Rain, Rain, Go away

I don't know where all you fabulous readers are from, but where I live it is raining today and we all know that dreary and lazy feeling that kicks our butt on rainy days. Personally, on days like this, I just want to cuddle up while watching movies but work, my toddler and daily chores don't let that happen as often as I fantasize. So while I can't help you out of work or chores, I can give you some ideas for low key crafts to keep your child busy!!! So, click away and enjoy your rainy day with your little. If there's nothing that seems interesting to you go on Pinterest yourself and find something to suit you and your child!

Paper Plate Flowers                                                   Shaving Cream Marbled Art

Painted Stones                                                           Shaving Cream Rain

Skee Ball                                                                   Shaving Cream Car Wash

Rain Related Templates                                               Shaving Cream Foam Sand

Superhero Hand Prints                                                 Shaving Cream Foam Paint

Popsicle Stick Bird Feeder                                           Bunny Painting

Popsicle Stick Superhero                                            Custom Painting Brush

Marshmallow Launcher                                                Pom Pom Caterpillar

Let me know how these worked for you and leave me any other ideas or crafts you thought of or found! I love feedback and new ideas so please share!

Do as I say, not as I do.

When you become a parent, you experience more feelings at once than ever before. For me the most prominent emotions were pride, happiness and worry. Pride overcame me as soon as my baby cried his first cry. I was so proud of the amazing little life I created and gave birth to. I was proud that my husband was standing there smiling like never before and I was proud that we get to call that beautiful boy ours. I was proud that my husband and I could finally call ourselves parents.

Happiness was all around me and has never left. I was so happy that my baby was healthy and perfect. I was happy to see my whole family welcoming the newest member and I was happiest because I finally got to see what those 10 long months of being pregnant created. I got to feel my baby on my skin instead of pushing on my bladder and that was the happiest day of my life.

Lastly, I felt worry because this perfect little being was no longer inside me. I knew I could no longer protect him from everything the world will throw his way and the pain that will inevitably find him and his heart. I worried because of the irrational thoughts that eventually hit you once your life’s main purpose becomes caring for someone else’s.

That all being said, I can’t remember a life without him. He’s almost three and everything from before I was pregnant no longer matters. The memories and nostalgia are sometimes great to look back on but nothing could ever compare to the emotions that having a child has brought me. As soon as I found out I was having a baby I began dreaming, hoping and thinking of all this life would offer to him and what kind of person he would be. I couldn’t help myself but to think of all the different opportunities I want him to be given and his hopes to be fulfilled and everything else my mind could think up.

Which leads me to the point of this blog, I have a few wishes/advice for my child and any future children I may have.

1.    Embrace Life. No matter what you’re dealing with you have to make it through and the easiest way of doing that is embrace every aspect of any situation you find yourself in. Life gets hard sometimes, embrace the struggles because you have so many good times waiting around the corner.

2.    Smile. Life is so much better when you put a smile on. Even on days it seems impossible, fake it until you make it.

3.    Cherish every moment. Time flies and it might not seem that way when you’re young, but the moments pass way too quickly and you won’t notice until you’re looking back on them with nostalgia in your heart.

4.    Choose wisely. Doors will open and close on your journey of life, choose each path wisely. There will always be a time for you to act on a whim or to be brash with your decisions, but when picking your path, use all your wisdom. Think before acting, feel before speaking.

5.    Stay alert, stay alive. Pay attention because it could be the smallest thing you overlooked that can throw you for a loop.

6.    Be safe, be smart. This is not to say you won’t do dumb things sometimes, but never put yourself in a situation that you can’t get out of. Never let yourself be stuck where you feel unsafe or stuck. Use your head and don’t be stupid.

7.    Make mistakes, learn from them, then don't repeat. There is only one way to learn and that’s by making mistakes and taking the lessons away. If you mess up, learn from it and it can help mold you and teach you. The way you handle a situation says a lot more than the situation itself.

8.    Love hard. Love is beautiful but sometimes it can hurt. Always give your whole heart and if one day it gets broken, you will recover but you will never have to question whether or not you gave everything.

9.    Never judge but always hold true to your opinion. You never know what someone else is feeling, thinking or what they've been through so don't add the weight of your judgement to their stress. You are no better than your fellow humans so never judge anyone else. That being said, always have your opinion and don’t let anyone judge or persuade it.

10. Be kind. You were born with a heart so use it, every day. You will never know the affect that your words and actions can have on others, therefore, set out every day with the goal to make at least one person smile. Your soul is beautiful, share it with others.

11. Lies will never be worth the tangled web you’ll wind up in. (Lies like "no, your butt doesn't look big" and "no you're not old" do not apply as lies, they're only fibs)

12. Be understanding. Learn to understand yourself and others and how beautiful the differences and similarities can be. We are all unique, when you understand that, you will understand others.

