Its a Hero

life with a toddler

Explore Hilton Head //

by 28 Comments

We returned from our first big vacation as a family of four just over a week ago. We travelled over 11 hours to get to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where we met up with my mom and dad (Mimi + Poppy), and my sister and her family. So there were 6 adults, two babies, and one Ari. 🙂

I had never before been to HHI, and neither had my husband. And, to be honest, I did very little planning (if any) whatsoever! I meant to plan out some adventures ahead of time, but Summer got so busy with all of the normal day-to-day stuff… it just never happened! My sister, on the other hand, had done some planning. But life with babies rarely — if ever! — goes as planned.

One thing that was set well in advance was our condo for the week. We stayed at Seacrest Villas, directly on the North Forest Beach, and just steps away from Coligny Plaza.

Our condo was beautiful. It was three-bedrooms, 3-baths, and had a full kitchen and dining room — plus TWO balconies! It was truly gorgeous! And part of me — the super mom part of me — could have had just that and nothing else for an entire week. No responsibilities; not our house; no laundry and cleaning — just that for a week.

But there was so much to do!

Annie O’s Kitchen. We discovered this place by pure chance. We found ourselves upon a child-free evening and had not at all planned it out. Where would we go alone!? Well, a google search later and the results… showed a bunch of other places. But I happened to see the description of this restaurant — their meats, dairy, and eggs, are all-natural and cruelty-free. There are no antibiotics, no preservatives, no pesticides, and sustainable. Basically, totally our wheelhouse.

I had the Chicken and French Toast (what a fun play on chicken + waffles!) and Chad got the flash-fried whole flounder with collard greens.

We absolutely loved the atmosphere and the vibe from the staff. They were incredibly hands-on — the chef even came by to deliver our meals to the table. The cornbread? Bomb. The sweet tea? SO bomb. The desserts?! OMG I can’t even!

After our dining experience, we convinced the whole family to join us for a ‘last hurrah’ dinner at Annie O’s. And the whole family — Mimi, Poppy, my sister and brother-in-law — we all said, hands down, best food we had during the whole trip!

TIPS:

If you dine between 3:00 – 6:00 PM, the majority of their entrees are 50% off!

And make reservations!

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

Somewhat.

The atmosphere is less appealing to children, but the waitstaff and other employees were super friendly to the kids.

Coligny Splash Pad. The beach, the pool… they can be… exhausting for parents. There’s just so much sand and ‘stuff,’ that kids need. This splash pad was a perfect break for all of us. Located near Coligny Plaza, the splash pad is just off the beach and easily accessible.

Our kids had a blast running in and out of the fountains — and even made a couple of friends! I suggest hitting the splash pad first thing in the morning, before the sun really starts beating down on the kids. But, in case you find yourself there a little later, just know that it does have a little overhead shade, thanks to the awesome trees!

TIPS:

Have the kids where some sort of water shoes to avoid stubbed toes.

Arrive first thing in the morning for the least crowding.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

100%!

Skull Creek Boathouse. My sister insisted that we go here. We were having a rough day with the kiddos and I didn’t have even a second to check out the menu ahead of time. But I’m so happy that I put all of my trust in her with this restaurant decision!

When we arrived shortly after 5PM, the place was already packed with an hour wait for outside seating. As much as we wanted to sit outside, we were also dealing with a time limit thanks to the kiddos bedtimes! Instead we opted for an immediate high-top table inside. Believe it or not, they have highchairs for the high-top tables, so they could easily accommodate two infants.

Our meals were delicious! I ordered the fried fish and chips and a big side of hush puppies (because, yum!). And Chad ordered a lobster rice bowl that tasted amazing.

My sister and her husband loved the lowcountry boil — and I had some serious food envy of them!

After our meal, we headed to the dock to check out the views. On the other side of the dock there is a beautiful outdoor beer garden with picnic tables, sandboxes for kids, and giant connect four games. The live music was a young guy playing guitar and singing up on stage. It was the perfect way to spend an evening!

TIPS:

Arrive early and be prepared to wait if you are looking for outdoor seating.

But also enjoy that time in the beer garden while you wait!
The restaurant will text you when your table is ready!

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

Really family-friendly! Each child will get to pick a prize from the treasure box after the meal.

The outdoor beer garden is the perfect place for parents to spend a relaxing evening with young kids.

Java Burrito. We stopped here, first and foremost, for the Java. But I was so impressed by the food setup that I had to come back later in the week to try it out. It’s nestled in a business park on William Hilton Parkway, so you almost have to go searching for it; but I promise it’s worth it!

