tip-toe thru tuesday

what a busy week!  last week i told you that if we got 50 links i would donate $10 to little Shannon's Reece's Rainbow adoption fund and send one of you an  orphan bracelet that the family makes from discarded [orphan] beads.  we had 35 entires,  but i'm so committed to raising money for little Shannon, that i'm still going to donate $10.

 if you'd still like a bracelet, they're available for a $10 donation to their adoption fund.  you can buy one by donating to their Reece's Rainbow fund here. 
 and the challenge for the 50 links still stands... spread the word.

here are the toP 2 pOSts from last week plus one of mY faVEs.  if you're featured, grab a fEAtuRed button from my button page.


A Spruced Up Space @ Shabby Love

Valentine Crayon Art @ Loopy Loop Creations

"I Love You More Than..." Interactive Art @ Signs by Andrea

PoST aNYtHiNG you've created (show me some etsy shops and giveaways!)

Feel free to share several posts

Link back to my page somewhere on your blog

Stay around and check out a few other links.

wE aLL LovE fEEdBaCK!

in {her} shoes...TC

today's in {her} shoes guest post is from the charming TC

from The Mommies Mad Me Do It. 

i met TC through the Kids Blogger Network that we both belong to.  she is a funny, creative, and an all-around great mom.  you've got to go over to her blog and checkout all the fun things she does for her little Chief. 



Hi, I'm TC, the blogger of The Mommies Made Me Do It. I'm a military wife and SaHM in Washington, DC. My hubby and I have a 20yr old daughter in college and a 3yr old son in preschool. Yep, that's a pretty big age gap. I guess if we look on the bright side of it we should be thankful we got to focus on raising one kid before raising another. But, if given the choice, I would've loved for them to grow up together. My husband has so many great stories about the fun he and his slightly younger brother had growing up. And you can still see that bond between them today. I think my son sees his big sister more as a second mom than a sister. I guess that's a great bond to have too. When he's an older kid he'll have another woman to confide in when Mom is getting on his nerves :/



I used to be in the US Air Force. Now I'm an Air Force wife stationed in Washington, DC. I love being a military family. I've always looked forward to moving around the world and experiencing different cultures. Our daughter, however, didn't think moving was so great once she reached high school age. But we were VERY lucky to have been able to stay in one spot (Las Vegas) for all her high school years. Our son probably will never have to experience constant moving because my hubby will be retired before he starts Kindergarten. And we plan on staying in the DC area. That is, until the day he graduates high school. That will be the same day hubby and I move far, far away to some tropical island exclusive only to empty nesters!



Our daughter is a Washington Redskins Cheerleader, so YES, I'm a Washington Redskins fan! Go 'SKINS!!  The most rewarding part about being the mom of my beautiful 20 year old babygirl is seeing her living her dream. Since she was 3 years old, all she wanted to do was dance... that's it... nothing else.   Now she's in college pursuing a dance degree, she works as a dance instructor, and she's an NFL Cheerleader performing for fans all over the world. She's doing exactly what she wants to do with no obstacles or setbacks in her way. I happen to think we did an ok job of instilling 2 important values within her... self respect and work ethic. Now let's see if we can do the same with the little guy so we'll be 2 for 2!



My everyday life is filled with hotwheels, baseballs, spiderman underwear, and everything else "boy". Yes, part of my brain is still reserved for worrying about my daughter out in the world playing grown up. But at the forefront is this little 3yr old jumping bean that demands my attention 24hrs a day. I was truly unprepared for raising a boy. Before he came along, I would've never considered little boys and little girls to be different... but they are! I'm getting the hang of it, though. I can now mimic all the cool sounds like airplanes, motorcycles, sirens, and explosions. I know not to lie down on the floor unless I want to be jumped on and wrestled. A trip to the barber twice a month is easier than doing hair every morning. And, oh yeah, everything is a sword or gun... everything!



Thank you, Andie, for inviting me to your "In Her Shoes" series. I'm honored to be in the company of all these creative Mommies on your fabulous blog!

Be Prepared Printable

feel free to save this and print it out for yourself.

i'm sorry

i don't have a post for you today....

another semester of class has started for me. 
bear is having some sleep issues.
i am having some sleep issues.

if you've emailed or commented,
i'm not ignoring you.

if you're a blogger i love,
i haven't stopped following you.

i'm a tad behind, but i'll be following up
with each and everyone of you lovelies
that brighten my day!

we'll talk soon!

our play room...before and in-between

not too long after i started blogging and started seeing all of these aMaZiNG pictures of pLayRooMS, i wanted one for our house.  we have an average sized split-entry home with  3 bdrms and a bonus room/den for my hubs.  up until recently, our family room had a pull-out couch in it that had only been used about 10 times.  the room itself was rarely ever used.  so it was just wasted space.  enter Craigslist.  we listed the couch and were able to sell it in a couple of weeks. i threw dumped placed everything that was going to go in the room in piles.  it looked like this:

not much room for Bear to play, right? 

