Yep. No need for fancy titles for this one, better to just say it like it is: my kid ate a rock. The two-and-a-half-year-old. I guess thankfully it wasn’t the almost-six-year-old, that would be a little more unexpected.

So I am very thankful that I can fully blame my husband for this one. I was feeling sick and lying down upstairs. Kids were playing downstairs while dad cooked dinner (don’t get all jealous, it was pasta and I walked him through it from my spot on the bed). Apparently, The Rock Eater put a small river rock in his mouth to pretend it was a pacifier. Why he did this, I have no idea. He never took a paci and we have none in the house. Anyway, he then decided to run and, as one might expect, he accidentally swallowed it. I will say, we are VERY LUCKY and THANKFUL that he didn’t choke. In fact, he walked calmly up to his dad and said “Dada, I choking.” Which, from the fact that he could speak and wasn’t coughing or having difficulty breathing or anything else, clearly he wasn’t. He did relent that it was no longer in his throat, but in his belly. Took a little conversation, but the truth was discovered, confirmed by Big Sister who saw him with said rock in his mouth. At some point, I was summoned and can attest that this conversation was both infuriating and hysterical – my favorite part occurred as we tried to determine the size…Sister suggested it was boulder size (it grew as she went along) but The Rock Eater was very insistent that it was “NO GRANDE! Es pequeña! pequeña!”. He was also insistent that he could spit it out and that a shower would somehow help.

That was Thursday night. It is now Tuesday afternoon. We have had to resort to diapers again (just when we were a diaper-free house!!!) and, joy of all joys, we have had the pleasure of searching through each dirty diaper in the hopes that we find the rock. We haven’t. And so we wait.

In case you are wondering or end up in this situation yourself (I hope you don’t)…we called the nurse line right away and they have a whole flow chart to go through to be sure you don’t need to a trip to the ER. Clearly if there are any signs of distress or breathing difficulties, call 9-1-1. In general, if the swallowed object has reached the belly just fine, they are then concerned with vomiting, loss of appetite, or pain (we had none of that). They also asked and confirmed several times the size (the key, I believe, is less than an inch diameter) and if it was jagged or sharp at all (it was not). And then it is just watch and wait…wait for it to come out, that is. They do want to continue to monitor and report any pain, constipation, vomiting, loss of appetite, or fever…again, we’ve been lucky not to have that. Honestly, since he has been eating and acting totally normal, I’m not sure how long they will let this go…sounds like indefinitely since the alternative would be x-rays (which they said may be inconclusive) and then going in to look for it (which, of course, is invasive and carries risk). I didn’t ask too much about that, we will cross that bridge if/when we come to it, which I hope we don’t.

In the meantime, lock up your rocks and please wish on a shooting star or say a little prayer to whatever saint is in charge of toddlers and poop that this stupid rock comes out quickly and easily. I am getting really tired of carefully sifting through toddler poop.

 

UPDATE: The rock has been found! I repeat, the rock has been found. And by found, I mean it came out…in his poop. Didn’t seem to phase him one bit. Glad it is out and glad this poop-searching time in our life is over. Oh, and here is a picture of the rock, with a quarter for size reference.  Yes, my husband fished it out, washed it off, and took a picture. He says we are keeping it to embarrass The Rock Eater when he’s older.

 

 

 

Stop what you are doing right now and email a teacher. Seriously. Tell them they are doing a great job, remind them that there are only 6 more school days until Spring Break,  and ask them what supplies need replenished. Because, let me tell you, this stretch of the school year is brutal. They came back from the winter break refreshed and excited…and walked right into cold and flu season which means snotty noses and a chorus of coughing and absent kids who fall behind and many evenings spent disinfecting the entire classroom. The end of the year seems light years away, yet somehow testing season will be here before you know it…which means disrupted schedules and anxious kids and pressure from above. And they also realize that all of their supplies, both those brought in by students at the beginning of the year and those they purchases with their own money over the summer, are gone. Gone. The glue sticks have been mangled, the crayons are all broken, the dry erase markers are dried out, the tissues and clorox wipes and Purell were all used in January and February…you get the idea. And your teachers, who already aren’t paid enough, will again reach into their own pockets to buy more supplies. So now is your chance…ask them what they need! Then go get it! If everyone asks and picks up one or two things next time they are running errands, your lucky teacher may not have to dip into his/her own pocket at all…how great would that be?! Or you be the coordinator…ask what a teacher or a grade level needs and then send out a group email or post on social media, asking all the parents (and community members too!) to buy one or two things or chip in a few bucks for a Costco or Office Max run. You can also just make a nice little supply pack to surprise your teacher – I can tell you that no matter what grade level, they always run out of dry erase markers, tissues, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and glue (sticks or bottle, generally depending on age). Likely paper has been an issue all year, so feel free to buy them a package (or case!) of copy paper too. And the crayons, colored pencils, markers, etc. are all generally pretty broken or dried up by now, so a few new ones to save kids fighting over the last good red would be welcome (be sure to ask, some teachers prefer one over the other depending on age and/or use.). And don’t forget to stick a note of thanks on anything you bring to school. 🙂

