Mission: Toddler Beach Packing List

I have been so good about blogging on a consistent basis so far and now I am getting off track! Things get so hard when you have a toddler and are in your 3rd trimester!
We are so excited to be getting ready for our annual beach trip. We didn't get to go last summer since Charlotte was born at the beginning on June. There wasn't really any time to go beforehand and she was just too young the rest of the summer.
I have a great packing list that I have used for Jason and I for the past few years. I keep it on Google Docs so that I can refer back to it no matter where I am and also update it as needed each year. It's a really great list since it's basically been a work in progress for the last 5 years. This year I added an entire new sheet for Charlotte's items. I will probably still think of items to add, especially after we go and come back and I realize what I was missing!

Most of the items are self-explanatory but I'll go through a few of them.

Kitchen Items
Thank goodness we don't have to take bottles and formula! (That will happen next year though!)
- Cups: We have a separate kind of cup that she uses for milk, hence the two different kinds of cups.
- "Cold freezer things" are so we can take milk and fruit out with us.
- Bottle drying rack: We still use this daily at home to dry her milk cups. I just thought I would really miss it if we didn't have it.

Recreational Items
- Float: She has a great float for the pool that allows her to get out of the sun for a bit and gives our arms a rest from holding her in the pool. It's the Swimways Baby Spring Float Activity Center with Canopy.
- Beach bag: We have a giant beach bag that we use but I have a smaller bag for her that goes inside ours. It keeps her sunscreen, snacks, toys, water shoes, etc. separate and easy to find.
- Beach tent: I have heard from so many other parents that this is a complete must for babies/toddlers/kids at the beach. We even had one when I was little although I don't think it's as nice as the one that we recently purchased. I researched the heck out of these things before we settled on the Coleman Instant RoadTrip Beach Shade. It pops up, kind of like an umbrella, and is therefore set up in a little less than a minute, not including staking it down. It has pockets on the sides for sand to help weigh it down even more. I'll do a more thorough product review of this once we are back but we are really excited about using it.
- Inflatable wading pool: I always remember having one of these at the beach when I was younger... Mostly for my younger brother. He could not stand having sand on himself. So my parents set up this little pool under our beach tent and he could just dip himself in it to rinse off. Also, it will allow little ones to play in the water while being on the beach without having to actually be in the ocean.

Toiletries
- Bath mat and Spout cover: She gets so crazy active in the bathtub now that we feel it is necessary to bring these items!

Clothes
I feel like all of this is pretty obvious!

Technology Items
- DVDs are listed because we have a DVD player in our car and will probably let her watch a couple on the way down.
- Baby monitor: We love our video monitor. It makes it so easy just to see what she's doing in the middle of the night if she makes a noise without having to go in the room and disturb her so we definitely want to have it with us.

Medicine
I really think you should never go on any trips without any of these items.

Toys
- Books: We read 3-4 books a day and especially before bed so these are a must! We'll probably make a trip to the library a couple of days before we leave to pick up some new ones.
- Sand toys: We purchased the Spielstabil Backpack Sand Play Set after I read many glowing reviews of the product. Again, this is another product that I will review myself here once we are home. So far, she has loved wearing the backpack around the house. I haven't let her play with it too much so it will still be new and fun on the beach.
- Car toys: We have been slowly gathering new toys over the past month and setting them aside in a bag for the car. I plan on having enough to pull out something new every 30 minutes if needed. And we, hopefully, won't even need that many since she should nap at least part of the way so we should have enough to get us there and back happily!
- Regular toys: I have also been pulling some of her current toys away for the past month so that when we get down there they will be kind of like "new" toys. I'm not taking a lot just enough to give her a few things to do inside every once in a while.
- Bath toys: Rubber ducks, water squirters, Munchkin Star Fountain (which she loves!)... Just enough to keep her busy while we bathe her and wash her hair. 

Miscellaneous Items
- Stain remover: I'll be upset if we get something on one of my favorite outfits for her and have nothing to treat the stain with! And the Dreft stain remover is amazing. I even use it on my own clothes it works so well.
- Sleep sack: She still wears one at night just to keep her covered in a light blanket. It also helps to prevent her from crawling out of her crib.
- Pack N Play mattress: I couldn't stand the thought of her having to sleep on that hard board at the bottom of the pack n play every day and night for over a week so we bought a fabulous Foldable Playard Mattress Topper from MamaDoo Kids. It makes the pack n play so soft and comfy for sleeping and I love the fact that it folds up. It is also made to fit many different brands of playards.
- Pack N Play sheets: I also purchased the Everlasting Playard Sheet from MamaDoo Kids. The standard sheets would have worked but were just slightly too small and therefore kind of difficult to change. The sheet is great and very soft and it has elastic at the corners so very easy to slip on and off.
- Night light: I'm going to bring her night light that is always in her room just as a familiar source of light.
- Strollers: We are considering taking our larger stroller and also our umbrella stroller but that might change after we start packing the car! I'll update on this!

