Living as a mom

Archive for the ‘family’ Category

We are continuing to prepare for the arrival of the Tooth Fairy even though no one has a loose tooth yet. It never hurts to be prepared, I suppose.

At the library I found a great Tooth Fairy book by accident – Tooth Fairy’s First Night (Carolrhoda Picture Books). The girl in the book does not believe that the Tooth Fairy exists so she sets up a hunt complete with clues to make the TF find her tooth. Then the TF sets up a hunt for the girl to find her treasure. I wonder if out Tooth Fairy will do the same for us… It would be fun to write letters to the Tooth Fairy and to read her responses.

Every kid needs a place to put a lost tooth so the TF can find it. While we were shopping at a local arts and crafts store today, the gilrs picked out two heart shaped, wooden boxes. This afternoon they decorated their boxes. They were so funny talking about having loose teeth while they were painting. The excitement is building!

We have researched the Tooth Fairy pretty extensively now. Plus we have a place to put the lost teeth. We are ready for a tooth to fall out a moment’s notice! Who is more excited about the Tooth Fairy – me or the kids? I’m hoping that her much anticipated arrival lives up to their expectations.

Photo courtesy of Robert S. Donovan

My sweet 5 year old has discovered the Tooth Fairy. A good friend of hers recently lost a tooth, and someone at Vacation Bible School told her about her experience with the Tooth Fairy. There has been a lot of excitement about teeth that might be loose. It has also spurred some questions about this mysterious character. Today C5 wanted to know where the Tooth Fairy lives. I avoided the question because I just didn’t have a good answer for her. I don’t remember ever asking my folks about that. Was I really not that curious as a child? Why is it always my kid who needs to know all of the details about something when she gets interested in it?

I did some research for my inquisitive child. Now I am armed with answers! (Oh, I found out that the TF lives in Tooth Fairyland in the sky, of course!)Maybe you haven’t had the pleasure of preparing for the Tooth Fairy to visit your home yet, so hopefully you will benefit from what I found out.

~ A good friend told me that the Tooth Fairy always left a letter with the cash reward for her daughter. You can find all kinds of letters at this Squidoo page.

~ There are many books out there about the Tooth Fairy. Some even include folklore from other cultures about her.

~ Many parents online recommend that you think about how much money the TF will bring because your child will expect the same thing every time the Tooth Fairy comes. It seems that the going rate is $1, but many TF’s bring coins instead of paper bills.

~ I have a friend whose TF brings a little gift such as brightly colored floss along with the cash. What a great way to promote oral hygeine!

~ Many of your Tooth Fairy questions can be answered at Write the Toothfairy.

Just think of the Tooth Fairy as another opportunity to celebrate the magic of childhood and make memories with your children!

I remember when I was a child that my mother rearranged the furniture regularly. Did your mom do that? It was always a big project for us and pretty exciting when the work was done. I  liked the feeling I got after the job was finished.

Yes, folks, I have turned into my mother!

I rearrange the furniture in our home with each season and a few times in between. I try out new configurations in order to accommodate our family’s changing needs. The traffic pattern fluctuates during different seasons. As the children grow, I have to adapt the environment to meet their needs. Besides sometimes I am in this house for 36 hours straight! Why wouldn’t I move things around? I need to at least feel like I have gone someplace new!

It drives E nuts when I move the furniture! I guess his mom didn’t rearrange the house much when he was a kid. His big complaint is that I am tired and sore for a few days after pushing the couches, the piano, and such around. He doesn’t see the benefits at all.

I know that there are benefits from all that furniture shifting and switching. First, I know that the kids and I have a new perspective on life for a while when we finish. Throughout the process, we also find lost toys and clean up messes that we didn’t know existed. The house becomes more user-friendly, too. I like the sense of accomplishment that I get, and I think it is good exercise!

If by simply organizing my working and living space we end up staying in our current home longer and avoid an expensive renovation, I think that E should be thankful and encourage me to do anything I want with the decor!

Photo courtesy of youngthousands

My dad is my hero. Week after week he visits us and brings muffins to share. Then he spends the day helping with laundry, cleaning, and taking care of the kids. Plus he has a contagious laugh and a winning sense of humor! It is such a  joy to have him around. We have a standing date at this local hot dog place that the kids love to go to when he visits. He and the kids joke back and forth about where we are going for lunch. It is all part of the fun of it!

I have to start taking pictures of him with the kids. They are hilarious together, and my dad is a great sport about dressing up and pretending. Today he wore a crown at the tea party the kids set up. He helped the girls with their dress up clothes, too. It was precious to see them all playing together!

I also appreciate how my father tells stories. He talks about times he spent with my mom, times when I was a kid, and times when the girls were younger. My grandmother, his mother, told stories like that, too. I remember asking her to retell those stories over and over even though I knew them by heart. I just loved the experience of spending time with her and hearing about our family history. I’m happy that my children will have that same experience to look back on.

I treasure these days, and I am grateful that my kids will have memories of my dad visiting each week.

Photo courtesy of rocketjim54

I happy to report that my pooch is doing well. She was miserable with the Elizabethan collar and banged it on everything in an attempt to get it off. We gave in and took it off. So far so good with the wound healing.

The vet called with the report on the biopsy. This tumor was a grade 2, but he was confident that he removed the whole tumor and got good margins. I desperately hope that my dog doesn’t have to deal with anymore of this. It is sad.

The kids have been great with the dog. They have lots of questions about her “boo boo”, but they are being kind and gentle with her. Thankfully the whole experience hasn’t distressed them at all as similar dog injuries have in the past.

