Happy Mother's Day Giveaway & Review {Book: Parenting with Scripture}

I'm not sure if I have mentioned here before that I am starting to introduce Bug to scripture. I wasn't really sure where to start or how to go about it. Then I got the opportunity to review the book Parenting with Scripture. 

This book is a great resource for helping children connect with the words in the Bible. It's not the kind of book you read from cover to cover. There is an alphabetical index of topics so you can refer to it whenever you are ready for it. What I love the most about this book is with each topic there are several passages from the Bible plus conversation starters & questions, and ways to take action. Some topics even have parenting tips! At the end there is a scripture appendix and tips for memorization & praying with your children from young children to older children. 

I have been using this book as a guide for teaching Bug about scripture. Some of the questions and conversation starters are a little too complex for a toddler, but I use them as a general guide of how to talk to her about each topic. It really has been a great resource, even for myself at times. 

More about the book:

This book is an easy to use topical resource for parents of toddlers through teens to use for those teachable moments as they arise. Use this book as a resource to teach children how to think and apply God's Word in daily life. There are 101 topics that address behavior, attitude, emotions & actions. 

You can purchase this book here at Moody Publishers. {It's even available for the Kindle!}

As a Mother's Day gift you have the chance to win Parenting with Scripture!

Just enter by using the Rafflecopter form below. Be sure to read all rules and details.

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12 Free Places to Take Your Children

Now that the weather is getting nicer I'm sure everyone is itching to get out of the house! Here are a list of some free places to take the kiddos when the backyard just won't do.

1. Library: Take a ride to your local library and read! Some libraries have play toys in the children's section and offer classes for you and your child to attend for free!

2. Park: Visit your local park {or try a new park} to play! Some other things to do while you're there: fly a kite, bring a picnic, bring a ball, play tag, Frisbee, etc. The possibilities are endless!

3. Farm: We are lucky enough to have an Ecology Center close by which is free for the public! There are animals to see {& some to feed}, a park, a trail, and a garden center to explore while there. We try to go at least once a month in the warm weather.

4. Lake:  Take a ride to a nearby lake. Bring some bread for the ducks/geese, bring binoculars to look at boats or people out on the water, bring a magnifying glass to find treasures {if your lake has a beach} or to look for fish, etc.

5. Museum: Some local museums may be free or hold free tours for children. Look up some local museums and give them a call if you can't find any info online.

6. Festival: See if there are any free town festivals in the area.

7. Mall Events: Check out your local mall to see if there will be any character visits or events held. Ours is having a Dr. Seuss event soon! We can't wait to go!

8. Water Park: Not as in an amusement park. There is a park about 25 minutes from us that has a gated water section full of sprinklers and fountains for the kids! It's free and it's fun!

9. Visit a Friend: Make a play date with a friend. It's fun for mommy {&/or daddy} and child!

10. Church/Town Event: Check your town or church events. Some of our church events are to raise money, but sometimes there are free ones too!

11. Craft Store Class: Some craft stores {such as Michaels} have craft classes for children that are free {I believe it's for ages 3+}! Go to their website and click on Store Events for more info or you can just give your local store a call.

12. Do Some Good: Sign up for a walk to raise money for a cause, bring someone a dish or flowers if you know they are ill, check with a nursing home or hospital if they take young volunteers for visits, take your child to drop off a donation at a good will or food pantry. 

If you have any other ideas I'd love for you to share! Have fun!

You might find me over at some of these link parties.

Sharing on:

 Come join the discussion!

Come & Play Outside

There is a new tab up top called Come & Play Outside. It is an ongoing link party to share your outdoor play ideas and inspire us all to be active and spend more time outside this year.

As I have mentioned before, I was recently reading one of my favorite blogs {I Can Teach My Child} when I read Jeane's post about The 15 Minutes Ouside Challenge. That's where I found out about the book "15 Minutes Ouside" by Rebecca P. Cohen. 

 The book is $10.19 on amazon.com and if you have a Kindle or a Kindle app on your desktop or phone you can get this e-book for only $1.99! Score! 

