What I’ve Learned From My Time As A Stay At Home Mom

If you ask people what they think about stay-at-home moms, you will likely get a lot of different opinions.  Not all of those opinions will be positive. I am a mom with a disability that prevents me from working full time, so working mom life was  likely never in the cards for me, but I fully embrace the time I get at home with my little one. There are so many advantages to staying at home if it is possible for your family but being a stay-at-home parent is not without sacrifices. There are some things I wish I knew before starting my stay-at-home mom journey.

.

photo of woman and boy smiling while watching through imac
Photo by Julia M Cameron on Pexels.com

The first I’ve learned is that even though I don’t have a traditional job, my days are rarely easy. I have a degree in early childhood education and thought that after managing a whole classroom of children, taking care of one child would be a breeze. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Fulfilling every need of a tiny human from 5:30AM until 7:30PM is significantly more difficult than teaching a classroom of preschool aged children. When I worked part time at a preschool, I was able to help children learn and keep them safe, but those are not the most difficult part of the days. At home, I find that the additional responsibilities such as dishes, laundry, and errands tend to take over the day and it takes skill and practice to balance fun time and house work.

mother and daughter preparing avocado toast
Photo by August de Richelieu on Pexels.com

The next thing I learned is that stay-at-home mom life is full of inconsistencies. One day, we go to the park, read a dozen books, and practice math skills. The next day, we might eat cold pizza for breakfast and watch way too much YouTube. Consistency is important for young children, so I really do try to stick to a daily schedule, but each day is a new adventure.

woman in white robe sitting on gray couch putting lotion on little girls foot
Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels.com

The last thing I want to share is that even though being a stay-at-home mom was the best, and really only, decision for my family, it still took a while for me to make peace with it. I occasionally still feel envious that my husband gets to go out into the world each day. I love my child fiercely, but some days I do not love being at home all day and that’s okay. After all, I don’t think there is a person out there who loves every single second of their life.

family making breakfast in the kitchen
Photo by August de Richelieu on Pexels.com

A lot of people will say that staying at home with your children is the ultimate privilege, and in some ways, it is, but there are also a lot of challenges as well! I’d love to hear from my fellow stay-at-home moms out there! What is your favorite part of being a SAHM? What is the most challenging part for you?

Patricia8 Comments

Paper Popcorn Craft

In the spring of 2019, we took my daughter to her first circus. She loved every minute! We did not get to a circus in 2020 and it isn’t looking great for 2021 either. This week, we decided to bring the circus to us with some fun activities and art! One of my favorite part of any event is popcorn. This easy paper popcorn is easy to make and great for littles of all ages!

**This post may contain affiliate links. We may get a small commission, at no additional cost to you, for purchases made from our links.**

Materials Used

  • Construction Paper (We used yellow, red, white, and blue)
  • Glue
  • Scissors

I started by cutting long strips from both the red and the white papers. If your child can safely use scissors, try letting them do this step!

Next, I had my daughter glue the red and white paper onto the blue paper. We talked about patterns and I encouraged her to follow a red-white-red-white pattern when putting the strips on the paper. While she was doing that, I cut the yellow paper into popcorn like shapes for her to glue on.

This easy art project is a great way to sneak learning and fine motor skill practice into your day! It is also super cute when it is finished!

Book Suggestions

Little learners love pairing a book with a craft or activity! Here are a few suggestions!

If you like this craft, please share it with some friends!

Patricia1 Comment

What I’ve Learned By Writing A Crafty Blog

When I started this blog, I really was not even sure if anyone would read it. I wanted to document the crafts and activities my little one did, but I wasn’t sure how many people would be interested in what I wrote. I had just over 1,000 visitors the year that the blog launched. Since then, this blog has grown and evolved in ways that I could not even have imagined!

**This post is brought to you through a paid partnership with Intellifluence. All opinions expressed are our own.**

A good craft blog can give readers a constant source of inspiration. Whether you love sewing, making art with your children, or just a good DIY project, there is something out there for everyone. Many crafting blogs, like ours, also feature lifestyle content, travel tips, and even recipes! Some other bloggers choose to focus on tutorials for one particular type of crafting.

Pinterest can be a wonderful resource but reading full posts from craft blogs is a great way to bring your crafting up to the next level. My readers not only find new project ideas, but sometimes they even find a new favorite kind of craft! If you are new to the blog, I’d love it if you took a look around to see what inspiration you may find!

This past year was a big year for the blog. Although I had taken on a few sponsored posts in the past, I really focused on turning my hobby into an income source this year. It is a wonderful feeling to watch a hobby turn into something more. Blogging can be a fantastic experience, but it also can be stressful at times. During the beginning of the pandemic, I wondered how current events would impact my blog. I found myself with less time to write once we had to take my daughter out of daycare, but I also found a lot of new readers! Even though my primary focus has always been empowering parents to get crafty with their children, in 2019, a majority of my most popular posts were travel related. Posts about our trip to Disney were especially popular. While we had hoped to go to Disney in 2020, it never happened. We still have a trip planned, but it has been rescheduled twice now. In 2020, I saw a shift in what my readers wanted to see on the blog. My kids craft tutorials have gotten more views than ever before. Knowing that my writing is inspiring other parents to create crafty memories with their little ones during these difficult times means more to me than I could possibly describe.