Their coffee bar is definitely high-end, specialty coffee, with a huge clientele that prefer a pour over (hello!? LOVE pour overs!). But they also offer cocktails for those customers who are going to hang out in the cool café for a bit!

As far as the food, they offer Mexican-style burritos and bowls with ingredients that are locally sourced, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Yep – they do breakfast burritos with farm-fresh eggs!

I opted for a burrito with chicken, rice, beans, queso and guacamole. As someone that frequents other fast-casual burrito places, I can tell you that this was far superior to the rest of them. The freshness is something that you can taste!

TIPS:

Take a look at the menu online ahead of time so that you have an idea of what you want to order.

Definitely order coffee, too!

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

Yes, for a quick family meal. But not for lounging around.

Duck Donuts. So I realize that this is a franchise location and not a native Hilton Head Island thing… but for those of us who do not live near a Duck Donuts, checking this out while we’re on the island is KEY.

See, I have a love affair with donuts. I like them fancy and I like them plain — I don’t discriminate! Ha!

These donuts are served up fresh out of the fryer! We customized our order of a dozen and a half so that we could basically try all of them. Somehow a single plain old fashioned donut ended up in our pack. And I swear to you that is the best darn old fashioned, plain ol’ donut, I have ever had!

(Good news, Ohio friends — there is a Duck Donuts on Polaris Parkway in Columbus!)

TIPS:

Prepare to wait in line.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

Very! The kids have fun watching the donuts being made.

Frosty Frog. This little dive of a frozen cocktail bar is located in Coligny Plaza and features about 25 different frozen daiquiri combinations such as a Hurricane, Grape Danger, Sex on the Peach, Piña Colada, and Jungle Juice! Real Talk: They put all of their drinks, daiquiri or not, in styrofoam to-go cups — whether you’re eating in or taking food to go. Also, you’re allowed to walk with the open container anywhere within Coligny Plaza.

We took our daiquiris to go and walked around the plaza a few nights. They were so delicious! My favorites were Jump Start and Grape Danger.

After several visits, we decided to give their pizza a shot. And OMG it’s delicious! Like, really good and the slices are, as Ari would say, GINORMOUS! 🙂

TIPS:

If there are more than 3 of you ordering daiquiris, save yourself a few bucks and order a gallon to-go.
It’s the most cost-effective way to sip some frozen yummies!

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

Not very.
We saw a lot of children there with their parents, but it’s really more of a bar than anything else.

A Lowcountry Backyard. Located in Palmetto Dunes, this gem of a restaurant serves up local cuisine with some serious lowcountry flair! We arrived just before 4:30PM, which is when they open for dinner service. We were quickly greeted with two other families awaiting the dinner ‘bell’! Great minds (and early bedtimes for babies — likely)!

The atmosphere in the outdoor seating area is awesome. There’s giant Jenga, a hillbilly golf set, a giant porch swing, and a stage for the nightly solo performances.

Our food did not disappoint. Between the fried green tomatoes, the shrimp and grits, crab dip, and grilled pimento cheese sandwiches, we left… satisfied very full.

TIPS:

Arrive right when they open to avoid a wait.

Sit outdoors.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

Very.
There is so much to keep the kids entertained, between the games, the music, and the mason jars with lids as sippy cups!

Pirates of Hilton Head. Chad took Ari on this adventure without me and Remy Bea, which was fine. The Pirates of Hilton Head is an excursion in Harbour Town (near the lighthouse!) on The Black Dagger! The kids, which range in age from 3-10, in groups of about 20 children (max), learn to speak like pirates, get tattoos, and take down Stinky Pete with water cannons! Ari had such an amazing time and came home with enough gold doubloons to last him a lifetime! We will definitely be hitting this up with every visit.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB-Iu4ZDCgU&feature=share]

TIPS:

Check Groupon to see if they have any deals first (they did for us!).

Make sure you plan to spend some time in Harbour Town because there’s a $6 fee to be in the area,
but you have in-and-out privileges all day.

Wear a small backpack and bring plenty of water and snacks.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

Very much so! Especially for kids 3 and up!

We will certainly be making Hilton Head our go-to vacation spot from hereon out. I can’t wait to visit all of these places again! Make sure you pin this for later! xo

 

 

 

Our Summer in Pictures

by 18 Comments

Guys – something amazing happened this Summer — we had fun — and I stepped a bit away from this here blog. I did, however, start posting all kinds of photos to my Instagram stories as a way of ‘photo-blogging’ my way through the summer months!

In case you aren’t following me on Instagram (which, why aren’t you!?), here’s our Summer in Insta-stories:

 
























 



I worked out a LOT.







