Monthly Archives: April 2011

So long holidays…it was great while it lasted. See you soon!

Posted on by Mika
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In New Zealand, we are coming to the end of our two week, school holiday break.

We have had rain, we have had sun, and we have had lots of wind!

The greater Wellington region had a myriad of activities that one could pick and choose from during the Easter break.

Some cost a bit of money, but are totally worth it! (Carter Observatory, Zealandia, Wellington Zoo, Capital E, Indoor Pools, Chipmunks, Play, $2 Train Days, Indoor Rock Climbing, Movies, Miniature Railways etc etc etc!!)

Some are free! (Shows/craft activities/scavenger hunts put on by the shopping centres, Te Papa, Playgrounds, Bike Tracks, Beaches, Library holiday programmes, Wellington City & Sea, Bunnings Craft Activities & Family Fun Nights, Bush Walks etc etc etc!!)

Just as precious, are the days when we stayed at home and had some downtime. (Sleep ins, puzzles, games, baking, sleep ins, drawing, origami, re-visiting classic DVDs like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, did I mention sleep ins?!?)

I loved having the choice to stay home when the weather got particularly nasty! I’m not looking forward to going outside in that weather for pick ups and drop offs in the coming months. I think I’m going to have to make sure I keep a well-stocked supply of hot chocolate on hand!

I hope you all had a fantastic break, and are all recharged for the coming term.

xoxo

Notebooks and Pressing Forward…

Posted on by Mika
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I have a stack of notebooks, each filled with jumbled thoughts, diary entries, quotes and learning gleaned from the scriptures.

When I open a notebook from the past, it is like re-visiting an old friend. I smile at the hurried notes, goals to work on, diary entries about triumphs and trials, and words of advice and encouragement .

Writing seems to help me gain clarity on my thoughts. I love that!

Here is something I wrote, that I found in one of my notebooks:

This journey in life is like a hike up a mountain.

You could focus on the others ahead of you…

…or you could take the time to see how far you have come.

You could lament over the wrong path that was taken…

…or you could get on the right path now, and learn from your mistakes.

You could complain about how tired you are and give a run down of all the things that are going wrong…

…or you could look out and take in the view and count your blessings.

You could get discouraged and want to stop – believing you are not cut out for this…

…or you could concentrate on your end goal and press forward,

just one. step. at. a. time.

 

Juggling Motherhood Tips #7: Timesaving tips from a mother of 8

Posted on by Mika
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“Hay Juggling Motherhood Readers. So glad to be visiting again… Well you asked for a tip and I just couldn’t decide. I have discovered that our entire life is lived from one “pearl of wisdom” to another…

se7en_512x512

If you had to ask me for only one sanity saver in our home… I would say: Zones. We have zones for different things: a lego zone, a laundry zone, a library zone, a craft zone… and so on… It makes it so much easier to find things, not to mention to tidy up. Just designate one zone to a person and get them to tidy it and repeat until done… it really works for us!!! Meanwhile I rustled up se7en+1 random time-saving tips for you… hope you like them!!!

