I am not perfect! I will be the first person to tell you that I am not a good house keeper. I hate cleaning, but I like having a clean house. This problem didn’t seem to matter before kids. Once we threw a few kids in the mix, keeping the house picked up became a bigger challenge.
Here is the evidence
Messy living room… toys thrown around. We got in last night and didn’t bother picking up before bed.
Our child has poop issues… So the lesson of the week: Everyone Poops!
Our messy kitchen counter… Dishes are clean because my hubby is awesome! But clutter is starting to take over!!! It was clean two days ago. read more
After I had my baby, I started searching for exercises to heal your abs and how to heal Diastasis Recti. These tips will show how to bring abs back together after pregnancy.
Diastasis Recti is the separation of the abdominal muscles. Most commonly occurs as a result of pregnancy.
Before I was pregnant, I had no idea how my body was going to change to bring in this little person into the world. Once she was here, I felt like I had to learn how to be me again. I found out that during pregnancy my body had developed Diastasis Recti.
Some women are just prone to this abdominal separation, but there are some factors that increase the likelihood of it occurring:read more
and everyone is making lists for toys and gifts to get their kids. Here is a list of my pick of Craft Kits that I know would be so much fun for the little toddler in your family.
These Craft kits are also good for learning and creativity. So instead of a new toy, think about getting your toddler some art supplies or one of these all in one craft kits. I know Aidalyn loves working on crafts on a rainy day or when we are having a slow morning.
1). Sticky Mosaics:
You can purchase here:
These mosaic sticky crafts are great for matching shapes and colors, plus following simple directions. You end with a pretty colorful piece of art that you can hang on a wall. They are sturdy and really a great activity! Aidalyn loves these so much!
2) Do a Dot Markers
Purchase here:
I’m not sure a toddler’s art supplies can be complete without Do-A-Dot markers. They are so wonderful! Aidalyn loves the Do A Dot Art Markers and I love that she can play with them virtually mess free! We bought a coloring book to go with the markers:Tales of the Mermaid Do-a-Dot Creative Activity BookThe colors are so pretty and bold. They also are labeled really well for sight word recognition.
3) Paper Bag Puppets
Purchase here:
Creating Paper Bag animal puppets is a wonderful activity for language development and following directions. I can just see Aidalyn telling wild, imaginative stories using the paper bag puppets. So much fun to decorate and put them together, then you can play for hours after.
4) Tissue Art
Purchase here:
We bought this for Aidalyn and I think her favorite part is putting on the googly eyes. She loved the tissue art so much, I bought just a pack of tissue to play with and contact paper.
5) Giant Busy Box
Purchase here:
This set is much larger and has 16 activities in one box. Tons of learning opportunities. If you wanted an all in one set, this would be the way to go. It’s on sale right now (November) and seems like a great deal!
I hope the toddler in your life is ready to get creative and start exploring the little artist inside.
*** This post contains affiliate links. Your price stays the same, but I get a small commission for referring you that helps me keep this site running. These are all products that we love and play with all the time. I hope you enjoy them as well.
Holidays are the time to share with friends and family. This year you can share how you are staying Trim and enjoying all of your Trim Holiday Drinks!
No need to let this holiday season be an excuse for added pounds. These Holiday Drinks are the perfect solution to quench your thirst and satisfy your sweet tooth without adding to your waistband!
YOU CAN ENJOY THESE TRIM HOLIDAY DRINKS WITHOUT ANY GUILT!
It’s Christmas Time! This is the best time to create lasting memories for you and your kids. Here are my 5 top Christmas Activities for making this Christmas season special.
Tip Junkie has a great idea for your family! Each day you take off an ornament and you do an activities on the back. This is our Advent Christmas Tree. I used green felt from hobby lobby and cut out the shape of a tree. Then I just used yarn, clothes pins and tape to put everything together.
We are lucky that there is a cute little outdoor church play right down the road from us. They sang Christmas Carols and served hot chocolate and cookies afterwards. It was such a treat last year. What a good reminder of the reason for the season. read more
Cranberries are in season! I love cranberries for many reasons.
They are tart and add a nice flavor to turkey and dressing on Thanksgiving. They are great paired with pumpkin in muffins and breads. And they make a great No Sugar Added Cranberry Sauce!
Hey there, incredible moms-to-be! Are you navigating the journey of gestational diabetes and searching for ways to manage it naturally, all while ensuring the health and well-being of you and your baby? Well, you’ve come to the right place! Gestational diabetes may seem daunting, but with the right approach, you can take control of your health and enjoy a smooth pregnancy journey. In this blog post, we’ll dive into some practical tips on how to manage gestational diabetes naturally through diet and exercise. From making mindful food choices to staying active and finding balance in your daily routine, we’re here to support you every step of the way. So, grab a cozy seat, mama-to-be, and let’s embark on this empowering journey together! read more
Adam and I took our first flight back to Louisiana from Virginia last week with Aidalyn. We have both had the privilege to fly numerous time (including several international flights), so we consider ourselves pros at it. This time was different, though, because we were traveling with a 21 month old. Here are our 6 tips for flying with a toddler that we learned through our experience.
It is always horrible to sit next to the crying baby on the plane. However, nothing is worse than being the parents of said crying baby. We wanted to be prepared for every possible reaction.
On the Plane:
1) Bring Snacks and a Sippy cup
Our first stop to prepare for the flight was the grocery store. I bought several of the popular baby smoothies they have at almost every grocery store. You can take the smoothies on the plane if they are under 3.5 oz with no questions asked (if they are larger, you just get patted down really well). Secondly, we bought some all natural gummy bears. Aidalyn had never had these before, so they were quite popular. “More, more.” I would say always bring something that is interesting and will take a while to eat (like the gummy bears). Bring an empty sippy cup and fill it with water once you get through security. Help your kids drink during take off and landing so that the pressure in their ears won’t build and cause pain (eating also helps this, they just need to be swallowing).
2) Videos and Media
Aidalyn has an obsession with Elmo (Melmo) right now, so we knew a video would be a good tool to have handy. Adam was able to download a few episodes of Sesame Street on his Kindle for Aidalyn to watch during the flight.
3) New small toys
We also took a trip to the dollar store to find some little things that may be fun to play with – we left with a silly little duck (Quack, Quack) that lights up.
4) Colors and Paper
I packed colors and paper as well as paper dolls – but these weren’t used much at all.
5) Favorite pillow or stuffed animal
Aidalyn surprised us both with how good she was during the flight. She was better on the trip back to Virginia than to Louisiana because she was able to get a short nap on the first flight. We remembered to bring the secret weapon – her pillow pet. She loved looking out of the window and opening and closing the shade.
In the Airport:
6) Bring your stroller
You can gate check your stroller and carseat right before you load the plane. Having your stroller with you in the airport helps contain your toddler and also helps carry your bags. The airline will return your gate checked items as soon as you land, so you are only without it during the time you are on the plane.
All in all, I would say that next trip we will have her pillow, Charlie (her lovey), snacks, the kindle and her iPhone and leave everything else at home.
What tips have you learned about traveling with toddlers?
Long term use of birth control pills can be dangerous, but there are natural family planning alternatives you can use! Read more I share what we did for natural family planning and what some other options are out there to birth control pills.
Angela of Grassfed Mama shares healthy tips for busy moms.
Is long term use of birth control dangerous?
About 2 years after Adam and I were married and after starting this health discovery process, I started doing some research on birth control pills. I was taking a pill every day to prevent pregnancy… and I just kept reading that this was not healthy for me or my hormones.read more
The colors are so pretty and bold. They also are labeled really well for sight word recognition. 
