The Morton Arboretum

 

We took an unplanned family daytrip on Thursday to Lisle, IL to an AHHHH-MAZING place, The Morton Arboretum!  Their website does it NO justice!  When I was reading some info about the gardens and what it has to offer its visitors, I knew my husband really had very little interest in going, but he said we could “give it a try;” his famous words when he is only going to keep me happy.  (HA!)  I figured the worst thing that could happen would be spending the day outdoors in gorgeous Spring-like weather (finally) as a family of 3.5.  (Our newest sailor makes his appearance in just about 6 weeks- Eek!) 

We were pleasantly surprised when paying at the gate that with my husband’s active duty military ID card both of us received free admission- bonus!  (Our little sailor was free since he is under 2.)  I knew the arboretum was well over a thousand acres, but what I didn’t realize was what it offered for children.  The “Children’s Garden” is absolutely incredible!  In fact, we spent more than 3 hours in just HALF of this area!  Our son went wild in the Sound Garden, playing with the old-fashioned water pumps, exploring the in the Frog Fountain, and so much more!  We had no idea how large the children’s garden was until we were ready to hit the road, loaded up little guy in the wagon and walked through the remaining children’s spot.  There are play areas to climb, run, jump, slide, and simply be a kid among the beauty of plants, trees, water, insects, and anything else part of the natural world!  The toddler garden maze is simply just the cutest activity, but of course our little adventurer was more interested in the large garden maze and getting lost among the tall bushes and shrubs giggling away as he ran along the dirt paths.  While we were following our 16 month old maze guide, we were discussing how taken aback we were with this landmark.  At one point my husband actually made the comment that if we weren’t a good 45 minute drive away we would visit each weekend!  The day of learning, discovery, and enjoyment we had together was truly one we will never forget and hope to recreate again in the near future! 

 

 

 

Frozen Raspberry Yogurt Pie

Growing up, our house was always filled with homemade goodies.  I am sure my brothers and I took them for granted then, but now that I have a little one running around, I want him to enjoy sweet treats made from mom over anything that I can bring home from the grocery store!  I'm not saying store-bought desserts are banned in our home, but my preference is definitely something I can whip up in the kitchen.

I thought summer weather was finally upon us with temperatures in the upper 80's, but it looks like Mother Nature took a detour; we are back in the 60's.  I guess you could say I made this frozen pie with hopes that the heat returns.  (Crazy to think I am looking forward to the heat at almost 33 weeks pregnant, but after the winter's deep freeze, warm temperatures are needed!)

Frozen Raspberry Yogurt Pie was a summertime staple with my mom.  I can't remember a time there wasn't at least 1 pie, if not 2, in our freezer.  Yesterday, on a last minute trip to the commissary, I grabbed the 4 ingredients to make my own.  My husband is not a fan of sweets, so I had my fingers crossed my son would at least enjoy this easy-to-make yumminess!  One taste and our little sailor was hooked!  Now if I can just remember to make this for our summer get-togethers.   

Ingredients:
1 16 oz. bag of frozen raspberries (or any berry of your choice)
1 raspberry Yoplait Light yogurt
1 tub non-fat Cool Whip (thawed)
1 ready-to-use graham cracker crust

Directions: 
Mix raspberries, yogurt, and Cool Whip together in a large bowl.  Pour into graham cracker crust.  Cover and freeze.  Enjoy frozen or slightly thawed!

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EASY Crab Cakes

 

When I met my husband, I lived within 15 minutes of the beach and some of the best crabbing spots in Virginia.  Crabbing at the pier became a weekend favorite of ours shortly after meeting.  Living in the Midwest has been a lot of fun, but we miss our weekend trips to the pier with our crab traps and nets in hand for a day of crabbing and soaking in the warm sunshine.  It was no surprise to our families when our wedding took on a patriotic color theme (for his military career) with a touch of crabs on our cake, centerpieces, and favors.  On one of my famous Google searches, I came across a family owned and operated spice company (J.O. Spice Company) to make our favors- wooden crab mallets and personalized seafood spices for each guest.  Their spices add the perfect touch to this easy crab cake recipe that I "borrowed" from my mom!       

 

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Mother's Day Frame

Who doesn't love a homemade gift from a child?!  My little sailor and I made these for my mom, mother-in-law, and our grandmothers on both sides of the family.  Grab some popsicle sticks, a glue gun, some puzzle pieces, a Sharpie marker, and a picture!  (We bought our popsicle sticks at a craft store, but I found the same pack at the Dollar Tree; much cheaper too!)  You can easily make it a magnet by adding a sticky magnet to the back or maybe you would rather hang it, so add a piece of string to it!  Either way, it is easy and fun to make and will be cherished for a lifetime! 

