Parenting

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8 Habits for Miserable Parenthood

***Disclaimer: This post is meant to be COMICAL as much as anything else. I was going to create a post on how to get more rest as a mother, which I still may do, BUT I thought it would be more fun to approach it this way instead. I do understand that some days and weeks, we are simply trying to survive without being able to function productively. Please do not choose to be offended or made to feel guilty by this post. Instead, laugh at me or with me on these things that have bit me in the butt throughout Motherhood…Without further ado…8 Habits for Miserable Parenthood!

Habit #1-Never make a plan, never make a list. If you want to feel unorganized, unproductive, waste time, and spend more money than you need to, don’t ever make a list and number your priorities for the day. Knowing what your priorities are and having a plan will make you simply too wise with your time!

2- Never stick to a lunch or snack schedule. This makes your kids whine at you all day long so that it feels like the only thing you are doing all day is feeding people. If you had breakfast, snacks, and lunch at specific intervals they might catch on and stop nagging you for food all day. You would also be able to say no when they ask for food at other times, and you may end up with less picky eaters. That would be no good for the goals we are after.

3-Never think about dinner until your spouse calls to say they are coming! Planning meals ahead of time is a big no-no if your goal is to be stressed out and exhausted. By planning meals for the day with leftovers and things you already have, you may even save money as well by not wasting food-we wouldn’t want that, now would we? We need to procrastinate the foodstuff as long as we can until we are going crazy with trying to come up with a meal, deal with the kids, and clean up. This will make it possible for you to give in and get unhealthy McDonald’s for everyone that will run you 40 bucks for one family meal. If your goal is to spend a lot of money on unhealthy food every month, this fulfills that goal as well! It’s a good thing you didn’t realize you could have made a meal from something healthier in the time it took you to get into the car, drive to McDonald’s, wait to give your order, get your order, and drive home.

4-Let the kids sleep in! It’s so tempting to have that extra morning time to yourself, so just let it happen! By letting the kids sleep in, it allows them more energy late into the night! This means you won’t have time to be productive or have time to yourself at the end of your day! This is the perfect scenario if your goal is to be exhausted. If you got them up at a certain time you could be consistent with a bed time as well, and that could turn into extra rest or productivity for you which is the opposite goal of this post!

5-Stay up extremely late. We all want a little time to ourselves, right? Why not extend the usual 2 hours of staying up after the kids go to bed to SIX hours? That would be amazing! Then we could try to sleep in the next day as the kids yank our hair, we could drag our feet all day as we try to care for our household, and then DO IT AGAIN! I have done this many times in my experience as a mother and would truly recommend it to anyone who wants to be utterly exhausted and unproductive every day. You could even develop an addiction to caffeine by participating in this habit.

6-Avoid physical activity. Sit on the bench every time you take your kids to the park. Stare at your phone or computer or TV all day. Try not to find active things that you enjoy doing by yourself or with other people. This way you will feel sluggish and unmotivated, and the pounds may creep on. Don’t even think of starting up something like gardening, painting, building a project from wood, dancing with your children to music, or signing up for a 5k with a friend.

7-Never ask for help. When we ask for help we may get free childcare so we can get a nap. We also might be able to take care of ourselves in other ways such as getting dental work done, getting a skin cancer screening, going to the gym, or addressing an issue with depression.

8-Never get rid of anything. It could eventually be useful for something, right? And right now, all of the clutter is very useful for making a mess and expending your energy as you keep it all in order. The best part is how much time you will waste looking for things that you need, in the piles of stuff that you never use. It’s just so pleasing when I spend more time picking up a toy than my child spent playing with it!

I hope this post gave you a laugh, friend! You are not alone in your struggles, and no one can be perfect for long. You are important, and what you do matters more than you know. Find something every day, no matter how small, that you can look forward to. Lately, I look forward to tiny walks in our yard with my children, to see what new things have bloomed in our garden.

Until next time,

Jexi

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Make Moving Awesome!

