Different Blog Website

So if I told any of you this blog address...

It has actual changed to......

busybliss.blogspot.com

WELCOME TO OUR BLOG!

We hope that this blog will be a place where FRIENDS can stay in touch and also a place for MOMS & WIVES to get lots of parenting ideas!  I will continually be posting things I have collected from other moms, classes, books, and websites.  Life is pretty crazy with a bunch of littles, but family life also holds the greatest joys and happiness!  You are welcome to share this blog with ANYONE you feel it may help.  And you are more than welcome to comment so we can all learn together!


Check out the "Ideas for Mom" and "Ideas for Wife" tabs since all these postings below are organized there.

The Best Thing You Can Do to Create FAMILY UNITY

Last weekend, I had one of the most life-changing, life-enriching experiences.  So my brother Steve’s in-laws, the Nelsons, happen to be in our ward currently and we have always been very close with this family.  Their roof was broken, it was raining, and they had to do an emergency roof repair in the middle of leaving for Canada for a daughter’s wedding.  So my brother Steve, being a contractor, dropped what he was doing and flew out to surprise them to help get the roof and all the inside damage repaired. 

We had just a few days to take off and put on an entire new roof, move all the furniture, and install new tiling and carpet through the house – and the Nelsons had no idea all of this was happening… only that a couple people would be working on the roof.  Quickly realizing we couldn’t possibly do this on our own, Steve began to ask for help.  It was so inspiring to see extended family members leave their current vacations and busy schedules to help their family who they greatly loved!  Word spread and everyone was eager to get involved.  As I pulled up just hours before the Nelsons arrived, I watched neighbors flooding from their houses as we all joined to work and serve together.   There was a spirit of excitement and great unity as we all hurried to get the house ready!!

This is an experience that I will never, ever forget!  Having five older brothers and the youngest brother being six years older than me, I always greatly admired my amazing brothers but saw them more as heroes than close friends.  We were never in the same stages growing up and I always longed to get to know them better.  Through all our late night laughing and daily working hard together this past weekend, I grew so close to my brother, and I learned an important lesson:

WORKING TOGETHER DOING HARD THINGS

and

MEANINGFULLY SERVING OTHERS TOGETHER

will bind your family to be closer to each other and closer to Christ more than almost any other activity.  Wow, I sure learned the power of WORK and SERVICE and will strive to make these things apart of our little growing family!  These two principles also help combat against selfishness and the sense of entitlement which plague our society.  These words, put into action, fill our lives with the Spirit of Christ and refine us into better people and stronger families!

   

Fun Activities for Baby

Click Here to check out BabyCenter's weekly activities for your baby's first year!

Click Here to see 20 fun, silly, development-boosting games to play with your baby!

Play Dough, Slime, & Puffy Paint Recipes

Homemade Play Dough 

2 cups of plain flour

2 cups of coloured water
1 Tbsp. of cooking oil

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1 cup of salt

Place all of the ingredients in a medium size or large pan. Cook slowly on medium-high and stir it until the playdough thickens. Keeps best in the fridge in plastic containers.

Slime #1 (from familyfun.com)
Glue
Borax
Food coloring
Water

Mix together ¾ c. warm water, 1 c. glue and several drops of food coloring in the first bowl. In the second bow., mix together 4 t. borax and 1 1/3 c. warm water. Pour the contents of the first bowl into the second, but don’t stir. Let it sit for 1 minute, then lift the now-congealed slime out of the bowl. To minimize accidents (can stick to certain fabrics), give each little monster a zip-loc bag to store it in. If slime is too sticky, add a little more borax. If slime is too slippery, add a little more white glue solution.

Slime #2

1 c. water

½ c. cornstarch

Food coloring

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add cornstarch, then food coloring while stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and cool to room temp.  This makes a messy slime that goes from liquid to solid, and is great fun to play with.

Puffy Paint 

Combine the following in a little bowl:
1 tablespoon self-raising flour
a few little drops of food colouring
1 tablespoon salt
Then add some water to make a nice smooth paste.
Paint away on a nice thick sheet of cardboard (use paint brushes or cottonballs).  Microwave the design on high for 15 - 30 seconds until the paint puffs and it's all nice and dry.

Drawing Dough (from familyfun.com
2/3 cup each of water, flour, and salt
Washable tempera paints
Squeeze bottles (at Michael's for $2 per 2-pack)

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the water, flour, and salt (the dough will be just barely pourable).  Divide the dough between two bowls and stir a few drops of washable tempera paint into each. Pour the dough into squeeze bottles. Protect your work surface, then have your artist create colorful designs on thick construction paper or card stock. Leave them flat to dry (drying times will vary depending on the dough's thickness).

Age-Appropiate Toys

AGE-APPROPRIATE TOYS

info from babycenter.com

Birth-3 months

In her first months, before she learns to grasp objects or sit up, your baby will most appreciate things she can look at and listen to. Her vision will be fuzzy at first and she'll fix on things that are about eight to 14 inches from her eyes. She's drawn to the human face — and can recognize yours at about 1 month — but she will also enjoy large pictures of faces. High-contrast patterns and bright colors captivate her because they're the easiest for her to see. She's already learned to appreciate sounds and soft music. Objects that move slowly and produce a gentle sound are far more interesting to her than those that are fixed and silent.

Examples: music, unbreakable mirror, soft books with east-to-see patterns, rattles attached to wrist or ankle, soft toys that make noise when pressed, mobile, YOU!

