Toddler Sensory Bin Busy with Ice so Adults can Talk

Toddler Sensory Bin Busy with Ice so Adults can Talk, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

We were recently at an adult family birthday party with few other kids. It was getting late and nearly baby girls bed time. But you know how it goes... You start talking, get into a great conversation and you just can't leave NOW!?!? So I went into my mommy arsenal and invented a sensory bin on the spot to quiet my cranky girl - the secret ingredient: ICE.

We were all at the kitchen table, and baby girl was sitting at my feet. I asked our hostess for a few supplies and I got together this simple sensory bin. She was busy for 35 happy minutes!

Sensory bin assembly:
- a holding place for the ice cubes, a few of them crushed from the fridge dispenser.
- tools: a small 1/4 measuring spoon, a cork, a tablespoon, a small plastic cup and a flexible whisk.
- stay dry: finally a kitchen towel as her tray, and melting ice / water basin. We didn't want her soaked either!


At the end of the activity, baby girl was tired, and thoroughly washed her hands. I took her downstairs and rocked her to sleep, where I held her while we wrapped up our evening.

Ahhhhhhh...

Make Mistakes. Breathe, Reflect, and Laugh.Out.Loud.

Mommy Made Card for a Dr. Seuss Birthday The Party

It's so unfortunate that we lack the time - as in previous century's like we have seen on the show Downton Abbey and in this post - to write, draw, and make handmade gifts for our family and friends. We often have the kids make the necessary cards for all the events in our lives, cousins birthdays, friends baptisms, and Dr. Seuss themed Twins Birthday parties: for thing one and thing two! For Father's Day a few years ago we made the kids handprints into shapes with Dad Messages. These pieces turned out so great we made them into art for the bedroom.

So for the twins birthday party I wanted to do something fun. I recently attended a baby shower and handmade the card for that event. So my inspiration struck across these many events. For the boys I purchased the classic book the Giving Tree. I decorated the book inscription in a fanciful way. How often have you seen a book inscription that evidently took quite a bit of time to complete. I have time. Not much, but I can scrape together an hour in the evening to put a handmade touch that I enjoy doing. And I hope the gift recipients enjoy as much as I do.

For the twin boys birthday card I sketched at home my younger sons hands into the thing one and thing two shapes. I outlined the faces for the two things and also there chest monikers. Then I used colored pencil to color in the blue hair and red shirts. This is the beginning of coloring in. Notice on the final piece the colors are much deeper. I colored in a second time to cover the line marks and get a richer color.

Mommy Made Card for a Dr. Seuss Birthday The Party, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

Here is the finished interior. The color is rich but light. The picture was taken on my car dashboard in full sunlight, so a softer interior light would've done this card more justice. 

Mommy Made Card for a Dr. Seuss Birthday The Party, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

For the card cover we chose a whimsical writing and the Inscription is a play on words from the classic Dr. Seuss book "Oh the Places You'll Go."  I know I could've given the boys this book as a part of their gift to really complete the theme.

Handmade First Birthday Card Cover:

"Today IS your 1st Birthday!!!

You're off and away...

Oh the places you'll Go,

Oh the Places you'll play!!"

Mommy Made Card for a Dr. Seuss Birthday The Party, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

Here's "Thing Two" handprints that hang in our bedroom from my younger son, which is the art PINsinspiration for the birthday card we made.

Mommy Made Card for a Dr. Seuss Birthday The Party, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

Also here hanging above our bed is the complete set of kids hand and foot prints (and how we feel about making it)... my baby girls feet prints, which we tried to make into butterfly wings however her cooperation was lacking at 18 months old. And lastly my older sons lobster hand and foot print.

The total time to make the card took about one hour. But most importantly it was something I enjoyed doing and making. So it's partially a gift for me too, since I enjoyed the process.








Make Mistakes. Breathe. Reflect. and Laugh.Out.Loud!

Mommy made Childrens Book Inscription for a First Birthday gift

I love making handmade gifts for family and friends. I especially love making things for little kids because you often can get a glimpse of their genuine appreciation of the gift. Their innocence, their simplicity, their truth - because if they don't like you, you'll know! Same goes for the gift! My go to birthday gift is books. For the last baby shower I attended I gave baby to be a "library starter set." For my little twin cousins first birthday I chose a the classic children's book "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. The rest of the Handmade Gift is here, as the handmade card.

Mommy made Childrens Book Inscription for a First Birthday gift

I'll be honest, when I first read "The Giving Tree" I didn't appreciate it. I felt so empty inside after I read it. Perhaps like most people who initially read this book, on the surface level we think "that poor tree, she gave everything of herself to that little boy." But I'm thinking like a mom. As I've evolved I've come to realize the try generosity of the tree. It doesn't hold back in any respect. It gives every bit of itself. How romantic the idea of providing what the boy needs during every phase of his life. When the boy needed a playmate, the tree was there. When the boy needed sustenance, the trees apples were there. When the boy needed shade, the trees leaves were there... And on, and on.