Today, I want to share a few things I have learned from the past few years of blogging! One of the most important things I have learned is that is it extremely important to read what other, more experienced bloggers have to say. Reading interviews with fellow bloggers has helped me reflect and explore my own goals as a writer and an influencer. I have also learned that quality is better than quantity. I used to push myself to post at least three times a week. Now, I post about once a week. By giving myself more time to think about what I will write, I am able to put more creativity into each post. The next thing I have learned is that it is important to have fluid goals. I re-write and reflect on my goals each month. The last thing I’ve learned is that although monetizing a blog is wonderful, it should never be a blogger’s very first goal. Although some bloggers can monetize pretty quickly, it can also take years. It is easy to get frustrated and burned out if making an income is your primary goal.

I hope this post can inspire you to dive into blogging or to just check out some of our crafty projects! If you are thinking about starting a blog, or have already started your blogging journey, I wish you a wonderful, creative, and productive 2021!

Patricia5 Comments

We Are A Mask Wearing Family

In my family, we wear masks when we go out into public. At the beginning, it was a struggle to get my three-year-old to wear one, but now she is an excellent mask wearer! In our state, masks in public are required, but even if they were not, we’d still wear them to help keep ourselves and others safe.

**This mask pouch was gifted to us. All opinions are our own.**

I know some people have some pretty strong opinions on why they will not wear a mask. In the past, I’ve upset some people by posting my pro-mask opinion on our Facebook page. The most common argument against mask wearing is that we should not let the government control us. Let’s get real for a second. The government literally assigns us a number at birth so they can track us. We follow tons of rules and regulations on a daily bases for the good of society as a whole. Wearing a mask is not some giant conspiracy, it simply cuts down on germs!

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about mask wearing! One problem we have encountered when out in public is finding the perfect place to store our masks when we take them off to eat! It is not safe to just lay them on a table or bench and they can easily get knocked off the table if we put them on a napkin.

This reusable & washable mask pouch is the perfect way to keep your mask safe while you are not wearing it! It is so pretty and very well made! As a bonus, the company who makes them  donates 5% of the proceeds to a non-profit organization that funds research for rare childhood diseases.

You can get the mask pouch here http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LM7RN97

Patricia15 Comments

Ways To Cut Down On Your Pandemic Stress

This year has been both incredibly short and incredibly long all at once. Social distancing, lack of childcare, and the thought of possibly getting sick has caused me a huge amount of stress and anxiety. At the same time, I can not believe the year is about to come to an end. I feel like we just celebrated my daughter’s third birthday and now she is about to turn four! A return to normal feels so close, yet so far away. Today, I want to share five things you can do to take care of yourself physically and mentally while you wait for normalcy to return to your life.

Declutter Your Home

I don’t know about you, but I am finding cleaning difficult since my daughter is not currently in preschool. I have been working towards getting rid of things that we do not need because it is easier to clean if we have less stuff laying around! Every December, we also do a deep declutter in my daughter’s playroom. This year, I must get rid of more than usual because being stuck at home all these months led to extra online shopping and she’ll require room for all the new toys that she’ll be getting for Christmas and her birthday!

Cut Down on Alcohol and Junk Food

I know this may be a hard one! Making healthy choices boosts your immune system and just overall makes you feel better. I gained way more weight than I want to talk about during the first few months of the pandemic, so now I’m working towards a healthier lifestyle again.

Look for Ways to Assist Others

In a time when it is easy to feel very hopeless, you may find some joy in helping others. I know that I always feel better about a bad situation when I feel useful. Helping others doesn’t have to be expensive either! It could be as simple as donating some things you no longer need or leaving a little hand made gift on someone’s doorstep!

Be Kind to Yourself

When practicing self-care, don’t forget the “self” part. The language you use when thinking about yourself is important. Take time to appreciate how well you are doing in these exceedingly difficult times.

Use Less Social Media

Social media is a great way to connect with friends and family in a safe way. It can also very easily become time consuming. I have had to learn to use social media very intentionally. I have also removed about 50 people that I never speak to in person from my Facebook friends list because the content they shared just didn’t add any value to my timeline.

I hope these tips can help you as we head into 2021. I’d love to hear from you! How are you doing? What are you looking forward to most once all the restrictions are lifted?

Patricia1 Comment

Christmas Tree Counting Activity

December is almost half way through and we are busy getting ready for the holidays! Today, I want to share an easy holiday counting activity! This activity is perfect for toddlers or young preschoolers and you will only need a few materials that most people already have around the house!

**This post contains affiliate links. We may get a small commission, at no additional charge to you, for purchases made from our links. All opinions are our own.**

Materials Used

  • Construction Paper
  • Glue
  • A Marker
  • Scissors

I started by cutting out six tree shapes from green construction paper. Next, I cut out about 25 little circles from red construction paper. After that, I glued the trees onto a piece of white paper.

After the trees dried for a few minutes, I randomly wrote a number one from six on each tree.

I had my daughter tell me what number was on each tree and then glue a matching number of red circles onto it.

This easy to prepare activity is a great way to practice counting and number recognition!

Book Suggestions

Little learners enjoy pairing educational activities with a book!

If you like this activity, please share it with a friend!

Patricia5 Comments