Holidays

We want to see your little monsters! The parent who submits the photo that receives the most likes in our album will win a $50 Target gift card!

I sat in church on Mother’s Day, with tears streaming down my face. Our church was sensitive to the fact that Mother’s Day isn’t always a happy holiday, saying “Happy Mother’s Day to all of you wishing to be mothers, all those who have lost their mothers…” I heard them, but I didn’t feel the words. In my heart, I felt I would never be a mother, and it was devastating.

I have been a momma for almost 12 years, and I love jewelry, candles, flowers and chocolate but quite honestly I have enough of all of those. And I know my mom and mother-in-law are, too. So I asked myself “what would I like to get for Mother’s Day?” And the answer was so simple…somethings the boys could make me! So that is what spawned the idea to find an easy, inexpensive and kid friendly project we could do for the Grandmas.

Lets face it, normal life doesn't stop just because it is Mother's Day. Some everyday tasks still need finishing. Sometimes my expectations of the day do not allow me to notice the small wonderful things that my children do for me. And either I can focus on how bad I feel because I didn't get what I expected or I can see what is there.

These April showers that bring May flowers, also bring many more days indoors. Instead of going stir crazy inside after a long winter, try out some new activities with your kids. Many kids are gearing up with excitement for...

This year I am so excited that Christmas is over!! Don’t get me wrong - I am a Christmas fiend!! I decorate everything in my house, bake every recipe (and subsequently gain fifteen extra pounds for the New Year), and I do it all with three crazy kiddos between one and six underfoot. So this month, in my mind, I was FINALLY going to get a break from the planning, and especially from the two Elves on the Shelf who joined our family last year (yes we have two, and they are married). The new year was supposed to be the end of the extra ‘magic’ for my six year old. A break from trying to find creative poses for the elves, or inventing a big story about how the elves set up the baking supplies and then left and went back to the EXACT spots they were when my daughter went to the bed the night before. But sadly, my break is not anywhere in sight just yet.

We all want to give our families that picture-perfect Christmas – just like something straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Unfortunately, we all live in the real world (and not in a Hallmark Channel movie) where sometimes kids get sick, roads get slick and moms get stressed. Big time. The best way I’ve found to keep pre-Christmas anxiety in check is to avoid these four ways we moms tend to ruin the holidays:

Look at the holidays in the same awe and wonder that a child looks at their tree. Decorating the tree should be about family. The holiday should be about family. It's not the money spent, the presents, or the big meal that matter - its about getting together with those you love, gathering as a family, sitting around a tree, and relishing in the magic of the season. 

It’s never too early to teach your children about giving back to the community, Mueller says, Ringing bells as a family will “provide an opportunity for parents to show their children how to give and become a donor. It is a rare occasion for a child to pass a kettle without begging his or her parent for change to drop in the kettle,” he adds. “Bell ringing really matters. It matters because we can all participate in something bigger than ourselves and teach our children to do the same.”

With three young children, it already feels like we have SO many things in our house for them to play with. Books, toys, stuffed animals, Legos, play kitchen, ride on toys, you name it. While I know play is so important, I get overwhelmed seeing the amount of toys we have. Especially since they are usually ALL over the living room (kitchen, bedrooms, etc.). I think my kids get overwhelmed with all the stuff some days too. While I do try to do a toy rotation at times, it never happens as often as I would like.