Live today as if it is your first, last, and greatest day of your life.
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Author: momonthegoinholytoledo
Huge fan of living life to the fullest! You're only given one life, it is a gift, don't waste it! I'm a mom of 3 and enjoy sharing and living this philosophy with my kiddos...I share our adventures, experiences, the extraordinary and mundane.
We made Christmas Elves last week with the intention of placing them on top of Mason jars filled with homemade hot cocoa mix for teacher’s gifts. But the kiddos fell in love with their little elves, gave each a name, and they are officially part of the family. Haha!
Here’s what you will need to make your elf:
2 felt sheets (two different colors…we chose a dark and light green but you can use any color you wish)
A few pom-poms and buttons (one for hat, two for shoes, and any additional embellishment for hat trim)
pinecone
1 wooden doll head (with hole in the bottom)
1 sharpie to make eyes/face
ribbon for a small scarf or you could use some of the leftover felt
crafts glue or hot glue gun
Directions:
Draw an isosceles triangle (roughly 5inches in height and base of 3 ½ inches)
Cut out triangle
Place glue on one side of the triangle and rolled into a cone for the hat
Cut small trim for hat, 3-1/2 inches x ½ inch…(or whatever width your little helper like…haha!)
Glue trim to bottom of cone/hat
Glue head on pinecone
Glue Hat to head
Add embellishments to hat, pom-poms and/or buttons to top and side of hat.
Cut long skinny legs for the elf, roughly 7 inches long
Place glue on the first inch and roll up the felt for the shoes
Add pom-poms or buttons for shoes
Glue legs to bottom of pinecone
Add face with sharpie marker
Add ribbon or felt for a scarf
And done!
These little guys make great tree ornaments, gift toppers, decoration, and friends. Haha!
Do you have a favorite crafts you make during the holidays? Maybe a special Christmas ornament? Feel free to share. Also please feel free to share any links you may have with fun crafts.
This past weekend the kiddos and I had the privilege of seeing Disney’s Frozen. To be honest I hadn’t much expectation for the film other than to entertain the kiddos for a couple hours and to possibly contribute to dinner conversation later.
I mean let’s face it it’s just another Disney “Princess” film and I am pretty sure we are all use to the drill by now. You know, something horrific happens to a parent or parents (often the mother, ever noticed that? What does Disney have against moms? Think about it, Jasmine, Little Mermaid, Snow White, Cinderella, BAMBI!). The princess gets herself into life threatening mischief, a prince saves her, and they live happily ever after. And what do you know; within the first few minutes guess what? (Spoiler alert) The parents die. Shocker! Then a prince comes to save the day. Wow, didn’t see that coming! Haha! But wait….I was wrong!?
At one point during the film I actually found myself so enthralled that I was bribing my 3 year old to hold her bladder just for a minute longer so we could see what would happens next. Congratulations Disney, you did it! You finally broke the mold! Frozen is officially my new favorite Disney film.
Frozen is chalked full of such valuable lessons on life. It was so refreshing to watch a Disney film that had a nice combination of fantasy and reality.
Reasons why Frozen is my new favorite Disney film:
The prince didn’t save the day, the princess did!
Princesses don’t wake up looking pretty.
We learned that when people express significant anger fear is often the underlying factor.
We learned that you can’t be selective with the emotions you stuff…if you try to stuff fear or sadness you are no longer being genuine and you miss out on love.
You can’t hide from your problems they will eventually catch up with you.
The longer you conceal your feelings the bigger the eruption when they do final surface.
Be cautious when ‘love at first sight’ strikes!
Ask for help.
Go after the ones you love.
She chose her love for her sister over her own life, her own happiness. A true selfless act of love…beautiful!
They did not live happily ever after…there was no princess bride at the end. I admire and appreciate that so much. I think it is so important that marriage isn’t rushed and who knows? Maybe after some soul searching they did get married or perhaps they found some issues they couldn’t resolve? I have a feeling that whole troll family thing might not sit well with her sister. Haha!
Frozen will be one Disney movie that we will definitely be adding to our home library. Thank you Disney for giving my girls a princess movie filled with fantasy and strong moral undertones. And a movie my son and daughters find entertaining (my son thought the snowman was hilarious…he kept laughing his infectious laugh, I loved it!)
