This Oz Life

Who doesn't like to save a little bit of time and hassle?  I am still enjoying making Larkyn's purees and we have fun letting her try new things (papaya--the kid loves papaya!) However, sometimes homemade things do no transport as easily, OR you find your selves sitting down to eat at Whole Foods with no baby spoon!  What's a mama to do? Dash through the aisles to the Whole Baby section, only to find a package of baby flatware that is $9 and made out of corn syrup (therefo… Read more

What is it about pumpkin? Is it that it is a seasonal flavor, like chocolate & peppermint, and we anticipate its premiere every year? By now, you know that I enjoy pumpkin, judging from my post last year . This year, I thought I'd give you a recipe to try at your next Fall/Winter event. It is pretty popular at the potlucks we have at school (that's where I got the recipe!) Enjoy... Holiday pumpkin dip recipe from Ann 15 oz. pumpkin 8 oz. softened cream cheese 2 C confectioner… Read more

And happy Halloween!  Well, its Halloween around here because our school parties were today. Yes, parties plural. We had an AM kindergarten party at 11 and a PM party at 3. So, I am exhausted!! However, not too exhausted to share my little visitor. The kids loved meeting her and she always likes to come see them at school. Not much new this week except for trying some new foods (papaya and yogurt!) and sitting in highchairs. We had a fun lunch at Whole Foods with Daddy and breakfast a… Read more

When this face is sad, I can't take it. That being said, I am not a believer in shielding my child from everything .  Being a kindergarten teacher, I know that kids need to have a little bit of tough skin to make it through the day. In a given day, their fingers might get stepped on, someone might shove them while getting in line, or they might take an unkind comment or two. Not that I am condoning this behavior, but it is life. But being a mom, I see the other side too. The side … Read more

Look how big she has gotten all of a sudden! This week has brought us some fun new events like spontaneously sitting up in the bathtub and me worrying the whole time about her face-planting into the water or faucet. She is teething hardcore, and actually just finished a crying outburst that was the hardest I have heard her cry since she was BORN. I'm not exaggerating. But, let me say that Orajel Natural is the bomb. I might have already said that. We are eating 2 meals per day and… Read more

How can this be?!  She is half a year old already?  It seems like she has always been here, but at the same time, it feels like we were just leaving for the hospital at 2 AM on 4/21/11. A lot has happened this week. First, breaking news on the tooth front:  she is teething for real now. 2 months ago I could see little white specks and she was drooling a lot, but now they are actually breaking through and she is showing all those fabulous signs of teething. I wonder what she will look … Read more

I have been waiting. WAITING. Waiting for a Saturday that isn't 90+ degrees or 40 degrees with rain. Finally, it came on Saturday! I could take Lulu to her first trip to Clintonville. My mom used to work in the area, and we didn't live too far away from it as I was growing up, so some of my very first memories were made along High Street in Clintonville. Every Saturday, they have (I think) the largest farmer's market in Columbus. This is a great place for it because the p… Read more

Larkyn and I spent the day in one of my favorite parts of town: Clintonville. I love it for its vibrancy and locally-owned stores. I will post for about our day on Monday, but thought I would highlight our moment of style today. At my favorite childrens clothing boutique, Lottie Da , we found our must-have for the season. This little houndstooth gem came in three different patterns and you can guess how tempting it was to buy all three. However, I thought this pattern was uniqu… Read more

Everyone keeps saying, "Oh isn't this a fun age?" Yes! I love this stage of my roly-poly, smiley, toothless girl. As she was growing out of the teeny, newborn stage, I was thinking I would miss it. But, it gets even better!  She makes us laugh all day with her silly faces and her new look-at-me-I'm-fake-gagging noise. Yeah, its a little disturbing, but she thinks it is great. She has been trying a few new foods. Peas, she hated. Mangoes and zucchini she loves! Intere… Read more

So, if you have been reading for a while, you have seen pictures of my daughter, my house, my dogs...but do you know what I do all day? I thought I'd share with you the other piece of my life: teaching kindergarten! I love my job and it is truly the job that I always wanted. I am soooo blessed to be employed in the first place, let alone in the highest-rated district in Franklin County (whoop whoop!) I'd love to show you all my kiddos, but that's a little no-no. Trust me, … Read more