Let's Celebrate Saint Patrick's Day: Dinner, Treats, Crafts

Let's Celebrate Saint Patrick's Day: Dinner, Treats, Crafts

I feel oddly committed to the Saint Patrick's Day holiday. Or, well, maybe it's not so odd. I do have the maiden name O'Neill. Growing up I thought it was such a cool last name even though that apostrophe caused so much trouble in computer systems. Not to mention, there is enough Irish in my father for him receive dual citizenship. Some of that got past down to me - somewhere about 25% Irish. That's enough to make my Irish eyes smile. Oh, and fun fact, if I had been born a boy, my name would have been Patrick. That's all pretty Irish. 

To celebrate, my mom would cook corned beef and cabbage for Saint Patrick's Day when I was growing up. However, my dad would tell you that this is one of the last things you'll actually find in Ireland for Saint Patrick's Day. He actually can say this because he has been to Ireland. He's been more than me (I've been once). The first trip was when we all went together as a family. I was much younger - high school, I believe - and all I recall eating was tomato soup and brown bread. Oh, and there was an Italian restaurant I really enjoyed. I also remember being very cold. Beautiful, but cold.

Okay, enough of my Irish jibber jabber and memory lane stuff. Let's talk celebrating. Every year, I make an effort to have a meal, treat, and/or craft. Generally, they end up being something green, Guinness, rainbow, leprechaun, or shamrock themed. But I hate it when someone says, I made avocado toast and deem it Saint Patrick's Day fare. That's all wrong. Just wrong. I want to be a little more authentic, but it's tough to do and not as cute or fun. So I tried to find a middle ground.

I started by consulting Wikipedia to be sure I was accurately informed on Saint Patricks' Day. I learned that Saint Patrick was thought to bring Christianity to Ireland. Green is associated with Catholics in Ireland and that it's said Saint Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity. So we can say green and shamrocks are authentic. Of course, Guinness is authentic. I'm not sure about the rainbows, though. Now that we know what's more authentic, let's talk food and crafts.

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Looking Ahead: March 2018

Looking Ahead: March 2018

At the beginning of each month, I try and take a look through my calendar and see what to expect that month. Is there a friend or family member's birthday? A holiday? Somewhere we're expected to be (fingers crossed that this place is a vacation spot)? Really anything I need to plan for in advance. Mainly, I do this because Josh and I sit down (or at least discuss) at the start of each month to discuss that particular month's budget. By looking at a calendar, I know what items I want to bring into our budget planning discussion.  

The other reason I do this is to see if I need to do any research for a project - art, baking, cooking, etc. For example, in February for Valentine's Day, I did a little art project with Caleb to make Valentine's Day cards for the grandparents. Then I also made brownies as a special Valentine's Day treat. So I had to do some research on Valentine's Day projects that you can do with a toddler. I also needed to secure budget for art supplies. 

Being prepared and organized is tough! I am not perfect, no sir ye. I wish I were, though, and I keep trying. 

I just went through my calendar and here are some things I thought you might want to be aware of as well. 

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Book Club: Bringing Up Bebe

Book Club: Bringing Up Bebe

I'm going to be straight with you. I wrote this post a long time ago (although, I've made modifications for today). It was originally written back in July 2016, way before I even had any inkling that I'd have this blog. I must be able to tell the future! Just kidding. There is a more reasonalbe explanation.

The story goes I used to write for HelloBee. Have you heard of this site? It's a great site for new and expecting moms. Basically, all the posts are from contributing writers -- women in some stage of motherhood, from trying to convince to already having many kids. I was one of the contributing writers. I started shortly after having Caleb and wrote for over a year. It was a good time, but now I'm focused on Raising Tacoma. However, this review I felt was still relevant and something you might find interesting. Plus, I'm going to share another book review soon so I felt I should do this one first. So there you have it.

I read Bringing Up Bebe back when Caleb was just a few months old. It came highly recommended by a friend who was also a new mom. It's one of those books that in conversations, moms say, "oh, I've read that," or "oh, I've wanted to read that one." Looking back now, I'm glad I read it while Caleb was just a few months old. In fact, it would have probably been best to read just before he was born. Many of the tips are for when they are just born. But no regrets. I read, The Christian Mama's Guide to Having a Baby before Caleb was born and thought it was excellent. I'd write about that one, but it's been way too long now, and I don't have a post magically stored away. But I do remember really enjoying it and learning about what to expect. 

Okay, now back to Bringing Up Bebe. Overall, I thought it was worth a read...

