As previously mentioned we have come to to view our new iPad as a bit of a one stop toddler entertainment shop.  Please do not judge my parenting.  I assure you that my child is not sitting around with the iPad for hours a day rather than being active.  It is, however, occasionally nice to have him happily sit still for a bit.

The wonderful apps I mentioned previously definitely came in handy our on recent trip to San Diego (see yesterday's post).  However, we realized that headphones were a must have when using the iPad on the plane and the standard ear buds that we are used to using just don't work for our little guy.  So while we were in the U.S. we made a quick stop by Target to check out the kids headphone selection (and a few other things).

We have been very happy with our purchase of Philips headband headphones designed for kids (I assure you I'm not receiving any sort of compensation from Philips or anyone else for promoting these).  They have comfy, cushy fabric ear pieces that can't be torn apart (like the foam or rubber variety), a super flexible headband that he can get on and off himself, and are made all in one piece so there's no chance of losing something.  Plus they come with a lockable volume control so Eli can't turn them up crazy loud.  They do say that they are made for ages 4 and up, but they fit Eli just fine with room to grow (I admit, he had a slightly larger than average head for his age).  We purchased the blue variety.  There is a bright pink version that my 23 month old niece has been in love with as well.  Plus, at under $20 you won't break the bank purchasing headphones for a toddler.  If you are in need of a set of headphones for your little guy or girl I highly recommend these.

As I said, we purchased ours at Target, but I've also found them online at Amazon, Best Buy, and Sears.

Have you found any other must have items for plane rides with your toddler?  We have another long plane trip coming up in a little over a month and I would love to have some additional ideas to keep Eli entertained.

I admit it, we have a slight breakfast for dinner obsession in our household.  Our standard “I don’t know what I want to make for dinner”/”I don’t really feel like cooking dinner” meals include pancakes and waffles.  We’ve also been known to have scrambled eggs and bacon and on a really desperate night, oatmeal. 

Just this past Monday evening we managed to convince some friends who were having a potluck dinner party to make it a breakfast for dinner party.  Our Mexican/American fare included fruit, waffles, Tortilla Espaňola and Chilaquiles.  It was delicious!  I have to say that, although I occasionally miss the standard American diner breakfast, I have really come to embrace Mexican breakfast foods.  Chilaquiles and tamales are my favorites!

Here are links to a few of our favorite pancake recipes.  We like to mix things up and at least pretend like we’re eating something a little healthier than the standard pancake.

1. Apple Cinnamon Pancakes – I love anything with cinnamon and who doesn’t love the flavor of fresh baked apples?  I first made these for  Dave’s birthday breakfast this last year, and they were definitely a big hit all around.
2.  Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancakes – These come out thicker than the average pancake and are probably the healthiest recipe of the bunch.  The brown sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness – you don’t even necessarily need syrup.
3. Lemon Pikelets  -  Pikelets are a small pancake found in Austrailia and New Zealand (basically the equivalent of the American silver dollar pancake).  These little guys are filled with lemony goodness and served with a touch of sugar and lemon juice rather than the classic accoutrements.   The recipe calls for caster or icing sugar, but I have found that standard white sugar works just fine.

Do you have a favorite breakfast recipe you would be willing to share?

It's time for a new addition to the blog: Favorite Things Fridays! Excited yet? Ok, I know it's not a new invention in the blog world, but I wanted to take the opportunity to share a few of my favorite things and let you share some of yours as well. Expect variety: kid items and activities, recipes, various products, etc.

This week I'm sharing my 5 favorite apps to keep a toddler entertained with the IPad.  Our IPad is definitely our new favorite toy for the whole family.  So in no particular order, here they are:

1. Pi'ikea Interactive Alphabet - ABC Flash Cards - $2.99 - This is a fun app for helping your toddler learn the alphabet. Each letter has its own interactive activity and teaches your child to not only recognize the letters but the sound each letter makes.
2. Sound Touch Lite - FREE! - This app has numerous cartoon pictures of animals and other items.  When you click on each picture a photo of the item appears along with the sound the item makes.  Clicking on the picture multiple times provides a variety of photos of the same item along with variations in sounds.  Eli loves to click on the pictures and imitate the sounds. So far we have only loaded the free version of this app and Eli has been perfectly happy with it.  I thinking we'll load the full app before our next plane ride.
3. Lego Duplo Jams - FREE! - This fun app has 5 different Duplo themed activities each with its own theme music (Jam).  Eli's favorite is the Barnyard Serenade, which includes a matching card game.  I'm not sure whether this one would keep older toddlers entertained, but at 18 months Eli is perfectly happy with it.
4. Garage Band - $4.99 - No, it's not actually an app designed for toddlers, but Eli loves playing "music", particularly on the acoustic guitar option.  Plus, it's much easier on Mommy and Daddy's ears than our musical instrument toys.
5. You Tube Sesame Street Videos - FREE! - Ok, this isn't actually an app at all, but honestly I haven't found anything to beat the entertainment value of all of the Sesame Street videos available on You Tube.  Eli lights up when they come on and now loves to choose which video will play next himself.

Ok, so those are our favorites, and three out of the 5 were free!

Have you found other apps to keep your toddler entertained?  Please share!