kids Archives - Farmhouse Chic Blog

You are ONE in a Minion ♥

February 11, 2015 by Fotini Filed Under: free Valentine's printable, kids, kids crafts, minion, Valentine's printable, Valentines day Leave a Comment

It’s official… we are all currently in love with minions! You too? If so, you’re in luck today because I created a free minion Valentine’s printable for your little one to customize and take to school! I know, I’m cutting it pretty close on time, but hey, better late than never, right?

We created this adorable minion Valentine card box the other night, my son named him Stewart! I absolutely loved watching my sons creativity come out for this little project!! And his reaction to seeing the end result was absolutely priceless!!

click on image to download

Have a very Happy Valentine’s Day!

Sharing on these lovely blogs!

{ Comfy Car Pillow Tutorial }

September 9, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: car pillow, comfort, comfortable in the car, fabric, Jo Ann Fabrics, kids, sewing, Star Wars Leave a Comment

We bought our van last Winter so we would all be more comfortable and have more space…

Well, my little guy often complains about not being comfortable in the car, so I asked him how I could fix that! He told me he needed a pillow. So, we headed to Jo Ann’s where I let him pick out his own fabric, and of course he chose Star Wars 😉

Follow along with me as I create a pillowcase in a few simple steps!

I bought one yard of fabric for this project, and it was already just about the perfect width to fit my pillow. All I had to do was pin and sew the sides a tad. But, before sewing one of the sides, I pinned a piece of black elastic that I would sew right along with. This would attach to the back of the seat of the car easily. Be sure to have your fabric inside out, so you create seamless lines! Sew both sides and the bottom, making sure to keep one end completely open. On the open end, fold back the fabric about two inches and sew. This creates the traditional pillow case design.

He is now one happy camper, mission accomplished!

Sharing this project on these fantastic blogs!

{ Cherished Memory Boxes }

September 2, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: children, diy, kids, kids craft, kids project, memories, memory boxes, saving memories 9 Comments

More often than not, I’m saving little doodles, projects, jotting memories and more of my little ones! I would use two drawers in my kitchen to keep the stuff, but it was getting out of control! Does this sound familiar? If so listen up!

I ran into these adorable kraft style photo boxes on sale at Michaels for $1.50 each! I should’ve grabbed a bunch, unfortunately I only grabbed two for this project! Once I was home I personalized the boxes with each childs name with stickers I already had (from Target dollar spot!) You could decorate the boxes with their favorite colors using wrapping or scrapbook paper or even have the little ones draw a picture on the boxes!

Include all those special memories you don’t want to forget in that little box! I have things like school projects, school pictures, ticket and movie stubs, first haircuts, party invites, etc! I’m looking forward to adding more and more as they grow! I’m sure I’ll end up with a few of these, but it will be so fun to look back when they’re older!

Sharing this project on these fantastic blogs!

{ MC: Speaking to Your Kids About Stranger Danger }

March 9, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: keeping kids safe, kids, MC, mommy advice, mommy panel, stranger danger, The Mom Connection 1 Comment

I am part of an AWESOME mommy panel with Cassie from Two In Diapers and Julie from Naptime Review.

Each Saturday, we will bring you fresh new ideas and advice about motherhood.

If you enjoyed what you read, we encourage you to tweet about it!

Coming on March 16th, we will discuss:

Fun St. Patrick’s Day Activities To Do With Your Preschooler

Now on to this week’s topic!

How To Speak To Your Kids About Stranger Danger.

Here is what Mom Connection shared:

Welcome! I’m Julie over at Naptime Review. I am a mom of two wild, crazy and beautiful girls. My oldest just turned 4 and my baby is 16 months old. This is how I speak to my kids about stranger danger:

I am kind of paranoid when it comes to stranger danger. My girls will probably never ride their bikes without me or walk up to the nearest gas station for candy. The news makes me sad and scared for their future. The only way to calm my anxiety is to pray. I often pray for God to protect and watch over my children.

I have been talking to Averie about strangers for a while now. We started when she was 2 ½ years old. I even showed her a YouTube video of a little girl kicking and screaming when a man was trying to abduct her. I was worried, that it would frighten her, but I wanted to show her how serious “bad” strangers can be.

We also talk periodically about our private parts and why they are private. Mostly our conversations are after prayers and during snuggle time. I plan on talking with Alice in the next year or so. I think open communication is important and to make sure what you are telling your children is age appropriate. I don’t want to scare Averie but I want to lay the foundation for when she is older and our talks are more in-depth. I will always remind my children and talk to them about the dangers of strangers.

Here is a great book called Some Parts are Not for Sharing, I purchased it awhile back to talk to Averie about “private parts.” If I could find it, we will be reading it again. It is informative and great for preschoolers. I think preschool age is the perfect age to start the awareness of strangers.

A strong faith, open communication and stranger danger awareness is necessary for living in this world today.