3-6 months

As he enters this stage, a baby discovers how much fun his own hands can be now that they're no longer clenched in a fist. He can suck his fingers, and use them to grasp a toy that has been placed in his hands. He has begun to reach for toys. He soon learns to pass a toy back and forth between his hands and rotate his wrist to inspect it from all sides, usually before popping it into his mouth. Make sure that all toys are safe for chewing! And never attach a toy to a crib or playpen with elastic/string, which could end up strangling or entrapping your baby. By 6 months your baby can probably sit up, giving him a new perspective on life and making him the center of his own clanging, colorful, ever-changing world.

Examples: activity center with dangling toys (you can also get some that hang across car seats/strollers), lightweight rattles (they love to make noise), soft stuffed animals (many babies start forming an attachment), squeaky rubber toys, board books, colorful teething rings,

6-9 months

Your baby's play is becoming much more vigorous. When she picks up a spoon now she bangs it against pots and pans, and she furiously rattles the bunch of keys she finds. She can now grab two toys at once and slam them together. But her movements are also becoming more precise; thanks to her growing dexterity, she can pick a raisin off the floor.  She is becoming aware that objects still exist even when she can no longer see or feel them. This means she'll miss a favorite stuffed animal if she can't see it, and try to search for it. It also means you can begin playing hide-and-seek games with objects. Hide her teddy bear while she's looking, and she'll find it right away — and be very proud she did. This is the age at which most babies go mobile. From sitting, it's a short developmental step to scooting around on her stomach, to rocking back and forth on her hands and knees, and then to crawling. By the time she's 8 months old she may be pulling herself up to a standing position and climbing your stairs. The following toys can help her explore her quickly developing senses.

Examples: lightweight balls (especially fabric ones), household items (like measuring cups/wooden spoons, Tupperware/etc), wood or soft blocks (stacking, filling a box, dumping are favorite activities), moving toys (sturdy cars to push around, toys that pop up when pushed), board books, toys which help her have fun practicing coordination – poking/twisting/squeezing/shaking/dropping/and opening things will fascinate her

9-12 months

By the time babies are 9 or 10 months old, they're usually able make their way around the room in some fashion — creeping, crawling, cruising (walking with the furniture's assistance). By 12 months, many babies have risen to their feet and can stand and even walk.  Your baby has started using objects as tools, pushing a ball with a stick or chasing the food around his plate with a spoon. He's also more interested in interactive games. Tickle him and let him tickle you back. Talk on the phone and then pass it off to him so he can babble, then hand it back to you for another round. His problem-solving skills are improving and now he'll take the lid off a clear container to get the toy he sees inside rather than trying to reach through it. And he's beginning to understand words and recognize the names of familiar objects. On all fours or on two feet, giddy with the freedom of movement and mobility, a baby at this age will want move, grab, and get to whatever used to be out of reach.

Examples: pail and shovel (love filing and dumping), blocks, books (especially ones which have flaps to open/textures to feel), toy telephone (love to imitate parents), balls, shape sorters, safe push toys

12-18 months

Your toddler is really taking off these days — and as you chase her little body down the street, you may miss the days before she learned to use her legs so well. "Active" is an apt way to describe her now, and she likes any toy or game that allows her to throw her whole self into it — balls, swings, and tiny climbing sets, to name a few. Her hands are becoming more coordinated, too, and she can now use toy sorters more efficiently, build even greater block towers, and scribble a drawing. Her play involves lots of experimentation, like "What happens if I drop this ball?" or "What happens if pull this lever?" She's very interested in the consequences of her actions, and because her memory isn't well developed she won't tire of repetition. Toddlers also like to try out what they see adults doing, so look for toys that imitate daily life.

Examples: scribbling with washable crayons on paper (by 16 months they mastered scribbling; try introducing it around 12 or 13 months),  large cardboard building bricks, heavily weighted push toys, toddlers love to sort/ stack/unsort/unstuck/and basically reorganize their lives, climbing, sliding, balls (this is the age when they can start practicing throwing/catching back and forth), ride-on toys like cars or little bikes, tool bench or toy kitchen to imitate adults, books (especially advanced picture books showing familiar objects/activities)

18-24 months

Your toddler is becoming more excited about independence but is constantly being reminded of her own limits. So while she insists on doing something "Myself!" one moment, the next might find her turning to you for help.
The way she learns what she can do is by getting her hands into everything. She fiddles with knobs, opens and shuts doors, flips light switches on and off. Toys with interlocking parts — pop-up toys, sorting toys, trucks with doors that open and shut, play kitchens with knobs and doors — can create endless opportunities for your child to explore, and push her limits. At this age, children learn best from unstructured play, so just make the toys available and off she'll go.

Examples: plastic eating/drinking/cooking toys for pretend play, miniature brooms/shopping carts/vacuum/kitchen, large and small blocks, toy instruments, train sets, puzzles

24-30 months

Your child is now 2, and has become even more assertive. But his defiance really results from the tug-of-war between his desire for independence and his continuing need for help. What he's doing — again and again — is testing his limits. Along with independence come expanded language skills. He can now speak in short sentences and has become more purposeful, telling you what he needs or wants. He is also beginning to understand abstract concepts. He can ask for more milk, and inquire about whether he can go to bed later. But he still doesn't understand what next month or next year means. He can form images in his mind, and organize his toys by size, or color, or shape. His memory is improving and he may be able to tell you at the end of the day what he had for lunch. A minority of 2-year-olds also know their colors and letters, and can count to 10. Toddlers are spirited folk, so look for toys and activities that give yours a way to channel his energy. Also look for toys that challenge his developing mind.