    DSC07761
  1. Take Out Some Steps: We are always told to break a job down into smaller bites but sometimes a lot of those steps are redundant. When it comes laundry I don’t bother with a laundry basket… if someone has an item of laundry they take it straight to the washer and pop it in!!! When the washer is full they turn it on. Done. In this day and age with colorfast and gentle washers there really is no need to sort and resort laundry… it all goes in, it doesn’t sit around because as soon as it is done it gets hung out and the washer is ready to start accepting gifts for it’s next project!!!
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  2. To Each His Own: It really saves time to have each child responsible for what they are capable of… for example getting their dishes into the dishwasher after meals. I clean as I go when I prepare food, so really at the end of a meal if everyone gets up and puts their dish into the dishwasher all I have to do is wipe the table and turn the washer on. Frankly after supper I want to get out of the kitchen as fast as possible, no lingering after bed-time with dirty dishes!!!
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  3. Keep Like Things Together:This is the zone story again… Really it is a sanity saver for me, with small children I cannot have things scattering to the far ends of the house. Can you imagine looking for shoes every time we go out… all our shoes belong in one spot at the front door. That’s where they can find their shoes and somebody bigger if they need help as they leave the house. Same for lots of other things. For example swimming costumes and towels: we all swim together, all hang on swimming gear on the line together and all in a bag at the door together and there is no confusion when we need them.
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  4. Always Be Ready For Outings: We keep all our extra-murals packed and ready in one spot – there is a music spot where they practice, hang up their instruments and know where to find them when we dash out the door. Our swimming gear is kept all together in a big bag… if we swim at home or dash to swim at friends or the beach we just grab the bag. And so on…
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  5. Make Tomorrow’s Lunch at Suppertime: I only have to make lunch for the father person and he often gets up early before the rest of us and heads for work… I have to have his lunch ready the night before, but there is really nothing worse than a sandwich for lunch that was made yesterday. When I serve dinner I make sure that I put a lunchbox out along with all the dinner plates, as I dish up dinner his lunch is served!!! All I do is add a jar of milk and another jar of yogurt and a fruit snack and his lunchbox is good to go…
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  6. The Quickest Way to Keep Your House Clean is Not to Get it Dirty: We have a rule that you may only eat in the kitchen or outside… I have visitors look at me strangely when I ask their children to step outdoors onto the grass to eat their snack!!! But I do a big sweep and mop of the house once a week and it has to last – the kitchen is another story – every meal time is sweep time and for that I have energetic sweepers!!!
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  7. Save yourself hours of library book hunting: Have a library spot… we used to keep our books in baskets behind the couch but we have more books than baskets now and bags make them difficult to get in and out… So we have a designated library shelf. You can take one book away at a time and I often plonk down right there and read my way through a pile of books. When it is time to head for the library out come the bags and the books are dropped in and returned.
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    And the Se7en + 1th tip:

  8. Gather your errands: Getting small kids in and out of a car can literally take years off your life and I am sure folks whose kids are older have forgotten how tiresome it is. Checking everyone is safety seat-belted… checking again… and again. Spotting Houdini and beginning again. I gather all my errands together and have massive errand days, where we make a huge list and group errands in the same area together and go… go, go, go… lot of rewards on the way and keeping it light… we get it done all at once rather than in and out of the car every day!!!

Thats us… hope all these tips free up hours of your time and gives you heaps more time to play!!!”

By Se7en, South Africa

Mother of 8

www.www.se7en.org.za

We all have tips that we use around the home to make our life a bit easier. Why not share them with us?

Some examples could be: Tips on making life easier in the kitchen, housework, being healthy, parenting, how to balance time for yourself, or some encouraging words on motherhood are all welcome.

Looking forward to hearing from you! Contact me here.

FREE School Holiday Events for Young Children. Wellington April 2011

Posted on by Mika
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Mon 18/4 Tue 19/4 Wed 20/4 Thu 21/4 Fri 22/4 Sat 23/4
All Day Easter Fun Day @ Johnsonville Shopping Centre Home-grown Family Trail @ Te Papa Home-grown Family Trail @ Te Papa
10am-11am “Easter Theme” DIY Clinic @ Bunnings, Porirua
11am-12pm Create Your Own Easter Gift @ North City Plaza 

 

 Create Your Own Easter Gift @ North City Plaza 

 

 Create Your Own Easter Gift @ North City Plaza 

 

 Create Your Own Easter Gift @ North City Plaza 

 

 Shoe Talk and Activities @ Te Papa Create Your Own Easter Gift @ North City Plaza 

 
Monty’s Birthday Carnival @ Queensgate 

 

 Monty’s Birthday Carnival @ Queensgate 

 

 Monty’s Birthday Carnival @ Queensgate 

 

 Monty’s Birthday Carnival @ Queensgate 

 

 Monty’s Birthday Carnival @ Queensgate 

 
Edible Plants Talk & Activity @ Te Papa Science at the library @ Johnsonville Library
12pm-1pm Create Your Own Easter Gift @ North City Plaza 

 

 Create Your Own Easter Gift @ North City Plaza 

 

 Create Your Own Easter Gift @ North City Plaza 

 

