F is for Family

Family, home, travel, life

Toddlerhood Times Two

Like all working Mom’s, I have a huge load to pull with juggling my full time day job with my full time life job of motherhood. With that responsibility, I also get the privilege of getting out of the house and gaining a little perspective on my situation when work offers some down time. Hence, my reflection on life with toddlers…
It’s my observation that people are either all about the “baby phase” or all about the “toddler phase”. I fall into the latter. Tiny babies are adorable and all but the lay-there-and-be-cute thing gets old, quick. Toddlers on the other hand…now that is what I call FUN! Admittedly, there are those times that make you want to pull your hair out and chug wine straight from the bottle but it’s definitely interesting and much more fast paced once they are on the move.
I’m currently living with a threenager and a brand new toddler. The 3’s are quirky little stage that sneaks up on you. Everyone warns about the two’s, you make it through that and the three’s just smack you in the face like a ton of bricks! The sass and the meltdowns and the attitude and the whining just comes at you in epic proportions.
The one year old, oh yes, the new toddler. They are just learning how to make a ton of noise and nothing is more fun than making the biggest mess on the planet. Surprisingly, this is when they start to get a little bit of an opinion but they don’t have words so, redirection is a little easier. However, if they are set on something and you can’t seem to understand them…you’re in a world of hurt.
This is what went down recently to spur this mommy rant. The little dude decided that he wanted into a cabinet that I had determined was off limits. The negotiations started out tame, “no , no Jackson. Mama says no”. This progressed to a minor power struggle which ended with me getting bit (yes, he bit me!)  and the little dude in tears of frustration.  This scuffle parlayed into an equal test of wills, moments later, with my older toddler about turning the TV off. At this point it dawned on me that “communication” as I know it has ceased to exist in my household. 
This was further confirmed while I changed a baby diaper and heard “can I play Playdoh?” yelled from the other room. My retort, “no Ma’am, we are getting ready for bed”. I continue to hear very familiar noises of Playdoh “tools” being laid out and offer up a warning shot, “no Playdoh, it’s bedtime”, only to come out and see every Playdoh utensil sprawled out on her play table. Clearly, I must speak another language or in a decibel that can’t be heard by small children or dogs.
While getting them both ready for bed, I start pulling out jammies for both kids and realize they have outgrown almost everything they have. Earlier that morning, it became clear that new shoes will also be on the shopping list coming up. It’s getting hard to keep these two clothed while retaining any semblance of a paycheck…sigh.
Post bedtime, I almost always watch TV with my husband and play on Pinterest. It’s both fun and depressing because so many of these Pinterest activities and mommy blog suggestions seem like amazingly good ideas if I had the time or cooperation from my children. But I feel like it’s a place where I can sort and dream about all the fantastic things I could do and occasionally it inspires something great. It’s a must do for the toddler Mom because it can be done in the wee hours of the morning with coffee in hand or late at night with glass of wine…both necessary staples in the life of toddler Moms! Good luck surviving to all you fellow toddler Mommies out there. Send me your best typical toddler moment stories!