 

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Easy DIY Tiered Flower Pots

I don’t have exactly what you would call a “green thumb,” BUT I am working on it.  Last summer we traveled a lot to visit family on the East coast so my time in the yard and gardens was limited resulting in sad, wilted plants that I spent a lot of time picking out and planting perfectly in our gardens.  This year, with baby boy #2 due in July, we won’t be traveling so I am dedicated to keeping up with the watering, fertilizing, weeding, etc around our home to keep my plants from looking neglected and mistreated. 

I do love using fresh herbs, veggies, etc. from the garden so this year I planted some herbs I know we will use regularly in my tiered flower pots; lemon mint, peppermint, Italian parsley, oregano, stevia, and sage.  Luckily, our NEX Home Gallery sells plants at a reasonable price in their garden center.  I put this project together last year for a patriotic display of flowers, but this year I changed it up a bit and added our herbs in it.  This flower pot arrangement is so simple, yet classy to dress up your porch area! 

Materials: 
-3 different size flower pots for each planter (I use the self-watering pots.)
-Potting soil
-Flowers, herbs, etc.
*You could use clay pots as well.  I have read some gardeners use a rod through the hole in the middle to keep them together, but I haven’t had any trouble with mine. 

Directions: 

1.  Fill your largest flower pot 3/4 full with soil.  Place the medium pot on top of the dirt and add soil around the outside, leaving room to add plants later.  
2.  Repeat the above step for the medium/small flower pots.  

3.  Add plants & water. 

*If you’re planting herbs, allow space for the herbs to grow outward and trim regularly. 

 

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Tommee Tippee Product Review

Disclosure:  I was not compensated for this review.  I received the products from Tommee Tippee and the review is based on my own personal experience and opinion of the items.

Tommee Tippee holds a special place in our hearts.  Our was diagnosed with reflux (a happy spitter) when he was only a few weeks old.  He was exclusively breastfed, but did receive feedings by bottle so daddy and other family members could participate in his feedings, too.  When he was about 2 months old, we decided to give a Tommee Tippee (TT) bottle a try. Within a few days, his reflux seemed to lessen and by the end of the first month using their products, his reflux was a world of a difference!  *Happy dance!* 

I reached out to TT about trying and reviewing other products for our now 15 month old.  The representative I was in touch with was just as lovely as their products!  She sent us a few things to try with our little sailor and his soon-to-be baby brother in July. 

Our lil guy is very independent especially when it comes to feedings, but I was a little skeptical about the size of the spoons we were trying.  They were geared towards babies in the 4-7 months age and going through the weaning process; that didn't stop him!  While I was making a cup of coffee for myself, I turned around and he started feeding himself applesauce with his new spoon!  They were soft and flexible and definitely a hit with him!  I was impressed!  He was a great self-feeder with forks, but he couldn't get the hang of a spoon...until now!

We also gave their "Truly Spill Proof Drink Cup" a whirl too.  The first few days we offered him one of his new cups, he turned it away because he couldn't get the hang of it.  Our little sailor is used to one sippy cup or a regular cup.  Eventually, our lil man got the hang of drinking from his cup, and like most little people on the move, the cup goes everywhere and anywhere with him.  I was pleased not to see milk or water dripped throughout his path!  What I love about this cup is the fact that it truly is spill proof!!!  Another added bonus was the thermal-effect.  His milk stayed colder much longer than in his old cup which is awesome for running errands and traveling!

Tommee Tippee has proven themselves to us again!  We will continue to use their products throughout the early development years of both of our boys because we have been nothing but pleased with their products!   

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DIY Self-Feeding Bird Feeder (Perfect for little hands!)

We had a ton of water bottles that were headed for the recycling bin this week and I pulled a few out for an unspecified art project with our little guy.  I had no idea what I was going to do with them until we were at our local NEX Home Gallery and I saw a simple bird feeder.  It was easy to recreate with the water bottles and 2 plastic spoons/sporks I had in the kitchen.  The best part about the bird feeder is that when the birds land on the spoon/spork it releases food from the bottle making it a self-feeder!  How awesome is that?!

Living in the Midwest and near the lakefront, weather is always a surprise.  Unfortunately, the day we decided to make these the temperatures were only in the mid-40's.  No worries though; I placed a table cloth on the kitchen floor and we had a no-mess craft space!

(*This project requires some adult-preparation before turning it over to small hands to finish.) 

Materials:

• empty water bottles
• birdseed
• plastic spoons (or sporks)
• funnel
• bowl/cup (to pour birdseed)
• string
• scissors
• box cutter/sharp knife

Directions:

1. Slice 2 sets of holes (4 holes in total) with the box cutter/knife to put the 2 spoons/sporks through
2. Put the spoons/sporks in place
3. Pour birdseed into bowl/measuring cup
4. Using funnel, pour birdseed into bottle
5. Tie string around the neck of the bottle and hang in tree
6. Enjoy watching the birds visit! 

 

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