Don't tell me what to do [or] why I hate baby sign language.

We have recently been teaching Oliver baby sign language, we went to a free preview class that one of my parenting groups had and we all enjoyed it, big kids and all.

I see the benefits of it, I really do.  It's kind of amazing to see a child that can't talk yet really communicate with you.  The problem is, I don't like being told what to do.  

Not by my husband, not by my kids, and yes I admit it, sometimes not by God.  So while this baby sign language could be an wonderful exploration into how much smarter your baby is then the next, it has become a twisted game Oliver likes to play.

We learned a ton of fruit & veggie signs at the class along with some easy basic like please, thank you, more, etc.  Oliver has learned MORE.  Oh sure, on occasion if he feels like it he will sign "please" and "all done" usually "all done" after he has thrown his plate of food on the floor so it's already pretty obvious.  But "more" is his favorite!  And eat, of course.  

It's a frustrating thing to have a 1 year old follow you around all day long signing eat, more, more, more, more!  Like a 4 year old that asks "Why?" constantly.  It's cute in the beginning, but after about 3 days you're going crazy.

I have no idea what he wants more of?  I ask him and he'll storm to the fridge or go to the pantry and randomly start pulling things off the shelves like Panko bread crumbs & fast acting yeast.  I honestly doubt he wants more of that.  So yeah, at the age of one I feel like he's just messing with me.

And he knows it.

Ollie trying to look innocent after demanding MORE, MORE, MORE! 

He finally conceded that more watermelon was actually what he wanted.  

But darn it my kids are cute & adorable and all that other proud Mommy stuff and no matter how much I might complain I love them more than I could ever imagine. 

So here's a recipe for some fun treats I made for them today, hopefully to take on a  zoo trip this weekend!

Honey Nut-O Treats!

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup honey

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

5 cups Cheerios [or generic Toasted O's like us cool Moms do]

[1] Mix the honey and sugar in a medium sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

[2] Let boil for about a minute until everything is smooth.

[3] Turn the heat off and add peanut butter and vanilla.  Whisk. 

[4] Add in the Cheerios and stir to coat everything evenly.

[5] Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto waxed paper and let cool!

I keep these in the fridge cause it's humid here so they take awhile to set up.
Edit: Also I suggest making these pretty small, while the kids liked the taste they are hard to eat!  I would just use a greased teaspoon and make small drops, you will get a ton that way too! :)

Have fun! 

5 in 5. Edition: 2

Again, I will tell you just how much I love an easy project! 

I don't mind elaborate ones as well but it usually helps me if I have most things on hand and I can do them in under 30 minutes, cause that's about as much time as a child under 2 will probably ever give you.

So here's another set!  

1.  Slow Cooker Dulce De Leche

[1] Slow Cooker [2] Mason Jar [3] Water [4] Sweetened Condensed Milk

So easy & tasty!  I used this to top mango cupcakes and stirred it into my iced coffee but it would also be good in brownies or pretty much anything!  Just open up the can of milk, place into a clean mason jar and close tightly, you can also do this directly in the can but it creeped me out a little and you're probably going to want to put it in something else so you might as well do it to begin with.  Put the mason jar in your slow cooker and make sure it is completely covered with water!  Put it on high for 6 hours or low for 8.  The advantage of doing it in the jar as well is that you can see through it and see how dark your Leche is getting.  Yummy! 

2.  Tooth Fairy Money

[1] Dollar Bill [2] Hair Spray [3] Glitter

Our oldest, Lily, just lost her 1st tooth last week!  This made me want to cry and also have slight flash forwards of a teenage daughter and how much I hope God does not show me what I deserve from my teenage years.  We were so excited to do tooth fairy things & make it magical, etc.  Then she told us that her Aunt had already told her that I'M the tooth fairy.  Buzz kill man.  But we went ahead and made it fun, for us, and hoping she might still believe a little bit.  When she woke up the next morning to glittery money and her tooth missing she was pretty amazed. :)  5 year olds are so easy to fool.  Really. 

The money is a lot glittery than it looks in this picture and super simple!  Just spray the bill with the hairspray and shake on the glitter!  It dries really quickly too!

3. Cousin Jaz's Mexican Squash Casserole

[1] 1 Zucchini [2] I can of corn [3] 1 small can of tomato sauce [4] Shredded Cheddar Cheese 

First off, I will say I consider oil, salt & pepper to be freebies.  You will need all of those here!

I can't remember exactly when I learned how to make this but one of my favorite in-laws taught me how to make it!  I know it was a long time ago, maybe when we lived in Guadalupe and Jaz worked at the awesome Hot Dog on a Stick in Santa Maria.  Either way, good memories come with this recipe & I wish I got to see this beautiful woman more often than I do. 

Slice a zucchini in half & then into half moon pieces.  Not super thin, this will cook in a pan and then bake so you don't want it mushy.  Heat oil in a pan and sauté zucchini with a little salt & pepper.  About 5 minutes, add 1 can drained corn or fresh if you have it, even better!  I like a little char on my corn then I add the can of tomato sauce.  Mix well and pour into a baking dish, it's a pretty wet mixture.  Top with as much cheese as you like, I LOVE cheese as you can see.  Bake at 400 degree F just until cheese is melted and it's done!  Andy loves this with rice and pork chops.  It's the Mexi/Filipino in him.

4.  Spring Clean your mattress!

[1] Baking Soda [2] Lavender Oil [3] Mason Jar [4] Sieve [5] Vacuum

I have an obsession with cleaning and I have a really sensitive nose.  Two random facts about me that happen to match up.  I can't stand bad smelling things or just random funk.  We got a mattress from a friend when we moved back here, for which I am very thankful!  I figured a good cleaning never did any mattress bad and the lavender helps promote good sleep.  After we did this our mattress smelled so fresh, ahhh.  Fill a mason jar, with baking soda and about 4-5 drops of Lavender oil.  Shake well.  This recipe made enough to clean my mattress twice, you could do carpets with it as well, etc. And since nothing in here is toxic and even edible I don't mind the kids playing in it while it "soaks."  Use the sieve to sprinkle the mixture over your mattress and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.  I let mine sit for a few hours cause really it can't hurt.  Then vacuum!  If you have a hose attachment that would be awesome, we don't so I just lift the whole vacuum up. 

5.  Make a Happy Birthday balloon number!

[1] Balloons [2] Tape

This one is pretty obvious but still I had never thought of it until I discovered Pinterest, uh-oh.  For Jonas' 4th birthday this year we didn't have a big party like we have had every year before so I wanted to make sure we had different ways to show him how special he is to us & how excited we were for his birthday!  We did this on our living room wall after he went to sleep so when he woke up he was pretty excited.  

Blow up your balloons, how many you need depends on your number, how big you want it, etc.  One multi colored bag from Target was more than enough for us.  Don't blow them up too big otherwise they'll be a pain to stick to the wall.  I taped the base of each balloon and once I had them all in place I used rolls of tape to stick all the balloons to one another, it really helped.

Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.
Ecclesiastes 11:5-7