blogging Archives - Farmhouse Chic Blog

{ All Things Thursday Blog Hop #2 }

July 18, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: all things thursday blog hop, blog hop, blogging, crafts, diy, features, projects, recipes 2 Comments

Thank you for everyone who linked up to our first party last week and made it a success! And to those of you who are back, or here for the first time, we’re so glad you’re here! I can’t wait to see what you’ve all been up to this week! So much amazing creativity was shared last week, here’s a few I picked to feature!

Absolutely gorgeous kitchen makeover! I’m in love with every detail!

Barn Kitchen Tour from The Poor Sophisticate

What a neat idea for repurposing your wine bottles!

Wine Bottle Wicks from Glitter, Glue & Paint

Beautiful wreath perfect for Summer!

Seashell Wreath from Purple Hues and Me

And here’s what I’ve been up to this week:

1. 2.

{ MC: Getting Your Preschooler Dressed}

December 15, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: blog love, blogging, mommy panel, The Mom Connection 3 Comments

I am part of an AWESOME mommy panel with Cassie from Two In Diapers and Julie from Naptime Review, and a fabulous group of moms! Each Saturday, we will bring you fresh new ideas and advice about motherhood.

Coming on December 22nd, we will discuss:
At what age and how did you begin disciplining your babies?

Now on to this week’s topic!

Getting your preschooler dressed: Drawing the battle lines

Here is what Mom Connection shared:

Welcome! I’m Julie over at Naptime Review. I am a mom of 2 wild, crazy and beautiful girls. My oldest turns 4 on Christmas Eve and my baby is 15 months old. This is how I fight the battle of getting my preschooler dressed:

Well, every morning after my 4 year old wakes around 8 a.m., she comes in andquietly wakes me with a kiss. We then go into her room and she asks,“Mom, you are so wise and know what the weather is like today. Could youplease advise me on what is appropriate to wear? I can’t wait to get out of mypajamas and start my day.” I then give her an adoring look and find her awell–matched, unworn, weather–appropriate outfit for the day. We quickly getdressed and brush our teeth without any arguing. All the while, the baby isquietly entertaining herself in her own room.

So do you buy any of that? It is all a BIG FAT LIE! Our mornings are hectic,stressful, and sadly some screaming and yelling takes place. Some things thathave helped elevate some stress (although not much) are: laying out our clothes the night before, giving her only 2 choices, andnot letting her leave her room until she is dressed… but the biggest thing thathas helped reduce stress is to not sweat it so much. I try my best to keepmy child well groomed and in matched clothes but sometimes, I just give up! Aslong as her teeth are brushed and she is prepared for whatever the weather is,I did my job. So what if she is wearing a Christmas dress to preschool? Sowhat if she is wearing the same thing she wore to school last week? So what ifher shoes or leggings don’t match her outfit? I just have to let it go…

Anyway, I can’t wait to read all the other tips and hopefully implement somegreat stress reducing strategies. As my daughter and I are fighting over wardrobe,I think, “Oh man! She is only 4. What is life going to be like in 10years??” I am in trouble! I better educate myself or start drinking.

Hi! I’m Cassie from Two In Diapers, and I’m a mommy to three sweet babies, ages 4, 3, and 18 months. This is how I fight the battle of getting my preschooler dressed:

Lucky for me, this isn’t much of a battle in our home! My littles are neither picky about the way their clothes feel nor the way they look.

Bentley (age 3) occasionally complains that something is itching or hurting, which I think is mainly because of his eczema. In that case, I try to fix whatever the issue is. If it can’t be fixed, I let him change. It happens so rarely, though, that it’s not really an issue.

Emily (age 4) only sometimes has strong opinions about her clothing. I’ve learned to try to give her choices whenever possible, but to only give her choices in which I would be ok with any of the options. For example, I will pick out two or three shirts and two or three pairs of pants, and then let her know that she gets to pick what she wears – out of the choices I’ve laid out. I feel like this helps build her confidence and decision-making skills while alteaching her that I trust her ability to choose for herself.

I also try to let her pick out her entire outfit all by herself on the days that we aren’t going anywhere. She loves those days!

