Bubbles Attack!

BTW, don't cut open a glow stick and pour the contents into bubble solution, hoping to get glowing bubbles....

You'll only have glowing solution and burning eyes from trying to cut open the darn thing...big mom fail! 

Imperfect Perfection

It was Easter, and of course I needed to attempt pictures with the family in their church best....

Ha!

This was the nicest I could get of all three of them. Eliza was not cooperating and Matt was done with taking pictures from the start. She wouldn't even let me correct her sun glasses that we found and I begrudgingly let her wear for the picture.


Eliza has been a bit obstanent in the listening department. This was her pouting face until I used the threat of eating all her basket candy given to her from church. This was the only thing she was focused on getting as soon as we came home.

So yes, my kids are not perfect and even I get some loser realistic pictures of how my kids act/behave.

Anyone else having a hard time getting their three year old to cooperate?

Can I get a little help from my friends?

I am needing to devote a website that is strictly geared towards my photo endeavours and I can share with potential clients through social media and business cards. (yes, people still ask for them despite technology)

I've gone and checked to see that these names are available for site domain purchase, so keep in mind that I was limited in some of my creativity.

Photography name and domain

QT shots.com

QT smiles.com

cre8tive you.com

Treasured Images.com

Grin & Smile.com

My Family Shots.com

Fun R Photos.com

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A Mother's Love

My mother has finally arrived for her annual visit with the kids.

Que having my 3rd child visiting...

Now I love my mother, don't get me wrong, but I am finding she forgets what it is like living with young children. AND how she use to get annoyed at how her own mother use to handle young kids and make comments about their behavior while trying to "mother" me.

Part of my surviving as a mother has been the ability to shut off certain parts of my brain. I would like to call those parts: crumbs, sticky, clutter, noise, uninterrupted activities.

Kids.are.messy.

Toddlers are.even.messier!

Things will eventually get cleaned up...in a day or two or three....

Even Though I've tried telling my mother not to worry about the kids and their behavior/actions/playing, she still feels it's her need to be the parents when it's a battle not worth fighting. I can handle the mess being made with toys in the family room. What I can't handle are two kids up my butt while I try and cook dinner at a reasonable time and proper temperature.

Yes, they will want to sit in your lap....

Yes, they will want you to put your book down so you can pay attention to them instead....

Or take over your food because the EXACT same food on their plate tastes different....

And even help you clean by knocking their play brooms around the house, causing more work for you during nap time.

Just about every visit she's made since moving across the county, the dynamics have been different. Nolan is now a toddler who has quite the temper and Eliza has ventured into the Troublesome Three's.

Welcome to my world mom.

My Adult ADHD

In working with children for many years, one might think that I encounter many kids with ADHD and are all drugged and probably have a peanut allergy.

Things could be so far from the truth.

Kids are active.period. No candy induced sugar rush will make them any more hyperactive than they were before. Trust me.

I was never per say, that kid who was bouncing off the wall constantly. I was the girl who flew under the radar  I read this article about how to explain what it is like to have ADHD.

It.is.so.spot.on!

In a way, my former job was a good fit for this learning disability. I had an outlet for my endless creative energy and mental drive to come up with projects and games.

When I was diagnosed in my adult years, after I was married to Matt, it explained so much of why I was struggling in these last few years of transition and before with school. Growing up, I lived in the same house and room for 24 years. Everyone else moved away from me through the years. My grades were either an A or C/D. Stuff I had an interest in and then the stuff that was forced to take. I excelled in college, well beyond my high school accumilitive gpa of 2.8 to a 3.8, earning highest honors.

I've been on medication before, which I did see an improvement in daily functioning. Due to pregnancy and breastfeeding, I've had to pause. Not to mention, the medications are not cheap despite insurance.

I may not function like most of the world does, but its my way of doing things that've found works. Almost like a flat head vs. phillips head.

ADHD is not a disease, and its something that is passed down. Something I will continue to watch for in my own children, especially my daughter.

I am thankful for an understanding husband who has walked down this path of self discovery with me, doing his best to "get" me when I don't exactly get myself.

Certainly not a dull moment in this house!

Three Years Young

It finally happened. We said goodbye to the terrible two's and hello to the terrific three's! And what better way to do it then celebrate with friends and cake! 

We rented an indoor play park suited to the 6 and under crowd from the local city parks and recreation. With weather that is very unpredictable in this part of the county, we are doomed to inside parties unless we move to a more southern climate. Not to mention, it can be difficult to find indoor venues that are affordable.

coaster racing

"Come on mom...put the camera down and pick me up!"

"my ponies!"

Sneaking a kiss from an older boy

The food and entertainment was simple, but it allowed me to enjoy myself more instead of fretting over decorations and party prep. We hit the dollar store for tableware and made little finger sandwiches of PBJ and cucumber, all of which are her favorites.

Her cake was my labor of love. I convinced Eliza that she wanted a pony cake more than a pirate ship. McDonalds was running the current My Little Pony kid meal toys, which you can purchase outside of the meal. I wanted to make a vanilla yellow cake from scratch that would hold up better in frosting and sculpting. This recipe does require a few more steps and ingredients compared to the quick box mix, but in the end, was worth it.

The frosting was a butter cream, but I added some raspberry extract to give it some hidden flare. I had never done a frosting job this complicated. The waterfall comprises of extra cake chunks that we individually frosted and stacked just so. After a few rows of the grass, I started to get the hang of this frosting tip.

A few new things I did in this cake construction was baking it two days before after the kids went to bed and discovering the fabulous tool called parchment paper! I ended up needing even more frosting than thought and my frosting gun was painful to fill and clean after each new color for the rainbow.

My Bubbles!

