If you want to show off the cutest series of photos at the office, in your home, or even as a gift, you should definitely try this out!
‘I love you.’
We have an Instax camera and love snapping pictures. Mila likes how the film instantly come out and their aesthetic pleases me.
I got an idea to make myself (sorry not sorry) a Valentine’s Day present that I can always remember Mila at this time. So, we had a little photo shoot.
Obviously, she loved getting dressed up and making her hair ‘pretty.’ She was all for it!
Then it was time to shoot.
Since I can’t have Mila’s voice always telling me she loves me while I work, I thought of the next best thing… sign language.
In one of Mila’s dance songs, they sign ‘I love you,’ but a little reminder didn’t hurt.
After I got those first three pictures, she wanted to take more. So, so obviously I took the opportunity to take a few pictures of her.
Anyways, I found a perfect, Instax picture frame on Amazon! It’s pretty sturdy. The only issue I had with it was I had to tape the pictures in to stay, but that wasn’t a big deal.
Once I put it all together, it turned out so beautiful.
If you have more than one child, this frame also has a six opening frame too.
I think this would be an amazing gift to parents, grandparents, or anyone your child loves. It didn’t take too long to do either.
Your child will love seeing their pictures instantly and will be happy to give this as a present.
I hope if you decide to make this Valentine’s Day gift, you’ll let me know in the comments below.
For future Friday’s, sorry for that f alliteration, I want to do something a little different. From here on out, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite picks.
These can include books, shows, podcasts, kids things, or whatever else I think of. Obviously, I’m going to try and make sure it’s useful for other people too. I’m not that self-obsessed.
Dolly Parton created the Imagination Library because she wanted to make sure no child was illiterate. It’s a program where kids are gifted a book a month.
The Imagination Library is available to children who live in certain areas. If you’re local to me, your child definitely qualifies. To my non-local friends, you can check to see if you qualify here! It’s definitely worth seeing.
Mila has been receiving books for almost a year, maybe. They’re cute books and she enjoys getting mail.
We read all the time, so it’s nice to get fresh books. Plus, they’re always educational. For example, last month, it was a story about hibernation.
This months was perfect for the stage Mila is in now. It’s called, Goodnight, Numbers by Danica McKellar.
If you couldn’t guess from the title, this book is about numbers and counting. Mila had the toughest time saying four and five while counting. It was so frustrating.
But, when she read this book, she counted to ten like a pro!
The drawings are made to keep the kids interested in counting the entire time. Each page correlates with a number. The pictures have random things with the same amount on the page. So, it’s like a little scavenger hunt!
This really helped Mila. She pointed most of them out. The pattern of counting the same number a few times made her more confident too.
Another cute part of the story is it follows bedtime routines. So, when you’re reading it before bed, they know what might happen next.
More importantly, there’s diverse characters. Different types of families and races are centered around one number. I thought this was a great way to continue talking to Mila diversity AND how every family looks different.
This inclusive and educational book was such a hit. If you’re interested in the book, you can find it here on Amazon.
We love Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and I hope you will too. Make sure to check if your family is eligible for these books. They’re such a great source and way to excite your little one to read.
Thanks for checking out this Friday Fav! Let me know if you are apart of Imagination Library in the comments.
With only a few days of January left, I thought it was a perfect time to start thinking about Valentine’s Day. Since Mila loves to paint, I incorporated that and my love for decorating in this project.
I also was inspired by this Instagram post to make Mila’s artwork into a banner!
This little banner looks simple, but took two days to make.
Older kids may be able to do the entire project by themselves. Younger children will need their parents help with scissors and a hole punch.
Here’s what you’ll need for this project:
Paint
Brushes
Paper (we used craft)
String
Scissors
Hole punch
Bubble wrap (optional)
We started off doing some process art with bubble wrap. Anytime we can add new ways to create, we do.
I had Mila paint Valentine’s Day colors (pink, purple, and red) on bubble wrap. Then we set our big pieces of craft paper on top. After it was on top, she rolled her rolling pin over it. I told her to do this to make sure the paper picked enough paint up.
We did this for four pieces of paper. She did different strokes of paint for each.
They all came out so individual and Mila enjoyed how different this looked compared to her usual paintings.
Next, we had to wait for everything to dry.
To be honest, this probably would have taken a few hours. I might have waited a couple days. Oops!
Mila is still too little to draw hearts or cut them out, so I did the next steps by myself. If she was a little older, she could have done these steps too!