Just last week I asked our kinder teachers (there are four) what they needed – they were so excited I had asked and promptly listed clorox wipes, glue sticks, and crayons. This is a small public school within a diverse community, so I posted on FB to reach as many as I could. Miraculously 6 new boxes of crayons and 24 glue sticks appeared on my porch within two days – all from neighbors who do not even have kids in our school!! Then another neighbor handed me $20 and asked if I could buy for her (I was going anyway and was able to snag enough disinfecting wipes for each teacher and some more crayons). Then two other kinder parents chipped and bought cases of paper and big boxes of glue sticks. It really does take a village and I’m so glad we can help all of our students while showing our dedicated teachers some love.

Now, go email your teacher right away!!! Don’t forget to say “THANK YOU!”. 🙂

 

 

 

I sent my 5-year-old son to school today and cried. I’m afraid he will be shot at school. I’m terrified that he will die afraid and crouching behind a desk. I’m besides myself with worry for him and his friends. They are in kindergarten. They love snack time and recess, they are proud when they learn something new, and they love their teacher with all their hearts. They enjoy school, they are friends with the whole class, no one is left out yet, no one is bullied, they have not yet noticed that some kids don’t have as much as others. They are young and innocent and naive and full of wonder and love and trust.

Tonight I will have to talk to him, again, about the drills they practice at school. I will have to talk to him about bad people and guns and how to stay safe, when to hide and when to run. I will have to make him promise that if he is hiding he needs to be quiet, so quiet, not make a peep, please dear god let him stay quiet if that time comes. I will not tell him that his life may depend on it, he’s too young. I will reassure him a thousand times over that he is safe at school, while myself questioning. I will send him off every day with kisses and hugs and “I love yous” that are never enough, and yet, they have to be.

I have to do something. I have to know I have tried. And I suspect many others feel the same. So I’m providing some links that I have found helpful. If you have others to share, please leave a comment.

 

To get involved with organizations that call for sensible gun laws:

https://everytown.org

https://momsdemandaction.org

https://www.sandyhookpromise.org

To contact your senators and representatives in Congress:

https://contactingcongress.org

Tips for talking to your kids about school shootings:

https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/how-mental-health-experts-talk-their-kids-about-school-shootings-ncna845586

http://www.ahaparenting.com/BlogRetrieve.aspx?PostID=469926&A=SearchResult&SearchID=11009729&ObjectID=469926&ObjectType=55

Tips for kids (and others) on what to do if you are in a shooting situation:

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/parenting/a40732/what-to-do-in-mass-shooting/

 

As for me, I will write letters and make calls to my elected officials, I will sign petitions and attend meetings, I will educate myself and others, I will protest. I will not take this lying down, I will not let this be ok, I will not let the children of America be victims. And I will pray to every god and make deals with every devil, not only to keep my kids safe, but that my babies remember my love, that they feel those kisses, that they won’t be scared if they are ever crouched behind in a desk or cornered in a bathroom with the sound of gunfire all around. What more can I do? My kids, your kids, ALL KIDS deserve better.

 

* Update: I spoke to my son’s teacher yesterday to confirm that they have practiced a lockdown drill. (They have and will again.) She told me that yesterday she played a game and had the kids see how many of them could fit in her storage closet. Luckily these are kindergartners, its isn’t a large class, and the closet is fairly spacious. She said she could just squeeze them all in and lock the door. I asked about her. No, she could not fit. But she assured me that was ok, she would lock them in if there was a shooter, she would keep those babies safe. This is what our nation has become. Kids locked in a closet to keep them safe from a maniac with a gun…while their teacher sacrifices herself. I just can’t even handle it right now, it’s too damn sad.

