Category: Family

If you’re like me, you have just become your kiddos pre-school teacher! When I first realized that I would be working full time and trying to educate this tiny toddler of mine, I went into a bit of a panic. It wouldn’t have been so overwhelming if I had access to all of the resources available at the stores but that’s not the case in the state of the world today. So, I did some quick thinking and decided that I was going to make the best of it and make sure that my little one had educational activities he could do while I was on conference calls.

He’s on the edge of being able to say the whole alphabet and he is really good at holding a pencil/crayon so I decided that I would have him start tracing letters!

I took an old frame and removed the photos.

Then, I wrote out the alphabet on a sheet of wrapping paper that I had cut to the size of the glass.

Pop in the alphabet page and seal the frame back up.

All I needed to order on Amazon was a dry erase marker!

It’s quick, easy and has kept him entertained for 20-30 minute chunks of time throughout the day.

You can do this with letters, words, numbers or shaped or just pop in a piece of colored paper and let them doodle away!

Enjoy!

Mandy

Holy smokes this is freaking hard.

I always wanted to be a stay at home momma but this isn’t the same. I’m still working.

I catch myself getting frustrated with my little guy because he’s frustrated and needs constant attention. I catch myself getting frustrated with my work because it takes away from my kid. It’s a no-win situation. No one is getting 100% of me.

The first week was okay. I felt like super mom. Cooked three meals a day, got up early, got in work, he woke up, we played, he napped, I worked, he woke up and we learned, we played outside, then he got in a few episodes of Paw Patrol or Bubble Guppies and I worked. Then we ate dinner, did our bath and he went to beth, and I worked.

About a week and a half in and I lost it. I yelled at him. I don’t yell. He knew something was wrong. He cried. I cried.

What’s happening in our world today is so hard to navigate. I’m beyond blessed that I have a job and the ability to take care of my family. We’re healthy. We’ve been hunkered down since this all started so it’s pretty safe to say we aren’t going to get sick.

My parents are considered essential. They are still working. We usually spend Sundays with them. My grandfather is ill and I can’t go visit him. There are so many emotions and I’m frustrated.

I’m tired of cooking and tired of being tired.

I just want to go to Target and walk around aimlessly to give myself a minute to breathe, but I can’t.

I’m sure that there are a lot of other parents out there that are going through the same thing and even much worse. I’ve got it easy, I know this.

I wanted to share with you a few activities to occupy your little one for a few minutes that are super easy, can be done with supplies you probably have on hand.

I don’t think I need to say it but I will, all activities still require adult supervision.

THE CUP GAME 

I used to do this with my little guy when he was a baby. I would fill solo cups with random objects. It would keep him busy forever. Switch up what is in the cups. If your little one is crawling, spread them out so they have to go to each cup. Obviously, the items in the cup should be child friendly. I put some puffy treats in some of them, toy cars, teethers – the options are endless!

TOILET PAPER ROLLS 

Toilet paper rolls can be your best friend when paired with some tape an a few bouncy balls. My son (and I) spent way too much time building different tunnels to put the balls through.

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SNACK ATTACK

Use a cupcake tin and fill each slot with a different snack. Apples, goldfish, cheerios – mix it up. My little guy loves the variety and loves to try all the different snacks.

I use our snack time when he is eating to get some work done. Anything that makes him take a little longer eating.

SHAVING CREAM

I put my kiddo in his highchair and gave him a few pumps of shaving cream to smoosh around on the tray. He loved it. He drew in it, smashed it, tired to put in on his face (I stopped him) but overall an easy activity that requires minimal effort. Pro tip – let them play in just their diaper or underwear so you just have to rinse them off.

DRESS UP

We don’t have a lot of dress-up items at our house so I dug through some of my clothes and his old baby clothes and pulled together a random box of things he could use to play dress-up. I thought my attempt was pathetic but he loved it and spent a fair amount of time trying on all of the different hats and sunglasses.

PAINTING WITH RACE CARS 

We had a BLAST doing this one! I put a little paint on a big sheet of paper (you can use wrapping paper and draw on the back of it). Then I picked out two of his race cards that I knew we could wash easily and let him run them through the paint to make tire tracks. He made the cutest Vroom Vroom noises.

RANDOM BOX OF THINGS 

This is a no-fail option. Get a box, put random things in it. Wooden spoon, toilet paper roll, cup, whisk, old remote control, ball. Give them the box and let them explore. It doesn’t take a lot for kids to have fun. He was pretending to cook and playing baseball with the whisk and ball.

PLANTING SEEDS 

Kids love dirt. I gave my son a bucket of dirt and some cups to fill up (then helped him put seeds in). We have grown absolutely nothing because I am a terrible gardener but he spent about an hour playing in the dirt. Pro tip – do this one outside if you can get in some work on your laptop.

COLORING ROCKS 

I grabbed a few rocks from the garden and washed them and then gave him some markets and let him color away! He loved it and I have some adorable little paper-weights to put on my desk (if I ever see my office again).

TOY WASH STATION

Get a bucket. Add soap. Add water. Add toys. Kids love to play in the water. Pro tip – put them in their swimmies and put down a towel.

