Panzerotti Tuesday

We finally tried the Panzerottis from the local pizzeria here in town two weeks ago. The weather was just way to hot for cooking and we gave in and treated ourselves to these delicious Panzerottis. It worked out great because they have a Panzerotti deal on Tuesdays!!They were so good and loaded with cheese and our favourite toppings!

Hope everyone enjoys their week!

HAPPY MONDAY!!!

Camping With A Toddler

 

Some may think we are nuts and others may think we are adventurous camping with a toddler, especially when everything around you could be considered a hazard. I think it's a bit of both and that is why it is important to plan ahead and bring items that will keep the little one occupied when they decide they are tired of exploring their new environment. I wanted to make note of the things that kept Hugo busy during our last camping trip in case I forget for next time.

His sand toys ...
 

 

He played with these a lot and his truck ...

 

He really enjoyed loading the truck up with all the different rocks and acorns he collected and then he drove the truck around. We collected different sizes, shapes, colours and textures. We used it as a sorting and sensory activity.

 

Bubbles and Exploring the surroundings.
 

 

Writing in the dirt/ sand - we found some sticks and wrote and drew in the dirt but I did not snap a photo of this. We practiced our ABC's and shapes.  It entertained the Lil Man for a bit and then I pulled out the crayons, colouring book and  blank paper ...

We also brought some books to read for story time. I realized Hugo needs some camping books to bring with him for story time though during our camping adventures. I might just have to order a couple from Chapters - the following one for sure

click on picture for source.

Or I will just have to remember to grab it from Chapters the next time I'm in Barrie!  

These books look great too ...

click on picture for source.

 

click on picture for source.

 

click on picture for source.

 

We went on a couple walks all four of us together. While I was doing the dishes one of the times Byron took Hugo on a bike ride. We were going to do that all together, but ran out of time.

 

It worked out great while I was doing the dishes because as you can see from the following picture ...

 

 

 

... he quickly discovered how much fun it is washing the dishes when you are camping. I think he enjoyed this part of camping the best.

 

The second morning Hugo managed to get a hold of Byron's empty coffee mug and he thought it was a great toy ...

 

For the odd time when the Lil Man just would not settle down - Byron's tablet with Thomas episodes & my iPod with a couple Fisher Price games came to the rescue for a short period of time (i.e. when we had to work on making dinner and he was a bit grouchy because he was hungry).

 

I am so glad Byron took the time and built a crib-like railing for Hugo's bed in the trailer. If you missed that post you can find it here. It made me feel much more relaxed when we put him down for a nap. Here he was waking up from his nap and looking very unimpressed when he realized he was missing out on all the fun outside.

LOL ...

Maybe next time we will go on a scavenger hunt also, we shall see! What do you find your toddlers like doing when they are camping?

It is adventures like these that create wonderful moments and memories for us to cherish  forever!

HAPPY TUESDAY!

30/52 - The Beach

This past Sunday we attended an engagement party at the world's largest freshwater beach. We had a lovely time. The Lil Man really enjoyed himself. He enjoyed checking everything out ...

 

 

And of course he loved playing in the sand!

 



 

 

 

Garden Update

It's been a while since we have done a garden update post, so I figured it was time for one. For some reason this year we have A LOT of weeds coming up in the garden. With all the rain we received from Mother Nature last week this is what the garden looked like

 

 

CRAZY WEEDS EVERYWHERE ... 

 

Everything in the garden grew a lot especially the weeds. It was crazy!! To be honest I did not know what end to start at with the weeding, but I was bound and determined to get rid of all the weeds and somehow I succeeded ...