Can you imagine giving completely of yourself as a mother during every phase and changing need of your child's lives? Initially I'd like to think I'm that mom. Always providing every need, fulfilling any request, everything (every demand of a child frankly), but in reality I'm not that mom.

Now while I work actively to be a good mom, always giving, always providing, I don't truly give everything of myself (and neither do you). We CAN'T as mothers give absolutely everything of ourselves because frankly there would be nothing left! Not for ourselves or for our kids. We've all heard that we Mom's need to take care of ourselves first, because if moms not well, nobody's happy.

Mommy made Children's Book Inscription for a First Birthday gift, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.
And so is my assumption of the true meaning of "The Giving Tree." True limitless giving, without holding back, with no cost, can you imagine how much we could solve with his type of giving.

Mommy made Children's Book Inscription for a First Birthday gift, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

My inscription to my cousins book was inspired by a few photos I found for hand sketched names.

"Happy 1st Birthday:

May you always know
The Joy if Giving...
Gifts that never cost,
That don't limit,
And which will be there for
Every phase of your long lives."

I hope this inscription captures my love for these kids in their young lives.

I added some decorative elements. Not pictured - each child's names first letter matches the Font of the Cover Page - double lined. But the rest of their name is in cursive, a little fanciful that way.

I also sketched in long vines at the start an ends of words and added leaves with mini branches in between. All the letter "i" are triple dotted, just to be fanciful.

I hope they enjoy reading their book for years to come.

As a separate blog post is the remainder of our gift holder a handmade card.

NEW UPDATE :: YOUTUBE CHANNEL INFO ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT BLOG

Our family has had many adventures through the years. Mom, the @Minstr0Interior had an a-ha moment . . .  Suddenly I See what we will have filled our life with, ADVENTURES! We travel, craft, sing, dance, collect insects and spend loads of time together. Sometimes too much time together. Our kids have recently begun to document their own adventures, and so this channel was born. Enjoy our adventures. Or not. WANT MORE? If there is a blog post accompanying this video we will share it here. Sometimes we will include the ingredients list of the craft or recipe, or the itinerary of our trip. In the meantime click play. 

From our family: 👍 + 🙃 + ❤️ ( Thumbs up, emoji face, hearts! )

See It Live >>> 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2mGpujQIVgxdfTImFnQuLA

Make mistakes - breathe, reflect, and Laugh. Out. Loud!!

A Mom's Guide - How We Started Bug Collecting Our Family Hobby Insect Collecting

Our families bug collecting started simple enough. My older son found a dead bee at grandpas house around 2007. "Mom, can we keep it?" "um, ...sure. Why not?"

Little did I know this would start a terrific family hobby. 

A Mom's Guide - How We Started Bug Collecting Our Family Hobby Insect Collecting

Who knew bug collecting was a low cost, nearly no cost way to learn about nature, science, nurturing, ethics, and really a tremendous amount of learning and bonding for me and my kids, year round! I'm sure your thinking this is GROSS! 

At first I was a little creeped out by these tiny creatures, all be it dead, laying around my home. But once we started reading about collecting bugs, and then grabbing library books on how bugs live - well drop everything! It's truly an amazing other world right under our feet.

WOW -- over 1,000 page views -- our most popular post! 

Thanks fans! 

A Mom's Guide: How We Started Bug Collecting, Our Family Hobby

This first dead bumble bee we found at grandmas house did not make the first bug box collection of 2010. My older son was 6, and brought me this dead bee in the palm of his hand. Yes I was irritated by the thought of it (irrational thoughts: it's gross, will it sting him, it's really gross). I grabbed a small  envelope at my dads and put the bee inside. I had agreed to take it home "to keep."

When Inspiration Strikes during a Trivia Game

We were playing a trivia card game and the question came up about the Taj Mahal. My Older son had learned about the Taj Mahal at school. I told him that his grand had visited there and he should ask to see the photos when he visits her. This is an impromptu unplanned activity and discussion that was fun with the kids. We stay at home moms often have resources right at our finger tips that we forget about. This stack of landmark cards sits on our kitchen window ledge for easy, and frequent, access.


When Inspiration Strikes during a Trivia Game, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

I remembered we had famous lanark cards near the kitchen table. And of course there was a photo if the Taj Mahal.

