Something’s Gotta Give

This is the post that I never thought that I’d write, but here I am, writing it.  This is the post where I tell you that I have to take a break from the blog. 

I love this blog, but…

Something’s gotta give.

Every evening I look at my to do list and take note of all the things that didn’t get crossed off that day.  I move those tasks to the next day’s list, knowing that some things on the list will be left undone tomorrow too. Laundry sits in the dryer overnight, the dishwasher doesn’t get unloaded, emails don’t get written, and blog posts don’t get done. 

but…

Most of the time I figure out how to catch up and I’m able to keep things together.

However…

We recently got orders from the military to move again in June.  My to do list now includes things like researching the new area, house hunting, packing boxes, redoing our finances, deciding how to move our stuff, finding movers, and the list goes on and on.  My to do list is now unmanageable and I can’t seem to catch up.

Something’s gotta give.

Unfortunately, the only thing that I can give up is this blog…at least for a while. 

I love this blog, but I’m just not able to put the time and energy into it that it needs.  I’m not giving you my best, and I need a break.

So, starting today you won’t see me posting here for a while.  I’ll still be hanging around Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, so you can still connect with me there.

The great thing is that my family won’t stop playing, so I’ll have lots of stuff to share when I do get back to blogging.  Baby E will be older and playing more so I’ll be including him more in the blog.  J will be 3 years old and doing more preschool things.  I’ll finally have the time to spend on the blog to give you more good quality stuff.

So stick with me…I’ll be back soon enough!

Please come on over to Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to keep in touch!

This Time Around and The Sunday Parenting Party

It’s been 10 weeks since Baby E made his way into our world and completed our family.  It’s amazing how time has gone by so fast.  But more surprising is how much of a different Mom I am this time around. 

This time around I’m ignoring all the experts.  I remember feeling such anxiety when J was a baby.  I felt that I needed to follow the books in order to raise my babe the “right way”.  Now, I have a good idea of what works and doesn't work in our family.  I am more relaxed about following what the experts say and am following my own intuition more. 

This time around I’m finding time to take care of me.  I've learned that in order to be the best Mom I can be, I have to put myself first sometimes.  I need naps, healthy food, and down time, just like my kids do.  It’s hard with 2 young kids, but I make sure to make it a priority.

This time around I’m trying to remember to capture the moment.  I’m taking a ton pictures, sharing them with family, and keeping up with our family photo book.  These days go by so fast and I don’t want to forget a thing…so I try to capture them all.  But…

This time around I’m also trying to get from behind the camera.  In spite of taking a ton of pictures, I’m trying hard to put the camera down and really enjoy the moments too.  It’s a balance.

This time around dishes aren’t always getting done, laundry sits in the dryer for hours, and bathrooms don’t get clean.  Honestly, I’m trying to get it all done, but I’m not going to beat myself up if I can’t stay on top of it all.  I’m juggling more and sometimes things get dropped.

This time around I’m not looking forward to him sleeping through the night.  Some of my favorite moments are those in the dark of the night, free from all distractions, when it’s just the 2 of us.  The time when he’s super sleepy, quiet, and cuddly.  I get to smell his sweet smell and feel his warm little body cuddled into mine.  It’s intoxicating.

This time around I’m forgiving myself more.  I’m trying hard not to beat myself up if I can’t play with J as much as I want to, if dinner doesn’t get made every night, if it takes me longer to meet Baby E’s needs, if I break some of my parenting rules.  I’m trying to remind myself that I’m working hard and that no parent is perfect.

This time around I’m trying to appreciate the baby stage more.  I’m trying to soak in all the sweet baby cuddles, coos, and smiles.  I know I’ll miss this stage when it’s gone. 

This time around I’m fighting with time.  I don’t want him to grow so fast.  Knowing that he’s our last, I want to soak in all his baby-ness before it’s gone. 

Because of all this…

This time around I’m a calmer, happier, and more confident parent.

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Welcome to The Sunday Parenting Party!

I featured posts this week that focus on taking care of yourself as a parent.

Quiet, Please from The Tao of Poop: 

Taking Care of Myself from Family Organic:

10 of the ways I cope with daily life with 4 children from What To Do with the Chidren 

Great Job Ladies!  Grab a Button for your blog!