Examples: art supplies (inspire creativity), still loves balls/wheeled toys, now music inspires dancing/clapping/hopping/even shouting, try giving them percussive instruments to play the beat and experiment with different genres, dress-up clothes (pretend play takes off now), child-size household equipment, construction toys like giant Lego blocks, puzzles, other manipulatives like dolls to dress up (your child's new dexterity has opened up many new play possibilities)

30-36 months

By the time your child reaches his third birthday, he'll be ready for more challenging toys. After all, if he can put on his own T-shirt, wash and dry his own hands, and brush his own teeth, he can certainly manage blocks and even simple memory or board games. Most 3-year-olds can also draw a vertical line, which means now's the perfect time to open a display gallery on the refrigerator. At this age your child is a confident walker, runner, and jumper, and is likely able to balance on one foot for a second or more. That means it's time to let him play with scaled-down sports equipment. He may want to include other children in his games, and he'll really begin to notice and focus on other kids, which allows him to play more structured games. As he gets older, your toddler will become increasingly imaginative. He's no longer concerned just with his physical effect on the world and will start developing his own story lines, characters, plots, and adventures. Giving him clothes and props for pretend play — something as simple as a cardboard box can be a wagon, a spaceship, a fort, and so on — will help encourage this area of his development.   

Examples: beginning board and memory games, puzzles, kid-sized pots/dishes/pans, construction sets and especially blocks that lock together like Lego blocks, art kit (Kids this age like crayons, watercolors, clay, collage basics like magazines and newspapers, construction paper, and tempera and finger paints. Just make sure everything is washable and nontoxic.), outdoor equipment (he’ll love toys that let him test his newfound physical abilities so swings/plastic balls and bats/miniature basketballs and hoops/soft soccer balls/play golf sets), books (his language skills and vocab are getting more sophisticated and he’s starting to follow narratives and understand more complicated words and stories)

Exits & Entrances

Steve's good friend Frank is getting his PhD right now in Marriage and Family Life and he shared the importance of exits and entrances in your day-to-day marriage.

Frank's professor explained how whenever he would step through the door, their family dog would go crazy - running around in circles, barking loudly, jumping up and down - that dog was so eager and excited for him to come home!  In this professor's marriage they now have a joke about trying to "Beat the Dog," meaning they try to show even more excitement than the dog about each other's arrivals.

Some days I am watching the clock and so ready for Steve to come home and rescue me!  I often want to shove our cute kids into his arms and then fall down right there and crash on the ground.  But, we also want our husbands to be excited to come home and WE BOTH need a break!!

Focus for a week on becoming aware of what you do and say when your spouse is coming and going and try to do some special things for these important cross roads.  Here are some ideas:

• Give your spouse a hug and kiss as they walk out the door
• Put on some make-up and quickly fix your hair right before they get home
• Have a special treat or even sparkling apple cider for when he comes home one day
• When you meet up with your spouse after a long day, first encourage them to go for a run or do something that they personally enjoy to unwind!  I think you'll find that they will also want to later do the same for you.
• Imagine what your spouse's day must have been like and express appreciation for all they did
• Really any marriage ritual done continually, like praying each night together, forms commitment and provides identity to your marriage and relationship.  It shows the fruits of you placing your marriage relationship as highest priority.  

What are some things you do for your exits & entrances?  I'd love to add your ideas to the list!

FHE Ideas

We haven't always done Family Home Evening in the past since Brayden seemed really young, but I am so glad that we now have this tradition once a week.  These short yet fun moments we have together really do help us teach the gospel and have fun as a family. Something fun we have been doing lately is letting Brayer "lead" the song with a dry spaghetti stick!

Try using a certain blanket to lay out and sit on for each FHE!  Steve’s grandma made a pink silky baby blanket for Hailey and a boy silky one for Brayden.  So, Brayden gets all excited for the boys to sit on the blue and the girls to sit on the pink. 

1. keep it super simple/short,
2. make it tons of FUN,
3. and always have a little treat. 

Resources you can use for little children:

Pictures are always great to get little kids' attention. 

Since children learn best through repetition, we often review the lesson they learned in nursery.  

Find out what lesson your primary children are on, and talk about it the sunday prior to the lesson so they get more out of class. 

The Sharing Time manual has lessons for each week of the year which are pretty simple and full of great ideas to relate it to young kids.  Ask your primary president for a copy or look at it online. 

The current friend can also be an easy reference for a lesson topic.

Click here to check out the lds.org webpage on FHE ideas

Some FHE lessons we have done :

• God answers Nephi's prayer: show picture of Nephi building a boat.  Make boats out of tin foil and float in sink!
• Noah's Ark, Follow the Prophet: show picture of all the animals on Noah's boat.  Put all stuffed animals in a box for the pretend "boat."  You could even play rain noises!  Since Follow the Prophet and march around the room.
• I will be a Missionary someday: I had my son put on the "Elder" tag I quickly made and his tie while holding his scriptures.  We looked at pictures from Daddy's mission and talked about teaching people about "JeJe" and baptizing them in the "wawa."  Then we had the missionaries over for dinner that weekend.  Brayden wanted to wear his tie and tag again :).  
• Tithing: Have your kids earn 10 pennies somehow, help them fill out a tithing slip and give their penny to the Bishop the following Sunday.
• Brass Plates: I made our own brass plates by spray painting cardboard pieces gold and binding them with two rings.  Hide the "plates" and have them look for them just like Nephi.  Talk about how they too can "Go and Do" like Nephi... like go and do what Mommy says :).  My sister-in-law Brittany even made her boy an aluminum foil shield and sword!
• King Benjamin Tent: We put up our little tent and talked about how people stayed in their tents while listening to the prophet King Benjamin teach about serving others.  We made our own smores in the oven!  Brayden also likes to do this lesson where he stands on something tall for his "tower" then we build blocks to make a huge tower.  
• Good Samaritan: Last night we showed a picture of the Good Samaritan and then scratched each others' backs.  We could have also practiced putting bandages on each other and sharing with each other.
• Lehi's Dream: Have a string winding around leading to a "tree."  Have them follow the "iron rod" and eat some fruit at the tree.  Talk about how everything we do leads us to Jesus Christ.
• Premotal Life: Show a picture of our premortal life living with Heaven Father and Jesus.  Do the glove activity where you talk about how we lived as spirits and then came to earth and got a body.  
• The Creation: put in a bag "creation" items like leaves, branches, bag of dirt, flowers, cotton balls (clouds), flashlight (light), etc and have children pick out items one by one and talk about how Jesus made the world for us because he loves us.
• Prayer: show picture of Enos praying.  Color nursery page about prayers.  You could also make a bow and arrow (with cardboard, branch, string).  

