Fun Activities with the Little Ones: Part I
Out and About
Out and About
- The Library: Libraries are awesome for children! They usually have a story time, which at our library includes a story, music, and a craft. We usually meet up with our friends there too which always makes it more fun!
-Home Depot: Check out your local Home Depot because often they offer a workshop one Saturday a month sometime in the mornings. The workshop consists of a project for your child to build. I have not hit this one up, but I hear it is a lot of fun.
- The Zoo: My son LOVES the zoo and petting zoos. We traveled a lot this summer for my husband’s job and every city we visited, we always went to the zoo. In fact, we were in Arkansas for only a month and bought a family year round pass to their zoo just so I had something to do with my son. We went at least twice a week! I think my son knows the name to every animal possible now and the sound they make!
-Grocery Store: My local grocery store offers mommy and me cooking classes. This is another one I have not tried yet, but I definitely plan on it. It’s worth it to call up your local grocer and find out if they offer something like this.
-Children Museums: No matter where we live, I am always on the lookout for children museums or indoor playgrounds, perfect for days with bad weather. I will usually go and check it out first and see if it is worth it to buy a family pass for the year. These are great places to have admission to when you just want to get out of the house.
-The Mall: Most malls have a children play area. It’s another great place to meet up with some other mommy friends and let the children play. It doesn't hurt either that there is shopping there too!
It’s good to get your child trying something new every once in a while. I like to get my children out of their comfort zone. It is good for their growth and I believe it is essential for making well rounded kids. Next week I will explore fun activities that you can do at home!
Making Some Extra Cash
Many of us stay at home moms would like the chance to earn a little extra income on the side. We may use it for fun date nights or maybe putting it away to pay off student loan debt. Either way, it is just nice to have a little extra cash on the side. Here are some ideas to get started:
1. Think about your natural talents. What are you good at? Are you an amazing singer with lots of training? Then consider teaching voice lessons or organize a youth choir in your area. If you love making crafts, then start selling them. I love music and have been playing the piano ever since I was little. I even minored in it when I went to college. So for me, I love to teach piano lessons and this is how I make a little extra "fun cash" for myself.
2. Think about your passions. What do you love to do? If you love baking, then start baking cakes and cupcakes for special occasions like weddings. If you love beauty, then you could start doing eyelashes. I know lots of people who do eyelashes on the side, like another one of our bloggers, Elise. She loves it! If you love fitness, call around to see if any local gyms are looking for fitness instructors. You could teach a few classes a week. Plus, gyms usually have daycares so it is something you could possibly bring your children to. That is something my mom did when we were young.
3. Think about what you are trained in. What are your special skills? If you went to hair school, then use that license and cut hair on the side. If you went to school and got an early education degree, start a preschool at your house 2-3 days a week. If you are a trained athlete, then start doing summer camps or keep things simple and teach swimming lessons. If you took some cooking classes, then start offering your services to cater events.
There are so many ways to make money. Just remember to start small though. That will help avoid feelings of discouragement or being overwhelmed. Always remember to factor in your children and how you can manage them while doing extra things on the side. For me, I always set up my piano lessons after my husband gets home from work. I never want to take on too many students because I do not want to take away too much time from my family.
These are some of my piano students and I at a recital I put on last year.
Avoiding the "Mommy Blues"
Some people may like to call them the “baby blues”, but I like to call them the “mommy blues” because they can hit you at anytime anywhere no matter how young or old your children are. We mothers can be very hard on ourselves and there will be times that we don’t feel adequate. We pressure ourselves to be that perfect mom and the stress and pressures sometimes catch up to us. After a long day of trying to get in a routine of being a new mom of 2, I asked my mom how she managed life with 5 kids. I mean this lady was always on the go like the energizer bunny, was always dressed up and presentable for the day, and had her own successful business on the side. Her answer to my question was that she was a supermom! A supermom?? Really mom!? Maybe she was. I simply conclude that she was some freak of nature because that is the only thing that makes sense in my mind!
