Morning/Night Routine Charts Boy and Girl

I love my little toddler, 

but for the longest time we were really struggling to get him ready for bed at night.

He would fight us to clean his room, fight us to get in pajamas, and especially fight us to brush his teeth. 

I was getting super bugged by it so I decided to make a checklist chart for him.

I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. 

He got so excited to do check each item off before bed. It made a big difference for us.

After the novelty wore off a little bit so he doesn't do it every day, but if I am ever struggling to get him to get ready for bed he goes to his chart and it works like a charm. 

I decided to make one for the morning as well. Our mornings aren't so difficult especially since we don't leave the house bright and early. But if we have a problem he gets super excited to check off his chart. 

Since it worked out so nicely for me I decided to share the graphic. 

I also made some girly versions as well.

You may not have the same morning or night routine, but if you do... 

then take advantage of this freebie!

Just right click and save the image.

I laminated ours and tacked them in our little one's room. 

He checks them off with a dry erase marker,

but you do what works for you.

:)

 

Happy Parenting everyone!

xo_Lauryn

♥

It's a BOY!

We are so excited to welcome boy number TWO into our family.

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed about having two boys.

The first thing that popped into my head was...

THIS IS GOING TO BE WILD!!

So of course I thought of the "Where the Wild Things Are" book, 

thus...

used it to make the announcement to our friends and family.

As Max says himself, 

"Let the wild rumpus start!"

Can't wait to meet our little angel.

xo_lauryn

♥♥♥

Christmas Wish List Free Download

With Christmas fast approaching, 

we are getting A LOT of

"ask Santa that" from my two year old.

He is completely convinced that ANYTHING he wants he can just ask Santa for.

Which I love.

Yaay for believing. 

I love his creativity and his mind. 

He sees the simplest thing and is pretty sure he wants it. 

He also see's a full size truck and is pretty sure he wants that too.

I didn't want to put a limit on his imagination and hopes so I created a little poem.

This way he can put as much as he wants on his Christmas list without feeling limited, 

but he will also know that Santa won't get EVERYTHING. 

So on the list I created stars for favorites.

I want my boy to grow up having what he needs, 

but I definitely want to instill gratitude and humility in him.

At the end of the poem, the child tells Santa he knows he is blessed

and that he has a few things he'd like to donate.

The list has space to list toys/books/etc. to donate.

Way to stay organized. ;)

Read the poem and if you like it just right click and save, 

it's FREE and yours to use! (For personal use only.)

POEM-INTRO LETTER:

WISH LIST

Super excited to begin this holiday season!

xo_Lauryn

♥

Fire Themed Family Halloween Costumes

I'm super excited to be working with my fellow blogger and sweet friend
Chelsea from Simply Pett for this post.
We are both sharing our family themed costumes for this year.
She's got a little girl and I have a little boy so be sure to check out her post
for a more girly family garden theme!

I love doing family themed costumes each year for Halloween.

Though, I know that the older my little one gets, the harder it will be.

Luckily, it worked out perfectly for us this year when my little guy 

announced he would like to be a fire truck for Halloween.

I'd like to say it was an easy decision to do a fire themed family costume, 

but for a good amount of time my husband was 100% set on being Ash from Pokemon.

Finally though he caved.

husbands...;)

I feel like there are a lot of options when doing a fire theme:

Firetruck

Fireman

Fire

Fire Hydrant

Dalmatian Puppy

Smoke

Smokey the Bear

probably a lot more...

We went with the Firetruck/Fireman, Fire, and Smokey the Bear.

F I R E T R U C K / F I R E M A N

You will need:

+ firetruck
Ours will not be pictured, 
I fully intended to create one from a box-something like this. 
But while meandering in Marshall's one day we found one ready to purchase 
(I know... it went against everything I had to purchase a pre-made costume.)
our little boy was so excited when he saw that we couldn't resist. 
Plus-we decided it will be much more comfortable for him.

+ fire hat 
(cheaper and easier to purchase-
generally any dollar store will have them)

+ black jacket or hoodie
I purchased a Hanes version from Wal-Mart for about $5.