We moved 17 times in 12 years. It doesn’t matter if you are moving across the country or across the street-you still have to plan it out and move all of your stuff! Here are some things I wish I knew before our first move.

1-Keep a good attitude. It doesn’t matter if other people say things like “Aren’t you sick of moving?” or “Moving sucks!” Many people will comment this way without offering to help. You know this move needs to happen. Instead of giving in to the opportunity to complain, you can use the opportunity to ask for help. Thank them for understanding that moving is a lot of work, and ask for help. Ask for childcare while you pack, or a meal where you won’t have to return pans. Ask for help to deep clean or for them to take a load to the thrift store for you. Choose better productivity instead of a pity party. Think of your children and how your attitude of the move is affecting them. They are constantly listening and hearing what you say to others.

There are actually VERY good things about moving. For example, what better time to go through all of your stuff and GET RID OF CRAP YOU NEVER USE? I love this part. Think about it. If you knew this would be the first of 17 moves, you would probably get rid of a ton of stuff rather than haul it all around creation. Only keep the good stuff! Your favorite decorations, your clothes that actually fit, the cookware that you use every day. Be excited to explore your new location instead of the dread that comes with trying to figure out where to put a haul of stuff that you never use. If you don’t love it or don’t need it every day, don’t take it! Please don’t move it with you because you think you can sell it later! Not worth it. Sell it now or get rid of it.

Another amazing thing about moving is a fresh start. Keep the bridges open that you built where you are…and then create new ones! There are SO many amazing people out there to meet. A new best friend could be waiting around the corner. Maybe there are people just waiting for you to be a part of their life!

2-Keep costs low. See who has boxes-search the Facebook marketplace for free boxes, ask businesses if they have any you can take, or do a post about looking for boxes on your Facebook page or a local group page.

3-Pack smart. With our first few moves, I’m not gonna lie, I wasn’t that smart. I would go through everything and pack it based on whether I might use it or not. After a while, I realized that it was extremely time-consuming to approach moves this way. I made a list of clothes, meals I could cook using the same pot, the ingredients for those meals, and essentials like phone chargers and toothbrushes. I could set these items aside into luggage just like we were going on a trip for a few days(I also like to use reusable shopping bags-really anything but boxes so your essentials don’t get confused for boxes to go on the moving truck). This freed me to pack everything else without hesitation! It is also great if you have help coming so you aren’t afraid they will pack something you need. Instead of asking yourself on every item if you will use it in the next few days, MAKE A PLAN, and MAKE A LIST. If you are afraid to lose your list, take a picture or create it on your phone in the first place.

4-Set up help to unload boxes. This could be family, friends, people from church, co-workers, or hired help. On your own, it will take you a day or two to complete what can be done in 2 hours with help. It doesn’t hurt to ask. It can also be amazing to find someone willing to watch your little ones. It can be totally overwhelmed keeping track of them and keeping them out from underfoot while overseeing a move. I would say 8 yrs old and older is a good age to keep at the move to help bring smaller stuff inside.

I have a BIG money-saving tip for you if you need to hire help. We wasted a TON of money because we didn’t realize we could be specific with the movers on what we wanted help with. If we had asked them to move all of the big stuff first, we would have been able to better stick to our budget of 4 hours of help. Once all the big stuff was moved out of our apartment and into our house, we could have said we need to be done with help now and will do the rest ourselves. Instead, they loaded up with random furniture and boxed stuff and had to take 2 loads because they didn’t bring their biggest truck. We asked for 3 guys to come help instead of 2 because we wanted to finish more quickly. That was a big waste of money since the third guy was only bringing out small boxes that our 10-year-old could bring while Caleb and I were moving the couches and bookshelves. I would suggest you have them move the following first:

1-Any appliances (Washer/Dryer, chest freezers, etc.) 2-Beds 3-Dining table and chairs 4-couches and bookshelves 5-Dressers 6-Piano 7-tool carts or other large shelving/items in the garage 8-night stands and fireplace 9-planter pots you want to take that are filled with dirt 10-Largest or heaviest totes and boxes (in our case these are our Christmas tree and Christmas decor boxes as well as kids clothes).