Since I am not a supermom and don’t even try to pretend I am, I put together a list of things that help me stay positive as a mom and make me feel better so I can avoid those “mommy blues”.
#1 Exercise - I know this one is a no brainer, but still it amazes me how many people just don’t do it. Getting some exercise in each day makes you feel better about yourself. Period. We all know about the happy hormones it releases too. I majored in health education at BYU-Idaho and I remember learning in one of my classes that one of the counselors on campus would not counsel a student who would not commit to a workout regimen. She knew the importance that exercise does to your overall well being.
#2 Healthy Eating - As cliché as it sounds, you are what you eat. Eating junk is going to make you feel crappy, and then you will have regrets for eating that junk, which will probably make you eat more junk, and there goes the cycle of gaining weight. So INSTEAD, make an effort to eat healthy. I promise you will feel better if you do. And hey why not throw some chocolate on those strawberries every once in a while. We do! This was my boys first time having them a few years ago!
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#3 Stay Busy - This one might not b
#4 Play Music - It is amazing how quickly a good song can put you in a good mood. So turn up the music every once in a while! Maybe get some good moves going (good way to burn calories, thus happy hormones!) and a good bonding time with your kids.
#5 Girl Talk - We all need our mothers, sisters and friends we can talk to. We need the support because we are all going through the same thing or have been through it. This my supermom and I.
#6 Date Nights - Sharyl wrote a super cute post a few days ago on how to date your husband on our blog. If you haven’t read it, then please do! Great ideas! Date nights are great for getting all dressed up and falling in love all over again with your number one fan who made you a mother.
The Two Dreaded Words: Potty Training
The list of parents who enjoy potty training is probably as long as the list of people who enjoy traffic jams, headaches, and chemical face peels. However, it is something all of us parents have to do whether we want to or not. I remember going to bed the night before we were going to start the potty training and I was terrified knowing that potty training started that next day! I am going to share some tips I have learned from my own experience and from lots of other mothers with whom I have had the joy in talking about this lovely topic.
Tip #1: Finding the right time: Every child will be ready at different times. You just have to find your child’s right time. Some kids start showing interest very early on or later on like my son. I think potty training will go a lot smoother when the child shows interest because if not then look forward to struggle after struggle after meltdowns each day. It is good to talk about going potty on the toilet and wearing underwear from early on just to get them comfortable. We did that for a whole year before my son started to show interest. It somehow was right when we came home after delivering our baby girl that he wanted to wear his underwear that had been sitting in his drawer untouched for so many months. I was trying to recover and take care of a newborn, but my big boy wanted to wear his underwear and I knew I had to go with it. So this was our right time.
Tip #2: Getting the gear: Everybody’s potty training gear is going to be different. Some people love having a kid sized plastic toilet to potty train on. I am not a big fan of the kid toilets because I didn't want to go through the extra work of cleaning it out. I want to flush and be done. So I got a toilet seat to put over our toilet and also bought a stool for him to get up on the toilet by himself. Make it fun and let your child pick out the stool or toilet seat so they are excited to try it out!
Tip #3: Finding what motivates them: You know your child the best so only you would know what rewards will motivate them to go. For my son, it was the typical candy bribe that motivated him. I have heard other mothers say that making charts and putting a sticker on each time they went worked for them. Keep rewards just for when they actually go so the correct association is made with the right behavior. We started a chart in the picture below, but as you can see it is not filled out all the way. There was some motivation with it, but that tapered off fast.
Tip #4: Potty proofing the house: Since I put my son straight into underwear on our first day of potty training I needed to potty proof the house because you can only assume there are going to be accidents. I brought out my sons plastic table to sit on in our living room and put a towel underneath it. I also put towels down on the couch for him to sit on and on our kitchen chairs.
Tip #5: Never let them out of your sight: Because when you do they just might be sneaking off to another room to go do their duty in their underwear. So you must watch them like a hawk and yes it gets tiring.
