next stop: Moments in Time

Hi Friends,

This post was suppose to go out Wednesday morning, but obviously my Assistant is slacking.

How is your week?

What is your next stop this weekend?  How do you look forward to enjoying your time?

Mommy said she ALWAYS loves watching and enjoying my Daddy and Me time (and capturing it with photos) ... same goes for Sissy and Daddy time... I love my Daddy - my hero!  Besides ... poor Mommy can't always participate now because she is watching Sissy.  C'mon Sissy, pull it together and run so everyone can go up and down the hill! 

Speaking of Daddy time ...this coming weekend is Dad 2.0 Summit in Houston.  Will you be there?  (Mommy will - makes perfect sense, I know).  

A few photos capturing Daddy time ... on the day before my birthday at Discovery Green are below.  Note, this was BEFORE Mommy realized she needed to clean the camera lens.  Wow.

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Also this week one of our favorite stores (Whole Foods Market) is opening up a new store in the Houston area - Katy, Texas.  They have lots of great things planned!  If you live near, visit soon and often.  I know we go to our Whole Foods Market at least once a week!  From Whole Foods Market below ...

Whole Foods Market opens in Katy on January 30th

WHAT: And for the first five days we’re open, we’re giving one percent of our sales each day to five amazing nonprofits in the community, with lots of entertaining events each day.  Come out and shop to support these great local organizations:

Wednesday, January 30th – Katy ISD Education Foundation

Thursday, January 31st – Katy Prairie Conservancy

Friday, February 1st – Katy Christian Ministry

Saturday, February 2nd – ARTreach

Sunday, February 3rd- Katy Family YMCA

WHERE: Whole Foods Market –Katy
6601 S. Fry Road
Katy, TX 77494

So what is your next stop this weekend?

-Mad Max

PS: Be sure to visit us at Mad About Town!

last stop: Mom Expo and More

Hi Friends,

How was your weekend?  What did you do?

Mommy said weekends (and the week!) leaves her exhausted.  We think it's because we try to cram so much into two short days - not to mention recovering from the week.  Speaking of cramming and time ... this week we are focusing on time!

So how do you manage your time?  How do you like to spend your time?  How do you enjoy the time?

First, Mommy said we may switch to just focusing on our blogs on Mon, Wed, and Friday.  And some Tue and Thu we may have a short post that mostly involves a photo.  Mommy and I are very busy working hard on checking things off of our lists ... and we are also working on a secret project - to be revealed in the future.  So how do you fit blogging in?  How do you manage your time?

This weekend ...

I enjoyed a little "day trip" with Mommy and Sissy to visit Mommy's friend M in The Woodlands.  We went to a Mom Expo and lunch.  What did I enjoy most?  I would have to say "playing the drums" at lunch.

Sunday we went to church, Whole Foods... and after my afternoon nap we went to the Houston Zoo.

One exciting thing from the weekend was ... Sissy really found her leg strength!  She is really trying to push push push - she may roll over soon.  Mommy said she's a wild June Bug now when she changes her.  Poor Sissy though... she slept most of the weekends- probably because she was so tired from the week.  She's having a hard time adjusting to life without Mommy during the week.  How did your little ones adjust if you had to deal with that?

Enjoy some Houston Zoo photos!

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

-Mad Max

PS: You can also find us on Mad About Town.

fun friday: Sadie's Week 13 Update / Happy 3 Month Birthday

Hi Friends,

Sadie here!  How was your week?  We apologize for missing some days ... Mommy is still trying to get use to the new schedule.

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Sadie's Week 13 Update / Happy 3 Month Birthday

I turned 13 weeks on Monday,  Jan. 21st, and I officially turned 3 Months on Tuesday, Jan. 22nd!

Weight: I'm at chunky monkey weight now.  Maybe over 13 lbs?

Height: We are guessing about the same.  Maybe a tad longer.

Health: Zero complaints!

Sleep: Sleep has been really great at home!  I haven't had as many fussy evenings this week (Mommy went to the gym in the evening Tuesday and Wednesday).  And I pretty much sleep through the night now.  I sometimes (but not always) wake around 4 amish to eat which is very close to when Mommy has to get up for work (and feed me anyways).  Mommy isn't doing any dream feeds right now.

Sleep at YaYa's is a totally different story.  Two days now I just cry and cry, and I am not getting much sleep.  They are trying different bottles to see if that helps me.  Just pass this gal a glass of wine, please!

