Tag: mom blog

Watching Football With Kids

kswemba
Free craft to keep them busy!

Happy Saturday everyone and welcome to FOOTBALL SEASON!!!! We are just a little excited about it over here! The weather is absolutely perfect, overcast with a cool breeze, really makes it feel like Fall. If you’re parents with young kids you may be thinking, how are we going to watch the game? I hear ya. Getting to watch anything with kids is sometimes impossible! They need attention, or food, or a new diaper, or want to play, or are getting in a fight with an older sibling. It can be rough!

I wanted to share a website with you that has these really great FREE printable playdoh mats. My kids love playdoh! I found these mats last year and the kids really got into it. You can let them add beads, leaves, flower petals and any nature the gather from outside. Let them be creative! Will this keep them occupied through the whole game…..um no. But it could allow you a little viewing time. Because let’s be real, kids cannot be occupied for 4 hours straight without parent intervention.

What you need to do is google : picklebums playdoh mats. It will bring up the page with lots of free options to print. I tried to do a direct link, but because the post is a few years old, it wouldn’t work. But you can still find it really easy, just like I did today. One tip is to laminate them, which I didn’t, but instead used a clear photo album page and slid the play doh mat inside. I hope this helps and……GO BUCKS!

Stormy Sea of Parenting

kswemba

Self forgiveness is the hardest part of being a parent. I try to start each day with the right mindset – to be my best, kindest, most loving self. My feet hit my bedroom floor and as my morning sleepiness wears off, so does my patience. It hangs on through the first batch of “nos” and sibling disputes. But as the parental waters start to experience storm waves and sea squalls of disobedience, I find it harder and harder to navigate. To quote a friend, I’m “treading water” in a sea of uncertainty and the waves start to knock me down. Instead of being my best self, it’s every man (or woman, in this case) for themselves! My mantra meets the reality of time outs, cool downs in rooms and loss of privileges. Raising kids is hard! Some days are just harder than others, and if you’re a parent, you’ve been there and know what I mean. Bad days can really ruin our self image and parenting morale. The secret though, is forgiving yourself. This is also hard to do because if you’re like me, you have high expectations for yourself. But we must learn to be gentler and kinder to OURSELVES! So, if you’ve had one of those days, take a deep breathe and try to forgive yourself. Know that I’m right there with you, and will be back at sea tomorrow, hopefully better equipped to handle whatever weather finds me.