Saturdays are for kids.

Think back. Have you tried to bring your kids out somewhere so they can have fun? I know, what an awesome fucking mom you are. You want to get out of the house and are really looking forward to bringing your kids some place so they can have an adventure. Maybe create memories, get some exercise, bond as a family, have seasonal or holiday traditions… whatever.

I mean sure, maybe getting out will be fun for you too but you’re really doing this for your kids. Like, I know I don’t need to spend the money but I want to do something for them.

Have you found yourself yelling at them to get ready?

Maybe threatening that you won’t go to this fun place?

Stressing out because no one is listening?

All the while here you are. Trying to bring these ungrateful bastards out so they can enjoy themselves. I don’t know about you but in my reality EVEN IF I didn’t yell, if I didn’t have to threaten to not bring them, if I didn’t get stressed out because everyone is listening (that’s probably never ever happened)… nine times out of ten I will be stressed out during said activity because these kids can’t get along, they hit each other or bicker, or they want everything and can’t appreciate the activity in itself.

Why do we do this to ourselves? I’m not the only one right? You’d think after this happening multiple times I would learn my lesson? Well I fucking don’t. Is this some sort of mother’s curse? I must’ve done this to my mom so now it’s my turn? Why can’t they just appreciate my generosity and enjoy the fun? Haha that’s a dumb question… I suppose because they’re kids.

Hmm, this seems like a vicious cycle I will have to endure until I watch it happen to them with their kids. For now, I suppose I will keep this insanity going because if I don’t…

1. we’ll never go anywhere or do anything. Which seems like the easy solution, but is it really?

2. I suppose after said activity, I do mostly remember only the fun moments of the day… after the stress has faded away.

3. Its a good excuse to have a drink afterwards.

Today’s inspiration for this post is brought to you by: me wanting to bring the kids pumpkin picking. It’s October and its almost Halloween. They ask “why can’t we do it tomorrow?” You know why, because mama doesn’t wanna leave the house on Sunday! She wants to stay in pajamas all day and drink coffee with no bra on.

Wish me luck as I force these kids out the door. Cheers!

I’m back, bitches!

Its been about six years since my last blog post. Wow. A lot has changed since. Back then I was a stay at home mom. Everything revolved around my kids, which honestly isn’t healthy for a mom. We need our own identity and to do the things that we love. Things that help us recharge our own batteries. Sure, my life still revolves around my kids, I live for those butt-heads. An important lesson I have learned in the last six years is… you need to know who you are. You need to figure out the things you love. The things that make you who you are. Sometimes when you learn new things about yourself, you grow and change.

In a way earlier blog post, I talked about my Dad committing suicide. That was a life changing (duh) moment for me. I realized life was short and unpredictable. It made me see the big picture and reevaluate some of the things I wanted from this life.

To make a long story super short- I now needed to find a job because I was a stay at home mom now going through a divorce. I needed to find a place to live all while trying to be a good mom to my kids. Stress levels were at an all time high and I sometimes felt like a bomb, ready to explode at any second. Sometimes I did.

Fast forward! It is 2017 and a long time friend of mine, turned boyfriend and I were moving in together. We had been together for 3 years. The kids adored him.

Fast forward! It is now 2020 and god damn what a year it has been! I don’t think there are many people who can say they have lived through 2020 without losing a loved one, losing their job, getting sick, etc. Anything heart breaking and we’ve all been touched by it this year.

This was an unplanned post. I guess a quick overview of the last six years for me. I left a lot of major details out but I plan to talk about some of them in upcoming posts.

I will say, I am a completely different person from when I created this blog. I’ve become stronger, smarter (or more of a sassy smart mouth.) I have felt loss and great love. I have learned and damn I’ve packed on a few pounds. My kids have grown also. Teaching and guiding them through this crazy life has been interesting and fun. I hope you stay tuned for more posts.

Quick side note: Facebook informed me that I created this blog on 10/18/2013. Today’s date, 10/17/2020. Coincidence? Nah.

Are You Ready?