I drew and cut out different sized hearts. The size variety is interesting to me, but you can do whatever.
If you have extra painted paper leftover, keep it! I have a cute Valentine’s Day card you can make with them!
Next, hole punch two holes on the top of the heart.
Your child can help you put the string through the holes if you’d like. Mila thought it was cool to help put it together this way. It took her a little whole though!
After they’re all on the string, hang it up where ever.
This simple project is fun to do with a toddler and even older kids. You can showcase their art and have festive decorations that are handmade and cute.
The plan the rest of the wall is to put hearts around the canvas she made with reasons why I love her in them.
I can’t wait to make this February special for Mila.
Let me know if you try this project out and what projects you’ll be doing this Valentine’s Day!
Mila is back doing her weird things, like normal. This one really makes me laugh, especially since I have no idea where she got it.
Like most kids, Mila likes to eat snow. She’ll get a handful, says something, and then eats it.
Well, I was curious as to what exactly she was saying. Sometimes toddlers speak really fast. Mila does when she’s excited!
Anyways, I figured it out. She calls the snow she’s going to eat snow cookies.
It’s the cutest, but weirdest thing to call snow. But at least she’s not asking me when Santa is coming back anymore.
I still have zero idea where she heard the phrase snow cookies. She insists that’s what they’re called. Of course, that means everyone around her calls then that.
I guess toddlers and their made up words are just meant to be weird.
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.
This is going to sound silly, but I’m so intimidated by cooking chicken.
I have this fear it’s going to be REALLY raw and it gives me the creeps. So, when I do make it, I usually bake it for a few more minutes than what a recipe calls. Any recipe that says to put it on the grill or pan, I just skip it.
Until I came across this one.
This grilled caprese chicken made me feel like I was back in Italy.
Not only was I able to grill it on the stove top, it was so good and not raw. I think this is a culinary win on my part! You should try it too.
Here’s what you’ll need:
4 chicken breasts
2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of black pepper
Olive oil
Fresh mozzarella
Tomatoes (I used roma, but you could use other kinds too)
Basil
Balsamic glaze
Parchment paper
Grill or griddle
Rolling pin
That list seems huge, but it all comes together and you probably already have a lot of the ingredients. This recipe is also a little more in depth than what I usually share, but it’s pretty easy to follow along.
First, turn on your grill or griddle to a medium heat. This way it’s warmed up after you’ve prepped.
The, beat your chicken. No really. Wrap your chicken in parchment paper and hit it with a rolling pin. You’re trying to make your chicken have an even thickness.
After it’s evened out, brush on olive oil.
Next, it’s time to season. You can either mix your seasonings together in a separate bowl (what I did) or put it on top of the chicken. I always add extra salt and pepper too. Place on the grill or griddle and let it cook for five minutes. Then flip it over for five more minutes.
Pro tip… I used a griddle. To get the grill effect, I placed a baking sheet over my chicken to keep the heat in.
While your chicken is cooking. Slice your tomatoes and mozzarella if it isn’t pre-sliced. This is also a great time to chop your basil too.
Once your chicken is finished cooking on the second side, flip it over again. Place two pieces of mozzarella on top of each chicken. Cover them back up and let the cheese melt for about two to three minutes.
After it’s melted, plate them and put the tomatoes, basil, and balsamic glaze over top.
Then enjoy!
For sides, I made broccoli and garlic-butter noodles. It tasted great and Mila even enjoyed a few bites of the chicken too. She was way more into the noodles though.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you give it a try, let me know in the comments!
In efforts to really think about self care this year, I tried a reiki session.
I’ve wanted to try reiki for a few years. The first time I ever heard about them was right after Jensen was born. It was that thing where I wanted to try anything to maybe make me feel better.
Although I didn’t do it then, I still remained interested.
Reiki is about your body’s energy. Your chakras, or energy hubs, can be blocked. There’s seven of them and they each correlate with your physical, emotional, and mental health.
It’s really interesting to read about. If you want more information on the chakras or just some general tidbits, look here.
Anyways, on Instagram I saw that one of my friend Kiersten from Eclectic Serenity offered reiki sessions. I instantly messaged her about it. She also has amazing face products and macrame hangings too!
It felt like I needed to do this for me now, but also to honor my early grief. So we set something up.
I would like to say, I went into reiki completely open to what was going to happen. Instead of going in for a specific reason, I just wanted to see what my body was going through.
The day of, I wasn’t nervous at all. I was actually really excited.