Hi! I’m Cassie from Two In Diapers, and I’m a mommy to three sweet babies, ages 4, 3, and 20 months. This is how I speak to my kids about stranger danger:

This is a sensitive topic for me, with the Jessica Ridgeway story just barely behind us. I try to teach my littles that, while most people in this world are nice, there some people who do bad things and we need to be extra careful. I tend to go more on the cautious side… they know that they are not allowed to go anywhere with anyone they know besides mommy and daddy, unless we tell them ahead of time that it’s ok. They know they are not allowed to open the front door for anyone, and they run to me if someone knocks. They know not to talk to strangers unless they are with mommy or daddy {I constantly find myself giving Emily a nod of approval when we’re out and someone says hi specifically to her}. They also know to scream “you’re not my mommy/daddy!” at the top of their lungs if someone tries to touch them. I feel that the very best we can do is give them some strategies and things to watch out for, because – let’s face it – there is a lot of evil in this world and I don’t think you can ever be too cautious, especially with your kiddos! However, I do feel that it is also very important not to make them afraid of their own shadow… so we try to find the balance. So far, my littles really love and enjoy people, so hopefully we’ve at least come close to it. But like probably all mommas, I pray regularly for their safety and then spend the day enjoying watching them live their lives.

My name is Alexa from No Holding Back. I am the mom of Nayner Bug (male, 5), Jelly Bean, (female, 3) and Tiny (female, 1). This is how I speak to my kids about stranger danger:

My husband and I joked when I was pregnant with my first child that we would give all of our children whistles and if anyone they did not know ever came up to talk to them, they would know to start blowing that whistle like crazy. Our theory was, we’d rather offend a nice person than have them taken by a bad person.

All joking aside, this is a very serious topic. It’s a dangerous world we live in. Having worked for a Law Enforcement agency and seen some of the crimes that were committed against children makes me even more paranoid.

Like anything else of importance, you should start when they are young and do it in a manner that they understand the seriousness without scaring them. We have periodic discussions about making sure they know they are NEVER to get in a car or go anywhere with someone they do not know, even if they are promised video games or candy AND we also have the discussion about making sure they know it is not ok for someone to touch them in a private area, and if that ever happens, to tell mommy and daddy.

I think that role play might be an effective tool in this scenario to teach them and make sure they are paying attention.

This is such an important topic. I am really looking forward to reading all of the tips!

My name is Fotini! I blog over at Glamorous Affordable Life. I am the mom of (Isabella 2 years old and Christian 6 years). This is how I speak to my kids about stranger danger:

This is such an important and scary topic to discuss with your children. Isabella is too young to understand the importance of this still, and she runs from strangers right now, so that helps 😉 On a serious note, I started speaking to Christian about this around two and a half, three years old. The condo we lived in at the time had a storm door and we often kept the front door open throughout the day. Of course I always kept the storm door locked, but once Christian got the hang of it he knew just how to unlock it pretty quickly. Once he figured out how to do this, I explained the importance of never answering the door without Mommy or Daddy, even if it was someone who he knew like Nana or a friend.

Still to this day, at age (almost) seven, he does this. And now with Isabella mimicking his every move, I love that he still obeys this rule! I almost never watch the news with the kids around because it’s nothing but negativity, so I wait to watch it in the evenings once they’re in bed. If there’s been an incident involving a child, I think of how I would react in a situation like that and I how I can bring it up to Christian without scaring him. I want him to know that there are bad people out there that could really hurt him if they had the chance, and that’s pretty much how I say it!

I’ve explained to him no matter where he is at the time, if someone walks up to him and tries to take him to start kicking and screaming as loud as possible. One of the characteristics about Christian that scares me at times is, he is so trusting of people. I absolutely emphasize not talking to anyone he doesn’t know even if it’s out in front of our house. Still to this day, there’s so many things I want Christian to know and understand but I know the timing needs to be right. I’m always praying for the right words to say to my children! Do you feel like there’s an appropriate age or time to bring this topic up with your children?

My name is 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 speak to my kids about stranger danger:

Stranger danger isn’t really a term we use with our kids, as it conveys to them that there is danger with all strangers, which is both false and an unnecessary scare tactic. It’s a bit more complicated to teach and consistency is important to not send mixed messages. I think in an effort as parents to encourage our children’s good manners, we automatically say to our children, “Can you tell them Hi?” when a stranger says hello at the grocery store, for example. This is contradictory to what they’ve learned about not talking to strangers, right? I really try to watch myself when in public to stay consistent with those types of rules, but to also take it a step further when our kids are old enough to understand more.

Reading “Berenstein Bears Learn About Strangers” with my children helps them understand that most people are probably not bad, and aren’t necessarily the way they look (bad people can be pretty and good people can look bad)….basically teaching that we can’t be too careful. We also teach them about “safe strangers” who they could as for help such as a teacher, a police officer, or if they’re ever separated from us, to always find another mommy to ask for help. The topic of stranger danger is an ongoing conversation in our household, as I hope to equip my children now (in the early years) with tools to make good choices about safe situations and to trust their instincts.

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Your Turn:

How do you speak to your kids about stranger danger?

Leave us a comment; we love to read your tips and advice!

Need advice? Check out these previous Mom Connection topics:

Setting Goals with Your Children

Teaching Your Kids to Share

Getting your Preschooler Dressed

Balancing Blogging and Motherhood

How Do You Prepare Your Children For Kindergarten?

{ MC: Preparing Your Preschooler for Kindergarten }

March 2, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: kids, Kindergarten, mommy advice, mommy panel, preschooler, school, The Mom Connection 1 Comment

I am part of an AWESOME mommy panel with Cassie from Two In Diapers and Julie from Naptime Review.