This was one of our new years resolutions. We have been getting outside for 15 minutes each day and loving it! You can also check out my Come & Play Outside Pinterest Board for ideas! You can also visit my Facebook page to see our photos of our time outside {and feel free to post yours on the wall}.

I'd love to encourage you all to take this challenge and link up your  
outside play ideas so we can all be inspired. 
 {link up as many posts as you'd like as long as they are about outdoor play}

This will be an ongoing link party. Grab a button and share with your friends.

<a border="0" href="http://tutusandteaparties.blogspot.com/p/come-play-outside.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6617115159_cbd068d4b0_m.jpg" width="125" height="125" alt="Button" /></a>

Oh Me, Oh My. What'll I Do? {Advice Please: losing the binky...and my mind}

 {source}

As I sit here writing this post my 2 1/2 year old, binky-less toddler is wide awake making me some peas in her play kitchen...at 11:30pm! I am in some serious need of advice! Here's the whole background shabang:

We live {and always have lived} in a one bedroom apartment. When Bug was a baby we used to rock her to sleep {for almost a year} before deciding we needed to suck it up and get her to learn how to fall asleep on her own. After a week of screaming crying every night she was finally able to go to sleep in her crib on her own {with her binky}. Ever since then she takes literally 5 minutes to fall asleep...sa-weet! 

Our new years resolution {which I decided} was to get rid of the binky. Two weeks ago my sister in law mentioned throwing the binky away to Bug. She held the binky over the garbage for about 10 minutes deciding if she wanted to toss it or not. She did! Since she knew it was in the garbage and couldn't be saved, I threw out the only other spare binky we had so I had no chance of giving in! {although I could go to the store if I were that desperate...but I'm pretty lazy and probably wouldn't want to}

The first few nights went surprisingly well. She went to sleep, no crying. It took her more than 5 minutes, but she did it! It was all downhill after that. Now she is not napping {which isn't that big a deal} but on top of that she is not going to bed at night. We have thin walls and 3 apartments connected to us. I put Bug in her room at 8pm and she roams around for a while before starting her craziness of screaming and banging on the walls. I try ignoring her, but she is such a stubborn little toddler! She has screamed and banged for over an hour before and I just don't know what to do anymore. She won't even go to sleep when we are both in the room with her. Ugh! She has a bunny {like a security blankie} that she sleeps with but apparently that isn't enough to comfort her. I just don't want to get into the habit of rocking her to sleep again!

Any other moms {or dads} out there who get their tots to lose the binky and have sleep issues? I'd love to hear any advice!

Welcome Toddler Help {Resolution #3}

After the New Year I had starting thinking about how I wanted this year to be different. I'm not too big into making resolutions but I did come up with 12 ways for me to be a better mommy in 2012. I will be talking about each and why I have set that goal for myself.
 

 -The Third Resolution-

Welcome toddler help: Bug loves to help, but sometimes I am in a hurry or it would risk burning dinner {I can not multi-task well} that when she is trying to help me I don't always welcome it. No more!

I have to say I have been doing pretty well with this. I don't know why I haven't always let Bug help me. The only time I'm in a hurry is in the mornings before work. I guess I just fell into that whole lifestyle of doing everything quickly for no apparent reason. Who knows. All I know is I am so glad I am over it! Bug has been a great help with cooking and cleaning {vacuuming is her fave!} and other chores. Yes, it takes a while longer...especially when she wants to help with laundry and knocks over the pile of clothes I just folded. Ah well.  We are loving the extra time spent together! :)

 Trying to dress herself.

 

 Cooking in the kitchen {with no pants on...as usual}

Doing the wash.

Play More {Resolution #2}

After the New Year I had starting thinking about how I wanted this year to be different. I'm not too big into making resolutions but I did come up with 12 ways for me to be a better mommy in 2012. I will be talking about each and why I have set that goal for myself.
 

 -The Second Resolution-

Play more: No matter what I'm doing {with a couple exceptions} when Bug invites me to play with her, I will play! Not in 10 minutes, not in 5...right then.

