At the beginning of the year, I made a jar to document the good things we experienced that week. It’s been fun reflecting, but knowing Mila, she has to make it a little weird.
That’s just what toddlers do!
I will admit, this one is more cute than weird, but I thought it’d be perfect to share with Valentine’s Day coming up.
Mila has had the same thing that makes her happy every week… ME!
When I go to our jar, I date it, then make an “M” for what makes her grateful. Then I ask her what made her happy this last week.
The second time we did it, she just said, “you.” I thought it was the cutest thing ever.
When it came to ask her again, she replied with the same thing. Admittedly, I felt a little bad. I was writing down things I wanted to remember at the end of the year, not just Mila or Jensen. Maybe it was a fluke of her just saying me?
On the fourth week, she said, again, said I was what made her most happy. Still feeling sad, I asked her to elaborate and she said, “playing with you.”
Since that fourth week, I haven’t re-asked her what made her happy and accepted this cuteness.
As much as she loves Pizza, her grandparents, Max, and Mickey Mouse, I always find it a little weird that she consistently chooses me as her happiness. Of all the things in the world and her lame mom is her answer.
Honestly, I’m going to love looking back and remembering that I made her smile for weeks in a row. I know one week she won’t say me and that’s okay.
For now though, I guess she’s just a weirdo, with a big heart for her mom.
Whenever I’m feeling down, I remember I have the most important cheerleader looking up at me.
She reminds me that I have the strength, especially when she hits this power pose.
Even on the days, I can’t imagine getting through, I know she’s watching. She reminds me that with love and determination, I can accomplish anything.
Now I know motherhood, and parenthood, in general, is hard. It’s even harder when the last year has been all out of whack. We’ve been through a pandemic, crazy election, and overall change in every aspect of life.
Somehow, we’re still doing it. Every day we come back better than ever. Before we know it, this hellacious time will be over.
Today, I’m going to be your cheerleader and verbally scream online, you have the strength.
If twenty-two grown men can go play a football game and are considered strong, you have the strength to do anything you set your mind on.
When your kids (human, animal, or plant) are demanding all your attention, you have the strength to keep doing it.
You have the strength of all the energy you put out in the world because all that good comes back.
No matter how long we have left with this pandemic and lockdown, you have the strength to do your best with it all.
You have the strength to decide what’s best for you.
During your time at work, school, or home with your children, you have the strength to crush all your goals. Whatever goal you have, big or small, I know you’ll hit it.
You have the strength to be the badass woman (or man) you’ve always been.
On the days where you don’t feel strong enough to keep going, I know you will find the strength to keep moving forward.
You have the strength of the stubborn toddler you raised.
If you haven’t raised a toddler… I’m still cheering on that strength to you because the energy that’s in a toddler could move mountains. Everyone deserves that.
If you’re stuck at home or work not knowing how to get motivated, try some of these activities. They may just get you back on track.
1.Take a shower or bath.
The first thing I do any time I’m feeling stuck is take a hot shower or bath.
Water is so healing. Showers feel like they wash away all troubles from your skin just as the water falls. It instantly feels relieving. Baths are like a warm, water hug. All your stress leaves your body and the bath helps recover that trauma.
My favorite thing to do is add aromatherapy to showers and baths. I feel like it helps clear my head. Usually, I use eucalyptus and lavender.
2.Listen to a podcast.
I just discovered podcasts in 2020, but they’ve helped me get through the toughest times.
When you’re trying to get through a stuck moment, find a podcast you want to listen to. When you listen into a conversation about something that inspires you, you want to get up. A lot of the time I do chores or work, I’m listening to podcasts. It definitely helps motivate me.
Some of my favorite podcasts are from the Exactly Right Media, like My Favorite Murder, That’s Messed Up, and I Saw What You Did.
3.Tend to plants.
This one sounds SO silly, but tending to plants might be the most relaxing thing I do.
Any time I get to water my plants, dust them off, or propagate them, it makes me want to do more. It’s like the more I help them, I also want to help myself. Somehow, they’re self care reverse psychology. I want to do a post about the best starter plants for newbie plant parents, but I haven’t gotten there yet!
The connection to nature really helps get a person unstuck and back to themselves. You’ll have to try it out to discover that.
4.Meditate.
Meditation is one of the hardest things to practice, but it really clears your mind.
There’s a ton of meditation music on YouTube or any music app. If you want to try to mediate, put one of those songs on and try it out. I usually sit with my legs crossed, close my eyes, and take deep breaths. After a few minutes, I feel better and try to get unstuck with whatever I’m doing.
