As a teacher, and now as a mom I have a love for children’s books. I own hundreds and use them within my classroom. Soon, I will be reading them to my son. Check out my top 10 favorite children’s books!
MY TOP 10 FAVORITE CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Llama llama and the Bully Goat
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
The Kissing Hand
Read and Share Bible
Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom
M is for Michigan
That’s Not My Sloth
You Complete Me
Horton Hears a Who?
The Family Book
Did your favorite children’s book make the list? Comment below!
It’s 2023! Happy New Year friends! I can’t believe my baby is almost a year old! Where did the time go??? Any who… this year I’ve got plans, like I always do. I always like to reach big for the goals I set for myself each year. However, I also want to bring into the new year something I learned from 2022, and that is flexibility. Last year, I was challenged to be flexible with my time, money, plans, parenting and expectations. This year I’m going to try and continue to keep that flexibility at times, as hard as it is for me not to be a control freak.
This year I am setting 10 goals for myself. These are 10 goals that I hope to be intentional as well as manageable. Without further or do, here are my goals for 2023!
My Goals for 2023
1. Buy a House
This is the big one. This is the one I want to come true the most! We have been saving up and looking for the perfect starter home for our little family. My hope is to find our home and move in before summer, if not by the end of the year.
2. Go on a Family Trip
I would like to go on at least one family trip this year, even if it’s just a day trip. A few ideas I have include the zoo, northern Michigan, Great a Wolf Lodge, the apple orchard, the dairy farm or Mackinac.
3. Publish one of my Books
I said this in my last post. This goal will be on this list until I complete it!
4. Decorate my New Home
This one goes along with my first goal. But it’s honestly what I am most excited about with getting a new home. We get to decorate and make it our own!
5. Get my Eyes Checked
Now, at first glance you guys might think this is a dumb goal. But give me a moment to explain. The last time I had my eyes checked was in 2018. It’s been 5 years. I need my eyes checked and I really need new glasses. I’m just terrified of going to the eye doctor, for reasons I will share in a future post. So this is a big deal for me, but I gotta do it.
6. Start Our Homesteading Lifestyle
I’ve mentioned in previous posts how I am very interested in homesteading and would eventually like to have my own garden/green house, chicken coup with laying egg hens, and a goat or two for goat milk. I realize I can’t begin this lifestyle until we are moved into our new home. However, I would like to at least begin the process of homestead living by continuing to research and maybe even start buying supplies.
7. Host a Party or Family Gathering
As we wrap up the holidays, I have thought about how much I would one day love to host a family gathering and or party at my own home in the coming year. I have a few ideas including a house warming party, Easter Dinner, Mother’s Day, Christmas or New Year’s Eve. Depending on when we move and get settled in will depend on when all this happens, but I simply can’t wait!
8. Write 515 Blog Posts
I know I didn’t reach my goal of 500 blog posts in 2022, but I hope to reach this one in 2023. With my little one being a little more mobile and independent, I’m hopeful this will allow me to dive back into my hobby of writing.
9. Implement Fun and Structured Activities with my Son
As Matthew quickly emerges from baby to toddler, I would like to start doing more intentional, structural activities throughout the year. I have a few ideas like sensory bins/bags, art projects and outside activities.
10. Start Developing Our Homeschool Curriculum
As many of you know, I have degrees in Early Childhood Education and Child and Family Development. This is my field. I have always wanted to develop my own toddler/preschool curriculum.
My Word of the Year…
This year I have decided to include a word of the year. Something I want to ponder, remember and reflect on as each month passes this year. I asked my husband to think of a word for me. I said to think of the first word that comes to his head, and he said Resilience. I instantly thought it was perfect! No matter what this year brings, I’m going to have faith, trust in Jesus and come out with resilience.
A few months ago, I shared with you an ideal baby routine, I was hoping to establish with my baby by the time he was 6 months old. It went something like this….
We were able to implement this plan for awhile, but as my son grows and becomes more active, it is time that we make some revisions. Currently my son shows these tendencies throughout the day:
He nurses about 7-9 times in a 24 hour period.
He eats 3 purees a day. This was recommended by his pediatrician to help him adjust to solid food.
He takes 2 naps a day, usually the first is 30 minutes to an hour and 10 minutes long. The second is an hour and a half to two hours long.
The witching hour is about an hour before bed.
He wakes up between 7-8am.
He goes to bed between 7-8pm
We try to go outside at least once a day.
He gets a bath 2 to 3 times a week.
He isn’t sleeping through the night yet as we just entered the 9 moth sleep regression.
The following is the schedule we are striving for:
As you can see, I try to establish plenty of free play time, as well as structured time such as eating.
