All The Toddler Things We Love

I did a post similar to this a couple years ago...things I loved as new mom for myself, and things I loved for baby Mav. I've had a few people ask what our favorite things are or what I would recommend registering for and I love that I can just point them to those two posts! But as the toys and gear have changed in this house...I thought I'd share my top ten things we can't live without right now

Babywise
I knowwww I've attempted to sell Babywise to you before, but I'm here to try it again. Maverick was not a 'by the book' Babywise child and there were many times it was so frustrating that he wouldn't just SLEEP like the book said he would by 12 weeks because I did everything right! BUT...I'm here to tell you, Mav now sleeps 11-12.5 hours every night and takes a 2-3.5 hour nap each day. I can look back on those days and thank Past Mollie for helping Future Mollie tremendously by doing the hard work so we can have happy, easy bedtimes, a schedule that runs like a well-oiled machine, and a happy, well-rested, healthy toddler. I LOVE the predictability the Babywise routine and schedule provides for our family and I will never try anything else. This was something we implemented right away and consistently for the past two years, and are now enjoying the benefits.

Crayola Triangular Crayons
Maverick has started to show some interest in drawing and coloring, especially when I'm at the table working on my Bible study or my list for the day. He sits in his high chair (yep, still in that...it's the one place I can put him where he can't escape until I'm ready to move on to the next thing) with a piece of paper taped down and plays for 20 minutes or more. He's had a lot of luck figuring these crayons out so we'll keep buying them.

Chick-Fil-A
I don't even know how to be a mom without Chick-Fil-A. I am so thankful I only spent the first month of Maverick's life without it (though, at the time, I didn't realize what a life-changing thing CFA would be) and now we have a love story that I don't see ending anytime soon. It's where we meet friends for lunch dates; where we run if we need to do breakfast on the run; and where we go for supper if Mom and Mav have had a crabby day of teething and mom just can't even with supper.

Munchkin Miracle 360 Cups
Maverick went from a bottle to drinking his water and milk from these cups and we love them. I think he might be ready for more of a water-bottle now that he's getting older...but for the past year and a half these have been our fave! Apparently they're better for toddler-mouths/teeth and I like how easy they are to clean (no gross straws!). I like this one for the pool or road trips so Mav's ice water stays colder, longer.

Chester the Raccoon
I did not think I would be the kind of parent to like stuffed animals (I spent the better part of my childhood with far too many dusty stuffed animals stored in a 'pet net' hanging from the ceiling of our bedroom...all gifted by well-meaning, loving relatives...but WHAT DO YOU EVEN DO WITH STUFFED ANIMALS. Jamie and I NEVER needed that many and we never really played with them or even slept with them. Maybe we each had a special ONE. For Maverick, that's his Chester. He calls him 'CHACHAAAA' and loves on him all day, every day. This summer Maverick has been putting Chester to bed, giving him drinks, sharing his after-nap-snack, taking him for rides on the combine, reading him books, and taking him in the car whenever we go on trips. I've limited the stuffed animal intake, and because of that, Mav has fallen more in love with what he has. I am really glad we keep a few around for him to cuddle.

Crib + Sleep Sacks + Sound Machine
More tricks from my favorite Babywise-mom-friends...Maverick is a two-year-old and is still in his crib, in a sleep sack, and listening to a sound machine at every nap and for every night. That might sound weird to some mom's but he's never once climbed out of his crib or pack and play, and finally sleeps through sirens, company, and other traffic noises at our house. There's no real reason to switch him to a twin bed or put an end to any of these parts in his bedtime routine...and he's sleeping like a champ, so why would I mess with a good thing? At this point, I'm thinking he will probably be in a crib until he's three if I can help it and I have plans to order bigger sleep sacks as well.

