So  this isn't the most exciting blog post! But it is a pretty practical one. All of us Mom's try to balance kids and a clean house. We thankfully have a house cleaner once a week that tackles the big things like bathrooms, vacuums the house, mops the floors, and  deep cleans the kitchen. I look forward to her every week. But that doesn't mean the cleaning stop there! As you know with kiddos there is a nonstop mess.  The biggest thing I have learned about cleaning with a toddler is.... pick up as you go. I quickly tidy up the toy room during his nap AND once he goes to bed. Also invest in some good cleaning tools. They make all the difference and turn a clean up job into a hassle free one. So here are a few of my Household Mom Must Haves!! 

Leo is at the age where he's a little sponge. He loves reading, learning, and mostly playing parrot to all the words we say. What I love most about this age is their eagerness to learn and their ability to understand and take direction at a young age. I love being a mom for a million reasons but I think one of my favorite reasons is I love teaching him. From teaching him about bugs (mostly not to eat or kill them and their names) to teaching him his colors it brings so much joy to my heart watching him learn. A few weeks ago I decided it was time to tackle colors. So here is a post about a few things that worked for us! 

OH MY GOODNESS Leo is 18 months old today. I can't believe my little boy is so old. I am constantly reminded how fast he is growing up. Just like last night when HE TOLD ME it was time for night night and milk. Then proceeded to walk upstair into his room while I poured the milk downstairs. I gave him his cup he drank it down,  we brushed his teeth, said our prayers and he blew me kiss and said byeeeeeee Momma! It just seems like yesterday when I counted down the hours till it was his bed time and now the nights totally get away from me cause we are having so much fun and he is asking ME to go to bed.  I love him and his little personality, but there are times I miss my little baby. Anyways..... today I'm going over some of our quick go to foods from the freezer. 

Leo has recently become very interested in naming people in photographs. So I decided it was time to put together a little "familiar face" book for him. In this book I put all the familiar faces he knows and family that he doesn't see as often but we want him to know their names and faces as well. I put this little book together for under $15. It is plain and simple, nothing crafty about it. 

After living the last 3 years in Portland my options for clothing was ample. Thankfully the first 6 months Leo was born we were in the city and Leo was styling. But when we moved back to Tri-Cities we were stumped on where to get more trendy kids clothing. Until stumbling upon a cute little kids boutique at the Columbia Center Mall in Tri-Cities called Concept. I was shocked at the brands they carried and their selection. Needless to say Leo is styling again thanks to Concept.

So if you followed this blog at all you know I'm crazy about the sun and protecting yourself from it. Well I am even more crazy about protecting my child. At the end of this blog post I will give you some facts that will hopefully make you become crazy about protecting your child from the sun too. But the one that really stuck with me was that someone's risk for melanoma can double if they have had more than 5 sunburns at any age. That is such a scary fact because I know I have had well over 5 sunburns in my life. So I know  Leo won't always be as strict about his sunblock, shade, and sun wear, but while I am in control you better believe he will be covered from head to toe! 

Holy breakfast refresh, I was needing a change in my breakfast routine and SO WAS LEO! I was over my breakfast and Leo had decided to stop eating pretty much all breakfast foods. I partnered up with some awesome organic granola and cereal brands to create some new recipes. The first recipe I tacked with a smoothie bowl. Sadly we don't live in a town where I can get these very easily so I had to take matters into my own and make my own. It was super easy and beyond delicious. 

I like to keep new toys and activities in our bathroom to keep Leo entertained while I do my hair and makeup in the morning. I was looking for a new activity and noticed how much he loved getting things out of my make up drawers and dropping them into the hamper. The idea was born to do an Easter Egg sorting box. It was so quick and easy and we will be using it long after this Easter weekend is over. 

If you are in need of a quick and easy way to dye easter eggs, I have the answer for you. I really wanted Leo to dye eggs but knew he was too little to dye them the traditional way. I did a little looking online and found a lot of ideas but this one seemed like it would work best. Not only was there NO mess but Leo was able to get into it. 

I REFUSE to make two separate meals at our house. What we eat is what Leo eats or some variation of that. I have talked to many moms who go to great measures to make different meals. That wasn't happening at our house. I made a lot of purees when Leo was little but now that he is a big boy and he can eat what we are eating. So this blog post is laying out a few different meals you can make for your kiddos. When we eat at home the biggest thing I try to do is make sure they aren't processed. I try to give him his food in it's whole state and in return when we eat out Leo then gets to enjoy mac and cheese, grilled cheese, french fries etc. But when we are home we try to keep his meals balanced, healthy, and try to expose him to different types of food.