Weekend Field Trip

When you work all week, it's easy on Saturday or Sunday to get in a rut and want to rest on the weekend.  However, when you work all week what you truly need to do is spend some one on one time with your children.  I decided that every Friday I would post a blog with an idea of something you and your children could do right here in Clarksville this weekend.  It's doesn't have to be a large adventure, all our kids want is our time.

If you haven't visited Rotary Park lately, you should check it out.  Rotary Park is on the 41A Bypass, the gate is behind Kmart.  They've done several improvements to the park.  There five miles of hiking and biking trails in the woods that you and your children could walk on while teaching them a little about nature.  There is also a creek back in the woods off the trails that is pretty.  Our boys love wading in the creek and on a hot summer day it's a perfect way to cool off.  I'm not the most in shape person, but walking on the trails is a good activity for you and your children plus is enables you to talk with your kids as you get a little exercise.  Below is a link to more information about the park if you'd like to check it out.

http://www.mcgtn.org/parks/parks-and-facilities#rotary

Somethings Gotta Give

I have a pretty stressful job.  I have one of those jobs where even when I'm off work, I'm not really off work.  When I get home and am juggling dinner for the kids, I may also be answering emails or phone calls for work.  With this juggling act, somethings gotta go so here is my list of the top things I may not have time for anymore.

1.  Cleaning my house.  Before I had kids, I was crazy about keeping a clean house.  I even had my spice drawer alphabetized.  I never let the laundry pile up.  Clothes were washed when we had a load to do.  Now, I have hired someone who cleans the house and it's nothing to have laundry piled  up.  I have taken the attitude that clutter is king, as long as the bones of the house are clean.

2.  I rarely have time to do my nails anymore.  Before kids, I use to say that you could tell how put together someone was by how well their nails were manicured.  Guess what, using that old way of thinking I am now the most unput together person I know. 

3.  Before we had kids, I would cook three course meals each night.  I love to cook and used to try to impress my husband with my cooking skills.  Now, the hour between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. is crazy and I'm lucky to get fruit or yogurt down my kids.  Matter a fact, fruit and yogurt have become a regular side item in our house.

4.  Gardening.  Before we had kids, I took great pride in our flower beds and had some beautiful flowering pots on the deck.  Now, with kids, I tried to continue the gardening.  I planted flowers in pots this year, only to not have time to water them, so now I have beautiful dried up flowers on the deck.

5.  Shopping.  Like most women, I love to shop but when you work and have two small children the only chance you have is in the evenings or on weekends.  It's not the same dragging two small children from store to store.   I don't even have time to go buy new shoes for my boys, therefore, I have become a huge fan of Amazon and Amazon Prime.  It's a must for working Moms.

The house isn't as clean, I don't get to cook gourmet meals anymore, and my flower beds lack a lot to be desired but in the grand scheme of things, I have a job I love and two well adjusted children, so does it really matter if my nails don't look great?

Chalk It Up

I have a project that's easy, inspires your child's creative side, and looks great.  It's a chalk board painted on your child's bedroom wall.  I did this in my son's bedroom wall and it's been a hit.  Not only does our oldest enjoy it but now our youngest son, he loves writing on it. 

It's actually pretty simple.  You can buy chalk board paint at any home improvement store.  It comes in several colors, including black, red, and green.  We chose black because it went best with the rest of the room.  We took painters tape and marked off the area we wanted to be the chalk board and with a small foam roller, rolled the chalk board paint on the wall.  It took three coats.  When it dries you can write on it just like a regular chalk board.

It's been fun for the boys to draw on.  We use side walk chalk and have fun with all the colors.  It's a great place to give special messages like "I love you" or "Happy Birthday".  This simple project, takes a few hours, and will give hours of joy..

Milestones, Love 'Em or Hate 'Em

Every parent is going to understand the feeling I am getting ready to describe.  That feeling of how you can't wait for our child to walk, ride a bike, or do this or do that, but at the same time you have a little saddness because it would mean that phase will be over soon. That feeling of how you look at your child and think that this phase has to the be the best yet and you never want it to end. 