Have you seen Frozen yet? If so what was your take? What is your take on the whole princess fairytale/fantasy? Is it good for little girls to have such unrealistic ideas in their heads? Please share.
Have you ever been sitting in your car at a red light and suddenly you find yourself thinking about a certain friend, relative, or neighbor? Thinking about the relationship and how much it means to you. And how you should really give them a call, invite them over for dinner, or perhaps visit them at their retirement home? Then what happens? The light turns green and the thought is left behind.
Or perhaps maybe you have considered giving your time at a local food shelter or even making it a family affair but quickly excuse the idea. You are way too busy with work, household responsibilities, running kids around, etc. You’ll reconsider when the children’s schedules aren’t so hectic and work let’s up a little, maybe next year?
Maybe your spouse has been bugging you to go on a date. But you keep putting it off until you have enough money budgeted for a fancy meal and night out on the town. You’ll go in a couple months once a few things are paid off.
What if there were no more tomorrows? Those friends, relatives, and neighbors would never know how much they meant to you. And the people’s lives you could have touched and whose lives could have touched yours through volunteering will never happen. Why do you keep putting off gratitude until tomorrow? Why do you keep putting off acts of kindness until you have more time, more money?
I hadn’t really considered how often I put off small acts of kindness and gratitude until I received an email from a gentleman about his wife who is a cancer survivor. As I read the email and watched the video it touched my heart deeply.
Heather is an 8-year survivor of mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure. When she was diagnosed, she had just given birth to our little girl, Lily. Heather was told she only had 15 months left to live. I was quickly thrown into the role of caregiver and together we decided we would do whatever it took to beat the cancer. Nearly 8 years later, Heather is cancer free and doing what she loves most; raising Lily. Because she beat the odds and is one of few long-term survivors of mesothelioma, it is our mission to spread awareness of mesothelioma by sharing our personal story.
If her cancer has taught us anything, it’s the value of life and the value of gratitude. Her diagnosis was in the Holiday season, and every year around this time she gets what we call the “Holiday Blues” Therefore, she created “30 Days of Thankfulness” where she acknowledges something in her life that she is thankful for every day throughout the month. (Taken from email that was received)
I think sometimes we forget just how important small acts of kindness can be. We almost fool ourselves into thinking that sending that text, card, calling, paying for a perfect stranger’s coffee, etc. isn’t significant enough. Will it really affect them that much? Will it really have any impact on them? Why should I even bother?
After watching and reading Heather’s story it really got me thinking about others who might be experiencing the holiday blues so I did a little research. Depression and suicides rates are at the highest during the holidays. So yes, it turns out that an act of kindness could have a significant impact on a person’s day, holiday season, even their life! Often time’s people keep their emotions and struggles bottled up. Who’s not to say that receiving that card via snail mail, an invitation to dinner, or having a perfect stranger pay for their coffee might be just what they needed to prevent themselves from taking catastrophic steps.
So the challenge is this…
Don’t put off small acts of kindness. We are not promised tomorrow. Start today. Start small. Stay small. Remember it isn’t the grandeur of the gesture but rather the love behind it. Starting this week put some action behind those kind thoughts. Do at least one small act of kindness each week. It can be well thought out like a special card or package in the mail for a friend or a random pay for a strangers coffee/food. There are only 52 weeks in a year. We should be able to come up with 52 acts of kindness. That’s right; this challenge is running ALL YEAR! Are you up for it? I think you are! I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the results and consequences that your acts of kindness will have on your own life.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Call a friend or family member you haven’t spoken with in a long time
Send an “I am thinking of you” card to family/friend
Send a car package to family/friend
Put together a kit for homeless (Ziploc with small toiletries)
Make a meal for homeless shelter
Offer to babysit for another family (and don’t expect anything in return)
Help someone for FREE (clean house, yard pick-up/maintenance, help with taxes, etc.)
Pay for the person’s order behind you in the drive-thru
Leave waitress a nice tip
Feed the meter for someone
Leave coins in vending machine
Offer to go shopping for elderly neighbor
Shovel neighbors drive
Mail money to a perfect stranger with a small encouraging note
So what do you say? Are you up for the challenge? Have a past experience or act of kindness to share? Have any ideas to add to the list?