What do you do for FHE?

Fun Finger Plays

I have loved going to our library's music time for babies/toddlers, but I can never seem to remember how all the songs go!  So I did lots of research and these are the best finger play songs I could find:

I got these songs from friends and family, my library, the Hennepin County Library on YouTube, and Dr.Jean on YouTube (she's fabulous, visit drjean.org and http://drjean.org/html/videoLinks.html).


I love how Dr. Jean explains the benefits of finger plays:

1. getting them ready to read
2. using oral language
3. auditory memory
4. developing immagination
5. small motor activities
6. children keep asking "again, again!"
7. and it is FUN!!

Overhearing Compliments

 You know how your eyes begin to sparkle and your ears intently listen when you overhear someone saying something nice about you?  Well I've started to tell "baby sister" things about Brayden when I know he can hear me.  I'll say things to Hailey like, "Did you know that your big brother loves to share and think of others?  Yesterday I was so happy to see him giving his snacks to his friends on the playground.... Brayden can teach you how to put your bowl in the sink when you are all done (trying to reinforce good behavior because he thinks chucking his food across the room is a fun game).... Brayden loves to read books and learn new things.... He wants to teach you everything because you two are best friends."

I can see him out of the corner of my eye and Brayden is completely beaming and grinning and I can hear him agree "yeah. oh yeah."  I sometimes use this technique to get him to do something I want like, "Hailey, did you know that Brayden is really good at putting the blocks away?!  I bet he can show you sometime."  And sure enough, he comes running over.

Man are those kids listening to EVERYTHING we say, especially when it is about them.  I also like to tell "Daddy" all about Brayden when I know he can overhear.  I think these sincere statements are affirming to their sense of belonging and identity.

Sleeping through the NIGHT!

Oh this is such a huge deal for all parents when their little one finally sleeps through the night!  And it seems to be a process that parents have to keeping coming back to as their children go through different stages.  There so much conflicting ideas out there on what to do and when to do it.  But, here has been our experience:

As far as worrying about if you should wake a newborn up in the middle of the night to nurse, most pediatricians say:  once they have regained all their birth weight back, you can wait to nurse until they wake up on their own during the night. (unless they are premature)

I ended up waiting until both of our kids were 8 months old to do a version of "cry it out."  We probably could have done it sooner, but I felt that our kids were too young previously, I didn't mind nursing once or twice during the night even though they probably didn't need it, and I just kept putting sleep training off with all the stuff we had going on like moving.  Once we were ready, here's what we did:

• We established a bedtime routine each night to help baby wind down and get drowsy
• We had to break the association between sleep-crutches and sleeping, so I didn't feed or rock baby to sleep
• Put baby down with lovey drowsy but awake
• The first night - after crying for 5 minutes I went in to quickly comfort and then walked out again.  Then I waited 10 and then another 20 minutes and so on until she had soothed herself to sleep.  I wonder if it's less confusing for them if you don't do in at all, but I wanted to be there.  
• The next night or two, just keeping lengthening how long you wait before quickly reassuring.  
• It took 2-3 nights and we had a baby sleeping through the night!
• It's hard but remind yourself that you can do hard things, your baby can do hard things, and you are teaching her sleep skills which will improve her overall health and happiness.  Put on a good movie if it helps you.  I'll admit with Brayden I was crying through "Finding Nemo" :)
• When they would wake up once in the middle of the night, we did the same "cry it out" method - actually I don't think we even went in the room.  I had a video monitor which I am so grateful for!

Many authors of sleep books recommend starting certain techniques from a very early age which naturally help babies into a good routine.  I know parents who have used these ideas below and it really helped their children to continuously lengthen their night time stretches.  

• Click Here for my notes on the book "Baby Wise"
• Click Here for my notes on the book "The Baby Whisperer"
• Many pediatricians I have spoken with suggest waiting until 4-6 months before trying to do sleep training, meaning like "cry it out"

Sleeping at Different Stages

I like some of the ideas in the book "Good Night, Sleep Tight" by Kim West.  She talks about sleep issues for each stage of your baby/toddler's development.  Here's word-for-word a quick look at each stage:  (read the book for more detailed info and solutions)

THE FIRST MONTH (0-4 WEEKS):
"For the first week, babies typically sleep a total of sixteen to eighteen hours, about half during the night and half spread out over four daytime naps.  By the end of the first month, they sleep an average of fifteen and a half to seventeen hours total, about eight and a half to ten hours at night and six to seven hours during the day spread over three to four naps.  They will still wake up two or three times at night for feedings but should go back to sleep quickly."