I'll definitely be adding/taking away from this list when we get back. We are so excited to get packing! 

Mission: Charlotte's 14-Month Schedule

We have recently made a huge transition within our 4-hour schedule with Charlotte... We dropped the morning nap! I kept noticing that she wouldn't really sleep while she was upstairs in the morning, she would just play quietly in her crib or just kind of sit there. At her babysitter's house, it was the opposite... She would take her long nap in the morning (2 hours) and then just take a short nap (1 hour) in the afternoon which made her really "pleasant" to be around in the early evening! So I decided she was ready and showing the signs and we have officially dropped the nap.
I have mixed feelings about this and it's kind of bittersweet. On the plus side, it really frees up my mornings for errands and other things but at the same time I don't get that little bit of down time that I used to have! But she will sleep for about 3 hours in the afternoon now so I have an extra long time during that period.
Here is a sample of her current schedule (weekends included as they are slightly different in incorporate Gymboree and church). The reason she gets up a little bit later on Saturday mornings is to just help her make it through her Gymboree class... She starts to kind of lose it towards the end because she is so active and gets tired a little faster. We will probably try to adjust this as she gets a little older or just leave it until she enters the Level 4 class which starts about an hour before her current Level 3 class. I have also included an as needed nap in the morning part of the schedule just in case she is having a rough morning but so far we have not needed this.

Charlotte’s Schedule (14 months old)

Monday – Friday Schedule

7:30am: Wake up

7:45am: Breakfast (4oz. milk)

*10:00am – 11:00am: Nap, if needed

11:45pm: Lunch (4oz. milk)

1:00pm: Nap begins

4:00pm: Wake up

4:15pm: Snack (4oz. milk)

6:45pm: Dinner (4oz. milk)

7:30pm: Bath, brush teeth, story time

7:45pm: Bedtime

Saturday Schedule

8:00am: Wake up

8:15am: Breakfast (4oz. milk)

*9:30am – 10:30am: Nap, if needed

10:40am: Leave for Gymboree

11:10am – 11:55pm: Gymboree class

12:30pm: Lunch (4oz. milk)

1:30pm: Nap begins

4:00pm: Wake up

4:15pm: Snack (4oz. milk)

6:45pm: Dinner (4oz. milk)

7:30pm: Bath, brush teeth, story time

7:45pm: Bedtime

Sunday Schedule

7:30am: Wake up

7:45am: Breakfast (4oz. milk)

8:20am: Leave for church

9:00am – 10:30am: Church

12:00pm: Lunch (4oz. milk)

1:00pm: Nap begins

4:00pm: Wake up

4:15pm: Snack (4oz. milk)

6:45pm: Dinner (4oz. milk)

7:30pm: Bath, brush teeth, story time

7:45pm: Bedtime

Mission: Make Ahead Freezer Meals

When I was pregnant with Charlotte I had every intention of making ahead several freezer meals for Jason and I to eat after she was born... That never happened! Luckily, we had so many friends and neighbors bring dinner to us that we were able to freeze a lot of those and they lasted for several weeks. (I think we had at least 5 lasagnas... One of the reasons I will never take that to new parents!) Another thing to factor into this is that I was having full blown gallbladder attacks at this point and could only eat Saltine crackers and Nilla Wafers. Every now and then I'd splurge and have a reduced fat Fig Newton. I basically had to cut everything out of my diet that contained more than 3g of fat per serving and even then, no guarantees that it wouldn't trigger an attack. So because of that I really didn't eat much but at least Jason benefited from the meals!
It's totally different this time... I don't have a gallbladder any more and we also have another mouth to feed! (I can't see us trying to give Charlotte Ramen noodles!) So I am going to get it together and start getting my make ahead freezer meals in order. I have about 16 weeks left so I figured if I start now then I can make one extra meal to freeze every two weeks or so (more if I'm feeling ambitious) and then I'll have about 8-10 by the time the baby gets here.