Our dog is part of our family. The kids love to play her and talk to her as if she is a human. With that in mind, I have been thinking about and dreading talking with my kids about our pet’s illnesses, injuries, and eventual death when those situations arise. We believe in being truthful and answering our kids’ questions in age appropriate ways, but I know that it will be difficult for me to discuss the honest questions that the kids will ask. Sometimes it is really hard to be the grown up!

My dog had surgery today.

When I brought my sweet dog in for her yearly check up, I asked the vet to check a lump that we found on her belly. He took a sample from the lump and called me later with some bad news. That lump was a mast cell tumor. It was a bit of a shock to me when he said that.

Cancer.

Apparently removing a mast cell requires removing wide margins of tissue, and thankfully the lump was on her belly because there is plenty of extra tissue to remove. After the surgery, the vet said that he felt strongly that the surgery went well. He sent a sample in to find out more information on the cell – whether it is a grade 1, 2, or 3. A grade 1 has the best prognosis. We’ll find out in a couple of days. Now we wait for her to heal.

When we found the lump, we didn’t think that it was a big deal. We didn’t even rush the dog to the vet. I encourage you to get your pet to a vet right away if you find a lump anywhere on your pet’s body. If you are interested in more information about mast cell tumors, please visit Kate Connick’s Courteous Canines, LLC.

Photo courtesy of Tom Purves

Every fairy must have a wand. Here is how I made our fairy wands for our Tinker Bell party. It is so simple and VERY cheap.

Materials

wooden skewers

wooden stars (from the craft store)

thin ribbon and/or bows

silver (or gold) crafting spray paint

clear acrylic sealant spray

glue

duct tape (optional)

Instructions

1. Glue a wooden star to a skewer. I ended up also duct taping the star on for good measure.
2. After the glue dries, spray paint the wand silver or gold. Paint both sides. Be sure to paint in a well ventilated area. I painted mine outside.
3. Spray the wand with the sealant after the paint is dry. This also needs to be done in a well ventilated area.
4. When the sealant is dry, tie ribbon around the wand and add a bow if you’d like.

Here is how I made the fairy crowns for our Tinker Bell party.

Materials

silver (or gold) headbands

wooden stars

craft wire

silver (or gold) craft spray paint

clear acrylic sealant spray paint

ribbon

scissors

glue

duct tape

Instructions

1. Decide on a design for your stars. Glue the stars together and let them dry.
2. After the stars have dried, spray paint them silver or gold.
3. Once the stars are completely dried, duct tape a length of wire to the back. Wrap the wire around the headband to secure the stars. Cut off any excess wire and duct tape the sharp ends to the back of the stars.
4. Cover the wire with the ribbon. Lay the ribbon just below the stars so it covers the wire. Take each end of the ribbon one at a time. Wrap it around the headband and tuck it under the ribbon in the front. Allow the end of the ribbon to fall toward the back of the headband.

Here is how I made the fairy wings for our Tinker Bell party. It is a little time consuming, but easy to do.

Materials

wire hangers (2/child)

knee highs (2/child) or nylons (1/child) any color

duct tape

several rolls of wide ribbon

pliers

glitter glue

Instructions

1. Choose 2 hangers that are about the same size. Remove any paper from the hangers.
2. Using the pliers, bend the hook down on each of the hangers. Overlap the bent hooks and duct tape the two hangers together. Make sure you cover the sharp edges.
3. Bend the triangular part of the hanger into the shape that you want for the wings. They should be pretty pliable so you won’t need the pliers for this part.
4. Cover each wing with a knee high/nylon (one leg for each wing). The the nylons over the center of the wings to cover the duct tape.
5. Tie a long piece of ribbon around the center of the wings. After the wings are decorated, you’ll wrap the ribbon over the child’s shoulders and around his/her back. Then tie a bow in the back to secure the wings to your child.
6. Let your child decorate the wings using glitter glue.

We had an amazing Tinker Bell party today. My birthday girl had a great time making memories with all of  her buddies. What  a fabulous hostess my kiddo has turned out to be! She made sure to introduce all of her friends to each other and greeted kids as they arrived. I was impressed.

We were able to have the party outside because the weather was gorgeous. (Thank you, Lord!) That gave us more flexibility with the games. This is what I ended up doing.

~The fairy wings were a big hit with the kids, but didn’t take as long to decorate as I thought they would. They are really cute, though.

~We had a Fairy Treasure Hunt. I included a list of  hunt items: Pink Pixie Dust (glittery sugar), a Silver Wand, a Silver Fairy Crown, Fairy Gold, & Bubbles. This activity was a favorite. The kids were even helping each other find things.  They were very excited about their treasures.

~I had planned on reading a story to the kids, but at the last minute I decided to use a puppet. I have to say that they LOVED the puppet, especially my own kids. If you ever have the opportunity to use puppets with preschool aged children, I recommend doing it. They are captivated by it and even talk to the puppet.

~I had the kids put on their wings and crowns and get their wands before we played games. They all needed a lot of help getting their things organized, so I’m glad there were moms there to help. We ended up playing:

• Fairy Freeze Tag – The child is “it” tags the other kids with her fairy wand. In order to become “unfrozen” the child had to clap her hands and say, “I believe” ten times.  The kids took turns being “it”.
• Follow the Leader – I started out being the leader and had the kids take turns being the leader. They loved being in the spotlight!
• Fairy, Fairy, Tink – This is Duck, Duck, Goose. The child who was “it” used her wand to tap the other kids on the head.
• Fairy Freeze Dance – We used the sound track from the Tinker Bell movie for our music.

~We took off our fairy things and washed up in order to have cake! I gave the children cupcakes and glittery, colored sugar for decorating. (I also made a cute Tinker Bell cake.)

It was a fun party that I think my birthday girl will remember! This is what being a mom is all about.

Photo courtesy of The 5th Ape