Toddlerhood Times Two

Like all working Mom’s, I have a huge load to pull with juggling my full time day job with my full time life job of motherhood. With that responsibility, I also get the privilege of getting out of the house and gaining a little perspective on my situation when work offers some down time. Hence, my reflection on life with toddlers…
It’s my observation that people are either all about the “baby phase” or all about the “toddler phase”. I fall into the latter. Tiny babies are adorable and all but the lay-there-and-be-cute thing gets old, quick. Toddlers on the other hand…now that is what I call FUN! Admittedly, there are those times that make you want to pull your hair out and chug wine straight from the bottle but it’s definitely interesting and much more fast paced once they are on the move.
I’m currently living with a threenager and a brand new toddler. The 3’s are quirky little stage that sneaks up on you. Everyone warns about the two’s, you make it through that and the three’s just smack you in the face like a ton of bricks! The sass and the meltdowns and the attitude and the whining just comes at you in epic proportions.
The one year old, oh yes, the new toddler. They are just learning how to make a ton of noise and nothing is more fun than making the biggest mess on the planet. Surprisingly, this is when they start to get a little bit of an opinion but they don’t have words so, redirection is a little easier. However, if they are set on something and you can’t seem to understand them…you’re in a world of hurt.
This is what went down recently to spur this mommy rant. The little dude decided that he wanted into a cabinet that I had determined was off limits. The negotiations started out tame, “no , no Jackson. Mama says no”. This progressed to a minor power struggle which ended with me getting bit (yes, he bit me!)  and the little dude in tears of frustration.  This scuffle parlayed into an equal test of wills, moments later, with my older toddler about turning the TV off. At this point it dawned on me that “communication” as I know it has ceased to exist in my household. 
This was further confirmed while I changed a baby diaper and heard “can I play Playdoh?” yelled from the other room. My retort, “no Ma’am, we are getting ready for bed”. I continue to hear very familiar noises of Playdoh “tools” being laid out and offer up a warning shot, “no Playdoh, it’s bedtime”, only to come out and see every Playdoh utensil sprawled out on her play table. Clearly, I must speak another language or in a decibel that can’t be heard by small children or dogs.
While getting them both ready for bed, I start pulling out jammies for both kids and realize they have outgrown almost everything they have. Earlier that morning, it became clear that new shoes will also be on the shopping list coming up. It’s getting hard to keep these two clothed while retaining any semblance of a paycheck…sigh.
Post bedtime, I almost always watch TV with my husband and play on Pinterest. It’s both fun and depressing because so many of these Pinterest activities and mommy blog suggestions seem like amazingly good ideas if I had the time or cooperation from my children. But I feel like it’s a place where I can sort and dream about all the fantastic things I could do and occasionally it inspires something great. It’s a must do for the toddler Mom because it can be done in the wee hours of the morning with coffee in hand or late at night with glass of wine…both necessary staples in the life of toddler Moms! Good luck surviving to all you fellow toddler Mommies out there. Send me your best typical toddler moment stories!

Week 2: Letter B!

This week I introduced Sofia to the newest worksheets that I pulled from1Plus1Plus1Equals1 and Education.com. We moved from “A” to “B” and chose the color blue. We skipped a shape for this week because I’m adding in a unique project on Friday to sub for the shape. Last week she loved all of the sheets. When we got home every afternoon from picking her up after work, she’d ask for her “project” and sit and complete her sheets quietly.

This week…it’s a completely different story! She is asking for the sheets but isn’t as interested in sitting down to complete the activity for more than a few minutes. 

She woke up sick Monday and Tuesday, it’s possibly the reason for the disinterest. Yesterday she just wanted to snuggle and watch TV. We are trying again this afternoon and we’ll see how it goes. Oh, the best laid plans…

Week 2: Letter B!

This week I introduced Sofia to the newest worksheets that I pulled from1Plus1Plus1Equals1 and Education.com. We moved from “A” to “B” and chose the color blue. We skipped a shape for this week because I’m adding in a unique project on Friday to sub for the shape. Last week she loved all of the sheets. When we got home every afternoon from picking her up after work, she’d ask for her “project” and sit and complete her sheets quietly.

This week…it’s a completely different story! She is asking for the sheets but isn’t as interested in sitting down to complete the activity for more than a few minutes. 

She woke up sick Monday and Tuesday, it’s possibly the reason for the disinterest. Yesterday she just wanted to snuggle and watch TV. We are trying again this afternoon and we’ll see how it goes. Oh, the best laid plans…

Week 2: Letter B!

This week I introduced Sofia to the newest worksheets that I pulled from1Plus1Plus1Equals1 and Education.com. We moved from “A” to “B” and chose the color blue. We skipped a shape for this week because I’m adding in a unique project on Friday to sub for the shape. Last week she loved all of the sheets. When we got home every afternoon from picking her up after work, she’d ask for her “project” and sit and complete her sheets quietly.

This week…it’s a completely different story! She is asking for the sheets but isn’t as interested in sitting down to complete the activity for more than a few minutes. 