I'm going to use the "mold technique" because our freezer is not that large and is pretty packed as it is. Basically, I will make a casserole and divide it in half into two 8x8 dishes instead of one 13x9 (unless it's already meant to be in an 8x8). I'll line the bottoms of the 8x8 dishes with wax paper and plastic wrap (I would use foil but I'm afraid it might stick and tear) and then cover them and stick them in the freezer until they are frozen through. Then I'll pop them out and remove the wax paper and plastic wrap and stick them into two Ziploc freezer bags, removing as much air as possible. I wanted to get one of those Foodsaver machines but Jason said no! LOL! The reason for dividing them in half is so we only have to defrost and cook what we will be eating that night so things don't have to be reheated more than once. Also, I have more space for 8x8 squares than 13x9 rectangles in my freezer.
Since they will be in the "mold" of an 8x8 dish, once they are taken out of the freezer they can simply be placed back in the glass 8x8 dish to be reheated in the oven.

This is my list that I'm going to go by of what meals to prepare ahead over the next few months. Most of these will go in the freezer unbaked.
White Chicken Lasagna
Three Cheese Baked Spaghetti
Burritos with beans, rice, cheese and beef filling (individually wrapped in foil, then sealed in a bag)
Spinach Rice Casserole (good side dish for baked chicken)
Easy Lasagna
Old Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie  (I'll make the filling only and then thaw the day before I use it)
Beef Chili with Beans
Award Winning White Chili
Taco Soup
Enchilada Casserole (I need to post that recipe to my BigOven page and then link it here)

I'll have to plan an update post after we have thawed and eaten these meals so I can remember if they froze well or not!

Mission: Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole

This chicken casserole was really enjoyed by both Jason and Charlotte and I have already received requests to make it again soon!

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole
 4 boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts, cubed
4 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can broccoli and cheese soup
1 cup Velveeta cheese, cubed
2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
2 cups broccoli, cooked

Preheat oven to 350.
Saute chicken pieces in a large skillet with your choice of seasonings (I used a garlic and wine seasoning).
Mix together cream of celery, cream of chicken and broccoli and cheese soups in a large mixing bowl. Add in the chicken and broccoli.
Layer cooked rice at the bottom of a 13x9 casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheese cubes on top of the rice layer.
Spoon soup, chicken and broccoli mixture evenly onto the rice layer. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar on top.
Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and browned, approximately 45 minutes. Cover with tin foil if it begins to get too brown on top too quickly.

Mission: Gymboree!

Charlotte had her first Gymboree class this past Saturday and it was wonderful! She really enjoyed herself and participated in all of the activities and I was really impressed with the quality of the program. We went ahead and enrolled her (this first class was a free trial) and she'll start going weekly now. It is a little pricey, in my opinion, but after attending one of the classes I do think it is well worth it. I signed up during a period where they waive the $40 one-time enrollment fee and give you $10 off your first month so our first month will only be $59 instead of the normal $69 and we'll never have to pay that enrollment fee since when you join it's a "lifetime" membership. That includes one class per week and, I think, one Open Gym time per week. Also, you have the option to upgrade to a premium membership which is a one-time fee of $59. That gives you two classes per week, unlimited Open Gym time and your monthly rate drops to $59 per month instead of $69. I think we will probably go ahead and upgrade to this when we go back this coming Saturday. Even if we don't attend the two classes per week, it will still lower our monthly payments and that will pay for itself within 6 months. So, all in all, a little pricey but worth it and they also offer some incentives which helps.
One negative is that it does seem to be geared more towards stay at home moms since most of the classes fall during the week, mornings and afternoons, not a lot of evenings. But they do offer some evening Open Gym times and a Family Play & Learn class one evening of the week that we'll have to check out. But they do offer a few weekend options, just not as many.

Charlotte is in the Play & Learn 3 class (10 months - 16 months). The description for this group is: "Explore two-way communication with your child. Play environments encourage discovery, balance and coordination as parents learn to understand how their infant interacts and communicates with them and the world."
 The class is about 45 minutes long and is divided up into little sets of activities and there is always a theme for each week. This past Saturday our theme was "Big & Little" and was all about distinguishing between things that were small and large. The instructor emphasized how important it was to keep reminding the kids that things they were doing were big and little even if you think they aren't really comprehending because they are learning anyway, even if it doesn't seem that way to you, the parent.
The first activity was basically like a free play but with explaining to them how things around the room were big and little. For instance, there was a large slide and a smaller slide, a large bee puppet and a small one, etc.

If you look at the left side of the above picture you can kind of see the big slide next to a smaller one. Charlotte loved the slides in particular and kept insisting on going up each of them backwards.