If you don’t think two men will do the job as fast as you would like, my advice is to hire not one but two extra for a total of four movers. That way, the four can work on moving heavy things in pairs instead of 2 doing large items and one left to get boxes that we can move on our own if it comes down to money budget. This tip would probably work best if you are just moving across town and in a situation where you could go back and grab boxes and lighter stuff yourself.

5-Label boxes smart! When you start unloading, people helping won’t know where to put things. As you pack, label the top of the box which room it goes in (kitchen, bathroom, bedroom #1, etc.). They will take the effort to bring the box in anyway, so you may as well make it easier on yourself and have them put it in the room to be unpacked. Once they realize they don’t have to ask where every box goes, they will be relieved and it will seem a lot more organized. You can put the contents of the box on the side for your benefit after the truck unload is complete. Having a case of bottled water or Gatorade is always welcomed by moving help.

6-Plan a meal for the night of the move. We usually order pizza and a salad or get fried chicken/rotisserie chicken and fruit because those feed our large family for cheaper than the cost of a fast-food meal for each person. Another meal we commonly get for a road trip dinner or move night is some foot-long sandwiches from the Walmart deli.

Feel free to add any tips or tricks you have up your sleeve in the comments below. We would love the extra ideas! Have a great day friend, and best of luck with your move!

Jexi

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How to Survive with 4 Young Children

When I had THREE KIDS IN THREE YEARS, I asked every mother with multiple children older than mine for advice. The response I commonly got was this: “We don’t know! This will just be a rough patch for you-it will get better as they get a little older.” Whaaaaat!? I could NOT accept that. I was determined to find a small way in my sleep-deprived, child-crammed days to make my life a tiny bit easier. I was praying for Heavenly Father’s help and decided to do what anyone should do in this situation-call my grandma! She raised 7 kids and gave a small piece of advice-teach them something new. Although toddlers can’t go around doing chores, there was something they could take away from my energy-spendings by learning to do it themself. One example was teaching Ember to climb into her highchair herself. I taught Tavon to put the clean utensils away using the step stool. I taught Ali to throw her own dirty diapers away. These may not seem like much, but it was a huge help to me when I was hugely pregnant with our 4th! My grandma was comforting to me, addressing the fact that it would take even more of my patience and time, but that I HAD to take the teaching time to hand some of my effort to my kids.

I was also inspired to ask this in quieter moments-What can I do to make my life easier later? Eventually, I came up with a short list of things I had to do before I went to bed. I knew that if I didn’t do the dishes before bed, the food on them would get dry and harder to clean. My house could also stink, and I wouldn’t have dishes to eat breakfast or cook with the next day, until I washed them! It was easy to see that making sure the dishes were done before sleep would save me a lot of time the next day. Other items on my short list included taking out the garbage, spot wiping the table and counters, and making sure the laundry was switched to the dryer so I didn’t have a sour load in the morning. If you notice, most of these things centered around the idea that although my home might be cluttered, I didn’t want it to stink! When I was able to ask the question “What can I do now for later,” I could do anything from deciding on what’s for dinner, to put my clothes out for the next day.

I want to address something really quickly. Try not to get bitter or blame when you feel overwhelmed like someone should be helping you. It does more harm to you than anyone else. You can always ask for someone to help you, but if they say no or are unreliable, that bitterness is not a help to you. The time you could spend blaming other people could be spent on your knees asking for additional guidance or researching new ideas/routines that could be more effective. I soon came up with my dry erase board method. This is a small magnetic dry erase board on my fridge where I write things I need to do, and things we need from the store. This way I can take a picture with my camera before heading to the store and I never lose my list! My calendar is for appointments at specific times in the day and my to-do list is what I turn to the other times. It is a HUGE mental relief to get my brain out on that board and know I don’t have to keep remembering things or re-think what I should be doing. I need to remember to thank my past self more haha!!!

