Cupcakes

One of my strategies for surviving my three-year-old monster is to have creative one-on-one time with him every day.  He looks forward to it, we both feel like we've accomplished something by the time we're done, and we usually have something to "show-off" for dad when he gets home.  It's worked out pretty well so far.  Right now my little guy is OBSESSED with holidays, especially birthdays.  He wants to celebrate someone's birthday everyday!!  On one particular day he asked if we could make cupcakes.  For some reason I said we could, but later.  He never forgot and hounded me about it for DAYS!  So finally I sucked it up and prepared to make cupcakes with a three-year-old...and let me just say it turned out to be one of the BEST activities we've done so far!  There were lots of little things he could help with, like lining the muffin trays and dumping in dry ingredients.  He loved watching me mix the batter and pour it into the cupcake liners and he was absolutely AMAZED by how the batter turned into "circles".  He loved licking the beaters we used to make the frosting (when we were all done, of course...though we had a few close calls while we in the process of mixing) and he LOVED putting on the sprinkles.  I would frost and he would add the sprinkles and I was totally impressed at how well he did.  I didn't put one sprinkle on!  After we were all done we picked someone in the neighborhood to share our cupcakes with and he proudly handed them over to the lucky recipients later that evening.  They gave him wonderful, glowing praise and he ended the day as one happy little monster...I mean boy.  I really am still amazed at how well it all went.  So, if you have a birthday coming up, or you just want something fun to do with the kids, this may be the one for you!!  Happy baking!

More Fabulous Organizing Tips

I watched this segment the other day and thought it had SO many good ideas that it needed to be passed on!  I especially love the ideas to reuse baby wipes containers and baby food containers (storing nails in them is genius!!).  I also love how she labels everything!!  I'm totally addicted to my label maker and love to find new places to use it!  This segment also has ideas for storing hair bows, cleaning the junk drawer (they use a muffin tin, I love it!), and even different ways to use hangers.  You really have to watch:

If you want to read more great ideas from this segment, CLiCK HERE!  Or you can check out Kelly Pratt's website by clicking HERE.  Happy organizing!

Calling in the troops...

Being a mom is tough.  Some days you do okay and you go to bed feeling successful.  Some days you don't do so hot and you go to bed grateful that you can try again tomorrow.  And then there are the truly terrible days and you go to bed praying your kids turn out okay despite having you as their mother.  No matter where you find yourself on the motherhood spectrum, it is nice to know there are wise women who you can turn to for help.  One of my favorite blog finds is just one of those women.  Her name is Jane and she is a mother of eleven children!  Her blog, Asking Jane, is dedicated to answering questions of desperate moms who need a little help and encouragement when life is down.  I love this blog, I read it all the time and it is brilliant.  Her ideas and wisdom are truly uplifting and give me strength and motivation...I mean if she can survive eleven monsters I can definitely survive two.  I read her most recent post the other day, which was her advice to a mom struggling with a difficult two-year-old.  The end of her letter was so amazing it made me a little teary-eyed.  This is what she said:
"Recognize that this is the child that is going to teach you all the attributes of godliness—patience, long-suffering, gentleness, charity. This is the child that is going to force you to seek help—to search ponder and pray. You’ve been wanting to put more of that into your life, right? Now you have a purpose! This is the child that is going to refine and change you. This is the child that is going to grow up and remember the many ways that you loved her."
Isn't that fabulous?  I just absolutely love that advice!  It is a reminder that even on our toughest days we can love our children and make a difference in their lives as well as our own.  And it is motivation to work hard and keep trying no matter how hard it gets.  Jane has much more fantastic advice and I recommend her blog to any mom, grandma, aunt, dad, or anyone else who interacts with children!  Just think of it as calling in the troops...or at least a brilliant, strategic Captain!   