In Fall of 2012 I started working out with a Mommy Boot Camp. It was amazing -us moms got a great workout in and the kids got to play together for an hour. I gained more insight on eating clean foods. I ate more fruits and veggies and cut down on sugar and processed foods. Because of this, I saw great changes in my body. Unfortunately, the boot camp dissolved and I found myself needing to work out. For me, its harder to eat clean when I’m not exercising. Needless to say, I fell off the wagon a bit. I searched and searched for a new workout group that would fit my needs aka would allow children to attend. I didn’t find any…

After months of doing nothing (can’t believe I went that long!!!) I started working out with another boot camp and got my eating back on track. As soon as I started working out again, a couple of my good friends became Beachbody coaches. They were seeing fast results and were in love with their new program. They were working out 25 minutes a day, 5 days a week AND never leaving their house. They also started drinking Shakeology along with their new fitness program. I was very curious about shakeology and got a packet to try out. I replaced breakfast with this shake and I immediately had a boost in energy. 10pm that night, I was still feeling good and would’ve worked out if it wasn’t so late. From then on, Beachbody was on my mind.

I am now a Beachbody coach and I am more then ready to start this fitness journey. I am doing a fitness program called Focus T25 and using the supplement Shakeology.

Are you ready for a change? Even with a busy schedule you can make it happen. 25 minutes a day, 5 days a week isn’t much. In a couple weeks I will be starting my first challenge group. There, we will be a group of people who do the same workouts and then support each other on our journey. We will help motivate each other and we can share our success together. Who doesn’t love working out with others? It will also help keep you consistent with working out. When you stop treating your workout as just something you’ll try to get around to, you’re much less likely to skip it.

Living healthy is a journey, you can’t make all these changes at once. Its a definite learning experience.

http://www.teambeachbody.com/my-profile

Spring Inspired Crafts

It’s easy to see that I am addicted to crafting. Walk in my house and there is painted canvases, foam stickers and painted ceramics everywhere. I’m going to be the little old lady with my own handmade nick-knacks. I won’t need to buy any! Here are a few fun crafts that I have done with my kids and with fellow moms. Hope you enjoy 🙂

Melted Crayon Art…super fun and can be addicting. There are many different ways to create a melted masterpiece. This is how I created mine.

Supplies

Crayons (Crayola melted better then RoseArt)

Canvas (You can keep it white or pre-paint it)

Glue Gun

Blow Dryer

Fake Flowers

Trash Bag

Burlap Ribbon

Steps

1.Choose the color crayons you want to work with.

2. Glue onto bottom of canvas. I glued only the bottom half of the crayons because I was afraid the blow dryer would re-heat the glue and make a mess.

3. Lay out a trash bag to keep your table or counter wax free.

4. Tilt the bottom part of your canvas up a bit. Point blow dryer at 2-3 crayons. Try to only point the blow dryer at the middle part of crayon to the tip. Hold there until the wax melts, it won’t long. Once the crayons start to melt tilt your canvas up more so it drips further. You can also use the blow dryer to push the wax further if you want it to reach the top of your canvas.

5. Repeat step four until all your crayons are melted and you’ve reached your desired look.

6. Let crayons and wax cool.

7. Hot glue fake flowers where you’d like.

8. Cut and glue burlap ribbon.

Coffee Filter Butterflies

Supplies

Paper Coffee Filters

Markers

Spray bottle filled with water

Pipe Cleaners

Glue Gun

Googly Eyes

Steps

1. Lay down some paper towels and color your coffee filter with markers.

2. Once colored, lightly spray where you’ve colored. The colors will run and almost look like tie dye.

3. Let dry.

4. Pinch center of coffee filter and fold like an accordion.

5. Wrap the middle part of your pipe cleaner around the pinched section of your coffee filter. Adjust pipe cleaner to make antennas.

6. Hot glue googly eyes onto base of pipe cleaner.

Thank you for sharing this craft Katie C.

Finger Print Flower

Supplies

Canvas (I painted mine yellow the night before)

Green Pipe Cleaner

Green Felt cut into two leaves.

Paint Color of your choice

Glue Gun

Steps

1. Hot glue your green pipe cleaner the the center of your canvas. Making sure the bottom of your pipe cleaner is close to the bottom of the canvas.

2. Dab one of your toddlers finger tips into the paint. Help guide their finger to the canvas. (You want to their finger prints to be parallel to the pipe cleaner, starting from the middle of the pipe cleaner going up.) Place their finger tip down beside the pipe cleaner. Continue this step until your child’s finger print goes up and around the pipe cleaner, ending in the middle.