Here’s to hoping this schedule works, and will help us establish a good night’s rest.
If you liked this blog post, feel free to let me know in the comments! You can also check out my previous blog post ⬇️⬇️⬇️
When my son was 4 months old, our pediatrician gave us the go ahead to start solid foods. I was excited but very nervous about this new adventure. I took two weeks to do research before starting solid foods.
My husband and I decided on starting with purées as these seemed to be the most safe and best option for us. We first started with carrots and let me tell you, my son was not a fan. The carrots would go in and a moment later the carrots would go out. Three days later we tried butternut squash. This time he swallowed a few spoonfuls and the rest went all over his bib.
My son is now 6 months old and so far we have tried peas, carrots, butternut squash, apples, bananas, mango, chicken, green beans, prunes, cereal, pears and peaches. His favorites seem to be bananas, butternut squash and apples.
This solid food journey has been exciting and I can’t wait to see what other foods my son likes to try. 🙂
Okay, so this recipe was a simple idea from my momma that I couldn’t help but share.
If you were a 90’s kid, you probably grew up with these things called lunchables. One of my favorite lunchables was the kind with the mini pizzas. This recipe is very similar to that as you only need 4 ingredients.
What You Need…
Tortilla Shell
Marinara Sauce
Cheese (mozzarella, cheddar or parmesan)
Pepperonis
First, lay out a tortilla on a plate.
Next spread a few spoonfuls of sauce across the tortilla.
Then, sprinkle cheese over the sauce.
Finally, place pepperonis on tortilla.
Once your pizza is complete you can either cut it up like a pizza, or roll it up like a wrap.
TIP: This is a fun and easy recipe to make with kids!
In the past few weeks as our baby boy has gotten older, we have been sprucing up Baby Bear’s nursery!
This crib was a gift from family friends who buy storage units. It’s considered a mini crib which is perfect for apartment living. We also put up the animal pictures which were a gift from a coworker off of my registry,
A majority of our son’s books are in the living room, however I like to keep a couple in his bedroom for easy access and late night story time.
We have continued to keep his shelf with bins full of clothes and it is perfect and a very efficient system.
Matthew started rolling around 7 weeks of age. He is now 10 weeks as I write this. Between 7 and 8 weeks we transitioned Matthew from the bassinet to the crib. However, we have kept the bassinet and are using it as a diaper changing station until he fully grows out of it.
This diaper caddy has been a lifesaver. We love having everything accessible and organized for diaper changes.
I decided to also create a bath time basket where all his wash cloths, soaps, shampoos, extra diapers and brushes can be found. I also am hanging his towels on a hook nearby where it can be easily found. I am currently storing this in his room while we continue to give him baths in the kitchen sink. Once we switch to doing baths in the bathroom, I would imagine we will move everything there.
Finally, I’ve continued to store blankets, sheets, bibs, socks and shoes on this shelf.
Thanks for taking this fun little tour of our Baby Boy’s updated nursery! 💕
Do you have some busy bees in your home who seem to constantly be on the move? Do you feel like the walls are closing in when it’s raining or too cold to send the kids outside? Do you ever run out of ideas of indoor activities to try with your kids?
Well, here is a simple idea that your kids will love! This activity is perfect for kids ages 2-5! All you need is these two around the house items: Paper Plates and Markers.
First, give your child two paper plates. Explain to them that you are going to create ice skates! Provide your child with markers to decorate the plates. You can even include other art supplies such as stickers, paint, glitter glue, etc.
Once your child has finished decorating their skates (paper plates), then place the plates on the floor. Demonstrate for your child how to step and slide on the carpet while remaining on the paper plates.
Once your child has mastered sliding across the room while using their ice skates, throw on some music and let them go to town!
As a teacher, and now as a mom I have a love for children’s books. I own hundreds and use them within my classroom. Soon, I will be reading them to my son. Check out my top 10 favorite children’s books!
My Top 10 Favorite Children’s Books
Llama llama and the Bully Goat
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
The Kissing Hand
Read and Share Bible
Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom
M is for Michigan
That’s Not My Sloth
You Complete Me
Horton Hears a Who?
The Family Book
Did your favorite children’s book make the list? Comment below! ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Mackenzie Goes to Heaven is a children’s book, created for families who have gone through a pregnancy loss. It is designed to teach siblings and other children about the concept of miscarriage and how it affects a family, in a child friendly way.
Now, I have also created a coloring book to accompany this gentle children’s book.
Mackenzie Goes to Heaven Children’s Book is available for $7.70 + Shipping and Mackenzie Goes to Heaven Coloring Book is $5.00 + Shipping! Digital and Paperback copies are available.
Grief and Mercy 