I don’t think anyone’s great at meditating their first time. So don’t be discouraged if you try and it doesn’t help.
5.Dance your heart out.
I feel like this one is self explanatory, but I’ll explain anyways.
Getting up and moving with your favorite songs, helps. Once you’re on your feet after a mini dance party, you’ll want to keep going. You just released a ton of endorphins which makes you feel happy. That’s the best way to get unstuck.
6.Call a friend.
One of the most underutilized resources we have are our friends.
When you reach out a friend or close family member, they can help with so many different things. If you’re out of ideas for a project, want advice, or have no idea why you’re feeling stuck, they’ll be able to help out. A person you trust can help organize your thoughts and motivate you to keep going.
Another great option is to reach out to your therapist. Some reasons why you’re feeling stuck goes deeper than surface level feelings.
7.Start a journal.
Not everyone is a writer, but there’s a variety of different journals to get unstuck.
For me, writing whatever is on my mind helps clear it up so I can tackle the things I need to do. If you want to write and don’t think you’re good at it, you don’t have to be. You’re just writing to help you, not impress other people.
There’s also art journals where you can doodle out what’s going on in your head too. Do whatever works best for you. This is to help you feel unstuck.
8. Do a chore.
Chores are boring and I put them off until they HAVE to be done. So how does this help?
It’s almost like when you check something off a to-do list. When you get a chore done, you feel a rush of endorphins. It also lets yourself know that you can get things done. This will help you realize you can do whatever or help motivate you to do more.
This one is the last option for me, but it does get me feeling better. As soon as I start folding laundry, I want to do anything else to stop. You can most definitely laugh at that.
9. Take a walk.
Again with the endorphins, I know.
But really. Getting up and moving releases so many good feeling hormones in your brain and body. It clears up your brain and gets your body moving. If you can walk outside, you’ll have the added benefit of the healing effects of nature.
Plus, if you can go for a long walk or a tough run, you’ll feel on top of the world.
10. Slow down and don’t be too hard on yourself.
Sometimes when you’re stuck, you’re meant to slow down.
When you take on too many things or just need a break, your body will let you know. Maybe this is your body and mind telling you to rest. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Everyone needs a day or week to get back to yourself.
Once you give yourself that time, you’ll feel back to normal.
I’ve seen so many new babies and pregnancy announcements all over my newsfeed.
It had me thinking what I would have wanted to know before both of my pregnancies. But, didn’t really find out until after I had both of my kiddos.
So here’s my little pieces of advice to all of you.
Take time for you.
This is so important. When you become a mom, everything revolves around your child. It’s easy to put yourself on the back burner.
If you have the option to take time for just you, take it. Not just an extra few minutes in the shower or running errands alone. Do something to treat yourself. Put a face mask on and read a book. Go get your nails or hair done. Walk outside and listen to your favorite podcast.
Whatever you do, just do something that refreshes you.
As a single mom, I KNOW this is hard. Maybe I’ll make a post that gives you tips on how to make time for self care and self love. You just deserve that time!
Take a bunch of pictures.
This one seems pretty simple enough, but it’s a great reminder.
Babies and kids change so much in such a short time. Take pictures and capture them in those moments forever. You can get a Google account and upload pictures there. Or get a huge external hard drive so you can always look back and remember them while they were so itty bitty.
One things I was diligent about doing with Mila the first two years was making Shutterfly books. You can read all about it here.
You’ll never regret taking a ton of pictures, trust me.
Nothing goes as planned.
I wish I had known about this long ago.
No matter what type of pregnancy you have, birth plan you want to follow, or way you want to parent your child, they have their own agendas. I never thought I still would be breastfeeding almost three years out or have Mile in bed with me. Yet, here we are.
If you have your heart set out on something and it doesn’t work, that’s okay! Other things will work out, I promise you that. Your child will lead you to what works best with them.
It might not go as planned, but it will work out.
There will be messes.
Oh, yes. There will be hundreds of messes you didn’t even know that were possible to have.
When I think back to the first few months with Mila, flashbacks of messes just pop in my mind. In the early days, it was a lot of bodily functions. I know, so gross right. At one point, you sort of just roll with those punches and get over it.
Heads up though, they stay messy… or maybe it’s just my kid.
There’s always something being destroyed. Maybe it’s flour or powdered sugar all over your floor. Somedays it’s still poop. Others it’s all the toys in your house all over the floor, or in our case the bathtub.
This time goes entirely too fast.
Don’t blink, they’ll be walking and talking before you know it!
This piece of advice is the most complicated one on the list. It’s so sad that they grow up so quick. One day you have your infant in your arms and the next they’re crawling all over your house. You can’t believe how much they’ve grown!
