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

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

Swimming lessons have begun! We took two rounds of lessons last year and decided to take a break. C4 was terrified of the water last year and refused to put her face in at all. It was not worth it to me to force the issue, so we stopped. Besides, my goal is simply for her to be able to swim not for her to compete or anything like that. Waiting was the right choice! She had a great time today, and she wasn’t even nervous before the class started.

We arrived at the lesson early to allow the kids to warm up to the situation. My kids adjust better to anything new if I explain what will happen and answer their questions at the venue. It seems to relax them – and me. I also give important safety information. For example, today we talked about the life guard’s job. I also explained that they might hear a whistle blow, and three blows mean that the life guard wants to clear the pool. My kids are so curious, and they are pretty independent thinkers. They often question the authority figure when they are told to do something that appears confusing. That kind of questioning seems defiant to some adults even though the questions are not to meant to defy authority. I try to avoid having that happen, especially on the first day of a class.

I saw my little girl actually swim from the side of the pool to the rope and back again with the barbells. She splashed in the water. She even went down the slide into the pool. She smiled the whole time, too! She did check with me throughout the class, but there was no sign of distress. What progress! I am so glad to see her enjoy the water now.

Wednesday is A2’s turn with her very first lesson with Mommy. I’ll keep you posted!

Photo courtesyof  bonsaihiker

Photo by DanieVDM

In a previous post I wrote about a thankful jar that I had read about at Holy Experience. We actually made ours, but it is a box instead of a jar. This is what we did in case you are interested in making your own.

I found a kids’ shoe box for us to use. The kids and I cut out some old family photos and glued them to the box. Then we added stickers. C4 and I chose a Bible verse that I put on the inside cover of the box. I explained that we will fill our box with what we are thankful for throughout the month, and we will read the cards on Thanksgiving. Immediately we each filled out a card stating something that we are thankful for. The kids drew pictures, and I wrote their thoughts on the cards. We put our “thanksgiving” cards into the box. The kids were so excited that they made sure Daddy put a “thanksgiving” card into the box when he arrived home.

I started this project with the intention of teaching my children to be thankful for their blessings. I have a feeling, though, that E and I are going to learn a lot about the art of thankfulness this month, too. Since we need to model for our kids the act of adding to the box, we will be forced to think of things we are truly thankful for. We won’t want to read the same thing over and over, so we will have to think of some original ideas. We will be intentional. It will force us to slow down and take notice of our blessings.

I am excited about this venture. I hope you and your family can try out this idea, too.

Photo by CarbonNYC

It isn’t about the turkey, the stuffing, the yams, the football game, or the parade. It is about family, friends, and being thankful. Yes, I am talking about Thanksgiving.

We host Thanksgiving every year, but we still haven’t perfected it. As children join the family, we are finding our humble space a little cramped for everyone. Last year we ate dinner while the children napped and fed them at their usual dinner time. I’m not sure that strategy will work this year.

I want to do things differently this year. I want to focus on being thankful and being with our family. I read about a “thankful jar” at Holy Experience that I think will help us to focus on being thankful. We will change the idea a bit for this year by taking only November to fill the jar with what we are thankful for, and we’ll start our jar for next year right after Thanksgiving. I am looking forward to the experience this year. It will force us to slow down and talk to each other.

Do you have any other suggestions for how to make Thanksgiving a celebration that is less abotu food and more about family and gratitude? Please post your ideas!

Today was a better day for me and my family. We actually spent the day together. We went apple picking, a New England tradition that my family loves! It was so much fun to watch the kids with their daddy. The children were really excited about going to the orchard. We were outside enjoying the beautiful day and the foliage all while making memories as a family. It was such a great day!

I learned a couple of lessons as a wife and mother today. I need to be thankful for my blessings. I have two amazing children and a husband who loves me more than I can ever imagine. We have been blessed with the means to do fun things as a family such as go apple picking. I also learned that I need to take a step back and watch my husband in action with our children. He is a fantastic father, and he has great instincts. I would never know that if I didn’t watch him with the children. Today I was able to reflect on these lessons as I enjoyed being with my family.

Thank you, Lord, for such a wonderful day with my family! Help me to see the blessings in the everyday things. I want to be thankful for Your provision and Your love.