Baby Pool Ball Pit

I decided to change over my previous blog to this blog. You can still find me over at twodaisiesandanelephant.blogspot.com. However, most of my blog posts from there will be transferred over to this one. So, at times you may see the "twodaisiesandanelephant" logo going across many of the photos. No worries, it is me. I promise.

A few weeks ago, I grabbed a baby pool on clearance at my local Walmart. I couldn't beat the price and I since I needed to take a part the pack and play for our vacation. The balls needed a place to go. 

This also gave Baby E a little more freedom while playing with them. She hated being confined. Plus, she has the opportunities to throw her balls and roll out whenever she feels like it.

A cheap and easy play toy that barely cost $5.00. 

Now, all I have to do is teach our puppies that they can't sneak into her room and steal them whenever they want. They are obsessed! 

Harry's Big Adventure by Terminex

Picture taken from Terminex Website

Terminex has a fun on-line education center for students and teachers to explore the world of insects. Students follow Harry the Chinese Praying Mantis as he introduces them to fun and interesting facts about a variety of insects. Below is a list of some of the items in Harry's World.

1. Educators Guide (PDF)
2. Lesson Plans (Grades K-8)
3. Games and more
4. Watch and Hear Bugs

You can also schedule a visit from a Terminex pro to come visit your classroom and present some information regarding insects. This is for grades K-6 only.

A Lifesaver For Us and Our Sick Baby --- The Graco Nasal Aspirator

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Let me just start off with the fact that I am not endorsed of affiliated with this company in any way, shape, or form. I'm just a real mama sharing what's worked for us and our baby girl.

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So, after we found out that we had mold in our blue hospital nasal aspirator (and yes, we cleaned them constantly); I ended up freaking out and literally crying about it. It was the whole new mama thing and hoping that my baby girl was still okay. Anyways, I looked on-line for some other options and found the Graco Bebesounds Nasal Aspirator. We chose this aspirator not only because it was electric and would give us a better suction, but it was easy to clean and it had a musical option to soothe baby. Now, we did have to buy the extra replacement tips to the longer tip. However, it was a reasonable price; under $2.00, then I got it for about nothing with some babies r us coupons I had from my purchases. 

In the end, this has been the biggest life saver for us! Right in the middle of a nasty winter storm our baby started to get worse. She sounded horribly, coughing, sneezing, congested, a low grade fever, and a runny nose light a faucet. She had already had a rough night and so that we could be at ease and know she was at ease we packed up our stuff and headed out at the height of the storm. We drove down to our pediatrician to find out they were closed so we headed out to the pediatric ER. After hours of sitting there, we found out that she had an upper respiratory infection. We told to just monitor her and suck out the snot. 

As you can see below this thing has seriously worked! This has just been the past couple times today during her diaper changes so far. A LOT OF SNOT!

Now, I usually wash them out with warm soapy water after every 2-3 diaper changes and then a full clean in the dishwasher every 2 days when we wash her bottles. 

Here are a few places that you can buy them:

Walgreens ~ $19.97 (they don't sell the replacement tips)

WalMart ~ $19.87 (I haven't seen the replacement tips there)

Target ~ $19.89 (they don't sell the replacement tips)

Amazon ~ $19.87 (the replacement tips vary from $9.39-$17.00)

CVS ~ $19.99 (the replacement tips are $2.99)

Babies R Us ~ $29.99 (the replacement tips are $1.99)

The only thing I would say that I am disappointed in is the fact that it does say that it includes 2 tips (it only includes one) and has a carrying case (which there was none in the package). Otherwise despite those two downfalls it's been an absolutely amazing product and has seriously helped us with the baby E's snot faucet. She sounds so much better after each suction :).

National Geographic Young Explorer

If you go to the National Geographic's Website for kids, you can click on the NG Explorer Magazine link at the top. This will take you to The National Geographic Young Explorer Magazine (geared towards Kindergarten and First Grade) where your students can listen and read a variety of issues that date back to September 2009. They also have a teachers section for each magazine with lesson plans, worksheets, questions, etc. There is even a section for the Whiteboard.

To go to the direct link just click here.

Holding Down the Changing Pad

I decided to change over my previous blog to this blog. You can still find me over at twodaisiesandanelephant.blogspot.com. However, most of my blog posts from there will be transferred over to this one. So, at times you may see the "twodaisiesandanelephant" logo going across many of the photos. No worries, it is me. I promise.