13. Think outside the box. Get creative because your life and this world is anything but black and white. If you can’t think with logic AND emotions, it will be hard to solve problems. There is no one way or the other, there is only the way that works best per each individual. Find your way and run with it.

14. Don’t conform to society. Never be afraid or ashamed to be yourself. There will always be haters, naysayers and buttheads, but rise above the negativity because your mind, heart and soul will always be greater, stronger and braver than any negativity or doubt this world might try to throw your way.

15. Never forget where you came from and the love you were born into. You will always have a family to call home and you will always have two proud parents rooting for you in everything you do in this life.

All those words of wisdom for my baby and future babies and it still doesn't seem to be enough. I know that I can never fully prepare my boy for this world and the emotions that he will feel but I hope one day he reads this post and feels prepared to face any obstacle. I hope that in the 18 years before he reaches adulthood, my husband and I can convey these 15 points to him in such a way they become part of his person. I wish the world for my son and I wish that he becomes exactly the person he is meant to be. Most of all, I wish for him to never forget the love I have for him and forever will.

Taming the toddler monster on snow days

That’s it. Schools cancelled and snow has arrived to ruin your day. Great. Thanks to the fabulous school I send my child to for cancelling yet another day due to weather. It’s around this time that I begin to feel they are out to drive me insane with this pile up of snow days. Who cares that there are more than ten inches of snow on the ground and the roads may be slippery, isn’t my sanity way more important than the entire school community? No? Okay, I guess that may be a little egotistical of me and a tad over dramatic but still, snow days are a serious hit to anyone’s mental state. Especially if it’s too cold to go outside and play because then your child gets cabin fever and if yours is anything like mine, the little devil comes out as soon as he gets bored. So, let’s talk about things to do on these dreadful snow days that our children love so much.

Building a fort: We do this all the time, even when there’s no snow. We move our couches into position and use all the cushions and blankets to make the top part. My son likes to run around and under the fort and then smash it and start all over. This can keep the little ones busy for hours and be warned, don’t invest too much time in the building part because it will go through toddler demolition very quickly.

Make an obstacle course: Toddlers are very active and not good at being patient so while they eat snack or a meal take that opportunity to create a course for the energy siphoning child to run, jump, climb and crawl over. You can use anything in your house for this one just make sure if you don’t have carpets you take your little ones socks off, face plants are great way to end the fun.

Movie day: Have your little one help you make a bunch of snacks or a picnic lunch and set the living room floor up like a movie theater and cuddle up while watching any movie of their choice. I like to do this option right before nap and after playing so with all the luck in the world the child will just nap.

Playing in the snow: This is my least favorite idea, Colin and I play outside every day when it’s nice, why must I go out in the winter too? Yet I do and suffer through it the entire time with a smile. Build a snowman, throw snowballs at your kids, make snow angels, teach your boy how to write his name in the snow, build a snow sculpture, so many options!

Crafts and science projects: These are always fun for a snow day, use Pinterest and get some ideas and do them, kids love to use their hands and it will keep them occupied long enough for you to get something done around the house, that’s if you’re into that type of thing.

Play-dough and slime: No need to explain this one! Whether you have some or make some, you can’t go wrong with these.

Cook: Mainly baking because there is so much stirring and pouring involved that your child will happily partake in and then you will have something delicious to eat after your long day of battling and questioning your sanity.

Errands: Take a quick trip to the store to get out of the house for a little bit. Make sure to stock up on bread, eggs and wine!!

Our children are beautiful and amazing little humans that bring so much happiness and pride to us every day. That being said we all have days where we go a little crazy and want to hide in the bathroom and eat candy in peace. So, I hope on the next snow day you get the chance to try some of these ideas and avoid the bored little toddler monster and have a day of fun!

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Staying Cozy in the Winter Months

I am easily chilled and quite often in the winter I can be heard complaining about the temperatures outside and in. I don't like to turn the heat up because we all know how that effects our wallets so I have been looking into different ways to stay warm. If you have a fireplace or wood burning stove, you already have a leg up in the winter but there's so much more you can do too. For all those without those free heating sources, lets look at some warming options!

