Wordless Wednesday

Why couldn't every bedtime be this easy? 

Mia was so tired she fell asleep on the couch in the middle of all our chaos at 6:30!

 It was heavenly! :0)

January Days...

January has been a difficult month for me as a Mom so far! My kids have kicked up their attitudes a few notches and I'm out of discipline strategies. This blog is so easy to show all the fun things I do with my kids, but most days I am just plain tired. There are days when we do nothing exciting or out of the ordinary, but stay in our jammies and watch movies...

Some days the kids run around and make a huge mess and play random games and have fun using their imaginations... These are violins, can't you tell!?!?!

Some days when I'm feeling a little more adventurous we do something like shaving cream play...

It gets quite messy but the kids are entertained! :)

We've also been spending a lot of time here... yes, the potty! Mia decided about a week ago that she was ready to be potty trained. She is doing REALLY well and I'm excited with her progress. This was our third attempt at training her and she's finally gotten it down! There are still accidents, but most times she makes it on her own!

I never thought I would actually put a photo of my toilet on my blog, but hey, never say never! :0)

Puzzled!

Puzzles are a big hit in our house right now! Bailee has enjoyed them for a few years now, but Mia is  really starting to get the hang of them too! They make a great winter day inside activity. They are mess free (unless spilled on the floor) and they hold my kid's attention for about 20 minutes!

This magnetic fish puzzle is one of Mia's favorites!

Even Jack was enjoying taking the pieces out of the puzzle! (with a Nuk in his mouth he doesn't chew on  them!)

Bailee is a fan of puzzles, especially when wearing her Snow White dress (of coarse!)

Sweetness! :0)

An overdue project!

When we moved our Christmas tree out this year I made my husband, (sorry Tom) help me rearrange the whole living room. I think he wanted to scream because he had to take apart the whole entertainment center and hook it back up on the other side of the room. (Again, I'm sorry Tom!) 

When we moved the entertainment center, this whole wall was empty. 

We put the small couch we have in front of it, but the wall was completely bare. It looked terrible! I've wanted to put something there for a while but wasn't sure what. The other issue is that the ceilings are very high (which I love), but it makes the walls even bigger!

At a recent trip to WalMart I found some nice mirrors that I liked. I KNOW, {WalMart??} you're thinking, I was surprised too! So I went back and bought one. It has a solid wooden frame and doesn't look like a cheap WalMart find! :0) I only paid $40 for it and am very happy!

The frames on each side of it were also at WalMart and I had NO problems finding photos I liked to fill them up with!

One more thing on my to-do list done! :0) That always feels good!

TV is a miracle worker!

In our house tv is a big treat! I use it as a reward and I use it when I am desperate! Often times when I am trying to get Jack to sleep or need to really get a project done, the tv goes on! I used to beat myself up for it and give myself a guilt trip when I would turn the tv on, but I've realized over the last year or so that tv can be a miracle worker! 

TV is not the answer for everything, but when the going gets tough, the tough turn on the tv! 

Here is a glimpse of what the tv can do for my kids... they go into a coma and actually cuddle together! It sure is sweet and it's a pure miracle!

How about you? Do you have a mommy trick that you pull out when life gets rough? Please share!!

Sometimes I'm just a frustrated parent!

Having 2 toddler girls so close in age is sometimes a blessing and sometimes a nightmare! Lately it has been a nightmare OFTEN!!! I love my kids and how different they are, but I could do without the conflict and chaos they bring into our home!

It has been a very BIG struggle lately to make them listen, obey and/or cooperate with us as parents. We have tried to be consistent from day one, but they seem to forget all the rules and boundaries every single morning. It never fails that I have to repeat the expectations in our home (like a broken record player) over and over each and every day. 

I know that if I stick with it that they will eventually get it. 

I know that this is just a phase that will pass.

I know that consistency is the key.

I know that they are just toddlers testing me.

I know that I need to have patience.

I know that I am the Mom, and that I need to be firm.

But sometimes I'm just tired and I don't want to!

Sometimes I'm weary, exhausted, angry, disappointed, impatient, and VERY FRUSTRATED!!!

I'm not super woman, I am human and I am just so confused by my children's behavior lately! Why do they feel the need to push me so hard until I snap? Why can't they behave and listen the first time I say it? Why can't they be the perfect little girls that everyone think they are when we're at home?

I'm sure I'll get lots of comments by writing something like this, but I honestly just needed to vent. I wish my kids came with a manual and there was the perfect answer in it for every situation they've thrown my way lately!!!

Happy New Year Party for Toddlers

This year my husband and I had no invitations to any adult parties for the New Year and we had a hard time trying to find an idea that would work for the whole family. We wanted to celebrate the New Year, but it's hard to do something with three small children at home! Then my husband had a great idea (yes, I'm giving him the credit for coming up with the initial idea)... "Lets have a kid-friendly New Year's Eve party and invite all of the kid's friends over!"

So, that what I ended up doing. He had a great idea, but I ended up doing all the work! ;0)

It was easy to invite everyone and I kept it very simple. I asked everyone to bring a toddler friendly snack to share with everyone and planned an easy craft for us all to make. (The kids colored and put stickers on two small paper plates, I stapled them together and put dry macaroni in the middle for noise makers!) After they made their noise makers we turned on some Rick Charette kid's music and played freeze dance.

This was Bailee trying to "catch" Mia in her party dress!

(Yes, Bailee has a tattoo on her arm! Santa brought them for them at Christmas time!)

Because our party started at 5:30 and we had bedtime to think about, we had our New Year's Eve countdown at 7:00 instead of midnight! I found a simple countdown with fireworks and New Year's music on YouTube and played it for the kids. They didn't really understand the whole thing, but still had fun blowing their noise makers and yelling!

 Here is Mia blowing her noise maker with all of her might and ringing in the New Year!!

By the end of the night the kid's were exhausted and fell right asleep in their beds, so I guess that means the party was a success! :0)