Birthday Gift Idea… for those with a few more years under their belt.

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My husband turned 30 this past weekend.  Wow, we’re really growing up!  Now, he doesn’t like making big deals about his birthday, but 30 is a big one, so I wanted to do something special.  I found this idea on the Lovely Green Lifestyle blog via Pinterest, and thought it would be perfect!

balloon giftI got 30 helium balloons of all different colors (my son kept picking black ones and I told him Daddy’s not that old yet.)  Then I attached a picture of him from each year of his life and numbered them.  For Christmas last year, my mother-in-law gave my husband a case full of pictures, and had scanned each one so we could have a digital copy.  I couldn’t have done this without her.  It was so fun going through all of his old pictures. To see him go from this cute little boy…

2 years oldTo skydiving…

sky divingTo holding our first son…

first sonThen I wrote notes on the back of each picture, saying something I love about him, or our children love about him.  I even got his family members input and they had wonderful things to add.  He spent a long time reading each one.

cardsThis would also be great to do for Father’s Day. As a side note, I matted each picture on card stock which made it too heavy to float.  On the blog I was copying, the pictures hovered above the ground, so she must have used normal copy paper.

picture giftsAfter holding my boys off long enough, I cut off the pictures and let them play with the balloons.  A present for all!

balloons

Blowing Bubbles

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Sometimes all you need for a great activity is a cup of milk and a straw.0314131047

For bigger bubbles, give him a bowl of water mixed with dish soap and a straw. (Just make sure he knows he can’t drink it!)Blowing Bubbles in a Bowl

Sometimes with boys it’s the messy but simple activities that keep them entertained. My son prefers this to art projects any day.

Netflix for Kids

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I have been a fan of Neflix for a long time so I jumped at the chance to write this sponsored post.

Before I had kids I always wondered about the parents who got upset about the content shown on TV. “Simply watch TV with your child and turn it off if there’s anything inappropriate” I thought. Again, that was before I had kids.

Now I realize that usually when I turn the TV on for my son it’s because I really need to get something done – like nurse my baby – so I need quality programming that keeps his attention. Here my 2-year-old son watches his Netflix show on our iPad while his 5-year-old cousin watches on his. (Talk about not having to fight over the remote).Boys Watching Netflix

That’s why I was so happy when I discovered Netflix has a “Just for Kids” section. In this dedicated section you can find shows appropriate for children ages 2- 12.  The content is selected with help from Common Sense Media to provide ratings, reviews and information so parents can easily make choices for their kids!

I was thrilled when Netflix began carrying my son’s favorite shows from Disney Jr. and PBS. I love being able to turn on Curious George, Justin Time, Mater’s Tall Tales, or Jake and the Neverland Pirates whenever he wants to watch them.

You can stream Netflix on so many devices. I like to let my son navigate Netflix on our iPad when I’m busy with the baby but we also love watching movies on our TV together as a family. The popcorn mess is totally worth the family time. Messy Movie Night

Just last night we watched Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. What a cute movie! Since my son is getting older (and his attention span is getting longer) we’re able to start having movie nights. I love not having to run out and rent a movie because I never know if we’ll actually watch the whole movie. Even the baby is loving movie night . . . IMG_8379

What are you watching on TV with your family? Netflix has family favorites from Disney, Disney Jr., Hasbro, Cartoon Network and Dreamworks that are available to stream anytime, anywhere.

And streaming is easier than you think! Download the free app on your iPad, click on the Netflix app on any gaming device, go to the website on your computer – and you’re in business. Check it out here!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of NETFLIX.

Baking Soda and Vinegar

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One day after breakfast my son wanted to do something but was tired of Playdough. I sprinkled a little baking soda in each section of a muffin tin. Then, I gave him a bowl full of vinegar and a syringe and stood back.Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment

He loved seeing the bubbles. When he started to get bored I added a drop of food coloring and we made colored bubbles.

After a while he began experimenting Colored Baking Soda and Vinegaron his own – what would happen if I add some of my juice? Mom’s water? My bagel? Most of the time nothing happened but to each of his questions I simply replied “I don’t know. Let’s find out.” He loved experimenting and it kept him entertained for quite a while.

You know an activity is a success when it requires little advance planning, can be cleaned up easily and is so much fun that your little one asks to do it again.

One of those days . . .

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Do you ever have “one of those days?”

You know. Those days when your 2 year old learns how to unlock the front door and decides to take a trip to a neighbor’s house while you’re busy nursing the baby.

Those days when said 2 year old may or may not have had any clothes on.

You know those days where you know you should take a break, take a breath, a bath or a walk and instead find yourself raiding the pantry for the chocolate chips.

Those days when you lose it. You yell. You feel yourself doing outrageous things like screaming “close your eyes and take a nap now” while realizing that no one could go to sleep when being yelled at like that.

Those days when you begin counting down to bedtime and it’s not even noon.

Those days where you disregard all grammar rules and nouns become verbs as you yell “do NOT eye your baby brother ever again!”

Those days when you feel like you’ve failed as a mother.

And at the end of one of those days your sweet little boy gives you the world’s biggest hug while saying “I love you so much, Melanie.” (yep, he’s still calling me by my first name).

I love you too my son. I’m sorry I was having “one of those days.” Thank you for loving me anyways. I will try to be better tomorrow.