When our boys were born I remember looking at their swollen, red faces and thinking, "you can't get anymore beautiful".  Then four months later when they were very chubby with thinning hair, I loved their fat, chubby faces and never wanted them to change, however, they did, and around one year old, when they were starting to look like little boys instead of babies, boy, did I think they were handsome.

Today was a milestone for our wonderful oldest child.  It was his first day of kindergarden.   Believe it or not, I did not cry.  Yes, this is the end of one phase and the beginning of another for him, but I was excited.  There is something about this phase of his life that I love just as much as the ones that have past and it's that we are learning to have real, two sided conversations. I love visiting with him, hearing about his day, what he learned, what excited him and even his very distinct opinions. Today wasn't unlike the other milestones, for instance how he grinned ear to ear and laughed out loud when he took his first steps or how excited he was to learn to swim under water.  Life is so full of these precious moment and today is no exception.

If I could give any advice, I suppose what I would say is that enjoy each phase.  Don't worry that time is flying by to fast, don't worry about when your child will do this, or they will do that.  Stay in the moment and don't miss a beat and I promise, the next phase will be even more beautiful than the last.

You Say It's Your Birthday

Today is my forty-first birthday and the new age has started me reflecting on being a Mom at my age and how that might affect our boys.  I do feel my age most days when I am chasing a two year old and a five year old around, trying to cook dinner, give baths, return emails, so on and so on.  I wondering what my age might mean to our boys or do they even notice?

When I was five, my mother would have been twenty-five.  Now, that thought really makes me feel old because I remember thinking my Mom was ancient.  With that being said,  I also thought she was the most beautiful women I knew.  I thought she looked beautiful, she sang beautiful and everything she did was perfect in my eyes.  I still think she is a beautiful women, however, when trying to draw from my child-like memories, I chose that description of her not because of how she looked on the outside but because of how she made me feel on the inside, which was very loved.  She was beautiful because she did everything for me, she cooked for me, she cleaned for me, she kissed my boo boos, she simply loved me unconditionally.  She was and is spectacular in my eyes, no matter the age.

In this fast paced world that I call "life", when my boys look at me with the same love and admiration, it makes me feel as if I must be doing something right.  When they greeted me with birthday wishes this morning, they were so excited and proud to be doing something for me.  The smiles on their little faces was the best gift.  At the end of the day, their opinion is the one that matters the most to me.  If I can be the most beautiful person in their world, I'm happy, no matter my age.

Careful What You Ask

Morning in our house are a gamble, we never know how our days will begin.  Sometimes things run smoothly, the boys get up on time, eat a good breakfast, get dressed and we're out the door.  Other times we're thrown a curb ball which can totally mess up our schedule.  All it takes is one spilt milk or one extra dirty diaper and we're thrown into rush mode.

Our oldest son, has a hard time getting up in the morning.  He's our sleeper.  Our youngest wakes the roosters up.  With our oldest, we have to plan ahead, making sure we allow plenty of time for his "waking up mood", which can go from complete melt down to utter happiness, you never know what your going to get.  What we usually do is simply turn on his light and turn on the radio next to his bed or sometimes we send his younger brother in to yell, "wake up bubby", "wake up bubby".  Trust me, a two year old, in his loud, pitchy voice can wake anyone.  This is how our oldest son's day usually begins.

Today, was a little different.  We sent our youngest into wake up his brother.  We heard the usual "wake up bubby", "wake up bubby", however, this morning he added a new twist.  He decided to pull off his pull up and pee pee on his brother bed to wake him up.  I'm not sure which tactic worked the best, the yelling or the going to the bathroom in the bed, but I do know that his older brother will pay attention to him next time.

I don't know what the best way to wake our oldest up each morning is but what I do know is that we have to give him ample time.  I get how he feels, I'm not a morning person either.  I would rather get up early enough for him to slowly crawl from bed than feel stressed dragging him out of bed kicking and screaming.  Starting our day on in a positive way can set the whole mood for the day.