after a bit of work, it now looks like this:

absolutely nOT what i'm envisioning in my head... but it'll have to wait until spring when i can open the windows and PaiNT :)

What does your ideal playroom look like?

feel free to post your links!

stopping boredom with a clothes basket

isn't it funny how our children can have all of these toYS aNd gAmES, but there are some times that they can't immerse themselves in anything?  Bear was BoREd.  so bored.  nothing that the hubs and i could come up was working to keep him occupied.

until i got out an empty laundry basket

and our foam stamps.

empty clothes basket activity

do you see the intensity in his body language?  funniest thing i've seen in a while.

what boredom busting games do you come up with? 

feel free to post your links! 

linked up here

the definition of play

how do you define play? 

what is it?

what does it look like?

sound like?
feel like?

here is my take on it...

definition of play for educators

how do you define play?

**thanks to The Nurture Store for the inspiration to do a video presentation**

linked up here

tip-toe thru tuesday

what a busy week!  do you remember this post about the Shpak family that is trying to raise money to adopt little Shannon? well, they met their goal amount to turn in their Dossier!  right now the family is still raising money through Reece's Rainbow to prepare for their next step.  

((isn't she a doll?!  her little smile warms my heart everytime.))

right now, they are currently selling "orphan bracelets" which are made from discarded [orphan] beads.  bracelets are available for a $10 donation to their adoption fund.  you can buy one by donating to their Reece's Rainbow fund here. 

if we can get at least 50 links to this party,

 i'll donate $10 to Shannon's fund and

have one of these bracelets sent to one of you! 

winning number is the number assigned to each link.

winner will be picked by random.org.

double links will be deleted.

winner announced jan 31



here are the toP 2 pOSts from last week plus one of mY faVEs.  if you're featured, grab a fEAtuRed button from my button page.

http://watchmeplaynlearn.blogspot.com/2012/01/edible-play-dough-cookie-variety.html

Valentine's Day Decor @ Everything Under the Moon

Baking Dinosaurs @ Happy Whimsical Hearts

PoST aNYtHiNG you've created (show me some etsy shops and giveaways!)

Feel free to share several posts

Link back to my page somewhere on your blog

Stay around and check out a few other links.

wE aLL LovE fEEdBaCK!

in {her} shoes...maggy

Maggy from Red Ted Art is another amazing woman i've met through the blogosphere.  she offers a wide variety of resoureces on her blog; from printables to recipes and projects to ebooks!  pop over there for a little inspiration today!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello, my name is Maggy and I blog over at Red Ted Art. I regularly get crafty with my children in my weekly kids crafts and also like to make things “for myself” in my weekly tutorials. What kind of mum am I? A very busy one for sure. I decided to “stay at home”, to spend time with my children. In order to keep my mind active I started blogging and rediscovered a life long passion of mine – crafting. It is now more than just a hobby and I hope one day to make a proper living from it.What is the most challenging part of being the type of mom you are?

I am always "very busy", doing lots of different things - this includes running around seeing friends with the children, as well as making and doing things at home. So I guess the main challenge for me and my children is to find some "down time". I think it is very important that children "experience boredom" and learn to play of their own accord. They shouldn't constantly be entertained and stimulated. So each week I try and keep at least an afternoon or two free of any activity for them. Similarly, I need to time for me to wind down and do nothing. I regret that I often forget my friend's birthdays. I used to be SO good at remembering them. These days my heads is just too full of stuff!

The other is the classic “work life” balance and not letting myself get too carried away by my blogging activities – remembering that I am here first for the kids... and then to blog!

What is the most rewarding?
Spending time with my children. Seeing them grow up and knowing what things they really like (e.g. getting their Christmas presents 100% right). Having fun together and I do love a cuddle on the sofa with them. The holidays are best as there is no rush to get anywhere and we just get to hang out on our PJs and take it easy!

In your opinion, what’s the most important value(s) parents can instill in their children?
Being thoughtful and caring for others. I do hope that they grow up to be compassionate people and that they may take an interest in doing charity work and helping others.

Followed by trying to do your best and working hard (I am not too keen on laziness!).

If your children could describe you in 3 words, which ones would they pick?
They would probably say strict. I would hope they would say loving and also fun. I just asked my almost 4 year old and he said "You are pretty, you are lovely and very very special". Aaah. I hasten to add, that we often talk at night and I tell him, that "You are handsome, you are thoughtful and very very special" - so I guess that that has been prompted a little! Still made me smile though!

As to my shoes: you will see that they are rather sensible and practical. Easy to slip in and out of (especially when you are helping others put their shoes on all day), flat (for walking everywhere in a hurry) and black (goes with everything).