Happiness

I was watching TV a few afternoons ago and saw a great piece on Happiness featured on The Nate Show. The guest, Gretchen Rubin, decided to spend a year putting happiness techniques to the test and when the year was over wrote a book about what she experienced.  The book, The Happiness Project, is a #1 New York Times and international best seller.  She also has a popular blog at www.happiness-project.com.  In the segment I watched, Gretchen helped a working mom try to find more happiness in her life by doing little things like getting all dressed and ready each morning and listening to the radio in her car.  It seems too easy, but the mom receiving help said she really felt better and was going to keep it up.  I think that is the secret right there:  small, little things really can make you happier!  Gretchen also gave 6 tips to instantly improve your mood on Nate's website.  I loved the ideas so much that I'm posting them here (FYI: the stuff in purple are my thoughts, not Gretchen's, I just wanted to add my own two-cents):

Learn six ways to instantly improve your mood from the author of "The Happiness Project," Gretchen Rubin.

If you're having an exceptionally lousy day, or month, or year, consider these six strategies to boost your mood right now. In the next thirty minutes, check off as many of the following items as you can.

1. Boost your Energy
Stand up and pace while you talk on the phone or, even better, take a brisk ten-minute walk outside. Research shows that when people move faster, their metabolism speeds up, and the activity and sunlight are good for your focus, your mood, and the retention of information.  (Whenever I'm having a hard day, I always go sit in the sun.  Even a few moments of quiet in the sun makes my day seem much better.  And if I can work a walk in, my day soars!)

2. Reach Out to Friends
Make a lunch date or send an email to a friend. Having warm, close bonds with other people is the key to happiness, so take the time to stay in touch. Somewhat surprisingly, socializing boosts the moods not only of extroverts, but also of introverts.  (Talking for women releases chemicals in our brains that give us a natural high and relaxes us, similar to those released during breast feed.  No wonder girls need to talk so much!) 

3. Rid Yourself of a Nagging Task
Answer a difficult email, do an errand you’ve been putting off, or call to make that dentist’s appointment. Crossing an irksome chore off your to-do list will give you a big rush of energy and relief.

4. Create a Calmer Environment
Clear some physical and mental space around yourself by sorting papers, pitching junk, cleaning a closet, stowing supplies, sending out quick email responses, filing, or even just making your piles neater. And always make your bed in the morning! For most people, outer order contributes to inner peace.  (Let me just tell a little story about this one: After having my first baby and quitting my job, I suffered from a terrible bout of baby blues.  One day my sister stopped by to see me and asked me why my bed wasn't made.  I grumbled something about why does it matter, I just climb in and get it messy again at bedtime.  She looked me in my eyes and told me that if I would make an effort to make my bed every morning I would feel better and even whistle through the day.  So, I started making my bed every day and it actually worked.  I felt (and continue to feel) much better, I'm happier when I walk into my room, and if life gets in the way and I don't get anything done during the day that I wanted to I can at least say I got my bed made!)

5. Lay the Groundwork for some Future Fun
Order a book you’ve been wanting to read (not something you think you should read) or plan an excursion to a museum, hiking trail, sporting event, gardening store, movie theater — whatever sounds like fun. Studies show that having fun on a regular basis is a pillar of happiness, and anticipation is an important part of that pleasure. Try to involve friends or family, as well; research shows that people enjoy almost all activities more when they’re with other people than when they’re alone.  (I totally agree with the anticipation comment here, I'm always happier when I have something to look forward to!  After reading this, I got on my library's website and put Gretchen's book on hold.  Now I have a book that I really want to read to look forward to, and I'm pretty happy about that!)

6. Live Your Values
Do you think organ donation is a good idea? Sign up online to be one yourself; it takes less than a minute — and tell your family. Worried about climate change? Refill your water bottle from the tap instead of buying a couple of bottles throughout the day. We're happier when our lives reflect our values.

Some people worry that wanting to be happier is a selfish goal. To the contrary. Studies show that happier people are more sociable, likable, healthy, and productive — and they’re more inclined to help other people, give away money, and volunteer. When we're happy, we have the emotional wherewithal to think about others. So in working to boost your own happiness, you’re benefiting others as well. Be selfish, if only for selfless reasons!