Diet: Mommy's Milk

Social: Mommy is working now so we don't have a whole lot of time to socialize anymore.  But, Mommy had "mandatory fun" aka bond with your co-workers on Wednesday afternoon, and they got to choose what they wanted to do in small groups.  Mommy took us to meet some co-workers and baby friends at the Children's Museum of Houston (my first visit).  What did I think of the place?  Well, I fell asleep quite nicely while Big Bro played choo choo and such.  But when my bff arrived (Baby O), I perked up ... when my bf (boyfriend) arrived (Baby J) I just played hard to get.  Baby J's Mommy said I look like an American Girl Bitty Baby.  What do you think?  (See Photo Below).

Me and BFF O (and my Belly Button)

Train Wreck Group Shot

Baby O, Baby J (aka BF), and Me

American Girl Bitty Baby

Clothes: 3 Months and 3 - 6 Months

Baby Gear: My Monkey Lovie and Lambie Lovie ... Mommy said she'll take photos soon and share them.  I love grabbing things now!

Crying: I've been crying a lot this week as I am getting use to being away from my Mommy.  We hope things get better soon!  Other than that... just normal crying.

Likes: I like when my brother acts like a monkey (this is the same thing my Mommy did for Tia Tam when she was a baby).  This makes me smile a lot!  I also like when my Daddy makes faces at me, and when my Mommy sings to me.

Postpartum: From Mommy - Trying to take back my life !  Went to the gym 3x this week ... my goal is 4 - 5x per week.  I try to do small workouts at home in the evenings when I don't go to the gym.  Hair is starting to fall out - joy!  Hand / finger pain (I've really noticed this at school) - joy!  Some weird back pain too - double joy!

Milestones: We had a few really fun ones this week / month!  Well, they sure did entertain Mommy and Company.  I'm really starting to notice my brother and his antics more.  I love watching him and turning my head to watch him.  He acted like a monkey for the first time this month and made me smile.

Also last Friday (1/18) I blew a lot of bubbles for the first time!  I was like WTF is going on...and Max just said "bubbles!  bubbles!"...

Then tonight Mommy was holding me, and I looked down and I saw FEET... WTF are those??  I was so excited, and I really wanted to grab them ... but I just got frustrated.  Mommy said she was holding Max the same way when he discovered his feet and played with them.

Above: My Pottery Barn Kids Lambie Quilt

What is Max Up To This Week?:

Missing his Mommy, I'm sure!  One thing is he is really starting to grow up (tall)... Mommy is FINALLY packing away some clothes that are probably too small for him now (18 months).

What are you up to this week?

-Sadie of Mad Max and Family

PS: Be sure to find us on Mad About Town.

thematic tuesday (at home): We Heart ...

Hi Friends,

Okay so our Tuesday post is mostly turning into a Wednesday post ... but that's okay.

Mommy said we need a Personal Assistant.  We?  How about I!  She said we need someone to blog, post, tweet, pin, wash and fold laundry, sleep for us .. etc.  Mommy's gone off the deep end.

Anyways ... I still LOVE her.  And our topic this week is love ... Mad Max's favorite topic to go along with his (my) Scotch ... Valentine's Day is coming!  Have you started thinking about it yet?  Do you celebrate (or even have an "anti-celebration")?  How do you celebrate?

Mommy said holidays are 1,000,000x more fun with kiddos (of course ... I'm one big ball of fun).  So we've been thinking of things we can do at home (and later in the week - around town) to celebrate.  Who doesn't love to celebrate those they, well, LOVE?

One idea ... "baking" (well Valentine's Marshmallow Pops)!  Yes, this is Mommy's idea of baking.

Valentine's Marshmallow Pops

Image Credit: Pinterest via Glorious Treats

Have you ever HAD marshmallow pops before ...?  They are so delicious!  Have you ever made them before?  We just made them (with help from many - Mimi, Viola, Mandy, and Jessica) for my 2nd Birthday Celebration.  We found everything we needed for them at Hobby Lobby, but I'm sure you can also find them at Michael's and other places.  Mommy said next time we should maybe look at Whole Foods for some things - maybe they have melting chocolates that are "healthier"?

So how do you make them?  The short story is ... 1) melt the chocolate (directions on the bag).  A double boiler is probably the most ideal way to do it.  2) dip a stick into the chocolate first (before putting the marshmallow on the stick - helps, stick!) 3) dip the marshmallow into the chocolate ... turn and turn and let the extra drip off 4) stick the marshmallow pop in some styrofoam (or something else to hold them up) to let them dry (we happened to have some leftover from a Christmas gift ...but you can buy the green foam at craft stores - that will work! ) 5) once dry ...put a nice clear bag (and maybe a tag) around them and tie!

We haven't tried any fancy ones like multiple marshmallows or other embellishments, but we are thinking we might try something for Valentine's Day.  There are so many ideas on Pinterest!  Be sure to visit Glorious Treats for some more photos, directions, and inspiration.