SHAKY EGGS 

It’s the Easter season. If you have a few extra plastic eggs to spare fill them with beans or rice and then duck tape them shut. My son loved listening to each egg and how they sounded different based on what was in them.

PLAY-DOH

Every kiddo’s favorite! Play-Doh never gets old but gets all over your house!

BLIPPI

I was having a really hard time with the amount of screen time he was getting. I don’t mind him watching some TV but I felt like it was a little excessive. So, I found this Blippi guy who goes on adventures to different places like museums and zoos. It made me feel a little bit better about putting him in front of the screen.

Learn more about Blippi here.

IT’S OKAY!

Don’t forget that this is not normal. We are being stretched to the limit and it’s okay to feel stressed. It’s okay to put them to bed a little early. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to feel lonely.

Just remember, one day when they look back at this time they are going to remember it very differently than how you do. They are going to remember the extra time with you. They are going to remember getting extra time on the TV, staying in their pajamas, getting special snacks.

Make sure to explain to them what is going on in a way they can understand that’s not scary. They might be feeling lonely too. They are looking to you for guidance on how to navigate their new little world.

Cheers Mama!
Mandy

 

 

 

 

When I look in the mirror I don’t see me… I see a worn out momma.

I’ve been struggling as I adjust to my new role of mom. Constantly feeling like I’m having some kind of identity crisis.

Before the baby I was slim, on time, fully dressed/coordinated and even wore makeup. Looking back… I felt GOOD!!!

It’s hard to walk past a mirror and not recognize myself.

I’m learning to dress my new body. I’m trying to come to terms with the fact that my old favorite pair of jeans may never fit again. I’ve perfected the messy bun and I have one whole drawer dedicated to yoga pants.

My hair is the longest it’s ever been (thank you prenatal vitamins) but it’s falling out like crazy.

My body is sore from growing and birthing a human, my joints ache from rocking him and carrying him all the time and from crawling around on the ground playing.

My eyes have dark circles from the late nights. My face is fuller and the double chin hasn’t gone away yet.

My boobs are saggy and have stretch marks.

My stomach has a kangaroo pouch of skin that may never go away and my thighs have spider veins that look like a treasure map.

They say being a mom is hard but you never really know what that means until you live it. It’s so much more than “hard”.

I LOVE being a mom. I want to love my body. I want my son to see me at my best.

Stay tuned as I share all the tips and tricks I learn as I try to get back on track!

 

 

It’s almost 10 p.m. and I’m still up (Baja Blast at 9:00 p.m. was not a good idea).

Tonight, I have co-sleeping on my mind.

When I had my son my anxiety was overwhelming (it still is but I’ve learned how to cope a little). That’s one thing no one tells you before you become a parent – how much you worry.

My son had a tiny choking incident in the hospital, which I am pretty sure is pretty common by the way the nursing staff reacted but it made my anxiety go through the roof. His first few months at home he had terrible reflux and would spit up like the exorcist randomly.

At first I made my decision because I was literally at my breaking point I was so exhausted and I didn’t have much help during the nights. I was secretly crying alone in the bathroom whenever I got a break and got a second alone. This momma needed sleep. I had been sleeping in the recliner with him on my chest for the first two months barricaded in by pillows. When he hit 12 pounds I decided I had to find a way to get him to sleep on his own without the fear of choking in the middle of the night. We tried to do three hour shifts which was miserable and my husband doesn’t do well without a solid 8 hours of sleep. We were exhausted and we were fighting all the time.

After a lot of research, I decided that it was time to move him into our bed. I could hear him and feel him breathing so I could react quickly if anything happened. My husband had lost his job two months before the baby was born and my maternity leave wasn’t paid so purchasing a $300 breathing monitor wasn’t an option.

I research and researched and research. I was certain I was going to make the wrong decision and everyone’s opinions didn’t help.

• It’s a fairly common practice around the world
• To me it seems pretty natural to comfort my tiny human who can’t walk, talk or react on his own in the middle of the night – developmentally, I don’t feel like he is ready to be all alone in a separate room
• The naysayers’ only reasons for not having him in our room have to do with their personal opinions and sleep patterns (you won’t get any sleep, you don’t want him in your bed, etc.)
• Practicing safe co-sleeping can actually reduce the chance of SIDS

As I lay here, next to Bradley in his cookie monster jammies I don’t regret my decision to bring him into our bed. Not for one second. I’ve gotten a lot of flack for it from friends and family (it will be harder to break the habit down the road, your doing him a disservice, etc).

The first night he slept in our bed – I slept too. I was a new person. I woke up in the morning ready to be the mom I wanted to be (not a zombie with a grudge).

I plan to transition him when he can call for me from the other room (if he’s ready).

He will only be little once and I’m not upset about the mid-night snuggles, tiny hand holding mine or the smell of baby on my sheets.

Let me know if anyone needs a brand new crib or baby monitor– because we aren’t using ours anytime soon…

If you are interested in co-sleeping/bed sharing here are a few resources:

• Bedtiming
• Sweet Sleep
• Happiest Baby on the Block