<center> <a href="http://dirtandboogers.com" target="_blank"><img alt="and then, she {snapped}" src="http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc476/amham27/FeaturedParenting.jpg" /></a></center>

1. Any parenting post is welcome. Humorous, helpful, inspiring, or a tear-jerker, they are all welcome. Please do not add activity posts.

2. Please grab a button (on my sidebar) and add it to your post so that others know about the party too.

3. We have a great Pinterest board that we share many of posts linked up. I also have a Parenting Help board that has tons of posts (and followers) that your post my pop up on.

4. By linking up you agree that the co-hosts of the party may use one picture from your post as a feature.

5. Try to take the time to check out the other posts linked up!

Big Art!

*This post contains affiliate links*

We’ve done some big art before and J always really loves it.  I guess it’s because he gets to use his whole body and get some of his favorite toys involved too.  He’s not much for sitting and painting with paint brushes. 

I simply rolled out a big sheet of white paper and added some paper plates with paint.  I also added a paper towel roll and a couple of paint brushes. 



I love how J got his whole body involved in the painting process.



He made a bit of a mess, but he had a great time exploring the paint.



His favorite part was making colorful handprints…



and of course getting his dump truck involved in the painting too.



Painting like this is a great full body sensory experience that works both fine and large motor skills. 

Here are the materials you’ll need for this project. 

 

Come on over to Facebook or Instagram to see what else we're up to!

Changes and The Sunday parenting Party

“The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change .”― Heraclitus

Spring has finally made an appearance over the past few days.  I love snow, but the warmth of spring is always such a welcome change to the cold.  Every year spring seems to bring big changes in my world.   April is usually crazy and life seems to get out of control for some reason.  This year, the changes are already starting.

For example…

A small change to my appearance has happened   Really, it's probably not that big of a deal for most, but it was to me.  You see, pregnancy changed my eyesight.  Weird. Anyone else have this phenomenon happen to them?  Anyway, I got my very first pair of glasses this week!  I wanted glasses so much when I was younger that I almost bought a pair of non-prescription ones in college to look more studious.  Truth.  Now I’m just thrilled that I can see again!

We've also decided on one big change, and it's a tough one...

You see that sweet gray kitty up there?  That’s my cat, Desi.  I love her so much.  I found this sweet kitty with my roommate my senior year of college. Someone was giving away free kittens in front of Walmart one night and I fell in love with this sweet girl.  Well, 12 years, 6 moves, 4 states, 2 kids, and 1 husband later, the time has come for Desi to be put to sleep.  She is sick and the vet isn’t quite sure what’s wrong.  My husband and I have been debating if, and now when we should do it. I am sad, very sad, but it’s time.  Sometimes change is hard.

We also know a few more changes are heading our way.

We're moving yet again this June, but we're not sure yet where we're heading.  We should be getting orders here in the next few weeks and we can finally start planning our next big chapter.  This will be move number 4 in 6 years!  I really like to move and settle in new places.  It's like a renewal of sorts, a fresh start.

It’s time to celebrate the thaw of winter and to welcome the beauty of spring.  I’m hoping that the rest of my spring isn’t quite so sad and that the changes that come my way bring more joy than tears.

Come on over to Instagram to see more of what we’re up to

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Now it’s time for The Sunday Parenting Party!

Here are my favorite three posts from last week that I think you’ll like too!

• Why You Should Play Hide and Seek from Awesomely Awake:  A simple way to reconnect and enjoy some playtime with your kiddos.
• Anatomy of a Transition from Prickly Mom:  This is probably one of the bests posts I’ve read in a while.  She is so good and explaining how her child must feel when being asked to transition to a new activity.  It’s seriously great!
• A Toy Dilemma: Toys at the Park from Raise a Boy: A mom questions how to deal with bringing toys at the park.  Head on over and share your two cents!

Great Job Ladies!  Grab a Button!

<center> <a href="http://dirtandboogers.com" target="_blank"><img alt="and then, she {snapped}" src="http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc476/amham27/FeaturedParenting.jpg" /></a></center>

1. Any parenting post is welcome. Humorous, helpful, inspiring, or a tear-jerker, they are all welcome. Please do not add activity posts.