Each Saturday, we will bring you fresh new ideas and advice about motherhood.

If you enjoyed what you read, we encourage you to tweet about it!

Coming on March 9th, we will discuss:

How do you speak to your kids about stranger danger?

Now on to this week’s topic!

How do you prepare your preschooler for kindergarten?

Here is what Mom Connection shared:

Welcome! I’m Julie over at Naptime Review. I am a mom of two wild, crazy and beautiful girls. My oldest just turned 4 and my baby is 16 months old. This is how I prepare my preschooler for kindergarten:

When Averie was 18 months old, she was a student in my in home preschool. Luckily, she knew the teacher so she couldn’t get kicked out. Oh she was a pain! We had more time outs than circle time. Now, she is attending preschool at a local church. She is learning so much! I am confident in all the early childhood education years under Averie’s belt. I know she will be prepared for Kindergarten.

As a former kindergarten and 1^st grade teacher myself, I feel I am always working with my children. I try to incorporate learning into everyday conversations and experiences. We count and sort our food, we look for shapes while we drive, and we work on writing our name. We are always doing something. I guess that is the former teacher in me!

However, I realize that some parents struggle with knowing how to prepare their children for school. That is why I am really impressed with ABCmouse.com. Every night, before bed, Averie and I sit down at the computer and work on her skills. ABCmouse.com is preschool education for ages 2-5. The curriculum covers music, art, math, science, songs and reading. Each child has an individualized learning path. All we have to do is sit down and they do the teaching. They have over 1,000 lessons so we never get bored. Not only do I enjoy that one-on-one time with Averie, but I love to see her get the skills needed for Kindergarten.

So my advice for preparing your child for Kindergarten is enrolling in early childhood programs, using everyday conversations to help your child learn, and finding a fun and educational curriculum.

Hi! I’m Cassie from Two In Diapers, and I’m a mommy to three sweet babies, ages 4, 3, and 20 months. This is how I prepare my preschoolers for kindergarten:

Well, for one {obvious} thing – preschool. 🙂 My older two {ages 5 and 3} are both currently in preschool, and we are completely thrilled with their school. My daughter is already reading, and my son is learning tons of age-appropriate things in his class and just having a blast. They are both learning how to interact with their teachers and fellow students, and are learning all of the basics (and much more!) academically that they will be required to know in kindergarten. {I would like to acknowledge that there are plenty of children who never attended preschool and did fine in kindie, but I also think that kindergarten requirements have changed a bit in this age when most every child attends preschool, and many for multiple years}.

Emotionally, we try very hard to grow healthy, stable, confident, and aware children. Our kids have always been around lots of other kids {even our first – we did activities with other kids four days per week minimum!} and we demand love and respect towards their siblings and others as consistently as possible. I feel that everything we teach them from the moment they’re born – love, respect, manners, etc. – prepares them for kindergarten and beyond.

I also feel strongly that a good home base filled with lots of love will give them a stable place to go when they have those days where they struggle, thus giving them the confidence to push on and grow.

My name is Alexa from No Holding Back. I am the mom of Nayner Bug (male, 5), Jelly Bean, (female, 3) and Tiny (female, 1). This is how I prepare my preschooler for kindergarten:

I am going to be totally honest and say I didn’t prepare my son for Kindergarten. But his preschool sure did. He had the BEST preschool teachers! Their main focus was on teaching the child social behaviors: how to stand in line, how to follow directions, how to be quiet and respectful. Those are really the issues that will make or break a child in Kindergarten. As they said and I have found from watching him, children will arrive at Kindergarten with a variety of knowledge, from knowing all their ABCs to not recognizing any of them. They will all learn those things and be ready for 1st grade. But if your child cannot sit still and listen to directions, school is going to be very difficult. So, if you are getting ready to prepare a child for school, don’t stress over whether or not they can read or write (although I will say, it is VERY helpful if they are already comfortable using a pencil and writing some letters – that is certainly one area I lament not working more with him on) but do make sure they know how to wait their turn, follow directions, and interact with other children. (FYI, girls seem, generally speaking, to be WAY better at this than boys!)

My name is Fotini! I blog over at Glamorous, Affordable Life. I am the mom of (Isabella 21 months and Christian 6 years). This is how I prepare my preschooler for kindergarten:

Just the thought of sending Christian off to school scared me to death! I loved his pre-school, it was a small Christian based program, so sending him to public school was a big jump, for both of us! Not every day, but at least a couple times a week, we would review what they were learning in class. This way he would be familiar with working on schoolwork at home. I would aim projects we did to whatever it was he was learning in class, be it shapes, colors, etc. He wasn’t a messy kid to begin with, but I also emphasized organization. I think preparing them with organization at a young age is such a benefit in so many levels as they grow older. Just like any young child, he was constantly asking many questions daily which I did my best to answer in a way he would understand. I also think this is important in child development because it allows them to feel comfortable asking questions whether in school or another situation. As a parent, if you react aggressively towards the numerous questions kids can ask (no matter how annoying it can be!) I think it prevents them from wanting to ask more, especially if they’re truly confused about something, most importantly at school.