Pretty self explanitory. The dishes can wait. The apartment can get vacuumed later. No, I don't like the apartment looking like a tornado hit it, but I can always get stuff done at nap time and after bed time. No biggie. The only exceptions I have are when I'm cooking {obviously we don't want our food to be unrecognizble and unedible} and when she has her quiet time play {when she is encouraged to play something alone...which I feel she needs to learn to do}.

I will have to have this sign hanging in the apartment from now on:

{source}

Spend More Time Outside {Resolution #1}

After the New Year I had starting thinking about how I wanted this year to be different. I'm not too big into making resolutions but I did come up with 12 ways for me to be a better mommy in 2012. I will be talking about each and why I have set that goal for myself.

My first goal:

Spend more time outside: being that it's getting colder and colder I have been slacking outside time. I just downloaded the book "15 Minutes Outside" by Rebecca P. Cohen for my Kindle app. which I got for free on my desktop & phone. There are so many ideas to do outside with your kids.

I was recently reading one of my favorite blogs {I Can Teach My Child} when I read Jeane's post about The 15 Minutes Ouside Challenge. That's where I found out about the book "15 Minutes Ouside" by Rebecca P. Cohen. 

 The book is $10.19 on amazon.com and if you have a Kindle or a Kindle app on your desktop or phone you can get this e-book for only $1.99! Score! 

I downloaded it and started reading it that night and I am loving what I have read so far. Although we have been creating our own ideas at times, there are a ton {365 to be exact} of ideas at your hand for all types of weather! 

We got a little bit of a late start to this challenge since Bug was sick for the first few days of the new year, but we have been spending 15 minutes {usually more} outside each day. Bug has been enjoying it so much that last week she asked to play outside while the car was warming up before we left to start our day {this was at 7:45am}. Lucky for her I was ready early that morning and we went for a walk for 10 minutes until it was time to leave. 

I have a Pinterest board just for things I see that would make outdoor play fun {and bareable in the winer} if you'd like to follow it.  I'd love for you to join me on Facebook and share how you are playing outside {and you can also see our photos there}.

12 Ways {for me} to be a Better Mommy in 2012

I am not the type to make a resolution but I did set one important goal for myself this year: to be a better mommy. It's not that I think I'm doing a bad job, but there is always room for improvement. I came up with 12 ways I can improve myself to be a better parent to Bug. Afterall, she deserves the best!

Here they are {I will add a link to the post as I write about each}:

1. Spend more time outside: being that it's getting colder and colder I have been slacking outside time. I just downloaded the book "15 Minutes Outside" by Rebecca P. Cohen for my Kindle app. which I got for free on my desktop & phone. There are so many ideas to do outside with your kids.
2. Play more: No matter what I'm doing {with a couple exceptions} when Bug invites me to play with her, I will play! Not in 10 minutes, not in 5...right then.
3. Welcome toddler help: Bug loves to help, but sometimes I am in a hurry or it would risk burning dinner {I can not multi-task well} that when she is trying to help me I don't always welcome it. No more!
4. Get messy: I love watching Bug make a mess but I don't always get messy with her. I know she would love it if we got messy together.
5. Read more together: we read a lot as it is, but more couldn't hurt. What's an extra book at bedtime going to hurt? Nada!
6. Encourage independance: Unless we have somewhere to be on time, I will let Bug try to dress herself. So what if she picks out her own outfit & it doesn't match? If she wants to pour her own milk I will put it in a small pitcher/measuring cup for her to do it.
7. Be a good role model: it's easy to teach good manners & how to handle your emotions but it's another thing to do as you say. I don't want to be one of those moms who has to say "do as I say, not as I do".
8. Leave the Computer/TV/Phone for Bug's nap & bed time: I may be up a little later than usual getting things done, but I will save electronic time for when Bug is asleep.
9. Get into a routine: we aren't always consistant around here but having a routine is beneficial and makes transitioning less of an issue since they would be expected. 
10. Teach Bug to Pay it Forward: be it picking up trash we see on a walk, helping a neighbor carry in bags...we are going to try to be more helpful to those around us & the environment.
11. Pray Together: Bug is getting older and I think it's about time we say some morning & nightly prayers together. 
12. Be happy: things aren't always peachy keen. We have been struggling with some things and the stress doesn't always keep me in the best of moods. I have been finding myself loosing patence quicker than I used to and I don't like it...not one bit. So that's about to change...now!