God's Canvas

if this inspires you or touches your heart, feel free to save it as a printable for your home!



you know you spend a lot of time around children when....

the idea for this post popped into my head the other day when i used a random rhyming phrase.  [i can't remember what it was for the life of me].  why did it make me giggle?  only because the words rhymed and it sounded silly.  that's how i know i spend alot of time around kiddos.

i wanted to get some other people's responses to this, so i asked some of my friends in the Kid's Blog Network.  here are their answers!

you know you spend alot time around children when...

...you think that play-doh, shaving cream, and tempera paint smell better than any scented lotion, body spray, or perfume on the market.

me, andie

...you arrive at playgroup and are told that you have "A star attached to you back", "Rice cake on your jeans" and "Something of unknown origin in your hair"

Cerys @ Rainy Day Mum

‎... you're okay talking about poop on a daily basis.

Jamie @ hands on: as we grow

...you go to pay for groceries and find Lego in your purse.

Cathy @ The Nurture Store

...you reach in your coat pocket while at work and find a diaper or even worse, a pair of little kid's underwear. (Both of which happened during my working years when my two were in daycare!)

Terri @ My Creative Family

...going out for the day involves checking the backpack has enough diapers, wipies, snacks, toys, juice boxes, the favourite plush, spare socks, pants, shirt, book, a coat, the pet rock collection, some pieces of paper, a pen, a pencil, some plastic scissors, the favourite DVD (no DVD player in the car), some pretend kitchen utensils, a flashlight, a pillow, a rocking chair and something else...oh yeah, the child!

Alex @ Glittering Muffins

...your fingers and fingernails are constantly stained green...purple...blue...

Kristi @ Creative Connections for Kids

...when your walk-in pantry is 2 third full of art supplies, toys and books :)

Caroline @ De Tout Et De Rien

...when you tell other adults you have to go potty.

Allison @ No Time For Flashcards

...when you have holes in the knees of most of your pants from crawling around and playing on the floor all day.

Rebekah @ The Golden Gleam

...you'd rather save your cash for a college fund or Batman Imaginext Lair rather than that Cole Haan purse you used to covet.

Tricia @ Critters and Crayons

...the inside of your car is never ever clean any more...

Deborah @ Teach Preschool

...when you are reading an interesting article from the paper to your husband and he lovingly asks you to use your real voice and not your "Once Upon a Time" voice. :)

Danielle @ Mommy and Me Book Club 

...you get giddy when you get to go grocery shopping by yourself, but then you spend the whole time having mini-panics and having to remind yourself that, no, you didn't lose someone, they are simply home with daddy...

Alissa @ Creative with Kids

...your heart beats louder of joy of playing with lego or something you have bever experienced before when you were a kid...and when you get hugged by two or more little arms, those precious moments.

Angelique @ AngeliqueFelix.com

...automatically put everything dangerous on top of the fridge or a bookcase that is tall.

Deirdre @ JDaniel4s Mom

and now it's your turn to finish the sentence. 

(below it says to vote, but it will just open up a window for you to add your answer!)

you know you spend a lot of time with children when...

if you give a moose a muffin

picture from The Moose Store

since we're on the Letter Mm, i used on of our favorite books to do some activities.  i'm going to condense all of the If You Give a Moose a Muffin activities into one post, so it's a little long.  we had 2 project fails, so reader beware :)

the first activity was Bear-requested.  he wanted to make a mOOsE.  so i cut out a head, ears, and nose hole shapes out of paper.  then i traced his hands on cream paper for the antlers.  he decided not to use a glue stick.  he wanted to use some of our homemade colored glue.  see how his moose turned out in the next picture.

next came the If You Give a Moose a Muffin math activity.  ahead of time, i used a marker to write the nuMBeRS 1-10 on the bottom of muffin liners.  i let Bear put the liners into the muffin pans.  he put them in random spots, which was a good thing.  with them not being in numerical order, it helped him to practice identifying the numbers.  then we used Keebler Gripz Graham Crackers so Bear could give his moose some muffins.

then Bear counted out the appropriate number of "muFFiNS" into each cup to practice one-to-one correspondence. he needed help on some of the bigger numbers, but with a little guidance he got back on track. 

then, in the spirit of the moose's activities in the book, we made soCK puPPeTs.

our last activity was also a major project fail.  i thought that it'd be a fun idea to make some homemade blackberry jam for Bear's dad to put on his english muffins.  i even found a super easy recipe online that didn't require pectin. 

mashing the berries and mixing the ingredients up was fun.  about halfway through the cooking time, it smelled like it was burning.  after it was supposed to be done, i poured it into a corningware dish so it could cool.  a few minutes later, i went to get a small taste and  realized something was wRoNG.  it had cooled and turned roCK soLiD.  i just threw the whole dish away... there was no way i would've been able to get it out.

