• About/Contact
  • Disclosure | Privacy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Sponsorship
  • Home

Tips, activities and support for staying home with your children and joyfully surviving it!

  • Mom Survival Store
  • Complete Guide for SAHMs
  • Kids Activities
    • Infant Activities
    • Toddler Activities
    • Preschool Activities
      • Preschool at Home Curriculum
    • School Age Activities
    • Free or Cheap Kids Activities
  • Motherhood
    • Motivation
      • Me time
    • Homemaking
      • Organization
      • Quick Tips
      • Recipes
    • Faith
    • Parenting
    • Marriage
  • Natural Living
    • Young Living Starter Kit
    • Essential Oils Recipes
    • Cleaning Tips

Outdoor Activities for Infants

August 7, 2019 by Jaimi Erickson 16 Comments

You can take an infant outdoors for a little play time. With a few simple activities and the right weather, you can get your little one exploring outside! I am always looking for outdoor activities for infants. It can be a little stifling to be indoors all day long, and most children do much better during dinner prep time if they have burned off some energy outside. Even … [Read more...]

Best Books for Babies

March 4, 2019 by Jaimi Erickson Leave a Comment

Reading to our babies is so important. Babies have a unique attention span linked very much to their need for food and sleep frequently throughout the day. The best books for babies will lead you to great choices. Reading a book to your baby will be more about repetition, hearing language, and most importantly closeness to YOU. These are the best books for babies that I read … [Read more...]

DIY Contrast Cards for Babies

February 20, 2019 by Jaimi Erickson 2 Comments

My husband took the lead on this idea! He made DIY high contrast cards for babies that are great for visual stimulation. These are too easy. Two supplies needed-that is it! … [Read more...]

Challenges of Motherhood: The First Five Years

August 6, 2017 by Jaimi Erickson 1 Comment

15 challenges of motherhood that you will experience during the beginning years of your motherhood journey. Embrace the journey.

Welcome to Mom Motivation Mondays where weekly contributing writers share their motherhood experiences to encourage you to find the joy in being a mom. {This week: Post by Jaimi}   I didn't really expect these challenges of motherhood to show up. My confidence that I was going to be able to keep my household clean, organized, calm and happy all the time was a … [Read more...]

How to Help a Baby with Colic

February 12, 2017 by Jaimi Erickson 5 Comments

How to help a baby with colic and fussiness. #sponsored by Gerber Soothe

Looking at the clock made it so much harder. The darkness outside and early hour of the morning was leaving me with little patience. Wanting to cuddle and comfort my baby in the hours of fussiness left me on the thin line of frustration. Not finding a solution to the fuzziness made me wonder how to help a baby with colic. Feeding, holding, shushing was not working. I dug … [Read more...]

Ice and Muffin Tins Fine Motor Activity for Infants

January 17, 2017 by Jaimi Erickson 1 Comment

Ice and muffin tin fine motor and sensory activity for infants that is a quick one to put together and clean up.

A simple activity for infants can completely change the way your day feels. If you are stuck at home or feel like you just need to break up the day and spend some focused play time with your older infant, a simple activity like this ice and muffin tin fine motor activity for infants is a quick go-to. It's fun to watch babies explore. That is what I loved the most about being … [Read more...]

Ways to Soothe a Crying Baby

August 19, 2016 by Jaimi Erickson Leave a Comment

14 ways to soothe a crying baby. Tips from a mom of 4 who spent many late night awake with a crying baby. These may not all work for you, but they are a go-to list of things to try when baby is crying. #Sponsored by @Gerber.

  It was one of those moments where I thought I was going to lose my mind. While trying to soothe a crying baby I felt my body tense up, my teeth clenched, and I was so exhausted, frustrated and empty of ideas, I started crying. I did not want to be mad at my baby. I wanted to soothe my child. I wanted to have a magic touch in that moment of total anxiety, panic and … [Read more...]

Heading to the Beach with Kids

June 21, 2016 by Jaimi Erickson Leave a Comment

Heading to the beach with kids? It takes some planning to survive a day at the beach with toddlers and infants, but with some tried tips, you can enjoy your day at the beach with the kids.