3. Hot glue your green felt leaves at the bottom of the pipe cleaner.

Marshmallow Egg (Easter Inspired)

Supplies

Small Colored Marshmallows

Elmer’s Liquid Glue

Construction Paper

Sharpie

Steps

1. Draw an egg with sharpie.

2. Outline your egg with the liquid glue. Fill inside of your egg with glue or make a design with glue.

3. Start placing  your marshmallows onto wet glue.

4. Let dry and you’re done.

Thank you to Emily L. for sharing this fun and easy craft!

 

A Coping Tool

My Dad committed suicide April 26th, 2013. Typing that and then reading it… it still seems unreal. It’s been almost a year without my Dad, and what a freakin’ year it has been! I have gone through depression and I have gotten out of it. I have done a complete 360 as a person.There is a new me.

Last year I stumbled across the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s website. I saw that there were local chapters of grieving groups, a crisis hotline and more. I toyed with the thought of attending a few grief meetings. But I’m not big into crying, especially if it’s in front of other people. Never mind them being total strangers. The next thing I came across was the Out of the Darkness Walks. I was inspired to help and I immediately created Team LandShark. (my Dad’s favorite beer) I felt that creating a team was helping raise funds to help others in such a dark period, it was raising awareness and it was a tool to help me cope and grieve. Last year’s walk just so happened to be held in the town I live in, so I took that as a small positive sign. Our team surpassed our fundraising goal and the Merrimack Valley passed it’s overall goal also. It was a painful but proud day. You see all these people that have been affected and you hear stories. At the same time you’ve raised money and you’re keeping the spirit of your loved one going. My children don’t know the specifics about my Dad’s death and they won’t know until they’re way older. They understand that he’s gone and that we have walked for him. My kids are 3 and 4 so they most likely won’t remember many things about my Dad but with this walks I am also trying to give them a way to connect with him.

Nothing can bring my Dad back but if I can help one person cope with loss or help one person out of their darkness then that is enough.

Being a suicide survivor is a different type of grief. People die of natural causes, unfortunate accidents, etc. But when someone is in so much pain and they feel ending their life is the only way out, it disturbs you. Especially the person that has to find their loved one. You have all these questions that will never be answered. You wonder exactly what was torturing this person and you wonder how could this person do this? If you think about it, this person was in enough pain to end their life. I think that takes some big brass balls. I guess if you’re lucky one quick motion will end all of your pain. But it baffles me that someone can be so strong and determined to end their pain but they can’t be strong enough to reach out. They can’t voice their demons to friends and family. I have NEVER once thought that my Dad’s decision to end his life was selfish. I NEVER thought he was cowardly and took the easy way out. Maybe he thought he was helping everyone out. He obviously needed to do this for himself. Yes, that sounds selfish but if you don’t recognize your wants and needs first, in the long run you can’t do anything for anyone else. I believe he thought this was best for everyone. Unfortunately, he was very wrong.

My Dad and I went through a rough patch right before he took his life. Fortunately, we made up and were speaking again. I can’t imagine how much more guilt I would have felt if we weren’t talking and he died. Hug and kiss the ones you love. Forgive and forget if possible. You never truly know the demons someone is fighting with and when the last time you’ll see your friend or loved one is. You think you will always have time to make things right, but you don’t. I always thought there was time…..

It blows me away just how many people I know and know of that have committed suicide. Five isn’t a big number. But when you’re talking about people’s lives, five is too big of a number. If you’re reading this and want to lend a helping hand, visit my donation page. No amount of money is too small. If you are unable donate, search for Out of the Darkness Walks in your area and join a team.

 

http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=539160

Dear Human: You…

Dear Human: You’ve got it all wrong. You didn’t come here to master unconditional love. That is where you came from and where you’ll return. You came here to learn personal love. Universal love. Messy love. Sweaty love. Crazy love. Broken love. Whole love. Infused with divinity. Lived through the grace of stumbling. Demonstrated through the beauty of… messing up. Often. You didn’t come here to be perfect. You already are. You came here to be gorgeously human. Flawed and fabulous. And then to rise again into remembering.