The Biggest Story ABC
Risen Motherhood mentioned this book in their Instagram stories the other day and I flipped right over to my Amazon app to order it without another word. It came a couple days ago and we've been reading it every night. I LOVE that it's something we can read until Mav is ready for The Jesus Storybook Bible (which we've tried but Mav lasted about 30 seconds) and it presents the Bible as one big story, instead of learning individual stories like kiddos typically do from books and movies and Sunday School.

Bath Toy Holder
You know how I feel about organization...when Mav switched to taking his bath in the real tub, the toy situation was gross and out of control. I pitched the ones that were more than a year old, pulled out the fresh ones we had been gifted, and bought this mesh, suction, bath toy holder for my shower. It holds all of Mav's bath toys, let's them dry out as much as possible, and keeps everything off the floor of the tub. Ours is the Munchkin brand from Target, but the one I linked above is almost the exact same thing!

Water Table
Maverick has three toys outside on our deck...a slide, a pool, and this water table (along with a few balls, pails, shovels, etc.) But he spends the majority of his time pouring, stirring, and emptying his water table. I'm so glad this was one of the things we 'assigned' to his grandparents to buy last year instead of having everyone go crazy getting him clothes and toys and lots of things he doesn't really need. This is something he's spent hours using. I would recommend finding a model with a lid (ours takes daily emptying/cleaning, which doesn't bother me because I love an excuse to be on the deck) but there are millions to choose from on Amazon.

SkipHop Backpack + Insulated Lunch Box
These are just cute as crap. They tons of animals and colors to pick from, so naturally we picked the raccoon. I switched from a diaper bag to this backpack in January (with intentions of it being Mav's 2nd birthday gift...oops) and I like that it holds a few diapers, wipes, and plenty of snacks...and can also hold the iPad, sleepsack, an outfit change, and small blanket if we're taking a day-trip somewhere or doing a quick overnight. I wanted to be able to leave a small bag with Mav in his church classroom, without having to leave the whole diaper bag/purse...meaning I didn't have my pen, notes, wallet for coffee while I was in church and needed them. This has been a great solution and the next thing we're working on is getting Mav to wear it to haul his own crap around.

Things that make the list for big purchases I'm thankful we made and are still using two years later:
IKEA Dresser
Rocker
Baby Bjron Travel Crib
Graco Click-Connect Travel System (still love this stroller! it's the ONLY ONE we have!)
Graco Convertible High Chair

My favorite brands are Nike (usually on deals found at TJ Maxx), GAP (Factory), and Cat and Jack at Target.

That's the rundown! I think everything is linked to either Amazon or Target...let me know if you have questions on what we like. :)

MmB

Hi Sister-Best-Friend

Can I just tell you that whenever Jamie and I find out one of our friends or someone in our family is about to have a second baby girl...WE FREAK OUT. Mainly because we know what a gift sisters are, especially sisters who are able to pull off a bond like we've mastered after almost 25 years. We want this for ALL SISTERS everywhere. And if you don't have a sister, we want to let you in on our crazy and be the sisters you never had (see: Sarah Doese).

But that excitement we share over the news of brand-new-sisters is quickly replaced with something else...something a little darker...maybe even kind of evil...because we KNOW first-hand, in every way, what having a sister for life will mean for those sweet baby girls and for their parents.

"I can't wait for that little girl to get a sister because she's finally going to have to learn to share and with a little sister taking all her toys, maybe she won't turn out to be a spoiled brat!" -Jamie and I have both said this sentence on numerous occasions over the past ten years...I hate to admit it, but we've used it in nastier ways too, "Umm that girl needed a sister growing up to learn a little selflessness."

I'm telling you, nothing nips a spoiled brat right in the butt more than a little sister growing up right behind you wearing your favorite twirly-skirt-hand-me-downs and playing with all your Barbie's and riding the bike you JUST BARELY outgrew but still loved. From September 24th, 1992 and every day after...everything I thought was mine, was now also Jamie's. 

Siblings get this, but siblings of the same gender get this even MORE. You made your peace that you might always have to share a room. You share clothes, sometimes the same interests, all the same toys, favorite movies and my favorite...the backseat. Which was my parents' primary mission field during the years we drove our navy Chevy Celebrity (can we take a moment to laugh a the irony that this car was branded as a Celebrity? In it's final days it was a D-List Celebrity at best).

