Picnics and Walks

There are a few things that I think I do pretty well- that help to save my sanity and keep me in touch with my children!
1. Picnics- I started doing these earlier this year- especially if it was gloomy outside. We just throw a blanket on the floor and set up our picnic. It's a great reward for my toddler- who absolutely loves being able to eat on the floor. She loves to help "set" the table by gathering all the necessary things for lunch. It's been a wonderful time that we can relax together over lunch. I do have a removable highchair- so I can keep my baby clicked in and he can sit with us!
2. Walking- Not only do I get some exercise in- but I use it as a chatting/teaching opportunity with my daughter. We live within a mile of 2 grocery stores- so we normally just walk there. I have her walk, which she enjoys, and I figure it gets her some good exercise! It's been really interesting to just talk with her and see what's running through her mind. Sometimes I think in the hecticness of life we neglect to really talk to our children- and this gives me a great outlet! My son normally sleeps during it- which gives him a great morning nap!

Little Things

I am not a master mother and have so much to learn. But here are some small things that seem to help...

1. T-Rex throws tantrums. They are not really bad all the time but he does and they can really get to me. Especially if I'm on my last nerve...which seems to be most of the time. I found that when he calms down I am more patient with him...but I have to get there first. My niece also throws big fits and cries and wails like you've never heard. What I have begun doing with both of them is picking them up or getting down to their level and saying "Ok, count to 10 with me" and the proceed to count out loud to 10, reminding them to help. More often than not by the time we reach 10 they have calmed down. At the end I say take a deep breath with me. And we both breath in deeply. This has been so helpful!
2. Sleep. If I don't have a decent amount of sleep under my belt, I am not a decent mother and do not make decent choices.
3. I know where my son gets his temper from by the way. it's no secret that I have a pretty hot temper (which has become very controlled through my life!) When I raise my voice at T-Rex or command him, that's when he most wants to do the opposite of whatever I say. Or that's when he starts screaming. As of late I have really been working hard on talking calmly to him and asking politely to do things. it really works!! i know most of you are probably already soft spoken gentle mothers but this is what helps me!!

Less Stress at Dinnertime!

I've learned I can't always have my days go as planned. Things always happen to put a wrench in my plans. But the stress of what I'm making for dinner doesn't happen anymore.

I used to make a list of possible dinners that I would put up on the fridge, and then cross them off as we had them. This list was so I made sure I had all the ingredients bought and ready. But we still had to decide on what we were going to eat each night from the possibilities, and when we moved here, I quickly realized I couldn't buy produce too far in advance to using it. (They arrive at the store ALREADY ripe...so you have to use them quick!)

Then I made this a few months ago.

A way to know what we were eating every night.

I wrote all the dinner choices (main dishes...the sides are just kept on hand) on small square pieces of paper and taped them to a "sheet protected" paper. There are some "Eat Out" options to take the place of holidays, like birthdays or this month, Thanksgiving. There's also some "Leftovers" squares after several bigger meals. This helps me to look at the menu right before making a trip to the store (I usually go every 3-4 days for milk anyway.) and make sure I have all the necessary ingredients for the next 4-5 meals. I also know if I need to take something out of the freezer before 30 minutes until it's time to eat! And I can arrange it any way I'd like it each 4 weeks without having to rewrite everything. Just move around the squares.

I also make sure that if I have a meal that could be a hit or miss with the kids, the following day is a definite hit. And I have some recipes that use leftovers from previous dinners, so I can plan accordingly to make enough to use in the next day's meal.

 And the clincher? 

It's so easy, I can hand it over to my husband at the end of the month and have him arrange the menu for the next month!

Morning/Night Stuff.

Okay, so this is not exactly an idea I can claim full credit for. My mom did it with us when we were kids, and she got the idea from one of her friends... beyond that I have no idea. Suffice it to say, it seems to be a good idea.

It's a little diddy I learned from my mom to remind me what I need to do every morning and every night. Say it rhythmically, pointing to each finger as outlined here:


What's great is that my son has taken to it really well, and now when I say "Morning stuff!" or "Night stuff!" he knows exactly what's coming and I can ask him, "Okay, what comes next?" and eventually he'll be able to do it himself. The other great thing is that because it's constantly being tidied up, his room is the cleanest/neatest one in our home. Go figure.

*Shameless plug alert* I wrote another article several weeks ago on another blog about this very thing, to read more about this, click here.

R-E-S-P-

My typing fingers, like probably many of yours, were rendered font-less at this week’s topic.
Words like “easier” “proud” and the phrase “actually works” would not (and should not) be used in regards to my parenting.
Like Paula addressed, “As moms, sometimes we come down hard on ourselves and become our biggest critics.”
I’m one of those moms that is all for lowing the bar of expectations to a point I trip over the darn thing. With that attitude in mind and hefty amounts of satire, I share with you
the one thing I can count on getting me from day to day-
the thing that makes my job as a mom easier-
the thing I am proud of because it actually works . . .

Breathing.
r-e-s-p-i-r-a-t-i-o-n

I know, it sounds simple enough, right?
But you’d be amazed at how many mothers suffer from dyspnea.
(Not to mention your houseplants will thank you.)

One thing I've learned is that this isn’t a sprint we are running, ladies. It’s a marathon.

Pace yourselves and

breathe.

It will get you through it.

Topic: Nov. 14 week

Sorry this is going up a little late... got a couple of sick children this weekend.

As moms, sometimes we come down hard on ourselves and become our biggest critics. This week, let's "turn that frown upside down" and...

Share something that you do that helps make your job as a mom easier. Something you're proud of because it actually works! 

I could be your own idea or something that you've learned from somewhere else...

let's see what successes we all are enjoying!