{Guest Post by Jennifer Taylor} Heading to the beach with kids is not so simple as just jumping in the car and leaving, especially when you have toddlers and infants in tow! There is planning and preparation that goes into spending a fun day at the beach, There are some safety rules to follow as well. A day at the beach is one of the most fun ways to spend a hot summer … [Read more...]

Stuck in the Bad Moments of Motherhood

May 22, 2016 by Jaimi Erickson 12 Comments

Venting our bad moments of mothrthood to our mom tribe helps us get rid of stress, but are you stuck in the bad? Mom Motivation Mondays

Welcome to Mom Motivation Mondays where weekly contributing writers share their motherhood experiences to encourage you to find the joy in being a mom. {This week: Post by Kristin Helms} “I was up four times last night…again!” I was complaining (again) to one of my mom friends at the park while we pushed our toddlers on the swing and swayed side to side with our babies in … [Read more...]

Number Path Learning to Count Activity

April 9, 2016 by Jaimi Erickson 9 Comments

Activity for learning to count and number order that works for crawlers, walkers and preschoolers. Great rainy day activity for indoor days with kids.

Children are capable of learning so much through play and their everyday interactions with you at home. I love working in learning activities into our daily life to encourage my children to learn and explore at their pace in a low-stress way. This number path learning to count activity can be used for crawling infants, walking toddlers and preschoolers. It is one of those kids … [Read more...]

‘Sticky Ball’ Fine Motor Activity for Infants

February 9, 2016 by Jaimi Erickson 8 Comments

Sticky Ball Fine Motor Activity for Infants and Toddlers-takes 5 minutes to prep.

In 5 minutes, you can prep this fine motor activity for infants and toddlers. Around 6 months old, infants can grasp and handle toys and balls pretty well. They may even be rolling or lightly tossing a ball to you during playtime. Infants develop so much over the course of their first year, but it is fun to see all the changes. This activity can be done with infants as young … [Read more...]

DIY Books for Babies and Toddlers

January 28, 2016 by Jaimi Erickson 11 Comments

DIY books for babies and toddlers that use an item you may already have in your kitchen! Clever books to encourage a love of reading in babies and toddlers with personalized books that are easy to make.

Creating DIY books for babies is a simple way to introduce babies and toddlers to reading and books while creating an infant activity they can play with for months and years. I made DIY books for my oldest daughter (baby #2) when she was less than a year old and we still have the book I made for her 4 years later! They are pretty sturdy , but you should always supervise. … [Read more...]

Lessons of a First-Time Stay-at-Home Mom

January 24, 2016 by Jaimi Erickson 2 Comments

Lessons learned from a first-time stay-at-home mom with two under 2. These tips are great motivation for always remembering our mission as moms.

Welcome to Mom Motivation Mondays where weekly contributing writers share their motherhood experiences to encourage you to find the joy in being a mom. {This week: Post by Grace Star} As a mom of two under 2, I remember sitting at my dining room table finally getting a chance to eat some lunch. Manny, my newborn, was taking one of his ten minute naps and Jack, my 19-month … [Read more...]

7 Tips to Encourage Reading and Writing Skills in Young Children

January 20, 2016 by Jaimi Erickson 6 Comments

7 tips to encourage reading and writing skills in young children. These simple tips can start at birth to encourage reading and writing throughout early childhood.

[Guest Post by Janis Cox] With 7 simple tips, you can encourage reading and writing skills in your children. Studies are showing that the earlier children are shown words, the earlier they will make the connection between symbols and language. Early squiggles from children are important – … [Read more...]

DIY Photo Blocks

September 29, 2015 by Jaimi Erickson 2 Comments

DIY Milk Carton Photo Blocks

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure. These are fun! I originally used this idea of creating DIY photo blocks when I was working in the infant room in a daycare center. It was on a military base, and with the parents (most often the dads) traveling a lot for work, we made these blocks with the children's family photos so they could see their family … [Read more...]