Bucket List / 30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself

With the new year right around the corner, most of us look back at the current year and think about the positive and negative. What tragedies have we encountered and what could we improve on? At the end of every year people make resolutions to exercise and be healthier, be more forgiving and kind, work harder, people put themselves out there and as a result grow more. In the past I have found myself making the same old resolutions-eating better and exercising, be more positive and learn to be more patient. I feel like these resolutions last for a month or two then we slide back into old routine, what’s familiar to us.

2013 (well, 9 months of it) were pretty shitty. Yeah, I had some great moments and some fun. I did end up sticking to my fitness resolution and saw great results. Throughout the year I found myself growing and changing constantly, really being aware of my feelings and realizing I needed to improve and eliminate some things in my life to be truly happy. You have to constantly work on yourself, it can’t only be a resolution for the new year.

This past summer I did a lot of soul searching and found that I want to be a more adventurous person. I want to experience magnificent things with the people that really matter. I want to break out of my comfort zone. We only live once and I want to make that one time an extraordinary experience. In other words, I want to live the shit out of this life LOL To help accomplish some of these new goals and ways of living I created a bucket list for myself. I feel like narrowing down your goals can be the hardest part of a bucket list. Once everything is written down you can start putting the wheels in motion. I’m only 27, so I wasn’t going to create a bucket list that would span out the rest of my life but like everyone else money situations can put a damper on getting out and doing some things. From there I created my ‘Before 30 Bucket List.’

Before 30 Bucket List

1. Ride in a hot air balloon.

2. Swim with dolphins.

3. Zip Lining

4. Paddle Board

5. Hike Mt. Washington (NH)

6. New Years Eve in Times Square

7. Go to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

These aren’t ground breaking, earth shattering goals. They don’t have to be. Within three months of having my bucket list I did cross off one thing-I wanted to run a 5k and I actually ran two. The second one I ran by myself and doing that definitely took me out of my comfort zone. It was a great experience and I am so glad I went through with it! I am signed up for two more 5k’s in 2014 🙂

30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself

I came across this post this morning and it helped set the tone for the day. I wanted to include it in my Bucket List post because I feel it goes well with the theme of this post. It’s a way of life, not short term resolutions. As humans we all make mistakes, but it’s learning from those mistakes and staying on track which create a new way of living. Always be aware of how you feel and how you’re making other feel.

Written by marcandangel http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/12/11/30-things-to-stop-doing-to-yourself/

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you.  You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth.  And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.
2. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on.  No, it won’t be easy.  There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them.  We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems.  That’s not how we’re made.  In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall.  Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
3. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself.  Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves.  
4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.  Yes, help others; but help yourself too.  If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you likeeveryone else.  Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you.  Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
6. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.  Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.  You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us.  We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past.  But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future.  Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
9. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive.  But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.
10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either.  You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else.  
11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.  Evaluate situations and take decisive action.  You cannot change what you refuse to confront.  Making progress involves risk.  Period!  You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises.  Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.
13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely.  It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company.  There’s no need to rush.  If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet.  Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you.  But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.
15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others are doing better than you.  Concentrate on beating your own records every day.  Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.  Ask yourself this:  “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you.  You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough.  But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation.  So smile!  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart.  You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.  Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.”  It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.”  Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself!  And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too.  If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway.  Just do what you know in your heart is right.
21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it.  If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.  Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things.  The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done.  
24. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile.  Don’t take the easy way out.  Do something extraordinary.
25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while.  You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well.  You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears.  The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.
26. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life.  When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.
27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out.  But making one person smile CAN change the world.  Maybe not the whole world, but their world.  So narrow your focus.
28. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy.  One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time?  Three years?  Five years?”  If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.
29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen.  Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story.  If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.
30. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life.  Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs.  Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

Related articles

• Bucket List Quotes for 2014 and beyond (bogdanfiedur.info)
• 2014 Bucket List vs Resolutions (dietrying999.wordpress.com)

DIY Christmas Gift Ideas

There’s something to be said about handmade gifts. It’s the thought that counts, and there’s usually lots of thought put into gifts that are made by a friend or loved one. Another plus, sometimes DIY gifts are significantly less in price.

Mason Jar Snow Globes

I made a few mason jar snow globes last year. They came out awesome and are still going strong!