 

The veggies are starting to really grow and do well. We picked our first snow peas last week. Earlier this week I was out super early before the Lil Man woke up and before it really heated up outside and picked some purple beans (these guys taste amazing)! I was really surprised when I went out and noticed that they were ready to be picked. Our potatoes and cucumber plants are also doing really well! We have a couple peppers on our tiny pepper plants which we thought we had lost at the beginning of June from all the cold weather we kept getting.  Our tomato plants were struggling, but they are starting to look ok with the beautiful weather we have been getting. I spotted 3 tomatoes so far {which makes me so happy}. This year I planted our cherry tomatoes in a pot and they are not doing the greatest. Something seems to be eating them {insert disappointed sad face}. I do not think I will do that next year.

 

 

29/52 Never to Busy to Say Cheese for Madrinha

Hugo has been a busy Lil Man lately ...

Photo taken by Hugo's Godmother

He wasn't too busy to take a little break to say "Cheese" for his Madrinha though! He really enjoyed his visit with her!!

Photo taken by Hugo's Godmother

 Looks like it will be another hot day. Just came in from putting the laundry on the line and grabbing some veggies from the garden and I am already sweating!! Hope everyone is enjoying this summer heat!

 

Happy Tuesday!!

Spider hot dogs + S'mores + Jiffy Pop = Camp Fire Snacks {Part 3 }

One of the things I like best about camping is sitting around the fire and enjoying all the tasty camping treats. Our top picks are ...

Roasting Marshmallows

And Spider Hot dogs (even the Lil Man enjoyed his first taste of Spider Hot dogs)...
 

 

Roxy was being her usual shelf begging for food ... 

 

...and she ended up with a splatter of ketchup on her ear {silly dog}. Shortly after this photo was taken, Roxy was really tired and insisted on her own chair to sleep on (next camping trip we must remember to pack an extra chair for her).

 

When I was out grabbing all the items for our camping trip I found some mini Rolo chocolates and decided to grab them to make some of these ...

Rolo S'mores. They were really good.

This camping trip I had Jiffy Pop for the first time! It's not bad but I rather stick to having popcorn at home. It was quite pricey for a package of Jiffy Pop (over $3.00), but it was interesting watching how it is prepared over the fire.

 

 

There was one other snack we did not get around to making this past camping trip, hopefully we will be able to make it during our next trip at the end of the month. 

 

Do you have a specially camping treat/ snack you always make on your camping adventures? If so, please share in the comments section!

 

 

STORY TIME

One thing Hugo loves are his books and story time.

 

At our baby shower, [hard to believe that it took place two years ago today], guests were asked to bring a book in lieu of a card if they wished. It was such a great idea and I would highly recommend it. This was the invite insert ...

 

Hugo received a wonderful assortment of books that we will treasure for years to come. Roxy was trying to decide which one was her favourite. (Before Hugo was born she would sit and pose for the camera every time I took photos in Hugo's room).

 

Story time is so much more fun when there is a wonderful selection of books to pick from.

 

 

It is always so nice when we open a book for story time and find out who it was from -- guests were asked to write their names on the inside page! Some guests even wrote a little message.

 

 

This is one of his favourite books. His favourite part of the story is "Clang, Clang ..."

 

 

Over the past twenty months Hugo has received more books. I think he gets them throughout the year, which he loves.  He received some of these for his Birthday, Christmas & just because he's awesome ... 

 

 

 

 

 

When he was first born my cousin gave me a "What to Expect the First Year" book, but since I already had that book I exchanged it for this "B is for Bear" Touch & Feel ABC book. Hugo has enjoyed this book since he was able to sit up on his own and he still loves it!!

 

 

If you need a book for a little one, I highly recommend this one! As far as I know you can still purchase it at Indigo.ca. If you click on the photo it will take you directly to the page.

There are so many different styles of kids books out there. Hugo has a couple neat ones, but if I went on about them all I would be here forever (maybe one day I will do another post). This is the latest book Hugo received . His Oma & Opa brought it back from their trip to Ottawa in the Spring. As you move the page from left to right, the animal appears to be moving. It's kind of hard to photograph it, but it is super neat watching the horse gallop as you move the pages.

Do you have a favourite children's book?