Everyone loves the fort we built….our kids, friends who come play on it, parents who see it, even strangers on the internet – it’s been pinned hundreds of times! So I thought everyone would like to see the cool thing we added to it…

Yep, a pulley! Complete with easy open hook so you can pull anything up or lower anything down, in a bucket or otherwise. And trust me, we’ve already tried to pull up just about every item in the backyard!

I have no work-in-progress pics, that would make too much sense and require some actual planning. My oldest asked for a pulley for Christmas, so we’ve had the pulley, eye hooks, rope, and clasp since then. We finally had a nice day and before I knew it, a saw was out and this was built. But you can see pretty clearly from the picture what we did. The only real measuring we did was have our kids stick their arms out to be sure they could reach the bucket/rope. 🙂 Overall, it was a quick and inexpensive project and they already love it.

 

There is no way to make it funny or glamorous. Laundry is simply a fact of life, especially when you have children and even more especially when you have little children. My 2 year old goes through two outfits a day at the very least. Plus we cloth diaper. And we use cloth napkins and rags. And of course there are two other children and two adults….and an assortment of animals. It’s a lot and, not going to lie, I hate it. I still hate it, but I’ve figured some things out…

After my second was born I had two kids under 18 months, both in cloth diapers, and my husband was working and traveling an insane amount. And I had no family around, no help (paid or otherwise). Laundry sort of became a barometer to my mental state…when I had my act together, I was on top of laundry. The more I started to lose my sh*t, the more the laundry got out of control. And it was a vicious cycle because the more the laundry piled up, the crazier I felt — I couldn’t even control the pile of laundry, how could I be expected to control my life and raise two little kids?!?

I’ll save you all the boring details and all the things that didn’t work for me (one whole day for laundry = HELL!) and just tell you what is working for us…

1. The kids clothes all go in one basket and I wash them all together. I do not separate. I don’t have time and, frankly, they are kids’ clothes, they are going to be a hot mess after a few wearings anyway. The only exception is my son’s white school uniform shirts (I’ll get to that). I wash when the basket gets full. I happened to get lucky on the first hamper purchase – it holds exactly the perfect amount to fill my large capacity front loader (it’s a big hamper, I’ll find a link and update – HERE IT IS). I wash their clothes probably about every 5 days. Generally I start it in the morning, flip to the dryer whenever I actually remember (for working parents, this would be when you get home), and then I fold them all after the kids are in bed. In the morning I put away what they cannot.
2. Cloth diapers – I realize this doesn’t apply to everyone and it certainly depends on how many diapers you have (if you have less, you wash more often, but you also can’t just have 60 and not wash for a week or they will stink for eternity). The key to cloth diaper washing, for me, is to start the wash as I go to bed since it takes a lot longer (I do a prewash, wash, and rinse). Then I switch them to the dryer first thing in the morning and then put them away whenever I either need clean diapers or need the dryer! (ha!)
3. Towels, cloth napkins, and rags – as needed but this gets done about twice a week. Hot water, but I can do a quicker wash and dry on the hottest setting, so it’s quick.  Husband is in charge of folding and putting these away – he does it while watching sports.
4. Whites – once a week I do a small load of just whites…my son’s uniform shirts, socks, underwear, that sort of thing.
5. My clothes all get washed together, except whites (see above). I seriously refuse to buy anything that cannot be washed in the washing machine (with the exception of a few special occasion things which get dry cleaned). Many of my things do hang dry. I wash once a week for me.
6. My husband is in charge of his own laundry. This has been life-changing. Seriously. Laundry is bad enough without having to feel like I’ve failed when he wants something that isn’t clean or I shrink a new shirt that I didn’t realize needed to be hung to dry. He does laundry once a week as well (his work clothes go to the cleaners, which is also his responsibility).
7. Sheets – I change all bed sheets on Sunday and I can get them all into two loads, which I do back-to-back and then just put the same sheets on the bed. I do have a second set for each bed, but why waste time folding?!

