Tag: Our Life

Categories
Holiday Our Family Weekend Wrap-Up

Weekend Round-Up

This weekend was pretty great. With it being Mother’s Day weekend, it was pretty relaxing for me and my hubby might have gotten me some cute gifts. 😉

So Friday was a lazy day, for sure. It was rainy and SO COLD and the babies and I just stayed in all day. We got out their instruments and we sang songs while playing. We also cuddled in our warm, comfy clothes and watched movies, read books, and colored. It was a wonderfully unproductive day.

Friday night I braved the cold and went with my sister and her best friend to dinner, shopping, and out for a couple drinks. While I was out I got a couple cute Snapchat’s from Chris and Sylas.

Saturday I definitely slept in, as did all of my kids… they’re pretty great, am I right? When we woke up, Sylas and Josie helped me make pancakes. Later, Chris took Sylas and Liam shopping for a couple grocery items and I took Josie and Peyton to buy birthday gifts for Sylas. Then we went to Tractor Supply Co. to pick out a Mother’s Day gift for my mama. There was an animal called a Brahman at Tractor Supply and Sylas was brave enough to pet him! This Brahman has a medical issue that requires expensive treatment so his owners were there collecting money for him. Sylas fell in love with the store and decided to add five more things to his already extra long birthday list.

We had fried chicken, green beans, and potato salad for dinner on Saturday, which is always an event in our house. Chris and I listen to music and sing (if that’s what you want to call it) while we cook, and it turns out to be so much fun every time. Plus, fried chicken night is EVERYONES favorite here so that’s always exciting. Chris makes the best fried chicken, I make the best green beans, and we are working together to master my mother-in-law’s AMAZING potato salad. She never measures so it’s a guessing game for us… we’ve gotten close but never gotten it perfectly.

Sunday was Mother’s Day and it was also my due date for Sylas 4 years ago, so it’s extra special to me! I don’t know why I always get emotional on his due date day, but I do. Probably because he was my first baby and I remember so vividly the way I felt when the due date came around and still no baby… he didn’t come until 13 days later. Stubborn boy lol

Chris surprised me with the best gifts… I was so surprised he nailed every gift perfectly. We had donuts for breakfast and I drank coffee out of my new mug.

We got all the kids around and went to visit my mama. Sylas and Josie made her a cute little craft. They wanted to cut out flowers and tape them to paper so I let them go to town on Saturday. LOL. I drew the flowers out for them so my mom would have some idea of what they were and then the rest was up to them. When they were finished I did write a little message on them.

We also got my mom a gift for her garden.

We came home for a nap (the babies, not parents, unfortunately) and then went to my in-laws’ house for pizza night. We got Chris’ mom flowers because she is too tricky to shop for. I had delicious wine (of course) and will be posting about it on Wednesday so make sure you come and check it out.

Mommy drank wine on the deck while everyone played. 😉
Josie played on the rocks.
Liam walked up and down the ramp with Nana.
Peyton and Chris played catch.

 

It was such a good weekend! How was your weekend?!

Categories
Big kid fun Family Activities Our Family Printables Toddler and Preschool Age Fun

Summer Bucket List Free Printable

Hey everyone!! Summer is so close I can feel it. I want my family to have the BEST summer ever. I say that every year and then lose momentum halfway through the season. I’m trying to avoid doing that this year so I created a Summer Bucket List. Creating it inspired me to create a printable (five, really) for everyone to create their own summer bucket list. My kids and husband have their own idea of what would make this summer perfect so I made a couple different versions for them to write their list out on. I bet my husband is going to write, “a whole day of doing nothing”. 😉

Summer Bucket List Blank

Summer Bucket List Clipart

Summer Bucket List Kids

Summer Bucket List Blank Sunset

Summer Bucket List Sunset

I created one version for the littles with fewer lines and more space in between each line. This is for the littles who are just learning to write and still write pretty large or the littles who may not have as many ideas as older kids and adults. I created two different versions for older kids/teenagers and adults. Then, I created a printable of my own bucket list and if you love all of my bucket list activities, you can download that one instead.

For the toddlers, I plan on asking them to “write” their own list and then going back and asking them what each line says. When they tell me, I’ll write it in for them, next to their own writing.

There are actually a bunch of other activities I want to do that wouldn’t fit on the list, so I may print myself another blank one and make a second page.

I’m so excited to share these with you! What are you going to put on your Summer Bucket List?

Categories
Infant/Toddler Learning Kindergarten Age Learning Parenting Toddler and Preschool Age Fun Toddler and Preschool Age Learning

9 YouTube Songs for Kids to Have Fun While Learning and Moving

I’ll be the first to admit that my kids love YouTube. From watching other kids play with toys to practicing Spy Ninja skills, my kids are obsessed. While I don’t always love the things they watch, I’m pretty open to letting them watch whatever they enjoy, as long as it’s age-appropriate. I also require that they watch at least some content that enforces brain development, learning, or movement through songs for kids.

YouTube can be a great learning tool when it comes to researching new things and reinforcing things that have already been learned. You can find good ideas on YouTube and watch funny videos when you need a laugh. Plus, you can find any song you want on YouTube, which is what I use it for the most. When I’m cleaning at nap time or writing a blog post in the living room, I turn on quiet music for myself. Before lunch, however, we use it for toddler songs and dance.

My kids LOVE the songs we find on YouTube. Josie is my dancing queen and could literally sing and dance to YouTube videos forever. I put songs for kids on the TV and we go through our favorites a few times before lunch. These songs get kids moving, and they are fun and easy to learn and remember.