It’s also helpful to know when you’re going through the hell weeks. Yeah, parenting isn’t always sunshine and happiness. There’s times where it’s so hard and you just want to make it through the next moment. We’ve all been there. This time will pass. You won’t miss every moment, so don’t feel bad.
For me, I’m always happy when I get to the next stage. I miss parts in the previous ones, but it shows that your child is learning and growing. Believe me, them getting older and growing is the greatest gift you can ever imagine.
Always remember, you’re doing your best.
The last piece of advice I have to offer is something I still remind myself of.
You. Are. Doing. Your. Best.
No matter what you have to do to parent your child, you’re getting it done. It doesn’t matter if it’s different from your family’s way of doing things or anyone on the internet. Whatever works for you is what’s best.
I know this parenting thing is really hard, at every stage. Your child choose you for a reason. The choices you make for your family are all done out of love. That’s the best you can do.
Hopefully this list has calmed your heart. Being a parent is a wild ride.
Jensen and Mila have taught me so much about myself and life. I can’t imagine not being their mom.
If you have other advice for new moms and dads, leave it in the comments below.
One thing that she absolutely loves is painting nails. No matter if it’s her nails or someone else’s, she always asking.
I saw this activity last year and figured now was the perfect time.
All you need is:
Cardboard
Marker
Paint
Paint brushes
I had everything had home and used old cereal boxes to draw the hands. To hold the paint, I used the caps of milk containers.
Next, I traced my hand and then drew finger nails.
To get her used to seeing her name, words, and numbers, I wrote them on the cardboard too. Before she painted, we counted all the fingers, told her which one was right and left, and spelled her name. She tells me her name is ‘la,’ which always makes me smile.
Then, I let her paint these nails.
She enjoyed mixing the colors and practicing painting nearly, at first. It switched from near to a little wild soon after.
This is a quick activity to put together, but it gave me enough time to do some work on the computer. Sometimes you just need five minutes of peace and this did the trick.
I will continue doing this activity with Mila. To help her with her pre-writing, I’ll make dotted lines that she has to trace for bracelet and rings. It would also be fun to do color recognition or teach the order of the rainbow here too.
Either way, this is DIY nail salon is fun and toddler approved.
No matter if you’re stuck watching football, having a lazy day, or are needing a minute to yourself, self care is essential. Moms, especially, need a minute to themselves.
Finding out what calms your soul and clears your head is the self care for you. If you can nourish your body too, then it’s even better.
During the first few months after COVID hit, I got really into plants and helping our environment. They sort of go together, so that makes sense.
I found that taking care of plants and learning about them eased my anxiety so much.
Somehow a few plants has turned into a mini, indoor jungle, but I love it. They’ve also helped me want to take care of myself better too.
Hello self care.
Today, I want to share a little face mask recipe and give a plant recommendation and tip. This way, you can see one part of my self care journey. Maybe you’ll even want to try this self care moment.
Two things Mila and I are constantly running out of is avocados and honey. She will sit and just eat both.
They’re also pretty awesome for your skin too!
To make a mask, mash up half an avocado and 1 1/2 teaspoons of honey. Mix them up and apply. Use the other half for avocado toast the next morning.
Make sure to save the avocado seed too! I’ll make a post about what you can do with those.
Apply the mask to your face and keep it on for 15 minutes. After, wash off and do your normal skincare routine.
During the 15 minutes is a perfect time to do planty tasks.
If you don’t have any plants, snake plants are perfect beginner plants. You can get them at Lowe’s or the one pictured is from Lively Root.
They’re such easy plants. Snake plants tolerate low light, are drought resistant (which means you don’t have to water them constantly), and do well in household humidity.
Anyways, while waiting for my mask to do work it’s magic, I dusted my snake’s leaves. Dusting helps make sure your plant gets as much sun as it can. Even though this is a low light plant, it still needs to get as much as it can.
Self care is something everyone should make time to do. Mila put our DIY mask on too and helped me with our ‘planties.’ She just refused to take a picture.
Find something you love. Maybe it’s plants and masks or maybe not. Either way, you deserve self care on Sundays or any day.
This is the side of motherhood that doesn’t get talked about a lot.
The times where it’s 2am and there’s been an accident. Instead of getting mad at your child who’s already upset, you choose to do the harder thing.
You strip the bed, get it cleaned up, and then take every clean blanket to the living room.
They’re still crying. It’s disappointing and when you’re almost three, you have big emotions. A single accident feels world shattering, but it’s not.