What you’ll need: Mason Jars, Glitter (color of your choice) Artificial Pine Garland, Hot Glue Gun, Pictures, Water, Decorative Ribbon (wrap around finished product)

1. Choose your picture(s). Go to your local Staples and have them laminated.

2. Cut each laminated picture. Make sure not to cut to close to the picture itself.

3. Glue your laminated picture to the jar cover. Let dry.

4. Choose the length of the garland and cut.

5. Glue your garland to the jar cover. (Be careful with the decorative items you put in your jar. I initially put artificial red berries in my jars and they quickly turned the water red.)

6. Let the glue dry over night.

7. Add water and the desired amount of glitter.

8. Screw your cover on. 

9. Add your decorative ribbon and DONE!

I recommend making your snow globes a few weeks before Christmas. This way you can keep an eye on them and make sure they stay intact before giving them to your friends and family. 

Cinnamon Scented Candles

Super easy gift to make and very inexpensive. I bought a big container of cinnamon sticks at The Christmas Tree Shop and vanilla candles at Michael’s. I put these in a gift basket last year. These candles will give off a yummy holiday scent 🙂

I have come across a couple other ways to make these scented candles. They say to use a glue gun. In my experience I found using a glue gun while assembling the craft makes life a little easier, but in the end I could smell glue and there was a melted mess.

What you’ll need: Candles, Cinnamon Sticks, Twine

1.Cut a piece of twine and tie it. I made sure the twine was a little bigger then the circumference of the candle.

2. Start filling the loose space with the cinnamon sticks. Once you get 6 or 7 cinnamon sticks around the candle, pull the twine on the opposite side of the candle. This will keep your cinnamon sticks in place. 

3. Add more cinnamon sticks, keeping a good pull on the twine. Add as many as you need until finished.

4. Light your candle and enjoy the holiday scent. 

Magic Reindeer Food

This is an easy and fun little gift for kids. Last year I hosted a Christmas party with our playgroup and as favors I made reindeer food for the kids. This little treat is to help Santa’s reindeer find their way to your house. Their noses pick up the scent of oats and cinnamon and the glitter shines in the moonlight. This is a nice little tradition you can start with your kids.

What you’ll need: Goodie Bags (I got ones with Santa on them) Oats, Glitter, Cinnamon and Sugar, Ribbon

1. Pour desired amount of each ingredient into your goodie bag. 

2. Print or hand write this poem and place inside goodie bag or attach to outside of goodie bag.

3. Tie festive ribbon around the top and done! Pretty easy 🙂

Fun & Easy Indoor Crafts (Fall)

There’s nothing like New England weather! Now that it’s becoming cold and getting darker earlier, I find us spending more time inside the house then outside. I try my best to keep the kids busy with things other then just tv. I would love to share some of my (and others) fall craft ideas that we have done.

Fall Inspired Sun Catchers

What you need: Contact Paper, Different color/style leaves.

1. Cut an equal amount of contact paper to your desired length and width.

2. Peel paper off and keep sticky side up. 

3. Place leaves on sticky side of contact paper until there is not much space left.

4. Peel paper off other piece of contact paper and (sticky side down) place contact paper over leaves. Make sure the corners match up. If not, you can cut the contact paper so there is no exposed stickiness. 

5. Hang on a window and enjoy.

(I’m not going to take the credit for this fall idea. Thank you for introducing this craft to me Katie C.)

 

Pumpkin Painting

It’s as simple as it sounds. This worked out great because my kids were too young to carve their pumpkins the first few years of life. At 4 and 2.5, they still seem to enjoy painting their pumpkins more then carving them. 

What you’ll need: Pumpkin (any size) Paint Brush, Halloween Themed Foam Stickers, Paint, (I used Crayola Washable Kid’s Paint w/Glitter from Michael’s) Pipe Cleaners, Colorful Puff Balls.

1. Start with your child painting their pumpkin. Make a design or just let them go at it.

2. Add Halloween foam stickers to desired areas.

3. Stick puff balls in wet paint so they stick.

4. You can stick the pipe cleaners into the pumpkin to make ears or wrap it around the pumpkin stem.

5. Let it dry and you’re done!

Hand Print Turkeys

This can get a little messy.