Saturday was the Ohio State/Michigan game a.k.a. ‘The Game’ and around these parts that is a HUGE deal! Talk about “fandom”! When someone asks you your blood type they don’t mean A, B, O, etc. They want to know if you bleed maize and blue or scarlet and grey.
I have been a loyal Ohio State fan since I can remember…actually I am pretty sure I was just born that way. Lol! I come from a long line of Ohio State graduates (my grandfather, father, brother). But over the last couple years I have found my attention diminishing. I don’t know if it is the distractions of motherhood, Christmas preparations, the fact that I married a Boilermaker, or perhaps a combination of the three but my interest has started to dwindle. So this year we decided that instead of watching the game we would embark on an adventure, an exciting excursion. We would start a new family tradition, we would grab our saw, bundle up, and set forth to find the perfect Christmas tree!
Why a real Christmas tree? Well, our reasoning was two-fold. We had always anticipated getting real trees once the children were older and no longer crawling or placing things in their mouths. I have such fond memories of cutting down the Christmas tree with my family as a child I really longed for the day I could enjoy it with my children. And secondly, my husband had just traded in his car for a Ford F150 truck.
Thus, the bed of the truck would be the perfect means for bringing home a tree. So we bundled up, stopped at Starbucks for refreshments (city folks, I tell ya…haha!) and headed to Michigan. On the way my hubby and I got into the holiday spirit by sharing some humorous bantering back and forth that mostly revolved around the movie Christmas Vacation… We’re kicking off our fun old-fashioned family Christmas by heading out into the country in the old front-wheel drive sleigh to embrace the frosty majesty of the winter landscape and select that most important of Christmas symbols.
When we arrived at the tree farm it was deserted. There wasn’t another family in site. We parked and walked up to the hut inquiring about the location of the various tree types and cost. The attendant was so kind and answered our questions then went back to listening to ‘The Game’. So we set forth on foot in search of the perfect tree.
Now, if you have had the pleasure of watching a Charlie Brown Christmas you are aware that ‘the perfect’ tree means something different to each of us. For example, our 3 year old found the perfect tree, a little 3 footer. “Mommy this tree is perfect…can I have this one? “ Can you say adorable!?
After explaining that each of us would not be going home with our own tree and a few disappointing expressions that followed, we continued on our search.
And then we spotted it! To be entirely honest I am not certain who spotted it first. The angle of the sun gave the impression of a spotlight being cast down from the heavens as if to say ‘this is the one!’. And there were 3 little angels singing O’ Christmas tree and the hubs started to saw away.
And then the hubs and our little man who was so eager to help took each end and carried it back to the hut.
Once there the children stood and watched in awe as the machine bundled up the tree in twine….fascinating stuff. Lol!
Then came time to pay. As we went up to pay the game was blaring. As the announcer exclaimed with much anticipation “They are going to go for it!”. Well apparently it was the final few seconds of the game and Michigan was going to go for 2 pts which would be a win for them….the score was 42-41. And the attendant started yelling out to other workers exclaiming “they are going to go for it…I would just tie it up”. So we all stood within ear shot of the announcer as he exclaimed that Ohio State won!The enthusiastic expression on her face was quickly replaced with disappointment. I felt a little bad as we loaded up the Michigan Tree in our Ohio State looking truck and booked it for the border. But it also felt a little good…maybe I am not as distracted as I had initial thought…apparently my blood type is still scarlet and grey. Lol!
The moral of this Christmas tree excursion is….
Never get a Christmas tree during ‘The Game’ again….turns out we missed a fascinating game.
So, did you catch the game? Does your family prefer artificial or real Christmas tree? Do you have a fun family Christmas tree tradition? Please share
Our little lady decided that for her 8th birthday she would like the theme to be Lalaloopsy. I could not have been more excited. I had so much fun planning this party with my little lady. She decided on the food, beverage, and craft and then I took it from there.
The girls arrived and we got the party started with a fun craft. Each girl was given a purse that they could decorate it as they pleased. An initial seemed to be the preferred design. Haha! I had so much fun helping the girls with their craft and listening to the little girl conversations around the table. In some ways 2nd grade is different than when I was a child but in other ways it is still very much the same.
