you included!) without the screaming fits.
Item/Toy We Love The Most: The Swiffer. You love walking around with that thing "cleaning" the floors. We love it because you are cleaning the floors and engaged in an activity for longer than 3 minutes at a time.
Item/Toy You Love The Most: It depends on your mood - one day's favorite toy is not necessarily the next day's favorite. You like "making soup" with a  plastic spoon and bowl. You love your wooden cell phone. And you really enjoy coloring at your art easel.
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: Watching you splash around and play in the bath. You like washing my hands and arms, practicing "blowing bubbles" like you do in swim class, and playing with all of your bath toys.
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: You definitely like to "help" us. When I'm making dinner, I have you go on errands to find me something I "need" - i.e. a blue spoon. It keeps you occupied and helps me get food prepped.
Sounds/Words: Everything you hear you repeat! We're never sure what is going to come out of your mouth, but it's so much fun hearing how you interpret certain words or phrases. But the best right now is "I love you" and "I miss you."
Foods You Like: Still everything we give you. You're great about eating your veggies before fruit at meal times. You're a little nervous about trying new foods at times, but we can usually win you over if we are eating it first; you always want to try what we have!

 

 

Sadie at 17 & 18 Months

I promise myself that I will start blogging on here more regularly beyond Sadie's monthly updates...but in the meantime at least I'm getting monthly updates posted here (somewhat consistently) which is much better than the job I'm doing (or rather, not doing) of keeping Sadie's baby book updated!

Sadie continues to be, as always, so much fun! She's singing the ABC's through the letter P and counted to three. Every day is a word explosion with her as she is always picking up new words. We're lucky she hasn't picked up any, umm, bad words, although I'm sure that's right around the corner. She has also gotten so fast! She's litterally running around the house doing laps, which also means she is pretty quick to fall asleep for her nap each afternoon (which is lucky for us, as she wears us out!).

We love our silly little bundle of energy so much, with her snuggles, hugs, and healthy big appetite! And that big appetite is definitely doing her good, as Sadie jumped up from the 25th to the 70th percentile for her weight!

Nicknames: Say-Say, Say
Temperament: Happy and upbeat, per usual. You love "calling" your friends and your phone, and are convinced that grandma and grandpa live in the iPad. You miss your nanny desperately when you're not with her and you love giving us all big hugs.
Things I Could Do Without: Dropping your sippy cup, especially from your high chair. It often hits our feet (ouch!) or the dog's head (ouch!). You often do it just to test us to see what we'll say or do, and we always promptly ask you to say sorry.
Item/Toy We Love The Most: Right now you have a bunch of plastic spoons and forks that I gave you to play with. You love putting them in containers and into the back of your toy truck. When I'm cooking I'll often ask you to find me a "red spoon" or a "blue fork" and you set out on your quest, usually bringing back exactly what I've asked for. It's a fun distraction!
Item/Toy You Love The Most: Lovey. We started giving you a "lovey" at night around your first birthday. At the time you could have cared less if it was there. But over the past couple of months, you have become obsessed with Lovey. You love cuddling him and carrying him around and he's definitely your buddy at night!
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: Time with you and watching you play and playing games with you. You get so excited when you see and learn new things, and you love watching us in the kitchen while we're cooking. It's so much fun having you right by my side!
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: You are starting to walk down the stairs while holding our hands and using the wall for support. You are obsessed with this "big girl" activity! It's slow-going but fun to see you so proud of yourself when we make it to the bottom of the stairs.
Sounds/Words: You are talking non-stop! You've started saying full sentences ("Say Say goes night night too") and three-syllable words like "applesauce." The night you first said a sentence, I think my jaw dropped.
Foods You Like: Anything and everything. You have started to like salmon. You love veggie quesadillas (our "dillas" as you call them), French toast, pancakes, you recently had bacon for the first time (yum!), lots of fruit and veggies, and egg scrambles are an absolute favorite. I'm still so grateful you're such a good eater!

 

Sadie at 16 Months

I’m offically starting to understand why people love the toddler stage so much! It’s so much fun watching their little brains growing as they learn new words and actions. Sadie has been enjoying experimenting with walking sideways and backwards, “dancing,” and her walking is getting so fast she is practically running! She is also learning to sing her ABC’s – she’s up to “A-B-C-D” right now. She also can identify her colors – pink, blue, yellow, green, white, black, purple, and red. Her favorite color is blue, so she regularly requests a blue diaper! It’s so cute (but sad when all of the blue diapers are dirty and we have to settle for yellow or green). While she still wears us out quite a bit, we have a lot of fun with her while in the process of becoming exhausted!

