The Mother Lode

Crafts and Crochet

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New School Year, New Blog Year

Well, we did it. Sent our oldest son to Kindergarten, our middle son to preschool, and our youngest to his room to cry endlessly because that’s all he seems to want right now. Okay, you got me, the little one is still chilling with mom everyday. BUT SERIOUSLY I ACTUALLY HAVE ACTUAL REAL ME TIME EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.

I am definitely enjoying the nearly TWO hours every day when two are at school and one is napping. Afternoon preschool for the WIN. I’ve got big plans headed your way for some updates to this blog!

My sister Marty has been crazy busy at work since she is amazing and got a promotion. Yay! We have vague plans to start back up with some podcast episodes, but we need some more time to get our heads and schedules together.

In the mean time, I’m going to head back to some topics I first started blogging about, so you will shortly see some posts about cooking and crafting as well as the continuing posts about motherhood. Stay tuned for an upcoming post about Kindergarten and getting your child to give real information about school!

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6 Funny Children’s Authors to Search for at the Library

You made it! You ventured out to your local library with the kids. Now what are you going to check out? I sometimes find this overwhelming, as it’s impossible to truly browse the stacks while managing three little kids. I like to have an author or two in mind. This helps me get at least a few books that aren’t random ones my kids picked without much literary value. It’s great to get the kids interested in reading with familiar movie character books, and I think the “reader” books are awesome for teaching them to read. In my opinion, though, they aren’t enough to inspire a love of reading in children. I like to find stories that make them laugh and learn.

funny kids' books
Some of my favorite books to read to my kids!

Drew Daywalt

This author hasn’t created a large library yet, but what he’s done so far has been great! We have The Day the Crayons Quit, and let me tell you this book is looooooong but it’s so funny that I will still read it at bedtime (when I’d rather be short and sweet.) The follow up The Day the Crayons Came Home is equally as funny and the messages of acceptance and diversity are lovely. I actually might even like the second one better!

Helen Lester

My heart just adores these stories. They are so clever and funny. Many of her books are illustrated by Lynn Munsinger and the pictures are comical as well. I also enjoy these because the story often has a moral included! Hooway for Wodney Wat is a wonderful story about bullying, Me First teaches turn-taking, Princess Penelope’s Parrot is about being polite and using kind words, Tacky the Penguin is a lovable penguin who marches to his own drumbeat, The Wizard, the Fairy, and the Magic Chicken is just plain laugh out loud funny.

Robert Munsch

Although his most popular book, Love You Forever is sweet and serious, he has a multitude of zany stories for children, about children that are so fun and unique. My favorites are Smelly Socks (a girl won’t wash her favorite socks and ends up getting tossed in the river by her classmates), Angela’s Airplane (a little girl finds herself in an airplane by herself and somehow takes off), and Aaron’s Hair (a little boy decides he doesn’t like his hair, so the hair jumps off his head and wreaks havoc in the town.)

Mo Willems

I’ll be straight with you, his books aren’t what I typically choose, BUT the kids do really enjoy his books. I usually prefer a more narrative story, which these are not. My kids’ favorites are: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog. I envision getting some of his “Elephant and Piggie” books for teaching them how to read, though. Oh and Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale is great. Hm, maybe I just don’t care for the “Pigeon” series?

Adam Rubin

This author is relatively new compared to some of the others on this list, but his books are so creative, interesting, and funny. Again, they aren’t as narrative as I usually prefer for reading to my kids, but they still tell a funny story with style! We have Dragons Love Tacos and Robo-Sauce, and my 5 year old just found Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel at the library and was so excited, so we’ve got that right now, too!

David Shannon

I love David Shannon! He is truly a gifted writer and artist. I highly recommend A Bad Case of the Stripes, about being true to yourself. Too Many Toys is a silly book about, you guessed it, having too many toys. (Who can relate to that?) I also like No, David and David Goes to School.