Aiden's Back Pack

15" Back Pack from Lands End





http://www.landsend.com/pp/ClassMateSmallHaulBackpack~224116_-1.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::FAC&CM_MERCH=IDX_Luggage-_-BackpacksLunchBoxes-_-BackpacksBookBags-_-M36to4&origin=index

Next Friday, my oldest son starts kindergarden.  I am excited and sad all that the same time.  All Moms who have experienced the first day of school understand.  For some reason I spent a lot of time making sure that he had the perfect backpack.  I don't why except that I want everything about this day to be

special for him.

I settled on a back pack from Lands End.  What I liked about their site was that you could pick the back pack by your childs height.  My fella is small, so a larger back pack would be hard for him to lug around.  We settled on a fifteen inch back pack that fits him perfectly.  Land End also embroidered his name on it, which I imagine could be helpful at school.  We were able to get a matching lunch box as well.  What's neat is that the lunch box has a snap, that snaps to the back pack so they'll be easier to carry.  The picture attached is the exact one we chose.

I know a back pack may seem like a small thing and not a big deal in the grand scheme of "first day's of school", but if buying the right back pack gives Mommy a little comfort, then so be it.  This will be a big day for our big boy and I will do my best to make it perfect.

It Takes Patience to Potty Train

I posted a couple weeks ago that it was time to start our youngest potty training.  I thought that it may be time for an update.  It's only been a couple weeks but I must admit that we've had very few moments that made me feel like we were making progress.

We now have our two year old in pull ups and he loves them because they have Diego on them.  To go back to diapers now would be an insult on his new found "big boy" status.  We have our potty seat, and I must say the seat we purchased is fabulous at catching little boys missed aims.  I highly recomment it.  We've been taking him to the potty every two hours. I know consistency is the key to training but I must admit it is frustrating when I take him, he goes, and ten minutes later he's wet.  Really!?!  When he does go we do the pee pee dance and he loves it.  I considering stickers for each potty to make it even more rewarding.

Just when I feel defeated and wonder if we started to soon, he'll do something that makes me believe we're on the right path.  The other day we went to the bathroom on his own and was struggling to get his pants down.  When I came in to help, he went.  That was a big moment for me because he tried on his own and I knew he understood what that strange feeling meant.

Now, those that know me know, I'm a pretty competitive person.  I want my kids to be also, so why can't our little fella potty train quickly?  Shouldn't he be an over achiever?  Shouldn't he hate wearing wet pants? I've come to realize, it's me, he's doing what he should be doing.  I just need to have patience and one day it gonna just happen.  I can't wait for the day he comes to me and ask me to take him to the potty.

Book It

There is a ton of research that says reading to you child is a good thing. It stimulates their imagination, increases vocabulary skills, improves attention span, the list of reason why you should read to your child goes on and on. I think some studies even say it increase their life span.

No wonder, I feel like such a bad Mom when I come home from work, cook dinner, give baths and then sometimes, dread reading. Last night I felt this very way, when my little toddler came up to me with two books to read. I sat down and read them to him and as I was sitting there, cuddled up to this sweet little boy, I couldn't imagine anyplace else I wanted to be.

Interesting enough books he brought were "Elmo's Potty Time" and an "Elmo's Big Bed". He loves Elmo so it's no secret why these books caught his eye. One is about potty training, which we are currently doing, or trying to do I should say, and the other is about how Elmo goes from a baby bed to a big boy bed, which we recently also did. There are books for everything, whether it's potty training, biting, brothers and sisters, whatever your child is dealing with there's a book for it. Take advantage of the message these books have because while your reading, you will have your child's undivided attention.

Research also says that reading nutures a child's emotional development and self-esteem. I woud also suggest that it will nuture your emotional well being and self-esteem. Take this time to bond with your child, relax and enjoy a few special moments together.

These are a few of my favorite books. The Llama Llama books have a topic on every issue and are really cute.

Work Of Art

I have this large wall in my hallway that was calling for a big piece of art. It had to be one really large piece or several small pieces. I spent a lot of time shopping in stores and online for the perfect piece of art. I'm really drawn to abstract paintings.

One day it hit me, I have the perfect abstract painter in my house, my five year old son.  I went to the art store and bought the largest canvas I could find, acryllic paints in the colors I wanted, and a bag of inexpensive foam paint brushes. I gave these to my son and he had a blast making me a masterpiece. This has become my one of my favorite decorating items in the house. I get so many compliments on it.