For games the girls played a version of hot potato but with a ball of yarn. I was concerned that they might think it was to young for them, or boring. I was shocked when they begged to play it for a third time. That had a blast! They also played the memory game where you place items on a try then remove the tray and ask party attendees to list all the items on the tray. After each game the girls received a goody to place in their bags/purses.
Then the party girl opened her gifts and we all sang happy birthday! Look at that smile! She had such a wonderful time. All the girls had exceptional manners and were well behaved. I am so thankful for the sweet little girls that are in her life.
I have a feeling that 8 is going to be great!
FYI…if you like how this party turned out why not hire us for your kiddos next bash? You can check out our rates atKater 2 Kidz
It has been a crazy week at our house! We got rid of the toddler bed (no more babies or toddlers…which has been difficult for me to process) and moved the kiddos furniture around. We took our Christmas Pictures (Oye…need I say more? Haha!). I started the Calendars of the kiddos that we give to the grandparents on Christmas (I laughed, I cried, and then I stopped). I even managed to tackle the mountain of laundry that evolved in our bedroom over the past few days (what mom doesn’t want to spend her free time doing laundry…yes, this is sarcasm). And while all of these things can stir up emotion (both good and bad) within a mom they cumulatively could not compare to the anguish I experienced on the kitchen floor while hunched over crumbled up Oreos Wednesday evening.
It all started Sunday evening when I asked our daughter what type of treat she would like to take into school for her birthday. Her birthday was Thursday so I figured I would bop into Kroger’s and purchase cookies or candy for her to pass out to her classmates. Nope! That would be too easy. She requested a fancy cookie on a stick. And right as I was getting ready to say ‘no’ my mind went to last year’s birthday party. It never happened. We said she could take friends to the movies and we never followed through. So before the word ‘no’ could be uttered I was strangled by mommy guilt. And that was that! I was going to be making something fancy on a stick for her to pass out to her friends come hell or high water. I was not going to disappoint my little girl (again)!
To start off I did what any smart momma would do I called for reinforcements. I called my friend Stacy and explained my predicament. And like always she had the perfect solution. Thus the Chocolate covered Oreo button cookie on a stick (that’s a mouthful…in more way than one hahaha!) was born. I stopped at Kroger’s before picking up the older kiddos from school and grabbed the necessary ingredients:
Package of Double Stuffed Oreos (I grabbed 2 just in case and thank goodness I did)
2 Bars of Bakers Chocolate (Vanilla)
1 package of Mini Chocolate chips (to make them look like buttons)
1 package lollipop sticks
Then that evening I opened Pandora’s Box…I mean I twisted, or attempted to, twist open Oreos. I confidently opened the first package of double stuffed Oreos. I grabbed an Oreo and began to twist. It broke. I figured I must have exerted too much pressure so I grabbed a second. Crack! And then I delicately went for the third. It crumbled to pieces! The fourth through fifteenth resulted in more of the same. By the sixteenth Oreo I lost it! Why did the Oreos hate me? Why wouldn’t they cooperate? I was being kind, gentle, delicate…what was I doing wrong! Then the frustration came over me. I launched the seventeenth cracked Oreo across the kitchen near the trash. Then came the waterworks. The tears ran down my face as I dramatically fell against the counter then slid down the cabinets, plopped myself on the floor in despair and threw myself a little pity party. And what’s a party without food? Lucky for me I just so happened to have plenty of freshly broken Oreos to help ease the pain. Haha! As I sat there eating my tear stained, now somewhat soggy, crumbled up Oreos I realized I wasn’t upset about the Oreos (though that really was infuriating!) I was sad because our baby, who is 3, just moved into her big girl bed. That meant no more cribs or toddler beds and I treasured those days. I was hurt because I would gladly give up sleep, change diapers, nurse babies, etc. if I was given the opportunity to do it all over again. But why should I be given a second chance I totally forgot my daughters birthday gathering last year and I was well on my way to failing her this year too! I was one hot emotional mess with Oreo mud on my face. Haha!