As pre-school came to an end, and it was time for kindergarten, Christian was getting really excited to being in a new school and meeting his new teacher. He had a really sweet teacher who kept in close contact with me via email if she had any concerns and vice versa. This really made me feel comfortable sending him off to school, even if it was only for a half-a-day. After the first few weeks of school, Christian began coming home upset and crying. As I began to ask more questions, he told me he was being picked on by not one, but two other kids in his class. This just absolutely broke my heart. Christian is such a loving, innocent boy who cares for everyone and he was so hurt that these kids were picking on him. After talking some with the teacher, she allowed me to volunteer with the class and help out for class projects when an extra helping hand was needed. After meeting the kids that were picking on Christian, it was clear to me that they probably didn’t get the love they deserved at home, so I just made sure to be as kind to them as possible. Every time I picked Christian up from school I would make sure to say “hi” to those kids, and after a little bit of time, they stopped picking on Christian. This was a hard time for both of us, and if you’re going through bullying with your children, I just recommend you do anything and everything you can to make it stop. Whether it is volunteering in your child’s class, introducing yourself to the bully and/or their parents, keep close contact with the teacher and make the office aware of the problem as well. For this to have happened in kindergarten I was shocked, but remember, unfortunately some of these children are raised in less than ideal situations. Be encouraging and supportive!

My name is 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 prepare my preschoolers for kindergarten:

Where we live, if a kid isn’t at least on the verge of reading (if not already reading) by the time they start kinder…. they’re considered behind the curve. I don’t know if this is the case nation-wide, but for parents here, I think it puts a lot of pressure on us. I feel social and reading skills are the primary preparations for school. Two of my children are in school (1st and kinder) and we chose to put both of them in a preschool at the age of 3-4. Because of their differing personalities, we chose different types of preschool, but the main goal was to learn proper ways to be in a classroom setting and to learn how to play with various children (even those they may not like). I know preschool isn’t feasible for some families, so another great avenue is a co-op between moms (here’s a great curriculum). This serves the same purpose, and also may be more comforting to know the home and parents with which your child is spending time and from whom they are learning.

With all my girls (my son is still too young), we teach them reading readiness as soon as they are interested. My mother is a former educator, so I was able to draw from her wisdom and experience in teaching at home in those early years. There is a great list of things every child should know before kindergarten here. If you’re unsure if your child is on the right track, this is a great checklist for parents! Another great resource is this list of simple, everyday activities to prepare your child for kinder.

Education is of utmost importance to our family, as I’m sure it is yours…. however, preparing your child for that day they no longer are under your constant supervision….well, that involves a lot more than what I can write in a few paragraphs. But basically, it starts with loving parents.

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Your Turn:

How do you prepare your preschoolers for kindergarten?

Leave us a comment; we love to read your tips and advice!

Need advice? Check out these previous Mom Connection topics:

Setting Goals with Your Children

Teaching Your Kids to Share

Getting your Preschooler Dressed

Balancing Blogging and Motherhood

{ Fab Pins of the Week }

March 1, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: cookies, Easter, Easter crafts, fashion, kids, Martha Stewart, milk paint, Pinterest, Spring Leave a Comment

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1. How stinkin’ adorable is this Easter Bunny Canvas!! I just LOVE it! This would be such a fun projects to have the kids help with and use their imagination 😉
2. Have you taken part in the latest craze of milk paint yet? I haven’t, but plan to soon! I love the effect it has on furniture. It gives it a nice vintage, worn look and it’s eco-friendly! Visit Martha Stewards website here for a DIY recipe!
3. Loving the relaxed look of this outfit! The mix of neutral tones with the denim and basic tee is the perfect combination for a casual Spring look!!
4. Are these not THE cutest little cookies or what?! Super simple, yet darling! What a fun Spring afternoon with the kiddos! Click here for the recipe!

Are you following me on Pinterest yet? Click HERE!

{ MC: Balancing Your Time & Attention }

January 12, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: balancing your time, blog love, kids, mommy panel, The Mom Connection 6 Comments

I am part of an AWESOME mommy panel with Cassie from Two In Diapers and Julie from Naptime Review.

Each Saturday, we will bring you fresh new ideas and advice about motherhood.

If you enjoyed what you read, we encourage you to tweet about it!

Coming on January 19th, we will discuss:

What is your favorite indoor activity when it’s too cold to play outside?

Now on to this week’s topic!

Balancing your time and attention with more than one child!

Here is what Mom Connection shared:

Welcome! I’m Julie over at Naptime Review. I am a mom of two wild, crazy and beautiful girls. My oldest just turned 4 and my baby is 16 months old. This is how I balance my time and attention between my children:

When my first child came into my world she became my world. I put my career on hold and wanted nothing more than to be with her. She got all my time and attention. When Alice came, I was very worried about how her arrival would affect the oldest. I also worried about being able to give Alice everything I gave Averie. I tried very hard to make Averie feel special knowing that babies can be very demanding. I think I focused my attention more on Averie. I am trying to shift that attention and make it more equally balanced now that Alice is getting older.

When the oldest is at preschool or at a friends house, I give the baby FULL attention. Meaning, I have weekly play dates at Little Gym. Even if Averie’s schedule changes, I still keep our Little Gym time. I drop Averie off at Grandma’s and enjoy my time with Alice. When Averie isn’t around, I try to get on the floor and read stories and play with Alice. In fact, Averie had a play date last weekend, and instead of cleaning the house, I just played with Alice. It was fun! I knew my house could wait until tomorrow but when would be the next time for the baby to get some QT with Mommy!

