After sharing that there were indeed two babies in my pregnant belly, I was offered advice about how to manage twins plus the two I already had at home. I was asked fairly frequently, “Do you think you can handle four kids?” Unwanted or unsolicited advice can be hard to deal with. This stumped me a bit and made me initially feel that I knew … [Read more...]
Ultimate Guide Summer at Home with Kids
My plan for every summer at home with kids is a balance of free time and structured family time. I love that my kids can "be kids." They get wide windows of time to play with friends, ride their bikes, play outside and choose their fun. I also know that day after day of no structure makes for some grumpy attitudes when kids are involved...and me too! This ultimate guide to … [Read more...]
Simple Kitchen Sensory Play for Babies
Scanning videos on my phone, I came across one of the twins playing in our sensory table. It was 3 homes ago but I still remember the afternoon like it was yesterday. My babies played in the sensory table regularly. It was an almost daily occurrence when the weather was warm. I always set up simple sensory play for babies because they were quick, natural and let the kids have … [Read more...]
Outdoor Activities for Infants
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
{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
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
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
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
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...]