Playroom Twine & Clothespin Banner

Having a playroom in our new house has been a dream! It keeps all of Bennett's toys organized [without cluttering his bedroom and our living room like they did in our old house], but also provides a great, safe place for him to play. One of the things I wanted to do in his playroom to give it a more playroom feel is to create and hang a banner to be able to clip little flashcards with the alphabet, numbers, colors, animals - and then to one day have a space to hang little projects and artwork that he'll create. There are huge empty walls in the playroom, so I loved creating something so cute while also functional to dress up one of the walls with. I had the twine and clothes pins already and scored these alphabet cards from the dollar section of Target a few months ago. It took about 5 minutes to throw together (thank you Mom for your help!) and I love the way it looks in his playroom. 

Materials you'll need:

- Twine

- Wood clothes pins

- 4 thumb tacks 

- Scissors

- Things to hang our your pins :)

We cut our two large pieces of twine and thumb tacked them to the wall. I knew that I wanted to hang flashcards first, so I actually laid out the flash cards on the floor, in front of the shelf that I wanted to hang the banners above, to make sure that I was cutting my pieces long enough.

Once they were on the wall, I made bows (as you can see in the close up picture) to tie on the ends to hide the thumb tacks on the wall. 

That's it! So for a project that literally cost a few dollars, if you're counting all of the supplies that I already had, it was a quick and easy project to do to spruce up a boring wall in the playroom and to soon start using to teach Bennett his letters, numbers, colors and animals!

PS - Can you tell that I was two pins short? Haha, until I can steal two from my mom's clothesline at home, two chip clips will do it for now! :)

Baked Squash, Zucchini & Onion

This dish was a fun one to make because the squash and zucchini came from our new garden! :) This one is a simple and healthy side to serve along with your summer main course. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

- 2 Squash
- 2 Zucchini
- 1 Onion
- Onion Flakes
- Salt & Pepper
- Old Bay
- Lemon Juice




Instructions:

1. Wash, peel and slice the squash, zucchini and onion.
2. In a baking dish, you'll want to layer each of the ingredients. I did a row of zucchini, a row of squash and then a row of onion. On top of the three layers, I drizzled a little lemon juice and did a light seasoning of onion flakes, old bay, salt and pepper. After, I did another row of zucchini, squash, onion and seasonings until I used all of my squash and zucchini.
3. When done, bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. You won't need add any water or oil because the squash and zucchini will release juices while baking (thank you for that tip, Dad!)

Easy Dinner: Garlic Shrimp Pasta

This dish is such an easy and quick dinner option - Eric and I had it tonight and it was simple, yet delicious! My friend took me to this awesome little local pasta shop this past weekend that makes a ton of different flavored pasta noodles. I picked up Old Bay shells for Eric and I to try, and Sweet Potato noodles for Bennett (he's recently become obsessed with sweet potatoes). I seriously can't wait to go back - all of the options with different herbs and seasonings - we could make a million different dishes with everything available to choose from! 

I found a version of this recipe online - I'm usually a little hesitant when trying scampis because they always seem to be made with way too much oil or butter. After making this recipe and tailoring it a little, it was light and perfect! The Old Bay noodles made the dish even more spicy, 

which I love!

Ingredients:

- 1 lb shrimp, deveined

- 1/2 lb spagehetti noodles

- 6 to 8 garlic cloves, minced

- 1/4 cup butter

- Olive oil (3 drizzles)

- Fresh ground pepper

- Red pepper flakes

- Italian seasoning

Instructions:

1. Boil the noodles. When finished, drain and set aside.
2. Wash and peel your shrimp.
3. Melt butter over medium heat and add in shrimp. Cook until the shrimp are a little pink and starting to curl.
4. Add garlic and oil. Continue to stir until the shrimp are completely cooked.
5. Add your pasta to the skillet, with fresh ground pepper, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning. 
6. You'll want to make sure there's just enough juice in the dish (you don't want to dish too dry, but you also don't want it swimming). If the dish is too try, you can add additional olive oil or a little bit of water. You can also keep a little water from the pot you boiled your noodles in, to use for this too.
7. Keep tossing all of the ingredients in the skillet and when it's hot enough, enjoy! :)

- - - -

Here's a photo of some of the many options of pasta from the local shop - 

it was the cutest place!

Favorite Baby Items: 7 Months Old

And he's already 8 months old! Time is FLYING by. So much has happened this past month! For starters - Bennett is now sitting up on his own which opened up a whole new door of things that he can play with and do... so much more action! :) Some of our favorite items from this past month, in no particular order:

Fisher-Price Rock-a-Stack - This looks so simple but for some reason, it's one of Bennett's favorite toys! He loves to play with the individual rings and tries to put them back on the stand. He hasn't mastered it yet but it's so cute watching him try. For only $4.99 - it's a steal for the amount of time he spends playing with it!

Fisher-Price Baby's First Blocks - He loves playing with all of the different shaped pieces. This will be another great toy for when he's a little bit older and learning colors and shapes.

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Tap 'n Learn Hammer - He loves this little hammer. It sings songs, counts to 10 and even speaks a little Spanish! It has two modes - music and learning (learning mode is more for teaching phrases, counting and Spanish). The hammer's head is soft enough so that if he hits himself or someone else with it by accident, it's soft and cushiony. 

