Where to find a Fort and Moat....

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It is often said that the best things in life a free! I am a firm believer of this. Yesterday, the weather was warm, a hint of spring in the air and so out and about we went.

We ended up strolling at Fort Monroe, now a National Historic site in Hampton, Virginia. Previously a military instillation. The old brick buildings are dreamy, brings you back in the day.  It was stunning, the grounds are well kept. A beautiful view from the peninsula to the Chesapeake Bay. A hidden Hampton treasure. You pass thru the town of Phoebus to get here, quaint and small a few restaurants and a couple of antique shops.

History buff????Fort Monroe played a large part in the American Civil War with visits from Abraham Lincoln, improvised confederate president Jefferson Davis, and a young Robert E. Lee was stationed here. While not always called Fort Monroe its importance in history and location stretches back to the days of John Smith (1610-2011).

Interested read more here...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Monroe

A cool ride over the moat!

This rope tied to this old tree was so inviting..we will try it out next time.

Do some fishing...

Have a lovely Sunday brunch, a wedding, a special event at the Chamberlin Hotel
 (large brick building in background)
Plane and ship watching...last time we saw a submarine surface!

Visit the Casemate Museum (FREE) walking tour, download a tour.. candlelight tour

In the summer joing ion the the fun of the Fort Monroe Concert Series

Walk the beach

They have a nice paved, walk way perfect for toddlers and strollers, lots of free parking, a couple of different playgrounds.
Looking for more information try here....http://www.fmauthority.com/
Map and information on the walking tour http://freshlookwebdesign.com/~fmauthor/pdf/Casemate_tourcard.pdf

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Little Sweetheart....

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So here we are in February, Valentine's day is just around the corner, along with my husbands birthday. He is a Valentine baby, so we spend the day celebrating him. I can't wait to give my son his little Valentine's and watch him sing Happy Birthday to daddy. It's the little things that count. In the spirit of the day at least share an "I Love You' with someone important in your life...

What to give a toddler for Valentine's Day?? Especially when they have no clue as to what it means or what it is. First off start at your local library they have a wonderful selection of seasonal books. I learned that you have to get there early they tend to check out fast as the holiday approaches. So a few new reads about the holiday. My little one loves Curious George, so he would love this one..on amazon

A simple craft of X and O...you have to start somewhere right? What better way to be practicing letters! You can use multiple house hold items to recreate an O...toilet paper roll, circle shape toy...show them that Os are everywhere...go on a search to find them around the house. Use finger paint to stamp them on a paper. For the X you can show how to cross with the edge of cardboard. Practice making lines...more advanced...how about a heart tic tac toe game on a dry erase board? Keep it simple, no need to overwhelm with fancy crafts..go with the flow and enjoy your time spent creating together!

A gift? Our go to gift has been Dollar coins  we use them on all of these little holidays, for his piggy bank and hoping to instill some lessons on money here in the future.

Here is a collection of vintage toys I curated for your little tot
"For Your Littlest Valentine"


All of the shops seen in the treasury are using code SWEET15 at checkout for 15% off until February 15th.


The Little Things Vintage
Stop by my shop too and use the same code for something sweet for yourself!

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Typical Tuesday

Pin It Now! Its only noon and I'm already feeling defeated. Being someones mom is a huge responsibility. Aside from the the necessities of food, shelter, and clothing we strive for our children to be responsible, disciplined and respectful. One day becoming amazing law abiding, productive adults. HOW does this happen? I am a SAHM of an almost two year old little boy. He is an only child so I try to keep him active in programs where he can socialize with other two year olds. We attend a weekly toddler play gym class. Offered by our local YMCA perhaps you have one near you too? http://www.peninsulaymca.org/


I loved it until today....

Here is the run down of our class this morning. 40 minute play class and all was going well until boredom struck 30 minutes into it. How does a little boy get bored playing in a gym. After doing the circuit of challenges a handful of times, he's like okay now what? Well the instructor is not amazing, it's like a free for all, no structure, and my son just lost interest. Some group interaction, an attempt at some form of structure play would be nice. So I looked around in envy as the other mom's watched their little ones engaged in the activity.

When out of nowhere my son runs from across the gym, puts two hands on the little boys back and pushes him down to the ground. OK,  parent. I got down to his level, and said "no, no pushing, that's not okay, you hurt him see, you can't push, say your sorry" I apologized quickly, we got our things and I cowed right out of their embarrassed and mortified. That poor child and parent, hurt and upset and all I could offer was an "I'm so sorry." Just doesn't seem like enough. NOW did any of these words actually register with my son, did he understand me? He let out a small sympathy cry and I whisked him away. Maybe my expectations are just too high at this point. I have been told that this is common of two year olds, but when does it end, and when is the lessen learned?

Now this..a little confidence booster...true story..just happened. I was walking my husband out to his car when I heard a little voice calling mommy and banging. After a quick scan of the neighborhood I spotted the little bugger two houses down across the street. A two year old, little boy, banging on the glass storm door for mommy. OK I walked over and rang the doorbell. Mom turns the corner with a smile on her face "OMG I always keep that locked, I was in the bathroom." OK stop right here, if that was my son he would be half way to Canada by now because he wouldn't have stopped to look for me. I would be a in a crazy panic. I hope that she would have come around and seen him standing there soon enough, but you never know. I hope mom and son learned a lesson today. I hope my son and I learned a lesson today. Two year olds cannot be without one eye on them at all times. They create plenty of challenges for us, everyday obstacles we somehow overcome.
Needless to say their are so many different kinds of kids and different  kinds of parents that in the end we all seem to make it work. If you have any helpful advice on how to curb this pushing thing please, I'm all ears! Pin It Now!