I will be posting in more detail about each of these throughout the next few months.

I'd love for you to share your resolutions if you made any! :) {of if you have any ideas to help me with mine}

Bug's Tub Update

I am so happy to tell you all that Bug now bathes, no crying (besides when it's time to get out), and without a diaper! Woo hoo! If only I could get her to sit in the water. She just stands and plays. Oh well. 

A big thank you to all the help I got on I Am Moma Hear Me Roar! Bug only cries for a diaper when she has to go potty since she knows not to do it in the tub and she is (get this) now afraid of her potty chair. One thing at a time! That will be next to tackle...but for now we will enjoy our stress free baths!

We're almost there!

Well, we tried bath night again and this time Bug was asking to go in the tub. She has played in the tub before but once I reach for the faucet she flips...but not this time! She asked me to put it on so I did and she actually was ok with it! 

She wouldn't let me take her diaper off nor did she sit in the water, but I didn't care much. 

She finally got washed without a tear...

until it was time to get out!

We're Making Progress

It has been a while since we moved and Bug is still afraid of the big scary bath tub! I was getting a little desperate and was running out of people to ask for advice so I emailed Cheri from I Am Momma - Hear Me Roar for her Sharing Saturdays. (Here is the post.) Her readers all gave me great tips and we are slowly making progress. I took out the old baby bath and put it in the tub, no go...so I put it outside the tub on a towel and she gave her baby doll a bath. She was a little iffy at first, but then she started loving it! 

 Fast forward a few days later...I moved the tub into the kitchen (since I had some cleaning and cooking to get done - two birds with one stone) and Bug actually wanted to go in! She wanted her diaper on, but she went in and sat in the water! Woo hoo! Now I feel like we're getting somewhere! 

 I hope we will be getting closer and closer to being comfortable with water and the tub since the weather is getting nicer and she will NEED a bath after playing outside...or some pool time once summer gets here!

Bug learned some awesome things this week!

Here is what Bug has learned this week. I must say they are pretty awesome skills!

I taught her to open mommy's drawer and pick out a pair of socks for me before I get out of bed. (She usually ends up in our bed during the night so she climbs out and gets my socks for me now.)

Daddy also taught her how to fist pump. We put on some club music and she pumped away! It was so funny! (It's sad, but we are a couple of Jersey Shore fans.) 

She also learned some new signs. We have been doing sign language with her since she was 6 months and it has been such a big help! She is talking a little bit now, but she also signs so
I know exactly what she is trying to say!
If anyone is interested in signing with their baby/toddler please let me know by commenting. Maybe I can show a sign a week if you are all into learning it! 
 In the mean time, you can go to this site to learn more about signing with your little one:
Signing Time on Nick Jr.

Also check out these DVDs. I found them to be very helpful in teaching Bug and myself how to sign:

Signing Time DVDs and Baby Einstein Signing DVDs

My Sanity Savers

Bug seems to have been teething since she was 5 months old! I feel like every time one tooth breaks through in comes another! We are onto the molars at the moment and she has been super duper cranky! Besides that she is climbing on anything and everything in the apartment! She has learned that if she grabs a throw pillow from the couch she can step on it to boost her onto the couch! This would be fine if only she actually sat on her bottom! When she is cranky and nothing seems to be helping her here are my sanity savers:

#1. Cheese! Bug absolutely loves cheese. Last night she had a crying fit and nothing was calming her down. I gave her a teether, she threw it on the floor. I changed her diaper, it didn't help. I gave her food, she dumped the plate. I picked her up, she pushed to get down. I gave her the bunny blankie she loves, she hugged it...but continued crying. I was about to break down and cry with her! Just then I said "who wants some cheese?" and she stopped crying and ran over to her highchair! Whew!

