Peppermint Bath.

Lately I've been googling and pinterest-ing Christmas crafts and other things to do with Spencer this winter, but there really doesn't seem to be much out there for his age. (He is still in the taste the crayons, poke holes through the paper, and attempt to run off with long pointy paintbrushes phase).

We've been going non-stop lately, from Alabama to Florida and back again while my Mom has her treatments. So I haven't exactly had much time to be as creative as I typically am. However, we did have one (almost) full week in between trips, during which I managed to give Spence a PEPPERMINT BATH! 

I actually found this idea while searching for Christmas card inspirations, sort of, one family's Christmas card on Google Image Search was of a little boy in a green-watered bath tub, surrounded by red and white balloons, sporting a beard made of bubbles. Although I didn't want to do that for our Christmas card, I thought it would be a neat surprise for lil man on an otherwise uneventful day. Basically this a Christmas themed bath, and boy did he LOVED it!! So I thought I'd share on here :)

PEPPERMINT BATH

What you'll need:

1] One dollar-store pack of multi-colored water balloons. ($1)

2] Green liquid food coloring ($1)

3] Peppermint Extract ($2.38)

4] Your tub, and stinky baby or toddler ;)

It only took 10-15 min to prepare the tub, as my son ran around diaper-less and laughing like a maniac, while also trying to hike his little thunder thighs up over the side of the tub before it was totally ready. I loved how anxious he was, as soon as those balloons went in, it was game on. He kept pointing and sweetly saying "Ball-ooon, Mama, Ball-oooon, bat-tha (bath)" which of course made my Mama heart swell up with joy.

How to recreate the Peppermint bath in your home:

STEP 1: Pick out the green, red & white water balloons from the multi pack.

STEP 2: I filled the green ones with water (so they'd sink), 

and filled the red and white ones with air from my asthmatic lungs. 

SIDEBAR: I definitely recommend spending an extra dollar at the store for a balloon pump if you have asthma lol.

All in all, roughly 40ish balloons made their way into the tub. About 5-7 of them broke while being filled (as to be expected with dollar store balloons) but no big deal, just keep an eye out for any pieces that may fall to the floor for little hands to grab. Same story when they are in the tub, not to be left alone of course.

STEP 3: Once all the balloons are in the tub, it's time to get those green bubbles flowing! I used the store brand liquid green food coloring and added drop after drop to the water flow until it looked "Christmas green" to me.  After 15 drops.. I stopped counting (sorry) but let me add, the green food coloring did not stain my son's skin in the slightest, and I probably used around half of the bottle, in a half-full standard sized tub. He even got in while I was still adding more food coloring. And he played in the tub for at least 45 minutes.

STEP 4: Add the liquid peppermint extract (sorry forgot to take a picture of this). I used about 3-5 tbsp of Watkins brand, and it was pretty potent, definitely smelled of Christmas for the rest of the day in our house! (Probably because I conveniently forgot to drain the tub lol.) 

SIDEBAR: I had an idea afterwards.. you could actually use baby vapor bath wash in replace of (or coupled with) the peppermint extract. It would still smell Christmassy AND help with that common winter cold our little ones usually get. That's a win-win-win!

STEP 5: It's bath time! Bathe em' and let em' play! My little guy already loves bath time, and this bath was no exception. He had a blast being his usual silly self... while Mama sat back, snapped a couple pics, sipped on her hot chocolate flavored coffee, and giggled along with him. 

Bing Crosby singing sweet classic Christmas songs in the background made it all the more a joyous occasion. 

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

FINAL SIDEBAR: If you have an older toddler you could also hide small gifts or candy in the floating balloons, and maybe make it into a Christmas Eve surprise.

This was a simple, low-cost and fun way to incorporate the Christmas spirit into a regularly mundane daily event. We enjoyed it so much that I might just have add it to our Christmas traditions list, at least for his toddler years :) 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

Hope you're all having fun & making beautiful memories 

with your loved ones this holiday season! :)

Life, as we don't know it.

To my coocoo bird,
Lately, life has been hectic to say the least, with the move and all the stress that comes with that. Not to mention divorces and deaths in the family. But you, my son, appear to be unchanged- you are my light in recent darkness. You amaze me daily, and I see more and more of your personality shining through with every moment we spend together. Everyone says "he is the happiest baby we've ever seen, always smiling" and it's true. You have a smile that illuminates any dark space, and makes it impossible for others not to smile back, no matter their current mood. You are silly, full of life, spunky, and certainly sneaky.. And I love every piece of you. 