My name is Tricia from Mama Marchand’s Nest. I am the mom of N (her name on my blog) who will be three inMarch.This is how I fight the battle of getting my preschooler dressed:

I don’t fight the battle. *waves the white flag of surrender*. I learned to “not engage the crazy” (a brilliant phrase I heard from Allison of OMyFamily) early on when it comes to N’s clothes, primarily her shoes, and it has paid off! For a few months, she was wearing all kinds of crazy mismatched clothes to the park or to playdates. Now, she picks out her own clothes (and they usually match!) and knows exactly what shoes are appropriate for the season. Now, this might change as she gets older but for now, I’m thankful.

My name is Fotini! I blogover at GlamorousAffordable Life. I am the mom of ( Isabella 19 months and Christian 6years). This is how I fight the battle of getting my preschooler dressed:

My son Christian is in first grade this year, and he’s in the stage of wanting to pick out his own outfits (which is a whole other battle!), but he takes so long to actually get dressed and ready that we end up leaving the house late almost every morning. Last week I attempted waking him up 10 minutes earlier and insisting he keep his eye on the time while eating breakfast. So far so good! He’s learning tell time, so it’s fun for him!

As for my toddler, Isabella, getting dressed is becoming a daily battle. She is a wiggle worm and the changing table she once fit so perfectly on, is becoming a thing of the past. I sternly tell her that she could get hurt and keep my cool. Keeping calm is key! Can you relate? What’s worked for you?

My nameis Kristen from The Mrs. & The Momma.I’m the momma of three girls (ages 7, 5, & 3) and a little boy (18 months). This is how I fight the battle of getting my preschooler dressed:

Thankfully, my children prefer to wear clothes, so actually getting them dressed isn’t much of a problem. It’s what to wear that creates havoc in our household. It depends on the child, but getting my preschooler dressed can either be simple or difficult. Really, it comes down to whether I perceive my children’s appearance (clothes-wise) as a reflection of me….which changes depending on the occasion. For everyday types of situations (when it doesn’t really matter what she looks like and if people judge me, let them judge), I allow my preschooler to dress herself (as long as it’s weather appropriate). For the most part, giving up this responsibility gives her freedom of expression while also avoiding any head-butting between us. If we are going some place where I DO care what my children look like, I give choices….both of which I’m okay with them wearing.

Having four children who are all so different, one of the biggest struggles in the past have been clothes. They don’t fit, they itch, it’s the wrong color, etc. But implementing the above strategies has significantly decreased the wardrobe-related meltdowns in our family. And really, there will be much larger fish to fry down the road…so I’d like to save my energy for the teenage years.

Your Turn:

How do you fight the battle of getting your preschooler dressed?

Leave us a comment or share the link!

Love to hear from you!

{ Guest Post and Halloween Kids Craft!! }

October 26, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: blogger, blogging, Guest post, Halloween craft, Halloween kids craft, kids craft, Michelle's Pixie Dust 6 Comments

Today I am so pleased to have Michelle, blogger {of} Michelle’s Pixie Dust as my first guest post! Such a pleasure getting to know you Michelle, thanks so much for for sharing this fun kids game with us!!

“I remember my mom playing this game with us during our Halloween parties in elementary school. We always had so much fun! I am very happy to share this with all of you J

{ Spooky Spider Web Game }

What you need:

1 ball of yarn (pre-roll into a ball, it prevents tangles, you will thank me later!)
A few awesome kids (any age, as long as they can throw)

Have the children sit in a circle. They can sit on the floor, in chairs or even move their desks in a circle if you are at school.
Choose one child to sit in the middle of the circle.
Give another child the ball of yarn. He or she will begin the spider web.
Have the children say what they will dress up as for Halloween or have the children say a line of a scary story they make up as they go along. This is the step that can be changed depending on age group (be creative).
After the first child says their statement, they will hold on to their yarn and throw the ball across the circle to another child.
This child says their statement, holds on to their piece of yarn and throws the ball to the other side of the circle.
This continues until each child has had a chance to speak.
The result is a big, yarn “spider web”!

I have played this game with 6^th graders through 9^th graders and they all LOVE it! Since I am a substance abuse counselor/prevention educator, I have adapted this game to include drug and alcohol facts. In my adaption, I call this game “The Web of Lies”. Each child draws a myth and fact about drugs or alcohol out of a bucket. The student in the middle gets “tangled” in the web of lies about drugs and alcohol. We play this during the month of October for Red Ribbon Week. It’s a fun idea for all you teachers out there! “