17 Month Milestones

My youngest baby is seventeen months old now.

A horrible habit that I have as a parent is looking back at my first and second children’s milestones and comparing them to my youngest. But, it didn’t start here, I also did this with my second and compared him to my first. However, I don’t use this as a bad thing. I use it to see if they’ve all come to similar milestones around similar times. Think of it as a check and balance for how I am raising them.

With that in mind, Owen is quite different from his big brothers. For example, around this age Aiden was over the crib. Quite literally! He hated sleeping in his baby prison and found ways to climb out and sneak into mommy and daddy’s bed. Oppositely, Owen loves his crib and goes right to sleep willingly. Then when Evan was this age he was addicted to a pacifier and loved to play on his own. However, Owen has never taken a pacifier and is always within arms reach of me.

Owen surely has his own quirks and things are entirely his. It’s so bizarre to me that all three, created in love by Arthur and I, whom I’d assume would be so similar are actually completely different from one another.

Live In Slomocean’s 5 Messy Mommy Moments

I have so many moments where I’m like, “Did that seriously just happen?” and most of the time all you can do is laugh.

As moms, dads, and guardians we all have those moments. Those been there, done that moments. Whether we have forgotten something or the kids have done something outrageous; it’s always something going on in life that really humbles our ego.

Back to School Sick

I thought we had safely made it through the first week of school. I was wrong.

We didn’t even make it one whole week. This does not give me much hope for this school year. So naturally, this mama is ready to get rid of the sickness.

Here are my 15 do’s and 2 don’ts when the littles are sick.

Summer Tie Dye

It’s been  about two years since our last tie dye experiment. I picked up a kit at target, grabbed some of our undershirts from this past school year, and the creations began.

My boys are 6 and 4 so I did not allow them to do this on their own. There was just too much risk of permanent mess. They did pick out a pattern, both wanted a swirl and a “popsicle” where the top, middle, and bottom are separated. They also were able to help apply the rubber bands to section off the shirts.

Aiden and Evan’s different personalities shown through this project and so fun to see their vision come to fruition. When it was time to choose dye colors you could see the wheels turning in their heads as they analyzed colors and the way they would look on the shirt.

The project took one day and I am pleased to say the only stains were the ones on my hands from rinsing the shirts. We are looking forward to our next dye project!

 

First Trip to Great Explorations Children’s Museum

This week the littles and I ventured over to Great Explorations Children’s Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.

We are lucky enough to live close enough to the museum, so we headed on over just after Aiden’s school dismissal. Upon arrival, we had approximately two and a half hours until closing.

For reference, my 3 boys are: 6 years, 4 years, and almost 1 year old. 

I feel like two to three hours spent here is the perfect amount of time. Food and drinks are not allowed within the museum so plan ahead and leave a cooler or lunchbox in the car.

10 Chores For Kids Under 8

Now that Aiden is about to turn six years old, it is time to add some big boy chores to the ones he already does.

Chores starting at two years old

When Aiden turned two, and most likely even before that, I introduced him to chores. However back then, they weren’t really chores. I would ask him if he’d like to help me with something or ask him to clean up specific things that were in his room. Later when Evan came along, I did the same thing with him.

The chore: Help Mommy with small tasks & pick up certain things in room (for example, stuffed animals or books). 

Every year they grew older, I would add in more chores that were a little more complex.

Chores for 3 to 5 year olds

At three years old, children are much more independent and can do more than ever. That includes make bigger messes. At this stage, the boys were expected to do more chores. This not only made it easier on me during the day and especially at bedtime, but it also taught them to clean up after themselves and not expect others to go behind them all the time.