 Create Your Own Easter Gift @ North City Plaza 

 

 Create Your Own Easter Gift @ North City Plaza 

 
Edible Plants Talk & Activity @ Te Papa Make Your Own Poi @ Te Papa
1pm-2pm Monty’s Birthday Carnival @ Queensgate 

 

 Monty’s Birthday Carnival @ Queensgate 

 

 Monty’s Birthday Carnival @ Queensgate 

 

 Monty’s Birthday Carnival @ Queensgate 

 

 Monty’s Birthday Carnival @ Queensgate 

 
Make Your Own Poi @ Te Papa
2pm-3pm Science at the library @ Cummings Park Library
3pm-4pm Birds, Wings and Flying Things @ Miramar Library
Mon 25/4 Tue 26/4 Wed 27/4 Thu 28/4 Fri 29/4 Sat 30/4
All Day Home-grown Family Trail @ Te Papa Creativity Centre @ Queensgate Creativity Centre @ Queensgate Creativity Centre @ Queensgate Creativity Centre @ Queensgate
PlaNet Pasifika Family Day @ Te Papa
10am-11am “Mother’s Day” DIY Clinic @ Bunnings, Porirua
11am-12pm “Under Water Adventure“ Show @ Johnsonville Shopping Centre “Under Water Adventure“ Show @ Johnsonville Shopping Centre “Under Water Adventure“ Show @ Johnsonville Shopping Centre “Under Water Adventure“ Show @ Johnsonville Shopping Centre 

 
Traditional Maori Games @ Te Papa
12pm-1pm Make Your Own Poi @ Te Papa
1pm-2pm “Under Water Adventure“ Show @ Johnsonville Shopping Centre 

 

 “Under Water Adventure“ Show @ Johnsonville Shopping Centre “Under Water Adventure“ Show @ Johnsonville Shopping Centre “Under Water Adventure“ Show @ Johnsonville Shopping Centre
Make Your Own Poi @ Te Papa
2pm-3pm Science at the library @ Karori Library Science at the library @ Wadestown Library
3pm-4pm Birds, Wings and Flying Things @ Kilbirnie Library

Back & Beyond & Here

This exhibition explores Wellington’s identity through art. The works in this exhibition were all made in Wellington, are by Wellington artists, or they come from Wellington collections. Activities and interactives are at the core of the exhibition design with various tactile elements keeping the area one of playful exploration.

Date: Now until Sunday 29 May

Time: 10am-5pm

Location: Wellington City & Sea, Queens Wharf, 3 Jervois Quay, Wellington

Scavenger Hunt

NC  Duck has lost all of his Easter eggs! You can help him find them by joining in our fun Scavenger Hunt in-centre and you could be in to win a yummy Butlers Chocolate Easter Prize Pack!

Date: Saturday 16 April – Sunday 1 May

Time: Store Hours

Location: Visit the Customer Service Desk at North City Plaza, Porirua to pick up your scavenger hunt clues and entry form.

One entry per person only. Children must be aged under 12 years and bring in their completed Scavenger Hunt entry form by Sunday 1 May 2011 to be in the draw. Full terms and conditions apply and are available at the Customer Service Desk.

Monty’s Birthday Carnival

Throw on your party outfits, it’sMonty’s birthday and you’re invited. Over the school holiday, Westfield Queensgate will come alive with dancing, music, prizes and one very happy monkey.

Date: Monday 18 April to Thursday 21 April

Time: 11am and 1pm

Location: Westfield Queensgate, Lower Hutt

Edible plants – do you know what you’re eating?

Do you want to learn which parts of well-known plants are edible and which aren’t? It’s really worth knowing if you want to avoid stomach cramps, vomiting, and death. So come and meet Te Papa’s botanists. And there’s a free craft activity – start your own herbarium of edible plants!

Date: Monday 18 April

Time: 11am-12pm

Location: NatureSpace, Level 2, Te Papa, Wellington

Create Your Own Easter Gift

Come along to North City Shopping Centre to join in the fun and decorate your very own Easter Bunny photo frame to take home. Spaces are limited to 24 children at any one time. Children must be aged between 3-12 years old. Parents/Guardians must be present.