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »

Follow Me on Instagram!

sahmsg_jaimi

They were posing nicely, but I said make some funn They were posing nicely, but I said make some funny faces. They did. 🤣🤣

#motherhoodjourney
#faithblogger
#momentsinmotherhood
#momssupportingmoms
#familytimeisthebesttime
#mommytime
#familymoments
#momlifestyle
#lovemyhome
#momproblems
#thisismotherhood
#familymatters
#momlifebelike
#stayathomemom
#motherhoodunplugged
#momlife
#familytime
#amomentinmotherhood
#momsonamission
#stayathomemama
#momswhoinspire
#mominspiration
#familyactivity
#familyqualitytime
#familytimeisqualitytime
#momliferules
#sahmlifestyle
#mommoment
#faithfamily
#faithandfamily
All troubles in life can be solved with more Jesus All troubles in life can be solved with more Jesus. 

He is risen! ☀️ 

Happy Easter / Resurrection Sunday from the Erickson clan. 💕 

I pray each of you seek the ultimate truth and know God is working through you. You are significant, loved and appreciated. 🤗 

#faithlife
#amomentinmotherhood
#momsonamission
#stayathomemama
#instafamilytime
#homemakerlife
#momlifeisbestlife
#momlifeinspo
#homeschoolmomma
#momlifeunplugged
#spendingqualitytime
#homeschoolblogger
#stayathomemomma
#familytimeisqualitytime
#momliferules
#sahmlifestyle
#mommoment
#faithfamily
#faithandfamily
#realmoms
#lifeasamama
#momlifebestlife
#joyfulmama
#momsunite
#lovefamilytime
#mamatribe
#lifewithlittles
#momsofinsta
#mamahood
#honestlymothering
I pictured myself as a mom of boys before having m I pictured myself as a mom of boys before having my babies. I have learned so much from all my children but having my girls is a blessing I never knew I needed. 

Want to eliminate mean girls? Raise daughters to do the opposite.

Want to teach women to better communicate with each other? Raise daughters to listen and articulate.

They are my own little girl group and I am grateful for it. They love me on my bad days and give me compliments I do not even deserve. 

I do love being the mom of girls (and boys). They both teach me so much. 

What are the top lessons you wish girls would learn before becoming adults? 

#homeschoollife
#homeschoolmom
#momlifebelike
#stayathomemom
#sahm
#motherhoodunplugged
#momlife
#familytime
#mommytime
#familymoments
#momlifestyle
#thisismotherhood
#familymatters
#momtime
#thatmomlife
#stayathomemomlife
#motherhoodalive
#homeschoolfamily
#momswhoblog
#motherhoodthroughig
#mymamahood
#realmoms
#lifeasamama
#momlifebestlife
#joyfulmama
#momsunite
#momliferules
#sahmlifestyle
#mommoment
#joyfulmotherhood
Will you be spending time with family for Easter? Will you be spending time with family for Easter? 

My husband’s parents have arrived - adding one more big dog to our house and lots of crafts and fun. We have not seen them since June. Everyone is excited to spend time together.

Both of my big kids have birthdays and we will all get to spend time at the beach this month. Our school work will morph into field trips so we soak up every day we can being present with family. 

I am looking forward to making memories, soaking in time together and celebrating two milestone birthdays - one happening tomorrow. 💛 

#motherhoodjourney
#faithblogger
#momentsinmotherhood
#momssupportingmoms
#familytimeisthebesttime
#mommytime
#familymoments
#momlifestyle
#lovemyhome
#momproblems
#thisismotherhood
#familymatters
#momlifebelike
#stayathomemom
#motherhoodunplugged
#momlife
#familytime
#amomentinmotherhood
#momsonamission
#stayathomemama
#momswhoinspire
#mominspiration
#familyactivity
#familyqualitytime
#familytimeisqualitytime
#momliferules
#sahmlifestyle
#mommoment
#faithfamily
#faithandfamily
“Never underestimate the healing of a quiet mome “Never underestimate the healing of a quiet moment in the garden.” 
-Unknown

#momlifestyleblogger
#homeschoolingmoms
#organizingexpert
#gardenerslife 
#homemakerlife
#gardeningismytherapy 
#momlifeinspo
#homeschoolmomma
#momlifeunplugged
#spendingqualitytime
#homeschoolblogger
#stayathomemomma
#mommoment
#faithfamily
#faithandfamily
#homeschooladventures
#tidyhousetidymind
#unfilteredmotherhood
#decoratingtips
#joyfulmotherhood
#tidyingup
#homeschoolingmom
#homeschoolmama
#homestyledecor
#busymoms
#housedecoration
#momhacks
#simplymamahood
#realmomlife
#homeidea
🌟The faces we make when a Costco run with all t 🌟The faces we make when a Costco run with all the kids actually goes well!!! 🌟 

Ice cream after helped of course. 😂

All prepped for my in-laws coming to visit us after not seeing them since our move last summer. Looking forward to some fun events ahead that will make my kids think they are on spring break but they will technically be field trip days. Check, check. 

