Parenting Archives - Page 4 of 11

Craft For Earth Day: Sun and Earth

Looking for a fun and simple craft for Earth Day? This one is perfect for the younger child age bracket. My preschooler loved it!

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click one of the product links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Materials

Here is what you will need:

Coffee filters
Markers
Spray bottle of water
Paper towels

That is really it!

Directions

Because I accidentally bought square coffee filters instead of circle, I had a couple extra steps to prep.

No idea how I even made that mistake! But no problem, just a simple bowl trace and and some scissor practice and we were back on track.

I knew I wanted Elle to be able to make a sun and planet Earth, and I wanted to do each with her. So we repeated the bowl trace and cut four times so we had four circles to work with.

Then we just took out our markers and started coloring them.

I asked Elle what colors she thought would be best for the sun and she chose yellow and orange. I was happy with that!

As you can see, the coloring doesn’t need to perfectly done. The colors are going to blend together anyway.

Then we went with blue and green for the planet Earth. I explained that we wanted most of the planet to be blue, because the Earth is covered in water. We decided to call the continents “green land blobs”.

Then came her favorite part: spraying it! She got a big kick out of this.

The spray bottle took a bit of strength from her little fingers, but she insisted on doing it all herself!

You definitely want multiple layers of paper towels underneath, because the color will soak right through. Luckily we were prepared and did this on our craft table and not our dining room table.

Then you just wait for them to dry. I let them sit for a few hours.

They came out looking really cool!

This proud little girl was ready to make a bunch more! She already asked if tomorrow we can do another craft for Earth Day (or as she says it, “Earf Day”).

Earth Day Books

Here our a couple of our favorite books about Earth Day that would be perfect for reading while you wait for your art to dry:

I love this one because it also incorporates gratitude and being thankful for all our Earth provides.

This cute book introduces kids to basic concepts of sustainability and conservation.

Perfect for preschoolers, this book goes from A to Z with the names of unique plants and animals found on Earth.

What are YOUR favorite ways to celebrate Earth Day?

For more easy preschool crafts, here’s my roundup of simple and adorable crafts for spring!

Mon
02 ^nd

Dear Moms, It’s OK If You’re Not Enjoying Every Minute

Posted by Caitlin - Be the first to comment

It happened again, just the other day, in the grocery store.

I was trying to stop the toddler from turning himself around in the seat of the cart and grabbing the eggs behind him. He was buckled in as tight as possible, but still somehow managed to wriggle himself around and grab at the groceries.

My preschooler was tugging on my coat, whining for a box of cookies placed right at her eye level on the shelf.

The eight year old was lagging behind, looking at God-knows-what, but surely bothering other shoppers with his complete lack of awareness of other people.

You could say I was flustered.

And that was the moment I heard one of my most hated sentences: “Aw, look at those little ones! Enjoy every minute!”

Who is enjoying every minute?

If you have kids, you’ve surely heard this before.

You probably heard it for the first time when you were first home with your newborn. Eyes bleary, body sore, living with an almost-crippling fear as the reality of caring for a baby has struck.

And you think, “enjoy every minute? Now I need to worry about feedings, laundry, showering, sleeping, cooking… and I need to worry about what’s wrong with me for not enjoying it?”

Let me assure you, nothing is wrong with you. No one is enjoying motherhood as much as their Instagram feed would have you believe. I know enough parents well to know that their social media accounts are nothing like the daily reality of their lives with kids.

We are all losing our battle with kid clutter, we are all exhausted, and we all have plenty of moments that we’re not enjoying.

Waiting for this season to pass

Somewhat more helpful (and less guilt-provoking) words that I also get are “This is just a season, it will pass.”

My oldest is now 9 so I can say this statement is true; I have already seen a season pass. And for her, the baby/toddler/little kid season passing has been just as wonderful as I hoped it would be.

In fact a lot of the time, I find myself waiting for this season my life to pass. When all of my kids are “big kids” and this whole season of parenting young ones has passed.