In preparation for Eliza's upcoming birthday party, I decided to guiltlessly splurge on a bubble machine. Since I do online surveys which earn me points to redeem for Amazon gift cards, this was within my range. Especially since this mommy gets lightheaded after the constant demand for bubbles...this was well worth it!

I could have left this thing on for another 20 minutes and Nolan still wouldn't have grown tired of the floating entertainment. As you can see in the background, Eliza grew tired of them and pouted on the couch that I wouldn't let her inspect the machine. On a side note, trying to photograph this play session proved to be a bit difficult in the focus department. Many times, a bubble would float just in front and throw my auto focus off.

I love Amazon for the brutally honest customer comments left under products. I found this one to be a great choice. Walmart does sell a bubble machine for a few less dollars, but I wanted something that would last more than a few times. I used some spare Gazillions of Bubbles solution, which has been known to be a good quality solution.

I foresee a bubble bubble bath in the not too distant future for our itty bitty bathroom. May we not 'float' away ;)

Play Dates

I love impromptu play dates with other mommies. It helps break up an ordinary day with a distraction and adult conversation. Especially when there are kids who are close enough in age for each.

I think it there is also another benefit when you are close enough to your friends that you can correct the other kids in keeping house rules. Or even being a trooper when one of them has an accident or throws up. No need to be feeling embarrassed :)

And.......the easy afternoon nap time is a huge plus too! 

Sand for Fun

I've you've never heard or seen Kinetic Sand, prepare to be amazed! In a fun and free splurge with a gift card to Michaels, we invested in some of this cool play medium. It is 98% sand, 2% silicon medium and 100% awesome. This is our most recent sensory bin experience. Eliza thinks its pretty cool and this momma loves it for its very little mess factor. 

                             

                           
                             

You can shape and mold it into anything and it will come out this crisp. Apply some pressure and it will become all sloppy. We have these little storage cubes to make these sand cubes. Any tool can be used with the stuff.

It won't stick to your hands and only sticks to itself. But if your hands are moist or wet, this it will stick to them, just like at the beach, so keep the water away. I recommend using a coupon for this, as it is a little pricey. Ours was on sale for $15.99 at just over 2 pounds. You don't need a whole lot of the stuff to have fun. When not in use, I use the same bin and place the lid over for another time.

(Shhhhh...sometimes I pull it out just to play by myself with this stuff after the kids are in bed)

Blessed Are The Mothers of The Mighty

The grandparents recently made a visit before Eliza's birthday. And in that visit, they gifted her a brand new super folding slide. She is a rough n' tumble kind of girl, so this is quite appropriate. Not to mention the fact that I don't have to sort or organize this toy all.the.time.

When driving home with it tied down on the roof of the car, we talked of how this was also something Nolan would grown into.

Little did we know just how soon...

This kid has only just recently taken his first steps!

Grandma got a chuckle at how each step made on the ladder was met with a devious laugh.

I guess there is no stopping him now!

Pintrest Test

During naptime, I decided to try this pin to complement some tuna noodle casserole. I used my bread machine to handle the dough, which makes it MUCH easier than by hand. 

How it looked after a dough cycle

Here is my work area: melted butter with minced garlic, parm cheese and dough.

This is how much my dough yielded in my glass pan before baking.

Voila! The finished product. I snuck a taste to be sure it tasted as good as it smelled.

Yep...safe for human consumption :)

The bread besides the butter/garlic/cheese get up is super moist and soft. I would be curious to try it out as just a plain white bread. In the recipe, it calls for 3-4 cups flour, which seemed odd. I did four cups. Also, they say 4 tablespoons of butter... but took more like 8, so 1 stick of butter. 

Personal Playmate?

So here is a question I have posed for those of you who are SAHM's.

How much time are you devoting/giving/guilted into playing with your children in the day?

I think it is great to play with your kids, but on the other hand, I don't want to foster dependency on only being able to play with mommy, instead of independently. Being an only child, I had to learn to play alone.

When working, I would try and savor whatever sanity I could, doing things I wanted to do/enjoy before shuffling out the door for daycare and work. That meant having my lunch in the office while the kids ate at the table together.

I've had to catch myself slipping into old routines.

There is always nap time after all....

Is there a magic age where this blossoms? I only know about it for school age kids at the youth center, but they of course, were not my kids.

After writing this, I have come to add some additional information. I came across this article from The Huffington Post. It does strike a chord with trying to keep the balance of fun and reality. I think an imagination is one of the most precious things we can cultivate in our children and ourselves. Just don't overlook the simplicity of everyday life and the magic upon a new set of eyes (think of cardboard box house that you let them decorate)

Link up to this post and share your play habits. Let me know and I'll post a few of my favorites in a follow up post.

Curiosity

As most mothers may know, trying to cook with children underfoot can be a daunting challenge. One may want to be in your arms all.the.time. While the other insist on putting hands on to the counters and dipping fingers in the butter dish in the process. I know I've had to stop many times to run interference so the oven door can open.

While prepping the other day, Eliza was as always full of curiosity as to what mommy was doing. A treat of fresh green beans were on the menu that night, requiring extra attention before being steamed. Having a toddler between you and the counter while little fingers kept growing closer to my chef knife made me a bit nervous. 

I would like dinner tonight....hold the blood and an ER visit please.

So in order to honor and entertain her curiosity, I decided, "what the heck, just plop her right on the counter." She just thought this was such a treat! Eliza is getting to that age where I can trust her in new ways, not worrying about her falling off the counter. She is learning that knives and other kitchen tools can be sharp as she points while I chop away and says "boo boo mommy?"

I do look forward to venturing into many more activities like baking together where she can participate in more ways than just observing. Yes, I know this will mean more mess, time, patience etc but....

YOLO