THE SECOND MONTH (4-8 WEEKS):
"Babies sleep on average fifteen and a half to seventeen hours total, eight and a half to ten hours at night and six to seven hours during the day, spread over three or four naps.  Some will now wake only once a night to be fed, although others will still need two overnight feedings for a few more weeks."


THE THIRD MONTH (8-12 WEEKS):
"Babies this age on average need fifteen hours of sleep, ten at night and five spread out over three daytime naps.  Many babies can sleep six to eight hours at a stretch before needing a night feeding.  By the end of the month, most should sleep eight hours uninterrupted" [wow, that seems really generous to me, but awesome if that's really the case!]


THE FOURTH AND FIFTH MONTHS:
"At four months babies should be able to sleep about eight hours at night without a feeding, and by five months they go for about ten or eleven hours.  They sleep four to five hours during the day, spread out over three naps."

SIX TO EIGHT MONTHS:
"At this age, babies need an average of eleven hours of uninterrupted nighttime sleep and three and a half hours of daytime naps spread over two to three naps." [It wasn't until 8 months that we did a "cry it out" method and got both our babies to sleep through the night.  So, if your baby isn't quite there yet, there is still hope!]
*Separation anxiety has its first peak at this age and it increases when babies are overtired.
*A lovey (stuffed animal or blanket) can be a useful tool to ease separation anxiety and weaken other sleep-disrupting nighttime habits.
*Babies increased mobility at this age can cause some new sleep problems.
*A good schedule or routine can transform a tired and fussy baby into a rested and contented one.  I don't recommend completely rigid schedules, but I do recommend devoting a few weeks to really focusing on your child's sleep.
*At this age you should usually allow 20-30 minutes [of the bedtime routine] plus whatever time you need for bathing and pajamas.  [We started this process a little after 6ish for bath, bottle, book, song to our baby to be ready to lay down drowsy but awake at around 7ish]
*[To eliminate a nighttime feeding, try a] dream feed, which means you wake her for a final feeding before your own bedtime, probably around 11:00pm.  Or you can wait until she wakes up, as long as it's at least eight hours after her last feeding, which usually means around 3 or 4am.  But be consistent with one approach and stick to it.  And only feed her once at night, and not again until at least 6:00am.  If she wakes wanting food at a time you don't plan on feeding her, find other ways of soothing her.  Click Here to see how we got our kids to sleep through the night.
*Many of us walk or rock our newborns to sleep... but if your child is six months or older it may be time to phase it out.  [Read the book for more details.]
*[She also has sections on pacifiers, early birds, co-sleeping, and napping.]

NINE TO TWELVE MONTHS:
"Babies at this age on average need eleven hours of sleep at night and three during the day.  At nine months, babies should nap for about and hour and a half in the morning and about one and a half to two hours in the afternoon.  Most have given up that brief, third late-afternoon nap.  By twelve months, the morning nap is about an hour and the afternoon nap is about an hour and a half."


THIRTEEN TO EIGHTEEN MONTHS:
"At this age toddlers need an average of eleven and a quarter hours of uninterrupted sleep at night and two and a quarter to two and a half hours during the day.  Children at the younger end of this age bracket take two naps, in the morning and afternoon, but by eighteen months they consolidate to one midday or afternoon nap."  [When Brayden was 15 months old he was in the awkward stage where some days he would take 1 nap and other days 2 naps]

ONE AND A HALF TO TWO AND A HALF YEARS OLD:
An eighteen-month-old on average sleeps eleven and a quarter hours at night and two and a quarter hours during one midday or afternoon nap.  At age two, sleep requirements drop to eleven hours at night and two during the day.  Over the next year that will drop to ten and a half hours at night and one and a half during the day.  Remember these are averages but variations should not be huge.  Watch your child's daytime behavior for clues to whether he or she needs more sleep.

TWO AND A HALF TO FIVE YEARS OLD:
Between ages two and three, average sleep needs drop to about ten and a half hours a night [my 2 1/2 year old still sleeps 12 hours at night and about 2 hours during his nap], plus an hour-and-a-half afternoon nap.  Four-year-olds need eleven and a half hours at night, and most no longer nap daily although they do need about forty-five minutes of quiet time each afternoon and possibly and occasional nap.  Five-year-olds sleep about eleven hours a night and afternoon quiet time is still beneficial.

Letter Associations

My good friend Becky teaches Kindergarten, and I went in one day to volunteer just for fun... and I also picked up on some great ideas.  She played this song and they add did actions to it...

Another example is...

The 5 year olds totally loved it!  So, I started teaching my 18-month-old to associate a written letter with a certain word.  I had a white board on the fridge right across from his highchair.  So, during meals I'd write letters and we'd work on it.  We started with one letter and slowly added more and more until he could do this...

Type Away

Recently, Brayden really likes to type letters on the keyboard and watch them show up on the screen.  We can talk about what each letter sounds like.  Or, I can ask, "Can you find the letter M?"  or "What letter sounds like Mama?"  or "How old will you be when you go to school?"  This teaches them about letters & numbers and it helps him feel like a big boy :)

Stories Come to Life

Since little kids learn best by DOING, then try to act out stories as you read!  

 I love the book "Clap Your Hands" by Cauley since you can easily do everything you read.

 I adore Karen Katz books.  One time while reading "Grandma & Me" we baked cookies in the oven!

 While reading the "Daddy & Me" book I pull out Brayden's toolbox and have him find each of the tools on each page.  One day we made the little "dog house" out of a shoebox and decorated it.

These books are great to follow and act out in read life.  This is just really fun and also helps their comprehension.

Letter of the Week

I have been teaching Brayden a different letter for each week!  Well I do it for a couple weeks, take a break, and start it up again.  I'm just now on "C" and I started this over a month ago :).  During "C Week" for example, I pin up "C" on our bulletin board.