That’s it. It isn’t a “schedule” and it isn’t life changing, and yet…it is. I somehow seem to have the laundry part of my life under control these days (even if I have nothing else under control!). It probably averages to one load a day, but I prefer to do two loads in one day (I’m already in the laundry room, might as well) and then I have every other day “laundry free”, which is just mentally nice. If I start it in the morning, switch it at some random point, and fold immediately after the kids go to bed, it doesn’t feel like such an overwhelming chore. I don’t buy clothes that are “high maintenance” and I don’t stress if my kids have a stain that won’t come out (which reminds me, I should have purchased stock in stain remover when I first had kids!).

I see this topic come up over and over again in all the mom groups I belong to, so I know I’m not alone in 1. hating laundry and 2. feeling overwhelmed by it. I say figure out what works for you, try to streamline, and delegate, whether that’s kids or partner helping. Good luck!

Tis the Season…for stress and insanely long to-do lists and mom-guilt and Pinterest fails and social-media competitions….and you know what? You don’t have to do it. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO IT ALL. Or any of it for that matter. Just say no. Take the season back and make it fun again. Cut the list down and let stuff go and actually enjoy your kids and their magic. Because those little runny-nosed poop machines are absolutely magical this time of year. Have you watched your kid look at Christmas lights? Not try to snap a pic for Instagram, but really watched their little faces? Priceless. (which is funny, because besides the price of gas, its a free activity). Or how seriously they take shopping for their sibling, picking out the perfect gift (it will melt your cold, grinchy heart). Look for those magic moments and throw your hands up at all the rest.

Now listen, I’m not perfect at all and that absolutely applies to my “just say no” goals for the holidays…I do still go way overboard with baking for some weird reason. I still stress about finding the perfect gift for everyone on my list (I think my love language may be gift giving). But I’m working on it every year and I’m getting better. And it’s true, cutting things out has really helped us all enjoy the holidays more.

The biggest one for me is that we have simplified the gifts. As I’ve posted before, we don’t NEED anything and my three kids certainly don’t need dozen toys each or a ton of random, cheap toys that will just break! It’s tempting when you see that old high school friend post a pic on FB where you can barely see the tree under the mountain of presents. I get it. We all want our kids to have the best and I think many of us do, at least to some extent, associate gifts and stuff with love (thanks, media). But you know, they won’t remember all that crap anyway. Little ones will just get overwhelmed. Chances are whether you buy two gifts or twenty, one will be their favorite and the rest will be forgotten within a week.

So in our house, Santa brings you one gift and stuffs the stocking. That’s it. (and note: Santa doesn’t wrap. You think he has time wrap when he has millions of toys to make and deliver?!?) Stockings are a mix of fun and practical (our markers are all dying, so guess what everyone is getting in their stocking? and the toddler needs undies…with Batman!). Then mom and dad get everyone a book and one gift (usually smallish). That is all I buy. For us, it’s two-fold…we don’t want all the extra stuff, nor do they need it, but also, and most importantly, we don’t think it’s just about gifts or that gifts should take center stage. Which is a little funny (ironic?) since I am not religious. But I love the cultural traditions and I believe that the holidays are about spending time together and enjoying those traditions (cookies! lights! songs!) not “stuff”. We do take each kid out individually to shop for their siblings – I love the joy and pride they get from making “the perfect” selection and watching their brother or sister open it. But our tree is not drowning in gifts. It looks pretty modest under there. We take turns opening and we take time to play with the few new things and breaks to eat (probably my favorite holiday tradition of all) and the focus isn’t really on the stuff. Funnily enough, my kids can still name every gift under the tree from last year because there weren’t that many and each person gave one, meaningful gift.

We’ve also cut back on the “events” we feel the need to attend, both the adult-only ones and the festive things going on around us. We live in a major city so there are many, many holiday shows and lights and indoor events and outdoor events and a train ride and ice sculptures and on and on and on. Yes, they are all awesome and fun. Kids would be happy at any of them. But that doesn’t mean you have to do them all. We went to see Santa and the model trains (one stop) and that was really it. We will drive around and look at lights at some point – they love that and it’s free. I did take my oldest to his first “Broadway” (touring) show, The Grinch, this year. But it was coincidental that it was a Christmas thing…mostly I took him because I wanted to see it and its one of his favorite books. But that doesn’t mean we have to do it every year. There seems to be so much pressure to create all these “traditions”. And with pressure comes stress and a sense of failure. Stop it. Just stop it. Chances are, next year we will pick a different activity to do as a family and that’s fine. The tradition for us is doing stuff together. Hopefully they’ll remember that we had fun and isn’t that the whole point?

