Archive | September, 2012

How Do You Balance Motherhood and Work (Or Life In General)?

28 Sep

As you can see, we’ve been on a bit of a hiatus over the last little while. This last little while has brought forth many new changes for our family, such as Tatum starting school and her extracurriculars, me adding more work to my schedule, and of course all of the other little things life throws at you. Stephanie has started school again, and going to school full-time while being a single mother isn’t exactly a cake walk either! With all of this going on, and trying to find inspiration and to blog (and trying to squeeze it in to our schedules somewhere) we’re left feeling a little overwhelmed.  We’ve both been struggling to organize our lives so we can accomplish everything that needs to be done (or that we want to be done) without feeling like we’re in over our heads. Does that sound familiar to you? I’m sure most moms have been there a time or two.

So, moms, I’m asking all of you today how you balance your lives. How do you get things done? More importantly, how do you get them done so you feel as though you’ve been an involved parent at the same time? Do you have a strict schedule you follow? What are your organizational secrets? Tell us, tell us, tell us! I know there are plenty of moms out there besides us who want to be able to balance their lives so that they don’t always feel as though they’re barely keeping their heads above water.  Depending on how much response we get, we will do a recap post and include some of our readers’ tips for balancing it all.

Share with us: what are your best secrets to staying sane while balancing motherhood as well as work, or life in general?

{Franki and Steph}

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Fun Fall Crafts

14 Sep

I absolutely LOVE this time of year. I’m so grateful to live in a climate where we can experience each season, and Autumn is one of my favourites. I love the cooler air, the leaves changing colour, and an excuse to drink hot chocolate ;) Naturally I love to bring the beauty of the season in to my home, and I also love to teach Tatum about each season. Doing fall crafts together is a fun way to learn about the current season, make pretty decorations for our home/craft wall, and create memories together.

Take a look at my favourite fall crafts that we have done together or are planning to do (I’m setting up the Fingerprint Indian corn for after I’m finished this post!), and if you have any great autumn crafts that you’ve done with your children or have just stumbled upon, we’d love to see them!

Fall Family Sign

We got this fall family sign idea from Family Fun last year, and it is one of my favourite fall crafts to date! We just put it up on our front door again this year. This craft is so simple to do and it was fun to take a walk together and collect what we wanted to create the sign. All you need is a sturdy piece of cardboard (or whatever else you choose to do your sign on), some sticks to spell out your family name, and leaves, rocks, acorns, etc. to add some decoration. This is a craft that you can do with your younger toddlers all the way up to bigger kids.

Photo credit: All Kids Network

Fingerprint Indian Corn Craft

As I have mentioned in my other craft posts, I am a huge fan of simple crafts. I don’t like having to track down materials that I don’t normally have on hand and that I’ll never use again, and attempting to get children to sit down and do something intricate normally ends (for us, anyway) in tears and frustration. This Indian corn craft from All Kids Network is going on my must-do list for fall! Simply print out their corn template (or draw your own, that’s what I usually do), trace onto coloured paper, grab the paint and let your little ones get to work.

Photo credit: Family Fun

Fall Leaf Mobile

We did this leaf mobile two years ago now, and we still pull it out each fall to hang in front of our kitchen window. This is another great craft from Family Fun. We had so much fun going out and finding the prettiest and most colourful fall leaves we could to make into our festive mobile. This one requires more adult supervision, but the end result is well worth it. The only materials you will need from your home is some kind of string/yarn/twine and clear contact paper. Another of my favourite fall crafts.

Photo credit: Kaboose

Watercolor Leaf Rubbings

All of us at one point or another have done leaf rubbings. It’s a childhood activity that must be done. I like doing leaf rubbings with regular paper and crayons, but this watercolor version from Kaboose is a very pretty alternative! Another easy craft that looks as though it was much harder than it was — my favourite :)

Pumpkin Bird Feeder

Last year we went a little crazy at the pumpkin patch, and ended up bringing home pumpkins of all sizes. After Halloween was over, we had little pumpkins that we had no idea what to do with. I was browsing Martha Stewart’s website and found this adorable idea to use up pumpkins! Cut your pumpkin in half, scoop out the insides, and fill with bird seed. You’ll have to make small holes around the edges so you can loop some string/twine through, but that’s the extent of the hard work. A great eco-friendly bird feeder!

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My Daughter’s First Day of School — Yes, I Cried.