What you’ll need: Plain Scrapbook Paper, Red, Orange, Yellow, Brown and Green Felt, Brown, Red, Yellow, Orange and Green Paint, Paint Brush, Orange Sharpie, Glue Stick, Googly Eyes

1. Cut felt into small squares. Glue them to the paper, creating a border. 

2. Have your child spread their fingers. Paint your child’s thumb and palm brown.

3. Paint each remaining finger red, yellow, green and orange.

4. Slowly place your child’s hand on the paper, making a hand print.

5. Once the paint has dried-draw a beak and legs with your sharpie.

6. Glue the googly eye on and you’re done!

Egg Carton Caterpillars

What you’ll need: Empty Egg Carton, Paint, Paint Brushes, Glitter, Googly Eyes, Pipe Cleaners

1. Cut the lid off of an empty egg carton then discard.

2. Cut down the center off the bottom part of the carton, making two caterpillar bodies.

3. Make two holes at the head of the caterpillar and insert a pipe cleaner for antennae.

4. Paint the body.

5. Sprinkle with glitter.

6. Glue on googly eyes and done!

The Thankful Tree

Why not teach your little ones what it means to be thankful, not only because Thanksgiving is around the corner, but because they are lucky year round.

What you’ll need: Tall Vase, Small Tree Branches (from the store or from your backyard) Construction Paper, Sharpie/Pencil, Ribbon or String, Hole Punch

1. Place tree branches in vase.

2. Cut construction paper into leaves or your desired shape.

3. Have your child write (or write for them) what they are thankful for onto the leaf.

4. Punch a hole into the leaf and pull string/ribbon through and tie gently.

5. Have your child(ren) pick a branch and help them tie the ribbon to the branch.

There’s no set limit to how many leaves you can have. Maybe you’ll be surprised by how many things your kids are grateful for.

 Fall Wreath

What you’ll need: Cardboard, Glue, Leaves, Ribbon, Acorns

1. Collect fall leaves and acorns.

2. Cut a circle from your piece of cardboard. Cut a smaller circle in the center of your first circle.

3. Gently glue your autumn leaves and acorns all around the cardboard.

4. Tie ribbon around the cardboard wreath and hang.

 

 

Hallelujah For Playgroups!

“I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things… I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind.”

 

I worked part time after my daughter was born. My life consisted of working, being a mom and a housewife. When I wasn’t at work I was busy running errands for my family, going to Dr appts or spending quality time with my girl. We didn’t make many new friends.

After my son was born I became a full-time stay at home mom and I pretty much barricaded myself in our house. I was a breastfeeding mama and I had a really hard time with latching and what not, so I mostly pumped. I also had a rambunctious 17 month old daughter that I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to control while I sat and breastfed/pumped.

We went out for walks, played at local playgrounds and play places. But we were missing something big… friends. It’s hard being a SAHM and not having an outlet. Sure, I could talk to my husband and he could sense my loneliness and frustrations of being a mom 24/7, but it’s just not the same. Most importantly, my kids needed playmates. They needed to learn how to socialize and how to interact with other kids. The search for the right playgroup began.

I had no idea how to find a playgroup. I googled all different things and wasn’t finding anything that was right for us. Finally, after months had passed and I was sure there was nothing out there for me, I did one last search. Hallelujah!!! I came across this. There, I discovered all sorts of groups. Playgroups for kids, dog playgroups, Buddhist groups, networking groups, etc. There’s something for everyone. Plus, for a small fee, you can create your own group if you want to. I ended up coming across a group that was right in my town. 

 It’s been almost FOUR years that I have been a SAHM. I honestly don’t know how I would have made it this far without being part of a playgroup. When you’re a mom you question all sorts of things, “Did I discipline my child correctly, do other kids act like this, do other mom’s struggle with their child being picky with food?” After talking with many moms and finding out we all go through a lot of the same things, I knew for sure I wasn’t crazy. haha! You can learn so much from other mom’s parenting styles, you get awesome advice and tips from more experienced moms, all the while keeping your sanity by having adult conversations. I have learned so much from these great ladies! All the while your kids make friends and are learning themselves.

If you are a stay at home mom, part time or full time, I highly recommend finding a playgroup in your area. It sounds silly, but mine saved my sanity.

(The playgroup going on a hayride up to a pumpkin patch. October 2013)