Suggestions on Posting

Hey, thanks everyone for the great ideas and for being willing to participate in this new scheme. Hopefully, the things we share here can help each of us to be a better mom. So, I was thinking, I love all these posts, but I don't know if I know who posted all of them. I tried to send invitations to all of you to be authors on the blog so it would be easier to post and not have to sign in as someone else, but unless you have a gmail account I couldn't do it. It would be nice to know who posters are, though. So, unless you really want to remain anonymous, will you please sign your posts? Thanks! --Lou Anne

More games

Board games are hard for us lately because of a toddler who wrecks pieces. Some of these may not work with just one little one but you could try: charades, we do different themes like animals, things that start with a certain letter, actions we use around the house, different jobs people have etc., Go ahead and join in the alligator chomping fun, it's fun making the kids laugh. Another one is the Freeze, this is a fun clean up game too, dancing and cleaning until mom yells freeze and then go again. Of course there is mother may I, simon says, hopscotch(we found a great book that shows different versions from around the world, some a little easier for younger ones), hot and cold(a favorite with my 3 year old). You my have more you played when you were little, have fun!

Games- What We've Done

I have a 4 and 5 year old and 20 and 2 month old. Since the time we were married we have had Candyland, Shoots and Ladders, Cooties, Jenga...... I remember being frustrated that the children were not quite at the age where they understood concepts of the game. We even went out and bought a duck game where the ducks go around in a revolving circle and you try and get your designated shape before the other players (for age 3 supposedly). Still a little advanced. Last year we got Operation which was a hit. With all the games we have just tried to play them than adapted to the children's "adaptations" of the games. They have made the games age appropriate themselves by creating some new way of playing them. I just have had to watch real closely that they didn't lose or destroy parts. Now my two oldest are starting to understand shapes and counting and are playing the "normal" way but they still have adapted them to their own game rules. Our 20 month old is at the point where she wants to play but is making her own rules. With the duck game- it's a game in and of itself to just pull the ducks on and off and she loves it when Mom and Dad join in. Cooties- it's always been a game to just create their own cootie without rolling dice etc.- just create...........hope that helped. Oh, and yeah, concentration has always been a big hit. You have to find or create watered down versions but they love to find the other duck or bear or something.

Tiffany J

Game Ideas Anyone?

My daughter just turned three and often wants to "play a game,Mommy." The trouble is, we only have one game (a match game I made for her) that she can really play. Other than that, she mostly just wants to get out Mommy and Daddy's games and scatter the pieces and wrinkle the cards. So...any recommendations on games that will work for little ones who can't read yet and can't count well? Candyland makes me crazy, although I'm willing to try and I hear that Cooties is truly annoying. Are there any ones out there that are fun for mom and tot?

Morning Advice from a Friend

A good friend once tipped to me that she doesn't give her children breakfast until they are dressed. I decided to give that a try in my home and it has worked like a charm. I've added that they have to have their bed made as well. It works wonderfully and if they don't get breakfast before going to preschool.....well..........it's because they neglected their little "responsibility." I love it. In fact, I love it so much that I'm now adding their morning chore: unloading the dishwasher.

Anyway, it helps me keep my mornings nag-free (on my behalf only!) because they already know what they have to do in order to fill their tummies!

To interfere or not?

With morning sickness hanging around over the past month and a half I've had to let a few things slide. In most cases it gets pretty bad, messy rooms, backed up laundry, less than complete meals(except when generous RS sisters help out, thanks again) However I've been pleasantly surprised with something I wasn't expecting, harmony in the home(or relative harmony) I'm usually on hand to break up fights, discipline for hitting, name calling etc. Forcing sorries, hugs & kisses. Lately my response for "so and so hit me." has turned from, "so and so come say sorry and sit in time out." to- "I'm sorry, can you get mommy a tissue for the baby?"
Maybe everyone else has already figured this out but by butting out of my kids issues they seem to have less of them. At first I thought they just figured, mom's too sick to care but now it seems they enjoy resolving conflicts. Sometimes it's big brother suggesting taking turns or little sis splitting the quesadilla in half(this was very cute) "I'll break it in half for you" for the two big brothers. Sorry to go on and on but maybe it's worth a try, the first week wasn't pretty but I can say now fighting is ALMOST non existent. I will let you know if this was all just a fluke or Heavenly Father helping me out because he sees my mile high pile of laundry and knows I need it!

Washing Dishes & Work

So last night I forgot to turn on the dishwasher and it was too full to put the breakfast dishes in this morning. I ran a sink of water and asked my daughter, aged 3, to come rinse for me while I washed the dishes. That was not what she wanted to do. She wanted to wash the dishes. My five year old son wanted to rinse. They were both still in their pj's and we had a somewhat busy morning planned, but they were so excited that I let them do the dishes by themselves. It took a really long time, but I got the vacuuming and a few other things done while they scrubbed and splashed and gave themselves bubble beards. If we're all sick tomorrow we'll know that this was a bad idea and that I should probably delete this post.

What does this teach? I think that while our kids are excited about work is the time to teach them to do it. They want to be a part of things and don't understand that their help is often more of a hindrance. This enthusiasm, though, makes them eager learners. So, for moms, this is the time to slow down, be patient, and let them learn and help. In a few years, I'm sure, they will want nothing to do with washing the dishes, but for right now, they are learning how to do it with great excitement; in fact, later this morning we found our daughter in the bathroom with a sink full of water, soap, and all the dishes from her pretend kitchen. A mess? Yes! But what's not to love about that excitement! --Lou Anne

Welcome!

I have recently known a lot of great moms and have seen other moms that I wished I knew and could get some ideas from. I feel like I have some ideas of how to be the kind of mom I want to be, but I fall short in many ways and need ideas that will bless my kids' lives and build their testimonies. I realize that we have the perfect parenting manual in the scriptures, but I don't always catch the messages I need. This blog is for moms to share ideas that work for them. Post on here things that you think might help other moms, and hopefully we can all grow together. I don't want to be the sole contributor! Thanks! Lou Anne