The chores:

• Make bed: blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals placed onto the bed every morning.
• Get yourself dressed and ready for the day: fresh underwear, shirt, bottoms, and socks every morning, then brush hair and teeth properly and thoroughly. 
• In the bathroom: go potty completely by yourself, including all wiping (although at 3-4 years old I do check if it’s a #2). Then wipe the seat(s) clean afterwards (must be done at least once daily).
• All dirty clothes go directly to hamper.
• Take care of your dishes: food scraped and dishes (cup, plate, bowl, cutlery) goes into the sink.
• In the bedroom/playroom: When finished playing, clean up the toy(s). You got them out, you put them away or they will go into a “time out” bin. This is when Mommy finds a toy and it’ll be in timeout from playtime for a few days. 

Although it seems like a whole lot in list-form, these chores really are simple tasks that usually happen anyway with Mom or Dad’s assistance. It simply informs the child that he or she needs to start doing on their own.

Chores for 6 to 8 year olds

This is where I find myself- what chores do I add on for Aiden to do. The chores that work best for our family are as follows:

• Sweeping: We only have tile in our kitchen and bathrooms so this is a small chore that can be done two times a week, nothing too major.
• Vacuuming bedroom: This will only apply to his own room (plus it’ll guarantee that the room will be clean, mom win!) 1-2 times per week.
• Laundry awareness: He knows better than anyone when his laundry basket is full. Also, he must wear uniforms at school, so consistent laundering is a must. I believe he will do great at this, simply bringing his laundry basket to the laundry room when it’s time to wash, about every three days.
• Hang up clothes. Aiden has been doing this for a while now. He gets empty hangers from the closet, sits with me to put clothes on the hangers and then hangs them where they belong in the closet. (For example play shirts together, shorts together, and pajamas together). 

Sometimes, there might be times that I’ll need extra help and the list will  be longer or there may even be times when he’s done something exceptional an I might take care of items on the list for him. My main goal for having Aiden and Evan do chores is to prepare them for adulthood, learn and respect responsibility, and have a helpful heart.

What’s on my Kids’ Christmas Wish lists?

This year, Christmas will be quite small in the way of physical gifts. We are about to move, yes again, and are keeping presents for the littles to a minimum. Most likely, they will both receive some sort of stocking gift, one “big” gift, and a little something from Santa, too. In addition, Arthur and I will not be buying for each other. Our new place is more than a gift for all of us.

None the less, I always pay attention to the items and toys that the boys point out to us throughout the year for ideas on their lists. Typically, I do not allow them to make a true Christmas List of things they want. After all, it is far greater to help someone than receive something you want.

Starting with what they both are into: All year long they have both gushed on and on about Disney World. Mostly the different rides and lands that they can’t wait to visit again. So, it is safe to say a Disney trip is on the top of both of their lists. Next, they have both liked the commercials for Pop the Pig and Pie Face since they’ve come out. I definitely see these as games we can play as a family and even ones they can play on their own. Next, is Little People. They both love to play with these figures and playsets, and with a new baby on the way I don’t mind these being around since they’re too big to choke on or swallow.We usually call toys like this “baby safe”. Lastly, they are both really into all things Star Wars, Hot Wheels, and Tsum Tsums.

Now onto Aiden: Although they love to play together and pretty much only play together (I love that!), there are things they are just into together. Aiden is very artsy, I’ve always done crafts with him since he was very little and he just took to it. If he’s ever quiet, you can count on him hiding somewhere and making pictures. He has asked a few times for an art easel so he can paint, draw, and make his masterpieces without having to sit at the table or on the floor. Along with the easel, he’s always running out of art supplies so I think a toolbox or tackle box filled with the usual items, such as pencils, markers, crayons, and paints, would be a great gift for him.

On the other hand, Evan is very hands on. He loves to play role play games and pretend to be characters. I think he would just love having a few Superhero Costumes to dress up in and aid in his pretend play. Another item that he has actually asked me for is a remote control car or truck. I’m not sure where he got this idea from but I think he’s at a great age to have one. It’ll also help him develop motor skills and have some fun outside.

At this point, I plan to keep Christmas gifts until $50 total so their presents will probably be things they can play together and share. Also, most of their toys and games are packed away and haven’t been seen in almost 6 months, so once we move it’ll feel like Christmas all over again.