I hope this gives you some guidance for your next library trip! We’ve been going pretty regularly since this past fall and it’s been wonderful. The kids love going and I foresee many more trips on hot days this summer to keep them busy! What funny kids’ books have you been enjoying lately?

My son's favorite book
My oldest with his favorite book. He saw me taking pictures and wanted me to take his picture, too!

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6 Seriously Simple Nature Activities for Toddlers

I know, I keep saying it, but it’s true, I love being outside with my kids. Three little boys can get into a whole lotta trouble cooped up in the house! They can’t ride bikes and play with balls all day, though, and I like for them to have some peaceful time in nature, too. Now, there are some AMAZING ideas out there for richly layered educational nature activities, but I just do not have time for them on a weekly basis. (or even a bi-weekly basis!) These ideas are so simple, you could do one each week this summer and feel like a rockstar. (Which you totally are!)

Start a collection of nature materials such as pine cones, sticks, and rocks. Encourage your children to build with them to create unique structures. This is my intention for this summer. We have a fallen branch in the backyard which I have convinced my husband to use for “tree blocks” for the kids. I just need to find room in the garage to let it dry completely before he cuts it!

Play with water outside. Use any kind of bucket or bin and let them play sink/float with nature items. You could even bring out some animal figurines, especially fish to add another mode of play to the water.

Make a chalk scavenger hunt. This is so quick and easy, we did it twice the last couple of days. Use sidewalk chalk to draw some nature items for your little one to find in the yard. Twigs, leaves, flowers, rocks, insects. You can even draw different leaf shapes if you have them. If you need more chalk ideas, read back to this post with 10 things to do with sidewalk chalk!

Take a walk as far into nature as you can find. This week we went up to Rocky Ridge County Park. There is a lovely trail through the woods with an overlook and a pond. We saw huge dragonflies and tiny tadpoles in the pond. We chased three differently colored butterflies and listened to a variety of birds. We couldn’t have done all of that in our backyard! I think many families tend to stick to playgrounds for their kids, but truly my 2, 4, and 5 year old loved walking in the forest.

Walking in the forest
My oldest walking through the forest

Take nature books outside with a blanket. It makes the information much more meaningful to the child. They may even be able to look for some of the items in the book. My favorite bug book for little kids is Bugs A to Z by Caroline Lawton. It’s simple and the pictures are wonderful. I also like the National Geographic nature books for kids like Seed to Plant.

Make some nature art with crayons and paper. That’s all you need! Put the paper against a tree and rub the crayon for interesting texture. Place leaves or flowers on a flat area, lay the paper on top and rub for their image. You could also lay them atop the paper and trace around them for older kids.

Well, there you have it! I hope you’re feeling inspired to have some meaningful but simple playtime with your little ones.

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Outdoor Toy Storage

I can’t say enough about getting your kids outside. They need it for the space to be wild and I need the fresh air! They always go to sleep better at night after a couple of hours of playing and exploring outside.

All that being said: the outside toys were driving me CRAZY. The tricycles were parked next to the lawnmower, there were sharp tools next to the kids’ gardening stuff. Bubbles, balls, and sidewalk chalk all in differently sized bins or just thrown on shelves.

If you know me in real life, then you know I am a born procrastinator. YOU GUYS, I TOTALLY FIXED THIS IN ONE DAY. (By this I mean this particular mess, not being a procrastinator: that’s a lifelong struggle!) I decided on Easter Sunday, after being outside with my boys plus cousins that I was going to organize the outside toys. THE NEXT DAY I went to Target and bought bins. I got four milk crate style bins and two big plastic bins with lids. That afternoon, I organized the garage as much as I could (I left some bigger things that I couldn’t move alone.)

outdoor toy storage
Still can’t believe I organized this in one afternoon!