One of my favorite things to adopt into my language when I had my 4th baby was the “turn” talk. Multiple children needing attention at the same time gets SO overwhelming and it can be easy to yell. However, when someone came up to ask or tell me something, I would say, “right now it’s Ember’s turn, you’re are next!” and then if someone else needed me I would say “I am helping Ember right now and then Tavon is next so you are 3rd. I will ask you what you need in a minute, so try to remember what you need!” At some points, everyone is in line for their turn, which is fine! BUT the great thing about it is that you can insert your own turn haha! when I did workouts at home I would tell the kids, it’s mommy’s turn for 15 min, and then you can have a turn.” It worked okay, and I would try to do it before they usually got up.

I believe in you. I believe you can find a way! You ARE capable of finding ways to be more efficient in your hours, your days, your years. What worked a month ago may not work next week. Don’t be afraid to try new things and to give yourself a break, too. That to-do list will never go away. But you know what will? Your babies. Your babies will grow up. Now is not the time to have a perfect house or to care what relatives think so much when they come over. What is important to you? As you can see above, having a house that didn’t stink was important to me. Reading with my kids, listening to music, and being physically active is also important to me. There are things that just have to get done (like dishes and laundry and dinner…every. single. day. LOL) so be effective in your efforts to do those things so you have more time to enjoy what matters the most to you. Have faith that you can do it and ARE doing it, not fear that you will never measure up.

I hope this helps inspire you to have confidence (and I hope you get some sleep soon)!

Your friend, Jexi

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What I changed during my first 6 months of homeschooling

One of the BEST THINGS about homeschool is that I can do whatever. I. want. It is also the hardest thing, because I am responsible and accountable for whatever my kids learn. At first I wanted to stay in line with public school schedule so if and when they return to public school it won’t be such a shock. However, we kept falling farther and farther behind because of…I didn’t know what!

The immediate thing I knew would be unbearable was math. One lesson of math each day for each of my 3 kids. Their curriculum had one lesson as anywhere from 3-6 pages each! I didn’t see how we could do it long term, but I was determined to homeschool and not get behind where they should be so we kept pushing through until everyone hated math bleh! Haha! That only lasted 2 weeks. I knew we couldn’t keep up that pace because we were barely getting math done while ending the day alive, with no time for Language Arts lessons. I put my foot down and decided for the good of the family we would have to just do less math. I would homeschool through the summer if need be because it wasn’t doable. Before I settled on this, though, I went through each of their math mammoth workbooks, counting the pages and dividing it by the days left in the school year (solving math with math! heehee). It came out that they would only need to do 2-3 pages a day to finish by the end of the school year. What a relief that was to my heart! I think I was even happier than my kids when I told them the good news. We stuck to 2 pages a day of math each, and I was over the moon, thinking I had homeschool DOWN.

I didn’t think it should be so hard to do 7 pages of schoolwork each day with each child between math, LA, science, history. How long could it take? Turns out, it takes a lot of time for 3 kids to switch topics 3 times and get out their other book, and mommy has to take care of the baby now so take a recess, and where did Ali’s sight word chart go, etc.! This lasted until Thanksgiving Break, so I did this for 3 months before admitting that something more needed to change.

Talking to other people is like an idea stimulator for me. I talked to my mother and my sister in law about not enough time for everything every day. I remembered that one style of homeschool is tackling one topic in 6 weeks and moving on to the next. Because I have to report on 4 topics and an elective every 2 weeks with the homeschooling program we are in (tech trep), this wasn’t a possibility. However, I wanted to try something similar in the timeline I had. I thought about one week of history/math and the second week of science/LA with electives whenever. This idea seemed okay, except I have a cutie named Ali that struggles to read the word “the” if she hasn’t been doing language arts for a couple days. She just really thrives on review!

I determined that I would alternate one day of doing LA and the next day Math. This means we do 2 Language Arts lessons on Monday, 4 pages of Math on Tuesday, 2 Language Arts lessons on Wednesday, and 4 Math pages on Thursday (we only homeschool these Mon-Thus) . Friday is spent doing electives and field trips. As far as science and history, I stuck with the weekly swap idea. So one week after we finish our LA or math we do science. The next week we focus on history. That way my kids aren’t forgetting their Language Arts or Math skills and it is much more manageable for me.