I look forward to the season where I can:

shower any time of day I choose
eat a bowl of cereal myself without having to go bite-for-bite with a tiny person
go on a date with my husband without having to find and pay a babysitter
cook a healthy meal and not have people cry when I serve it to them
sleep 8 hours uninterrupted at night
not have to plan every outing around nap time

There are lots more. I’m sure many of us moms are waiting for the next season of parenthood, while being afraid to say that out loud. We fear the judgement of others and carry a sense of shame that we aren’t enjoying every moment of motherhood as we’ve been instructed to do.

Let go of Mommy guilt

It’s OK if you find yourself kissing your child goodbye on the first day of kindergarten and you don’t have to fight back tears. Nothing is wrong with you if you watch them run off with their oversized backpack on their little body and instead of feeling sadness or even “bittersweet”, you just feel free.

You are allowed to enjoy that moment too.

I have been the Mom sobbing on my way to work after dropping off my baby on his first day of daycare. I’ve also been the Mom who can’t wait to bring him there.

I’ve been the Mom who couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the kids overnight with Grandma and Grandpa. And I’ve been the Mom who couldn’t wait to leave them there for the weekend and go celebrate my anniversary.

Nothing is wrong with you for being any of these people at any point in your motherhood journey.

Not wishing it away

As much as I look forward to moving on to the next season of motherhood, I’m also trying not to wish this time away. I know there are things I will miss about having these little ones.

I will miss their sense of wonder. Some of the greatest moments of my life have been seeing my children react to some simple thing that just brings them such joy. Hearing them giggle and squeal that first time you push them on the swings. Seeing them discover nature when they take their first hike. Watching them learn how to walk, ride a bike, and swim.

They say “little kids, little problems, big kids, big problems” and that scares me. I will miss being able to make everything right for my child just by picking him up and giving him a kiss.

As difficult as the daily grind of parenting is, there are moments of pure magic.

Those are the moments I will enjoy. Not every moment. And that’s OK.

Wed
28 ^th

Adorable and Simple Spring Crafts For Preschoolers

Posted by Caitlin - Be the first to comment

We welcomed the first day of spring last week here in New England with… a snow storm! My poor kids were so confused. Elle asked, “if today is spring, why does it look so much like winter?” Good question, honey.

I’m happy to report that just a few days later, Mother Nature got the memo that spring had arrived. The snow has now melted and we are starting to see some buds and sprouts popping up. My little ones are fully ready to celebrate spring’s arrival so I rounded up some of the most adorable spring crafts for preschoolers and toddlers!

Mommy and Me Handprint Flower Painting

How gorgeous is this work of art from Michelle’s Party Plan-It? She and her little guy painted this canvas together, with her setting the scene and his adorable handprint taking center stage. Then he got to fingerprint the flower petals. This is one of those rare pieces of kid art that you actually want to keep or even hang up somewhere!

Catepillar Counting Printable Worksheet

I love how my friend Victoria from My Momtastic Life made this one equal parts cute, creative AND educational. You can download the printable worksheet from her site, and use just about anything you have on hand in your craft supplies. Paint, stickers, pom poms, beads, just about anything goes!

And this activity pairs perfectly with one of our favorite books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. You can teach the littles about science and then follow up with a little math.

Mud Puddle Fun

What preschooler doesn’t love a muddy puddle? Babies to Bookworms came up with several mud-themed activities to do with your little one.

The artwork shown above is a footprint of your child’s done in brown paint to look like mud. She also has a letter-finding sensory bag that looks like it’s mud (but with no mess) and also a chocolate “mud” dessert recipe!

Rainbow DIY Suncatcher

I wish I had seen this craft from Me and My Merbaby before I did my daughter’s rainbow-themed birthday party!

She found the perfect solution for reusing all those broken crayons- melt them into wax paper, cut out hearts and make a sun-catcher. She was even brave enough to let her toddler paint with glitter on them to make them extra sparkly. A fun idea that also helps younger toddlers learn their colors and gives preschoolers a hands-on lesson in color mixing.

Handprint Tree Craft

Hot Mess Express Mom combines several preschool fine motor skills like painting, hand tracing, cutting, and pasting which all come together to make this pretty piece of nature art.

My favorite part about it is that she came up with the idea because of not knowing what to do with all the paintings her son had made. You know the kind where the kid just fills the whole paper with the same color and they are super proud of their work but you don’t know what to do with it? She traced his hands on them and they cut out the shapes to form this tree. Creative and sweet!