Here is what I did with our stuff:

  • milk crate 1: nature exploration: butterfly nets and bug house
  • milk crate 2: rocket launcher, parachute, bowling set
  • milk crate 3: velcro tennis ball catch games
  • milk crate 4: water toys: splash balls, water table accessories, assorted cups and strainers
  • large bin 1: assorted balls
  • large bin 2: sports equipment: t-ball set, baseball mitts, golf sets, soccer balls
  • on shelf: bubbles, sidewalk chalk (both in containers I already had)
  • in kid’s wheelbarrow: gardening gloves, spades, old seeds, rakes
  • in “parking spots” : wagon, tricycles, scooter, bike
kid's bike parking
The #4 milk crate is sitting on the wheelbarrow behind the bikes.

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The Unfinished Business of Motherhood

I love being a mother. It’s come so naturally to me, and I take a lot of joy and pride in it. I was a decent student, I enjoyed studying French in college and was a better student there than in high school (because it was so costly and I didn’t want to waste money!) and I had wonderful experiences as a preschool teacher, but it was never my life’s passion. I’ve come to know that this was always my path, to mother these three little boys, and this endeavor of mine will never be finished. Which is kind of a hard thing: my task, my goal will never be finished! We rush around in our culture always finishing things, and moving on to something better. In motherhood, though, so many things go unfinished all the time and it can be maddening. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day to “do it all.” We need a mindshift change, not just in the overall picture of our lives, but also in the daily grind.  

The other day I had a funny text conversation with a friend about never finishing things. I told her about a baby blanket that I made three years ago for my cousin’s baby and never sent. THREE YEARS. That’s how long I let this unfinished task fester and give me anxiety. We laughed about it, but I know deep down that leaving these things unfinished does give me anxiety. Is it crippling? No, but it does surface at times of stress when I am trying to accomplish other things. It sneaks in and says, “You are never going to finish all this stuff. Why don’t you just give up like all these other things you never did?” Why do I let these little tasks or projects I meant to do stay in my mind?

Turns out, I’m not alone. Psychology Today has a great article about how our minds can’t stand unfinished business. There is a real thing, you guys, called the “Zeigarnik Effect.” We are more likely to recall the tasks we never finished than the ones we did.

So I’m showing up over here to say I am FINISHED. No more worrying about these little things that never got accomplished (I’m looking at you, quilt fabric I bought for my now 2 year old nephews. I’ve never even made a quilt.)

My plan is this: first, write tasks down more often. Making lists and schedules helps and I always accomplish more if it’s written down. Secondly, I definitely need to set some tasks aside and be realistic about what I can actually accomplish. I’ve started to get better at this. For example, when I first started this blog, I thought I would share some things about motherhood and many recipes and crafts. While I do love to cook and we do art projects often, the time it takes to write up tutorials and take all the photos while you are doing it is just not something I have the ability to do right now. It is more realistic to engage with my children during the day and write about it at night when they are asleep and I don’t want to watch playoff hockey with my husband. The last part of my plan is to really examine whatever unfinished task I am anxious about and decide “Is this worth doing at this point in time? If not, then I can let it go and revoke my commitment to it. If I still want to do it, I need to re-evaluate and make a specific plan for accomplishing it, instead of the same old, same old “when I have some free time” routine.

Good luck in your own endeavors towards accomplishing tasks! I fully realize that I will likely overload myself with tasks and goals again at some point, but my intention is to keep it as realistic as I can and forgive myself when I don’t make the cute party favors I saw online that are going to be thrown away anyways.

Playing outside on Easter

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6 Must Have Open-Ended Toys

Blocks

I love blocks! Building is such a wonderful activity for kids. They are learning how to create, understand cause and effect, engage in role play, and cooperate with others. An important word for parents and educators to use when using blocks with young children is “structure.” Often we say to children, let’s play with blocks and we encourage them to make a building, but to instead use the term structure allows for more creativity. A structure can be a zoo enclosure, a bed for a favorite toy, or a house. My favorite blocks for toddlers are these Mega Blocks. They are easy for even 1 year old hands to grab and put together. We also play with the Melissa and Doug wood blocks at my parents house.

