Bananas for Brandon

Brandon loves to eat bananas. We went over to grandma's for a visit and she gave him some. Brandon calls it "nanas".

Toddler Bike Helmet Review

We've been looking for a toddler helmet for a while and finally got one. Most of these helmets fit starting at age 3. Brandon's head was a bit small then, but he's still growing. Some of the helmets are fitting him better now. We've tried on so many and it was too loose. Everyone's fit is different; some may fit better than others.

We have the Toy Story character helmet that is for ages 3+ and it is a good fit (though Brandon is only 22 months now). The straps are easy to adjust to make a good fit. Pad set is also included for knees or elbows.






Brandon can start wearing his new helmet and ride his little trike.

Fluor-A-Day and Getting Your Toddler to Brush Teeth

Brandon started brushing teeth on his own at the age of 1, but we are still trying to teach him to brush properly. About half the time, he just sucks on the bristles. There are times that he doesn't want to brush and whines. If you too are worried that your toddler isn't brushing well enough, show him/her how you are brushing. Brush teeth with your child. Children and toddlers often like to do what parents do.  Another good idea is have your child stand on a stool and look into the mirror.  Also remember to keep a basic routine.  This will create a good habit of the time for brushing teeth.

Our dentist recommend Fluor-A-Day drops for our little one to keep his teeth healthy. At first, I've never knew about this product. This is a great way to get adequate fluoride protection if you live in a community without fluoridated water. The Fluor-A-Day drops are like clear liquid. We put a couple drops once daily into Brandon's juice or other drinks.

Frogs in the Park

It was another beautiful sunny day and it was the first day for the Frog Hollow event, "Frogs In The Park". I took Brandon in his stroller to Clinton Park early in the morning after having a light breakfast. When we got to the park, there were lots of kids and moms and grandparents.

It was a bit cool in the morning so I brought along a jacket for Brandon. There were a lot of things to see. The first thing Brandon saw were some books at one of the picnic tables and want to go there to take a look. We read a little bit, but got distracted by the fruit flies.





After a short while, we went over to the other picnic table where the other kids were doing some arts and crafts. The kids made ice-cream cones from construction paper. I helped Brandon make a couple with few different colored ice-cream scoops on the cone. He was more interested in rubbing the glue stick all over the papers and on the table.





Brandon lost interest, so we went over to see some other new things to play with. As we walked past the paved walkway, there was a bucket of sidewalk drawing chalk. Brandon went over to see what it is. I told him that those are chalks and told him that he can use it to draw and scribble on the ground. It was a bit messy because of the powder. It was all over his hands and I wiped it down with a tissue.





There was also a bubble blowing section. He loved the bubbles and also tried blowing the bubble wand for the first time. He did pretty good. He still need to work on the blowing.





There were sand toys just near the swings and slides area and Brandon noticed the dump truck in front of him. Of course, it caught his attention so we went over there and played with the sand. He never played in sand before. I showed him how to use the shovel to scoop the sand and poor it into the sand bucket. We also scooped the sand into the dump truck. Brandon had the most fun in this area and played with the sand for a while.






Soon it was clean up time. Everyone was asked to put the toys away and gathered around the big tree for "circle time" where we sang songs. Brandon never likes to sit still for the songs and singing. He kept walking away to pick up leaves from the ground and giving them to me. Brandon's hands were so dirty I had to take him to the washroom to clean with soap and water. I hate to see him touch food with dirty hands.

After we sang songs, there was a pinata event. We were divided into 9 groups and had the kids line up to hit the pinata with a small hockey stick. The other parent and I held the rope with the pinata. Brandon took a few wacks, assisted by one of the co-ordinators. The older kids hit pretty hard. Then there were candy falling out after one of the kids did the big wack. Brandon got a candy, but he was still too young to eat it so I kept it in my pocket.





There were lots watermelons that was cut up and shared with everyone. Brandon and I lined up for some and we had a slice each. It was great.

Playing Bubbles at Granville Island

It was a nice, beautiful Sunday and we went to Granville Island for a walk. There were a lot of people and a lot of cars, but we were lucky enough to find parking quickly. I brought along Brandon's new hat to protect him much better from the sun.

We stopped by the Kids' Market and saw a lot of bubbles outside by the pond. A small machine was automatically blowing the bubbles. Kids were happily playing and trying to catch them. By the pond were also some ducks and geese. Some of the kids and parents were feeding them.

Here are some photos taken with my hubby Pat's camera phone.









We had a great time and had a relaxing, sunny afternoon. We ate strawberry tarts and creme brule that we bought from the Market Place. It was yummy (sorry didn't get a pic to show you all).

I also bought some fresh red currants that we don't get at the grocery stores. It was a bit expensive, but I wanted to try them. They're not as sour as gooseberries. I like them. I like sour fruits.



Oh, and hubby bought a 2-1/2Lb lobster! It was massive!

Disney-Pixar Cars: Lightning McQueen

Lightning McQueen has become Brandon's favorite character from the Disney movie, Cars. You probably notice that boys tend to be more interested in cars and trains, while girls like beauty cosmetics and sparkly stuff.

Anyways, I just had to take this photo of Brandon at the mall. He was so cute. Again, sorry for the bad quality (it's from the camera phone). I keep forgetting to bring my actual camera. I usually keep it in my diaper bag. Don't know what's with me.



And here is a die-cast Lightning McQueen car that I just had to get for Brandon. He really likes it and he always play with it before bedtime. I'm a car nut too and I used to collect die-cast cars. The paint quality on these die-casts is more durable nowadays than back years ago where they easily chip off.

Brandon's Balloon Dog

Last weekend, we went out to Aberdeen Centre in Richmond. We were walking along inside the mall and saw little cute balloon animals for sale. They were half price, so we decided to by a doggy one for our little Brandon. He loved it. The balloon dog is floating because of the helium. These balloons are made by a company (in Japan) called S.A.G. Balloons.

The funny thing was that everyone looked at Brandon and commented how cute he was pulling his balloon dog around the mall.





The balloon is already starting to deflate, but we can always get more helium into it from our local dollar store.

Free Pampers Gift To Grow Codes

Score some free points with some more Pampers GTG codes before they expire.

FACEBOOKJUL2010 (10 points)
4THFACEBOOK2010 (10 points)
25GTGSUMMER2010 (25 points)
ENJOYYOURSUMMER (10 points)
GTGFIVEMONTHS10 (10 points)
GTGPLAY3USA2010 (30 points)
GTGGETREADYSOON (10 points)

Have you won any of the sweepstakes or redeemed your points for your favorite items? Share your story in the comments.

Transition into the Big Boy Tub

First of all, Happy 4th of July everybody!

This was Brandon's first time sitting in the "big boy" tub, so I guess no more baby tub? He seemed to enjoy it and no fuss at all. He likes the bigger space and brighter area (we had a dark blue baby tub). He is growing up fast.

Feeding the Pets

Brandon and I finally got a chance to go visit my cousins/Aunt/Uncle and their pets, especially their newly adopted kittens.


My aunt let Brandon feed the two turtles. Brandon did pretty well.


Here, Brandon is feeding the goldfishes.


Snacking on fruits and drinking water in a tea cup.


And finally, Brandon gets to play with the kittens (Sesame & Almond).


This is Teem (Tim), the orange cat. We woke him up and got him to come out of his cat house.

Happy Canada Day

Brandon wishes everyone a Happy Canada Day! And also Happy July 4th this weekend to all our U.S. friends.