Schooling parents to support their children, one lesson at a time.
Casey and I were pumped up about The Mommy Teacher being nominated as a Top 25 Teacher Mom Blog. We would love if all Mommy Teachers would VOTE every 24 hours ! It takes TWO clicks…. you don’t have to sign up. Just CLICK the link and ClICK “VOTE” under The Mommy Teacher! Thanks for the support!
Hey Mommy Teachers… this is TMT Jessica here.
We are so excited to welcome little one number three to our family….
As a Mommy Teacher, a lot has been going through my mind, and I wanted to share some of the teachable moments I have been purposing throughout the week with the NEWest addition:
1) I have set some clear boundaries for the older two siblings and I am trying to be as consistent as possible with the follow through for my expectations. They can touch her softly/gently but not on the face. They can hold her with mommy’s supervision, and I have set other similar physical boundaries. The kids also have to find something quietly to do while mommy feeds the new baby (typically, they each feed their own baby dolls during this time). We have also changed the baby dolls diapers EVERY time we have changed Kenzie haha.
2) They are learning so many great life lessons and teaching each other so many things… Sean Patrick is in charge of “reading” to Mckayla when she wants Mommy to hold her but I am rocking Kenzie to sleep.
3) We cant get out much right now with a newborn so we are doing LOTS of music and movement (I will write about what we are doing this week) and we are playing in the backyard to get all our energy and wiggles out as well as swimming in the plastic pool, playing backyard sports, singing and dancing, jumping on the trampoline, etc.
4) We are learning about the differences between babies and ourselves (how they eat, sleep, what they can not to that big kids can do like walk, talk, etc.) and we have compared the letters in the kid’s names now that we have a new name to explore (With play dough letter stencils and bath foam letters mostly).
One activity for older kids that I think is SO GREAT and I had to share as an idea for you to keep in your memory bank (or pinterest board) for when someone in your family or a close friend has a new baby is a “Tips for having a new baby” LIST. My creative niece came up with some humorous tips that I should consider now that I have three young kids. Her mommy teacher, my sister, supported her in this writing process and they even re-wrote it to make it more presentable – GREAT handwriting practice. The night she came to visit us, she read it aloud (great presentation for reading, speaking clearly, and practicing “public speaking”). It was REALLY thoughtful and adorable….It is now on my fridge. Read the tips below and enjoy!
I remember when spring break used to be a week at the beach, party cups, and friends for days.
Now, my spring break (as you are going to see) still includes friends, but it revolves around my kids and not my suntan…. But who needs a suntan anyway right? …. Well, since you asked….I do. But, I am 7 months pregnant and it was actually a chilly week so, that wouldn’t have happened anyway.
I have to admit, ever since I went back to working full time … I miss my kids so much that I SAVOR my time with them even more.
With a week of just me and my angels, I took the liberty of jumping on board of EVERY playdate adventure I caught wind of, and here is what my crazy-busy, awesome week looked like:
Monday – Zoo DAY
Packed the wagon, clipboards, zoo checklist, and lunches…
After nap time, we even made it to the neighborhood school playground and nearby park too… we really made the most of our day outside!
Tuesday – Exporing Downtown Baton Rouge
We packed our lunches, umbrella strollers, and blankets and headed to a trolley stop in Downtown Baton Rouge. We started singing “The Wheels on the Trolley…” when my baby started crying it was perfect timing for “The Baby on the trolley goes wah wah wah” haha
We took a little stair-step picture of the kids from tallest to shortest in front of the State Capitol…
After venturing to the top of the State Capitol, we had a picnic out front as we waited for the trolley to swing back around…
Wednesday – Fire Station Tour and Easter Egg Hunt Party
My friend set up a local Fire Station Tour where we maxed out the place with the youngest crew possible…
Sean Patrick was intrigued, and then scared, when the firefighter did his suit-up demonstration…
The Easter Egg Hunt Party we went to was way too fun for a simple, last-minute thing my friend threw together….
I’m still loving the bandana-liner idea from last year.
Thursday – Louisiana Arts and Science Museum
The LASM in downtown Baton Rouge has a great little discovery depot that was so developmentally appropriate for my under 3 year olds. It has so many age-appropriate learning stations for them to explore…
Friday – Bass Pro Shop and Sunrise Assisted Living
We made our way to Bass Pro Shop in Denham Springs, La to take pictures with the Easter bunny…. only to get the memo a little late that we would miss the bunny all-together (live and learn!) We found plenty to do…
After “Driving” the stationary truck out front Sean Patrick “Rode” the statue of a horse too…
Right before he picked out a fishing pole (that he uses every day!)
Then, we went to visit my mom (who has Alzheimers) and decided to take a picture with the Bunny Decor at the Assisted Living Residence since we missed the bunny at bass pro…
Weekend Fun – Crawfish Boils and Easter Celebration at the Camp
Finally, we wrapped up the weekend with two crawfish boils (dont be alarmed…below is a fake, plastic crawfish)…
Took a family pic (minus smiles) …
And went fishin in the lakefront (in the closest thing to a swimsuit) with the pole from bass pro…
And I wouldn’t trade ONE minute of it…. for my old Spring Break tan 😉
I hope that if you are on Spring Break right now with your kids off of school that you are able to join forces with your friends and come up with some play dates… it makes for such memorable moments!
I found this idea in my teacher stash of Easter activities. I almost always have paper bags, glue, markers, contruction paper, and scissors in my playroom cubbies. So, for me, this was just a “sweep-the-playroom” kind of activity.
You can always add to it and share your ideas on facebook (like a cotton ball on the backside):