We visited the farmers market often.






Adventures at the zoo!


We spent a lot of time eating samples at Costco.






My children had a blast at the YMCA — both while I was working and while they
(well, specifically, Ari, was in swim lessons!).







We went to Kentucky to visit my parents.














We celebrated my nephews first birthday!





We took a BIG family vacay to Hilton Head!


































Basically, all of these pictures and I’m all “OMG I can’t believe it’s nearly September!” And now we have exactly ONE WEEK left of Summer break before our new school year starts. I’m absolutely going to make the most of this week and get one more ‘hurrah’ outta Summer! 😉

Summer 2017 — you kinda rocked. 

5 tips for an Easy Toddler Bedtime Routine //

by 15 Comments

Neither of my children were good sleepers as babies. It’s one of those things that I was alwasy really resentful of. A new mom needs a lot of rest, and I was hardly getting any rest, let alone “lots.” Hearing about other moms experiences with their kdis sleeping through the night as soon as they were home from the hospital or, heck, anytime in that first year?? It felt like a slap in the face.

But if there’s one thing that can be said about life with kids, it’s that nothing is constant. Thank goodness, am I right?!

We’ve had a bit of luck in the toddler sleep department, that’s for sure. But I know that not everyone has toddlers that are good sleepers. So I’m sharing the 5 tips that have really worked for us.

1. Establish a regular evening meal time. It may seem silly, but we’ve been incredibly consistent about the time of day our kiddos eat their last meal and this beginning of the ‘wind down’ hours has helped to create some stability at the end of crazy days. It really sets the initial boundary and start of ‘bedtime’ when they recognize that

2. Create a way to get the sillies out. For us, it’s a game of ‘attack daddy’ or tickle the kiddos. They love it and it gets that last bit of any pent up energy out of their systems. Also? It’s super fun for everyone.

3. Connect with your kids. I’m with my kids all day long, but it’s hard to truly be present all of the time. So my husband and I find a way to connect with each of our kids for at least a half hour every night, whether it be by talking about our day and what we did, or by doing an activity with them. It gives them what they crave — attention — and it helps to recenter us for the evening as well. It’s a win-win for everyone!

4. Limit television in the evenings. Children can be so overstimulated with the bright lights of a giant television screen, so after 6:30 PM, we really limit the use of TV. Luckily both of our kids are huge fans of reading books, so we generally settle in with a book and some snuggles.

5. Do not let them get overtired. One would think that completely wearing a child out means that bedtime will be easy peasy, right? Wrong. Ohhh, so wrong. Learn to sense when your child has had enough and make the move for bed right then. Do not wait. Do not give it more time. I’ve learned that toddlers easily go from tired to overtired, and they become restless. And bedtime will become increasingly difficult.

Bottom line — it won’t always be easy to stick to this kind of routine, but it will be worth it. I promise. I’ve come to terms that I’m not always the popular friend because my evening routine is dictated by two tiny (and very demanding, very cute,) humans; but this is the best way to make it through the tough sleep stuff of the toddler years.

What are your thoughts?? What else would you suggest to ease the pain of toddler bedtime routines?! 

For more on sleep and parenting, visit Parenting the Principal!

How To Totally Ruin Pinterest Crafts in 4 Simple Steps //

by 45 Comments

Let me quickly set the stage — Ari wants to do a Fourth of July craft and I want to oblige. I mean, I’m a crafty mom, right? I do a quick pinterest search, locate a ‘firework’ paint craft, and gather our supplies. Easy peasey!

Or, it should have been. But guys — here’s the truth behind all of those cute, messy, Summer crafts — your children? They aren’t cute; they aren’t easy; but they are messy. And your toddler? They won’t care. Not even a little bit.

So I’m sharing with you what I learned the hard way. How to totally ruin messy Summer crafts in 4 simple steps.

Step 1. Take that easy Pinterest tutorial and expect your toddler to listen (and follow) simple instructions.

Step 2. Set out the supplies, including the paint, and turn your back for approximately 5 seconds. (There’s a 99% chance your toddler has just stuck their hand in the paint)

Step 3. Verbally guide your child through the instructions, letting them get creative and messy. (They will get messy because they’ve decided to just paint the table).

Step 4. Grab your Viva Paper Towels and Clorox spray so that you can clean the mess (Toddler is now painting a tree. No, not painting a tree on the paper; like, literally painting the tree….)

There may have been tears and voices raised. But now I realize it’s kinda funny. I know it is. And after my four year old and I cleaned up the mess, together, with our Viva towels and Clorox spray, I laughed. I mean, what else could I do!? I couldn’t actually be mad. He was doing what he was supposed to do — being a kid + getting messy.