+ yellow duct tape

+ thin silver/reflective tape

Instructions:
This is insanely easy...
just wrap the yellow duct tape around the sleeves then place duct tape on the front.
Add the silver tape centered in the middle of the yellow.
Its amazing how instantly it turns to a fire coat!

We will likely put the "reflectors" on some khaki pants for him as well.
Just one stripe on the bottoms.
And if you're feeling real fancy, it would be super cute to add onto black rubber rain boots!

We also created a little "Volunteer Fireman" thermal to wear underneath (as pictured).
It requires a heat press, cutter of some sort (we have a silhouette), and transfer vinyl.
If you want more details on that feel free to shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment!

F I R E and C O A L

You will need:

+ all black attire

+ red, orange, and yellow tulle
How much you get depends on how long you want your skirt and your size.
I got 2 yards of each color and had to make the skirt shorter than I had planned because I didn't have enough. 
So just keep that in mind!

+ string

+ makeup or face paint

+ accessories of your choice

Instructions:
Measure your waist (or where you intend to wear the skirt) with string.
Leave about 2 feet extra to tie together.
This can alternatively be done with elastic instead of string sewn together the size of your waist creating a pull on skirt.
I wanted to use string so I could just tie it around my waist like an apron.
Follow this link to an easy to follow tutorial from Simply Real Moms.
This is the method I used.
I just did yellow and orange every other, then added red randomly in between.

The majority of this costume is going to be accessories and makeup/face paint.
Come back around Halloween time to see it all come together!

S M O K E Y  T H E  B E A R

You will need:

+ a shovel

+ ranger hat

+ paint/alphabet stickers/vinyl cutouts

+ smokey the bear shirt

Instructions:
Get a ranger hat, add on the words "SMOKEY"
with black alphabet stickers, paint, or cut it out on vinyl.
DONE!
There really aren't many instructions for this.
If you want to look more like Smokey the Bear,
he wears no shirt so you could go for a brown sweater and jeans.
We opted for a Smokey the Bear shirt and brown pants.
Really the seller for this costume is the hat and the shovel.
So get a shovel from your garage and get in character to prevent forest fires!
Because... only YOU can. ;)

We can't wait to get these all put together for the big day.
Make sure you come back to see everything all together!
woot woot for HALLOWEEN!!
xo_lauryn

High Fiber Food Options for Toddlers and Kids

Disclaimer: There is some subtle potty talk here 

(and I don't mean swear words, just talking about kids and bathroom problems!!) 

So continue at your own risk.. ;)

Unfortunately, 

My little monkey struggled A TON when switching from formula/breast milk to cow's milk.

We are talking serious constipation, anal fissures, and with holding bowel movements for days and days at a time. Yes I know its TMI, but it's life guys.

Our doctor prescribed Miralax,

and I was sorely disappointed when after a year absolutely NOTHING had changed.

When returning to the doctor I expressed my intense concern for this seemingly unsolvable issue.

Well guess what.. 

He told me to keep up with the Miralax. :/

Also to make sure his diet was highly concentrated with fiber.

So trusting our incredible pediatritian, that's exactly what I did. 

But finding high fiber options for a toddler took a lot of research on my part.

So much so that I hope no one ever has to do that for themselves.

I thought I would share some easy and toddler friendly high fiber options I found:

My little guy is currently two and a half, so the problem is not yet resolved. 

However... it is HANDLED! Which makes me happy.

As long as I keep this high fiber diet in tact and use a small dose of Miralax daily, 

my sweet baby has no more struggles going to the bathroom. 

and THAT makes a momma happy.

xo_lauryn

♥

Simple Toddler Alphabet Curriculum/Schedule

Hello Mommas! 

I know this is a little off from my blogging theme, but my little guy is growing right up and super ready for learning. 

I'm very passionate about education and want to share my thoughts and tips with other mommas out there. 

Though I will generally stick to style and beauty, I'll throw in some education stuff here and there. :)

Quick backstory:

I taught at a private school before my little one was born. 

The basis of the school was START EARLY!

