Love Me, even though I'm not what you expected...

Sometimes surviving means letting the less important things go, which in my case is my blog.  But I think about it all the time and once I get some more time I've got lots of fun things to post!!  I just read one of the most incredible story...blog actually...and I thought I'd share it with you!  I promise reading it will change your life and help your appreciation for your little ones grow!! Click HERE to read the story!

Little Kids, Little Problems

I know it has been  a loooong time since I've posted anything new, life has gotten even more crazy than I could possibly have imagined.  Plus, I've been out of town for over a week which makes it a lot more difficult to update the blog.  However, while out of town, a friend of mine sent me a link to a fabulous website called The Power of Moms.  It is all about developing and strengthening the mom within...and I have fallen in love with the information on the website already.  Part of the website has stories and articles by real life moms and insights they have gained while trying to survive motherhood!  I just read the newest article about a mom who was always told "little kids, little problems" and thought those who told her that were crazy.  Older kids meant lots of little bonuses (like sleeping through the night and being at school all day) that didn't happen with little children.  And then she had older kids and learned the challenges don't end at all, they just change.  The author/mom ends her article with this little bit of wisdom: "...the sooner we can choose happiness and gratitude amidst the demands and challenges of motherhood, the better off we’ll be."  It is a great article and if you would like to read it, CLICK HERE!  And if you have time, check out some of the other amazing parts of the website, it will definitely give you the strength to keep fighting those sweet, little monsters!!

Baby Painting

So far most of the things I have posted on here are for older monsters, but I know monsters come in all ages, so if you have a baby/toddler then this post is for you!  When my three-year-old was younger I was always looking for fun, un-messy activities he could do.  I saw this on the Family Fun website and thought it was such a good idea (I actually used their picture because it was soooo cute).  All you do is give your toddler a cup of water and some paint brushes and let them paint designs in the residual chalk dust on a chalk board.  If you don't have a chalk board, you could buy some chalkboard spray paint (found in most craft stores now) and spray an old scrap piece of wood or even a large piece of cardboard, lay it against the side of your house and let the little ones make a big wet mess!  Even my three-year-old would like it.  For some added education, you can have your emerging writers use a wet sponge to write letters you randomly call out on the chalkboard.  The big sponge is easier to manipulate than a small pencil and may help children who struggle writing due to poor small motor skills.  Endless possibilities are wrapped up in this idea, but most of all it is fun!!!  Happy "painting"!

Not Just For the Face

What's better to play with than ooey, gooey, foamy shaving cream?  For a three-year-old, there isn't much else that tops it!  When I taught school I would occasional spray this on the desks for my students to play in and when we were done I would have bright shiny clean desks!  I decided one day when searching for something fun for my son to do that he'd probably love it too!  It was a fantastic sensory play activity.  He rubbed it through his fingers, painted shapes all through it on the counter, commented on how it smelled and was amazed how it disappeared when he rubbed it in his hands.  We had a great time!  I would highly recommend it!  BE WARNED: this will take the paint/finish off wooden objects!  So, stick with hard surfaces.  And makes sure you are close by to ensure no one tries to eat it!  If shaving cream makes you nervous, you can put baby lotion on a piece of aluminum foil and you get a similar affect!  Now, go get messy with your fingers!

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!