One of the structured activities that came next was bouncing big and little. They have a large inflatable kind of thing that we sat the toddlers on and sang a song while we bounced them big and then little. We would sing louder when they were bouncing higher as another reference that one was greater than the other. Charlotte enjoyed this and wanted to do it twice in a row!

After that they did the Signature Activity for the Level 3 group which was to all line up behind the big inflatable thing and push it together across the mat and then back again. Charlotte kept stopping to clap... She was loving it!
I didn't get too many other pictures since I wanted to participate in the class with her too and not let Jason have all the fun!
Some of the other activities were to sit in a circle around the mat and blow bubbles while singing a bubble song. We got the huge parachute out and they all got under it while the parents raised it up and down. Then they got to sit on the parachute with Gymbo the Clown (a 36" plush clown that is actually pretty cute) while we pulled them around in a circle.
She had a really amazing time and we can't wait to go again this Saturday!

Mission: Beef Penne Pasta Casserole

This is a great family casserole because both Jason and I love it and Charlotte loves it as well! I just cut up her penne noodles into halves or thirds so it's easier for her to eat. It has been a huge hit!

Beef Penne Pasta Casserole
1 lb. penne pasta, cooked and drained
8 oz. lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
12 oz. tomato paste
2 cups water
1/3 cup red wine or water
1 Tbsp. instant beef bouillon
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Saute ground beef and onion in large saucepan, stirring occasionally, until beef is no longer pink.
Add water, tomato paste, wine and bouillon; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes or until flavors are blended.
Layer ingredients as follows in an ungreased 13x9-inch baking dish: 1/2 pasta, 1/2 sauce and 1/2 cheese. Repeat layers and cover. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Mission: Organic Milk

We decided when Charlotte turned one that it would be worth the money for us to give her organic milk. I did a considerable amount of research into this subject and really think it will be worth it. Besides, we were already spending $35 a week on formula so milk that is $2-$3 more dollars per gallon is still better than that!

According to Karen Collins, R.D. from MSNBC, milk that is labeled "USDA Organic" must come from cows that have not been treated with bovine growth hormone (BGV) to increase milk production. A second important characteristic of organic milk is that the cows are not treated with antibiotics. The third requirement is is that the cows' feed is grown without pesticides. Some recent USDA reports have shown that nonorganic milk may contain low levels of certain pesticides. And the final requirement is that the cows must be given access to pasture. Some suggest that pasture-fed cows may produce milk that contains more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a special type of fat that may protect against cancer and other health problems.

The laws governing organic food production are the strictest in our nation, states Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D. in her online article "Wake Up America! Benefits of Organic Milk Go Beyond Nutrition". She goes on to list all of the reasons that organic milk is far superior to nonorganic. It's a great article so check it out if you are interested in learning more.

After reading all of this convincing research on why to go organic, I was convinced. But then I started thinking... Are all organic brands created equal? Surely one must be superior over the others? So I started digging into that and found this survey that is done, and continuously updated, by the Cornucopia Institute: Organic Dairy Report.
Turns out that the brand we had been buying, Horizon, gets a 0 Cow Rating, which is the worst! Yikes! Our second go-to brand, Publix Greenwise, received a 2 Cow Rating, which is labeled as "good but questionable long-term commitment to organics". There has to be some better options out there!

There are three options that I have found using the Cornucopia Report that we will be trying over the next few weeks. I am going to update this post each time I purchase one of these options so I can get an adequate price comparison. Right now we are going through about a gallon a week of the Publix Greenwise brand ($5.00 for 1 gallon). The three brands I want to try all received a 4 Cow Rating (there are no 5 Cow Rating brands available that I can find) so they are comparable in quality but I do want to see how the prices/availability measure up to each other. The brands are:

1. Organic Valley ($4.29 for 1/2 gallon at Publix, $4.98 for 1/2 gallon at Ingles)
2. Ingles store brand, Harvest Farms ($3.57 for 1/2 gallon)
3. Whole Foods store brand, 365 Organic

According to their website, Organic Valley is sold at our local Publix store so it would obviously be the most convenient and will hopefully be the least expensive. I am not holding my breath though since I think it is only available in the half gallon size.
I work pretty close to an Ingles so I'll be running by there after work to get a gallon to test at some point.
Whole Foods is going to be the hardest to get to (so hopefully it won't be the cheapest!) and Jason would have to make a special trip over there every week on his way home from work.
I am hoping that Organic Valley is the winner because, after combing through their website, I am really impressed with their co-op of farmers. It even has a page introducing you to your local dairy farmers by region. Meet the Southeast farmers here.

I'll update each time we purchase one of these brands so we can locate the best milk for the best price!