My last “secret”, which isn’t remotely a secret because I brag about it all the time, is that I am done Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving. Which isn’t exactly true…like everyone, I have a few last minute things. This year I somehow forgot just one kid’s stocking stuffers?! But I do get the vast majority of my gift buying done before Thanksgiving…for the sole purpose of freeing up December so I can enjoy the holiday season! I know there are going to be school performances and a neighborhood cocktail party and I absolutely love those things and want to be able to go and not be stressed. I make a list sometime in October of every person I want to buy for (literally, everyone from my kids and mom to my hairdresser and the mailman) and I pencil in what I want to get them (if known, sometimes I need to go look for something to catch my eye). And then I shop, at my leisure, and a lot online, so that all but one are two are at my house, ready to wrap, by Thanksgiving. I don’t do Pinterest crafts which only cause stress (note: some of you like this and are good at it. Great. Do it. But most of us fall into the “not Pinterest” category.). The kids’ teachers (all 14 of them!!!) got a small, store-bought gift bag filled with chocolates and a gift card. (I bought all that back in October!) The kids did make a card for each bag, which we did on a random cold rainy day (as opposed to last minute, which usually ends in tears). I also delegate – my husband buys for his father (who, like every old man, needs nothing). If he forgets or waits until the last minute, so be it. It is off my list and I refuse to let it cause me stress. (For the record, he did buy for his father and only asked for a little input from me.) Oh, and I also buy several extra bottles of wine to have on hand for parties or last-minute gifts. Having something on hand takes away some stress too.

Anyway, it’s December 21st and I’ve been done for awhile. I’ve enjoyed things this season because I’m not stressed and now that my kids are about to be out of school for 2+ weeks (!!!) I feel relaxed enough to go into it foolishly optimistic. I don’t by any means have it all figured out and I certainly don’t think you should cut out the things that you actually enjoy – I will be baking an obscene amount of cookies starting tonight because it’s something I actually really love, both the act of baking and the eating! But please don’t let FB and Instagram fool you into thinking you need to do ALL THE THINGS and have ALL THE GIFTS and make the PERFECT gingerbread house in your perfectly matching, overpriced pajamas. Wear your old yoga pants, sip your hot toddy (or cold-weather beverage of choice) while Santa doesn’t wrap and your kids watch a random old holiday movie and you just say no to doing some stupid thirty-step Pinterest craft for the school party. I promise they’ll like the leftover Halloween candy more anyway. ENJOY!

I’m just going to say it – we have too much stuff, we don’t need any more things, we are lucky beyond belief, and my kids want for nothing. I’m thankful for that, don’t get me wrong. But my kids don’t need anything, especially not toys. Not only do we have plenty, but I can’t help but think of the kids who don’t even have enough – it seems so unfair. And I also don’t want birthdays to just be about “things”, I want to celebrate how awesome the birthday kid is with their friends and family and food and laughter. Presents are nice, yes, but they are just extra.

So for my kids’ birthdays, we try to “keep it simple” –  mom and dad give a book and one thing (toy), their two siblings each pick out something for them (they are all too young to really understand money, but we guide them towards smaller things), and then of course there are grandparents and aunts and uncles. We have encouraged family to give things like magazine subscriptions, memberships, or experiences. My mother-in-law has been taking them to the children’s theater for birthdays, which has been a huge hit…they get to do something special and one-on-one with her, and it makes for some really great memories. But still, even with those efforts to have less stuff, they get plenty of presents and things on their birthdays!

Now, I am a person who likes, ok loves, to plan and throw kids parties. So not having a birthday party isn’t really an option. At first I tried to politely suggest no gifts when speaking to friends. That generally was ignored. So then I said, right on the invitations, “please no gifts” which mostly resulted in half the guests bringing gifts and then the other half feeling bad and dropping off gifts the next day or apologizing profusely despite my insistence that “no gifts” was exactly what we wanted! Then I gave up for one or two birthdays which resulted in a lot of very nice presents that made me feel terribly guilty (see above) and made my kids focus on the wrong things. (Although it is a good opportunity for them to chose a few items, old or new, to donate.)