It’s the decision to sleep in another bed or, in our case, make a huge, blanket sleep space in the middle of the floor. You tell them it’s much more fun to have a sleepover in the living room anyways.
Then, you calm them and help get them back to sleep.
No. It’s not the night you wanted. I mean, who wants to sleep on the floor? But just because it was a physically messy accident, doesn’t mean it needs to be emotionally messy too.
Parenting is hard. Parenting with lack of sleep is even harder.
These nights are not in the greatest hits moments. Yet, something tells me these un-talked about nights have lasting effects.
Let’s first start this off by saying… HAPPY NEW YEAR! We’re not quite there yet, but oh so close.
Mila and I did fireworks at noon, in case she doesn’t stay up. Its a little science experiment that I thought I’d share here. We did it a few times, if that gives you a time estimate.
It was fun and Mila loved helping too!
Here’s what you’ll need…
Jar
Water
Food coloring
Oil
Yes! It’s that easy.
All you do is fill up the jar with water. Put the food coloring in the oil. Then, slowly pour it in.
The food coloring escapes the oil and creates ‘fireworks.’ Mila thought they looked like different things. It made me smile to know she’s connecting so many different things.
I took a video of our experiment and wanted to post it here.
Again, Mila and I hope you have a happy and safe New Year’s Eve!
Anyways, Mila is getting more and more into drawing and tracing letters and shapes. I haven’t really sat down and did a full activity with her yet, so I wasn’t too optimistic about how this would go.
I made three different pages for Mila to do.
The first is a sticker activity.
Is anyone else’s toddler obsessed with stickers or is it just mine?
I knew if the other two activities didn’t work out, she’d love putting stickers on this big piece of paper.
All I did for this was tape two pieces together and write ‘2021’ in marker.
The goal of this activity is for your toddler to put stickers along the numbers. It helps them get the hang of the shape of the letter without writing it. Plus, they’ll be using motor skills by taking the stickers off and putting them along the lines.
She might not have put all of the stickers on the letters, but stickers are always a hit with Mila!
The next activity is writing. There’s a bubble number one. For this one, they just practice their numbers inside the letter. It’s just to get them familiar with it.
Honestly, this is more Mila’s speed. She did her best with trying to draw it and I think she did well.
The final page was way too challenging for Mila, but a good way to keep numbers familiar for her. I ended up asking which numbers were where and told her the letters too.
Overall, the sticker activity was a hit and I’ll continue doing similar ones for this stage. The other two I’ll keep doing similar things to see how she progresses with them. One day she’ll be a pro at them.
These can all be made with computer paper at home. The sticker activity gave me enough time to make food and wash dishes!
Hopefully, this can help give you some time to get last minute things done for NYE at home.
If you try this out, let me know in the comments. I’d love to know how it went!
To make the New Year’s Eve day a little more special, I made a countdown clock for Mila. It took a little bit of time, which is why I’m posting today.
You can definitely get help from your kids with this activity, but it’s mostly for adults or older kids to make. Kids of all ages can enjoy when it’s done.
Like most of our activities, I had everything at home. If you don’t, all of these items can be easily bought at a variety of stores.
The supplies:
Poster board or craft paper
Marker
Balloons
Confetti (I used scrap paper)
Tape
Candy or other fillings
The idea of this activity is to celebrate NYE all throughout the day. As each hour passes, kids can pop the balloon and have confetti and whatever else you stuff it with.
If they don’t stay up until midnight, then at least they get some excitement throughout the day!
This project was a little more longer and in depth than our usual ones, but I think she’ll love it when the day comes.
First, draw a big circle on your poster board or craft paper. Then, add the numbers around the circle like a clock. I wrote in the middle of it, but you can personalize it however.
Once that’s done, it’s time to stuff and blow up balloons.
You’ll only need twelve balloons and some come with confetti already in them. That would have been way easier, but I just made confetti by cutting up scrap pieces of paper. This takes a little time, but it looks cute all mixed.
If you are making your own confetti, have your child practice their cutting skills and help you out!
Next, stuff the balloons!
This can be a tricky task. I used a funnel, but there are others ways to do it too.
In addition to the confetti, I added chocolate hearts to the balloons. Mila loves them and she’ll be shocked by the surprise.
After this is done, blow your balloons up and tape them to your clock.
Hang your clock to a wall and enjoy popping them on New Years Eve! Kids who love messes will be excited to make one every hour.
I hope you enjoy this way to celebrate bringing the new year in! If you decide to do this activity, comment your experience. I’d love to hear from you and see pictures.
Grey Skies & Rainbow Highs 