A to Z Challenge: Eclectic Music

Eclectic music is not something I usually have been known for. For the most part, my music love was inspired by the 90s grunge/alternative rock scene and I generally gravitate toward that and classical music.

Since the kiddos have been born, my goal has been to find kid-friendly music from my favorites and then trying to branch out into other realms to find stuff that is acceptable for them too. Now of course, I have liked other artists before, such as Wyclef Jean, Lady Gaga, and a mix of other random artists, one-hit wonders or not, but I have made a concerted effort to find suitable music that isn’t too head banging and clean of bad language.

Of course there are easy go-tos, U2, R.E.M., Counting Crows, Dave Matthews Band, Aerosmith, Billy Joel, The Lumineers, Jack Johnson, OneRepublic, Barenaked Ladies, and Coldplay to name a few.

Now finding new music can be quite entertaining, and might I say, it also allows me to listen to my favorite genre to find perfectly acceptable tunes to play at home or in the car.

Might I say Foo Fighters, Incubus, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Smashing Pumpkins, The Verve, and any other band I can think of that might have a gentler side for the kids.

Then I add in some music I listened to when I was a kid; Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, The Monkees, The B-52’s, Bon Jovi, and U2 (again).

And might I also say that I love Lorde’s Pure Heroine. Much like listening to Foo Fighters and Incubus albums at work, I have played this album on repeat over and over again. It is so good!!

A to Z Challenge: Dora The Explorer

Dora, the Explorer

If there is one show our kids both love equally, it would have to be Dora. Sometimes one kid wants to watch Little Einsteins. Sometimes one wants to watch Sid, the Science Kid. Sometimes one wants to watch Elmo. Sometimes, you get the idea.

But always, they can both agree on Dora. I don’t know if it’s the music, the backpack, the repetition with the map, or just a combination of many things that make the show entertaining for them, but they love Dora.

They don’t get up and dance for this show, but I’ll make sure to post about the shows our kids do like to dance to.

A to Z Challenge: Cookies And Other Baked Goods

Cookies and other baked goods

Since Marmar was born, I have had a not-so-hidden-need for baked goods. During Meghan’s stay in the hospital, my only source of sustenance was primarily cookies, cinnamon buns, brownies, and anything else that resembled a baked good from the cafeteria. It was fantastic.

Now, 22 months later, I still hold that affinity for baked goods, especially chocolate chip cookies.

Side note: Check out Peace-A-Pizza if you come to Baltimore. Their dessert café, Babas, is amazing! The BEST chocolate chip cookies I have ever eaten.

Cookies can also be a fun way to make meals easier for the kiddos. Depending on the size of the cookie, we’ll either break it in half or quarters and put it on their plate with lunch or dinner. The results are generally positive. The kids will of course eat the cookie, many times it’s the first thing, but then they will gravitate toward the other food items including their veggies. It’s almost like it kick starts their meal with some satisfaction and the rest of their food doesn’t seem so scary. Now, if they happen to ask for more cookie before anything else, the response is always one of two things.

Either it’s, “No,” or “You have to eat the rest of your food first.”

Granted, this isn’t a perfect system, because we don’t give them cookies with every meal (haha, that’s a joke), but it seems to work for this family. We think they do a decent job at eating the healthy stuff, which is why we don’t mind giving them the other good stuff from time to time.

Cookies, it seems so simple.

"Mo."

Have I talked about my son's vocabulary recently? If not, he's getting there. He's still figuring things out, but his words are coming around. If you ask him a yes or no question, his responses are perfectly fine. For yes, he kind of hums his yes. However, when he says no, he pretends he's talking to a stooge.

We love it. It's starting to disappear a little bit, so I just wanted to share how funny and adorable it is. So perhaps before it finally goes away, I'll enjoy asking him questions where I know what the answer will be.

"Do you want to go to bed?"

"Mo."

A to Z Challenge: Breakfast For The Kiddos

Breakfast for the kiddos

Food is always a mixed bag for the kids. Each meal can present its own fun and challenges depending on how much they want to eat. Let’s discuss the importance of starting the day off right. Meghan and I know we’ll be offering fruit and veggies at lunch, dinner, or both, so we’re a little more flexible with their breakfast items. Usually, this revolves around Cheerios, eggs and toast, or muffins, mini or full-sized.

To be clear, our kids can eat all of their food on their plates, say they’re done, but continue to ask for bites from mommy and daddy until our food disappears too and then we realize it’s quite okay because we at least have coffee.

So the most important meal of the day, it usually revolves around three specific food items but will always include any other food items that momma and dada are eating; from bananas, yogurt, other cereal, oatmeal, and the occasional donut. So breakfast is never a problem when it comes to the kiddos eating. They always want it and they always eat it, unless they aren’t feeling well and their hunger does wane a bit.

So there you have it, the Lakatas’ breakfast broken down to a few primary food groups; Cheerios, eggs and toast, or muffins for the kiddos; coffee for the parents.

FYI - this only references the first breakfast. Our kids usually eat a second or third breakfast, depending on how much they eat of momma and dada's plates and how many other times they eat before lunch. Lunch, that'll be another post (maybe).