And, luckily, I have saved a ton of money on the Viva towels and Clorox spray when I partner the low prices at Walmart with the Ibotta app rebate savings! So it’s definitely a double-savings win.

This time I took the kids with me to Walmart, but lately I’ve been using their convenient grocery pickup — which saves me both money AND time (which, let’s face it — is the most important thing for a busy mom!).

At the end of the day, I have a happy kid, a (sorta) craft, and a freshly-cleaned table. What else can a mom ask for!? (hint: more sleep).

So tell me — what’s your biggest “Pinterest fail” and how did you clean it up!? 

 

STEM Learning with Snapology // WIN a LEGO® brick set

by 34 Comments

STEM learning, or the concept of education based in science, technology, engineering, and math, is something I think about frequently as a mom of a 4 year old. See, I understand the importance of engaging Ari in learning from an early age with things that interest him. Heck, I’ve had him enrolled in building classes at Home Depot every single month for the last two years!

I was lucky enough to know that Ari was receiving STEM education while in preschool this year and I noticed huge improvements with his imagination and comprehension! And while Ari is out of preschool this Summer, we’re going to do all of the learning and exploring that we can! So when I found out that we have a local Snapology franchise in Kent, I was totally on board to check them out!

Snapology has made it their mission to help children reach their full potential when it comes to imagination. They offer camps, workshops, field trips, playdates, and even birthday parties for kids 3 and up! Between game design, stop animation, and kinder robotics, I’m anticipating a busy STEM Summer!

I’m absolutely down for anything that involves learning and fun, and totally interested in hosting Ari’s 5th birthday party here in October! For real – a LEGO Star Wars or Ninjago birthday party!? These boys would eat it up!!

And while I encourage you to check out a local Snapology franchise near you, I also highly encourage you to enter to win a LEGO® brick set of the Snapology Mascot Sebastian Gator!

Use the rafflecopter widget below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

 

This giveaway is a partnership with Nakturnal. As always all opinions herein are my own. 

5 Ways To Get Your Baby To Eat Healthier //

by 34 Comments

Before I get started, let’s clear the air. Just say it with me: “Feeding tiny humans is ROUGH!” Before having kids, all of us (yep, ALL of us!) were all “Oh, I will never let my kids eat that!” Guys. If you don’t have children, never ever make the mistake of saying that!

See, I had grand plans of baby-led weaning and an all-organic, non-GMO diet. But? Life happens. And? We’re all human. Life isn’t all organic, free-range, child-rearing. Trust me… I learned the hard way! 😛

But I did pick up some tricks on how to get my babies to eat healthier. And so here they are:

1. Add powder vitamins and probiotics directly to their baby food! Our babies often need a little ‘boost‘ to their tiny immune systems. I don’t know about your baby, but mine isn’t great about taking those liquid drops. So I just mix in powdered infant vitamins and probiotics! PS. Did you know that if your baby is on any antibiotic they should be given probiotics, just like adults?! As a mom of a newborn that had several UTIs, it’s super important to keep their ‘healthy bacteria,’ well, healthy!

2. Utilize kitchen gadgets like a blender and pressure cooker. If you don’t have an electric pressure cooker, go get one ASAP. It’s not just for baby food! It allows you to cut your cooking time down to just minutes — which means quick, healthy meals for the whole family!

3. Don’t be afraid to make mealtime easier with pouches. Ditch those jars and use a Gerber pouch with a Smart Flow™ spout! The Smart Flow™ spout makes it easy for toddlers to control the mess! It’s great for hand-eye coordination and teaching them how to feed themselves! Bonus? Hands-free feeding means more time for yourself! Hahahaha! Just kidding. More time for other things you need to be doing! 😛

We picked up a few of our favorite flavors — apple mango strawberry, banana blueberry, and apple sweet potato! The smart flow spout helps turn our pouch FAILs into a pouch WIN!

4. Try, try, again. Babies are fickle little creatures. One day they love bananas. The next day? Bananas are the worst! WORST! Seriously. So if your baby scoffs at bananas? Try, try, again.

5. Relax. Your baby will not starve. I promise! They will eat when they are hungry. They will fuss at foods they don’t like; they will throw food they ate yesterday onto the floor; they will scream at you until they give you a different banana; but they will not starve. So give them — and yourself! — grace and patience. Take a deep breath, Mama. You’ve got this! 😉

See this drama? It lasted for, like, 2 minutes before she decided she really did like food still. Crisis averted! So just give it grace! Give yourself grace, Mama! xo