The Crocheting Mom

I've said it before, COVID ruined our summer plans!  We had plans to vacation back east to visit family.  We had the girls signed up for sport camps all through the summer.  And we had plans to throw in some day trips such as the pool, the Children's Museum, and the Zoo.  ALL of those plans were canceled.  All those fun summer days, were just a sad memory of what could have been.  Now my children can't seem to find ANYTHING to do but be on their electronics.   Well we had to put a stop to that! 

We are a very competitive family.  We play at lot of games in our household, whether it's card games, board games, mind games or physical sport games.  Playing games as a family is fun, and I think it brings us together.  When we're playing games, we're not locked into electronics, doing our own thing away from the rest of the family.  When we're playing games, we're all together, using our mind, being creative and having fun being with each other.  Games are fun, and are a great family activity. 

As my kids get older, I worry about them actually wanting to have crocheted items.  When it comes to school items, the ones that I usually see are ones that aren't really useful for kids these days.  I have seen some great ones though, and wanted to put them all together in a post. 

      I have had quite of bit of experience working with children since I graduated college with my BA in Early Childhood Education, almost 10 years ago (OH MY!).  During this time I had mostly worked at daycares, with a few years subbing in elementary schools.  I have worked at daycares in four states and have seen firsthand what parents should be looking for when making this big decision.  Here is a list of what I feel to be 10 of the biggest things that you should be considering when doing your research.

      I have had quite of bit of experience working with children since I graduated college with my BA in Early Childhood Education, almost 10 years ago (OH MY!).  During this time I had mostly worked at daycares, with a few years subbing in elementary schools.  I have worked at daycares in four states and have seen firsthand what parents should be looking for when making this big decision.  Here is a list of what I feel to be 10 of the biggest things that you should be considering when doing your research. * This is a three part series.  These are in no particular order, as they are all important in their own way.

Yes, you read that title right.  Strawberry Pizza!  I was confused, too, when my 5 year old came running over to me asking if we could make it. You see, for her 5th birthday, my Mom signed her up for a Highlights High Five Magazine Subscription .  My oldest got this as well, but has since moved up to the regular Highlights magazine.  It was written in my 5 year olds birthday card, that she would now be getting these magazines, but of course, at this age, she didn't really get it because she didn't have it in her hands at that moment.  When her first magazine came in though, she was so excited!  She doesn't normally get mail, unless it's her birthday or another holiday, so it was very exciting to her to get something of her own.  She was breezing though it, and then came running to me when she saw the recipe.  The Strawberry Pizza recipe.  She was so excited about it, there was no way I could say "No" to her.

Where I grew up, we didn't go back to school until AFTER Labor Day.  Now, living in a different state, my children go back to school in beginning of August.  That's crazy right?  I feel like it's still summer until at least the end of September. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm am definitely ready for school to start, but I just feel bad for the kids because it's still hot out, and perfect weather for playing outside!  The kids do get out of school in the end of May, though, so they are still at least getting 2 and half months off.  I feel like when I was a kid though, summer lasted so much longer.  I guess as a parent, days just go by a lot faster because we have so many more worries.

Money is a big part of life.  As much as some of us may try to say it isn't, that money doesn't rule our lives, it does.  You either are trying to figure out how to get more or trying to figure out what to do with what you have, or most likely, both! From a young age, when children start to get an allowance, birthday money or even just finding change on the street, they want to spend it.  They don't care how much they have, or even if they have enough, the second that glorious money hits their possession, they want to use it.  I'm not sure if its because it makes them feel older, being able to buy something by themselves, or just the adrenaline that they receive from getting a new item, but they want to spend it as quick as possible.  This is why it is so important to teach them at a young age the importance of saving money.

I've written before about my children during chores in my home, but it's such an important topic I wanted to give some more tips.  I won't say it's easy, but my husband and I are trying to make it second nature for our kids. We want them to understand that having chores is just a part of being a family.  We all need to help out in the house, and as a family, we can keep the house clean.  I have created a list of different ways you can help acheive this goal.

