H54F|| Jonas Aftermath

Friday has arrived!  And you know what that means:)  Lot's of smiley faces & link-ups with some fellow Friday lovers from the blog world.  How was your week?  Highlights of mine:

1.  We finally got S N O W!  Okay, not as much as I wanted...but I worked one day out of the week & the rest were snow days.  We made hot chocolate, "built" an indoor snow camp, made smores, threw snowballs, & dusted off the sled for the first time this year.  I'll take it:)  What I won't take is my boys having colds & not feeling great.  I am so blessed that's all it has been.  There are so many babies out there who are fighting very scary things right now.  Please remember them in your prayers!

2.  Conley is three months old.  It happened.  1.25.16.  And I know, I'm yet another mom blogger talking about how I can't believe how fast time is going by...but I really can't believe how fast time is going by!;)  It's all been a beautiful blur & I'm constantly afraid to blink or go to sleep at night.

3.  I worked out e v e r y d a y this week!  Jillian Michaels is whipping me into shape (at least I hope she is).  Somehow I never found time to work out with one baby, but here I am with two & I'm actually finding time to do it.  How does that happen?  How do I have more energy to wake up early?  Oh yeah, it's a little thing called Conley is a pretty good sleeper most nights.  Cam never was...hehe.

4.  GO P a n t h e r s (for my hubby's sake!)  The Carolina Panthers are going to the Super Bowl.  And I couldn't be happier for my Mr.  He, unlike many bandwagon fans that have popped out of the bushes, has pulled for them practically his entire life.  Through all the years of failure & mediocre-ness he has been a die hard fan.  And in a time like now, when he is away from his family-I am so glad he has been given a little bright spot to focus on until things work themselves out.  I think God even has his hand in even the little things like this.  Do you?

5.  Rediscovered Puzzles...one puzzle piece in & I was gone.  Great story behind this.  Cam dumps out a 100 piece puzzle on the kitchen table for me to work just after I walked in the door from work.  He was sooo excited until he did a double take when he realized how little the pieces were.  He grabbed a few cars & headed to a different room.  "Cam, I need your help!"  He whipped around, "Sorry, I'm busy Mom."  Yep.  And he kept waddling away to do his thang.  I pretended to cry & he whipped it around again, and without a beat said, "M o mmmm, you can't cry!  It's a perfect day!"  Where does he get these things????  Bahahaaha.  I'm loving this almost (can't believe I'm admitting this) three version of Cam.

I've rambled enough.
Wishing you all a very merry weekend:)

See what I did there? #christmaseveryday

Sorry, Mom.

This is going to be a rambling post, you have been forewarned.  Cam had just got out of the bathtub & we were getting ready for bed.  We were standing at the potty waiting patiently (& oh so patient you have to be with this one & the potty business...) when he grabbed a sticker he had given me earlier in the day & threw it in the toilet, & rushed with all his little might to flush the handle before I could stop him.  Before he had even pushed the handle to flush he shouted, "I sorry, Mom!"  And yes.  There was totally a "full of mischief-I'm n o t really sorry-what's she gonna do next-kinda grin" that followed.  

I thought about what he had done for a second.  I mean no big deal really, he passes stickers out like theres no tomorrow on a daily basis.  But what if this had been another kid who had treasured the sticker?  Or a toddler Conley in the future so proud of the sticker his big brother had given him?

Hmmmm.  I pretended to be sad.  Very sad.  Giving the Camster a taste of his own little medicine...puppy dog eyes.  He looked down at the ground, "I weeaally sorry Mom.  I get it for you!"  He shot his hand down toward the toilet bowl.  "No, Cam...that's okay, I just really wish you wouldn't have done that..."  His little face showed such concern.  If I know him, he thought it would make me upset or I'd just forget about it so he was kinda frazzled with what to do.  "I get you anoder one, Mom!"  He ran to find his little sticker book & let me tell you.  He sure made up for the one he had just sucked down the toliet.  He put them all over my back, butt, & leg.  Serious Clark.  The guilty conscience got the best of big brother boy.  This just shows his little heart right now...

God spoke to me in that moment with my little boy.  Is that not s p o t on how we are sometimes?  Don't we see opportunities everyday to do something we shouldn't (whether that's something big or something totally minor <in our eyes> like eating too many donuts or watching a *"super" scary movie-no big & little sins, right?  ;).  And when we are tempted to "flush the sticker down the commode" we do it as fast as we can all while telling God "sorry" before we have even finished committing the act.  Is that true remorse & a request for true forgiveness?  Nope.  Toddler like remorse.  Yep.  And then, we might even try to give God  as many "stickers" as we can to make up for what we have done.  And if we're anything like Cam, we would probably do the same thing the next time we "take a potty break."  We are born being rotten.  E v e r y o n e of us.

I don't really know where I am going with this post except to say: what a blessing it is that we have a merciful God that is so forgiving (& who has a sense of humor) when it comes using our kids to show us just how childish we can be at times.  Laughing & blessed on this Tuesday night.  