I am constantly re-falling in love with homeschool. It provides my cuties with a personal tutor (little me) who caters to their strengths and weaknesses. We can dive into whatever their interests are when it comes to science and history and electives! Even with Language Arts, I can pick and choose the literature and art my chilren are exposed to. We pick really fun books to read like the Elephant and Piggie series, or adventerous reads like Little House on the Prairie.

One tool I have really come to love that changed homeschool for the better again is Epic. It is website my kids can go to during school hours to read books online or they can choose to be read to by the website if it’s a little hard for them. Many books to choose from and a much better option that letting my kids watch TV when I am busy helping their sibling. I also took the time to set up Prodigy for my kids which is a math game that my kids think of as a reward. They will gladly do their afternoon chores to qualify for math games haha!

Have you found any tools or strategies to make your homeschool life more managable? We would all love to hear your tried and true ideas!

Warmly,

Jexi Burke

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Get rid of a fly infestation ASAP

STEP 1-ADMIT YOU HAVE A PROBLEM!

I’m grossed out to say we had two different kinds of flies breeding in our home and I finally got rid of them! It started out innocently enough. We had some bananas and apples in a fruit bowl on the counter late summer. A couple fruit flies turned into a little annoying so we got rid of the fruit in the bowl, made 2 homemade fruit fly traps and put them on different parts in the kitchen. I also kicked our potato basket and watched it for a second to see if any flies flew but nope. The traps caught a good amount of them and I got rid of them. I figured the few flies left would be starved out since I got rid of the fruit bowl. I was wrong! After a week the number was back to annoying, but this time there were some in the bathroom, too. So, we made more traps and put them in the bathroom and kitchen. Only this time, we caught ZERO flies. They were buzzing around everywhere but none had gone in the trap!

2-INVEST IN STICKY TRAPS

Fly swatters were useless because the baby flies were so small. Every day I spent a half hour swinging sticky paper around because I didn’t want the baby flies to grow up and lay more eggs! I realized the flies in our home that evaded my sticky traps were growing slightly bigger and had stripes on their wings. EEW! I identified them as cluster flies once I caught them on my sticky paper, and there was also regular small fruit flies being caught in the goo.

3-SEARCH EVERYWHERE AND CLEAR OUT EVERYTHING!

We hadn’t had fruit on our counter for almost 2 weeks. I always make a point to take the garbage out every day so our house doesn’t stink, and I checked outside to make sure they weren’t breeding in our flower pots or something. It was getting cold outside and no way were those flies coming from anywhere buy inside my house BLEH. I went through every item of our food storage, everything under the kids beds, inside the toy boxes, in the closets, hoping to find the rotting apple I had pictured in my mind that they were all flying out from. Nothing. I checked the window sills for small pools of water, our vents, and threw away our humidifier because I found a dead fly in it. I was hoping maybe that was the source? But I was kidding myself because I hadn’t seen any maggots. I decided to pour bleach down our bathroom and kitchen sinks and then plug them at night in case that’s where the magic was happening. At this point I was also awaiting the arrival of a bug zapper light to zap those babies dead and not have to waste time swatting at them with sticky paper every day and having to buy the sticky trap paper again. That stupid light didn’t do a THING. The flies didn’t even CARE that it was there, even though I put it right in the thick of where they hung out, elevated the light like the instructions said and everything.

4-GET THE PRODUCT RIGHT!

