Summer, Fabulous Summer

I absolutely love this photo of the girls...the relaxed, fun and spunky feel really captures the entire summer for me in one moment.  As Sweetpea is fast approaching kindergarten and I'm headed back to school myself (this time as a teacher - my career transition is finally complete!) I will be keeping this photo handy as a reminder of the fabulous summer we had!

There were some wonderful trips, and many fun days exploring and relaxing at home as well.  I'll be sharing some of our favorites in the coming days, as well as some ideas for easing back into the structure and routines that the school year brings.  What have you been up to this summer?!

Hot Programs at the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County

Just because the Reading Rocks program is coming to a close in the next week doesn't mean there aren't fun things to do at the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County.  Michael Schelle, social media specialist for the library, was kind enough to share several exciting opportunities for fun and learning that are still available!

Looking for free activities you can do with your kids this summer? The Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County is always a great place to go with the family, but here are a few special programs going on this summer that Moms will really love!

Spending, Saving, Sharing for Kids (Wednesday, July 25^th at the Norwood Library)
It’s never too early to teach your children the importance of a piggy bank! Join the Library for a special storytime for kids (ages 3 to 6) that incorporates the basics of spending, saving and sharing into an interactive story. The event is free but seats are limited, so click the link above to register online (it takes just seconds).
Free Summer Lunch Program for Children (click the link and search keyword “lunch”)
Make sure your child gets a good lunch every day this summer! The Library is teaming up with Cincinnati Public Schools and the Freestore Foodbank to provide free lunches to kids ages one to 18, with no registration needed and no income requirements. With 14 branches participating, there’s sure to be a lunch near your family, including at the Groesbeck, Main, Sharonville, Madisonville and Deer Park libraries. Call 513-369-6900 for details and a full list of locations, or click here to visit our Event Calendar and search for keyword “lunch” to view all our lunch programs.

Tales to Tails

Children practice reading aloud to registered therapy dogs at Tales to Tails.

Reading independently can be hard for children to learn, especially if they feel self-conscious about their reading level. One of the Library’s more unique programs, Tales to Tails gives kids a chance to read aloud to a certified therapy dog at several branches across Cincinnati. These pets are natural listeners, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly your child’s confidence rises! Tales to Tails goes on every Friday at the Main Library at 3:00 PM in the Children’s Learning Center, or click here to visit our Event Calendar and search for keyword “tails” to view programs at other branches.

Books Alive! For Kids®

 The Library is partnering again this summer with Learning Through Art, Inc. for a series of 10 performances of the award-winning Books Alive! For Kids®. This interactive program combines sight, sound and touch by presenting a book, engaging children in a performance, and providing a hands-on, “make-it-and-take-it” craft. The Books Alive! For Kids Summer Library Tour 2012 features “What A Wonderful World” by George David Weiss and Bob Thiele and illustrated by Ashley Bryan.

 This year, the series is performed in conjunction with the “What Children Believe” international art exhibition being hosted inside the Main Library Atrium. Take your children to a performance at a branch near you, then bring them downtown and show them the artwork of children around the world!

Artwork by Sorina Calinescu of Romania (age 11) is on display as part of the exhibit, “What Children Believe.”

It’s a hot summer in Cincinnati, but there’s always something cool (and free!) to do with your family at the Cincinnati Library. Save the date for any of these great programs, or simply grab your Red Cards and head down to your local branch for family fun anytime!

More Summer Reading Fun!

I wrote a few weeks ago about one of our local library programs and a staggering statistic regarding the reading and math aptitude loss many children experience over the summer months.  For those of you who aren't local, I would highly recommend you check out the local libraries in your area.  Looking for more reading inspiration?  Allison at No Time for Flashcards has a fantastic summer reading challenge going - with roughly a month left her challenge participants are more than half way to their goal!  Help them meet the amazing goal of 25,000 books and enter to win fun prizes just for entering your book totals.

What are you reading this summer?  Are you participating in a reading program?

Tips for Stress Free Family Travel

Family vacations can be magical for young kids and parents alike, but traveling, long lines and late bedtimes can set up the perfect storm for meltdowns. Here are my tips for planning a vacation to remember, rather than one everyone is ready to forget.