2. Please grab a button (on my sidebar) and add it to your post so that others know about the party too.

3. We have a great Pinterest board that we share many of posts linked up. I also have a Parenting Help board that has tons of posts (and followers) that your post my pop up on.

4. By linking up you agree that the co-hosts of the party may use one picture from your post as a feature.

5. Try to take the time to check out the other posts linked up!

March Books of the Month

*This post contains affiliate links*

I know, I know, I haven’t done a Book of the Month post in forever!  We just recenlty started going back to the library for new books.  It was tough going to the library being crazy big pregnant.  Since then, the holidays, new baby, and lots of out of town visitors have made it even harder.  Now that we're back in a good groove, we've been able to go for several weeks in a row. I can happily say that we've finally have some great new books in the house.

We've been reading up a storm and certainly have a few favorites around here.  Click the pics to buy the books from Amazon!


Little Pea:  We've had one if it’s counterparts, Little Hoot, for a while and it’s been one of our favorites.  I’d heard a lot about Little Pea from other moms and quickly grabbed it off the library shelf when I saw it.  Now, it’s an all time favorite!  This book makes J giggle every time we read it.  I have to re-read how Little Pea hates candy at least 3 times before he’ll let me continue reading it to the end.  He think’s this book is hilarious…my husband and I like it too!

Press Here:  Ok, this book is probably all-time favorite book.  It is so interactive and brings so much joy to our house.  J, my husband, and I really, really love it.  The belly laughs this books makes are contagious.  If you haven’t read it yet…go do it!

If I Built A House:  We have both this book and “If I Built a Car” and we love them both.  It’s a fun book about how one little boy uses his imagination to build his dream house.  The things he comes up with are quite impressive.  The book rhymes and has a wonderful flow to it that makes it super easy to read.  The illustrations are fantastic too!

Ok, so that’s it for this month!  Have you read these books?  I’d love to know what your family’s favorite books are so I can check them out!  Maybe I’ll feature one of them in my next Book of the Month post! Find more of our favorite books at the Dirt and Boogers Store!

Easter Egg Snack

We are stuck in a rut around here when it comes to our meals.  Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are pretty much the same thing every day.  J’s a great eater, but he is in that typical preschool stage where he wants the same foods all the time.

I’ve been trying to think of ways to make his meal more fun so that he’ll step out of his box some. 
Because he loves playing the memory game, I decided to make a game out of his snack yesterday.



I simply laid the tops of 12 plastic Easter eggs out on a paper towel in a grid.
I picked out some of J’s favorite snacks and divided them into pairs and hid them under the eggs.



I used animal crackers, dried cranberries, apples, goldfish, raisins, and grapes.
This was all set up during his nap, so it was ready for him when he woke up.



He loved looking under each egg and searching for the matches.  I told him he could eat the snack once he found it’s pair. 



He had a great time using his memory to find matches and eating a snack at the same time.  He keeps asking me for his special snack.  I guess we’ll be doing this again soon!

Come on over to Facebook and Instagram to see what else we’re up to!

Easter Egg Match Up

J’s been really into matching lately so I kept that in mind when I started thinking about Easter activities for him.  The easiest way to play an Easter matching game was to have him match the top and bottoms of plastic eggs. 

I pulled out 12 different eggs and pulled each one apart.  At first I just dumped them into a plastic bin.  I thought that it would be fun to add some water into the bin (like last year’s egg activity).  I added some neon green food coloring to enhance the play some. 

I used a muffin tin for J to place the eggs, and I added a few kitchen utensils too.

I know the water looks a bit like pee in the pics, but I swear it looked more neon green in real life.

J knew just what to do when he saw the eggs.  He preferred to use his hands and pretty much ignored the utensils. 

Not only is this a good matching game, it’s great for fine motor and gross motor skills too.

The water makes it a fun sensory experience!

All done!  He was able to match each of the eggs and snap them all up too.

How do you play with plastic Easter eggs?

Come on over to Facebook or Instagram to see how we play!