A Gift of Strength and Endurance for my Husbands Month Long Training Away from Home with a Mommy Made Homemade Gift

When my husband was going to be away from us (at the time my Older and Younger son) for nearly a month, we were struggling with the thought of being apart so long. We had never been away from each other longer then a few days when I traveled for work. When I was in Minnesota at a Native American reservation with my Older and Younger son, we had seen these types of "gifts" for sale. It would be a silver, or plastic, Indian symbol and then some detail written about the beautiful object, its significance, its symbolism, and how it gave inspiration to the person receiving or wearing it. This was a mommy made inspiration a long time coming.

I really wanted to give him something inspirational - to remind him of his own courage and strength. He was going to be away for so long, it would be easy to forget why we are working so hard for, while we are so far away from home.  

I have many beautiful silver and turquoise pieces from my travels as a child with my dad to the South Western states. This silver and turquoise eagle was in an earring set. Its about 1 1/2" tall. I mearly needed to polish it for this display.

A Gift of Strength and Endurance for my Husbands Month Long Training away from Home Gift, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

I went ahead and looked up the symbolism of eagles. Mostly Native American inspirations came up in my search. There was such specific detail - down to a West or Eastward facing eagle. This one faces East.

I edited down a section of inspiration to fit the frame in MICROSOFT WORD. I set up the page size to match my photo frame. This helped with the editing down of what the final inscription would say, Then I changed the color to match the turquoise in the earring. Color of course also comes with its own symbolism. I made a TEXT BOX for the eagle earring to sit in, then it was much easier to frame the words around the box in word.

I already had this deep photo frame in my stash from my many thrift store excursions. I loved making this gift for my husband. He later sent me a photo, it was on his bed ledge next to the photo of us.

Make Mistakes. Breathe, Reflect. and Laugh.Out.Loud

Mommy Made Hand Assembled Toddler Hospital Homecoming Gift

Our little cousins had surgery recently. As a home coming gift for him and his siblings we assembled a hospital homecoming gift.

Kids are stellar in play based learning. Kids understand the basics if what's happening to them and these ideas are solidified in play. This was a mommy made gift when I didn't find much in ideas online. I wanted something simple that the kids could play with based on their understanding of the experiences that were happening not only to the sick nearly one-year old, but for his brother and sister, who were also experiencing this illness crisis (because when our kids are sick it really is a crisis).

This little Hospital Homecoming kit makes a fun gift, but it's also a fun simple kids activity to assemble at home too.


Handmade Kids Birthday Gift and Hospital Homecoming, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

Our Homecoming from the Hospital Kit:

- A new Elmo doll
- Elmo wrapped in a stretchy piece of bandage (from home)
- a bandaid on the bandage
- a box / container for our Doctor supplies: a small sponge square, an empty travel size shampoo container (which we use in the tub so we have plenty), a small notebook for writing down symptoms and a pen, get better stickers, pill bottle, bandaid box with 5 real bandages, and a small cup for water or syrup sipping.

Some parents feel children shouldn't open pill bottles, we advocate for teaching responsibility and never playing with real syrups and medicines. Also, parental supervision should be included so the blue bandage which is removable doesn't go around a toddlers neck.

Of course my kids made a handmade get well card too. We don't feel spending loads of cash is necessary to make fun, heartfelt gifts.

Make Mistakes. Breathe, Reflect. And Laugh.Out.Loud

Poem: 18 Months Old

July, 2010 (my younger son)

Stacking blocks,

So mundane.

Your first crocs,

You've outgrown them again!

Your first steps that you just took,

Your already "signing" book.

This time is precious because it goes so fast,

I know speechless doesn't last,

Soon you'll be talking and going to school,

Growing up fast just isn't cool! 

18 months old

(My Poetry)

by: Areyousureaboutthatblog Author
Not Authorized for Reproduction Without Permission

Make Mistakes. Breath, Reflect. and Laugh.Out.Loud

http://www.flickr.com/photos/107788096@N05/13219550435/in/set-72157642743968995

Poem: Honey, Your Socks are on the Floor, Again

Honey, honey, you left you sox on the floor, again...
I can believe the hamper lid didn't stay open.

I'm pretty sure I do enough in this house,

More then your ordinary spouse.

Don't take advantage of me like that,

You can do more then wipe your feet on the mat.

Pick up your sox, and put them away,

Cause around the bend is the day,

That I'll start throwing them out,

And you'll just have to do without.

by: Areyousureaboutthatblog Author
Not authorized for reproduction without permission.

Poem: A New Baby, As the Weeks Go By.

A poem, about my new baby. This poem was inspired by the song by the Laurie Berkner Band, "5 days old." In my poem version this is life with a new nursing baby week to week.

Week 1 things are slow you sleep a lot

Week 2 you have started to eat non stop

Week 3 I'm told it's the halfway point

Week 4 remind me what's the point?