My husband and I are both the baby of our families, each with three children.  So when we decided to have our third child, we though things would be easy peasy.  Or second child, wasn't even two when we got pregnant so things seemed normal to us.  We had no idea what we were in for. I always heard that about "the middle child syndrome" but never though it held any weight.  I used to think that it was just something parents said to give an excuse for that child's behavior.  Boy was I wrong.  They were right on all accounts.

If you are looking for a place to travel to with your kids, and you even remotely close to Indianapolis, I highly suggest you make a trip to the Indianapolis Children's Museum.  It is over 400,000 square feet and spread out over 29 acres.   It is THE largest children's museum in the world.

For the past couple of years, the Easter Bunny has brought my children little flower pots.  Each year my children hope that they will get them again.  They really have fun with the process of planting, caring for, and watching their flowers grow. The Easter Bunny finds these particular starter pots  which are only a couple inches high, at Target in the dollar section.  The Easter Bunny loves target for filling easter baskets!  LOL

My 8 year old daughter LOVES to play games.  It started way back when she was younger with memory.  A great game for her, because she found something she can always beat Mommy at!  She was drawn to most games, naturally because her parents are also very competitive. Board games, card games, mental games (I spy...) and physical games (basketball) were all fair game for games.  Lately, she really enjoys playing card games though.  Maybe it's because she's realized that I will say yes more often than not to card games, because I love them as well.  Playing cards reminds me of when I used to sit and play double solitaire and cribbage with my Grandfather.  So when she asks, it's usually a YES of course!

I love summer.  And, for the most part, I love spending summer with my kids!  LOL.  As long as the bickering stays to a minimum we'll be good.  I usually try to plan a lot of activities to keep the kids busy and active, mentally and physically, through out their time away from school.  Back when I was a kid, my summers consisted of staying with my cousins and swimming in their pool, or staying with my grandparents, and going to the beach down the street.  I was pretty busy, and I loved it. One of the things that we do every summer is: Summer Reading Programs.  We find all the ones we can, and my kids have fun tackling them, eager to earn their prizes.

When people find out that my children have chores, they seemed surprised.  Actually, it surprises ME how surprised they are.  Chores are important for young children as it helps them get a sense of ownership in the house that they live.  They are part of the family, and more importantly part of the mess, so they should have cleaning chores as well.  I'm a stay at home mom, so yes that is one of my responsibilities, but with 3 children living in this house, (and ahem, a husband), this house would be EXTREMELY messy without their help!  

When my husband and I were just still dating, we used to talk about the future a lot.  One of the topics included how we would raise our children.  Our biggest hope for us as parents, was that we would encourage our kids to be part of something.  It could be sports, music, art, drama, scouts, or whatever else they wanted, but they had to be in something. Once we had children, and they started getting a little older, we let them try out a multitude of activities.  Especially our oldest, who is almost 9.  She has done gymnastics, softball, basketball, piano, cheer, volleyball, and probably some more things that I can't think of at the moment.  My husband and I want to give her all these options, so that she can find what she truly loves.

Our children are our favorite people in this world.  We try our best to raise them right and to show them how to behave properly, but are we really SHOWING them or are we just TELLING them what's right from wrong? Children listen and watch every word and movement we make.  They look up to us.  They want to act older than they are so they pick the closest adult to mimic, which is usually us, their parents.  We are their first teacher in life.  We are the start of who they become and what personalities they will take on.  Children learn so much in the first 6 years of their lives and we as parents need to remember that "actions speak louder than words".

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Do you have picky eaters?  I know I do!  Making meals for them is sometimes just plain torture.  I have three children, and at dinner time, not one of their plates matches another!  It can be so nerve racking at times! I just have to take a step back, and know that it is important that if I am giving them options, at least they are healthy.  The most important thing, though, is that they have protein on their plates. 

When my husband and I first started talking about having children, we both agreed, we would be completely happy with whatever extra-curricula activity they chose to do, as long as they picked something.  And so far, we have followed that belief.