Coffee Filter Sun and Planet Earth

Elle and I had so much fun making these! My favorite part was how few materials they require. Her favorite part was spraying the water over the colored coffee filter and watching the colors drip and blend together. It lead to some great exploration about planet Earth too, just in time for Earth day. Check out the post for all the directions and photos.

Paper Plate Rainbow Ribbon Collage

This is a totally different take on a rainbow craft from Mama Writes Reviews. She stocked up on materials like stickers, pom poms, buttons, and sequins in all different colors. Then the child can sort all the items by color and glue them to the matching ribbon. I know my preschooler would be entertained by this for a LONG time!

Easy DIY Bird Feeder

This is a great hands-on nature lesson for kids by Rule This Roost, who happens to be an un-schooling Mom!

It’s a simple solo cup covered with peanut butter and rolled in bird seed. A nice touch is the stick going through horizontally for the birds to stand on while they eat. The lesson continues when different types of birds come and you can teach your little one about each one.

Spring Flower Garland

This is a super simple craft from Family Focus Blog that even toddlers can do. It uses cookie cutters to get the flower shape out of any brightly-colored foam paper. Glue on a pom pom for the pistil of the flower, and string them on some twine. Now you can hang them anywhere in your house to bring springtime indoors.

I hope you enjoy these simple spring crafts for preschoolers! If you are looking to do more preschooler brain-building, check out our best books for preschoolers!

Tue
13 ^th

4moms MamaRoo vs RockaRoo: Which one is best?

Posted by Caitlin - 13 Comments

MamaRoo vs RockaRoo : How are they different and which one is best?

If you’ve been looking at baby gear for your own little one or for a baby shower gift, you’ve surely come across the wildly popular 4moms brand. New parents love the sleek, modern design of their products as well as the hands-free functionality. The newest model of the MamaRoo (MamaRoo 4) and the RockaRoo look very similar at first glance, but what is the difference between them?

And, most importantly, which one will get baby to sleep and give Mom a few precious minutes to accomplish something?

RockaRoo

Let’s start with the more simple RockaRoo. This is essentially a compact swing, touted as taking up 70% less space than traditional swings. It weighs 17.5 pounds and measures 29.6 x 16.5 x 27.5 inches.

How does it move?

The RockaRoo only moves in one way, which is a front to back rocking motion. Picture like a rocking horse or nursery glider. It does not swing from side to side like some baby swings.

What size baby is it for?

It is designed for babies from 6 pounds up to 25 pounds OR whenever the baby can sit up unassisted, whichever comes first. It is important to note that most babies sit up unassisted WELL before they weigh 25 pounds. For reference, my 20 month old toddler still does not weigh 25 pounds (yes he is a bit of a peanut, but even a perfectly average size 12 month old is under 25 pounds). So you want to make sure you’re following safety requirements and not putting your baby in the RockaRoo once they can sit up, typically around 6 months old.

Secondly, although this product can accommodate newborns, they do sell a separate newborn insert to add some cushion and support for little ones. Some parents roll up receiving blankets to support the smaller baby in this seat, but it’s always safer to use equipment designed for use with a specific product.

RockaRoo: Pros

Parents love that the RockaRoo is takes up less space than traditional swings. They also like that the cover is easily removed and washable for those inevitable exorcist-style spit ups and diaper blowouts. It also has an mp3 plug-in to play baby’s favorite songs.

RockaRoo: Cons

The angle of the seat can not be adjusted, and some parents found it to be too inclined for their newborns (the insert may help with this). Some also found the speed to be too fast, even on the slowest setting. Another common complaint is that the motor is louder than they expected.

MamaRoo

The MamaRoo first came out in 2015 and is now on its 4th model, the MamaRoo 4. It has more bells and whistles than the Rockaroo, and slightly bigger price to go with it. At the time of publication, the RockaRoo cost $159 and the MamaRoo was on sale for $176 down from $212 (check the Amazon links to see the current prices as they are subject to change.)

The MamaRoo sits lower to the ground than the RockaRoo, measuring 19.5 x 33 x 25.5 inches. It is just slightly heavier, weighing 19 pounds.