Week 5 still constantly eating

Week 6 I wish I knew what you were getting in a feeding

Week 7 still constant nursing

Week 8 at least your sleeping more and I've stopped cursing

Week 9 you lost some weight a bump in the road

Week 10 I'll have to supplement and　

Week 11 you scream at the breast

Week 12 I'm getting more rest

Week 13 I have a nipple infection

Week 14 at least you get only my nutrition




By: Areyousureaboutthatblog author
Reproduction Not Allowed Without Permission

This is a photo of my baby girl nursing to sleepy and my young son just behind her.

How to Help with Homework, School Strategies, What a Mom to Do?

The early elementary school years are about "learning how to learn." Strategies on how to read or count, because yes there is more then one way. As a new parent I didn't know what's job was when my older son started bringing school work home. I is find myself getting frustrated when he didn't complete worksheets correctly, or if he didn't understand a concept quickly or "get it." I am embarrassed because I feel I should've known better. But how? Or why would I know? No one taught me. So I am also "learning to learn how to help my kids" with their school work an what's expected.

What is Homework?

My husband and I discussed early on what our "job is as parents is" when it comes to school work. Just because he is a Principal doesn't always mean we have thought through our parenting role. Or that we agree on our roles... so we discuss, plan, reflect and readjust as needed.

Homework, in our home, in these early years means we are learning how to work hard at our school work. Mom included. Homework is not about being easy, or hard, it is about the time it takes to complete the work. About the steps involved in completing homework (sharpening your pencil, not wanting to do it when you have to, using an I-pad or book for research, etc.). Homework is "hard work" sometimes and that's okay, he is learning perseverance in times of, well... laziness.

My son brought home his reading test with a love note for his teacher. "This is not a full answer." However to my frustration she didn't review with him what a FULL ANSWER IS. So in turn, that's my job, the parents job is to reinforce ideas the child is and is not learning. And while I feel that a "complete answer" should be reviewed in class, I am happy to do it as best I can at home. Not perfect, but the best I can do.

So when we finished homework assignments that night, I had one more assignment for my son to do.

1. Read the instructions (or in this case the message from the teacher): I read to my son what the teacher had written.

2. Check for Understanding: Then I asked him did he understand what the teacher meant? "Can you tell me what a full answer is?" He said no.

3. Explain the Idea (explain what needs to be learned as best you can, simply...) I explained, again, with out being upset or frustrated because THIS IS MY PARENTING JOB what a full answer is. "A Complete or Full Answer is when you write down on the paper everything in your brain about the questions. How does the teacher know what's in your brain if your don't write it down?" We reviewed that he should write 2 - 3 sentences about the question, and suddenly he remembered learning how to write a "short answer" in class.

4. Do the work! Even though my son didn't want to, when he saw me drawing with a ruler the lines on the back of his page, "Mom, what are you doing?"
I said "I would like you to write the answer correctly."
"But mom I don't have to, we don't have to correct our test, it doesn't count."
Ha! He is still learning how "moms way" works. I said you need to "learn from his mistake. Making mistakes is important, that's how our brains learn. But we need to correct our mistakes when we can so our brain re-learns the correct way. Start Writing."

How to Help with Homework, School Strategies, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

In this photo you can see I drew three lines WITH A RULER (my son hates - or is lazy - about using his tools) so he can rewrite at home the proper answer that's "in his head." The next time he drew the lines, I cannot do this "work" for him.

The story the class read for the test was fresh in his mind. Even if we would have done this activity 1 or 2 days after the test, he would have been able to complete it. My son did have three ideas about the story he read. And he wrote three sentences (which he remembered was the maximum, "two is the minimum, mom"). If my son would not have remembered the story, I probably would've read him a short story and made up a question for him to answer. He still needed to DO the work.

5. Review The Work. We reviewed what he wrote. I asked him if he liked his new answer.

5a: Ask about their emotional state (this helps kids build confidence and make them feel good about learning and relearning from mistakes!). How did it make him feel? "Like I am smart." I said I felt "like you CAN show your teacher what is in your brain."

6. Review the old and new work. Compare them.  I read him his old answer and the new answer, and I asked him which one he liked best. He preferred the three sentences.

Learning from our mistakes IS one way to learn. As a parent I feel we just need to review school work and try to reinforce the ideas when papers come home with 100% or less. Homework is about doing the work not just about the grade.

No, my son did not have to turn in our correction - the purpose of this lesson was to learn how to do things correctly, not about the credit.


Make Mistakes. Breath, Reflect. and Laugh.Out.Loud

Easy Kids Activity: Tell Me a Story with Magnets

While online gift shopping I came across this nice idea for a storytelling game. "Story cubes" are dice with pictures on them, roll the dice and kids have to make up a story based on the images they rolled. Well of course why buy when you can make your own story telling game. This type of activity is easy and it helps kids build creativity skills, pre-reading skills, and a great way to keep them busy so you can get things done. Like my dinner...