The Best YouTube Songs for Kids

My kids remember these songs long after the TV is off, too. They sing them when they are laying in bed, playing with their toys, and even at the dinner table. Music is a big part of our everyday life, and it is a great developmental tool for young kids. Singing songs promotes memorization and language skills, amongst many other benefits.

Songs for Kids

What are your favorite songs for kids on YouTube? We would love to check them out so post the title or a link in the comments!

Categories
Coffee Date

Coffee Date – April

If we were on a coffee date I would tell you how my kids were using Cheetos as “dinosaurs” during snack time. Complete with “rawrs” and dinosaur attacks. I would tell you that I let them, even though they aren’t supposed to play with their food, because sometimes it’s easier that way and sometimes mama is a softy.

If we were on a coffee date I would tell you that I’m dreading Peyton’s baseball practice tonight because it’s too cold to do anything outside. Then I would complain about the weather, like the rest of us Michiganders, because it’s April and this is RIDICULOUS. Seriously, snow this morning and the real feel was 18 degrees when the kids and I went outside to play. OVER. IT.

If we were on a coffee date I would tell you how Josie has been falling asleep while playing her guitar for the past two days at nap time and bedtime. I have a musician on my hands and I’m so excited about it. I’d tell you that I’m going to have to buy her a new guitar because hers is missing a string and she couldn’t learn on a guitar that’s missing a string! I would also tell you how much she loves to sing. Do we have a Taylor Swift in the making? hmmmm…

 

If we were on a coffee date I would tell you how Liam is struggling with cutting SIX teeth. That’s right, SIX at one time. He’s been cranky and miserable and hasn’t been eating much. He had a fever yesterday and slept most of the day. He’s been wanting cuddles and something to chew on and when he does decide to play, he wants mama really close by because he comes to have his back rubbed every few minutes.

Telling you about Liam’s teeth would then start a conversation about how sad I am that my babies are all grown up. I love watching them learn and grow, but I’m sad because they’re getting so big.

Then I would tell you that I enrolled Sylas in preschool last week. PRESCHOOL. Can you believe it?! I sure can’t. My first born baby is going to be starting PRESCHOOL in the fall. What will I do without him?!

If we were on a coffee date I would spend the whole time talking about my kids because that’s all I talk about. LOL

If we were on a coffee date what would you tell me?

Categories
Our Family

For Such a Little While

One day, my kids won’t want me around all the time. They won’t want me to go with them to school, or to join them on playdates with friends. They won’t want me running around at the park and going down slides with them. They won’t even always come to me when they are hurt or sad. Someday, life will be different. They may not want me for everything when they’re older but right now, I am their whole world. It’s hard for me to imagine my babies not needing me. I’m only their world for a little while, they’ll be my world forever.

I used to get frustrated when they needed me for every little thing or when my house was always a hot mess because of the kids. I took it for granted. When I went back to work full time, it hit me – they are everything to me. I want to be there for every little bump and bruise. I want to see every achievement, no matter how small. I want to be there when they learn to hop on one foot or button their own pants. I’m not kidding, I want to be there for everything. Every. Little. Achievement. So, I quit my job (the cost of childcare made this decision even easier, honestly).

Some call this a hover mom, some call this plain psychotic, but I hate being away from my kids. Don’t get me wrong, I grumble about not having any time to myself or about never having time away with my husband but, while this time away is nice (and much needed), I’m still always thinking about my littles. They are always becoming more and more independent and I know that the days of fewer cuddles and less of them needing mama are coming quicker than I can comprehend. Maybe this stems from me having 3 kids in such a short amount of time. This is it. These are the only baby years I’ll ever experience. I am soaking it up. I have to.

Now, I am looking around my house at the mess we’ve made. There are goldfish cracker crumbs on the floor that I have already swept two times today. There are rainboots on my kitchen counter. There is a basket of clean laundry, unfolded, sitting by the stairs. I probably couldn’t find my remote (again) if I wanted to watch TV, and my car keys might be missing, too. It’s fine.

 

Seriously, it really is fine. I used to feel like a failure and I’d be frantic and grumpy when my house would look this way, which was all the time. It honestly used to look worse. When I learned to love being home with my kids all the time, I learned how to balance the household duties a little better, as well. It all fell into place once I realized that this is where I want to be. Where I need to be. So, while things are not ever perfect, my babies are perfect and precious, and they are my whole world. I am only their whole world for a short time, they are my whole world forever. I want to have these memories. I want to have the messy house if that means I can make memories with my kids every day. I want to have the hectic mornings rushing around to playgroups and story times because that means we were making more memories. I want to hold their hand and walk through the park or go down a slide with them sitting on my lap.

Nothing is better than giving Josie butterfly and Eskimo kisses or having her run her soft palms across my cheeks. Nothing is better than hearing Liam laugh at every little thing or feeling his sweet, cuddly hugs. Nothing is better than having Sylas cuddled up next to me or chatting my ear off about his plans for the day. I live for these little things. I can’t miss out on them.

The other day Liam started fussing in his crib at nap time. I started to go in his room when I heard Sylas singing You Are My Sunshine to Liam. This is the song I sing to Liam when he’s sad or when I’m putting him to sleep. My heart melted when I heard Sylas comforting his brother. Josie is just as sweet to Liam. She’s always making sure he has his blanket and rubs his back or hugs him when he is fussing. She gives him his bottle even when he doesn’t need it, and she cannot let any of her siblings go to bed without giving them a hug and a kiss first. Missing out on their bond would kill me more than anything.

There is nothing more precious than a child, and I can’t fathom the idea of missing out on any of the precious days with them. I am going to soak up the few years I have left and embrace all that God has given me. They need me, and I need them just as much.