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Fun at Foss: Visiting the Foss Waterway Seaport

Fun at Foss: Visiting the Foss Waterway Seaport

What the heck with our weather lately? First, it was all stormy rain followed by snow. Ugh! It's keeping us all indoors trying to stay dry and warm. But being indoors is so tough with a toddler, especially an active toddler that NEEDS to move. In fact, I'm pretty sure Caleb's motto is, "why walk when you can run?!" So I'm constantly trying to come up with indoor things to do that keep my active little boy busy, but also fun for mom and dad. 

We don't often drive down to the area of the waterfront that runs down by the docks and museums--you know, where Dock Street runs along Thea Foss Waterway on the other side of the 705. If we're hanging out along the waterfront, we're usually along Ruston Way by Commencement Bay. Although on those rare occasions we happen to drive down Dock Street, I see the Foss Waterway Seaport and think how we should check it out and look into whether it is toddler-friendly. Of course, I would forget and we would never actually end up checking it out.

Until now! The other day I saw a friend posted a picture of her kids at Foss Waterway Seaport and it looked like it had some things for kids. So when we found ourselves Saturday morning at Anthem Coffee getting some caffeine, watching the pouring rain, and wondering how to spend our morning, I miraculously remembered Foss Waterway Seaport and suggested we check it out. And we did! 

Have you driven by this place and wondered, too? 

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Recipe Love: One Bowl Carrot Oatmeal Muffins

Recipe Love: One Bowl Carrot Oatmeal Muffins

My son is a picky eater. This really shouldn't have been a surprise for me since most kids are pretty picky eaters. And I'm pretty sure I was a picky eater. I guess I just had it stuck in my head that my son wouldn't be picky because my husband eats practically everything. Like father like son, no? Nope. I feel like I can count on my hands the foods my son will eat consistently. Wait, I think I really can do that...let's see there is yogurt, fruit, breakfast sausage, frozen yogurt (or ice cream), and pouches. Those are consistent, like 99% of the time he'll eat them. But he'll also usually eat peas, pancakes, crackers, chicken nuggets, and toast. That's about it. Did you count those on your hands? Yup. 

Honestly, I feel so defeated feeding him sometimes (who am I kidding, I feel this way all the time). I used to do more experimentation, but I've been let down too many times and I lost hope a bit. I'm really feeling like I need to launch into another effort to introduce and re-introduce some foods, but #tiredmom.

It's especially tough since I love cooking and baking and I get so excited about making things for him. Then he "returns to sender" - aka, spits it back out. At least he tried it, eh? Better than not even putting it in his mouth. 

All that said, I get excited. No, I get ECSTATIC when he eats something new. A few weeks ago I helped host a baby shower for a friend. We had some leftover baby carrots. What to do. Caleb won't eat baby carrots. Then I thought I'd bake them into a muffin and see what happens. I remembered really liking these carrots muffins in the past, so I pulled out the recipe. Guess what? He ate TWO muffins that day. TWO! That's unheard of. That's crazy. Wait, is that my child? But he continued to eat them over the next few days and he enjoyed them. "Mommy, nom nom," he would say. YAY!

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Tough and Love with Gymnastics

Tough and Love with Gymnastics

I literally have been working on this post since Monday. I had every intention of getting it published for you all by Wednesday, so you could read it before the next YMCA registration period. Which, by the way, started today at 10 am. Oh, I was also going to remind you of that on my Instagram feed. Guess what? None of that happened. It's now Friday and I am just now getting this published. I didn't get the Instagram reminder out either. Not to mention, that I registered for our YMCA classes on my iPhone as we started a class at the Children's Museum. It must have been a sight - me on my phone trying to corral my son and get him to participate. Then not remembering my username and password, of course. C'est la vie. 

I like the phrase, "better late than never." Anyway, on to the official post now.

No joke, I spend four out of five weekdays at the YMCA. Every morning Monday through Thursday we are there doing some activity or class. Honestly, it is a lifesaver; it allows Caleb get his wiggles out and then I get to interact with other moms/caretakers. Score! 

We've been in the parent-child swim classes since Caleb was 16 months old. It's been a great experience getting him comfortable in the water and learning a few skills like bubbles and kicks. Given this positive experience, I've been looking forward to having the opportunity to do some of the other classes at the YMCA.  

At our YMCA, you can begin the parent-child gymnastics when your child turns two. Caleb turned two on January 2nd, which was right before the first session sign-up for 2018. Although he had just barely turned two, we were going to go for it. What the hay, huh?!? I was super excited because we always saw the gymnastics class ending when we arrived at open toddler gym time and it looked like good fun. Plus, I have an active kid and anything that looks like it'll help him get some ya-ya's out is a good thing.

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Checking it Out: Antique Sandwich Co.

Checking it Out: Antique Sandwich Co.

Welcome to my series, "Checking it Out." I'm checking out places, so you don't have to.

...Unless you want to. That's cool, too. 