Making dinner can be a challenging time. The Kids like to stay with me in the kitchen so I include them in the cooking whenever I can. But then terse times I need to occupy them. My younger son was playing with his Refrigerator magnets making the pieces "talk" to each other. When I asked a few questions about his story, eureka! A new Kids activity struck me.
We have many, many, many magnets that we have collected through the years. Alphabet letters, Melissa and Doug animals and dinosaur magnets, vacation souvenirs, a farm book with farm animals, and responsibility / rewards chart magnets. I keep things in a storage "just in case bin" or circulate some of these through so we don't get bored with them. This is a sample of the magnets from the fridge. 

Easy Kids Activity: Tell Me a Story Magnets, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

Our Tell Me a Story Game:

1. I grab 3 - 4 magnets from the storage bag and put them in a row on the fridge.

2. We talk about the picture on each magnet.

3. Then the kids "take a minute to think about a story using these 3 magnets." (At first, I had to make up the stories so the kids would get the idea of the game. Since about a dozen times playing, the kids now get more detailed, and very elaborate in their stories. Which may require more "thinking time.")

4. When my younger son is ready, he starts telling me his story.

5. PARENTS NEED TO LISTEN. Even though I am cooking (usually), I always stop to fully listen to the story. Its often short and I can spare the 1-2 minutes it takes him to tell me.

6. Then its moms turn to make up a story. I go last because I have found over time that my son simply imitates my story on his turn and just changes a few things around.

7. Pick new magnets and keep "story telling."




Variations:

-- Sometimes the kids pick their own magnets to use.

-- Or they pick some out for mom to make up a story.

-- Baby girl likes to take the magnets and "act out" her stories. Or she repeats segments of the story like "Roars" when my son said the Lion Roared at the Farmer. She is learning the game early on and will be vary familiar as her vocabulary grows.

-- We often put criteria on the story depending on what new things are happening in our lives. For example we have required many stories to "take place in Japan," when my husband and I were traveling there. Or my son makes the characters repeat an activity he learned in school that day.

The options are endless. We have also made up stories using the action figures we take to the car, and we have even started making up our own endings to the books we read at home. That's been really fun.

I hope we have introduced an easy, low-cost, game that's fun for kids.

Make Mistakes. Breath, Reflect. and Laugh.Out.Loud

DIY Junior Bunk Bed Ladder, Under $8 for our Crib Conversion

Recently I converted our crib into a Junior bunk bed (here's how) for my younger son. He wanted a bunk bed for his birthday. As I browsed ideas online, I was troubled with the thought of spending money for two new beds (older son was going to get one too). Why spend $100 for a new metal bunk bed when we had a perfectly good solution at home. Now I just needed a ladder. He had been climbing in strenuously for a few weeks. Partially because bunk bed ladders and 3 or 4 step ladder cost $50 on amazon. I didn't save all this cash to spend it on a ladder! I did find a $20 rope ladder for indoor outdoor use, however I soon realized we had a resource right at home.

The boys have this wood building set, similar to Lincoln logs, however larger stronger solid pieces. When I was taking one of the sticks away from the boys, telling them these are NOT swords, quidditch brooms, (or insert you weapon of choice here) you realized how strong and solid these pieces were.

The rope ladder that I had ordered was made of slim pieces of wood for the steps. These pieces I had at home would definitely suffice. I knew I could attached them to the thick slats of the bed if I pre-drilled holes for the nuts and bolts (pre-drill so the wood doesn't crack). However I didn't want to drill holes in the "steps" because they wouldn't be as sound or stable to support my sons, and daughters, weight. So I decided to attached them using a bracket. We had to be creative, and the guy at the hardware store was helpful. He suggested copper pipe fittings to brace down the slats. they worked great.


DIY Junior Bunk Bed $6 Ladder for our Crib Conversion, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

So once I was inspired there was no stopping me....onto making our crib I mean Junior Bunk Bed Ladder.

What I needed:

- 2 wood slats for the ladder (from our Lincoln log-like set at home)
- electric drill for screws and to pre drill holes.
- electric hand saw to cut away unnecessary bed slats so my son could walk up the ladder comfortably.
- nuts and bolts to attach brace to slats ($1.50 for 6)
- brace / pipe fitting to attach the steps. I took a piece of my wood step with me to make sure the brace would fit around the wood and be able to sit flush against the slats where it would be bolted. ($3.50 for 5) Ironically when looking for the flat square like brace which I had in mind, it didn't exist at the big box hardware store. I asked an employee in his orange apron for help and he advised these copper or steel pipe fittings that plumbers use.

Total $3.50 for the brackets and $3.00 for the nuts and bolts. $7.50

The rope ladder is being returned. I am sure it's great. But I like my low cost homemade option instead.

