My Little Chef

Melia loves her kitchen set (thanks Aunt Lisie!).  You can often find her preparing meals for the entire family.  We actually put her kitchen set in the kitchen so she can "cook" while Mommy is cooking.  It is a little scary that she makes the microwave noises so well.  I am hoping she learned that from Daddy and not from me!

When I had the opportunity to get something from ebeanstalk.com I immediately started looking at toys to enhance her kitchen set.  I found this cute little cooking utensils set that was reasonably priced.

The set shipped REALLY fast!  It was a little smaller than I envisioned, but the size is actually perfect for her kitchen set.  The quality of the entire product is great.  The oven mit and pad are well made.  The whisk gets a lot of use, just not always for mixing in her kitchen.  It makes a great drum stick and is holding up well!  In fact the entire kitchen set is real metal, so they make great musical instruments when Melia doesn't feel like cooking! :)

Alex wasn't a brand I was familiar with, but I am impressed with the product.  The website has a good selection of toys from this company, so I will definately check out my other options.

Come on over and visit!  Our little chef will whip you up something yummy!

I Heart Publix

For my family in the north, Publix is a grocery store chain based in Lakeland Florida.  I LOVE PUBLIX! 

Even before kids I was a fan of Publix.  Clean stores, great selection, good prices and sales, quality bakery, friendly staff, etc...  Towards the end of my pregnancy with Melia I even started taking advantage of the bag boys offering to not only take my groceries out to the car, but also load them into the car.  After I had Melia, I loved this free service even more.  It is so nice to be able to strap the kids in the car seats and get everyone situated while someone else is making sure my milk doesn't get set on top of my bread. 

And then there is the Publix Baby Club which mails AMAZING coupons to my house.

As Melia got a little older I really started to love Publix.  She loves to drive the carts that look like cars.  When we walk in the door we stop at the coupon rack and pick up a free coloring book and crayons.  Then we stop by the floral department and get a free balloon to keep her entertained in the store.  Next stop is the deli where she gets a slice of cheese (she loves cheese!).  She is old enough now that I stop at the bakery to let her pick out her free kids club cookie.  They always have people sampling different products in the store.  Melia is very willing to try new food, so she usually will try whatever they are offering. 

When Makena came along I had to figure out where to put my groceries in the cart.  Between Melia in the seat and Makena in the infant carrier, there is not much room left.  But leave it to the friendly Publix staff that have bagged my groceries and put them into a 2nd cart which they push out to the car.  Love it!

Even with all of the free fun at Publix, the girls have had their moments in the grocery store.  One time Melia was throwing a fit while we were waiting at the deli.  The clerk asked me what I wanted and then told me I could go finish my shopping and come back.  He got all of my order ready and had it waiting for me when I walked back past the counter.  To people without kids that isn't a big deal, but if you have ever had a cranky toddler in a grocery store and wanted to get out fast, it was a lifesaver!

Last week we went to the store and let Makena have her first ride in the car cart.  The girls had a ton of fun and Melia is getting excited to introducing Makena to all the things that make Publix awesome.

Publix has definitely won me over.  And from the looks of things, my girls will grow up loyal Publix fans too!

Show Me Your Smile!

Show Me Your Smile is the name of the Dora the Explorer book I have been reading Melia to get her ready for her first dentist appointment.  We found a pediatric dentist near the house that a lot of other mommies have recommended - Dr. Blankenship.  I am pretty sure that I was more nervous about the appointment that Melia was.  She was actually pretty excited!

After checking in we were sent to the waiting area to fill out the usual paperwork.  The waiting area actually consists of three different areas.  A traditional waiting area, a video game room for the older kids and a movie theater.  Melia chose the movie theater.  She thought the "big tv" was sooo exciting!

Much to Melia's disappointment, we didn't wait long before being called back.  We were actually called into an office where the dental tech talked to me about what they would be doing and introduced herself to Melia.  At that point, she took Melia by the hand and started to walk back with her.  This is where I was expecting the first hysterics...but she was so busy chatting it up with the dental tech she didn't even tell me goodbye.

I went back to the movie theater to watch The Princess and The Frog while Melia was having her cleaning.  I had seen pictures of the office online, but I really wanted to take a peek.  They don't let parents in the back, but they did let me peek through a window in one of the offices.  If MY dentist office was this cool, I would go back all the time!  Turns out Melia got to watch the rest of The Princess and The Frog while her teeth were being cleaned!

After her cleaning I got to meet with the dentist (yes, the actual doctor) and discuss her exam.  She was very impressed with Melia's teeth.  Melia loves to brush, but doesn't love when mommy does it.  I was concerned that I don't get two good brushings a day, but the dentist said it comes with her age.  As long as I get one decent brushing we should be good.  I am sure the fact that I limit her sugary foods, water down her 100% fruit juice, etc... help with keeping her teeth in good shape even when I can't get a good scrubbing in.

So home we went with our bag of goodies.  A new tooth brush, a notebook from the treasure chest and some dental floss.  Overall it was a great experience.  Just ask Melia and she will show you her smile!!!

Hot Fun in the Summertime!

We enrolled Melia and Makena in a parent/child swim program.  A few weeks of swim lessons at the city pool.  It is the same program we had Melia in last summer. 

Just like her sister, Makena loves the water and really enjoys splashing.  I dont know if she is learning anything, but hopefully she is becoming more comfortable in the water. 

Melia loves going swimming.  This year we are taking lessons at a different pool.  This pool is the one that offers Itty Bitty Splashtime for kids under 5.  They have fun slides and obstacles for the kids to play with.  And it is a walk in pool with a large shallow area.  It is definately more fun at this pool, but there are also more distractions when we are trying to get her to pay attention in the class.

Of course with two kids in the class, both of us have to be in the pool, so I haven't been able to take pictures during swim class.  (I really need to get an underwater camera).  Here is a picture of the girls playing around before we left for swim class one day...