With Averie, I try to schedule our quality time. I really have noticed that when Averie and I do something special without the baby, she really shines and enjoys that one-on-one time. Therefore, once a month I try to take Averie somewhere special and fun. We go on “Mommy dates.” So far we have enjoyed, Tea with Cinderella at the Magic House, lunch outings, tea parties with other friends, and just running errands alone. Those are the moments, I think are very special and memorable for both mommy and Averie.

So when the baby gets older, I plan on dating both my kids regularly. In fact, I am enlisting the help of my husband for this mission. We will each date and swap with children monthly. I think it is very important for Daddy’s, especially with girls to get that quality one-on-one time. I am sure my children will enjoy Home Depot and the Golf Galaxy right?

So my answer to balancing time and attention is to schedule one-on-one dates with your children!

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 balance my time and attention between my children:

Wow… this topic is very close and personal with my life! With my three babies spaced 19 months apart each in age and a hope for one or two more in the future, this is something that I have to be conscious of daily.

My answer is… there is no way to do it perfectly. There’s just not, no matter how hard you try. But I believe it’s possible to do it well, and that is my daily goal. I strive to give special time and attention to each child in a way that fits their own unique needs. Whether this means a daily post-nap snuggle with three-year-old Bentley, 10 minutes to read Emily a book while the boys play, grabbing just one child for a trip to the grocery store, or taking advantage of a neighborhood babysitter occasionally to pick Emily up from school and enjoy her bear hug with both arms and really listen to her chatter on the way home.

So I suppose my answer is… it’s different with each family and each child each day, but I think sneaking in those moments of undivided attention randomly throughout the day when they are needed is the key to making each child feel loved, special and unique. I heard/read somewhere that the sign of a good mom is when each of her children is absolutely sure that he or she is her favorite. I’m really not sure who I heard this from, but I think it’s adorable and definitely one of my goals – to make each child feel uniquely special to and loved by me.

My name is Alexa from No Holding Back. I am the mom of Nayner Bug (male, 5), Jelly Bean, (female, 3) and Tiny (female, 1). This is how I balance my time and attention between my children:

When I found out I was pregnant with my second child, I was scared because of this very topic. I was afraid I would never be able to love a child as much as I loved the first one and that I’d never have any quality time with my children. Well I was definitely wrong on the first account – who knew one person could hold so much love in their heart??? But the second one requires constant awareness. Originally the word that came to mind was “effort” but I don’t want to use that word with relation to spending time with my kids. So awareness is a better word choice.

It is so easy to get caught up in everything going on around us, especially now with three kids. School schedules, appointments, dance lessons, playdates, and all of the other things taking up time in our lives with small children. Honestly, I am still working on the balancing act. Not only do I have three children to balance, I have my duties as CEO of the household, and my writing. And my spiritual life and my social life, which are also both very important to me. I do have some dedicated one on one time. I take the 3 year old with me to run errands on the weekends so that we have some girl time. Every night before bed I say prayers with each child individually and I read for about 20 minutes with the two older children. Usually separately so it is their own time with me. We have dinner as a family each night and the 5 year old tells us all about his adventures and his day. I’m sad to say at this point, that’s about where it stops. I am terrible at balancing in general! I am focusing on doing projects with the kids, but we usually do them as a group. But even though I’m not able to spend a large amount of individual one on one time with them, I do make sure to pay them each individual attention. We get into tickle fights, play hide and seek, dance, or I just snuggle with them and tell them I love them a million times a day.

My name is Fotini! I blog over at Glamorous Affordable Life. I am the mom of (Isabella 20 months and Christian 6 years). This is how I balance my time and attention between my children:

For the most part, I would really like to think I share my time and attention evenly between my children, husband and home. But, it’s something I tend to get too comfortable with. It’s been a big adjustment for Christian having a little sister. He was the “baby” for five years before Isabella came along, so that is something we’re all still getting used to. He is an amazing big brother in so many ways but at times I can see he’s getting jealous of how I talk to her or how much time I still spend holding her and loving on her. It’s really important for me to give him the same attention I give her! He was my first baby and is growing into such a smart, loving little boy! I make it a part to spend one-on-one time with Christian while Isabella naps during the day (for 1-2 hours) and once Isabella is in bed each evening. We play games, watch movies and cuddle. Throughout the day, I try my best to get us involved in activities we can all enjoy so he can “enjoy” Isabella and love her more than resent her.

One Saturday, at least once a month, I have my husband watch Isabella so Christian and I can go out and do something of his choice. Sometimes it’s just going to Barnes and Noble to look at books and play, or go to the movies or out to lunch at his favorite restaurant! No matter what he chooses that day, it gives us the chance to live in the moment and have fun with each other!

Spending extra time with Isabella comes when Christian spends the night with family members. She’s really girly, so we play with my makeup, fingernail polish and she likes to dress up in my clothes! The kids playroom is upstairs, so we spend as much time up there as possible and she just runs the halls having a good time! By the end of the night, though, she’s asking for her brother!

How do you spend one-on-one time with each of your kids?

My name is 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 balance my time and attention between my children:

Ensuring that each of our four children gets the love, time, and attention they need and deserve has become almost a science in our household. On a logistic level, having my two older ones are in school allows for a better balance at home during the day, especially during nap time. One they’re home from school is when it gets tricky. One thing I try to do is get down on their level when they speak to me so that I am both eye to eye with them and they understand that I am listening to only them.