you win some, you lose some...right?  i think it's good for him to have experiences where things don't come out as expected every now and then.  ((it helps him learn to deal with disappointment)).  

the counting activity was the one Bear seemed to like the most.

we moose-t do it again!

linked up here and at Teach Preschool's Everyday Math Play

microwave science experiments

not too long ago, while at a linky party, i saw a link that was titled

"put a marshmallow in the microwave"

((so sorry i'm not sure what blog it was... i didn't read the post))

so i thought...hey, why not?

i'm not sure what i thought was going to happen,

but both Bear and i were extremely disappointed with the results.

all that happened was the marshmallows puffed up, then burnt.

pRojeCT fAiL.

the only consolation was that we paired the burnt marshmallows with chocolate animal crackers to get a s'more like snack :)

after this failed experience, i was bound and determined to do something cool.  so i did a bing search for microwave science experiments. 

and i found the awesomest experiment ever!  though i had to admit that i was a bit scared at first.  all that ehow.com said was to put a bar of soap in the microwave and watch what happens.  i had no idea if it was going to explode or melt all over the place or what. 

i found myself wondering

would i have a microwave after this?

after contemplating on how i would explain soap all over the inside of the microwave to my husband, i broke off a small piece for us to try first. i let Bear handle putting it all in the microwave.  he even set the timer for 1 minute.  ((it's good practice identifying the numbers 1 and 0))

the results were so neat to watch!  the soap did this LaVa-LiKE pouring out.  it was quite similar to what those black tabs you buy on the fourth of july do. here's what they looked like:

i think that the texture was the coolest part.  it was a bit RuBBeRY, but cRumBLeD when we squeezed it between our fingers.  the only drawback was that the only bar soap i had was jergens.  so our kitchen and microwave smelled pretty strong when we were done.  but i left the microwave door open and the smell was gone by dinnertime. 

Bear and i did two pieces. then another when Pip got home. then another when Gramma came over the next day.  and we'll do it again in a few weeks, i'm sure.  next time i will definitely use an UNsceNteD sOAp, though.

so... are you going to try out this soap-er experiment?

for another experience and more awesome science activities check out
Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas

linked up here

when preschoolers develop fears

Bear (who is 3) has recently developed a feAR oF tHe dARk and going to sleep.  i will admit that this surprises me, especially when we have a family bed.  it has gotten so that it is a 45-sometimes 90 minute struggle to get him to go to sleep for naptime and bed.  as you can imagine, this leads to a grumpy Bear and a disgruntled Momma.

after talking to him about his fears, he told me that he's afraid to go to sleep because he doesn't want to have baD dReaMS.  this current development has prompted some hard thinking on my part about how sleep times are handled in our house.  as a practicer of attachment parenting, i want to do everything in my power to help my son feel secure and safe... and to be assured that it's okay to feel the way he does. 

there are a many things that children can be afraid of:

the dark

monsters

bad dreams

strangers

animals

doctors

thunderstorms

people in costumes

the flushing of the toilet

haircuts

being alone/without parents

i will openly admit to being afraid of clowns/mimes/some porcelean dolls and drive-thru car washes.  silly and irrational?  absolutely.  but are they paralyzing to me? absolutely.
knowing that i have these fears, i want others around me to validate them.
i don't want to be made to feel stupid or embarrassed about them.
i take all of this in consideration when dealing with Bear and his fears.  

how can we deal with these fears that strike our children so hard, but are illogical to us?

• Make your child comfortable.  shoving your 3 year old towards the great-aunt sally he sees once a year is likely to induce even more anxiety in your child causing them to cry or cling to you.
• Don't share your fears with your kiddo.  for instance, my fear of clowns really shouldn't be shared with my son, though i admit to doing it. [mommy fail]
• Try bibliotherapy.  there is such a wide variety of children's books out there that cover fear inducing topics such as: monsters under the bed, first haircuts, going to the doctor, the first day of school, etc.  reading books of this variety may help children to deal with their fears.
• Sympathize with your child.  try not to belittle their feelings by telling them that they shouldn't be afraid.  instead try an approach that shows you understand and validate their fears.  for instance, "i know that thunderstorms can be scary because of all the noise.  would you like to cuddle and read a book/sing a song/watch a movie/pray together?"
• Turn to your faith.  if you are a family that practices a faith, pray together that you can hand your fears up to God.  A simple verse is "Don't be afraid for I am with you." Isaiah 41:10, NLT

these are just the approaches that i've used with Bear.  but i'd like to know:

how do you handle the fears of your child?

Resources

Parents.com: Top 10 Toddler Fears

Baby Center.com: Easing Your Preschooler's Fears

linked up here