If you'd like to watch the segment yourself, you can CLICK HERE. 

The Grouchy Ladybug

Right now my three-year-old has an obsession with time.  He wear's a little monkey watch everywhere he goes (he even sleeps in it) and is constantly "telling" time.  Being a boy, he loves to "fight" and he loves bugs.  He has recently developed a grouchy side that is tough to deal with when it rears its ugly head.  It is for all these reasons that I checked out the book The Grouchy Ladybug from the library.  The Grouchy Ladybug is a story about a ladybug who arrives at a leaf full of aphids at 5 a.m. only to meet a nice ladybug who wants to eat the same aphids.  After offering to share, the nice ladybug is challenged to a fight by the grouchy one.  When the nice ladybug agrees, the grouchy ladybug backs off and decides to find "someone bigger" to fight instead.  The rest of the story follows the grouchy ladybug as she meets, and challenges, various animals to a fight.  It is a very cute story and my son LOVED it.  Not to mention that it is an Eric Carle book (The Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear, Brown Bear) so the pictures are wonderful!  It is a great book to teach about time (especially reading a clock) and about feelings.  I also like how it led to a discussion about "sharing" with my three-year-old, something he continues to struggle with when people come to our house.   While I was looking for a picture of the book online I found a cool website that gives lots of activities, art projects, lesson plans etc. that you could do along with the book.  It also has packets you can download as well as links to color pages and other cool stuff.  You can CLICK HERE if you want to check it out.  So if you want a great read with fantastic illustrations and a great message for kids of all ages then  The Grouchy Ladybug is definitely for you! 

Playdough

One of the best Sensory Play activities is Playdough!!  It is easy to find, or make, and it is easy to use!  It is also a great workout for the hand and finger muscles, also known as Fine Motor Skills!  It also opens the door to so much imaginative play and keeps kids entertained for a long time!  Zach, my three-year-old, LOVES when I pull out the Playdough!  I keep it in a plastic shoe box along with plastic knives, forks, spoons, a rolling pin, cookie cutters, and anything else I think would be fun to manipulate the dough with.  I found really cool animal cookie cutters (pictured above) at IKEA.  I've also picked up old cookie cutters at Deseret Industries (a local thrift store) and other odds and ends for Zach to use.  Lately we've been using store-bought Playdough because it is cheap and easy to pick up when we run out.  Someone once told me if you think of Playdough as a one-time use it is less stressful.  Though we usually use it more than once, thinking that way really does take the stress out, and if I have to throw it away I know I can pick up another container for around $1 at Walmart.  I've also heard the suggestion of putting an old blanket under the play area, and then when playtime is over you simply fold up the blanket and shake all the little crumbs off outside.  It definitely makes it a little easier to clean up that way.  Now, if you have a younger child who puts everything in his/her mouth, store bought playdough may not be for you.  Zach ate EVERYTHING for a very long time, so I made my own until he was almost three.  I found a great website , Playdough Recipes.org, that gives about 15 different recipes for making your own, including Jello Playdough, Pumpkin Pie Playdough, and even Gluten-Free Playdough.  If you want to make Peanut Butter Playdough, I like this recipe the best.    

Here is the recipe I use:

2 1/1 cups flour

1/2 cup salt

1 T. alum

2 cups boiling water

2 T. vegetable oil

food coloring

Boil the water, vegetable oil an food coloring.  Remove from heat.  Stir in the dry ingredients until moist, then kneed.  Refrigerate in an air-tight container.

(If you don't want to use artificial food coloring, or you want to have fun experimenting along with your child, you can try these "natural" food coloring recipes.  I've done a few and they work okay.  I prefer regular food coloring though, it makes brighter colors!)

So, what are you waiting for?  Go get (or make) some playdough and have some old fashioned (and educational) fun with your kids!