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Take a Taste Tuesday with Angela Chang
Hi! I’m excited to be joining you for Take a Taste Tuesday! My name is Angela Chang, and I am a former Montessori infant and toddler teacher, currently a SAHM to two little girls. I write over at MOMtessoriLife.com, where I share how to be Montessori at home through ideas for activities as well as Montessori parenting philosophy. Including young children in the kitchen has become a passion of mine, although I will admit that I used to hate it – it’s messy, you can’t control everything that happens, and it takes a little longer to get the food prepared. It would be easier to just do it all myself.…
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Take a Taste Tuesday with Lindsay from Find Where You Fit
Hi! I’m Lindsay, a Columbus mom, physical therapist, and author of the blog Find Where You Fit. I like to incorporate our active lifestyles into dining by going on little picnics. The kids and I will go into the kitchen, talk about food groups, and pick some food items from each to bring along on. I find that using this strategy gives them enough rules and enough freedom that we all get what we want. Sometimes we take it to a park, go on a short hike or hit a playground, then eat. Sometimes it’s as simple as eating in the front yard on a blanket. When we have finished…
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Sitting Made Simple
A few weeks ago I was invited to the Sitting Made Simple Headquarters in Merion Village to learn about the Sitting Made Simple journey from CEO Amanda Knapp, current staff/past sitters, and families who are currently using the babysitting service. At this meet-up I learned that there are real people behind the computer who are helping you with your babysitting needs. The staff helps match your family with a quality babysitter. There is no app and no lengthy list of sitters for you to scroll through and pick on a whim based on reviews. Listening to Amanda speak about her company, it is clear that she knows her sitters, is…
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Grateful for the Routines at Goldfish Swim School
We have been attending swim lessons at Goldfish Swim School for nearly eight months. Each week, I see growth and development, not only in my daughter’s swimming abilities, but in her understanding of the routine of the lesson. She hears a special word, hears a song, or sees a prop, and I see her face light up as she wiggles her little body in anticipation of what is to come. Goldfish Swim School does a wonderful job of following a similar lesson plan week to week, which allows my daughter to learn the routine of the lesson. This routine is extremely important in helping eliminate her insecurities about swimming and increasing her awareness…
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Take a Taste Tuesday with Made by Melissa Lee
Hi! I’m Melissa and the writer behind the blog Made by Melissa Lee. I mainly focus on easy, family-friendly recipes, with a good dose of family fun thrown in courtesy of my daughter, Emily. I’m so excited to stop by today to share one of my favorite recipes Emily and I make together – Tropical Green Smoothies! I’ve been excited to get Emily into the kitchen since she was born and now that she’s two, I try to get her involved in mealtime almost daily. You’d be surprised how much a two-year-old can do! We’re not prepping her for Master Chef Jr. or anything, but it’s been a lot of…
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Little Buckeye Children’s Museum
It’s Spring Break! which means there are a few extra hours in the week for an adventure. I have heard so many wonderful things about the Little Buckeye Children’s Museum, so I decided to take a mini road trip with my daughter to Mansfield, Ohio to check it out. The museum is approximately an hour and 15-minute drive north of Columbus and admission is only $8 (for 2 and up). The museum’s mission statement is “To Provide Children and Families Opportunities to Learn and Discover Through The Power of Play” and is an ideal location for visits by children ages 2-12 years. My daughter is 21 months and enjoyed herself. The Little Buckeye Children’s Museum is located…
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Take a Taste Tuesday
As a Speech Language Pathologist, the oral motor abilities and feeding concerns of children fall under my scope of practice. Each year, the number of children with feeding concerns with which I work grows considerably. With this in mind, I am attempting to expose my daughter to a variety of tastes and textures for her to continue to accept different foods. I am not a natural cook, so I look to others for great recipes as inspiration and fun ideas that include children in the cooking and eating process. Generally, my inspiration comes from Pinterest, Instagram searches, or just asking friends. I try to share ideas that work for us from my perspective, but I…
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Some Thoughts on Toddler Language Development
This past week, we had an epic morning filled with toddler tantrums. After the tantrums subsided, I analyzed what had happened and jotted down some thoughts based on toddler language development and how to survive a future one. Just some thoughts are listed below. A toddler’s receptive language (what she understands) is higher than her expressive language (how she communicates). I know that that discrepancy would be frustrating for me, even as an adult. A toddler has very little control of her environment. For the majority of her day, she is being told where to be and what to do. To help your child feel as if she has the…
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It’s in the Details at Goldfish Swim School
At 20 months old, there are few places that my daughter recognizes when we pull into the parking lot. Goldfish Swim School is on that short list. When we pull into the parking lot, I can immediately hear her clap her hands and shout, “Yay!” I don’t know if it’s the Goldfish logo, or something else that tips her off that we have arrived, but I do know that is not the only time she claps and shouts “Yay!” while we are there. While the small things from our visits to Goldfish may not be a big deal to some, it is these small details that make my girl’s day when we…
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A Spring Weekend in Cincinnati With Kids
Cincinnati, Ohio, is a one and a half hour drive south on I-71 from Columbus. Located on the Ohio River, the “Queen City” has much to offer on a weekend getaway with the family. It’s such an easy drive and a whole new city of adventure for Columbusites like us. Read on to see how we spent 28-hours exploring Cincinnati with our 19-month-old daughter. Where to Stay Do you Airbnb? Airbnb is a unique way to book lodging when you are traveling. It allows you to book a single room within a residence, an apartment, or an entire house in a unique location. I find when we travel with a toddler, it…