Kitchen Tools

Some of my absolute favorite playtime memories with my kids have been them using kitchen tools. Just a couple of weeks ago, my oldest son made me a rainbow sandwich and it was adorable. We play restaurant and they love to make cupcakes with the little pan. They engage in the most cooperative play when they are cooking together. We somehow ended up with two sets of these Melissa and Doug baking tools and it’s great! We could definitely live with just one set, but they love to play cooking with their cousins, too, so I like that we have plenty for sharing.

Puppets

Anyone know of a good puppet theatre that isn’t too expensive?! My boys love to play with puppets. I think they are really important, maybe especially for boys who aren’t always drawn to playing with dolls and other gentle pretend play. It gives them opportunity tell stories in a calm way (You know, instead of flinging themselves around on the floor with one another as brothers often do.) For now, we just hide behind the ottoman to put on our puppet shows. Maybe a DIY will be in our future…… Again, we have the Melissa and Doug puppets, as well as some tiny knit finger puppets my mom got at the Pennsylvania Farm show like 7 years ago. (Yes, before I even had kids, she bought them toys.)

Animals

My kids enjoy playing pretend with their animals. The animals can be part of the setting in their play or the actual characters. These Little People zoo animals we have are a wonderful size for toddlers and are even great for long car rides.

Balls

Balls are so versatile! You can play so many different games with balls together. We probably have too many, to be honest, but it’s hard to part with a toy that you know they can use in so many ways! They are great for showing your kids how ramps work, great for practicing gross motor skills, and great for sharing. We have so many random balls, but we have had this Infantino ball set since my oldest was a baby and they were always a favorite!

Small Builders/Connectors

There are so many choices for cool small building sets! I loved Magna-Tiles when I was a teacher, but they are expensive. We have a cheaper version called Magformers and, honestly, they are pretty good! They are a tiny bit weaker than the Magna-Tiles and not as sharp cornered for building, but they are still a great option! I also like the B. Toys Bristle Blocks. Other builders that I’ve had as a teacher and were beloved: Waffle Blocks and Standard- Unit blocks.

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5 Fun Preschool Card Games

Uno

My 4 and 5 year olds love to play Uno. It is pretty easy to understand and they love to give mommy and daddy the “draw 4 wild card.” It usually takes at least 15 minutes to play a round of Uno, which is a wonderful way for us to increase our kids’ attention spans. My 4 year old in particular struggles with this. He always needs to be doing something. It is beneficial for him to play a longer game to help him increase his ability to focus. If you remember playing this game as a kid, pick it up for your own! You might be surprised with how much they like it!

Eye Found It

There are several versions of this game. We have the Disney board game version and the card game version. The card game version is so great for kids even as young as 3. Each player gets 5 cards. On each card is a Disney scene. On the back of each card is an item to find in the scenes. The player that finds the item first among the scenes on their cards gets rid of that card by flipping it over to reveal the next item to find. Gameplay continues until someone gets rid of all their cards. It is such a fun game for preschoolers!

Go Fish

preschooler card games
My middle son playing “Go Fish”

We have a set of fish cards to play this game. The kids like it, but I will say this is a hard one to play the way it is intended with their little hands, because they can’t really hold all of their cards. They don’t get the concept as well since they have all their own cards sitting out for the world to see and quite a bit of cheating goes on! It is still a fun game to play together, and they like it. You can play with regular playing cards, too.

Crazy Eights

I LOVE crazy eights. It was the first card game I learned how to play and I have many memories of playing with my beloved grandmother at her house. I taught my 5 year old how to play and he likes it, too! It is basically Uno with regular cards. To play you discard by matching the number or suit with the top card on the deck. Eights are “CRAZY” (AKA wild). First player to discard their hand wins! We have a cute Paw Patrol set of cards that they like to play this with.

Match Game

Match games are good for teaching kids to take turns and to pay attention. Our Disney Cars version is annoying because many of the pictures look so similar that we take about half of the cards out every time and it is still a challenge. Maybe I can find a better one for someone’s Easter basket. Comment below if you have a good match card game!