Steps to installing my Easy Crib Ladder:

Guesstimating Spacing
I held up the wood pieces and eye balled there fit. I was playing moving them up and down guesstimating there spacing. Looking for problems. First, I wanted to be sure they would be long enough from the left side leg to a slat near the middle. Second, I also eye-balled spacing of the pieces as steps.

Cutting
I marked my wood pieces. Cut them with the saw (on the saw stand). After I sawed down the wood pieces I marked again where I'd like the pipe fittings, this time measuring for space between steps.

More Guesstimating
I didn't want my young son stepping to high or too short between steps - I wanted him to have a natural feel climbing up and down this ladder. My steps worked our to be about 9 1/2 inches apart. Allowing for the natural crib top rail (now on the bottom) to serve as the first short step off the ground.

You will also notice when I installed the most top rung, its slightly under 9 1/2 inches because I didn't want him to bump into the top of the crib mattress peeking through under the most top rail - see the light green sheet and the gap just above it.

After the Install, Troubleshooting
Even tho the pipefittings seemed to fit snug when I tested them with the wood pieces set against the Bunk Bed Rail and just before final bolt and nut installation, once I screwed and tightened everything there was still a "little wiggle" to the steps. I didn't want ANY MOVEMENT incase my sons cute little tow or skin of his foot was near the bracing he could get pinched. I realized I needed something like a little "shim," to help secure a snug fit. Similar to how construction installation works on a new door, or any wood working.

I hit the toolbox back in the basement and found little electric tube caps used in wiring. These would be too big, however that sparked the idea to use the plastic anchors (sold in picture hanging sets) to slip into the brace. I ended up pushing them in - one on each side of the brace - with my fingers first and (when the fit was still loose) hammering them in further. They went in nearly all the way with the hammer. And everything was snug. No pinched toes or feet :-)

I am happy to report that since this post my darling baby girl climbs up the bunk bed to join her brother for a book in the morning. I hear them often in my light sleep. Gosh I love those kids letting mommy rest a few more minutes....


Make Mistakes. Breath, Reflect. and Laugh.Out.Loud

PINspiration Project DIY Fail: That Cute Dinosair Plastic toy Toothbrush Holder

I love Pinterest. And with 25 millions pins, who wouldn't. Filling my day with kids activities and organizing activities becomes so easy when you have so many ideas. And then there's those ideas that LOOK great... But don't turn out that way. 

Pinterest had a cool post about repurposing kids toys into storage solutions. A plastic dinosaur becomes a toothbrush holder.... Loved it. So after I finished installing my DIY ladder for younger sons Junior Bunk Bed - I used the tools to drill some holes.

PINspiration Project DIY Fail, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

The drilling was slow and awkward in the plastic dinosaur. Then I kept having to make the holes bigger because we have those "easy to hold" bulky kids toothbrushes. So I used scissors to cut a large area out. Pinterest FAIL. The cutout is sloppy, and there is t a nice way to finish the cut plastic edges. Four bulky kids toothbrushes won't fit in this Dino. And I'm not making space in the bathroom for 2 Dino's.

Kids need to see us fail. So they can learn with us that things don't always work out. How to deal with said failure and talk thru what we learned.

It was nice to experiment. 

Make Mistakes. Breath, Reflect. And Laugh.Out.Loud

Poem: Making the Best of it

You have to make the best of it,

You have to make the most of it. 

You can't complain about it for years,

That just brings more tears.

Some days are mundane,

Other days are plain.

The children will grow,

The lawn he'll mow.

It's a peaceful life,

Without much strife.

If you make the best of it.

If you make the most of it.

The Story Behind the Poem

One day I was sitting contemplating my career change. How different it is. How challenging in Good ways and in ways that made me look at myself as a person. When you decide to become a stay a home mom, you might not realize EXACTLY what your getting into. No ones gonna tell you good job, no bonus, no promotion. Coming from a corporate structure with a clear "reward for your efforts" strategy to, well, self motivation - - - is very very very hard. But when you arrive. . . It feel oh so great!

 

I do know that constantly reading and staying on top of new and evolving information is important to help keep your sanity too. Read about those ideas here.

by: Areyousureaboutthatblog Author
Not Authorized for Reproduction Without Permission

Make Mistakes. Breath, Reflect. and Laugh.Out.Loud

Poem: The Cycle

The Story Behind the Poem:

Abuse and neglect carry over generations, it becomes a "parenting style."  How could a child raised in such an environment: ... know how to raise her own children? Break the cycle? Lift herself out of such hopelessness and tragedy for a beautiful life? 

My husband worked as an administrator in the inner city schools for several years. The stories he told me inspired this poem. Many many scary stories. All the more horrifying BECAUSE they were TRUE. Working in the ghetto, gives you perspective on issues you cannot even begin to understand, unless you've been there. All of the stories collided in my mind as if lived thru the eyes of a little girl. 