She woke up sick Monday and Tuesday, it’s possibly the reason for the disinterest. Yesterday she just wanted to snuggle and watch TV. We are trying again this afternoon and we’ll see how it goes. Oh, the best laid plans…

Brought By The Letter “A”

I’ve noticed Sofia asking a lot about reading and “how do you spell” words. About a year ago, I went to a local shop that sells teacher and classroom supplies and bought some fun wall decor that would help with learning the alphabet. Well, my little overachiever went and learned the alphabet all on her own and had little need for my original idea. I should really be wise to my children making plans of their own by now!

 Needless to say, I’ve been trying to rack my brain about how to supplement learning at home. One of my favorite sites 1+1+1=1, has amazing printables. I went through and decided to stop thinking about the letters individually and take it up a notch and focus on words that start with the letter of the week. We colored in the letter “A” and read the “Aa is for apple” line and pointing out sounds we recognized. We practiced writing our letter and she LOVED that sheet the most. She was so proud of herself and did a great job tracing the line. Her perfectionist side came out and she got a little upset about not drawing a perfect line on one attempt. I let her know that she did a great job and that her line looked great and she perked back up and kept going. She matched some shadow pictures and a small puzzle. She worked on a few pages independently and she was so proud to come back and show me when she was all done.

While searching through 1+1+1=1, I found that some of the sheets didn’t seem like things that would really grab her attention so, I opted to only print the pages I felt would interest her. I also chose a color of the week, red…her favorite color and a shape, circle. I found some additional printables at Education.com that would help trace circles. She loved all of it!

We set her up to start last night and first thing this morning, she asked to work on her worksheets! Today, I will also add some word family words that end in “-at”. She loves Super Why and rhyming words so, I think she will love it.

Baby brother even got in on the action! We chose a new “sign” for him to learn this week. So, we are learning “again” and practicing our animals and animal sounds. As soon as I laminate some of these pages, he can play with big sissies sheets too.

Brought By The Letter “A”

I’ve noticed Sofia asking a lot about reading and “how do you spell” words. About a year ago, I went to a local shop that sells teacher and classroom supplies and bought some fun wall decor that would help with learning the alphabet. Well, my little overachiever went and learned the alphabet all on her own and had little need for my original idea. I should really be wise to my children making plans of their own by now!

 Needless to say, I’ve been trying to rack my brain about how to supplement learning at home. One of my favorite sites 1+1+1=1, has amazing printables. I went through and decided to stop thinking about the letters individually and take it up a notch and focus on words that start with the letter of the week. We colored in the letter “A” and read the “Aa is for apple” line and pointing out sounds we recognized. We practiced writing our letter and she LOVED that sheet the most. She was so proud of herself and did a great job tracing the line. Her perfectionist side came out and she got a little upset about not drawing a perfect line on one attempt. I let her know that she did a great job and that her line looked great and she perked back up and kept going. She matched some shadow pictures and a small puzzle. She worked on a few pages independently and she was so proud to come back and show me when she was all done.

While searching through 1+1+1=1, I found that some of the sheets didn’t seem like things that would really grab her attention so, I opted to only print the pages I felt would interest her. I also chose a color of the week, red…her favorite color and a shape, circle. I found some additional printables at Education.com that would help trace circles. She loved all of it!

We set her up to start last night and first thing this morning, she asked to work on her worksheets! Today, I will also add some word family words that end in “-at”. She loves Super Why and rhyming words so, I think she will love it.

Baby brother even got in on the action! We chose a new “sign” for him to learn this week. So, we are learning “again” and practicing our animals and animal sounds. As soon as I laminate some of these pages, he can play with big sissies sheets too.

Brought By The Letter “A”

I’ve noticed Sofia asking a lot about reading and “how do you spell” words. About a year ago, I went to a local shop that sells teacher and classroom supplies and bought some fun wall decor that would help with learning the alphabet. Well, my little overachiever went and learned the alphabet all on her own and had little need for my original idea. I should really be wise to my children making plans of their own by now!