We do a "letter bag" where I pin the letter C on a fun gift bag and fill it with things like... Car, Candy, Cottonball, Crayon, Cat... so he learns different words that start with that letter.

 I check out lots of books from the library whose titles have the letter C.  Or, I just get out books we already have.

• Click Here to Download Letters
• Spend $2 at the dollar store buying 2 things that start with the letter C.
• Practice writing that letter on a white board/paper and shaping the letter with play dough/string/beads
• Display the books on these fun rain gutter book shelves... Click Here
• Point out the Letter of the Week as you see it around town.
• For "B" week, make Bread together.  For "C" week, make Cupcakes!

Forts & Flashlights

Brayden has loved making forts ... out of big boxes, blankets, cushions,... grabbing our head lights, and gathering tons of books and pillows to read together.  Just changing the scene can make reading so much fun!  We even sometimes bring little snacks in there, and he also enjoys coloring the big cardboard box to make it his own.

Blessings of FAMILY WORK

In my very favorite BYU Family Life class we read an article entitled "Family Work" by Kathleen Bahr & Cheri Loveless.  It has forever stuck with me.  Many times the feeding, cleaning, and nurturing of family work can seem so mundane and ordinary, but here is what they proclaim as the blessings of working together as a family:


CONNECTING: Chores often require little mental concentration leaving our minds free to focus on one another as we work together.  I love going to my in-laws and working side by side in the kitchen because we bond together as we talk, laugh, and share.

CONTRIBUTE: Because household work is often menial, even the smallest child can make a meaningful contribution.  Give kids OWNERSHIP by showing them you "need" their help and even labeling your child's name on their own scrub brush or broom or gloves.  Brayden loves to stand on my bathroom sink and try to "help" wipe it with windex.  He could stand at that kitchen sink for hours "helping" me wash the dishes.  He's ecstatic about having his very own kitchen drawer full of his own cleaning tools like his toy knife that he gets out to help me scrap junk off the floor.  We've got to involve them in tons of cleaning while they still think it is so cool to be just like mom and dad!


DISCUSSING DIFFICULT TOPICS: Working side by side tends to dissolve feelings of hierarchy, making it easier for children to discuss topics of concern with their parents. I know one mom who noticed one of her sons was quiet at the dinner table, so as they were finishing up she asked that he help her with the dishes.  He was able to open up about his day as they worked and talked one-on-one.  Family work invites intimate conversation between parent and child.


REPETITION BRINGS US TOGETHER: One frustrating quality of family work is that almost as quickly as it is done, it must be redone.  Dust gathers, dirt accumulates, beds get messed up, children get hungry and dirty, meals are eaten, clothes become soiled.  The work is never done.  However, each rendering of a repetitive task is a new invitation for all to enter the family circle and create a sense of belonging and identity.  Forging family ties and identity is built moment by moment amidst the talking and teasing, the singing and storytelling, and even the quarreling and anguish that may attend such work sessions.


A CALL TO ENACT LOVE: Family work provides opportunities for us to show our love to our family.  My brother-in-law Joe said of his sweet wife, "Every time I bite into one of Kristin's meals, I fall in love with her all over again!"  Meeting our family's needs shows them that we love and care for them.


God gave us WORK as A LINK TO ONE ANOTHER, as a LINK TO HIM, as a stepping stone toward salvation.  Working together (as a family and with God) has the power to transform our very natures.  Christ chose the washing of the feet - a task ordinarily done in His time by the most humble of servants.  When Peter objected, Christ made clear the importance of participating and serving: "If I wash thee not, thou has no part with me."  Spiritually, we sacrifice our pride and invite God to wash our own souls from sin.  So to in our families, we become one as we work together.

Cooking Survival

This was taken when we were engaged back in the day!

Here's my sad face after spending way too long on split pea soup to accidentally add 2 whole tablespoons of salt rather than 2 teaspoons.  I had to pour it down the drain, and I quickly learned my lesson :)

If you clicked on this to get answers from someone who always has a complete, healthy, yummy dinner on the table each night you have come to the wrong place!  But, I do think learning to cook for our families is an important skill … one which is developing still through much trial and error.   It’s tricky to figure out how to cook on a student budget, how to get your kids to eat new things, how to find the right recipes, how to find the time to make the meal, and then how to face the mounds of dishes cooking creates afterwards!  Even with all this craziness, I keep on trying.  I really do enjoy the idea of cooking and how it can be a form of art, but more than that, I enjoy even more the look on my husband’s face when he bites into something delicious.  Doesn’t always happen, but it is a thrill for me.  Here are some ideas that have helped me survive in the kitchen:

