DIY Toddler Fun: Easy, cheap bathtub painting

This activity is a BIG hit with Ruby. Just a drop or two of food coloring in a cheap can of foam shaving cream. Then a few paintbrushes and a paint tray borrowed from our art supplies. She actually likes this a lot even when I just spray out the shaving cream and leave it white, so that's what I usually do. We practice letters and numbers and she loves drawing clouds. 

Tip: check first to see if the food coloring stains your walls. It left some of my grout a little bit tinted.

Fun Stuff: Toddler dance classes

I'm not going to lie...Ruby more often does this sort of thing (laying down while everyone else is dancing, for example) than what she's supposed to be doing, but she LOVES dance class all the same. It was our Saturday morning routine all summer.

Just Because: Very distinguished animals

Ruby and I were at Target and I told her she could pick out a pack of stickers. She chose these mustaches. We have some friends whose baby is due any day now and the daddy-to-be sports a killer mustache, so Ruby and I posed this little pic (she refused to wear one) to welcome the new baby. :)

Just Because: Yoga with babies = brilliant

Ruby and I got to yoga together. It's lovely. She runs around the studio, stands on blocks, and does the occasional downward dog. I get a workout.

Fun Stuff: Sidewalk chalk

What's not to love about sidewalk chalk, really? Cheap, non-permanent, fun. That's all.

Just Because: City of twinkle twinkle

We may need to leave the city to see the actual twinkle twinkles, but this video is a breathtaking look at all that glitters in Los Angeles. Stunning.


LA Light from Colin Rich on Vimeo.

Just Because: First time in a barn

Ruby is still talking about this! When we were in Minnesota a few weeks ago, she got the thrill of going inside her first barn. She was impressed. She even got to see three sleeping bats. 

DIY Toddler Fun: Pick a stick, any stick...

Jude told me recently that he sometimes feels bad just going to the park all the time with Ruby because he can't think of anything else to do. First of all, considering you're an incredible, hands-on, super fun, loving dad, you should never feel "bad" about taking Ruby to do something she loves.

That being said, I got this idea from Ohdeedoh and made Jude a gift: ideas for things to do with Rubes!

Family Outing: Afternoon at the beach

You know...living in California and all, you might assume beach days would be a regular occurrence. Hardly! To plan a whole day of it often seems like a production. We are more of the last-minute (semi-accidental) beach-goers. This was a Sunday afternoon in which we happened to be on the West side and were headed home when we had the sudden urge to stop at the beach. And by "sudden urge," I mean we literally made a split-second decision and pulled into a parking lot off the PCH and headed out to the sand. Ocean and beach=always lovely. 

We keep our kite in our trunk, exactly because of days like this! Daddy has gotten so good at flying the kite that he doesn't even need to hold it with his hands anymore!

 Ruby LOVES to throw rocks into water.

 Ruby's first self-portrait! Little bugger grabbed my camera.

Wake up, Daddy! Time to go! Note the kite is still flying from his belt loop during his nap!

Just Because: Girls will be girls

Gosh, toddlers are cute. These sweet little cousins reminded me a lot of me and my own cousins at their age. And the cycle continues...

Fun Stuff: Creepy Crawlies (Jumpies)

Nothing says Midwest summer days quite like dozens of mini-frogs collected from the yard by a group of rough-and-tumble cousins and plopped into a toddler water table. 

Sweet little Anya.

Pretty Hannah.

Note that Ruby has a piece of plastic that CAME OUT OF THAT FROG-WATER in her mouth! I took it away numerous times and even tried to hide it, but it always ended up back in that water and/or back in her mouth. Oh well. We love germs.

Fun Stuff: Fireworks!

Last night, Ruby was introduced to her first-ever fireworks. It was pretty much the BEST. THING. EVER. She keeps begging us to "make fireworks again" and keeps recounting the excitement: "They went up in the sky and went boom!boom!boom!boom!"

We sat in the picnic area outside the Hollywood Bowl for free. Heard the Hall and Oates concert and got a great view of the fireworks.

 Daddy trying to explain to Ruby why he couldn't "make more fireworks." She was so sad.

 But then she forgave us.

 "Yay! Fourth of July!"

Fun Stuff: Up, up, and away!

I got one of these big parachute things, knowing full well that we'd need a lot of people around it to do it "right." But I brought it out on the Fourth on a whim with only a handful of us. It was a hit! So much you can do with one of these! Just the bright colors alone make it exciting!

I got mine at Cost Plus World Market when their outdoor play stuff was 50 percent off. Nothing special about mine except that the colors are pretty, but it's a little thin (fine for us, but maybe not the best if you need it to withstand more serious wear-and-tear. There are tons of these on Amazon.com, all different sizes and price-ranges. Here are a few!