So needless to say, I’ve struggled with the whole gift part of birthday parties. But folks, I think we have found the solution! Drumroll please….charitable donations! Right on the invitations, we have asked that, in lieu of gifts, guests please bring donations. We have specified what to bring and for which organization. The kids and I have talked about it ahead of time, they fully understand the whys, and they have been allowed to pick the charity they want to support. Of course we give them ideas, but sometimes they’ve surprised us. For example, my son collected donations for a wildlife rehabilitation center in our area. While he is a big animal lover, this particular nonprofit focuses on birds and he hadn’t previously shown an interest in birds. But upon researching the place, he fell in love, asked a million questions, and had to look up every bird species on their website for more info! So it was a great learning opportunity as well. The wildlife center was very clear that they needed paper towels, bleach, dawn dish soap, and birdseed, so that’s exactly what we asked for right on our invitations. The result – an entire trunk full of donations, a very excited birthday boy, parents who were happy to have less stuff, and parent guests who were thrilled at not having to guess what to buy and that their kids got to be part of something bigger. In fact, the birthday boy picked this particular nonprofit because a friend had done the same at her party (because my friend, Melissa, is awesome like that), so it truly is the gift that keeps on giving! The very best part of the entire thing was when we contacted them about dropping off, they invited us on a tour of the facility – he had a blast and learned so much!

My daughter recently had a birthday and she choose to ask for donations to out local food pantry, which is actually located in our area high school. We collected three boxes full of nonperishables and also had a great time delivering! She’s only four, so all of the counselors and teachers made a big deal about her help and you could see just how proud she was of her actions. She promptly announced that she couldn’t wait to do it again next year! It also, of course, spurred a discussion at home about why food pantries are needed and I think it was an invaluable learning experience for everyone.

My kids have already brainstormed ways we can use our birthdays to help in the future and asked that I share our list: dog or cat food for shelters and rescues; old towels and blankets for animal rescues (I like this one because it’s free for your guests); blankets and socks for the homeless; school supplies for teachers or students; coats, hats, and gloves for homeless or students in need; and waters and gatorades for police and/or firemen.

I also like the idea of tying in the donations to the theme of the party. For example, if you’re having a fireman party, ask for donations of bottled waters and gatorades for your local firestation. Or if you’re having a kitty cat themed party, check with a local cat rescue to see what they need (likely food, old towels, cat toys, paper towels, laundry detergent). Think outside the box too and check around for smaller organizations that may get overlooked. We’ve had great luck with local organizations in that the kids have gotten to hand-deliver and see where exactly their donations are going.

I hope our little tradition continues for years to come and inspires others. I’m so very thankful that this is something we can do, I realize that is a luxury and just how lucky we are as a family. And I hope it helps my children realize how lucky they are as well.

 

 

 

Big brother had a school project and needed help. Little sister and brother were jealous and wanted their own project. Viola, shape sorting, complete with their favorite thing – glue sticks! This took me all of five minutes (during nap time) to prep – and I made three of them! 🙂

Simply take a large piece of paper and draw a few large shapes on them.  I did simple – triangle, square, rectangle, and circle – since my youngest just turned two. Then use construction paper and/or scrap paper to cut out several of each shape. Keep in mind that these need to fit inside the drawn shapes and you likely want them busy for awhile, so cut out enough to keep them occupied. They need to be small enough to fit but large enough for little hands. 🙂 That’s it for your prep! The kids will then simply glue each small shape inside the correct large shape. My kids had fun, practiced shapes, worked on their motor skills, had art work to show off at the end, and were occupied while I helped big brother. That’s a win-win, virtually free, and super easy. 🙂

 

Please excuse the “dirty” table – it’s our $20 art & craft table and despite daily cleaning, this is just what it looks like. I was going to repaint it, but I have three kids who use it every day. 

 

We love our sensory bins. Love. My husband made these great stands/tables (that’s a post for another day!) back when my oldest was just standing and all three have enjoyed them (and still do!). We’ve experimented with different materials…colored rice, pasta, water, bubbles, shaving cream, water beads, rocks, colored sand, you name it. Some things have been bigger hits than others, while some the kids love but make me cringe (the sound of the rice hitting the floor…ARG!). But by far the best when you balance ease and mess and price and age range* has been…POM POMS!

