May 16th, 2012 by
ommilay
It’s honesty time. We all say that we don’t have time to work out- but if you watch one TV show a day, then you have time to work out- it’s just that sometimes we don’t want to….. When it comes to real health, though, small changes that you can do for the rest of your life are the ones that are the most beneficial. So, for those of us looking to do a little extra exercise but without actually feeling like you are exercising, here are five ideas.
1. Specially plan your grocery shopping trip- head to a store like Wal Mart or Sam’s Club. Instead of going first to produce, then frozen, grocery, dairy, and health care, mix it up- hit produce, and then head to the other end of the store for non foods. Go back for dairy, then go go for grocery. Stop and visit the clothes/DVD section, and finish with frozen. By making a route through the store that is winding instead of direct, you will do a lot of extra walking and therefore burn extra calories! Grocery shopping may take a little longer, but it will be worthwhile. (Every extra 15 minutes of walking= 58 calories)
2. What is your favorite place to shop? Leave you credit card and money at home and go window shopping at the mall- or a hardware store- or a garden shop- whatever it is that you enjoy. Just getting out and wandering around will make you burn extra calories, but since you will just be out looking at things you enjoy, you won’t even really notice all the extra walking. (15 minutes of walking= 48 calories) Read the rest of this entry »
May 16th, 2012 by
jenn0324
This month I’m focusing on mothers and farm animals. Strange combination, yes, but I have lots of opportunities to be around animals with The Younger in the next few weeks, so I wanted to create some leaning activities centered around the animals we are going to see. I also want a chance to talk about mommies and do a craft or two that we can give to the grandmothers on Mother’s Day this year.
Yesterday we made sheep! It was a lot of fun, and The Younger’s creativity really shone as we went through the steps. Supplies are easy to come by: cardboard or construction paper, cotton balls, glue, black marker. Optional supplies are googly eyes and ribbon.
First we traced her hand. (I love projects that trace body parts, because I enjoy having things that I can compare the kids growth to. I date all of these sorts of projects and store them so we can hang them on the Christmas tree later this year). Read the rest of this entry »
May 15th, 2012 by
Jess
I can sit here and tell you that the global average age for weaning is 4 years old. I can tell you that naturally, mammals typically nurse until they get their first permanent molars- around age six for humans. I can say that the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding children until the age of two years old, and that the American Acadamy of Pediatrics says that mothers are “encouraged to continue breastfeeding through the first year and beyond as more and varied complementary foods are introduced.” Let me re-stress that: Through the first year and beyond. One more time: and beyond.
I could tell you that she isn’t ready. I could tell you that Michael Jordan was breastfed until he was 3. I could tell you all of these things and then some. As if I have to defend the choices I have made for myself and my child.
The truth is, most often times, I do. Because this little girl:
Read the rest of this entry »
May 15th, 2012 by
Vicky
I saw a cool picture on Pinterest the other day of Raised Salt Painting done by One Perfect Day. I was looking for a simple art activity to do with the girls and this looked perfect. We did not have liquid watercolor paint so we just used food coloring mixed with water which most people already have at home. We had some unexpected results which I think turned out pretty cool. Judge for yourself.
Supplies you will need: Read the rest of this entry »
May 15th, 2012 by
Hesperleigh
Choo Choo! Like most three year-old boys (and maybe even girls), Haeden loves all things that go. Most especially, things that go fasssst (insert Haeden fist pumping here). And so, a couple of weeks ago we decided to take the little man on a Sunday drive to Folkston, GA.
Folkston is an itty bitty town in southeastern Georgia known for it’s double train track which serves as the main artery for railroad traffic into and out of Florida. The tracks are also known as the “Folkston Funnel”. I had no idea that train watching was such a thing, but judging by the serious set ups (lap tops, video cameras, small children in pack-n-plays) we saw that weekend, it most definitely is.
We were there for around an hour and saw three trains come through. Haeden really got a kick out of seeing the trains up close and personal, but I think the highlight of the trip for me was hitting up Dairy Queen on our way out of town!
Luckily, Dan had his camera and since I was being a total helicopter mom (train tracks and toddlers do not mix), I even found myself in a few shots. Woot!
Read the rest of this entry »
May 14th, 2012 by
Smacksy
photo
“Mom, what time is it in England right now?”
“One in the morning.”