How it moves

The defining feature of the MamaRoo is its 5 unique motions. They include car ride, kangaroo, tree swing, rockabye, and wave. Luckily the buttons for each motion have little picture designs to go with them so you can see the difference.

It also has 5 speed settings, so each motion can go faster or slower.

MamaRoo: Pros

The different motions allow you to find your baby’s favorite, as all babies are different in what they prefer. Many parents find the car ride setting puts their little one to sleep. Some of the other motions, like kangaroo, give baby that up and down feeling that mimics the way Mom and Dad bounce them up and down.

Another cool feature of the MamaRoo is that it’s bluetooth-enabled, so Mom and Dad can adjust the speed and sounds from their smartphone.

MamaRoo: Cons

While it does do a side to side swinging/swaying motion, there are no front to back rocking motions (likely the reason why they came out with the RockaRoo!)

The MamaRoo also has 4 built in sounds in addition to the the mp3 plug in. Parents seem to like the white noise options, but are disappointed that there are no songs/lullabies.

MamaRoo vs RockaRoo

Similarities:

For babies 6-25 pounds
Modern and compact design
mp3 plug in
Must be plugged into a wall outlet (some find this a pro as you aren’t burning through batteries to power it, others see it as a negative that there is no battery option)
Both come with a simple, eye-catching mobile for baby to look at
5 speed settings
Move on their own without a manual option (can’t push/bounce it by hand)
Same removable/machine-washable seat cover
Same newborn insert sold separately
12 month warranty on both- make sure you assemble and test out upon receiving the item, some report receiving faulty products that had to be replaced

Differences:

Price: MamaRoo costs more
Motions: MamaRoo has 5 options, RockaRoo only rocks
MamaRoo has 4 built in sounds, RockaRoo has none
The seat has an adjustable recline on the MamaRoo, the RockaRoo seat does not adjust
MamaRoo is bluetooth enabled- can control the speed and sound through an app on your phone

So who is the winner?

In the battle of MamaRoo vs RockaRoo, I’d say the MamaRoo comes out on top. Considering all the additional features come with only a nominal price increase, it seems like a worthy upgrade.

However, like all things baby-related, there is no guaranteeing your little one will love this product. Some babies may prefer the front to back motion of the RockaRoo. However if I had to choose one, I would recommend the MamaRoo because with 5 movement options there is a good chance your baby will respond well to one.

Shop the products featured in this post

If you’ve used either of these products, weigh in! What do you like/dislike? How does your baby respond to them?

For more of my favorite baby products, check out my top toys for babies!

Sat
10 ^th

Mother’s Day Cards to Make With the Kids

Posted by Caitlin - 2 Comments

Searching for special homemade Mothers Day cards to make with the kids? Look no further than our free printable card you can download below!

I always love getting a card with my child’s own thoughts and handwriting on it. It’s so amusing to see what their thoughts are about us! And I had to put the age question on there because you know some kids think their Mom is 10 and other kids think she’s 100 😄

And of course I had to throw a sweet quote on there at the end. Is it even Mother’s Day if Mom’s not tearing up?

This card is to keep!

I rarely keep any greeting cards- let’s face it, they are the same year after year and usually the person just signs their name.

Kids’ artwork tends to go in the trash after a couple weeks on display as well. But these types of cards get filed in away in my special “keep” folder because I know my kids and I will have a good laugh looking back on them later.

One year my oldest filled out a card like this and shocked me with how well she knew me! She was in kindergarten and filled in the question “My mom always loves to…” with “go to Barnes and Noble.” She was 100% right, bookstores make me ridiculously happy. I was surprised that she knew this was one of my favorite things, especially since I typically go by myself when the kids are in school!

Not to be out-sweetened, I asked my younger daughter “what is Mommy’s favorite place?” and her answer was “wherever I am.” Cue heart melting!

Help Dad out

If you’re the Mom in your house, here is a little tip to help Dad out. Print these off for him and leave them where he will see them! Not too many Dads are searching Pinterest for these things, and they will be grateful for the assistance.

To download the 8.5 x 11 PDF to print, CLICK HERE

Don’t worry- Grandma won’t be left out of the fun! The Grandmother version of this card can be found here.

Older Posts →

← Newer Posts

Category

Parenting