The reason for my current inspiration to write my thoughts, no matter how disorganized or grammatically incorrect they may be, is that I am feeling overwhelmed. So much has happened in such a short space in time lately that I consider myself lucky to remember to put deodorant on each morning. I am overwhelmed with family issues as mentioned before, but not just that, it is the day to day responsibilities that have got my head spinning. Sometimes I feel as though our life is just made up of schedules, routines, and to-do lists... Leaving very little time to "stop and smell the roses" or go on a spontaneous adventure with you by my side. I am an adult now, and I understand the requirements of that, but I am also still a restless and venturesome soul when you split me open. I am constantly fighting the urge to throw the rulebook out the window,  effectively shoving who I really am deep down inside. There are too many "should do's" and "shouldn't do's", regularly shouting "No, Brandi! You simply can't, it's not the 'responsible' thing to do" in my ear, especially with a kid. There has to be some balance, equal parts responsibility and adventure. Maybe I just haven't found it yet. But believe me, I'll always be searching. Not just for my sake or sanity, I consider you in all that I do my sweet boy.  I want you to know life's potential, how fun it should be, while also teaching you responsibility and how to be a respectful man. You've actually stirred up this sense of adventure for me, that I had crammed down long before you came to be. I see the way you look at things, at people- so amazed and full of wonder. You are untouched by the cruel world, and I will do my best to never allow you to lose that, like so many of us do. Instead, I hope to give you room to flourish, finding joy in the simplest of things. Even seeking adventure in something as mundane as a trip to the grocery store. 

Our days our numbered and it is my belief that they should be filled with a healthy dose of spontaneity and plenty of world conquering. 

So with all that said, I am going to apologize ahead of time if my rulebook throwing ever has any negative consequences for you. Your Mama is just not the type to desire "keeping up with the Joneses" ..doing nothing but daily chores and cooking three meals a day, maintaining harsh schedules, or laying down strict rules and guidelines on how to live your own life. My hope is that one day you will find a way to appreciate that. Please try to. Always know my intentions are good, and I am forever doing what I think is the absolute best for you. Whether that means: choking out the adventurous young woman inside me at times, letting her up for air at others, or putting on my grown up hat when it is necessary. 

I am not perfect, but I am trying. 

Your happiness is my number one priority in life, above my own, as hard as that pill is to swallow sometimes. 

You deserve nothing less, the light of my life & the fire in my soul. 

Kisses and infinite love, Mama. 

From Grandma Tara

Grandma Tara has a hidden talent that not many people know about, one that I certainly don't have, the ability to write poems. She doesn't do it much, only with a healthy dose of inspiration (ie YOU).

Little late posting this, but here it is nonetheless....

(Shortly after your birth)

Spencer

I am so happy you're here

It took long enough!

Waiting 9 months

Was pretty rough

I never imagined how

good looking you'd be

No matter what they say

you get that from me!!

I made your mommy

And your mommy made you

So I guess she played

A little part in that too.

(but don't tell her... ok)

Not long after you were born

You scared us to death

You choked on something

And couldn't catch your breath

So your mommy,

and your daddy, and I

took turns watching you

All through the night

We had to make sure

That you were ok

So we stayed up all night

For about 4 days

You finally stopped choking

And seemed alright

So your mommy and I

Got to sleep through the night

We took you upstairs

To your mommy's bedroom

Your mom layed you down

Then you woke up real soon

You werent eating real good

After we brought you home

And your mommy was worried

that something was wrong

You lost too much weight

and your mommy was sad

But then you did a big poop

And we all were so glad

You ate and you ate till

Your mommy was sore

You gained back some weight

So she kept feeding you more

The next time we went

They said you were fine

You had gained some more ounces

I think it was nine.

That made us all happy

Cause we love you so much

I guess all it took

Was your mommies sweet touch.

There were a few rough nights

When no one could sleep

Your daddy was the first

To break down and weep.

Your mommy was next

She had not eaten that day

Then you peed in her food

And she ate it anyway.

I laughed at them both

Cause I had been there to

When your baby is crying

And you don't know what to do.

But they figured it out

And I think they'll be fine

I hate to go home now

But I think it is time.

I am leaving you though

In the best hands there could be

They love you so much

Almost as much as me!!

Love always,

Grandma