After my little therapeutic Oreo meltdown I felt rejuvenated. I was ready to start again. And start again I did. And guess what? That second bag of Oreos gave me no grief. Each and every cookie twisted apart perfectly. Perhaps it was pure coincidence? Perhaps one package was closer to its expiration date? Or maybe God just knew that this mom needed to do some soul searching over some crumbled up cookies? Who knows?
What I do know is that I went on to rock the heck out of those Chocolate covered Oreo Button Cookies on a stick!!
And that’s the way the cookie crumbles…..
I think the lesson I learned from this whole Oreos charade was that I need to slow down and process things a little better. Not numb my emotion with the next event or task. I also learned (thanks to my mom) that if you pop Oreos in the over (or microwave if you have one) for a few minutes (seconds if using a microwave) they twist apart soooo easily. And yes, I am proud to say that I can now laugh at myself for not doing so. Haha!
Have you ever experience an ‘Oreo’ like meltdown? Or an unusual moment when you were suddenly flooded with emotion? Do you ever find yourself moving through life too quickly? How do you set aside time to process your thoughts, emotions, and the happenings in your life?
So a couple weeks back I received an email inviting me and my kiddos to checkout a new App, Bob & Larry’s ABC’s. And since our 3 year old is obsessed with Veggie Tales and her ABC’s I jumped at the opportunity. I figured it was going to be like every other ABC’s app/game where they simply go through the ABC’s and maybe say a few of the letter sounds. So you can imagined how impressed I was when I found out that it not only went through the alphabet but also allowed kiddos to create and share!
My little Gracie girl and I sat down and listened while Larry the cucumber narrated our adventure! She tapped on each of the letters to hear the sounds and enjoyed hearing all the sounds effects that accompanied each page. But the real fun began when we created a story. That’s right, we then created a story. There is nothing cuter than listening to your child’s imagination unfold. We went on an adventure to get toilet paper for daddy. We searched everywhere and asked Monkeys and Lions for directions then took a triangle train, pink plane, and boat to get to Costco. Lol! But the fun didn’t end there.
The cherry tomato on this veggie sundae is the share feature. We then shared our creation via email (you can also share via Facebook and twitter) with family…which is sure to be a great conversation starter over the Thanksgiving table. Haha!
This app would also be a great one to have when traveling this Thanksgiving with little ones. You’re welcome 🙂
You can collect all five Veggiecational books to learn Numbers, Shapes, Colors and Time. (COMING SOON!)
Don’t you just adore little ones imaginations? Is your family a Veggie Tales family?
The other day the girls ( 3 and 7 yrs. old) were practically begging to raid my jewelry box. Why? Was it the allure of the unknown that was so enticing? I personally hadn’t gone through that thing in ages. So after contemplating worst case scenarios I caved and let them go in search of their treasures. Ha-ha!
They ooh and aahed as they opened each drawer. Then they inquired on how I received each, when I wore it, and why I don’t wear it anymore. I have to admit they had a point. Why don’t I wear my jewelry? Then I remembered, I became a mom and basically kissed my jewelry days goodbye. Why? Well for one, the fear of a child pulling or yanking and breaking an expensive piece of jewelry and possibly harming themselves or me in the process. Two, exhaustion! I feared losing jewelry simply because I was too tired to remember where I had placed it last. But the infant and baby days are behind me now. Perhaps it is time to venture back into the bling?
So I joined the girls in their endeavors and perused through my jewelry box. And what I found was that I did not have much in the way of variety when it came to my jewelry. Everything was silver. All necklaces were short. And most pieces looked formal. I was lacking casual, fun, colorful pieces. So what’s a girl to do? Go shopping of course. Haha! But what was I going to be able to purchase on a SAHM salary? Are there any jewelry stores around here that will accept hugs, kissing of boo-boos, and a mean meatloaf in return for a pair of earrings? Lol! So I figured I was out of luck. Then I checked my email and boy did my luck change!
