Saturday, October 23, 2010

Parenting with Love and Logic

You know what I love most about MOPS? The fact that every Mom in the room is different. She potty trains differently. Some Moms use cloth diapers and some Moms use disposable ones. Some Moms parent differently. I thoroughly enjoyed Elyssa from Love and Logic. As in anything, you take parts of what she said here and apply it there. Maybe some of the things don't work for your family, so you don't use them. I highlighted some key points that make sense no matter how you discipline your kids.

1. " I recognize this world. We practiced for it at home." My kids are 6, 5, 4, and 3. So this made so much sense to me. Sometimes I try and fail at getting them to do things my way and I really need to focus on letting them learn with my guidance. Mom drill sergeant is not working so far.

2. "Let them make mistakes at a young age, so they don't make them when they are older with harder consequences."

3. "The most powerful words are the unstated words." I find myself re-hashing the trouble my kids just caused. Telling them one time is enough and letting them learn from it.

4. Write a vision statement as a family. I have to admit that when my kids were really small, this vision statement was not a high priority on my list of to dos. I was barely keeping my head above water just providing the basic needs of my four little girls. I snapped my fingers and they grew up fast. I wish I would of thought of this when they were smaller but we can still do it now and they can be a part of writing it!

5. Schedule Mommy time where YOU come first!!!!! Having small children is wonderful and rewarding but sometimes taking care of them 24/7 can be overwhelming! If you don't have a hobby, ask some Mops Moms' what they do and ask if they can show you how. Keep trying until you find something that clicks. Reading, sewing, photography, or baking. We have Moms that sew that would love to show you how. We have Moms that scrapbook. Never underestimate the power of a hot bath at the end of a long day with kids!

If you liked Love and Logic here are a few links for you. To purchase the book on Amazon CLICK HERE! It's only $12.95.

Elyssa's phone number if you are interested in taking a parenting class. They do have childcare if needed. Her number is 710-0236. And she is on facebook HERE.


Monday, October 18, 2010

Mops goes to the pumpkin patch!

Look like you all had a great time at the pumpkin patch! Thank you Stephanie for organizing the pumpkin patch trip and for sending me these pictures!







Friday, October 15, 2010

Helpful hints for Moms!

I have lost my brain since giving birth to my four little wonders. I'm sure some of you can relate?! I'm forget full and disorganized. In an attempt to clean up the clutter in my head, I've been searching online for some organizational help. Here are few links or printables I found and thought I would share:

1. Martha Stewart printable freezer labels CLICK HERE FOR LINK
2. Birthday reminder list! CLICK HERE FOR LINK (I get my kids' birthdays mixed up, don't get me started on friends and family!)
3. Meal planning and shopping list PDFs from Moneysavingmom.com CLICK HERE FOR LINK
(We talked a little bit about coupons last year in MOPS and this was a site we gave you. She shares helpful tips on how to save money grocery shopping.

I feel a little more organized already? Five gold stars for the mom that can tell me where our brains go once we give birth.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Mom of the day!

Congrats Mom of the Day! Meet Maleri!
(She's the one in the middle wearing the Mom crown!)

Maleri's Stats:

Mom to one 9 month old baby girl.
Favorite book: 5 People you Meet in Heaven
Favorite treat: Chocolate
She sells pampered chef!
She loves Clorox wipes! (You know you are a mom when cleaning supplies and a new household appliances excite you.)
Maleri's advice for new Mom's: "Take a shower everyday (or as often as needed). Take care of yourself!"

Great advice Maleri!



This is Lauren and she celebrated a birthday! Happy Birthday Lauren!

(I'm sure this is Heather and Lauren's favorite picture ever!)

Friday, October 8, 2010

Fun Fall ideas for MOM's!

Fall is in the air! The most wonderful time of the year. Do you have your fall decorations out? Do you decorate for fall?

I found some super cute stuff on the Internet this week and thought I'd share. If you don't follow blogs you should! If you love to craft and want some cheap and fun ideas, there are blogs for that! If you like to sew there are so many easy pattern free ideas on blogs. Anyways: Here are my finds for the week:

kevin and amanda blog: She has free handwriting fonts you can download and great recipes. Click here to go to a fun glitter pumpkin tutorial on her site!


The Graphics Fairy: This is one of my favorite blogs! She has free vintage graphics. I'm kind of an old fashion girl and have used some of her stuff on digital stuff I've designed. You could print these out and use them at home for kids crafts. Click here for her blog.

MADE: My favorite sewing/inspiration blog! Click HERE to go to her blog!

Four blogs is enough, don't you think? It's not like our kids will let us stay very long on the computer anyways, right?

Love, ME
The weirdo person behind the blog