My husband and I make it a habit to discuss each one of our children’s needs on a weekly basis….and we then adjust our time depending on who might need more of our attention that week by doing various activities such as a daddy/daughter dates, quiet one-on-one reading, or simply treating them to something I normally don’t allow, such as putting on Momma’s make-up. 🙂

Making sure our children are feeling loved enough and heard enough is our biggest and most important job….and something I struggle with on a daily basis. I mean, not only do my older two notice if they’re not getting their fair share of my time, but they crave it. Attention is love to them. And children who don’t feel loved at these young ages are susceptible to all sort of issues later on in life that I sure wouldn’t want to be responsible for causing. As parents, it is our job to make sure each one of our children do not ever feel slighted in the least. Dividing time between multiple children takes effort and organization…but it’s critical to our children’s thriving and absolutely worth it!

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Your Turn:

How do you balance your time and attention between your children?

Leave us a comment; we love to read your tips and advice!

Need advice? Check out these previous Mom Connection topics:

Disciplining your Babies

Teaching your Children to Clean up

Getting your Preschooler Dressed

Balancing Blogging and Motherhood

{ MC: Setting Goals with Children }

January 5, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: blog love, kids, MC, mommy panel, setting goals with children, The Mom Connection 2 Comments

I am part of an AWESOME mommy panel with Cassie from Two In Diapers and Julie from The Naptime Review.

Each Saturday, we will bring you fresh new ideas and advice about motherhood.

If you enjoy what you read, we encourage you to tweet about it!

Coming on January 12th, we will discuss:

Balancing your time and attention with more than one child!

Now on to this week’s topic!

When and how did you begin setting goals with your children?

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 just turned 4 and my baby is 16 months old. This is how I handle setting goals with my children:

I think it is important to set goals for everything in life. I am a goal setter and I hope to install that quality with my children. In fact, each year my husband and I write out our new year’s resolutions in the form of a letter and exchange them at midnight. Click here if you’d like to learn more about our New Year’s tradition.

As for my children, they are still young. However, last year, we got this time capsule from BabbaBox. If you haven’t heard of this monthly preschool activity box, I highly recommend it. In the box came a time capsule along with books, activities, and an App for our iPad. We wrote out our goals and buried the time capsule in our backyard. We had so much fun digging it up this year and reflecting on our goals. It was great to see how our handwriting changed as well as our favorite foods. My 4 year old’s resolution was to be a better eater. Meaning, not to play with her food or to paint the table, the dog, and her face with food when she ate. I am happy to report we have successful mastered that goal. However, I think the baby is following in “Big Sister’s” footsteps as she loves to pour bowls of food on top of her head. Can’t wait to start working on goals with that one!

Averie’s goals for 2013, are learning to ride our new bike that Santa delivered and learning to master writing our name. We set the goal and then discussed how we would achieve the goal. We came up with doing custom tracer pages from Kidzone. I customized a handful of name sheets and each day at breakfast my daughter will practice her name while I make breakfast. Not only does it serve as a distraction while Mommy gets breakfast on the table, but it also helps Averie master the task of writing her name.

When your children are small setting goals consists a lot of modeling and thinking aloud so children can see the whole goal setting process. I am hoping that by modeling and helping my children set and achieve goals they will be better equipped in the future and will one day achieve their own goals.

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 handle setting goals with my children:

Wow, when I first sat down to write my answer to this question, I had nothing. I immediately beat myself up over yet another thing I had failed to start doing with my children.

But once I got to thinking about it, I realized that I set age-appropriate goals with my children all the time! This is because I feel that setting goals and simply planning go hand in hand all the time, especially at the ages that my littles are. My daughter brings home a homework folder from pre-K each month. It contains just a couple of papers worth of preschool-age projects for her to count, cut, color, or trace, and is due by the end of the month in order for her to be allowed to choose something from the treasure box. We always decide which day we will turn in her folder, and then ration out the homework accordingly. I do this mainly to plan ahead so that we don’t forget it, but at the same time I am teaching my daughter to set and achieve goals in an organized and attainable manner.

I also give my littles small tasks constantly, especially when we are trying to get out the door in the morning. I might instruct Bentley to gather up everyone’s shoes, Emily to clear the dishes off the table, and little Grayson to go find his “kook” (coat). When each child completes their task, they come back to me for a “great job, sweetheart!” {which always rewards me with a gigantic and heart-stopping smile} and are sent out on the next “task”… all of which are achieving smaller goals to work towards our family goal of leaving the house successfully on yet another morning.

These may seem like somewhat of a stretch to some of you {especially considering some of the amazing answers I’m seeing from my fellow panel moms!}, but I feel that these are small tasks that my children can achieve, which will help build their confidence and independence. Isn’t that what goals are for anyway?