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10 Things to do with Sidewalk Chalk

THE WARM WEATHER IS COMING, PEOPLE! I’m just a bit excited for warmer days that end with my children tired enough to only need one drink of water after bedtime instead of 547. There are so many great things to do outside with your kids, but one of my favorites is sidewalk chalk. We always have some because it is so versatile and fairly cheap. Here are my favorite things to do with it:

Obstacle Course

Okay, if you’ve ever seen my Instagram, you know we love this! Draw a start line. Make some blue wiggly shaped puddles. Next try some purple dinosaur footprints. A blue river to jump over. White bunny prints to follow. A long snake to run on. The possibilities are endless and the kids can use imagination and gross motor skills.

People Tracing

It’s a classic for a reason: it’s fun! Have your child lay on the sidewalk and trace around their body. My boys always find this hysterical. Then you can have them draw in the parts and pieces: smiley faces, wild hair, silly shoes.

Name Writing

This is such a fun way to have your little ones practice letters. Toddlers usually write BIG when they first get started and this gives them plenty of room!

Shape Practice

Shape making is also great for sidewalk chalk! You can practice comparisons by doing them big and small. You can make them in a line and encourage them to jump from one to the next.

Race Track

I don’t know about you, but there are approximately 367 different cars or trucks in my house, and none of them fit on the same track. We make masking tape racetracks sometimes, but they take a while to set up and sometimes make a mess. A chalk racetrack is fast and simple! Draw a large oval, then draw a smaller one inside. My kids like to make their own after they watch me do it.

Seasonal Decor

Sometimes, just saying let’s draw pictures is enough for a half hour of fun, but other times, kids need a little guidance to fuel their creativity. This past Halloween, my boys had so much fun drawing ghosts, bats, and pumpkins. I honestly was amazed at some of the independent drawings my oldest made! They can do much more detailed pictures when they have so much space. It’s springtime now, so next week, we will do a spring chalk session. I’ll make some bunny prints, flowers, Easter eggs, etc.

I mean, seriously, how cute is this bat?!

Scavenger Hunt

This will really get them running around the yard. Make a short list of things to find. Draw a simple picture of each item and a check box. Rocks, birds, flowers, sticks, clouds, acorns, leaves. Older kids can draw their own!

Silly Faces

Draw several ovals and then give the chalk to the kids to make the faces. There really isn’t much better than a kid drawn smiley face.

Hopscotch

Of course, this is on the list because it’s a classic and also because I am running out of ideas to make this list have 10 items! It IS fun, though, and you can edit it to be more unique. Use blocks all in a row with your child’s name to help them with spelling it. Put shapes in the boxes. Make the boxes themselves different shapes. The world is your oyster! (well, at least the driveway)

Spray Bottle Chalk

My boys are loving using my soapy spray bottle in the kitchen right now! Once it gets warm enough, we’ll take a water filled spray bottle out with our chalk. Draw a picture, spray with water and see what happens! The colors get brighter, then start to get washed away as they spray more and more. I predict hours of fun in a few weeks with this once the sun is stronger.

Well, there you have it: 10 fun chalk activities! Happy Spring!

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Home Projects with Little Kids

Appliances break, rooms need painting, and new shelve need to be hung. Little home projects pop up on us, and it can be tricky to get them accomplished when your house has been infiltrated by tiny people. Marty and Priscilla discuss how they’ve painted, put in new toilets, and dry-walled all while being parents. 

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Hyperemesis Gravidarum – Not Just Morning Sickness

As promised, we finally began our interviews with other moms! We started with Julie, an awesome mom who battled Hyperemesis Gravidarum for three pregnancies. Listen to learn from her experiences all about “HG.” Here is a sampling of the questions we asked her: How did you find out that you had it? How did you manage it? What helped other than the medications your doctors prescribed? What can someone do for their friend or family member who has it? 

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