Motherhood, Mischief, and Mayhem

Hey there, mini scholars and future geniuses! It's that time of the year again – back-to-school excitement is in the air! Time to shake off those lazy summer vibes and gear up for a fantastic new academic adventure! First things first – dust off those backpacks and fill 'em up with essential goodies! From funky stationery to super cool lunch boxes, let your creativity soar. Don't forget the snazzy outfits; let's style up and strut into the classroom like runway models! Ready for early mornings? Nah, but we've got a plan! Set a sleep routine with fun alarms and wake-up dance parties! A new school year, a new chance to make awesome memories, ace those quizzes, and learn incredible things! Are you pumped up, kids? Let's dive in, laugh together, and make this academic year the best one yet! Teachers, pencils, and friendships – here we come! School rocks! 🚀🎒😄 Click here to find the best back to school finds on Amazon!

Now that the summer months are here, it's time to think about first aid. From scrapes, to bee stings and everything in between, it all seems to happen more in the summertime. The first thing to do is make a first aid kit. There are always the staples of Band Aids and Neosporin. I can thank my freebie from Influenster again, I got my Neo to go. For those of you that don't, it is a great thing to have on hand. We have a great Pinterest board you can check out for more ideas on how to build your first aid kit. Summer also brings heat. When the kids hit the pool my second tip is valuable. Take a class. Learn CPR. You may just save your child's life or even somebody else's. Places like the Red Cross , the American Heart Association  and the YMCA are great places to start if you are looking for a class in your area.  Now for the hard part. Don't Panic. Even if you don't have a first aid kit on hand and you do not know CPR, the best thing you can do for

When your child starts school, there are so many changes going on. They are adapting to classrooms and teachers. They are making new friends. And for some children, they are facing challenges that may need addressed. I have a son who faces some of these challenges. The good news is there are many tools available for your child to succeed. I hope that I can help you all sleep a little easier with some answers to some basic IEP questions. First if you have a child with some challenges, you may wonder what an IEP is and if it could benefit your child. Well an IEP, or individualized education plan gives each child individual goals and states what tools are needed for each child to meet these goals. First your child has an evaluation, this evaluation involves administrators, educators and of course, you. Everybody addresses their concerns and then they figure out if your child fits in a category where they can receive an IEP.  These categories are:  •Autism  •Deaf-blindness •Deafne

This post means a lot to me. It's for all of you out there who wake up every day and brave the struggle that comes with a child who may have some kind of delay or disability. For me, my son has a delay. I am optimistic that he may outgrow it. For some, there is not that chance. They will face days like I do permanently. I have the utmost respect for these parents! My son has a speech delay, and we are still finding out if there is anything more. The communication issues can be so frustrating for both of us. In the past month we had our first conversation. I was overcome with joy. Just the conversation of trivial things, soccer and playing outside...I was so proud. There are moments that I wish I could tear down the wall between us so he could understand me and I could understand him too. Then I stop to enjoy who he really is. He is brilliant. He can do puzzles with ease, he counts to 12, knows his colors and shapes and writes his name. That sounds like any 5 year old, right? The

It's almost summer and that means kids at home. They want to occupy their time so this means more time playing outside, playing video games, and of course utilizing social media. With all the different ways to communicate with friends (ie Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Facetime..and the list goes on) It can be a challenge to know which sites your child may be on, of what they are doing. Here's a few tips to keep them, and even all you Mommies, safe on the net.  • Stay in the loop- Mommies, add your kids, and post things that are appropriate for all audiences. Same goes for the kids. • Teach netiquette- Education.com has a great article here .  • Set limits- Even if you have to set a timer, always make sure that there are other activities your child takes time to enjoy. Studies have shown that too much social media can actually affect the mood in a negative way.  Real life is more fun anyway!  • Use tools to manage your sites. There are tools to block people who may become p

I don't know about anybody else, but i'm sick of snow days. We can't play in the snow on most of them because it's been too cold and schools are starting days off where we have a bunch of school work even when there is no school!! So, in honor of today being yet another snow day, I'd like to share what we do for fun to survive the cabin fever. Make your own Snow!! Make the most of it. If you can't build a snowman, you can make snow! We use shaving cream and glue which is really cool when it dries. It gets fluffy just like snow. If you need a how to on it you can find it here: Shaving Cream Snow Painting - FamilyEducation.com

I actually found this idea on pinterest . All I could think is how fun this would be to have a nice treat for the first day of school. These glass containers could easily be made by saving the old frappuccino containers! After they are clean you can fill them with milk for the kids and add a fun straw like these ! Add a donut of your choice and there you have it!  A fun way to start the day.

It is hard to believe that summer is almost to a close. That means it's time to start prepping for back to school! This will be my first school year and I want to share some of our play ideas to prepare for a classroom setting and also some fun snacks for lunches on that first day.  We started sorting these pom poms out by color. Using a plate with sections or bowls, it is a great way to introduce sorting, and also a great way to teach colors. My son enjoyed this activity and it's a great way to prep for school.  Sit down time has been valuable. When you introduce these activities, it's helpful to put toys away and sit at the table free of distractions. This has made for hours of play in our home.  Check back soon for some fun ideas for lunches and more simple and fun games!!