I wrote this poem in 2008. However, years later another accidental ride through the inner city reminded me of this time in my life, a Visit to the Westside of Chicago through photos. 

Westside of Chicago, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

The Cycle

Growin' old, age 3, didn't get beat,

Gettin McD's and somethi' sweet.

'Cause My mama gave me $5 today,

Gonna sit now on a porch 'n play.

Mama came home, she didn't say hi,

Sat next to her watchin' the bruise heal on her eye.

Watchin' TV, sesame street, 

Elmo the monster is cute, he has Red feet.

Starting school, I didn't know why?

Grandnana said education Is mine.

Walked in, my belly aches,

Wishin' for some hotcakes.

Sitting in the office again, I was yellin' at my friend.

A mama came 'n, her boy was 8. 

Signin' him up for school a little late.

He touched a pencil 'n the desk, 

When she looked at him her eyes popped out of her head!

He put his hand down real fast,

He looked at her know'n this peace wouldn't last.

She said he was dumb, she didn't know what to do, 

so she decided to send him to skoo'.

Graduat'n today, mama was late,

My diploma shows I did great.

High schools ah'ight, boys get'n in so many a fight.

My boyfriend asked me if I'm gonna have my baby tonight.

by: Areyousureaboutthatblog Author

Not Authorized for Reproduction Without Permission
Make Mistakes. Breathe, Reflect. and Laugh.Out.Loud

Poem: Making Mulch

Making Mulch

City living,

Requires More creative thinking.

A compost pile is easy to start,

And all it takes is a part,

In your yard where you can,

Make the food to Feed your garden.

Find a place that's outta the way,

But easily accessible on a snowy day. 

Making mulch can be a year round task,

Think of the reward your commitment won't be crass.

First, use a chicken wire net,

Then, shape a circle, that's the easiest bet.

No digging is required, 

Maybe a small staketo keep higher.

Then remember to fold the top in,

Otherwise you'll getta new frien'.

This big guy will be your doom,

Since he'll eat your gold, in the tummy of the raccoon.

by: Areyousureaboutthatblog Author
Not Authorized for Reproduction Without Permission

Make Mistakes. Breath, Reflect. and Laugh.Out.Loud

My Infant is Constipated - this is NOT normal!

Constipation

So I went to Grandma for this one! Babies on formula need to drink a little extra water to help wit the constipation. When I talked to my pediatrician, he gave me a nice range of options. “There is western medicine that can help with constipation, and there are many natural remedies.” That is what you want from your pediatrician! Options. A range of them so you can pick what you want to do as a parent! You should know the variety of solutions available and fit the one that meets your lifestyle and is safe for baby!

If your baby has constipation review the following possible causes and solutions.

We breastfeed and formula fed our son. I only produced 1 ounces or so of breast milk but I was determined to breastfeed. So up until 5 months I breastfed first, and then I gave the formula bottle (before I discovered the SNS, supplemental nursing system). But our older baby son still had really bad constipation in the first few weeks.

The human body naturally processes waste. And when a bowl movement happens it shouldn’t be hard to do. Common Sense, right? Well the foods we eat – mom and baby, affect our stomachs ability to process food and then the waste by product, bowl movements.

Formula AND Breast Fed Baby

If you are breastfeeding and your baby is constipated, you should try adding more fiber to your diet. Yes, mom you! Since breast milk is processed in mom’s body, if mom eats more fiber, baby gets more fiber.

For Mom:
Eat more high fiber food, including:
· 3 servings of fruits and vegetables a day (A serving of fruit is 1 apple, or 1 banana, or 1 pear. Or you can have a ¼ grapefruit, mellow or cantelope.
· drink 8 8 ounce glasses of fluid a day (but not 8 glasses of soda, coffee or caffeine tea! This causes constipation too! As does milk.)

For Baby:
After each feeding I'd mix 2 ounces of baby water (store bought, but I just boiled our city tap water and let it cool in a pitcher. That was my baby water for the day) I'd add 1 teaspoon of light karo corn syrup. It helped tremendously!! But don't add too much syrup, that cause discomfort in those newly formed baby intestines too.

· Dill tea: in Europe, women give a light, not full strength, dill tea. It helps ease gassyness and passing gas, an constipation. This too helped. And through the years I've continued to rely on dill tea for gut/ intestinal issues. And I give chamomile tea to help us relax at night, coughs, colds and sniffles. 

Do your best ... As a new mom that's all we can ask of you. And ask other moms how they help there babies. Use caution with any advice you get.

The days are long, especially in the first year, but the years are short - and our babies grew up fast!

Pumping is Hard

Pumping is Hard
2009

Pumping, Pumping, God this sucks.
My breast feel like rocks.