Choose a location that has activities that will appeal to everyone in your group - and find a hotel or rental that has the amenities you want (such as a pool or wifi).



Be realistic about what you can do each day. Plan time for rest, eating, relaxing and naps if necessary. If dinner reservations are late, you may want to feed younger children ahead of time or arrange babysitting.

Prepare plenty of entertainment during travel and wait times - a travel activity book, electronic toy or new book may be in order.



Do your research - sites like tripadvisor and chowhound and twitter allow you to search for food and lodging options as well as reviews like never before. The more research you do ahead of time, the more likely you are to choose wisely.



Relax, be flexible and have a sense of humor. Even if things don't turn out as expected, try and find the bright side. At least you're with family, try and make the best of it. Advocate for yourself if you are in a position that is outside your expectations.


Do you travel regularly with your family? What are your tips and tricks for stress free travel and successful vacations?

Survive Before 5 {Review}

For most of us, providing a healthy home cooked menu for our family means planning and preparation at some point. I have batch cooked and meal planned complimentary menu items in order to minimize prep work and share ingredients, but Trisha at Once a Month Mom takes meal planning to the next level. Her site provides recipe cards, grocery lists, and detailed instructions for a big day freezer cooking event each month and she recently added a whole foods option to the menu selections!

Just as exciting, she has a new ebook out - Survive Before 5: Toddler Meals for your Busy Days. Survive Before 5 provides recipes for healthy breakfasts, lunches and snacks - those pesky meals that aren't covered in the once a month menus on her website! In addition, you will find a sample calendar for organizing these meals and serving size recommendations. There are detailed plans for preparing your freezer meals as well as recipe cards, labels, and a grocery list that can be tailored to the number of children needing to be fed. One of my favorite features of the book is that each recipe includes toddler tasks. What a great way to get your little ones involved, excited, and learning. So much of our kitchen routine is method based, and that is what makes this cookbook so valuable - the methods and tips shared in these recipes can be extended to your own family favorites, making your time in the kitchen even more efficient and enjoyable.


Survive Before 5 is a great deal at $7.99, but for the rest of this month you can purchase it for $5.99 using the code OAMM599

Rain, rain and more rain...

means we've been enjoying a lot of these lately!

She has the force on her side

Sweetpea is a force of nature - I love to sit back and watch her go. Suffice it to say that she was right at home as the littlest apprentice in Jedi training at Hollywood Studios!

Sea Shells, Boogie Boards and Memories

Earlier this month we were at the beach. It is such a different experience, being at the beach as a parent - especially of small children -but I love watching our girls explore and enjoy the sand and surf in their own ways. Both girls love the water and will jump right into the swimming pool. Sweetpea loved the sand during her first visit to the beach (she was just a few months past 1) but wasn't so sure about the salt water. Sugar Plum likes to dig in the sand and pick up shells with her sister. She also keeps a good distance from the waves - so she hasn't even discovered that the water is salty yet...

Every trip to the beach brings with it memories of my Dad. This trip especially, as Sweetpea took longer walks picking up shells with us and made her first attempts with a boogie board. Now that we are home, she is eager to tend the garden and to cook with me - also things I loved to do with Dad. As she and I share many of the things I once did with Dad, I am starting to feel ready to share some of those memories with her. I wrote a while ago about how I plan to share my memories with the girls, and since then I've been jotting a few ideas out here and there, but haven't really gotten started. Today seems like a good day to look for some pictures to use on my cards...

Happy Father's Day to you Dads out there, and big hugs to those of you who are missing your Dad today.

Many Blessings, Big and Small

The fabulous Miss Kate took time out before having her precious little boy to take some pictures of my girls with their great grandparents. Each time I look at this picture, the breath catches a little bit in my throat. So much love- I am so blessed!

As the girls have grown quite a bit while I've been neglecting things here, I'll share several more of these pictures soon, but I think this one stands alone, don't you? :)

Feeling Buried? Why yes, I am!

At the beginning of last year, I had just transitioned to stay at home mom thanks to our plant closure. I absolutely loved those first few months of time off - the "career transition program" I wanted to enroll in wasn't available until March, and I was free to focus completely on my family and my home. What a blessing that truly was, even though in the back of my mind I was a bit frustrated by the uncertainty of where I was going.