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Remote & Smart Phone Bundle - We actually received these separately, but I saw that it's offered as a bundle through Amazon. Bennett loves both of these toys. He loves remotes and loves Facetiming on our cell phones. Ever since he started playing with these toys - it hasn't been a struggle at all to distract him when he sees the real remote and a real cell phone. Plus - these are obviously more fun for your little one with the lights and music that they play ;) 

Jenny Collection Child Road Map Rug - This is probably one of my favorite Bennett items for this month. This is one that I found on sale for Prime Day (we have the 5x7 size), and we had a gift card, so it was a win/win purchase! I wanted a rug with roads for Bennett's playroom (it's a huge room with hardwood floors, so I wanted a softer surface for playing and one that he can actually get play use out of). I had been looking online and they were either hideous, too small, or too expensive for a larger size that I wanted. I first saw this one at Home Depot and decided to do a little more research on it and found it for cheaper through Amazon. It is the perfect size, amazing quality and has such bright colors. (Added bonus for my police mommies - it has a police station right in the center) :) He loves to sit on it to play with his other toys, and loves looking at the bright colors. I'm sure he'll love it even more when he's old enough to move his play cars along the roads! It's the perfect addition to his playroom!

Ikea Kallax Shelving Unit - This is another item we purchased for Bennett's playroom in the new house (We have it laid down on it's side - not standing straight up and down as pictured). I wanted something to keep all of Bennett's smaller toys in, that also wasn't too kid-looking. It's definitely a piece that I can use for other things, or that can be added to Bennett's bedroom when he's older for other purposes. I was originally going to get this for his bedroom when we were planning for his nursery, I've always loved the way they look with the bins! I actually scored this from an online yardsale group - a Mom had purchased two, ended up only needing to keep one and was selling it brand new, still in the box for a cheaper price, to avoid making a trip back to Ikea for returning. Regardless if I didn't get it for cheaper, brand new via yardsale - I'd absolutely pay full price for this item. It's high quality, easy to assemble and looks great in the playroom! (Note - There are a million places to purchase bins for these shelves - Here is the set that we have for it - they were on sale when we got them, for less than $3.50/each bin). 

Well - it looks like this post turned into a toy/playroom post (whoops!) and one that clearly loves the Fisher-Prices Baby's first toys. Haha, I'm excited to see what the next month brings! :)

Favorite Baby Items: 6 Months Old

And just like that, we have a 7 month old! [I'm a little late with this blog post - we finally moved into our new house this past weekend - so things have been so busy with the move!] Time is absolutely flying by and we're trying to soak up every single second of it with our sweet boy. This past month he starting eating oatmeal and fruit and veggie purees! With this new stage, here are a few things that we loved having for this past month's new adventure while he was 6 months old:


Chicco Polly High Chair - We love this high chair for a few reasons - we first wanted something that was sturdy enough but also something that could fold up easily for storage, that wasn't too bulky. Bennett loves to sit in it - either eating, or if we're eating, he'll sit in it with a few toys on the tray and he's completely occupied. We registered for the gray color (Papyrus) because we wanted something gender neutral to use in the future.

OXO Tot Roll Up Bib - Easy to wipe and clean bibs are key! My first choice are the Pottery Barn Cambria Bibs; but - I just looked on their website and they are no longer selling them (thank goodness we received a few as gifts during our showers - they're awesome!) Our second favorite would be the OXO brand - they're silicone and easy to clean. Also - the neck has wide velcro, which  makes it easy to adjust/size for your baby's neck (small and large all the way up to when your child is a toddler)! It also has a little lip at the bottom so that it catches anything you or your baby drops in the process.



Bumbo Multi-Seat - This chair is great because it comes with the insert for when your baby is small (Bennett started being able to sit in it on his own at 6 months), and you're able to take the insert out to use as a booster seat, when your child is a toddler. It's been great for when we need to feed him at someone else's house, when we have traveled for vacation, or if we're eating dinner at a restaurant. My parents were recently in town to help us with our move, and we took this seat to the restaurant - it was great for feeding him while we were waiting on our food :) It's also small enough so that it's easy to haul and doesn't take up a lot of space.



OXO Tot Feeding Spoons - I love these because they're softer. When feeding and wiping the excess food off of his face, it's gentle enough so that it doesn't scrape up his face or turn his face red. Recently, he started reaching for the spoon himself and now sticks it in his own mouth.




Munchkin Love-A-Bowls Set - I love these bowls - they are the perfect size, they come with lids and they are inexpensive! They are an add-on item through Amazon (because they're cheaper) - so I added these on to a regular order and was extremely pleased when they arrived. We ordered our second set a few weeks ago are very happy with them!



Gerber Organic Whole Grain Oatmeal - Our little guy started eating this oatmeal once a day, and is now having it twice a day - once in the morning with fruit purees and once in the evening with vegetable purees. When speaking with his doctor, I wanted to make sure that we were feeding him something that was more than just a filler and had actual nutritional value - so we opted for this Whole Grain Oatmeal instead of rice cereal, and it's been great. They are sold at your usual stores - Wegmans, Target, Giant - but Babies R Us often runs online sales, and last time I placed this order, I was able to get 5 containers for just $8 - so I'd recommend keeping an eye out for pricing :)

 We're looking forward to what this next month brings us! :)