I've been toying with the thought of getting Viggo a mobile for the changing table since he was born. When I started looking around, I found that most manufacturers were aiming more for matching and coordinating with nursery decor than for babies entertainment! Those that are, supposedly, for babies viewing pleasure are so over stimulating, so over priced, so battery operated, and SO plastic, that they would never be allowed in my home! :) So I decided I'd make him one... eventually. I was just waiting for that "Aha!" moment. It happened today as I was throwing away the empty cereal box. So, I got to work and came up with "Viggo's New Toy" as Serenity calls it. I cut out three 2.5" circles and two 5x5" squares from the cardboard box. I painted the fronts and backs black. When that was dry they were kind of warped, so I set books over them to straighten the pieces out. When they were pretty flat, I started painting them with different bright colors. I did polka dots and stripes on the squares and swirls and bulls eyes on the circles. I took care not to measure. I wanted it to look a little abstract and "off". Then I measured to find the centers of each piece. From there I threaded an embroidery needle with embroidery thread and poked a hole through each piece. On some I poked the hole straight through the middle, others I poked it a little to the side so that piece would hang a little crooked. Then I tied a knot on the decorated side of the shape and attached the other end of the thread to the shelves above the changing pad. On one of the circles I poked a larger hole and threaded a few pieces of thin, colorful ribbon to hang down. I hung the pieces 12-18 inches above his face because that's this distance where his focus is the best. I also used contrasting colors since that's what will catch his eye. I love this because you can get really creative with colors and shapes and they're really versatile. When left alone, they'll gently sway, wobble, and spin, but when I shoot a strong breath at them, they start moving so fast and Viggo gets so excited! They can hang anywhere... I'm even thinking about making some for the car! Nothing about these comes close to being fashionable or decorative, that's for sure, but my Viggo loves them. And isn't that what it's supposed to be about, anyway?


Here are two different pictures of the pieces from Viggo perspective:







And here are two pictures of my little man enjoying his view!

Granola Recipe

I love granola, but it's so expensive to buy at the store! That's why we started making our own and I'm so glad we did. Like most things, you just can't beat that homemade taste. I've had to start making this in a double batch because we go through it so fast! Add some milk to it for cereal, throw some on top of your yogurt, or just eat it buy itself for a quick snack. It's relatively simple to make, really flexible, and packed full of nutrition.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
A few twists of the salt grinder (Probably about 1/4 teaspoon.)
4 cups rolled oats (This is really where you can get creative. Substitute part of this for dried fruits, seeds, nuts, chocolate chips... the possibilities are endless.)
Palm full of cinnamon (About 1 teaspoon.)

Start off by melting your butter in a large saucepan. Add your brown sugar and water and stir together. Let this simmer for a couple minutes then add the salt and cinnamon. Give it a quick stir, remove from the burner, and stir in your oats, seeds, nuts, etc. but DO NOT add your dried fruit or candy just yet. Make sure your keep stirring until all of the dry ingredients are coated with the butter/sugar mixture. Spread this out in a cake pan as thin as you can and cook it for 10-15 minutes in a 375 degree oven. When your edges start to get brown, take it out. Let it cool in the pan and then break the granola into smaller pieces, add in your dried fruit and/or candy if you choose to, and store away. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.