Fast forward to the latter part of last year, as I'm substitute teaching somewhat regularly and preparing to begin my last quarter of the teaching licensure program I started in March. Things are busy but manageable, and our little family is thriving on our new "routine", which included frequent trips to the library and YMCA, as well as gymnastics class one morning a week for Sweetpea.

I took a sub job at the start of December that quickly turned long term - all of a sudden I was working full time again, yikes! It took some serious readjusting to get us all back on an early morning schedule, and to introduce Sugar Plum to the daycare routine she had never really had to get on board with. Then came my schedule for this final quarter...somehow I managed to overlook the fact that I'm taking five classes. So far I'm managing to keep my head above water, but I've gotten very protective of my free time.

I'm trying my best to soak in the bits of time we cobble together as a family, to remember that this is our reality but for a short time, and that this opportunity to teach is a blessing. And I really am enjoying it, which definitely helps. So I'll be pretty scarce around here until April or so, though I hope to get a chance to stop in and say hi now and then. If you'd like to chat, look me up on twitter, where I manage to type one handed while I'm nursing Sugar Plum most nights. ;)

What are you up to these days?

A true prince...

Sweetpea is taking after mama with her enthusiasm for party planning. And how much do I love this man that he enthusiastically dubbed this surprise princess party his "best birthday ever"?! We had pizza and a princess cake, a crown and kiss coupons for our prince, and a lot of fun.


What was your "best birthday ever"? Do you encourage your kids to help planning celebrations? I love the ideas they come up with!

Fall Tradition - Punkin' Lovin

Each year we head over to the pumpkin patch and explore, take pictures and pick out a few things to take home with us. My favorites are the gourds, with their unique shapes, bright varied colors and interesting textures. This year Sweetpea liked the pie pumpkins best, as they were perfectly round and just her size. Sugar Plum was a big fan of the corn stalks!

I love this tradition not only because I love fall, but because it's such a fun way to get outside and soak up the last remaining fall weather, and to document how much the girls are growing. I'll be the first to admit, I'm pretty terrible at keeping up with regular photo sessions. I do take a lot of pictures, but I have to depend on the date stamp to try and figure out how old the girls are sometimes when I finally have a chance to organize and print pictures. {hangs head in shame}

This is one of the last pictures of Sweetpea with her vacation braids! (and an actual smile, while looking at the camera!)

Sugar Plum was a bit too interested in the gourds to look at the camera. So most of her pictures are like this one...love those eyelashes!

And the pictures where she isn't looking down? She's practicing her exit strategy! Since learning to walk, she loves to be on the move!

Here is a picture from last year...wow!

And one more from this year - happy fall, everyone!

A Decade Ago...

It's Party Time - Let's Celebrate!

There is so much to celebrate at the Problem Solvin Mom household lately! Here is what we have been (or are getting ready to) celebrate: My 2 year bloggyversary passed by while I was on "vacation" in late July. My famous grandparents had their 67th wedding anniversary - doesn't that just blow your mind? Sugar Plum turned 1 and her great grandma turned 90 a little over a week ago. Sweetpea celebrates her half birthday tomorrow. (okay, that one is a stretch, but I couldn't leave her out, right?) And our 10 year wedding anniversary is coming up at the end o f this month!

I thought it would be fun to share all the love with my readers by hosting a week of giveaways - what do you think? :) And since family is the main focus of our celebrations, the giveaways this week will be focused on family as well! There will be exciting products from Bamboobies, Earth Mama Angel Baby, Motherlove, Shutterfly, Sleepy Wrap, and Zizzies and Izzies so stop by daily and enter to win! I will be updating the links to each giveaway at this post as well.

Bamboobies Giveaway
Earth Mama Angel Baby Giveaway
Motherlove Giveaway
Sleepy Wrap Giveaway
Nakano Rice Vinegar Prize Pack Giveaway
Zizzies and Izzies fleece soaker 3 pack Giveaway
What are you celebrating?

Generations of Love

We are so blessed to have grandparents near and dear in our lives, healthy and inspiring. Sugar Plum shares her birthday with her great grandma Marty (on the right, can you believe she's 90?!?) You might recognize her as one half of my famous grandparents.