After Josh and Maverick (who in my mind, are amazing gifts of a different kind), Jamie is a close third, but at times sort of 'ties' with those first two as one of the greatest treasures of my life. She's been with me longer. We literally grew up and became the people we are now, together...there's something there that can't ever be replicated, replaced, or found in anyone else but HER. She's it. 

From fights in the backseat of the car during family vacations...to fits thrown about having to wear matching outfits (her: THRILLED me: HATE)...to being my best kindergarten show-and-tell EVER...we have more stories and pictures and memories together than we have with anyone else on this earth. Jamie is the only person I've ever borrowed a pair of *clean* underwear from or allowed to borrow a pair of mine (me: home from college, forgot undies! her: sleeping at your house tonight, didn't pack a bag!). If you have a sister, you're thinking, 'oh yea I totally get that.' If you don't, now you're completely grossed out, but you'll get over it.

Jamie is the only person who fully understands what it was like to wake up every day to a list of chores from mom on the kitchen table in the summer...only to promptly ignore those chores all morning to watch TV, then race around like lunatics (even helping each other!) to accomplish that list of chores in the 15 minutes before mom came home for her lunch break. With our lists complete, we turned the TV to good old Lavar Burton on 'Reading Rainbow' for good measure, and pretended like we weren't watching The Wild Thornberries on Nickelodeon all morning. 

One winter break our neighbor Norma gave us Princess Diaries on VHS. We watched it every. single. day for 14 days straight and made 'rules' about if we were allowed to sing along to the background songs or if we would watch it in complete silence...NO QUOTING THIS TIME! Sometimes we throw all the rules out and put in High School Musical 2 and sing and quote and laugh the whole time and then stay up until 11:30 watching every bonus feature on the DVD (I don't know how to put this, but yes, we did this last week).

I'm told in the years before Jamie was born I prayed for a little sister so we could sleep in bunk beds. God has a pretty legit sense of humor because we shared a room and slept in twin bunk beds together until I was FOURTEEN. At the time it was obviously cruel and unusual punishment for a high school freshmen but now I BEG her to come over and sleep in my bed with me when Josh is gone pushing snow overnight...and when she spends the night on a Friday and comes into my bed for some cuddles on Saturday morning everything feels so familiar and precious and RIGHT. We are twenty-nine and twenty-five years old and we literally cannot function if it's been more than 48 hours since we've last seen each other and quite honestly, I prefer she always be sleeping under the same roof.

Getting married was kind of weird and at times threatened to change our beautiful, already established dynamic, but we barely missed a beat. Even now, when Josh and I take small trips or vacations, I feel like part of me is missing. I think about how great it would be for Jamie to see or do this with us (the inverse happens when I'm somewhere without Josh...part of me is missing then too!). She's hardly a third wheel, if anything she's sort of just part of us. Basically a permanent fixture in our home, life, and conversations. I regularly ask Josh to keep Mav for an evening so Jamie and I can have a sister-date. And Josh and I talk about Jamie as much (if not more) as we talk about Mav or the business during our dates...she's been sort of a pretend firstborn child for us.

I was adamant about not having anyone in our delivery room for any of our children EVER...but while we were hanging out in labor with Maverick, Jamie stopped by the hospital a couple times to bring us stuff we forgot and then casually hung around...kind of waiting to see how the whole thing would go down (you all now know, she would have been hanging around for a WHILE...he was born a full 24 hours later) but for a split second I was like...I need her. Yes, Josh was there and he was great, but he doesn't know me like Jamie knows me. She knows what I'm saying and what I need without me even needing to say a word which seems like something that maybe would have come in handy during labor (hindsight is 20/20). Sometimes all it takes is one word and she just takes off in the direction of whatever I'm asking.