So how are you celebrating Valentine's Day at home with your kiddos?  Any baking ideas to share?

Valentine's Day Outfits

And finally, we will leave you with a photo of our Valentine's Day shirts that just arrived from klzart via etsy (thank you Kelly ... Mommy LOVES them ... !)  I know ... I know.  I'll pull in all the ladies with this!  Have you picked your outfits yet for your little ones?  Mommy said she also might get us some Oshkosh B'gosh overalls to go with them.

Thoughts?

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

-Mad Max

PS: You can also find us at Mad About Town.

fun monday: Sadie's Week Twelve Update

Hi Friends,

How was your weekend?  Were you able to enjoy a three day MLK weekend?

From Sadie: This posting is of my Week 12 Update ... I turned 12 weeks last Monday (and 13 weeks today!).  Tomorrow I turn 3 MONTHS OLD.  Whew.  I'll post some 3 month photos soon.  In the meantime, enjoy!  Note, before my postings were about the days leading up to my weekly birthdays, but I am going to switch them to be about the week of the birthday (since I post them later in the week anyways).

Sadie's Week 12 Update:

Weight: Mommy is guessing that I am pushing 12 lbs now ...maybe 13?  It's been a few weeks now since my doc appt.

Height: Probably about the same as last time.

Health: As healthy as can be!

Sleep: Sleep is another issue of sorts ... there is good news and bad news.  The good news is I had TWO nights last week that I slept pretty much from the time I finally fell asleep (get to that in a minute) around 9 pm ...until Mommy waked me in the morning - and in my own bed at that.

Not always, but sometimes I've been having fussy evenings from about 7 pm - 9 pm.  Part of that may had to do with my getting use to Gramby (Ya Ya - her new name that Max calls her) and Pop's house.  I didn't nap well there last Wed - Friday.  Tonight (Monday) my fussy / crying only lasted until about 7:45 pm (and I slept in my bed).

But now that I am three months old (well, I will be tomorrow!) I could also be hitting some growth spurts!

Diet: Mommy's Milk.  Every 3 - 4 hours (or at night - longer stretches).

Social: The biggest thing is it was Mommy's first week back to work ... sigh.  But I got to spend a lot of time with Mimi ...and also with Ya Ya (formally known as Gramby) and Pops (and Bean!).  We didn't really go anywhere or see anyone, but we had fun.  This past weekend though I went with the family on a few outings including Discovery Green, and we also went to meet Mommy's friend J and her new baby A!  We'll have to share photos soon.

Clothes: 3 Months and 3 - 6 Months ... in these photos I am in some Carter's PJs.  Do you have Carter's in your wardrobe?  What does your Wee One like to wear?

Baby Gear: I'm loving my various baby gyms I have ... I'm enjoying looking and grabbing more and more each day.  I also have a new blanket (thanks Kim!) that has tags, and I started loving on it today.  I love to grab it and chew it!  What baby gear are you loving?  What can you not live without?

Crying:  I've been crying a LOT, but I miss my Mommy!  Sometimes I also just really have to cry to make myself feel better.

Likes: I love when my brother sings to me.  I also like smiling and looking at faces.  I like eating my hands lately too.

Postpartum: From Mommy - First week back to work.  Dread.  Now to make it through all the rest until summer.  Eep!  I also finally joined the Downtown YMCA (although it's a citywide membership).  Very excited to jump back in with some exercise.

Milestones: My longest time away from Mommy!  And I think my other biggest milestone this week is I blew bubbles!  Mommy saw me accidently blow them before, but I blew a LOT of bubbles this past Friday ... and brother kept saying "bubbles!  Bubbles!"  He really enjoyed that.

What is Max Up To This Week?: Speaking of brother ... some of his new favorite words lately are "stuck" (sounds like suck) and "hide" ... He often gets stuck (or something gets stuck) and lots of things like to hide!

He also really loves running up and down the hill at Discovery Green.

So what are you up to this week?

-Sadie of Mad Max and Family

PS: You can also find us at Mad About Town.

thematic thursday (around town): Mad Max's 2nd Birthday

Hi Friends,

How are you?

On Thursdays we will now provide a posting that relates to themes and things to do around town (whether it is around our town or yours!)... and this week we are focusing on new beginnings .. and the beginning of the New Year started with a new beginning for me - I turned 2 (you can read more about my 2nd Birthday Party here and here)!

So what did we do on my actual 2nd Birthday?  We explored all things I love around town.

We (Me, Mommy, Sissy, and Gramby) went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science to see their dinos, and we went Downtown to have lunch at Niko Nikos with Daddy and Pops.  Then we even went to Target and got more prizes for me (and some other items)... andddd.... we went home and enjoyed opening up more gifts and eating cake.  I couldn't have possibly had a better birthday!