My name is Alexa from No Holding Back. I am the mom of Nayner Bug (male, 5), Jelly Bean, (female, 3) and Tiny (female, 1). This is how I handle setting goals with my children:

Goals for my little ones tend to focus on developing routines and habits that make our life function a little more smoothly. To do this, I use checklists, rewards charts, repetition, and a little bit of good ole fashioned bribery! (ahem, I mean positive reinforcement!) Even at the ages of 5 and 3 there are so many things that they can accomplish. I set goals for the kids mostly to help them develop the habits I would like to see them carry through life. (Picking up after themselves, helping with chores around the house, reading, even down to making it through the day without hitting or fighting). Even though I stay at home with the children, I do not want them to get into the habit of me doing everything for them. So we instituted some checklists to start developing habits early on. There are some really great free checklists out there that are perfect for small children because they are picture charts and certainly age appropriate with attainable goals/responsibilities. These are two of my favorite, that you will literally find printed out and taped to the kids walls: Routine Printables (after school, bedtime, etc) at Get Snazzy and The Family Chore Charts which can be downloaded free at Power of Moms.

My children seem to thrive on recognition and feeling like they are appreciated, so I love chore charts such as the second one above. The kids can see their weekly accomplishments and know exactly what has to be done to be rewarded for meeting their goals.

In order to set the goals with the kids and make sure they understood, we had a little “meeting” and I explained the charts and expectations, the reward system, and what everything meant. Then, over the course of the next few days, I walked them through it. There was some trial and error followed by adjustments. Some things worked, some didn’t. It’s a goal for my son to make his bed every day, but we found we never had enough time to do it before school, so he does it before he plays with his friends after school. I have found that as long as the goals are attainable and I am consistent in my expectations, the kids do a great job at following through! They work best with very specific directions. They are only 3 and 5, so they do need plenty of reminders, but overall they are doing great with their tasks and goals!

My name is Fotini! I blog over at Glamorous Affordable Life. I am the mom of (Isabella 19 months and Christian 6 years). This is how I handle setting goals with my children:

I think setting goals with your kids is really important because it teaches them you have to work for the things you want. I started setting goals with my son when I started potty training around two and a half years old. I made a potty chart and each time he went potty in the toilet, he got a star. Once he reached a certain amount of stars (whether it be within a day or a week) he was rewarded. Some rewards would include letting him pick out a surprise from the store, a new book, choosing dinner or dessert that evening or going to the movies! Some of his favorite things that he wanted to earn! Now that my son is six, he is beginning to understand more and more setting goals for yourself allows you to grow! Christian’s goal for 2013 is to get really good and baseball and score a home run! I have no doubt that if he works at it, he will have no problem accomplishing that goal!

I haven’t started setting goals with my daughter yet; I think she’s still too young. At what age do you start with your children?

My name is 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 handle setting goals with my children:

There are two things I believe are critical to goal setting with children….

1. Making it an attainable, understandable, and realistic goal.

2. Writing it down and make it visibly available for them to see each day.

For the first one, we don’t want to set our kids up for failure…no one does, right? A child’s goal should be something they can actually accomplish…and in a fairly short time period, as most kids don’t have a grasp of time to plan a whole year away. For example, yesterday we opened goals my two oldest made in 2011, that they’d written down and sealed in envelopes. One of the goals was to be able to do a cartwheel. This was both realistic and something that she was reminded of almost everyday to work on. It was realistic and she understood exactly what that goal entailed.

For the writing it down part, I’m a firm believer in that for anyone, no matter their age…but to help drive it home a bit more…we have our children write it themselves or draw a picture of it to display on the fridge. I think doing this cultivates ownership in their goal. They usually feel proud of themselves for making and putting to paper this “big responsibility” of setting a goal like Momma and Daddy do.

Goal setting is a wonderful thing we enjoy teaching our children at an early age. If if the goal isn’t achieved or realized, I’m satisfied to teach them the importance of wanting to better ourselves each year, in an effort to hopefully bring up a shining generation.

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Your Turn:

When and how do you begin setting goals with your children?

What works for you?

Leave us a comment; we love to read your tips and advice!

Need advice? Check out these previous Mom Connection topics:

Disciplining your Babies

Teaching your Children to Clean up

Getting your Preschooler Dressed

Balancing Blogging and Motherhood

{ MC: Disciplining at an Early Age }

December 29, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: disciplining kids, kids, mommy panel, The Mom Connection 14 Comments

I am part of an AWESOME mommy panel with Cassie from Two In Diapers and Julie from The Naptime Review.

Each Saturday, we will bring you fresh new ideas and advice about motherhood.

If enjoy what you read, we encourage you to tweet about it!

Coming on January 5, we will discuss:

Setting goals with your children!

Now on to this week’s topic!

At what age and how do you begin disciplining your babies?

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 just turned 4 and my baby is 16 months old. This is how I discipline at an early age:

I actually don’t. In fact, I was amazed the other day, when I was sitting around with a group of friends, listening how they implement time out with their babies. I thought, “Wow, I need to start with Alice.” So when Alice turns 18 months, I do plan on getting a spot in the house and designating it as the time out area. For now, I use positive reinforcement, such as hooting and hollering when she does something right. I also make up silly songs and dances to get her to follow directions. You have never seen me so excited when she cleans up her toys or heads to the door singing, “March, March!” Besides positive reinforcement, I say “No” very sternly. No comes in handy when she is skydiving off the fireplace or jumping and landing on her bottom in the bathtub. This child is CRAZY! I foresee many trips to the ER in the near future. If saying “No” doesn’t work I remove her from the situation. Unfortunately, she has a memory like an elephant so that often doesn’t work. Then, I just have to ignore the tantrum that is unfolding right before me.