Are you guys on spring break this week? What do you have planned?

#momlifestyleblogger #stayathomemommylife #momlifeisbestlife #momlifeunplugged #sahmlifestyle #momlife101 #momsofmultiples #stayathomemama #momswhoinspire #momswithgoals #mommotivation #aintnohoodlikemotherhood #stayathomemommy #momlifeunfiltered #motherhoodlife #momhood #honestmommin #realmoms #lifeasamama #joyfulmama #mommymode #momtime #lifeasmama #justmomlife #motherhoodthroughig #momsofinsta #mamahood #momentsinmotherhood #thisismotherhood #momlifebelike
Some days you put on the 10 year old comfy jeans, Some days you put on the 10 year old comfy jeans, fill your mind with encouragement and just keep moving forward. 

Recovery days are not just for working out. They are for the mental state we walk around with too. Yesterday felt heavy. My God is a power lifter and takes the burden away. 

Today will be better.

Today we will rest and refocus.

Hooray for comfy jeans, motivational graphics and the Word to focus on through it all. 

(Faith fashion: @choseninchrist use code Jaimi to save.)

#faithmama #faithmamas #intentionalmotherhood #inspiredmotherhood #homemakerlife #homeschoolmoms #thisismotherhood #mindsetiseverything #faithiseverything #faithblogger #momblogger
🌟That Face!!🌟 That little boy is soon to t 🌟That Face!!🌟 

That little boy is soon to turn 13, guys! I mean in a few weeks. 😅

This is a throwback but brings back so many fun memories. 

—————————————

I love creating activities and crafts on the fly. Always have even before my kids were here.

I noticed that my son did not have a lot of little toy people to play with while he was pretending one day. We have a few cylinder blocks in a set. We never used them when we built. I thought we could turn them into little DIY toy people. 

They were so cute and easy to make. It was a preschool art project for him. We made them together.

If you don’t have wooden cylindrical blocks at home, you can use pieces of wood dowel or even a few square blocks glued together. You can even make DIY toy people out of toilet paper tubes. 

🌟Full details through Blog link in bio 🌟

——————————————

I am so excited and yet in complete shock by how fast these little lives grow. I have never missed moments and I am so so grateful especially as we approach the teen years in my house. 💛 Soak up even the hard days of being a mom. TOTALLY worth it. 

#preciousmomentsathome #stayathomemomlife #sahmlife #momofboys #myheartisfull #homeschoolgrace #familytime #motherhoodrealities #kidsactivities #kids #blogger #bloggerlife #blogging #momlife
👌 There are a lot of parenting opinions out the 👌 There are a lot of parenting opinions out there. I try to ignore a lot of them. 😂 

My kids stay up later than most recommend, but so did I when I was a kid. 

She loves to read. She loves to write. Abby writes plays, journal entries, songs and on a bad day she will write her feelings about it all, in depth, no holds barred. 

This night she was trying to finish up a play - setting, character details, order of lines - for a play she made for her younger sister. 

I am so thankful that we can count her love of writing in her free time as school work. I am so thankful that how we do school allows this passion and talent to thrive. She has stacks of drawings, plays and writing blurbs. They are all precious to her.

There are days I question whether this choice or that choice is right or “approved,” but it does not matter when I see my children dive deep into the things they love. 

#realschool #teachermom #homeschool #homeschoollife #lifeisgood #findjoy #teachthemyoung #teachyourchildrenwell #neverstoplearning #parenting #parentingopinions #motherhoodinspired #inspiredhomeschool #unschooling
Give me my people any day. Family time this Sund Give me my people any day. 