Hook up Like I'm some kind of cow,
But my milk is so precious cause now,
Is the last time I'll be making any　
For my baby "the grand finale."

So since it's so important to me,
And giving you food that keeps you healthy.

I'll stay right here and keep on pumping, pumping, pumping.

By: Areyousureaboutthatblog author
may not be reproduced without permission.

The Story behind the poem:

I successfully nursed all three of my children. I read once:
 if your baby gets even a few drops, you have nursed successfully.
 if your baby gets even one breast feeding a day, you have nursed successfully.
 if your baby latches on, you have nursed successfully.
 if your baby gets a partial breast feeding, you have nursed successfully.


 
(My daughter would always tuck her feet near my knees as she nursed to sleep All.The.Time. She is two years old  now and still does this when shes sleeping in our bed!) 

For a gung ho mom like me this was a lot to swallow. Not going all 100% - new definitions can give sanity. I had hardship during nursing my older son. But I still reflect on the moments I did nurse. When I was successful. And HOW MUCH I LEARNED in the process. In my post on Breastfeeding tips, I listed all the learnings and little details that helped me during what can be such a challenging time.

Pumping is one of the worst things ever.  Its so unnatural. However, many moms can work and provide nourishment, the "liquid gold," for their baby... and that's tremendous success.

After I wrote this while pumping. I stopped. I decided I would only nurse my daughter, as a stay at home mom this was possible. And I wouldn't do anything to "increase my milk supply" because my daughter would drive that process. She would nurse more frequently or earlier when she needed more food. And when I made that decision, some of my sanity came back.


Make Mistakes. Breath, Reflect. and Laugh.Out.Loud

 

Poem: I Spy Games

I-spy poems we made up while commuting.

I spy a building taller then the trees, 

the birds land on top of it and do as they please.

Do you see there's a stick all the way on top. 

It looks like the handle of a mop. 

(a skyscraper antenna downtown)

I spy something brown 

that sits upon ur head. 

This one has something green

on top of it instead. 

This one is short and straight, 

I know you have it and I do too,  

we see it early and late.

I found it, can you?

(Your morning hair colic) 

I spy something brown sticking out of the ground

Sometimes it's a little white, and I keep it in my sight - leafless trees

I spy a passing blue sign

It is leaving us behind

It is blue red and white

I cannot keep it in my sight - highway signs

I spy something flying by

It's way up in the sky

It's brown and white

Concentrating on their flight - Birds

This original poem was from November 2010, while nursing my younger son.

I spy something. 

Warm and wet, 

it's in the morning that u get.

It tastes yummy, just divine,

But it doesn't taste like mommies wine.

If you are reading this post, please post a comment below on what you liked - or didn't  - about this read. Does the topic interest you and you want to know more? Submit a question and I am happy to tackle it.

by: Areyousureaboutthatblog Author
Not Authorized for Reproduction Without Permission

Make Mistakes. Breath, Reflect. and Laugh.Out.Loud

Poem: Coffee Press

French Press

Oh coffee press how I've missed you soooo,

your cousin was here but he had to go.

He fell on his glASS, cracked and smAShed. 

So now that you have come to live with me, 

I think I'll make some Iced Tea.

The story behind the poem:

I make my morning java in a French Press. I like the strong bitter taste of coffee, and so much flavor is retained when compared to coffee maker brew.

Well the day came when my press was cracked and damaged as I washed it out. It took my ages to replace it. I was so trilled at the sight if a new press, when my kids asked why I was buying a new one? I said: "because his cousin cracked."

by: Areyousureaboutthatblog Author
Not Authorized for Reproduction Without Permission

Make Mistakes. Breath, Reflect. and Laugh.Out.Loud

Poem: Turn into a Rock?

A Quick story For My Kids

The witch named Jo lived in the forest,

She liked to make her place it bright for days or she would cast a spell on the trees to make it dark. 

She didn't bother anyone because she lived so deep in the forest. 

So when you go and pick berries you don't even see the witch.

She's busy being alone. 

She changes frogs into logs or bats into cats, to finish a project around her home or to have a new friend to roam.

Sometimes when she is tired of flying on her broom she would change a reindeer into a bicycle. And go off track bike to ride over rocks and sticks. 

Older son asked: 

Does she turn the rock into a wolf and then he eats her? 

The Story Behind the Poem

We were sitting at the kitchen table and my son said: "Mom, tell us a story." We had just been talking about how my mom lives alone, if she's lonely, and how she keeps busy. That conversation inspired this tale.

If you are reading this post, please post a comment below on what you liked - or didn't  - about this read. Does the topic interest you and you want to know more? Submit a question and I am happy to tackle it.

by: Areyousureaboutthatblog Author
Not Authorized for Reproduction Without Permission

Make Mistakes. Breath, Reflect. and Laugh.Out.Loud