I think I just diagnosed a few small problems Josh and I have in our marriage...shocker, our communication isn't perfect, but I'm about to blame Jamie for that because we don't even need to speak to understand each other. And sometimes that's what I expect in my marriage, but for some reason I've spent the past seven years frustrated that it doesn't. Allllllright.

She complains about me 'planning' her, but I feel like NOW is the perfect time to point out while Jamie was in high school planning to attend private college in the WRONG part of the state...I never gave up telling her that she should come to Iowa State (even up until the day I helped move her in at Northwestern...their restaurants are CLOSED on Sunday's...I don't even know how this is allowed in a college town)...be part of Salt Company...maybe even live in my basement with friends for a year or two...and then live and work in Ames so she could be close to me forever and ever and eventually be the best Auntie to my babies because yes that is something I was planning for five whole years ago...

And can I just say...I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER.

She took sort of an interesting way to accomplish this glorious plan...but eventually she checked all those things off my big-sister-knows-best-list. We've fallen into a comfortable, confident groove in our roles as big and little sister...there's no longer any competition...no hurt feelings over silly comments ("ummm that shirt doesn't look right on you, but I want to try it on because it might look better on me." - Jamie "OK FINE YOU'RE RIGHT." -Me)...we're nothing but proud to be recognized as 'Mollie's sister' or 'Jamie's sister'...and we harbor nothing but defensive, overbearing, obsessive, relentless (kind of scary) SISTER LOVE when someone has wronged the other. Even if it's just a small comment by an ex-boyfriend about how, 'aren't you over at your sister's house a lot?' BYEBOYBYEEEEEE.

So that's it. She's the best little sister in the entire world and I made 3/4 members of our family bawl like babies with this post so I'm considering it a success. I JUST LOVE YOU JAMIE LOU!

MmB

Hi, umm, could we please buy your farmhouse?

I mentioned it a few months ago in this post about our amazing realtor, but as many of you know, Josh and I are sort of always in 'house hunting mode.'

Last week marked the third time we've offered on a house in 2017. It was also the third time our precious offer has been straight up rejected.

Let me tell you...we are not good at this. It is just too much of an emotional roller coaster. One minute I'm calling our plumber to talk about septic systems and discussing our budget and fixtures and a possible farm sink install (DYING) and the next minute those farmhouse dreams are crushed with a small text from Tami that says, 'They rejected, I'll call you in a minute.'

 I'll be honest...it's always very hard to keep my thoughts all 'business' when we're in this process. I see white board and batten siding and our Christmas tree in the front window and matching rockers on the front porch and I'm done for. I'VE LIVED FOR NEARLY SEVEN YEARS WITH THIS CURSE. Josh starts talking about our renovation budget and dollar signs and paint colors race through my head as I work from the basement organizing how we will store our totes, all the way through the house until I'm up in the attic planning the cutest bunk room you can imagine. It will obviously be all white shiplap. There will also be a cowhide rug.

All we want is a beautiful farmhouse to raise our babies and grow our business and entertain the crap out of our friends and fam. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!

 We went 2/2 on offering and buying our Ames house and our first rental acreage. When we offered on a cute farmhouse this spring, it literally didn't even occur to us that the owners might say no. We figured there would be some negotiating, but all signs and circumstances pointed to this being our new place!

Until it wasn't.

And I wrote the sweetest letters to all of these sellers in hopes that our precious dreams would translate into an overly-emotional response on their part...causing them to sign our initial offer through tear-filled eyes, giving us everything we asked for because they were suddenly in love with a family they didn't even know. I know I'm being irrational and insane, I KNOW OK.

You now know that 3/3 times I've written a beautiful letter like this, it obviously didn't work. But I am so proud of the writing in these letters,  I just felt like sharing them.

Here's the first one, written on February 22nd, and promptly rejected the following day (we actually know these sellers, hence the references to our shared belief in God directing these plans/decisions...just so you know I wasn't totally weirding them out).