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Mommy said she loves this photo of me peeking over at the dinos.  Hey, curators - can you make these displays a little lower please?  Thank you.

That fish is HOW old, Gramby?

Mommy says she loves this pic too.  I'm a dino - ROAR!

Mommy and Sissy look up - it's so tall.

HMNS Dino Hall

Niko Nikos Greek Food in Downtown Houston mmmm.

The park was nice and empty because it was COLD in Houston (well pretty cold for Houston weather - 50's maybe).  It was nice eating outside though because it was sunny, and there was a heat lamp behind us.

This is my gift from Gramby and Pops.  Gramby did a great job with the gift wrapping - it matches my party theme - Where The Wild Things Are.  Gramby even changed the photo of the Max character below to me, Max!

Yay!  Thanks for my Fisher Price Little People airplane (just like the one I flew to see Tia Tam recently).

We also sang Happy Birthday (again), and I blew out my candles on my own!

But ... who is in the mood to eat cake, when you have an airplane to play with?

-Mad Max

PS: You can also find us on Mad About Town.

next stop: I do. I do. DIY.

Hi Friends,

Mad Max here ... I love to say "I do.  I do."  Because ... I can DO IT MY(Your)SELF.

And Mommy is also obsessed with DIY (as you remember recently from my 2nd Birthday Party).  Are you obsessed with DIY too?

And this week we are talking about new beginnings ... various goals this year ... etc.  One of Mommy's goals this year is also to constantly expose us to new things and to DO more DIY on our own and with us.  So we found the perfect match to this combination this weekend at the Houston Mini Maker Faire.

What is your next stop this weekend?



And what is the Houston Mini Maker Faire?

Saturday, January 19, 2013
10 am - 6 pm
Stafford Centre
Ticket Information

Maker Faire brings together families and individuals to celebrate the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset and showcase all kinds of incredible projects. At Maker Faire, you’ll find arts and crafts, science and engineering, food and music, fire and water but what makes this event special is that all these interesting projects and smart, creative people belong together. They are actively and openly creating a maker culture.

In its simplest form, Maker Faire creates conversations with Makers. It is a show-and-tell format for people of all ages that brings out the “kid” in all of us. Maker Faire is a community-based learning event that inspires everyone to become a maker and connect to people and projects in their local community.

Houston Mini Maker Faire is being organized by Adil Jafry, Mike Hinkle, Jacob Shiach and the Make The Future Team.

If you live in or around Houston ... you should go check it out!

Speaking of upcoming events, don't forget that the Dad 2.0 Summit is coming to Houston in a few short weeks.  Will you be there?

And finally, here I am being a maker below!  

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

-Mad Max

PS: You can find us at Mad About Town.

thematic tuesday (at home): What Are Your At Home Goals With Kidlets?

Hi Friends,

Is your week off to a nice start?  We are feeling a bit like this (see photo below) tonight (Monday) ... so you can say that is less than to be desired.  Needless to say, we felt so much like the photo below that we almost didn't make this blog today - but we are here!  (Part of that feeling has to do with Mommy being back at work ... part of it has to do with Sissy being fussy tonight (Monday) ... etc).  We hope you are fairing much better.

By the way, do you know who is in the photo below?  Do you think it's me (Max) or Sadie?

We are starting a new blog posting on Tuesdays ... thematic tuesday (at home) - this posting will relate to themes, and things you do at home with the kidlets!

All Images: Mad Max and Family

Today we wanted to ask ... what goals do you have with your kidlets this year?  Are there any goals that relate to things you want to do with them at home?

Mommy is still working on our (her) goal list for the year, but she knows that she wants us to continue to make art together.  How do you make art at home?  We also want to focus more on learning colors, exploring colors, painting, mixing colors, etc.  So she wants to do several projects that involve those areas.

Are you interested in hearing any project ideas?  Let us know!  (We did a "special" painting project for Christmas gifts, and we may do one again soon ... I don't want to spoil any surprises though!).

The project above is simple for Super Tots.  We used an "Alex My First Painting Set."  It comes with the primary colors, is simple to use for Super Tots (keeps the paints contained, mostly), and easy to clean.  It does seem to waste a lot of paint unless you take the time to try to put the excess back, but the paint is cheap so it is probably not a great loss.

Mommy and I like to practice mixing our colors, expressing ourselves, and we like to reuse material (here we painted on newspaper!).

Is painting on your list of goals to do with your kidlets at home this year?  Or what is on your list related to the arts (or even not related to the arts)?

We look forward to hearing your ideas!

And don't forget  ... Dad 2.0 is coming up in a few short weeks.  Will you be there?

-Mad Max

PS: You can find us at Mad About Town.