At Sugar Plum's birthday party this past weekend we snapped some pictures of her with both of her great grandmothers - I know I'm biased, but the love and beauty in these photos takes my breath away!

Happy Birthday, Sugar Plum!

I absolutely, positively can NOT believe this little girl of mine is ONE YEAR OLD!

Wasn't it just yesterday you looked like this?

Baby girl, you have this sweet, infectious personality that draws people in. You love to smile, laugh and snuggle, and you've just started giving big kisses. Daddy calls you my little monkey because most of the time you're riding along on my hip, happy as can be. If I'm especially busy or distracted while carrying you this way, you lean out as far as you can and look at me with this big grin, as if to say, "don't forget about me!"

You are very determined, trying your best to keep up with big sister whenever you can. You will try and climb just about anything and have just started taking a few steps. You love to dance - either sitting down or while you're crawling, so cute! You love to play patty cake and peek a boo, and clap your hands. And for the last few weeks you've been teething like mad, poor thing.

My heart is filled to near bursting, and I get all mama-mushy and teary eyed when I try to put it into words. I worried a little bit about how I would be as a mama to two, about balance and individual attention and sleep and such. There could not have been a more perfect addition to our family than you, sweet girl, and I can't imagine life without you in it.

Grateful for the sun on my face and the sound of the waves

We spent last week at the beach - chasing waves, building sandcastles and enjoying island life. It was Sugar Plum's first introduction, and I wasn't sure how she would like it, but she and the beach became fast friends. We quickly fell into a rhythm of lazy mornings leading us to the pool by about 9 and the beach by about 10. Then back to the pool for lunch and up to the room for naps. Back to the beach mid afternoon and then another dip in the pool...I tried my best to soak up every minute of enjoyment with my beach bummin' water bugs. And now I have my memories, kept clear with pictures and my gratitude journal. Here is a peak:

• Seashells, sand castles, and salty girls

• Watching Sugar Plum discover the surf for the first time, grasping, smacking, grinning

• Sweetpea revels in the water, scratches in the sand, entertains herself for hours

• Little legs pumping, arms swinging, catching up with daddy and reaching for his hand as we approach the dunes - pig tails flying in the breeze

• My big girl is now willing to let me "do her hair" each day requesting either big girl hair (a french braid) a pony tail or "piggy tails". I.Love.It.

• Baby beach greetings - outstretched hands straight into each other's mouths...hey have you tried this sand? Isn't it the best you've ever tasted?

• The sound of the surf, the feel of the wind in my hair and the heat of the sun on my face...

• Tiny hand prints made from sun screen on the sliding door out to the balcony

What are you grateful for this week?

June featured sponsors and affiliates:

the Vintage Pearl - beautiful hand stamped jewelry

Neptune Sprouts - unique clothing for your little sprout

Earth Mama Angel Baby - gifts from the earth for your gift from heaven

Smiling thru the stomach flu and other various ailments

This little one is such a trooper. She makes me smile through the most frustrating and exhausting of times - what a true blessing. She is teething, has a sinus infection and the antibiotics are giving her tummy trouble, but through it all she is bubbly and enthusiastic. The only way to tell she isn't at her best is she wants to be held, which I am happy to do!
And big sis is little miss sunshine 99% of the time too, even through the stomach flu and a 103 degree fever. Here I was showing her the fine points of taking a self portrait, which she thought was too much fun! It definitely helped take her mind off of the sickies.

We've watched way too much tv, mama has been trying desperately to keep up with school work through her own sinus infection and stomach flu (I forgot how much I hated having a high fever myself, yuck!) and there hasn't been time for much else except my desperate attempts at disinfecting things. Hope to see you more later this week!

Encouraging kids with Hallmark

Have you seen Hallmark's kids collection? It includes cards and products aimed at kids from preschool through high school. I love that they are fun and encouraging, and another way for parents to stay connected with their kids of all ages. I had a chance to talk to some people from Hallmark while at Blissdom (yes, I'm way behind) and while I've always liked Hallmark as a company, I'm even more impressed now. Want to hear why? Click on the video below...and don't miss the offer at the bottom of this post!



Some are funny, some are sweet, and many even talk to you! This month you can get your first kids collection card for free at any participating Gold Crown retailer.

A long line of lovely ladies

Four Generations
I am so blessed...