Thanks so much for letting us take a look at your home months before officially listing it for sale. I doubt any of us believe in 'coincidences' and while navigating this process we have felt nothing but open doors. The perfect location and school district...a timeline we all agree on...significantly closer to our connection group and Josh's family...a price range we believe is responsible...just a great second home for us and our growing family. Not to mention it's the charming farmhouse I've spent the past seven years only dreaming about.

We've felt 'stuck' in our current house for a little while, but were unsure what our next right step should be...your acreage sort of just found us! That's been the theme for both of our home purchases up to this point and it's one of the ways we believe God directs us in decisions like this. Truth be told, Josh and I have looked at acreages off and on for the past three years and while we've struggled to find true contentment at our Ames house, we've also really struggled to agree on anything that we feel is the perfect fit for our business AND our babies. I think God has taught us a lot about patience and how to grow in contentment for the many things he has blessed us with, thought that hasn't meant living on an acreage up to this point.

I can't tell you how many times we've driven down HWY 69 and dreamt about living on one of the pretty acreages that line the road between Ames and Ankeny...and your home has been at the top of the list of homes we've point to time after time. This is just another way we believe God has directed us, even while endlessly researching acreages and trusting Him with our dreams over the past seven years.

I see subway tile for the kitchen backsplash...buffalo plaid twin beds for Maverick's sleepovers in the attic upstairs...and a dining room filled with friends and family at Thanksgiving. We want to use this home to bless others with our hospitality, as we've used our home in Ames. We need a place to take that next step as we grow our family and grow our business...and we believe your acreage is the perfect place for that.

Josh and Mollie (and Maverick) Boersma

Maybe I'll share the other two letters I wrote, maybe I won't? What I can tell you is that they are equal parts dramatic + shameless and as I already said...they didn't work. It's kind of like pouring salt in the wounds here, but it's fine, we're fine, EVERYTHING IS FINE.

MmB

Roadtripping with a Sassy Toddler

At the end of the day, the memories and experiences we have because of these road trips makes them all worth it

We do our fair share of road trips...be it day-trips to the farm to see G'ma and G'pa, road trips to Omaha to see friends or just the frequent trips to and from Ankeny or Manson...some weeks it feels like we're in the car an excessive amount, especially when I'm flying solo for most of these small excursions.

And here's something...Maverick is not (nor has he ever been) and excellent car-rider. He's mediocre at best and lately he's kind of awful. We hit a high point during our trip to Omaha last month (praise Jesus) and suddenly I had dreams of visiting a friend in Cedar rapids! Heading to Omaha again this fall (this time bringing daddy)! And maybe even going along for a family trip to Sioux City in the not-so-distant future! That all seemed more realistic after our fabulous trip to Omaha! Buuuuuut Mav really fell off the happy-car-riding-wagon these past few weeks. That false sense of confidence was quickly dashed as soon as we got in the car to head to  Manson a few weeks ago and he chucked his toy and drink and snack before we were even to the Interstate.

Great.

So I've gotten pretty desperate creative with what I keep stocked in the car for snacks and entertainment. Right down to the little tote I keep everything in...it's a bag I got for ordering my summer Bible study from She Reads Truth and it says, 'Grace Day' right on the front in big, bold, black letters. So every time I reach for a toy to hand the irrational, squirming, crying toddler, I am forced to remember GRACE.

Here's what we do to make our road-trips enjoyable do-able...

We do almost all of our traveling in the morning, if we can help it. We traveled during nap time on Christmas Day last year and it was a disaster and I haven't done it since. Mav is (usually) a completely different kid when we are on the road by 9am or before vs. traveling too close to nap time, during nap, or even after a good nap! I could force him to just learn to deal with traveling when it works for everyone else, but I've chosen to try to set him up for success as much as possible by road tripping in the morning ONLY (and making sure we reach our destination in plenty of time to set up for nap or are back HOME in time for nap!). The drive is more enjoyable for EEEEVERYONE.

