Mama Loves...The Return of Puzzle Mania!

The girls got their first puzzle -- a big, chunky wooden one -- for their first birthday.  In some form or fashion, they've been playing with puzzles ever since.

We definitely go through stages...

There have been times when puzzles seem as second-nature as books.  The girls were putting together multiple puzzles in the course of a day.  Sometimes they'd work alone, sometimes together, and sometimes all three of us would gather over the scattered pieces.  With some of the more simple puzzles, we might take turns putting a piece in, or vow to work from the top row to the bottom, just to make things a little more challenging.

It seems we've been in a puzzle lull lately, though.  The girls would occasionally agree to a puzzle challenge, but it was rarely an activity they initiated themselves.

Over the past couple of days, though, puzzle mania is back in play at our house!

After a mid-afternoon family yogurt date on Monday (a reward for a great nap!), we walked next door to the Parent-Teacher Store.  Hubby spied something he's been looking for...a puzzle board!

The majority of our play still happens on the floor of the den, and that's not always conducive to putting together puzzles, especially the cheaper ones.  (I do love to shop for puzzles at the dollar store...you can't beat the price!)

We've loosely been shopping for a puzzle board for a long time, to no avail.  Even online searches tend to point towards roll-up canvases, on which you can store a puzzle that is in progress.  And that's not what we need.

The object of Hubby's affection was a flat acrylic board on the counter of the store.  The lady behind the counter told him it was actually a puzzle "keeper", intended to top a puzzle so you could enjoy it after it was put together.

I cannot find a link to it online for some reason, but it's the Melissa and Doug brand, and was a very reasonable $9.95!

Here's a picture of Baby A this morning, having completed a 60-piece USA map puzzle, all by herself!

The pieces don't fit together super well on this puzzle, so to date it's been one that we've only managed to complete together.  My A was so proud of her accomplishment, and so was I!

And I might just be looking forward to the reintroduction of quiet puzzle play to our everyday.  :)

Mama Loves...Scissors!!!

Hmmm...didn't really expect those words to come out of this mama's mouth, did ya?

Of course I love scissors.  I might have an entire box of different scrapbooking scissors that make my heart flutter with delight.

But I thought it would be at least another five years before I braved the girls having scissors.  (Surely I could trust an eight-year old with kindergarten scissors, right???)

That was until I discovered these amazing gems (thanks to Rebecca!) from Melissa & Doug.

The girls got these in their stockings this past Christmas, when they were just shy of three years old.  It took several rounds of practice, but they got the hang of cutting within a few weeks.

And while we're still working on cutting out shapes, the girls love to practice cutting paper into strips.

And here's B, "helping" me clip coupons while her sister took an extended nap this week.  She was really just practicing with the pages I'd already gone through, but she felt like such a big kid, sitting at the table, "working" beside Mommy.

These scissors are amazing.  They are very blunt...I tried cutting my finger and my hair, just to test, but no blood was drawn, and no locks were lost.  (The things we do for our kids, right?!)  Yet the scissors still do a pretty fair job of cutting paper. 

Each pack comes with two pairs of scissors, a straight edge, and a zigzag.  The girls learned to cut using the straight edge, but even the zigzag has been easy for them to use.

Before I know it, the girls are going to be scrapbooking in earnest, wavy scissors and all!

I'm linking up with Julia at Pontifications of a Twin Mom, for her series, "Mama Loves".  Stop by to check out what other mamas are loving!

Mama Loves...Bundling Up!

I've had a lot of fun over the past couple of months, checking out Julia's "Mama Loves" link-up at Pontifications of a Twin Mom. It's great to see tried and true reviews by real mamas, on real gear, books, toys, songs, and games.

As I think about the baby items that have truly stood the test of time at our house, ones I wouldn't have wanted to live without, I can't help but beam about our carrier / stroller blankets.

Before the girls were born, I found the Bundle Me covers for the girls' carriers. They came home from the hospital in these in January, and I don't think I took them off their carriers until late spring.

Here's a picture of the girls at about 10 weeks old, ready for our very first walk!


Bundle Me comes in various sizes and thicknesses. Since we live in a more moderate climate, I bought the Bundle Me Lite.

If it was cold, I could stuff a blanket down in the bottom and zip the girls up (kind of like a sleeping bag). If it was warmer, I could leave the girls in a sleep-and-play and just cover their legs.

We continued to use the Bundle Me with the girls' carriers through their first birthday.

When we invested in a jogging stroller when the girls were nine months old, one of our first purchases was a Bundle Me for it. I again bought a Lite thickness, in an extra large size (knowing the girls can use it for a long time to come).

Here's a picture of the girls on Thanksgiving weekend last year, just shy of two years old. (The Bundle Me was old news, but the mittens were quite the novelty!)


All in all, we've had a pretty warm fall. That, coupled with how often our girls walk hand-in-hand with us (not in the stroller), we've only had our Bundle Me in our stroller for a week or so. I have yet to snap any photos this year...but I'm sure I will soon.

Here's to many more walks with my sweet girlies...cozy and comfy in even the coolest of weather!