Kiersten’s reiki room was so relaxing. There meditation music, oils going, and it was warm. Perfect for relaxing and really getting out of your head.
Without going crazy into detail, reiki is set up like an energy massage. It’s the same feeling as going into a massage but you lay on your back, clothes are on, and you’re not physically being touched; except for light touches.
I had a weighted eye covering over my eyes and just tried to shut my mind off. For the first ten minutes, I feel like I was trying to relax.
Then, all of the sudden, I was under. I was still conscience and aware, but I was feeling weird things.
There were times it felt like energy was going through me. It kind of felt like how a copier scans a paper. Other times it felt like there was a string being tugged from my core.
It was wild
I will say, everyone has a different experience in what they feel and which of their chakras are closed.
When Kiersten was working on my left side, I had a strange feeling. It almost felt as if I was either under water and couldn’t get back up. Or like there was huge stones on my chest. So, at times it felt hard to breathe. Honestly, I knew I was safe, but it was unlike anything I’ve ever felt.
Then, on my right side, I almost felt like I was floating or really light. Both sides, I was tingly though.
The session was an hour and when she was done, I felt like I was waking up from a deep sleep or getting done with a massage. My body felt heavy and I needed water.
I found out I had two chakras blocked. She gave me the information about it. It correlated a lot to what was going on in my life.
Some instant changes I felt in my body were my thoughts weren’t racing and my head didn’t feel full. My anxiety causes those things to happen, so it being clear made me feel like a new person.
One other thing that happened was the next morning I threw up. TMI and gross warning ahead… it wasn’t like food, but almost like brown stuff. When I asked Kiersten about it, she said it was normal and my body was releasing the toxins in my chakra’s blockage.
Since reiki, I’ve honestly felt a lot better. My head doesn’t feel as full as normally and I haven’t gotten a ton of headaches.
I will 100% go and do it again.
Emotional and spiritual health is just as important and mental and physical health. My first round of reiki made me feel better and I want to keep it up.
So, that’s my reiki experience! Self care is so important and it’s nice to find something else to add to my routine.
If you’re local to me, definitely check out Eclectic Serenity on Facebook and/or Instagram. Non local friends, you should definitely see if there is reiki services near you.
I hope you all can add a little self care in your day today. Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever tried reiki before.
I had a lot of things planned for Mila and I to do today. Of course, she had an agenda of her own when we woke up.
She ran straight to her closet and picked out a dress. Not unusual if you know Mila, but…
This is the dress she chose. Today she is Princess Mila.
I brushed her hair all out and put her in a little ‘crown.’ We found the most perfect princess shoes. Then, we put it all together and she wanted to take pictures with her ‘beast.’
So, we did just that.
My biggest tips for moms is things don’t go exactly as planned. Just try to roll with it.
It might not be what you wanted, but these unexpected moments can be just as wonderful. You never know when you’ll have the beauty and a beast in your house. Or a fire fighter, police officer, chef, or dance teacher.
Embrace these moments. They go too quick.
What’s your child been pretending they are lately?
One of the toughest things I face as a single mom is wondering if Mila has enough love.
It’s hard being away from her during the days, but I have to be to give her the life she deserves. When we’re together, we play, read stories, and create. I tell her I love her every chance I get and she does the same.
We’re happy in our own little world.
But, it’s the days I have to go away. I question if she forgets about all our fun. There are some times I wonder if the love I instill in her stays. Or if she’s just made at me when I’m gone.
A few nights ago, I realized I shouldn’t put any thought into those fears.
I picked her up one afternoon after school. She sat in the car as my mom told her goodbye. As usual, she asked for a hundred goodbye hugs and kisses. Then kept saying bye. As my mom walked away, then started the goodbye kisses.
She blew them and for awhile they were reciprocated. Mom had to go back inside, but Mila did something that made me smile.
As the door shut and we backed out of the driveway, I saw her continue blowing goodbye kisses.
Between each kiss, she yelled, “goodbye! I love you!.”
She didn’t stop when we backed out. Or when we went down the street. Or even parked in our driveway. Outside our door, she kept saying goodbye and how much she loved her Gigi.
That’s when I realized, Mila has all the love in the world. She knows what love feels like and how to feel it towards others.
All those worries about if I’m doing good enough ease.
The next morning, when it’s hard to go away again. I see her goodbye kisses in action. It made leaving a little easier.
Because, I know those goodbye kisses never end and that love travels where ever we go.
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.
Grey Skies & Rainbow Highs 