 Needless to say, I’ve been trying to rack my brain about how to supplement learning at home. One of my favorite sites 1+1+1=1, has amazing printables. I went through and decided to stop thinking about the letters individually and take it up a notch and focus on words that start with the letter of the week. We colored in the letter “A” and read the “Aa is for apple” line and pointing out sounds we recognized. We practiced writing our letter and she LOVED that sheet the most. She was so proud of herself and did a great job tracing the line. Her perfectionist side came out and she got a little upset about not drawing a perfect line on one attempt. I let her know that she did a great job and that her line looked great and she perked back up and kept going. She matched some shadow pictures and a small puzzle. She worked on a few pages independently and she was so proud to come back and show me when she was all done.

While searching through 1+1+1=1, I found that some of the sheets didn’t seem like things that would really grab her attention so, I opted to only print the pages I felt would interest her. I also chose a color of the week, red…her favorite color and a shape, circle. I found some additional printables at Education.com that would help trace circles. She loved all of it!

We set her up to start last night and first thing this morning, she asked to work on her worksheets! Today, I will also add some word family words that end in “-at”. She loves Super Why and rhyming words so, I think she will love it.

Baby brother even got in on the action! We chose a new “sign” for him to learn this week. So, we are learning “again” and practicing our animals and animal sounds. As soon as I laminate some of these pages, he can play with big sissies sheets too.

Lent and Littles

Admittedly, I have slacked as a Catholic Mom on “teaching” my children religion. Not for lack of belief but more my own uncomfortableness in explaining the “why” and “what does that mean”. This stems from my own lack of retention over the years. 

Proudly, Sofia does attend a Jewish preschool and has learned many basic principles of religion. She’s learned prayers and the foundations of having a moral compass. She’s learned some common Old Testament stories like “Creation”, “Jonah and the Whale” and “Noah’s Ark” but we haven’t moved passed what she gets in her Judaic class in school. 
On Ash Wednesday, I took Sofia to the Liturgy of the Word and we received our ashes together. She was apprehensive and wanted to know why they were wiping that on our heads! I didn’t have a good explanation. On the way out of church, they were giving out little guide books to the Lenten season and I picked one up. It’s not overly preachy or lengthy. It’s a great, easy to follow guide to understanding our faith a little more. 
The Ash Wednesday lesson explained the dualism of Lent looking at the past and present. The challenge they proposed was that you spend less time thinking about things from the past and spend time thinking and praying on the future. “Don’t drift halfheartedly…Plunge into it.”
So, we are by talking more about what the season means. We are learning the “why” together. Today’s lesson was about Jesus’ last supper and the closeness of that group. The desire for closeness in his final hours. The ending message was to just enjoy his presence. I took this as being intentional in enjoying the presence of those we are close with as well. 
Happy Lent to all those who celebrate! 

Saying her Hebrew prayers at bed. 

Lent and Littles

Admittedly, I have slacked as a Catholic Mom on “teaching” my children religion. Not for lack of belief but more my own uncomfortableness in explaining the “why” and “what does that mean”. This stems from my own lack of retention over the years. 

Proudly, Sofia does attend a Jewish preschool and has learned many basic principles of religion. She’s learned prayers and the foundations of having a moral compass. She’s learned some common Old Testament stories like “Creation”, “Jonah and the Whale” and “Noah’s Ark” but we haven’t moved passed what she gets in her Judaic class in school. 
On Ash Wednesday, I took Sofia to the Liturgy of the Word and we received our ashes together. She was apprehensive and wanted to know why they were wiping that on our heads! I didn’t have a good explanation. On the way out of church, they were giving out little guide books to the Lenten season and I picked one up. It’s not overly preachy or lengthy. It’s a great, easy to follow guide to understanding our faith a little more. 
The Ash Wednesday lesson explained the dualism of Lent looking at the past and present. The challenge they proposed was that you spend less time thinking about things from the past and spend time thinking and praying on the future. “Don’t drift halfheartedly…Plunge into it.”
So, we are by talking more about what the season means. We are learning the “why” together. Today’s lesson was about Jesus’ last supper and the closeness of that group. The desire for closeness in his final hours. The ending message was to just enjoy his presence. I took this as being intentional in enjoying the presence of those we are close with as well. 
Happy Lent to all those who celebrate! 

Saying her Hebrew prayers at bed. 

Michael’s AD