Where Am I?

Excuse me while I hold my eyes open this morning. I drank too much tea before bed and didn't fall asleep until 2am after an extremely busy weekend, heading into a too-early wake up on Monday.

My tummy is angry, my eyes feel heavy, and all the caffeine in the world isn't helping. It's just making my brain work faster while my face falls asleep. I'm sure I could tackle any advanced-level mathematics question you throw at me this morning, but the answer would probably just come out as, "Yes, more watermelon please (yawn)."

Other than that, the sun is shining, and all is bright, cheery, and beautiful! Who cares if I'm too groggy to enjoy it?

We had a great weekend with family, and I loved sharing some super special experiences with my toddler -- like taking her to the drive-in to see the 1985 Goonies movie! She didn't quite make it to the end, but she got to experience the best of it -- like eating popcorn, french fries, and cotton candy in Auntie Bee's car with her cousins.

Halfway through the movie, she started yelling, "Dad!! Hey, Dad!" Mark got out of our car and walked over to Bee's, expecting that Ellie was done with the movie and ready to go home. But instead, she yelled, "I need some more popcorn!" When Mark got back to our car, we had a long talk about how we managed to raise a teenager in only 2 years. What a funny kid!

We also got to ride bikes, play, visit the Montshire museum and waterpark, and sit in Uncle Paul's police car. All around, a great weekend!

And coming up this week/month:

• On the BVT Moms Blog:
  -I show you how to make a toddler mailbox out of a K-Cup box!
  -E and I will be reviewing a box of toys from Little Pnuts!
  -I'll share some tips for cooking with a toddler for the Growing Up Gourmet series!
• I have a consultation for my free pin-up photo shoot with Zinfandel Photography today. Can't wait!
• The Two Potters Vase Giveaway is done, but I've yet to choose a winner -- this week! Please be patient with me, dear friends!
• I've updated the Mama Doodle page so that all doodle resources are easy to find and in one place. I've also included the doodle-a-day July list from Rhi Creations. It's so perty!
• For those of you following the design portfolio, I've uploaded the first (official) draft of a new pottery website I'm working on (here).
• Kim and I are taking a class this coming Saturday about drawing/creating creatures... I think. She signs me up for all kinds of things. I usually just say, "Yep, uh-huh, sure" and know that a good time is guaranteed. Ha!
• Also, on Saturday, I'm supposed to get my tattoo... maybe. If I like what the artist comes up with.

I think that's it for now besides the normal every-day stuff like trying to raise a little person who doesn't scream, swear, and beat people with pool noodles. I'm assured by friends, family, and licensed professionals that all she needs is consistency, love, and guidance, or was it... consistency, love, and cupcakes? Hmm. *scratches head* Whatever.

Doodle Time!

www.TangleTangleTangle.com

Hey, everyone! Today is July 1st! Woohoo!! And we're officially celebrating the fine art of doodling and zentangling this month/year/forever -- drawing just for the healing powers of putting pen to paper!

Wanna join us? As with most YMIS projects, you can do whatever you want! You can doodle wherever you want! And if you'd like some resources, I've provided some below.

Also, be sure to share your doodles with us by posting your doodles to Instagram with #ymisdoodle. Don't have an Instagram account yet? Maybe now is the time to grab one!!

All artwork will be featured in this corner of the blog: Mama Doodle (Doo)! (green link at left too!)

Free Doodle Resources!

• Want a calendar to put your doodles in? You can print the one I'm using (here).
• Some really great, simple ideas at tangletangletangle.com (here)!
• How about some pin-spiration? Pinterest has some fantastic doodle ideas (here).
• Looking for prompts? Rhi at Rhi Creations has a great list (here)!

Any other questions? Email me at YourMomIsStrange@gmail.com!

Monday Recovery

E listened really well this weekend, and I listened too.
We ended the weekend with a treat -- sharing a frozen yogurt at Yogurt City! Had to add some doodles, too!

This Monday is really overwhelming me. I have so much to do just this morning, but I had to take a quick break to just write. Maybe a little time-out will help.

We had a great weekend with my parents. We kept busy this trip, but it was nice to spend so much time out and about in this beautiful weather. We went to Burlington to the ECHO Center (courtesy of our library's pass, yeah!), had lunch on the lake, and swam in the hotel swimming pool where my parents were staying. On Saturday, we got to go across the lake to see my grandma, aunts and uncles, cousins, and their kids. More pool time, then home for our town's early Independence Day celebration.

We had planned to just go to the fireworks. Last year E didn't really notice the carnival they had set up in the field nearby, but this year, about a half-mile away, she saw the glowing rides and white peaks of the prize tents and said, "Mommy, what's that?" I explained that it was a carnival with rides. She replied, "For me!?" "Um, well, yeah..."

She insisted on driving the train!

"Let's take a look," she said.
And as we got closer: "Let's take a closer look."

Luckily they were close to shutting down before the fireworks, so we got in for free, and she had a great time doing the more toddler-appropriate rides. She tackled all of them like a champ. The fireworks scared her a bit, so we sat in Auntie Bee's car, which muffled the noise, and she loved it.

Yesterday we spent some time with Mark's family, and now we're heading into the biggest celebration of the year (well, maybe second to Christmas) -- the 4th of July! The festivities are multiplied, because we also have 3 birthdays this week -- Bee's, Mark's, and my sister's! Always a fun time!

Also, stay tuned this week and throughout the summer as I roll out some more fun doodle activities! I'll try to section off a corner of the blog for doodle stuff, so we can all participate via Facebook/Twitter/Instagram!

Doodle A Day

I saw a Doodle-a-Day calendar in a book I found, and then I found some others online. I had to create my own!

This one has 30 boxes, a place to write in the month, your name, and I left a small space in the middle of the sheet in case you want to cut it out and put it in your bullet journal!

You can download the printable PDF (here).

Tomorrow my parents are coming, so stay tuned via Instagram for some fun out and about around Vermont with Grammie and Papa

While I take a mini vacation, feel free to check out some of my newest most-viewed posts:

A Napkin, It's What's For Dinner
Things My Husband Doesn't Care About
Defining Beautiful

Baby Bread

My 2-year-old loves to bake! Here is a super simple recipe that we use all the time with any fruit we have on hand. It's been halved to make a baby-sized serving:

1 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 c. sugar*
1/2 c. milk
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 packet of applesauce (about 1/3 c.)**

*Sugar can be replaced with 1/8 c. natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup
**Applesauce can be replaced with a jar of baby fruit or a mashed fresh fruit, like one ripe banana

Mix flour, baking powder, and sugar.
Add milk, applesauce, and oil.
Stir until batter is smooth.

Bake at 350 degrees in small, greased, bread pan or cake pan for about 15-25 minutes or until knife stuck in middle of the bread comes out clean.

My favorite things about this recipe are: it's egg-free and can be made with fat-free milk and any fruit you like! The batter is safe for your toddler to eat and play with, and if all the ingredients get destroyed, you've only wasted about 2 cups of supplies. We make this a few times each month!