“That means in the middle of the night?”
“Yep.”
***
“Mom, what time is it in England now?
“It’s four-o’clock in the afternoon.”
***
“Mom, what time is it in England right now?”
“It’s ten-o’clock at night. It’s always about eight hours later there than it is here. Why do you keep asking, Bud?”
“For when Dad’s in England next month, I’m trying to figure out how he’s going to get to bed on time.”
May 14th, 2012 by
Karith
I am ALL about the bonus structure. I like bonus gifts when you win something, bonus points on a game, even bonus questions on a test (yes, I am that nerdy). So you know darn well that I like the bonuses that come from carrying the “Little Bean” around in my bel-bel. Yes, there are SO many things to bitch and moan about that come with the pregnancy package, but I’d like to take this blog entry to talk about some of the highlights or, if you will, the “Pregnancy Bonuses.” Now, you may be saying, “Karith- you’re still so early on how do you even know about this? I mean you’re not really even showing!”
Which brings up the excellent question: What do you do when you don’t look pregnant? Answer: Helloooo! You tell everyone & their grandmother so you get the “bonuses”. I don’t mean go around with a bull horn proclaiming it to the world unless that’s your style. ‘Course, I suppose you could start a blog about it-I’m not gonna judge. 
But the idea is to obviously share with the people you love first and secondly with the people who can hook you up. Now understand- the latter group of people will most likely consist of complete strangers. But they’re the best ones and they usually just feel good doing something nice for a random pregnant woman.
Let’s discuss some of these bonuses shall we? Read the rest of this entry »
May 12th, 2012 by
ommilay
 |
| Shake and play! |
This is a really easy and entertaining toy! Not to mention inexpensive!
Materials
*Empty hand sanitizer bottle (thoroughly cleaned)
*Red food coloring
*Olive oil
*Super glue
Fill half of the bottle with water and add a drop of red food coloring. Next, fill to the top with olive oil to the brim. Lastly, put a generous amount of super glue in the lid and screw on to the bottled. If you have a flip-lid, make sure to put extra super glue where the lid flips to keep it SAFE FROM SPILLS!
Lastly: Let dry- then shake and enjoy! Good anti-stress toy for mom, too!
May 11th, 2012 by
Smacksy
“Hey, Mom!”
“Yeah?”
“Chicken butt!”
“I think you meant, ‘Guess what? Chicken butt’ But we don’t say ‘butt’ at our house.”
“Okay. Guess what?”
“What?”
“Chicken bottom!”
“Nice.”
May 10th, 2012 by
Vicky
When you come to Mess For Less and get ideas for kids crafts and activities, you will see lots of photos of my happy and engaged children. If you don’t know us personally, you might think things are always like that at my house. That is far from the truth. We deal with our fair share of meltdowns and tantrums. If you have a child of any age then chances are you have dealt with a tantrum or two as well. My kids are prone to them and some days are worse than others. Sometimes it just seems like they just wake up in a bad mood. Ever feel that way?
Here are some tips and techniques we have used (in no particular order) to help stop a tantrum and restore calm to the household.
1. DistractionThis is a pretty easy one to employ and it works great for those times a child is upset because you won’t give them something they want. “I have to tell you/show you something!” I’ll say in a very excited voice. Often, that’s enough to stop the tears and pique their interest.
2.CountingWe used to think my daughter B could not control her temper and outbursts. I would often think “poor kid, she can’t help it.” When she would be having a fit about something (she didn’t get the color cup she wanted at lunch) we started counting to three and told her that if we got to three, she would go to time out. She did not want to go to time out and so she would stop crying. It would be pretty funny to see this kid going from full blown fit to quiet. It looks like maybe she could control her outbursts after all. Hmmmm…
3.Removing an item or privilegeIn the midst of a meltdown, we say that we are going to take away something the child enjoys unless they can calm down. For example, “If you don’t calm down and stop yelling then we will not go to the park later.” Often the fear of losing something enjoyable can get kids back on track.
4. Deep breathingSometimes my daughters get so worked up about something that they forget to breathe and need to be reminded to do so. During calmer times, I have taught my kids how to take deep breaths and we will often do them together during a tantrum. This usually helps stop the crying and screaming on the part of the child, and truth be told, helps the parent calm down as well.
Read the rest of this entry »