Family time this Sunday was a 5k fundraiser race. We helped raise 💵 for the spouses’ club scholarship fund. Scholarships will be awarded for post secondary education to military kids and spouses. 

If you can choose any action in life, choose to help others. Side bonus when it involves fun family time together.

Best day yet. 💛💛💛

#sundayfunday #sunday #sundaywiththefam #raceday #5k #runwalk #familylife #familyfirst #homeschool #homesweethome #homeschooling #hometime #fundraising #fundraiser #osc #camplejeune #closc #eastnc #easternnc #optoutside #adventuretime #outdoorfun #foracause
💛 Friday Introductions💛 It has been a while 💛 Friday Introductions💛

It has been a while since I did a good run-down here to give ya the cliffs notes (are those still a thing) version of me. 👋 

💛 Detroit-born a few blocks from where Eminem lived. The city is still my hometown despite moving away as a kid.

💛 I am a big believer in traditional values, but with a modern woman twist. My husband drives his career and I drive this household.

💛 We live in eastern NC 30 mins from the beach. I want to stay here forever, truly, but military life will come to an end some day...still don’t know specifically when that will be.

💛Born and raised to be a planner, Type A personality, having 4 kids beat that out of me 🤣 and I am very “day at a time” now. 

💛I was a teacher turned stay at home mom turned blogger turned entrepreneur that had to set it all on the back burner a bit to focus on homeschooling my kids. I can only have so much on my plate and complete it successfully. (When we listen, God guides and is loud and clear with His direction. 💛)

💛I believe I can be humble and confident; I can be fully present with my kids and make space to rest and rejuvenate; I believe the biggest successes I will achieve in life will not have a paycheck as its valuation. 

💛I believe that true peace, value and love all come from Jesus. 

You will find me sharing the ups AND the downs of motherhood, wife life, homeschooling and being a Christian woman with the modern day pull to fight what that can mean. (There is def a force trying to convince us to push those values aside, my friends.)

👌What is the cliffs notes version of you? What do you want people to know/realize most of all?

#happyfriday #fridayintroductions #thisisme #gardenathome #homeschooling #naturalliving #motherhoodjourney #stayathomemoms #militarylife #Faithmamas #cliffsnotes #motherhoodsocial
🌟Teaching Kids to Make Friends🌟 Often our c 🌟Teaching Kids to Make Friends🌟

Often our children learn hard lessons when they have to move to a new state or school. 

My kids have become all too familiar with this through military life. Every three years they have to make new friends.

It is not always simple.

As a child, my family moved a lot. We were not military, but in junior high I moved to a new state and had to make all new friends.

This was a challenging and even to some extent a traumatic time of life.

Being the new kid, is a humbling experience. Suddenly you are hoping that your peers will want to get to know you and like you. It creates some self-consciousness.

Reading is such a beneficial way to teach children about life lessons. It teaches much more than that. It teaches self esteem through the cuddle time. It teaches language skills, and it teaches children to use their minds to be creative.

As they have grown and navigated more friendships, books are a resource for us to discuss tough challenges. I have found a great series of books that present friendship challenges and help children learn to navigate them.

It just so happens that the author is my neighbor too! How cool is that?! Moms are amazing.

These books will be treasured by your family for their quality values. The @stingrayjelly series teach children how to make friends and navigate friendships to love others well and support them through shared similarities and recognized differences.

Author, Lauren Giannella is a military wife and my neighbor! Anna Perdue is the illustrator and also a military child. 

Read my blog post for details on each book and links to purchase through @barnesandnoble 

We love our military community and all they do to give back.

What are your favorite children’s books that teach children how to make friends or help them maneuver through tough life challenges?

#books #booksforkids #militaryspouse #militaryspouses #militarywife #militarylife #militarykids #teachingkids #goodbooks #readtokids #readingtime #homeschoolreading #homeschoolmoms #eastnc #usmclife #marinecorpsfamily #motherhoodsocial
Follow on Instagram





Copyright © 2021 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in



©2018 The Stay-at-Home-Mom Survival Guide – Jaimi Erickson

HOME | ABOUT | DISCLOSURE/PRIVACY | SPONSORSHIP

Facebook | Pinterest | Email