I sooo truly believe that it works and saw it happen so many times.

Thus...

I wanted to instill the same belief on my son. 

He is two years old so not yet old enough to go to preschool, 

but he is definitely ready to learn...and in fact, so are many 2 year olds!

So I created a simple teaching schedule to follow with him for early learning.

Though I am doing this with my two year old, it's definitely applicable for older (maybe even younger) ages as well.

+ + + + + + +

Though this is detailed, it should be brief. The whole lesson should be no longer than 15 minutes. 

Always be sure to judge the mood of your child. 

Some days you can teach for longer while other days will have to be shorter.

Alphabet Song (30 seconds)

While you get out supplies or get your little one ready, sing the alphabet song. 

This is mostly so they are exposed to the letter names daily. 

Try to encourage them to sing or at least dance with you.

This should be an exciting time for them. 

If you're not comfortable singing, look up a song on youtube. 

Super easy.

Alphabet Chant Video (2 minutes)

The alphabet chant creates more focus on the letter sounds. 

I created a video you are welcome to use. 

ALPHABET CHANT-Letter Sounds and Pictures

The chant is catchy and memorable. 

Even if they don't grasp the concept right away, 

they will remember the rhythm and understand the connection of letters to sounds.

Letter of the Day (30 seconds)

Introduce the letter of the day.

Tell your child what letter you'll be learning today. 

You can write it a few times on a board or piece of paper. 

Get some pictures or objects that begin with the letter and have them name them or repeat after you.

Make sure to emphasize the letter sound (ie: "mmmmmmonkey").

If you don't want to use pictures just say words that begin with that letter. 

Be sure to use words they know and add in words that will be personal to them. 

My little guy loves firetrucks so I know if I say "fffffiretruck" it will keep his attention.

10-12 words is plenty.

Craft (5-7 minutes)

This simple craft will match the letter of the day. 

I am using these printables from The Measured Mom,

but you can just as easily 

write the letter on the page, cut it out with colored paper, or print out your own. 

What you'll do is glue, stick, paint, or color objects that begin with the letter on the page. 

Here is a list of ideas:

Make sure to keep talking about the letter and it's sound while you are crafting. 

It is super important for them to repeat it so it sticks in their brain. 

You don't want to get too pushy, 

but saying the letter and the sound a few times while crafting will help them retain the information.

When we are done, I like to put the letter we learn on the fridge to dry so it's up for the whole day. 

Then when we do the new letter the next day

I review the previous day letter, take it down, and put it in our alphabet book. 

I just 3 hole punched all of our printables and put them in a binder. 

When it is completed he will have his very own alphabet book.

Review Coloring Page (30 seconds)

Review the letter learned the previous day with a simple coloring page.

Here are a few good ones:

This Reading Mama

TONS of pages at Honking Donkey

Crayola

Mr.. Printables

MANY pages at Twisty Noodle

Easy Peasy Fun

Best Coloring Pages (love these ones)

The Measured Mom

Alphabet Book (1 minute)

Read a basic alphabet book to close the lesson with a simple review of all letters.

I love these ones:

Eric Carle's ABC

The Alphabet Book by P. D. Eastman

Alphablock

LMNO Peas by Keith Baker

Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert

ABC's by Charley Harper

A to Z by Sandra Boynton

Paul Thurlby's Alphabet

Q&A (30 seconds)

Go visit your craft again. 

Ask, "What letter is this?" 

Encourage them to answer on their own. 

If they struggle, remind them and ask them to repeat. 

Then ask, "What sound does it make? or what does it say?" 

Again, encourage independent answering, 

but clarify and have them repeat if they don't answer on their own.

+ + + + + + +

I plan to teach a letter a day Tuesday through Friday.

You can do whichever schedule works for you and your family,

though I recommend no less than two days a week. Consistency is key! 

Also do your best to review letters you've previously learned 

by doing the Q&A portion of the curriculum daily.

GOOD LUCK!

Keep me updated with how it works for you. 

We are just getting started, 

but I'll post some pics and results when we finish the alphabet at our house.

xo_lauryn

♥