I have some advice if your interested in your little one doing a masterpiece for you. One, be sure and buy the acryllic paints. They dry quickly and wash off quickly. Two, the cheap foam brushes work best, no need to purchase expensive brushes because you'll be throwing them away when you're done. Lastly, and very important, make sure you put each paint color in a separate bowl with one brush for each color. If you don't do this, you will have your little one mixing paints and you'll end up with a beautiful mud color. When you're done, you'll have a cherished piece of art for under $100.

I hope that you enjoy your masterpiece as much I've enjoyed mine. I love it so much that our oldest has now done art for our entire family. It makes a great gift.

Worth The Wait

A year ago, our oldest son and I waited in line for thirty minutes to ride this mouse looking roller coaster at Beechbend Park, only to get our turn and find out you had to be forty two inches to ride. I have to say, even though it was a small defeat, it broke my heart to see him so disappointed.

Over the next year, we measured every inch on his growth chart. When he hit forty two inches, we celebrated. That meant big things to a five year old and in his world, big things are the mouse roller coaster. Today the wait was over, we went to Beechbend Park and waited in line about fifteen minutes to ride the mouse roller coaster. When we got our turn the guy said, "I doubt he's forty two inches", and I replied with assurance, "I'm quite sure he is, measure him," and he was. Our oldest is kind of a little fellow, so looks can be deceiving. It was worth the wait ans he was so excited and the ride lived up to his expectations.

I suggest all parents either purchase a growth chart or find a good door seal to keep up with their growth. They grow up so quick. Land of Nod has some that are my favorites and they can be personalized.

http://www.landofnod.com/search.aspx?query=growth

Found Time

When your a working Mom with a two year old and a five year old, getting individual time with them doesn't happen often. I had started feeling like I wasn't really communicating with my two year old, because it's easy for the five year old, to monopolize our conversations.

Recently, we changed part of our morning routine and now my husband takes our oldest to Y camp and I take the youngest to daycare. I have to tell you, those fifteen minutes in the car with our two year old each morning have become priceless. I have enjoyed visiting, singing, and pointing out new things with him.

This morning we sang "Jesus Loves Me", over and over and over. I loved the way he hit the last word of each line as loud as he could and even though I still can't understand him completely, I understood he was singing. Being so interactive with him, warmed my heart and started my day perfectly.

It reminded me that we need to make the most of each moment. When you work full time, your a wife, and your a Mom, you have to make each opportunity count. My car ride to work, with my boys, will now be one of those precious opportunities. We'll sing, I'll point out motorcycles, tractors, we will play Eye Spy, this found time is about them.

It's Potty Time

As a working Mom the idea of potty training is exhausting. It's just one more thing to add to my daily "to do" list. Potty training can be tricky, you don't want to start too early, you don't need to wait to late, and you need make sure your child is ready. This morning I got a very clear picture that my two year old, is ready to start the process. When he woke up, he proceeded to stand up in his bed, pull off his diaper and pee all over his bed, pillows, Elmo and all. Poor Elmo, got blasted!

How do you know when it's the right time to start potty training your child? I did some research and here are a few of the signs your child is ready.

• Your child has an awareness they need to go, squats, goes to a corner or pulls off their diaper and pees all over their bed.
• They urinate a lot at one time.
• They have regular bowel movements.
• They can pull their pants up and down and attempt to dress themselves.
• They can follow simple instructions like "throw this away", "sit down", etc.
• They understand what words like potty, toilet, wet, and diaper mean.
• They are able to imitate others behavior.
• They like to assert their independence saying stuff like, "I can do it", or "me".
• Your child desires their parents or others approval.

Your child probably won't show all these signs but if they show just a few then your child is ready to start. My child, shows several. I'm not really looking forward to the process and am lucky to have the help of my daycare. Little boys don't have the best aim, making for nasty toilets. I found this potty that is perfect, it is large but not to large, has a soft seat and best off all a large cup to catch all my little fellas quirts. It's working well.

http://www.amazon.com/Disney-Pixar-Cars-Soft-Potty/dp/B0010P5Q7Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310676552&sr=8-1