Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Over the last seven years, I’ve shared some amazing (and not-so-amazing) moments with my children.  I have many memories of my children; little ones, forgotten ones, and cherished ones.  I recently went through some old photographs of my kids and I’m feeling nostalgic about Mother’s Day.

Watching my children grow, learn, and discover the world is what keeps me motivated when laundry and chores pile up.  When I sit down and help Jack with his homework my mind wanders sometimes.  I noticed his focus and determination with his homework, it reminds me of when, as a toddler, he worked so hard to stack several blocks.  Even today, Jack is not happy until he gets it right. A couple years ago, Tate would wobble along trying to keep up with his big brother and now he runs faster than me at times.  When my kids are growing and developing, I get to relive my childhood vicariously through my own kids.  I’m happy I have a lot of these moments captured on my camera, but more importantly, in my heart.

Motherhood has its challenges, but the rewards outweigh the negatives.  I am so thankful and privileged to have two healthy boys.  It’s an honor to help guide them during their youth and I can’t wait to see who they become.

Happy Mother’s Day

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
Often, when you’re a part of a family with several members, it can feel like your schedule is jam-packed. There are so many appointments to contend with, you don’t ever feel like you get to just “be.” Over the weekend, for the first time in a long while, we didn’t have a thing on the docket. No play dates, no brunch plans, no pressing chores to complete. We simply enjoyed each other.

We took impromptu trips to the playground, got lunch take-out and had a picnic in the park, browsed a clothing store where my husband scored a marked-down hoodie, and attempted a new slow cooker recipe. Even though we didn’t accomplish much, it was still sort of tiring! I think most days are exhausting no matter what when you’re hanging out with a three year old!

As I look at our schedule for the month ahead, I see much to accomplish on the agenda. Being busy is okay too; it’s part of the fun of family life. For me, lazier days every now and then are absolutely necessary to recharge. As a family, it’s fun to be around one another without the pressure of making it to the next activity and worrying that your time is almost up.

I hope everyone has a productive week, with a lazy day or two in there as well.

From Friday Mom – Erin:
Rory is absorbing everything, lately. Frankly, he’s probably been paying attention for quite some time now, but we are just starting to realize just how well he’s been listening. And we’re eager to see what he picks up next.

Earlier this week, we broke the “My First One Hundred Words” book that Rory received as a hand-me-down from his cousins. We’ve been reading it to him consistently since he was around six months old and was old enough to sit up and watch us point to the pictures and words contained on the brightly-colored pages. During this particular reading, instead of pointing and reading, we asked Rory “Where is the [fill in the blank]?”

One by one, Rory pointed to the ball, the teddy bear, the duck, the apple, the banana, the broccoli, the truck, the tree, the cup, and a number of other words. His daddy and I just stared at each other in a moment of disbelief.

Rory quickly grew tired of this game and moved on to playing with his other toys, but that brief reading exchange gave the two of us a brief glimpse into just how much he’s been learning over the past fifteen months. It really brought home the truth behind the phrase that kids are sponges for knowledge and information. And watching his eyes focus intently on the pages of that book made us realize just how much every moment of play is a true learning experience for our little boy.