11 Sep

Tatum had her first day of preschool last Friday. I wanted to be the mom that was overjoyed that her child was starting this new adventure; that I knew it was a part of life and it was silly to be upset over imminent growing up. And the free time! Mornings to myself! Coffee in silence! It sounded good to me.

That is, until my husband and I took her to her first day of school. The school is so big and our Tatum is still so little (a baby still in my eyes!). I could slowly feel the lump forming in my throat. We walked in to her classroom and put her backpack into her locker. The locker had a sign with her name written on it, and I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. She suddenly started to look so much more grown up to me than she had this morning. She put on her indoor shoes, surveyed the room, and immediately made her way over to the play kitchen. We said hello to her teachers (who were very kind and welcoming) and to the other parents who had arrived with their children. Tatum began playing with a little girl, and I breathed a little sigh of relief that she had quickly found a buddy. The teacher went over basic things we would need to know, answered any questions we had, and then encouraged the parents to leave.

What? Leave?? This was orientation day. I thought we were going to stay for the entire morning. I felt David’s hand on my shoulder as the teacher went over the last few bits of information she had for us. He knew I’d explode into a ball of emotion in about .8 seconds. Without him around I probably would have been bawling on the walk to school. I went over to Tatum, told her it was time for the parents to leave so she could begin her first day of school, and gave her a big hug. She didn’t seem phased at all that we were leaving, so I was very relieved about that. David gave her a hug and a kiss, and as we walked out the door I threw my sunglasses on and let the tears fall.

I cried because I know my Tatum has such a tender heart. She believes everyone she meets is her best friend. I know that a time is going to come when she is hurt by a friend or a bully, and I don’t want my sweet little girl to feel sad. I cried because our routine that we have had for four years together will completely change. Our days together will be more rushed and will have more scurrying to and from school and activities. It won’t be the same relaxed mornings of music, baking together and going to the park any time we feel like it. I cried because I’m just not ready for her to be growing up yet, even though I pretend as though I understand it’s a part of life and it happens whether we are ready or not, and that I’m ok with it.

I’m telling myself that this is the beginning of her becoming her own person. I have to remember that she will have to experience the unhappy and disappointing parts of growing up. I have to remember it’s our job as parents to slowly phase ourselves out, so that she’s able to function on her own. It’s our job to encourage her to be independent. I have to remember that it will be important for her to experience things on her own, and that one day I will most likely have to drop her off a block away from school.

But I also have to remember that it’s only preschool, and she’s still my baby for now :)

{Franki}

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The Mamas’ Link Round-Up

10 Sep

Photo credit: Parents Magazine

We’re finally back this Monday with a fresh new batch of our favourite links! Before you begin your morning routine of packing lunches or changing diapers, take five minutes and take a look at our link-round up!

Love & Espresso,

Franki and Steph

My Parenting Choices Aren’t Choices Because I’m Broke. – Mommyish

10 Tips for Packing Additive-Free Lunches – MindBodyGreen

10 Free Ways to Go Green Today – Money Saving Mom

Top 10 Vegan Alternatives – Today’s Parent

AAP Circumcision Policy Statement: A Critique – peaceful parenting

Non-Dairy Foods That Are Full of Calcium – Care2

30 Healthy Lunchbox Ideas from Celebrity Chefs - Parents

4 Stages of Car Seat Safety - Canadian Family

‘How Children Succeed’: Character, not IQ. – The Washington Post

Outdoor Fall Activities – Family Fun

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Special Mom-ent #10

4 Sep

My morning coffee today did not turn out to be as enjoyable as this coffee looks to be.

I was just patting myself on the back for not having any “special mom-ents” for quite some time, when one finally popped up unexpectedly this morning. Tatum and I were making pancakes for breakfast and had all of the ingredients ready to go on the counter. I was also fixing up my coffee at the same time. I keep most of my dry ingredients in canisters that look the same and had the flour and the sugar right next to each other. We all know where this is going, right?

Tatum and I were baking away, and I was attempting to multitask by both mixing pancakes and put the sugar in my coffee. Tatum asked me a question and I got distracted, and put what I thought was sugar into my coffee. I picked up my coffee cup, took a big swig (that first sip of coffee in the morning is SO wonderful), and realized that, nope, I did not put sugar into my coffee. I put flour into my coffee. UGH! Not the enjoyable first sip of coffee I was imagining!

Have you had any funny mix-ups lately? Share your own “Special Mom-ent” in the comments!

{Franki}

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