#2. Her favorite TV shows. I don't like sticking her in front of the television too often but lately that's all that will calm her down. Bug loves Yo Gabba Gabba (which is a little on the annoying side being that the songs get stuck in my head) and Blue's Clues.

#3. Bug's daddy. I don't know how daddy can calm her down just by walking in the door, but it works. I'm the one who is with her all day, changes her, feeds her, reads to her and plays with her so I guess she gets a little sick of me!

#4. Coffee (for me!) If I didn't have coffee every morning (and afternoon) I would be cranky and then we would both have a crying fit!

I'd love to know what your sanity savers are!

Please share below.

Baby Fever!

Lately I have been getting baby fever. I want another one and I want one NOW! Unfortunately we are not in a place in our lives to have another baby...yet...so we visit the new babies that recently joined our world. Here is our recent trip to see baby Goose! She is so cute and Bug was so gentle with her! It has been so long since I held a baby and I have to say I was a little nervous which was weird being that I used to work at a daycare in the baby room! I guess we'll have to visit more often so I get used to tiny babies again! I have a feeling Goose will be my part time model for some of my newer (and smaller) Etsy listings!

Kisses!

It's potty time!

I know Bug is only 17 months but we got her a potty anyway! Here are the reasons why:

1. When I worked at a day care most of the two year olds starting to potty train were afraid of the potty.

2. Every  time I take off her diaper before the shower she pees on the floor! (not fun) 

So since it was shower night I decided I was getting her a potty and try to have her sit on it instead of peeing on the floor. We got the Fisher Price Pink Princess Stepstool Potty! It was $20 and change plus it had great features such as playing music when you go potty, the top part can clip onto a normal potty when Bug gets older, and it folds down and becomes a stool. Not too bad for 20 bucks!

Sorry for the flash!

 It said adult assembly required but here's all you have to do...

Take this piece, matching up the sensors and...

...snap it right in!

 Easy peasy!

We went into the bathroom and I let her explore it.

"Whassat?"

I sat her on it with her diaper to see if she'd like it and she freaked a little.

But then I took her diaper off and she said "poo poo" (which she never says it and means it) but I sat her on the potty anyway and you'll never guess what happened next!

Bug went poo poo on the potty! (and then stood up and peed on the floor) But hey, I'll take it!

Yay Buggy!

Teething Bites!

I have been up this morning since 3am with Bug. She was super squirmy and would not go back to sleep! At 5am we got out of bed since there was apparently no hope getting her back to sleep and she had a fever! Poor baby! I can't wait until she has all of her teeth.

These molars are the worst and she is getting 2 of them in at the same time!

My teething lifesaver is this Infant Teething Feeder. She used it as a tiny baby when she was just starting on fruits and veggies. You just take some frozen fruit or veggie chunks, stuff the net, and hand it to baby! (maybe put a bib on too to catch the drool!)

Now I do the same and it sooths her teeth while giving her something tasty and healthy! She loves frozen apple slices! If you do not have one of these I would put it on my shopping list!

Infant Teething Feeder

Bye Bye Binky?

My Bug is 17 months now! Wow how time flies! I'm wondering if the time is coming to say bye bye to the binky. I have no idea how to go about getting her out of this habit that I created!

She never took a binky until we transitioned her from her bottle to the sippy cup. I suppose that since she wasn't sucking on the bottle anymore before bedtime she needed a replacement so I started giving her a binky at 11 months! I don't know what I was thinking! Maybe I was just that desperate for sleep but now I'm kind of kicking myself for it!

The only thing I have been doing is taking the binky out of her mouth before I get into bed so that she isn't sucking on it the entire night. She'll just pop it back in if she wakes during the night. 

Any tricks to kick the binky? Any suggestions as to what age to start? Should I just wait until she's old enough to understand so I can give it to the "Binky Fairy"?