For moms, finding a restaurant or shop that is accommodating to kids is like finding the Holy Grail of places. We are always searching for the place where both mom and kid can be happy. These rare, but beautiful places are perfect for meeting friends or just getting a change of pace from the house. With the winters here in the Pacific Northwest, we need awesome indoor activities because there are only so many puddles to jump in (and so much patience a mom has in getting completely drenched). Or, you can have my kid that doesn't like being cold, but doesn't like to wear a jacket either. Ugh!

I often find myself searching online for this Holy Grail of a place--always hoping a new place has opened or maybe the search this time will uncover something new. Or, if I hear "mom talk" about a potential place, I want to see if it'll truly be great before I actually go. Why? Because getting out of the house is a CHORE. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but you have to corral the kid from running around the house, put on socks and shoes, get them in the car seat, go back in the house to grab them a snack because you forgot, drive to the place often with a whining kid in the back, get out of the car, put socks and shoes back on (remind me, why did I put them on at home again?), and then get them inside. Given this, I like to do some research before I go. Sadly, though, you don't often find all the information you want. For instance, I want to see what food/drink options are available, what exactly is kid-friendly about this place, photos (hopefully of someone with a happy kid), cleanliness, and does it look like a fun place to chill for a bit.

Let me introduce you to, "Checking it Out." Yup, I'm going to do my best to give you the 4-1-1 all the hot kid spots (oh 4-1-1, did you ever used to use that number? Did I just age myself there?). The caveat: 99% of the time, I'm with my son, so the photos aren't perfection and my brain will be split between evaluating the place in the moment and keeping an eye on my son. 

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Preschool Decision Making

Preschool Decision Making

I'm back and it's more preschool talk. You may have thought I talked it all out in my earlier post, but no. When you get to know me, you'll find I talk a lot. In fact, after a first few dates with me, apparently my husband (boyfriend back then), told his friend he wasn't so sure about this Heather gal, "she talks a lot." Luckily, his friend responded with wisdom, and told Josh that he also talked a lot. 

I wanted to let you know we made a decision on preschools. Hallelujah, a decision. No more going in circles with indecision and uncertainty. Isn't there such relief in decisions sometimes? 

Some of my friends have asked me why and how we made our decision. First, let me share our decision. We decided to enroll at First Presbyterian Preschool (FPP). Frankly, all the schools I looked at in person were great. I don't think you can really go too wrong with preschool. But here are some of the considerations we put into our decision:

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Let's not panic, it's just Preschool

Let's not panic, it's just Preschool

Here's a truth: I'm a worrier. As a response to my worries, I go online to research. Practically 97% of the time I go online, I end up getting even more worried. Or, I come up with even more things to worry about. It's a terrible cycle. 

Even though it causes me to worry, I am thankful to have the Internet as a mom. I have so many questions every day. I don't know how my mom and did it without the Internet! Not only that, but who knew that part of being a mom would require you to also take on a research job? I shouldn't call myself a stay-at-home mom, I should call myself Child Raising Researcher (CRR). I hereby declare this a new thing. 

When I first had Caleb, the fact that I literally had NO IDEA WHAT I WAS DOING was terrifying. However, I press on and tackle each new thing as it comes. I still worry about missing something or not even being aware of something I should be doing. For instance, I didn't know that you had to basically teach your kid how to sleep. Yes, really, to sleep. I thought it was a totally instinctive thing. Sure, sure, they can sleep...but sleep through the night...yea. And, yes, I read an entire book about sleep. 

Anyway, let's get to the point. The latest worry (and research mania) for me has been about preschool.

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Let's Do This Thing

Let's Do This Thing

Life is a crazy thing, don't you think? It never ceases to surprise me. The biggest life changer for me was having our son, Caleb. It's been the hardest, yet most rewarding and precious thing life has brought me so far (and probably ever).

The minute Caleb was born, everything changed. If you've had a child, you know what I'm talking about. You're thrust into a new way of living. I no longer worked at a corporation spending my days at a desk. Going to the grocery store because you forgot an item is no longer quick and easy (scratch that, going at all isn't easy). Going on a date night takes weeks of planning. Let alone mention that you don't a clue how to raise a human being. It's crazy. It's great. It's scary. It's everything.

As a first time, and new(ish) mom, I find I sometimes miss using a part of my brain that isn't just about how to raise my little human. I miss having co-workers and getting creative (ehh, I don't miss upset clients, though). That's how I landed here with Raising Tacoma. I thought it would be great to start a little online community where I can share all that goes into raising a child in Tacoma. You'll get to read about places my son and I go, things we eat (or don't eat, heehee), activities, or just my jibber jabber about crazy life things. Also, I hope to give encouragement and let you know you're not alone (as in, "yup, that happens to us, too"). 

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