I received an email for a local woman named Mindy who expressed that she was a Paparazzi Accessories consultant. She explained that she sells trendy, affordable jewelry. (PLEASE! I doubted her concept of affordable and mine coincided….she probably thought $50 was affordable for a necklace.) I continued to read. Turns our she has two younger kiddos so maybe she can relate? She stated that with the affordable prices of this jewelry moms can still stay fashionable. (Hmm…does affordable mean cheap?) She went on to explain that she makes sure all pieces hold up, and if you ever had a problem with a piece, will repair or replace it at no cost to you.And then closed by stating that she would like to provide me with a matching set of necklace, earrings, bracelet and ring to review. (Um, YESSS PLEASE!). So we arranged a meeting for the following week.
After school the kiddos and I met up with her at a local coffee establishment. And let me tell you what unfolded was pure fun! The girls and I had a blast looking through all the jewelry.
And so much more…..
I had a difficult time deciding what I wanted given the amazing selection!While I contemplated between two of the longer necklaces she shared more about the Jewelry line.Turns out her definition of affordable and mine were spot on! Each piece cost $5. That’s right, only $5!!Now that is my kind of jewelry. For that price the girls can borrow it. For that price I can be guilt free if I ever misplace a piece. For that price I can get a lot more jewelry!! For that price I can be a SAHM who wear jewelry!! I finally mad my decision…what do you think?
I wore my jewelry practically everyday for a week. I received so many compliment and I haven’t broke or lost a piece yet. I have even let the girls borrow the necklace and ring and they always get returned in one piece….that’s pretty impressive if you ask me.
She also carries adorable hair accessories that I simply have to get my hands on!! Click here to shop now! Oh, and I almost forgot. She also does Facebook parties. What it entails is you setting up an event and having a virtual party with all your friends and the best part, you would be the hostess and receive free jewelry and/or hair accessories. Awesome, right!? Click here and message Mindy today to set up your party (you heard me right, virtual party which means you don’t have to clean or cook. Haha!).
And last but not least, the GIVEAWAY!!….
Win $25 worth of jewelry and/or hair accessories (images below are just an example of options. You will decide which pieces you want)
Once you have completed 1-3 comment to this post stating what your favorite piece of jewelry is…be as specific or generic as you want.
Winner to be randomly selected Nov. 29th @ 11:59pm
(Winner’s name will be posted on this blog post, Facebook, and twitter. Winner will be asked to email their address to mommyblissmarks@gmail.com. Thank you)
Disclosure: I was given a necklace, earrings, and rings to review, no other compensation was received, and all opinions expressed are my own.
Last week the kiddos had parent teacher conferences on Thursday and Friday. Meanwhile my father had work and mother had a work conference in Columbus. Thankfully our parent teacher conferences with the kiddo’s teachers were scheduled for Thursday. So when my mom brought up the idea of me and the kiddos driving down on Friday, hanging out, and staying the night with them I couldn’t refuse!
I packed our bags. And my little helpers helped make lunches for the road and each selected two items to occupy their time in the car. I have learned, mostly through trial and error, that in order to limit the potty breaks I do not pass out liquids until at least an hour into the trip (once we spent 45 minutes at a rest stop…it took so long to get the 3 year old to use an automatic flushing toilet that by the time she finally did the 6 & 7 year old had to go potty again…never again!). So we started off our trip with the Rosary, then some fun music, lunch (in the car), and we were there! No potty breaks!! That was the first time that ever happened so we definitely started off the trip on a positive note! It really is the little things in life that can bring much joy, haha!
As soon as we arrived it was a whirlwind of fun! First we headed to the Center of Science and Industry (COSI). I have been going to COSI since I was my kids’ age. But what made this trip special and different from all the past trips to COSI was that I would be going with my dad! See when I was a kid my mom would take us while my dad worked. But this time my dad got to join me with my kiddos. And let me tell you there is nothing more sacred than watching your father enjoy watching his grandchildren. It is in those moments that there is confirmation that I am a part of something much bigger than I or this world. The children had a blast! We managed to go through almost every exhibit…Curious George, water play space, gears and industry, energy, etc.