• Over the last 3 years of marriage I think I have at least improved as a cook mostly just by trying and failing through lots of different recipes.  Ask tons of other moms for their tried and true recipes.  Click my “recipes” tab to view a growing list of our favorites. 
• Cook up tons of chicken breasts, take off all the yucky parts, cube them, and store them in 2 cup measurments in the freezer.  This saves so much time as you just throw in the defrosted chicken into soups and enchiladas and such.  We’ve also done this to hamberger and even thrown in taco seasoning at times before freezing.  We don’t really eat red meat much anymore.
• Plan ahead of time!  Wow, this really does make all the difference if I will just take the time on the weekend to plan what meals I’m going to make that upcoming week so I can go grocery shopping. 
• Prepare foods in advance.  Sometimes I’ll make homemade lasagna the night before or a casserole in the morning so I can just pop it in the oven that night.  Or other times I’ll do some possible prep work the morning like chopping up carrots, making a roux, or knead pizza dough that you can throw in the fridge and pull out later to rise.
• The freezer has become my friend.  I’ve made lots of homemade guacamole when ingredients were on sale and then froze portions to quickly use later.  Diced onions also freeze well and save a lot of time and mess later.
• Growing your food storage.  Stocking up on often used cooking items when on sale has saved me so many times when I thought I might be out of something. 
• Some moms I know plan out the whole month’s meals at a time.  They assign each day to a different genre of foods like one night for Italian, Mexican, Crock-pot, Soups, etc to help add variety.  With this system, it gives them the framework to easily plug in meals and gather recipes.  When doing any planning, you quickly learn to be flexible but it really does help to have some kind of plan.
• I assume all moms have their quick staple meals they can whip out in minutes.  Many times we as moms are on the go or busy raising our families that we forget about dinner.  We often resort to grilled cheese (the tomato basil soup from Costco compliments this well), cheese quesadillas (with Lipton's Spanish rice side and guacamole if we're lucky), soups, and spaghetti.  Oh you've got to try our homemade oatmeal/whole wheat pancakes (many moms tell me these completely ruin them because they never can have a regular pancake ever again!  We whip up tons of pancake mix ahead of time and then throw in the liquid ingredients for a quick, yummy, healthy meal.  We probably eat this severals time each week).  What are your staple meals?!  
• If you have a hard time getting in your vegetables (or knowing how to cook them), click here to read about juicing!   
• Just the thought of coupons stresses me out, so I’ve learned to price-match at Wal-Mart instead!  This has saved us so much money.  Plus, you turn into a savvy shopper as you start to recognize what is a great deal.  Maybe I'm supporting a giant monopoly, but they do have low prices so that works for us.  All I do is go through our local grocery stores' ads online and write down the “price-match” as I write out our grocery list.  For example, next to onions I may write 33 cents a pound or fresh Tyson chicken for $1.50 a pound or a certain cereal for $1.50 each.   Then as you go through the Wal-Mart check-out (yes it is sometimes long) you just name the price and they quickly change it for you.  Generally, they are supposed to trust their customer’s word but stay clear from the old ladies.  They tend to give you a hard time.  Just make sure it’s from the current ads, it’s the correct size, and if a generic brand is on sale at a certain store than you can just get the “Great Value” brand at Wal-Mart for that price. Happy Shopping!

Feel free to share some of your cooking survival tips and I’ll add them to this list!!

Atrophy of the Brain

The day-to-day work of maintaining a home and taking care of all your littles can be so physically exhausting.  Or course we LOVE being a mommy and cherish those cute cubby cheeks and absolutely adore playing with our children.  But, we also know how taxing this work can be.  And, sometimes you feel so distanced from other adults and the outside world.  I really don’t want my brain to waste away :)  Sure our husbands love to hear about all the cute things the kids did that day … but I think they also appreciate having someone to chat with about the current issues of the day or having a companion with whom they can really learn and grow. 

We all need intellectual stimulation and adult connections.  We just have to creatively carve out time to make that happen. Here are some things I’ve tried:

• download some books on mp3 or great talks on your ipod and listen while attacking the mounds of dishes
• always carry a good book with you wherever you go.  You’ll be surprised and how many pages you can read here and there.
• once I subscribed to the Wall Street Journal newspaper so I had something tangible to peak out throughout the week.  I love how this newspaper has an easy read column to quickly catch you up on world and us events. 
• once I printed out colored maps of the united states, the world, favorite quotes, scriptures and laminated them to post on our shower wall.  You might as well have something fun to learn about while you wash your hair! 
• get a healthy dose of curiosity!  My husband is so good at researching things he is randomly interested in.  Like just the other night we were talking about the upcoming presidential election and we hoped online together and looked up some things in mid-conversation!  Steve wanted to find out exactly how the Senate and House worked.  I love how curious that boy is.
• Find things you are interested in and learn about them!  I enjoy going to the library and picking up children's books about various subjects.  Brayden enjoys them and I also can flip through and learn cool things too – like books about the ocean, dinosaurs, automobiles, animals, whatever!
• I love getting together with other mommies to do stuff with our kids.  Our little ones love to play with friends and go fun places, and it gives the moms time to connect about what they are going through.  Networking with other moms is so vital to our survival! 
• For a while I had one goal to learn one new thing every day.  With the craziness of tending little kids, this seemed realistic to me and motivated me to research one thing I was curious about.  My sister-in-law Tiffany has two goals a day: 1. learn one new thing  2. reach out and serve one person

Let me know if you’ve found any ways to combat atrophy of your brain, and I can add them to the list! 

"Love Journal"

Click here if you want to read about journaling for your kids.

When we were engaged, my sister-in-law Britt suggested that we have a special couple journal where we can write each other little notes and keep a fun record of our marriage.  So, we are still filling up that book I bought 3 years ago :), but it is such a precious treasure to me!  Sometimes for Mother’s Day or my birthday, I’ll find a surprise note from Steve.  Every now and then I'll get it out as we're brainstorming what we want to do for summer or some of our dreams.  It’s also a place where I paste in little memories – like one page of notes Steve took at the pre-birthing class I enrolled us in … or parts of the “Christmas Countdown” I did where I numbered each day of December and put on the back something I love about Steve and one fun thing we could do that night … or the cute and supportive note he wrote to me my first day alone with our toddler and new born babe!  Sometimes I write my latest thoughts about life or glue in some recent pictures. 