XO

20 Indoor + Winter Fun Ideas

Is it just me or is my toddler e x t r a energetic lately?  After being spoiled with 70 degree December days, we just don't know what to do with ourselves being cooped up inside all day.  Don't get me wrong, I am probably the biggest fan of cold weather ever - but I do love getting to go outside & let Cam just "be a boy" everyday.  You know, get all that c r a z y wild energy out.

Instead, these days he enjoys coloring the couches with pens, chucking his monster trucks into the wall, & turning on every electronic at the same time to see how long it takes for mommy to get a headache & forget my place in the world!  Little stinker.  Oh, & let's not forget how much he begs to use the IPad. 

As much as I hate to admit it, I have resorted to the iPad & television toooo much.  Especially after little brother came along & I've had to juggle two.  Something I said I'd n e v e r do.  Yea, let's just add that as the #43,298th thing I said I wouldn't let my kid{s} do.  It's so easy to have a sit down chill Cam as opposed to a throw his toys into the window & break things Cam.  But easy doesn't necessarily raise up a good kid.  I have consciously become more aware of how much he was beginning to want it in place of playing & we have completely scaled back.  Which hasn't been easy.  I mean, it's winter!  How do you entertain a toddler indoors a l l day long?  

I'm glad you asked!  Let me just share a little research & brain power with you...

1.  Indoor Camp Out:  Grab some sheets to make a tent, smore ingredients, & a flashlight - we're bringing the outdoors inside!  We had endless fun the past few days spending time in Cam's teepee telling "scary stories" (about Sharks) & pretending Ony was a big Polar Bear attacking our tent.  

2.  Hide & Seek with Stuffed Animals:  Let your kids pick out their favorite stuffed animals & take turns hiding them.  Fun for hours, I'm telling you!

3.  Board Games:  Operation, Matching Games, Hungry Hippos, Candy Land.  The list goes on & on!

4.  Bon a petit:  Get in the kitchen & whip up some cookies or a yummy meal.  I love to bake & my favorite things to do are make sugar cookies & "fruit art."  I guess you could call it that?  I let Cam help me mix all the ingredients & pick out which cookie cutter to use.  He also likes to tell me what kind of "fruit picture" he wants.

5.  Dance Party:  Cam loves to dance.  Or be held, while I slowly rot inside with every bounce & shake holding this 45 lber.  His favorite song, along with every other toddler in the world, is "Shake it Off."  The kiddo has good taste...it is hard not to shake it when this song comes on!

6.  Make something!  This, I haven't done yet.  But the internet- or let's just go straight to the source... Pinterest - has way too many fun crafts & projects to tackle to be bored or throwing an iPad at a kid.  I'm thinking of trying homemade slime?  Playdough or magic mud!

7.  Draw/Color:  This is the old school way we used to have fun.  Still nothing wrong with it & a great time to teach our babies letters, shapes, & colors!  Or just color a ninja turtle or princess...

8.  Rollar Skate/Ride Bikes in Basement:  I know this isn't a great idea for everyone- but for those with basements... this is sure a great way to expend all that energy.  I know this was the highlight of my snow days as a kid:)

9.  Build a cardboard house!  If you have some extra cardboard or boxes lying around the house-make use of it!  Get creative.  Build a box.  Or a car.  Use your imagination & the possibilities are endless!

10.  Bubbles:  Kids love them.  If you don't like them inside your home, the bathtub is a fun place to use them.

11.  It's never a bad idea to keep a couple balloons handy.  Cam loves to toss them back & forth or kick them around.  And your sure not to shatter anything with a little light weight balloon;)  Balloon tennis, anyone?

12.  Make an e x p l o d i n g car wash for boys or bubble bath for their princesses for girls.  Check it out here!

13.  This is probably a given...build a tower.  Legos, blocks, or styrofoam cups!  Easy enough:)

14.  Take a bath just for fun.  (Which if your a two year old Cam, that's all baths are supposed to be anyway...right??)  Try throwing glow sticks in the tub with the lights dimmed.

15.  Physical Games:  Simon Says, Ring around the Roses, Duck Duck Goose...all the classics!

16.  Play "store," "restaurant," or "doctor."  I used to love doing this as a kid...encourage using the imagination.  Let them help you make a menu or set up the store.  And for the doctor, remind them of Doc McStuffins!  I'm sure they have plenty of toys that might need an appointment with your mini doc:)

17.  Read books!  Storytime should never be downplayed or get old.  Okay, sorry there is the speech therapist in me.

18.  Tape!  Love this idea for my active boy!  And I have a feeling it will soon be be boys...

19.  Pretend it's summer if your all catching the winter blues.  Throw out some beach towels in the living room floor, grill hamburgers, & play some tropical tunes:)  

20.  Lastly, just follow your kiddos lead...you never know what fun things you might come up with;)  Kids are the most creative little people out there!  

And if your lucky enough to have a "snow day"- by all means...bundle up & head outdoors!  We had a blast today wearing ourselves o u t:-)

I'm all up for more ideas, y'all.  Let's make a running list!  Send them this little mama's way:)