1. Keep all the doors closed to rooms that are not being used. If you only go in there at rare or specific times, close that door and let the warmth breeze right by that area.
2. Coffee, Tea and Hot Chocolate are key to keeping you warm on a cold winter day. The warmth the drink creates allows you to wrap your hands tight around the mug and keep you a little toasty. Avoid alcohol though, it does the opposite by thinning your blood and giving you a bit of a chill.
3. Space heaters and electric blankets use electricity but on a much smaller scale. They are great for a small space and the blanket allows you to keep heat low at night while still staying warm.
4. After you cook dinner or bake shut the oven off, open the oven door and let that heat spill into the room and it will smell nice too!
5. If you have a humidifier, make sure to crank that baby up to high and keep it on as often as you can. Keeping the humidity will help greatly to prevent any dry air that comes along with heating your home. Keeping the shower door open when you shower will have the same effects as the humidifier.
6. You'll be surprised but candles do help. Even if it's not the biggest difference, they can help warm things up and when in a power outage, they light up entire rooms.
7. Unless you're living the good life with heated floors, keep your slippers on!
8. When its really cold and you're going outside or have no power, cover your head. You can loose the most amount of body heat through your head so make sure you have that cozy wool hat wrapped tightly around your noggin!
9. Winter is the only time of year you don't have to worry about your beach bod. Eat all the fatty foods your diet allows and your body will love you for it! Burning those calories off after by exercising also can keep you warm! Win, win!
10. My personal favorite way to stay warm is cuddles. I love when my son, husband and I are all cuddled up in bed watching movies on freezing winter nights!
11. This one should be obvious, but switch out those booty shorts and sports bras for long johns, sweats and pajamas. Maybe add a bath robe or a blanket and any other layer you want to rock  while relaxing around your home.
12. Curtains can play a large roll in blocking out the cold air. Not only can you cover your windows with a layer of plastic or even bubble wrap but close your curtains every night. Open them during the day to let the sun and natural warmth in but if its dark, windy or generally too "wintery", keep those shades drawn.
13. Reverse your ceiling fan so you are not blowing air but circulating it.
14.  My last suggestion is Exercise, Cleaning and Dance Parties!!

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Cliché Resolutions

The bright new year has arrived like a falling ball and it’s time to commit to all kinds of resolutions that we sincerely hope will last us longer than they did the previous year. I've never been the person to make resolutions or give things up but this year I felt a little different about it. I'm not sure if my decision is because I love my body but dislike the way I feel or what but I have decided to join the masses and my new resolution is as cliché as it gets, I'm going on a diet! My main goal is to get more fit. I like my body shape but the extra cushion REALLY isn't necessary, so I'm setting out to change it.

I know the idea is wicked unoriginal but I'm hopping on the bandwagon and I'm ready to shake my jiggle right off! My biggest issue with any type of weight loss, dieting or even just getting fit in general has always been the fact that I have NO clue what I am doing. I don't have the time to go to the gym every day or to get a personal trainer, nor do I want to pay the prices of what those options cost. I'm a young working mother working with my husband to grow our savings account and we just don't have the spare change around to pay to lose this spare tire I call my belly! Even if I did, I still wouldn't go to a gym with people, germs and sweat smells permeating through the walls.

So, I did what any good "Millennial" would do and downloaded an app on my smart phone! (This is not to say I identify with Millennials, but technology is amazing and this is a conversation for another time) The app I downloaded is 8Fit and its wonderful. I am not trying to endorse or promote an app but if you can’t find a fit life for dummies book, download this app and start slow.

I started with a 30 day free trial and it does everything I need it to do. It asks basic questions about my body and body goals, eating and exercising habits then BAM! They created a workout plan, a meal plan and grocery list for it, a weight and calorie goal and I have the option for tips and a contact with a personal trainer. When the trial ends, I will have to pay money to continue on the plan I choose and I am okay with it because it’s less money I would be spending if I got a gym membership, personal trainer and help on meal planning.

It’s an amazing app and even though it has only been a few days since I started using it, I am feeling great about the app and my workout. I don't exercise  much and even though I eat healthy, I love to snack. I went grocery shopping, cleaned out all the junk food in the house and loaded up on all the good stuff! I have been working out by doing warm ups and 9 minute exercises at a time. Since this is my first time actually exercising and following a routine, it's going to be something I will have to get better and work up to but for now the 9 minute beginner exercises are perfect. Aside from the app workouts, I like to do some yoga to unwind or prepare for working out or even just because. It helps loosen the mind and body which is exactly what is needed when you are making major changes to your lifestyle and habits.

I've lost one pound and I know that's a very small accomplishment, but the way I feel is the real accomplishment. It sounds so silly but I understand now why health nuts and gym rats are always chipper and ready to go. You feel better after working out and every time I make a smoothie and take my first sip, my whole body gets giddy. For a woman who loves chips more than any food and can eat a whole pot of mac and cheese, I never would have thought that a smoothie with fruit and spinach was going to get me so excited, but hey, whatever works!

My ultimate goal is to keep my body shape and curves, but to tone it up and get rid of the fat surrounding my undiscovered 6 pack! I want to get down to 160 lbs with less than 23% body fat. I want to keep track of my success each week so that when I am down to my goal, I can post pictures and non-sense stuff no one wants to see but gets motivated from anyway.

I hope your New Year resolution is as motivating and exciting as mine is turning out to be and if you are on the path of getting healthy or fit, please share your story with me and tune back soon for an update!

Happy New Year to all of you!