The best part is that since it isn’t messy and is super light weight (unlike sand or water or rocks!), I just throw them in a clear plastic bin and they can play with them anywhere – on the coffee table or the floor or the dining room table, whatever. So that means you certainly don’t need a fancy, store bought sensory bin, you don’t even need a DIY table…just a plastic bin, really whatever size you want. And while they will spill out or get thrown, they’re super easy to pick up, we make a game of it. I threw in some paper cups and plastic spoons, and viola, a solid 30 minutes of entertainment for the kids!

Using the spoons to fill the cups is an excellent way to practice balance and motor skills. Even just picking up the teeny tiny ones is a great exercise for littles. My older son likes to use the spoon to “catapult” them into cups…a really great way to introduce physics! We also love to sort by color or size, use them to practice math (counting, addition, and subtraction), make patterns, play pretend (usually they serve me different flavored “ice cream”), or just dig around in them…they feel so soft!

Hope you enjoy!!!

 

*I would just be extra watchful around littles who like to put things in their mouth because these could certainly be a choking hazard! All of my kids have tried a little “taste” and not liked the fuzz in their mouth, so it hasn’t been a problem, but it’s certainly something about which to be careful.

I’m going to keep this short and sweet because I am busy making banana bread muffins…not because I am feeling especially hungry for banana bread muffins or because I love my children dearly and want them to have homemade baked goods. Nope, we just had a bunch of bananas about to go bad and I felt guilty wasting them. (Bonus, my kids do love banana bread muffins and will swear I am the best mom ever in the morning).

My kids are all back in school and I like to do a little “Welcome Back” gift for all their teachers. Truly it’s a “I’m-sorry-you-get-paid-crap-but-I-am-thankful-that-you-do-this-important-work-please-know-I-appreciate-you” gift. But that’s generally too long so I call it a welcome back basket. This is totally something you should pin but not because it’s perfect or impressive – but more because it’s totally easy and always a big hit. 🙂 Behold, the Back-to-School Basket…

Yep, that’s it. A big dollar store bin filled with easy to eat snacks. Let me tell you, as a former teacher and daughter of a teacher, I know just how much work these teachers do and how they come in early and stay late and will absolutely forget to eat. Or miss lunch entirely because they are busy making copies and filling out paperwork and changing up a lesson plan to accommodate for a student. This gives them some quick, easy-to-eat snacks that they can grab whenever. Plus, of course, tons of chocolate (it’s hard to see as it usually falls to the bottom) because, chocolate.

The best part about this is that it does not require any craftiness and the kids can absolutely help. In fact, they can mostly do it. First I find a container of some sort, usually at a dollar store, that can be used again in the classroom. In this case, my son’s school colors are purple and yellow and so he picked purple for his teacher (my other kiddos picked purple and green). We actually don’t do a lot of processed foods, although we do keep cereal and granola bars on hand, so they had a lot of fun picking out things for their

teachers. We tried to stick to things that weren’t terribly unhealthy. Ultimately, you can add whatever you want but I try to do both savory and sweet, breakfast snacks and afternoon snacks, small chocolates, some protein (nuts or granola bars), gum, microwave popcorn, and fun drinks. The kids are able to fill it mostly themselves (littles need a little help) and I have them draw a picture. I usually write a simple note, something along the lines of “Here are some treats for those times when you’ve forgotten to eat or stay late. We know you work hard and appreciate all you do! Have a great year!” This year I gave these on the last day of the first week, so I started with “You’ve survived the first week!”

Even if you just do a small jar full of chocolates, I think this is a such an easy, thoughtful gift and a great way for the teachers to start the year. It’s also important to remember that you don’t have to go all out with crazy craft projects or expensive Yeti tumblers engraved with their monogram. It really is the thought that counts and I love that this lets the kids get involved as well. All my kids just beamed carrying it in to their new teachers which is so nice to see them get joy from giving to others. But, more importantly, the teachers, who by that last day were looking quite tired, were genuinely surprised and touched and that’s so important – they have a whole school year ahead of them and we want them to know, from that first week, that we will be there to support them all year. 🙂