Date: Monday 18 April – Saturday 23 April (excluding Friday 22 April)

Time: 11am – 2pm

Location: Centre Court, North City Plaza, Porirua

Make Your Own Poi

Learn how to make your own poi. Then bring them back to Te Huka ā Tai on Friday 29 April for some dramatic whirling and twirling during the Ngā Taonga Tākaro Traditional Māori Games Discovery Hour!

Date: Tuesday 19 April and Tuesday 26 April

Time: 12pm-2pm

Location: Te Huka a Tai, Level 4, Te Papa, Wellington

Science at the library

Come along to Cummings Park Library and join a real scientist doing crazy science things. Best suited for 6-11 year olds please.

Date: Tuesday 19 April

Time: 2pm

Location: Cummings Park Library, 1a Ottawa Road, Ngaio

Birds, Wings and Flying Things

Holiday Programme at Miramar Library

Date: Wednesday 20 April

Time: 3pm-4pm

Location: Miramar Library , 68 Miramar Avenue, Miramar

Easter Fun Day

Come join Zappo, Mr Magic and Dazzle Face Painting for a fun Thursday of Easter Magic. Also, meet the Easter Bunny.

Date: Thursday 21 April

Location: Johnsonville Shopping Centre

Science at the Library

Watch crazy chemical reactions, feel the forces of nature and bag some books to fill your brain with knowledge. Free and fun activities for primary and intermediate students!

Date: Thursday 21 April

Time: 11am-12pm

Location: Johnsonville Library, 5 Broderick Road, Johnsonville

Shoe Talk and Activities

Hoof it to Te Papa ain your favourite shoes and enjoy stories about fascinating footwear from Te Papa’s collection. Curator Lynette Townsend has some great examples to show you. When she’s finished telling you about fabulous shoes from times past, you’ll have heaps of fun with shoe-themed activities for the whole family!

Date: Friday 22 April

Time: 11am-12pm

Location: Inspiration Station, Level 4, Te Papa, Wellington

Home-grown Family Trail

Grab a free family trail from Inspiration Station and you’re away! Take the kids on an ‘I spy’ tour through the Home-grown section of Slice of Heaven (that’s the grassy bit) and help them discover the past.

Date: Friday 22 April –Monday 25 April 2011

Time: 10am – 6pm and 10am – 9pm on Thursdays

Location: Inspiration Station and Slice of Heaven, Level 4, Te Papa, Wellington

Kids DIY Clinic

Workshops are free for children over the age of 5 and must be accompanied by an adult.

Date: Saturday 23 April (Easter Theme) and Saturday 30 April (Mother’s Day Gift)

Time: 10am

Location: Bunnings Warehouse, 9 Heriot Drive, Porirua

“Under Water Adventure” Show

Come and join Captain Zappo, Sydney Shark and Helena Queen of the Seas on a magical “Under water Adventrue’

Date: Tuesday 26 April – Friday 29 April

Time: 11am – 1pm

Location: Johnsonville Shopping Centre

Free Creativity Centre

Come and play at the free Creativity Centre. Kids aged 4-10 can join us for a whole hour of crafts, dress ups, story time and heaps of other exciting activities. There is no booking required, rather a “first in first served”.  The Creativity
Centre can take 15 children at one time.

Date: Tuesday 26 April – Friday 29 April

Time: 10.30am-2.30pm

Location: Queensgate, Lower Hutt

PlaNet Pasifika Family Day

Who’s up for some strumming and drumming at PlaNet Pasifika? Celebrate Pasifika music all day with free music workshops, art, and craft activities. Free entry, except for $3 craft activity 11am-noon

Date: Wednesday 27 April

Time: 10am-4pm

Location: PlaNet Pasifika, Level 4, Te Papa, Wellington

Science at the library

Come along to Karori Library and join a real scientist doing crazy science things. Best suited for 6-11 year olds please.