Those are just some personal tips. Remember though to stay positive! Give them lots of praise when they go in the toilet. And just when you think your child will be in diapers for life, they somehow always seem to come through!
Who is Watching You???
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My 2nd Observer: hears what you say (but can’t repeat the swear words back yet), can sense a stressed out mommy at times and can see what you do up to 18 inches away!
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Nothing makes you feel like you are corrupting a child more than when they repeat something they definitely were not intended to have heard. After a long day of errands and working on our blog, my husband thought he would try to be romantically candid with me to win some attention. While I was sitting there typing at the computer and nursing the baby with spit up all over my shirt, he blurted out “Hey there Sexy!” Sure enough, without skipping a beat, our 3 year old runs up to me and yells out loud for all the world to hear “Hey there Sexy!” Smooth move hubby :)
My son definitely has some big ears! My children watch how I deal with emotions, how I react to situations, how I treat people and the list goes on and on. If being a parent is not hard enough, we need to be conscious of our every move because the children are watching. We are their examples, leaders, and role models. They look up to us.
They watch the types of food we eat. They watch when you are scouring through the entire kitchen for something that has to do with chocolate. I might occasionally crave it and want it like a drug addict. I wish I could eat chocolate and cookies all day long, but I know if I did my 3 year old would be right there along with me stuffing his face and putting him in a sugar induced coma. So instead, I try to be conscious of what I eat in front of him. I want to help him learn how to take care of his body and make healthy choices. Here is a cute little video of my boy years back trying his first taste of vegetables. Got to start them young!
They watch if you sit on your butt all day long and watch TV, or if you are doing work around the house and being active. Growing up, I always remember my mom being active. She was always a member of a gym and worked out and still does every day. If she wasn’t working out, then she was teaching aerobic classes, gymnastics or dance classes. Even as a child, I was watching her and it definitely had an impact on my life and health. Because of her example, I know the importance of keeping up an active lifestyle.
They watch if you are nice and respectful to people and serving others or if you are gossiping and making fun of them behind their backs.
They watch if you go to church and if you like it, or if you don’t go, or go and complain how boring it was.
Bottom line, we have a HUGE influence on our children. So try your best! We are all struggling together. Even when you think it’s not working and you are corrupting your children, keep on trying. They will undoubtedly surprise you. In fact, as I write this my little boy very loudly belched and actually followed it up with a very cute “excuse me”!
So cheers to all of us mothers!! No one said it was easy! Thank goodness we all have children who are the “cutest in the world”!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Lets Talk Real Life
I know a lot people would disagree with me and say how the book Baby Wise has saved their lives because I have heard that on multiple occasions and that is great for them. For me, I believe that every child is so different and has different needs to attend to and the fun part for me as to being a parent is figuring that out on my own and making my own schedule that works for the both of us. Don’t get me wrong though, I am always enlisting the advice from others along the way. Remember it takes a village to raise a child. Well I currently just had my second baby, so I am in that process all over again trying to find a schedule that works for our new family and I suspect that is what it’s like with each new baby you bring into the family.
Being a mom means you talk about pee and poop like its nothing and you come to realize that pee is not such a gross thing because it is sterile right?! You are never alone because you will always have little stragglers finding you WHEREVER you are and you have a 3 year old cheering YOU on as you go to use the bathroom because we are potty training here (oh maybe that just happens here!). And you wonder how such cute little kids can be so naughty at times. But being a mom also means that you get to wake up each morning to bright angelic faces that you want to smooch all over, you get to see your children learn and try new things and you get random kisses and “I love yous” that make you feel like a million bucks.
At the end of the day, I can honestly look back and say how grateful I am to be a mother and to have two squishy faces to kiss and clean each day. I love them so much and that is why I wake up and do it all over again and again.
Here is just a fun little video about being a parent. I think everyone has seen it by now, but if you haven't you must watch!
Here is just a fun little video about being a parent. I think everyone has seen it by now, but if you haven't you must watch!
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