This was one of our most fun photoshoots to date. Sadie actually sat still for multiple photos in front of the chair, and enjoyed posing for the camera and saying “cheese!”

Nicknames: Say-Say, Sade, Say, Mooky
Temperament: Happy and goofy. You love music and singing songs and are almost always singing in your stroller when we go for walks. People always smile at you! And you're always smiling at the people we pass and saying "hi." You definitely are firm, though, about what you like or don't like and are quick to say "no no" when given options, whether it be a shirt or a book.
Things I Could Do Without: If you don't get your way, you express your anger/frustration through throwing a toy, food, sippy cup...whatever you have in hand. It's so sad and I always feel bad when you're that upset.
Item/Toy We Love The Most: You have a little bee push toy that you love to push around the house, especially when daddy is swiffering the floors!
Item/Toy You Love The Most: You have a Mickey Mouse toy that grandma and grandpa bought you. We're not sure who taught you that his name was "Mickey" (it wasn't us!), but wheneve ryou see him you say his name and go "Oh Mickey" and give him a hug. He's your buddy.
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: You're fun to be around. You give lots of hugs and kisses. You know how to give Charlie "gentle pets" and sing "night night Charlie" to him when he's sleeping on the rug. It's just a lot of fun to sit back and watch you engage with the world around you!
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: Walking everywhere! Up and down the street. You squirm out of our arms and say "walky" so that you can go a run ahead of us. You are loving this new freedom!
Sounds/Words: Anything and everything. Sometimes it amazes me the words that come out of your mouth. And again, all of the singing.
Foods You Like: Still a lot of fruits and veggies. We will be so sad when the farmer's market ends! Some new foods have been pasta with homemade pesto, a homemade (basic) pad thai, salmon cakes...all kinds of good stuff! But the continued favorite right now is definitely a scrambled egg with veggies.

Sadie at 15 Months

I promise one day (hopefully soon!) I will get back to blogging more than monthly updates! But in the meantime...

Sadie is all over the place these days and is so much fun to be around! She has a silly little personality that shows more and more each day, although she has also started developing some of the dreaded “toddler tantrums” – arching her back in frustration when she doesn’t get her way (or when she finishes her milk!). On the flip side, she loves say “hi” to everyone she sees on the street and “sings” silly little songs.

Nicknames: Say-Say, Sade, Say, Boo, Mooky, Bubba Boo
Temperament: So silly and happy! You still love singing songs and learning new words. You are super chatty and will just entertain yourself playing with your toys or following us around the house while we do housework. You're almost always happy and upbeat (unless you're not getting your way!).
Things I Could Do Without: You hitting me in the face! You have recently learned the word "ouch" and know that when you hit me or pull my hair I will say "ouch." You love the reaction so I have to ignore the fact that you're hitting me. Please stop doing this, it's no fun!
Item/Toy We Love The Most: Books. You love sitting and reading books with us and now you are very opinionated about which books you read, especially before bed. Sometimes I have to hold up 5 different books before I find the one that you want.
Item/Toy You Love The Most: Stacking bowls - you loving pushing them togehter to make a ball, putting them on your head to make a "hat," and stacking them. They provide hours of entertainment!
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: How much easier your schedule has gotten. You now take one long nap in the middle of the day, so we actually have time to go out and do fun stuff in the morning and afternoon. It is amazing!
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: I think it's a tie between walking and talking. You love running around everywhere and have started walking sideways and backwards. You also love dancing and it's the cutest thing ever. But you also love talking and picking up new words every day!
Sounds/Words: Before your 15 month doctor's appointment I figured out that you had about 40 words you regularly say and a few two-word phrases. That's a lot! You say "big girl," "let's go," "I know," "go baby," "here go," along with a lot of other words in our daily life. It's so much fun listening to you talk!
Foods You Like: Everything still. Fruits and veggies of course! You love eggs and now when we get the frying pan out you run around the kitchen saying "eggy!" It's so cute. We joke that you eat better than us with your organic diet full of fruits and veggies from the farmer's market!