Date: Thursday 28 April

Time: 2pm

Location: Karori Library, 247 Karori Road, Karori

Birds, Wings and Flying Things

Holiday Programme at Ruth Gotlieb (Kilbirnie Library)

Date: Thursday 28 April

Time: 3pm-4pm

Location: Ruth Gotlieb (Kilbirnie Library), 101 Kilbirnie Crescent, Kilbirnie

Traditional Maori Games – Ngā Taonga Tākaro

Learn about traditional Māori games with the Rangatahi Tū Rangatira (R2R) team from Kokiri Marae. Bring the whole whānau (family)!

Date: Friday 29 April

Time: 11am-12pm

Location: Te Huka ā Tai, Level 4, Te Papa, Wellington

Science at the library

Come along to Wadestown Library and join a real scientist doing crazy science things. Best suited for 6-11 year olds please.

Date: Friday 29 April

Time: 2pm

Location: Wadestown Library, Corner of Moorhouse Street and Lennel Road, Wadestown

Pompoms and my boy

Posted on by Mika
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Do you remember making pompoms as a child? I do.

I remember using really rustic looking wool, like cream, black and speckled brown, and wrapping the wool around and around on a cold winters day.

Our 6 year old son came back from school and showed me the pompom he made. Memories of making them at school made me smile. He approached me later on that afternoon, keen to show me how to make them. I was in the middle of something, so I said he could show me later.

My later, and his later were two different things! I laughed as he approached me again after 2 minutes. We compromised on setting a timer for 5 minutes, while I finished up.

I joined him at the kitchen table where he had collected all the material. He had already started on his, so he could show me what to do.

He instructed me to trace around the bowl to make a circle on the cardboard, and to cut it out.

He then told me I needed to cut out a circle in the middle of the cardboard, he showed me how.

He gave me some wool to choose from…hot pink or vibrant orange (this pompom was going to look a lot different from the one of my childhood!)

I sat contented, watching my son wrap his wool around his cardboard, while I wrapped wool around mine. I thought about how he must have paid close attention to the instructions at school that day. I thought about how enthusiastic he was to show me this cool thing that he learnt. I was really glad I didn’t put him off until another day.

My thoughts were interrupted by my son talking to me. He started talking about all sorts of things. He talked about how some children cut the hole too big in the middle of the cardboard, and the teacher had to help them out. He talked about his friend made a big pom pom by making his circle bigger.

Then he said, “Do you know there are desk fairies?”.

“Desk fairies?” I asked.

“Yeah, desk fairies. They come and leave a lolly in your desk if it is tidy”

“Did it come to your desk today?”

“No, not today.” he replied. Then he proudly told me all the wonderful things the desk fairy said about him and his desk in the note that was left behind a few days ago.

We continued talking as we wrapped the remainder of the wool around the cardboard.

I was so grateful, and pleased that we had shared this special moment, in a busy day.

He finished off his pompom, cut around the wool, and tied a bit of string securely to the middle of the pompom.

He then took off the cardboard ring and showed me his brand new hot pink/vibrant orange pompom, with a nice long bit of wool to swing it around with.

He showed me what he could do with his pompom, spinning it around and around, changing from one hand to the other, then asked, “Are pois made like pompoms as well?”

Before I could answer him, he was off to get all his materials together to make his very own poi with filler from my sewing stash and a plastic bag.

When did they become so independent? When did the teacher become the student, and the student become the teacher?

If this is the journey that is ahead of me, I think I’m going to like it.

Being on the receiving end…

Posted on by Mika
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Look what I received in the mail this week:

I entered the Unfinished Project Party Giveaway and won!

To enter, I had to throw an “Unfinished Project Party”. So, I sent out an SOS to my friends, to see if they could come along with an unfinished project.

It was a fun night of chatting and sewing. It was also a great excuse to try a new recipe (the caramel slice), and to whip up some of my favourites treats (mini quiches, cinnamon buns and focaccia bread).

I have been unwell the last couple of days, and my husband took Monday and Tuesday off. He has been a trooper and has been running the show. He went back to work for half a day on Wednesday while the kids were at school. I was so grateful for my friends who helped me out that day.

One friend did my duty at Playcentre for me.

Another picked up my daughter to take her to Playcentre.

