Recommendations!

I haven't done this in forever, but I'm slightly obsessed with a few items lately and thought I'd share.  As usual, it's almost all Trader Joes!

(1) Broccoli Slaw Kale Salad from Trader Joes- oh my gosh- best.salad.ever.  It is NOT the lowest calorie because of the [absolutely delicious] dressing, but it's still healthy and my absolute favorite salad right now!

(2) Marcona almonds with rosemary from Trader Joes.  These are expensive ($6.99 for that tiny bag!), but so good.  They have these at Whole Foods and other stores, but I rarely go to WF so I was excited to see them at TJs.

(3) Iberico cheese from Trader Joes.  I've never even bought it, but they were sampling it, and I loved it!  So did the kids.  I will definitely buy this the next time we have friends over.

(4) Caprese salad from Costco.  This comes in a pack of two, and I really love it.  Mostly because of the dressing- it's just a balsamic vinaigrette, but it taste like they used balsamic glaze- yummy!

(5) This.  We were at a friend's house, and she grilled baguette pieces with olive oil and garlic on them.  Then she had a spread of ricotta, lemon pepper, salt and basil.  Then a bowl of heirloom tomatoes with olive oil.  I could NOT get enough.  I have a hard time eating breakfast so I thought this might incentivize me to eat it- it's not much different from cottage cheese with tomatoes, right?  My version is not as tasty because I use gluten free bread toasted with a bit of olive oil and garlic instead of delicious french bread, but it's still pretty yummy.  I've been eating it every morning! [I get TJs whole milk ricotta and TJs little heirloom tomatoes].

(6) This Bootcamp Calorie Burn workout video.  I really love it!  It's a good workout, but it's only 32 minutes so you can do it real quick in the morning.  I like the guy that teaches it too.  I'm not a huge fan of videos so it's great when I find one I like! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtYgmDEddug

Recommendations & Parent/Teacher Conference

We had Ella's parent/teacher conference yesterday (yes, they do those for 2 year olds!).  It went great.  Her teacher said they absolutely love her, and they would love if she would start going full time so they could have her more (I almost said that if they will let her go the rest of the days for free, we have a deal!).  The word they used to describe her is "friendly" and said she has no problem making friends. :)  She is very on track for a 2 year old, and apparently does lots of stuff at school that we didn't know she could do!  We asked about pushing, and she said she has seen her push or pull hair (huh?  I've never seen her do that!), but that she doesn't really do it anymore, which is what I've noticed as well (thank God the pushing phase seems to be ending).  Honestly, the best thing I heard was that they love her, because really, at two, what more can you ask for then sending your baby somewhere that she is loved? 

I forgot to add that her teacher said she is VERY into the art projects and singing/dancing, but not so much into the science projects...hmm...I wonder if we have a little actress/artist on our hands as opposed to a doctor? ;)

This is how she organized her babies.  And no, she is not wearing pants.  

The kid is not fond of wearing pants in the house.  What can you do?

I've compiled another list of recommendations.  First, some food loves...

(1) Movie Theater Popcorn from Trader Joes.  So salty and delicious.

(2) S'mores ice cream sandwiches from Trader Joes.  They are actually evil.  But sooooooo good.

(3) Ultra Chocolate ice cream from Trader Joes.  Ok, I don't even like chocolate ice cream.  Not even a little.  But for some reason it sounded good one day, and now I'm addicted.  Try this.  Even if you hate chocolate ice cream.  It's so delicious.  And it has the perfect consistency.  Not the nasty whipped texture that Dryers has now.

(4) Trader Joes Corn Pasta.  For those gluten free-ers out there (which we are here when it comes to pasta since Gary refuses to eat regular pasta), it's a thousand times better than the brown rice pasta.  Not only does it taste better (and basically just like regular pasta), but it holds up well in baked pasta dishes unlike brown rice pasta, which gets mooshy.

And now, the three best toys we've purchased to date.  Meaning Ella plays with them often, and every single child that comes to our house plays with them as well.

(1) Kidkraft retro kitchen and refrigerator.

(2) Step 2 Neat & Tidy Cottage.  Not only is this one of the cutest (plastic) playhouses out there, it's the perfect size.  Not very big, but big enough for the kids to comfortably play.  It has a working doorbell and phone, shutters that open and close and a floor (some playhouses don't have floors).  There are tons of choices of playhouses, and I definitely recommend this one- cute, good price, perfect size.

(3) Pink Circo (Target brand) shopping cart.  Ella loves this thing!  More than all her doll strollers and other push toys.  It's nice too because it's cute and small.

Recommended Toys...Ages 0-12 Months

These are the toys Ella has loved throughout her first year...


First, the BEST $50 we ever spent was on the Baby Einstein Exersaucer by Graco (we still put her in this while we are showering).









Sassy Big and Small Chime Balls

Sassy Look Photo Book







Freddy the Firefly (by Lamaze)











 Winkel Teether (by Manhattan Baby)









 Sensory Balls

Little Tikes Wide Tracker Activity Walker (don't waste money on an expensive one- she loved this!)





Basically anything she can push and/or sit on, but especially these...

Little Tikes My First Cozy Coupe Walker Ride On

Disney Princess Ride-On









She LOVES this, and much prefers it over her stroller now...
Step 2 Whisper Ride Buggy (she has the pink one, but I can't find it online)

All Melissa & Doug Puzzles with the big knobs

Little Tikes Swing

Stacking Cups

Bright Starts Links

Fisher Price Rock-a-Stack

Learning Curve Keys (it had to be these ones- she didn't like the fancier ones or more bulky ones)

Little Ladybug Finger Puppet Book

Baby Einstein First Words book

Three other things she loves, but I can't find pictures of are her plastic Superstar Microphone from the $2.50 bin at Target that magnifies your voice when you speak into it, and the wooden maracas and shaker with bells on it from a music set I found at Michaels.

Kids are all different so you never know what your baby will like no matter how many other people love it, but I will say the one thing I wish we did not buy is the Playskool Ball Popper...

So many people told me to get this...she does like it, but it's definitely not her favorite, and she wouldn't miss it if it was gone- we only play with it about once every 2 weeks. It is SO obnoxious and loud, as well as impractical because the balls fly everywhere so you spend the time chasing the stupid balls all over the house. Not to mention, when you have older kids over that can figure out how to push the button themselves, it's NEVER ENDING. There is no music adjustment so it just goes on and on and on very loudly.