Sunday Signing "Milk"

Is it really Sunday already? This week has flown by! I have been so busy with working and doing some photography that I blinked and it was SUNDAY! Wheeew I need a vacation:) Anyways this Sunday's Sign is "Milk." This is one of Tylers favorites to use right before its time to go to bed and he wants his "ba ba" of milk (really thinking about quiting the bottle habit here soon uggghhhh).

It is a real easy one to teach your little one, you just simple open and shut our fingers into a closed fist.

Here is the sign.....

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday and hopefully this week won't be as busy :)

Sunday Signing "Eat"

This Sundays sign is "Eat." This is a popular one in my house with my son. He no longer points to a box of crackers or a banana and whines. He simply walks over to the kitchen signing eat and I know he is hungry. This is a great one for me because I am having a hard time getting Tyler to eat a full meal. He is too busy playing and running around the house to actually take the time out to eat. So of course my natural Mommy anxiety kicks in and I am nervous that he is not eating enough or getting the nutrients he needs. But I am sure this is just normal toddlerhood we are experiencing. At least with this sign I know when he is actually hungry and can offer him a healthy snack or maybe some more of the lunch he left sitting on his plate :) Happy Sunday everyone!

Learning Colors Masking Tape Game

Tyler just turned 16 months and I started wondering about when to start introducing colors, letters and counting. We have him in a preschool curriculum daycare that at first I was sick to my stomach about sending my baby to a "dreaded daycare," but it ended up being the best thing for Tyler on so many different levels. Our daycare has a different theme, letter, color, number, shape and music genre that they review each month. Since starting at this program at daycare (we call it "school") I starting thinking that maybe it would be a good idea to incorporate what Tyler is learning at "school" with some easy, fun activities at home. I also did not want Tyler to miss out on any learning at "school" because he only goes two days a week (one of the any perks of being a nurse). I found this great blog The Activity Mom that gives you fun, easy and cheap ideas to help incorporate learning in your home. Her kids are a little older than Tyler but I was able to modify some of the games for Tyler's age.

Our first activity involved a masking tape board that was featured on The Activity Mom's blog. Since the colors of the month that Tyler was learning in "school" are Yellow and Green, I decided to try this activity in a modified way to help him with recognizing the colors.

Here is the material we used:

Masking Tape

Yellow and Green construction paper

A big bag of huge colored buttons

I masked out a couple of squares on my carpet and laid out in each square either a piece of yellow construction paper or a piece of green construction paper. Then I put a couple of green buttons and yellow buttons on the paper to help give Tyler a hint to where the buttons are suppose to go. Then I handed him a green or yellow button and told him " Can you put the yellow button on the yellow paper?" Then I would help him place the button in the correct spot. At first Tyler looked at me like I was crazy, but after prompting him a few times he began to understand the game. He still needs a little work with the colors but we had fun playing with our huge masking tape board. Tyler even loved to use it as a race car track later :)

Like I said before I am not too sure if it too early to start these kinds of activities at home, but we sure did have a lot of fun doing it. I am sure we will have to continue to review our colors each day to make sure Tyler fully understands, but I am glad we found such a easy and fun way of learning them. I look forward to trying out many more different learning activities in our home and sharing them with you!

Signing Sunday "Done" or "Finished"

Our sign for this Sunday is "Done" or "Finished" This is another one of those crucial signs that is used everyday. Tyler will sign "done" after eating, playing or if he wants us to stop doing something. This is defiantly one of those signs that has helped minimize the tantrums and helped us understand that Tyler has had enough.

Here is the sign


Tyler did not do this sign perfectly at first, he would just wave his arms up and down. So be on the look out for your babies unique way of signing when they are first learning. I hope this sign helps you and your baby communicate better :)I hope you all are enjoying your holiday weekend!

A Little Extra Spending Money

This month in my Woman's Day Magazine I read a great article about how to make a little spending money! Rachel Singer started a blog (mashupmom.com) years ago and has since written her first book Mashup Mom's Guide to Saving and Making Money Online.

Here are some of her favortie ways to get a little extra spending money!

1. Launch a blog :-)
Blogger.com or wordpress.com, then go to Google AdSense (google.com/adsense) or the affiliate program at Amazon.com (affiliate-program.amazon.com) to feature advertising on your site. With AdSense, you make a little bit every time someone views your ads and with Amazon you make a bit if someone views an ad and then makes a purchase at Amazon. You will only make small amounts at first, but eventually you will make some good afternoon spending money. Rachel reports she makes a couple hundred dollars/month.

2. Give your Opinion
MySurvey.com, Surveyhead.com or ValuedOpinions.com you can sign up to take surveys online about products and services and get paid for it! Typically around 2-5 bucks per completed survey.

3. Search the Internet (my favorite)
We all love to search the web and most of us probably use Google as our search engine. Well, this may change your browser! If you use Swag Bucks as your search engine (swagbucks.com) you can earn Swag Buck Points-called "SBs" redeemable for merchandise like Target gift cards and beauty products. To maximize the amount of SBs you earn, install the Swag Bucks toolbar on your computer! It can take a while to accumulate SBs, a $300 Apple gift card costs 37,000 SB. You can also get a deposit into your paypal account if you do not want the prizes!

Happy Making Money!! $$$

Easy Tuna Casserole

Pre Heat Oven to 350

Boil one bag of egg noodles as directed, 2-3 minutes before noodles are finished add 1 cup chopped celery and half an onion to boil.

Drain 2-3 7oz cans tuna, set aside

Drain 1 can of peas and carrots, set aside

Add egg noodle mixture (drained) to casserole dish with tuna, peas and carrots and 2 cans of low sodium cream of mushroom (or onion) soup.

Add a dash of salt and pepper (optional dash of onion powder).

Bake for 20-30 minutes. Take out and add shredded cheese and crushed ruffle chips to top. Bake until browned.

Serve with lemon water and a green salad! Enjoy!