Exploring science can really build up an appetite. So for dinner we went to The Cheesecake Factory! The food was amazingly delicious and best part, I did not have to prepare, cook, set, clear, or clean a thing! It gets better. After dinner we headed back to the Hilton for an evening swim. And everyone knows that after a long day of science exploration, a full belly, and a swim a child will sleep peacefully. And that is precisely what all 3 did! Granted I wasn’t too far behind them but it was the most relaxing evening I had had in a long time. I didn’t have to do laundry, tidy from the day, or prepare for the next day. In fact when we came back from our swim there were chocolates on our beds and a weather forecast for the next day….did I mention I was totally pampered!? Wonder if my hubby would start doing this at home because this is something a girl could definitely get used to, right ladies? Ha-ha!
We woke up had breakfast…and again, I didn’t have to prepare, clear, or clean…spoiled rotted, right!? Then we went back for another swim where I enjoyed a Starbucks poolside…can you get any more spoiled than that? Yes!
We then perused Easton and all the wonders it has to offer…which is a lot. The girls ventured to the American Girl store while the boys went to the Lego store. Well, let me rephrase that, the girls tried to go to the America Girl store. There was a line around both sides of the store just to get in. Can we say ridiculous? What gives people? So we did the second best thing and at least got a picture in front of the store….what can I say, I had clearly grown accustom to the pampered lifestyle. Lol!
So we joined the boys at the Lego store where our son was building his own Lego men. The store was pretty cool and the prices weren’t bad at all. Nana and Papa even treated the kiddos to Lego kits and cases which occupied their time the entire way home.
Then it was getting to be close to our departure time. But not before being spoiled one last time. My dad paid for and pumped my gas for me…how awesome is that? I was sad to see our time end. It was so much fun spending time together. I especially treasured witnessing the relationships between my parents and my children be nurtured, truly priceless!
The big question…
I had been pampered and spoiled for the past 24 hours how was I ever going to acclimate myself to my past life? I had to go back to cooking, cleaning, tidying, preparing, a chocolate free bed, no fluffy white robes, no breakfast ready in the morning, and no Starbucks poolside, no pool….how was I going to manage? Lol!
Thankfully none of my skills that I had acquired prior to this trip where lost and I did manage to acclimate to my old lifestyle but I will forever treasure my time of pampering in Columbus Ohio.
When was the last time you were pampered? Isn’t it funny what you consider pampering as a parent? Prior to having children would you have considered going out to eat as pampering?
November is Family Literacy Month!! And what better way to teach kiddos the alphabet and phonics than through movement?
As the weather gets cooler I am always looking for fun creative ways to keep the kiddos active indoors. These cards provide just that! Oh, and I forgot the best part, the children are actually learning while they move!
What are the ABC’s of Movement card?
They are developmentally appropriate movement activities for young children. They consist of 26 durable 5″ x 7″ alphabet cards, one instruction card and one logo card per set. The front of the cards has a photograph of a child demonstrating each letter movement while the back has instructions to trace the letter, a rhyming sentence, an alliteration (words with the same first consonant sound) sentence, performance instructions, modifications for children with special needs and gross motor domain addressed. Since my children are at different developmental stages (ages 3, 6, & 7) these cards are the perfect lesson for all 3. Talk about a lot of bang for your buck!
Why Movement and Literacy?
Movement is a very effective learning medium for children. Movement enhances every aspect of young children’s growth and development. By combining movement experiences with the alphabet, children learn their letters and make literacy connections while improving their large motor skills. Literacy experiences prior to first grade are critical for children’s success in learning to read and write. Through movement, play, and active learning, children acquire knowledge by physically experiencing concepts. Current brain research tells us that students need to be active to get their brains working and growing. The ABC’s of Movement can also be used with older students to refocus their attention during “brain breaks”. Students can learn during these brain breaks plus return to a task renewed and energized.
My kiddos have so much fun with these cards. They enjoy tracing the letters in the air and mimicking the movements of the child illustrated in the photograph. In fact, in their free time they ask to get out the movement cards instead of inquiring about screen time which astounds me…not many things can compete with screen time.
These are also ideal for teaching: preschool to 2nd grade. Also beneficial for children with special needs such as developmental delay, autism, Down syndrome and mild cerebral palsy. Perfect for use at home, school, childcare, daycare or therapy setting.
If you’re a parent of a child with special needs, here are some resources you might find helpful:
– Cerebral Palsy Family Network – A compassionate community that provides resources for loved ones with cerebral palsy