The key is to have this “Love Journal” out somewhere where you can easily see it and access it.  And, I have a spot right next to the journal where I can stack letters and memorabilia that I want to later paste in.  I already love to look through it and I think our kids will also enjoy it someday!  So…

Pick a book
Have it out
Make a stash nearby
And paste it in or write when you can!

Date Night Ideas!

I'll admit that I can count on one hand the times we've gotten a babysitter for our littles and gone out just the two of us.  With nursing and having little babies who crawl and stuff everything in their mouths, I find it hard to leave them with other people.  But I will also admit that the times Steve's mom has been so gracious to watch the kiddos - they have been some of our most special memories!  Every couple needs time to re-connect and to remember what they used to love to do together.  Once when Steve and I went rock-climbing, my Mother-in-Law suggested that we try to talk about the kids only 50% of the time :).  After we hit the rock, we actually walked hand and hand into Cafe Rio to actually enjoy a meal in a real restaurant!  Yes you can tell we probably need to get away more.  But I was seriously twitterpated with sparkly eyes and a slight hop in my step.... and with a very large tummy since Hailey was almost here!  I fell completely in love with my husband all over again.

I think having a date night can be at home when the kids are finally asleep.  The key is to make it a priority and make it happen.  I don't really expect for us to have a big deal date every weekend, but I think it's important to try to plan ahead and do something fun!

Many of my brothers and their wives make an effort to have a getaway overnight at least once or twice a year.  Some of them totally surprise their spouse, make all necessary arrangements, and just whisk them away!  I think this is really healthy when possible, and it's something I'd like to do someday!

Here's a list I put together of date ideas. Some of these are mega cheesy ones I got from www.thedatingdivas.com but you can make it simple and fun and fit your personalities.  Steve and I have loved the "travel from your home" idea.  My husband is a history major and I love learning about different cultures.  Since we don't have the money to really travel, once we "went" to France where I put out grape juice, cheeses, and fruits, put up pictures of Paris, watched a little youtube video about the country, learned lots of interesting facts, and then danced to French accordion music! Another thing we love to do is look through home magazines and dream about what we like/dislike and what we want our future home to be like.  We've also liked reading one of the Classics together.  I think we only got half way through, but it sure was fun to try :).  Enjoy doing something fun with your spouse this weekend!

Indoor Picnic: Have a picnic on the floor with blanket, lit candles, and maybe even play a CD of ocean sounds!  Since you’ll be indoors, try making hamburgers or grilling chicken.  End with playing a card game or other game like Yatzee.

Dessert for Two:  Make a homemade dessert together and eat it while watching a movie (with popcorn too of course and a yummy drink). 

At-home Spa Date: Give each other relaxing massages while playing beautiful/ classical music.  The wife could give her husband a full out pedicure and he could “try” to paint her nails.  Put on facemask treatments – basically use whatever “spa” items you have.  Eat yummy finger foods and appetizers. 

Dancing at Home:  Rent a movie from your local library that teaches you step by step how to dance together.  Or, just look up a tutorial video on youtube.  Country or ballroom dancing moves could be fun to learn!

Trip to DI: Go to Deseret Industries each with a certain amount of cash (like $5 each) and secretly buy a gift for each other.  It’s also fun just to browse the store together. 

Cuddle Up & Read: Choose a book to start reading together – like maybe a little each night. 

Recreate your First Date:  What were you wearing?  Where did you go?  What did you do or talk about?  You could even try to recreate in your very home.

Musical Night: Find out when a local high school is putting on their musical production or attend a low-cost concert open to the public. 

Git Fit: Exercise to a work-out video together. Then enjoy a protein shake or fruit smoothie afterwards.

Dream House: Sketch your dream-house floor plan and talk about the possibilities of each room.

Winter Snowman: Build a snowman together, then enjoy hot cocoa.

Spouse Sleepover:  Drag your mattress or air mattress into the family room.  Have treats, games, movies, and drinks just like you used to do when you were little.  For the game you could play “Cheez-it Scrabble” – the crackers each have a letter on them.  Wake up to breakfast in bed! 

“Pep Rally” Date: Have pizza and appetizers, listen to jock jams to pump you up, wear the school’s colors, and go to a local high school’s sporting event. 

Make life lists: A life list is when you sit down and brainstorm all of the things that you've never done which you'd like to do before you die. Things on the list can be as mundane and extraordinary as you want. Make your life lists separately and then share them; you'll be amazed how much you find out about each other.

Make Summer Plans: Plan where you want to travel and explore this spring/summer.  You could even buy your state map and mark where you’ve been and where you want to go.   Make sure you save your list!

Back to the ‘50s Date: Turn your kichen into a diner with burgers, fries, and shakes/malts.  You could even have a babble gum blowing contest and dance to ‘50s music.

Travel from your Home:  This fun date night can be done multiple times with different countries you are interested in.  All dates could include eating food from that country, learning interesting facts about the country, watching a movie based there or about it, printing off some pictures, watching a short youtube tour of that country or famous city, and maybe even dancing to their music!  It’s so fun to learn about different places!  Some examples would be:

Italy – homemade pizzas, play Andre Bocelli music, painting or making play dough sculptures

France – French bread, cheese, fruit, and sparkling apple juice, watching Ratatouille, dancing to French accordian music

Indoor Campout: When it’s too cold to campout, enjoy making tin foil dinners in the oven followed by making smores (with your oven broiler)!  If you’d like, you can go all out with the air mattress, glow in the dark stars, reading a book together, and burn a CD of outdoor noises for fun.

Dollar Date: Go to the dollar store and both spouses get to pick out one thing (and perhaps children).  Go to a fast food restaurant and order items from the dollar menu.  Then go to the dollar movies!



What have been some of your favorite dates?!