Do not underestimate the power of the Dollar Tree. Before we went to Omaha last month I went to the Dollar Tree and stocked up on $16-worth of new/different cheap toys and snacks. This was a LIFE SAVER. I grabbed everything from a package of pipe cleaners to new animal crackers to little airplanes. If it was something new/different/interesting it was worth the $1 price-tag to give it a try. Some of my finds only lasted for five minutes, but the little red plastic motorcycle I bought kept Mav happy for upwards of a half hour on the drive there. So worth it.

I also round up a few toys he hasn't seen/touched in a while from home and throw those in the car before a drive. This 'trick' used to work a little better than it has lately, but sometimes just a random spatula from the kitchen will keep him happy and occupied for 15 minutes! Or Tupperware containers and their lids! I'll give him almost anything I can find if I'm out of options...my tightly-shut tube of mascara, the straw from my water cup, my empty iced coffee glass (again, tightly sealed), the pool passes on our key ring...anything to buy me five more minutes of fuss-free driving.

We do not stop. Well, last month when we went to Omaha we did once on the way there and once on the way back so Mav's traveling buddy could eat, but as a rule when it's just the two (or three) of us we don't. Maverick is the kind of kid who just gets MORE upset if we were to pull off and try to 'comfort' him or stop to play at a rest area...getting back in the car would mean a horrendous fit (we've done each of these things once and I vowed to never do it again). No matter how bad it is...we just plow right through so we can get where we're going that much quicker.

We love eating and snacking in the car. It's a good way for me to waste 20-30 minutes of the drive if I'm strategic about it. I hand back an apple or a banana for Maverick to work on and wait to see how long it lasts. Fruit snacks, peanut butter sandwiches, cheese sticks, crackers, goldfish, fruit leather, pouches, and ice water in a Starbucks cup has been known to keep him busy for the first 20 minutes of our drives.

And over pack the snacks! If he's asking for a third apple sauce pouch, I just give it to him. They don't have any added sugar so who cares and playing with the empty pouch and lid when he's finished keeps him happy for a few extra minutes. I brought a TJ Maxx bag FULL of an assortment of snacks when we went to Omaha and I'm so glad I did. I would offer Maverick choices, which was a new thing he's not used to and there was room to throw in road trip snacks for the mom's too.

We don't stop and do errands on the way out of town. This prolongs the whole drive and it's wasting the first (few) precious HAPPY minutes Maverick has to offer during the drive. Whether it's Manson, Ankeny, or a longer trek, I like to make sure the gas tank is full, the coffee is ready at home (in copious amounts), and everything is packed and loaded the night before or in the morning before Mav is even awake. I refuse to listen to my child throwing a fit in the car because of my poor planning. If I've done everything I can do and he still loses it, that can't really be helped.

For trips longer than 30 minutes, I make sure we have one of Mav's blankets and his Chester the Raccoon. He's not typically allowed to have his blanket anywhere outside of  his crib, but for long car rides, I know I can whip out in a moment of desperation and he will instantly calm down and probably be happy chewing on it for up to 20 minutes. If I wait until he's done with blanket and throw back Chester, we will probably be able to make it wherever we're going. They're my secret weapons.

Side note...Maverick calls Chester, 'CHAACHAAAA' and it is the cutest darn thing I've ever seen/heard. 

If all else fails, I pull out my phone for Elmo YouTube videos. I run out of data so fast it's ridiculous, but sometimes it just needs to be done and I deal with the consequences later. Ideally, our next vehicle will have DVD players in the head-rests or we will probably be purchasing a travel-DVD player. Some days I wonder how parents even parented before screens...is that bad? Mav was sick with some pukes this morning and we watched PBS for THREE HOURS STRAIGHT...what else were we supposed to do?!


If you have kiddos who love the car...congratulations. If you have kiddos who tend to be nightmares during car rides longer than a trip to Target (but let's face it...sometimes even that 10-minute car ride can be rough because #toddler), I hoped something from this post helped!

MmB