Every diaper change it seems like we have to fight Baby E to lay still. Since, she's figured out how to push herself up to a sitting position and the fact that she loves to crawl. We're always fighting her to just stop for one second. Just to let us change her and then she can be off on her merry little way.

Of course, any time we've fought her... the changing table decides it wants to try going flying off of the dresser. In the end we always look like a jumbled up mess. Not to mention what the dresser looks like.

With that, I had thought about getting little Command Velcro Tabs to hold down the changing pad. This way I could easily remove the changing pad to clean and what not. However, every time I go to the store I seem to forget about them. Even when I write it down. Seriously, it's kind of like I have a brain fart in the store.

Anyways, I figured why not just use the over abundance of Command strips that I already have. Some how during the move some of the holders were broken.. probably during the time period that my in-laws decided to drop every box we had on the ground. Who knows.

So, I grabbed them and placed one on each of the corners and pressed down. Then I placed one in the middle on the other side. I pressed each down once again, as a just in case.

I then removed the paper shield and carefully laid it down onto the dresser. Pressing down each side as I went. Once, it was completely down and pressed; I wiggled it around to see if it would move. It didn't. Woohoo!

It even was Baby E approved when I went to change her not to long after that. It didn't move and it was less of a mess afterwards.

Making Geodes

So, to end our lesson on minerals and to begin our lesson on rocks I decided to take a day and have the kids create their own geodes. The best part was they were so excited and so nervous at the same time! The day before the activity I had the kids choose their materials. Over course we spent a few minutes with some of them changing their minds several times --- but that was okay, I didn't mind :). No point in fretting over something that will be theirs!

Now, for the next day I showed them a variety of pictures of what their's may possibly look like if they chose that material. Of course, some changed again, but still it was okay! We then began the experiment....

Our Mineral Materials:                                              

• Borax
• Brown Sugar
• Salt
• Sea Salt
• Baking Soda
• Cream of Tartar
• Sugar
• Epsom Salt

Other Materials:

• Hot Water
• Spoons
• Cups
• Food Coloring
• Eggs (Halved and Cleaned)
• Egg Carton

I called each mineral material and had the kids come up for their chosen ones. Then each went back to their seats and after a few minutes and all materials were passed out, I poured the hot water into their cups. They then stirred it for a minute or so until ALL of the solution dissolved. We then added it to their eggs and placed it up on the shelf (so it wont be disturbed). 

Here are a few pictures (DAY 1: 11/11/11):

A few pictures, notice some have already completely evaporated with no crystals! :(

 This one (on left) has small crystals and has already evaporated and the other (on left) has some crystals growing on the far blue....

These two have already started to crystallize after only a day! 

The whole group......

Found the activity at Suite 101 and I'll update you on 11/14 on how they look since it's the weekend! :)

E's 8 and 9 Month Favorites

I decided to change over my previous blog to this blog. You can still find me over at twodaisiesandanelephant.blogspot.com. However, most of my blog posts from there will be transferred over to this one. So, at times you may see the "twodaisiesandanelephant" logo going across many of the photos. No worries, it is me. I promise.

I honestly don't have any 8 month favorites for Baby E. Unless you count the pool and her pool toys. Those have been by far her favorite things. 

We're crawling around and attempting to walk so you know everything is now awesome! Between the tables to the chairs, the DVDs, dog toys, and even the dog bowls. Oh yeah, we found the dog bowls.

Ahh! I cannot believe in just a few short months Baby E will be a year old. The time has flown by so quickly. We haven't really bought any toys, because E seems to be more entertained by everything around us. She'd rather sit outside and play with the sticks/leaves/grass/acorns as well as throw things rather than play with actual toys. She's just a very curious little girl.

Although she's not big on a lot of toys. We do have a few new ones that she seems to enjoy.

Fisher Price Rock a Stack, Fisher Price Paint Brush

She also has a set of Disney keys that she loves to play with while we're driving down the road and as she plays in her walker. However, she also takes the toys above and just moves around like there's no tomorrow. Even as she explores everything else.... dumping them into containers, water bowls, and even the attempt into the toilet. She's a mess, but I love every moment of it... I swear some days I couldn't trade all of this even for the world. 

Does your baby have a favorite toy or activity right now? Or are we just cruising around the house into everything?... I know mine is ;)