Then another friend took her home to her place for a playdate.

The kids, hubby and my mum have all chipped in and made some delicious dinners.

My hubby brought me back some mallow puffs after his meeting in the evening, after hearing me say that I felt like some, earlier that day. *melt*

Truth be told…I actually have trouble asking for things (although my husband may dispute this fact…especially after the last few days where I seemed to have no trouble asking things of him!)

I put off asking for help, until it is absolutely clear that I can’t do it myself.

Who knows if it is fear of rejection, not wanting to put people out, wanting to be independent and self-reliant….I’m not sure.

What I do know is, I have been on the receiving end of some wonderful acts of service by some special angels…and for that I am grateful :)

Juggling Motherhood Tip #6: Birthday Card Scrapbook

Posted on by Mika
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“I got this idea from something my mum used to do for us! :-)

Ever wondered what to do with all the special cards your kids have received that you can’t bear to part with? If you’re like me, they will have been clogging up drawers, boxes and plastic bags until you figure out what on earth you’re going to do with them. Birth, christenings, dedications, birthdays. So many wonderful messages and memories of so many people who have been (and maybe gone again) in our lives. How can you keep these special memories for all time? Or at least until your kids are old enough to have read them for themselves. Why not create a birthday card scrapbook?
When your kids are older and can read for themselves, they will love to look through all the years of the scrapbook(s), I know I certainly did growing up. And then when I got old enough, I used to really enjoy putting my own cards in the scrapbook after each birthday too.”
By Meghan, New Zealand
Mother of 2

We all have tips that we use around the home to make our life a bit easier. Why not share them with us?

Some examples could be: Tips on making life easier in the kitchen, housework, being healthy, parenting, how to balance time for yourself, or some encouraging words on motherhood.

Looking forward to hearing from you! Contact me here.

Ebb and Flow

Posted on by Mika
3


“The only constant is change.” – Heraclitus (Greek philosopher)

I haven’t really given myself time or space to write or ponder, these last few months.

I think I have been content to just chug along doing other things, and have been busy being busy.

Things have started to settle, and I can see above the haze now.

We established a new routine for the kids a few weeks ago, and we are now reaping the benefits. The major one being that bedtime is a lot more pleasant.

The younger two were having trouble settling, and it wasn’t pleasant to constantly tell them to be quiet and hop into their bed.

We have our family prayer, and then we get our 4 year old ready to bed at 7pm – dressed, brush teeth etc (she has a bath during the day), and then prayers, stories and songs. During this time the older children are brushing their teeth, having showers and getting into their PJs.

At 7.30pm, the 3 older children go to the living room where I read them a story. This gives our 4 year old some quiet time to settle to bed, without noise around her bedroom.

Then at 8pm, the older children say their personal prayers and our 6 year old and 8 year old go to bed. They are a lot more relaxed and ready to settle down. By this time our 4 year old is asleep (and not singing songs and talking to everyone, like she used to.)

Our oldest daughter now has, “10 year old time”. She gets to stay up until 8.30pm. She can spend time with us, read a book, or some other activity. Sometimes she puts herself to bed earlier if she is tired.

One things I learned from trying out a new routine is that we need to be flexible to change things that used to work, when they no longer serve the family. Sometimes we get stuck doing the same thing over and over again, when in fact there probably is a better way to do it.

For the longest time, I used to feed the children early before hubby came home. They used to eat at the breakfast bench (where there was no carpet under the stools!). I was used to not sitting, because I was constantly getting up to feed a baby, assist a toddler, or get something for the younger children. This may have worked well at one stage of our family’s life, but it no longer served our family.

We finally made the jump to the carpeted dining room table. We moved the dinner time a bit later, until Daddy could join us, and it has been fabulous….for us, and our stage, and our children.

It is a lot more relaxed, I sit down and we take our time eating. I no longer have power struggles over food with my son. I don’t usually have to ask him to eat anymore, I just praise the kids who try new things, and then before I know it, “pop” into his mouth goes that item.

Motherhood is all about adjusting, and changing and ultimately enjoying the ebb and flows of life with our children. xo