Hello everyone, and happy almost-weekend! It’s Aimee here again from the elephant of surprise. I’m sharing a baby keepsake shadow box idea with you today. Hopefully it gets you thinking of creative ways to display memories, and maybe even create something for mom this weekend…
You’ve heard about The Honest Company, right?!? If not, then you NEED to know about this company! They offer more than 100 products, from diapers to lotion to vitamins, that do not contain unhealthy chemicals and compounds. And the best part is they ship it all directly to your home in the cutest packages ever (yes,…
I live in the Rocky Mountains – the part of the Rocky Mountains that is usually snowed in from Thanksgiving to Easter. Not this year, though. We had an especially long Fall, and Spring is already on it’s way. We had one huge snowfall on Christmas day, and it’s been melting ever since. Are we the only ones with a super mild winter this year?
Part of me wants to enjoy this. The other part is wondering how we will water our crops this year. As for the rest of my family – well they are kind of bummed about all the enjoyable winter activities they missed out on this year. So while the birds chirped outside, I decided to bring winter indoors for a day, and we had a BLAST creating a winter wonderland right inside our living room. We had so much fun, I had to share these 5 indoor winter activities to enjoy, when winter doesn’t happen outside.
I often get asked how I get my kids to pose for pictures, especially when they are often for my blog. Children don’t generally love being asked to sit still and smile, or stand just a certain way while we snap picture after picture in their face. They would much rather be off playing, I assure you. The thing is, for general life capturing moments – it really is best to take pictures that represent the moment as best as we can. However, being a blogger, I am often after a certain shot and trying to showcase an item as best as I can on a wiggly, impatient child. Photographing kids like this can bring many challenges for the mommy behind the camera.
I have my high school friend and then my husband to thank for introducing me to country music and for turning me into a fan! There’s just something genuine and approachable about country music, especially older country music. My husband loves “classic” country, and of course that means he has a lot of Garth Brooks’ music. I was excited to tell him (and you all) about Garth’s brand new single, “Mom.”
“Mom” is a very moving song about a conversation God has a with a little baby who’s headed to Earth to meet his/her mother. The lyrics of the song describe what a mother is, and it’s incredibly touching. I challenge you to listen to it and not cry.
Hey ladies, if you haven’t seen this video yet, it’s a good one. Every morning, at the start of homeschool, the kids and I have a little devotional. We either read scriptures, watch a scripture or inspirational video, or memorize a scripture. The other day, we watched this one. I had no idea what it was about, but I ended up fighting back tears the whole time. I could totally relate! Sometimes it’s hard to not have much time for yourself. Sometimes it feels like you’re not making progress from day to day. Sometimes you wonder if you’re making any difference at all. Such are the thoughts that seem to come with motherhood.
Happy Mother’s Day to you, and to all the special moms in your life. It’s Heather, back to share a few ideas to help you as you play with your young children.
Spend a few minutes with your little ones and you realize how much they love to play. Play is vital to their emotional, physical, and social growth. It helps them build confidence, self esteem, and even teaches them to control their emotions. But… their games and activities can start to grate on moms. The next time you wonder if you can spend one more minute playing kitchen or Candy Land, remember all the benefits that come to kids from playing. And use the following suggestions to make things a little easier during play time with toddlers. Remember, you are not alone. These feelings are very normal.
I don’t know if it was baby #6 or just being older, but I never had as hard of a time losing the baby weight and getting back into shape. I did my usual low-carb diet and moderate exercise, no luck. I switched to low carb/low calorie, no luck. The weight seemed to be going nowhere. All my old tricks weren’t working! Now, I don’t have to have the perfect body or anything, but gosh darn-it… I sure would like to fit back into my pants! I had my thyroid checked. Normal. I was at a loss and my yoga pants were getting pretty shabby. So, I enlisted the help of a pro. We’ve been working out together for several months now and I’ve convinced her to share some of her knowledge and workouts with you! Come check it out and find out how to get a free hour of training with her.
Since the beginning of time, all human beings have sought the same thing: To BE HAPPY! The problem is that in the heat of motherhood, and parenthood and life, happiness can be hard to find. And when “momma aint happy, aint nobody happy.” The cooking and cleaning and whining and chauffeuring, and inability to have 30 seconds of privacy to use the bathroom alone, can sometimes make us feel like it is impossible to be a happy mom.
But that is not the case. Consistent research shows that happy moms have a few things in common. Here are 6 things that Happy moms do. These tips for being a happy mom could work for all of us!
If we want to have strong relationships with our children, we HAVE to spend time with them. Not just every once in a while, but research shows that we need to find at least 15 minutes a day to spend with each child on an individual basis. This is uninterupted time where we put our phones and computers and the laundry away and just focus on them. Get down on their level, look into their eyes and really listen to what they say. If you are wondering what you are going to do, sit down together and make a list of all the things that you could do. From baking cookies, to going for a drive, playing a game or just chatting about the day. Then when it is time to be together, you wont waste it trying to figure something out. Pick something on your list and have a good time. Your kids will feel supported, listened to, understood, and you will even see improvements in their behavior. You will find that a little time makes a big difference.
Don’t get me wrong, being a Mom has it amazing and beautiful moments, it’s just harder than I ever imagined (I know I’m not the only one who feels this way, right?!).
We are stripping everything down and going back to the basics! At the end of this year I want you to look back and be proud of your accomplishments, who’ve you become, and where you are headed. More and more, I’m coming to understand that happiness is something you do, not something that just happens to you. Positive psychology researchers have identified definite habits that cause happiness (and have determined that it’s not the other way around) — these include gratitude, exercise, doing nice things for others, and lots more. Keep reading for some basic tips for surviving motherhood and finding as much happiness in it as you can in it.
Today is a BIG day in the Create & Babble family! My first and only grandchild (“only” until February!) starts Kindergarten today! Yes, today is Jordan’s first day of school. I’ve been wracking my crafty brain to come up with an original photo idea for his big day. There a a lot of great ideas…