I really struggled with finding what motivated and worked with my 4 year old, so I am hoping God gives me a pass on this one. If not, I am well versed and educated in the area of discipline. When Averie was 2 years old, I dragged my husband to a Love and Logic seminar. If you aren’t familiar with their theories and methods, I highly recommend checking them out. Click here to learn more about positive discipline methods.

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 discipline at an early age:

We begin at the age where they first learn that they can cause a reaction. I’m sure this age is different for every child, but for ours it usually begins around 6-9 months. This may sounds harsh, but we don’t begin with full-on discipline. In our household, we do our best to be consistently gentle but firm {although, of course this doesn’t always happen!}, which means that our baby getting into something that they aren’t allowed to play with results in a gentle but firm “no-no”, followed by a distraction – handing them a toy or playing a quick game of peek-a-boo. I don’t know about your littles, but mine seem to be more attracted to anything that causes a big scene… hence the calm correction followed by immediately moving on from the situation.

We are also firm supporters of Love and Logic! We strongly agree with teaching the kiddos that their actions result in consequences. If Grayson purposely drops his sippy cup on the floor, he doesn’t get it back until he is done eating and gets down from the table. If Bentley throws a toy, he loses that toy. We try to be as consistent as possible, which is definitely difficult at times. But we believe that calm, loving discipline can begin as soon as the baby is able to see that their actions can cause a reaction.

My name is Tricia from Mama Marchand’s Nest. I am the mom of N (her name on my blog) who will be three in March. This is how I discipline at an early age:

We started disciplining N just before her 2nd birthday. I posted all about it here and to be honest, not much has changed except that now, all I have to mention is a time out and she shapes up. If she’s not listening, saying no to me, or cops a ‘tude, I take her to a quiet spot in our house (or a quiet corner or a bathroom if we’re out somewhere) and we have a chat. We also start each day by talking about how we’re going to be “kind, thankful, and happy” and what all of that means. I’m no expert and there are days when N displays her “two-ness” more than others but so far, this is what’s working for us.

My name is Fotini! I blog over at Glamorous Affordable Life. I am the mom of (Isabella 19 months and Christian 6 years). This is how I discipline at an early age:

My son was a very laid back toddler, but when it was necessary to discipline I started around 2 years old. I began with time-outs (a minute for each year) and these were tricky at first, but persistence was my best friend!

To this day I do time outs with him and he takes it like a champ. Christian right now is at the stage?of beginning to talk back to us, no matter what it’s about. He calls it “debating”.. How my 6-year-old understands debating is beyond me, he will make a good lawyer one day 😉 We do the “3 strike rule”. I give him three warnings throughout the day and then it’s to his room to think about why he’s there. This gives him the opportunity to think about what he did and gives him the chance to not do it again. I also find that “taking away” his favorite things for a short time makes him realize that Mommy means business!

Isabella, on the other hand, is learning to test her boundaries. She’s much more daring, feisty and repetitive than my son was. I feel like I’m constantly telling her “NO” and directing her attention toward something else. Do you have any good tips on “disciplining” a 19 month-old?

My name is 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 discipline at an early age:

Children at an early age know right from wrong…sort of. They know they’re not supposed to put their hands in the toilet…but they still do because they need to see the cause and effect. They need to know what happens when they do ______. It’s really an interesting method because they don’t always expect the same outcome as a result of their actions. Up until about two years of age, it’s best to just remove them from the situation after a firm but loving, “no.” Around 2 years old, we employ the use of time out. (I know spanking is a touchy issue, so all I’ll say is that we’ve chosen not to spank our children). Time out is effective especially when the child sees something they’re missing out on. Sometimes I’ll even make up something in which my child is unable to participate. Children hate being left out.

Thus, not only is the time out removing them from the situation, but they connect the consequence (not being able to participate) with the crime (whatever it may be). We also limit the time out for age in minutes (2-year-old time out for 2 minutes). Time out isn’t the only discipline we use, but it seems to be the most effective. Disciplining is tough because all children are different, and sometimes certain consequences don’t work….but it’s always best to be consistent whatever your method(s) may be. Black Dots page break divider

Your Turn:

At what age and how do you begin to discipline your children?

What works for you?

Leave us a comment; we love to read your tips and advice!

Need advice? Check out these previous Mom Connection topics:

Getting Your Child Dressed

Fun Holdiay Projects to do with your Children

Teaching Your Children to Be Thankful

Sibling Sharing

{ Our Snowman }

December 22, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: building a snowman, kids, playing in the snow, snowman, spending time with kids 4 Comments

Never neglect the chance to make beautiful memories with your kids! Yesterday we got our first ‘real’ snowfall of the season here in Ohio. My son kept asking me all day to go out and play in the snow with him. I didn’t want to drag the baby out because I knew that wouldn’t last long. Once I put Isabella to bed last night, I asked Christian if he was ready to go build a snowman.. His eyes lit up and he ran over and gave me the biggest hug, and said “lets do it Mommy!”. That made my heart smile 🙂

We braved the cold with lots of layers and our rain boots! We had a little snowball fight and built a cute little snowman; Christian decided to name him ‘Candy Cane’.

We were outside for less than an hour, but we had so much fun! And he’s awfully proud of his Mama for building a strong snowman since it’s still standing this morning, lol!