The bleach down the drains wasn’t making a difference so I got on Amazon and purchased Natural Armor’s Fruit Fly and Drain Fly Killer. I went to pick up my kids from my lovely sister-in-laws house after an appointment and told her I was going MAD with the 20 new flies that would just show up in our house every day. She said it happened to her too, and she went crazy until she figured out they were coming from two different potato sources in her home. I thought well, that can’t be it because our potatoes are dry. I already nudged the basket and watched for flies to come up, which there were none. A couple days of her words ringing in my ears later, I decided to go through our basket of potatoes. We had gone as a family to glean potatoes from a field nearby and filled a small laundry basket with them. I started taking potatoes out and looking for damp spots or maggots. After several potatoes, I saw flies flying out. That was enough for me! My husband picked up the whole basket and took them right out the door. Between the specialty gel we poured down the sink to kill any breeding going on there, and taking the infested potatoes outside, the fruit flies were done. It took me a day or two to catch 100% of the ones left in our house but they didn’t come back. To my complete RELIEF.

Best of luck with your unwanted fly guests!

Jexid

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Things to do with small kids in Pocatello (frugal)!

If you are new to Pocatello, Welcome!!! Pocatello is my home town, and I’m proud of that! It’s a great place to raise a family. The cost of living is also much lower than any place we have lived. Moving 13 times in the last 10 years made me realize how much I love Idaho and Pocatello specifically.

Scout mountain is only 30 min away with very affordable camping options. I missed this a TON when we lived other places. It took us at least an hour drive with our littles to get to a camping spot like this everywhere else we lived. They have tent and RV sites with lots of vegetation for shade. I think last time we went it was 10 bucks per night and it is first come first serve.

Kiwi Loco has kid cups your child can cram full for only 2 bucks each! Super awesome deal. Make sure to ask at the counter for them-they are kept behind the counter a lot because the stack of small cups is always falling over. This offer is good for children ages 12 and under.

The Soda Barn is fairly new on Chubbuck road and has really fun options for kids like their “shark attack” which is cherry 7up with shark gummies in it, and “life guard” which is blue soda with peach ring gummies in it. Most people go to the drive through but we always sit inside at one of the tables together. Our kids adore this place and for less than 2 bucks a drink, we have gone there a few times. A different place we lived had a similar business, but they charged a lot more and we never went back.

The Pine Ridge Mall has an indoor play area free to kids. Kids over 5 years old aren’t supposed to play there because of the safety issue it poses for little crawlers and toddlers, but as long as my kids are playing safely and aren’t being crazy I still let them play. Otherwise they sit on the bench by me. Next to the play area is a clump of those rides that cost quarters. To me it’s horrendous to charge 1.00 per ride so I just let my kids sit on them for a bit if they want and then we go pick a gumball for everyone down the mall a bit for a quarter each. There is one game I let my kids play on a special occassion and it’s the claw game for rubber ducks because you can play it until you win something. They let you try over and over again until the motion sensor sees something drop down the chute from the claw so it’s worth the dollar to me as a special treat. The mall also has an arcade area where kids can stomp on reactive lights for free or play arcade games for money.

Mckees pet store is another great addition to our town! There are two locations where you can go gawk at the animals but the Chubbuck location is fantastic. It has a small petting zoo outside where you can walk on the path and see all sorts of animals like goats, llamas, chickens, pigs, rams, emus, and ponies. There is a donation box to keep the petting zoo open and you can also pay a quarter to get some food from the food dispenser to feed the baby goats. We put a couple dollars in once in a while. We go at least 6 times a year because they constantly have different animals having babies and they get their chicks, ducklings, and baby bunnies in the spring time that are super fun to see. The giant turtle is cool but my son is super scared of it so I have to show him where it is right when we go in or he’ll think it’s wandering around the store (the workers let it walk around sometimes). They even had a camel for a few years. In the winter time we will look mostly at the new puppies they have, the birds, and any new kittens or guinea pigs.

Tastee treat has ice cream that can’t be beat by any other fast food store I’ve been to, but whenever we have gone to it since moving back the service is about 3 times longer than expected so we don’t go as often. Their most popular use for our family is their waffle cone wednesday when the ice cream in a waffle cone are only 1.00 each.

There are a lot of fast food places with play structures in them around town. Two of them are Carl’s junior on Yellowstone in front of Winco and McDonald’s on yellowstone. We like to go get a milkshake to share or maybe some fries just so we can play on the toys and have a good time.

There are two libraries, one in Pocatello called Marshall Public Library and one in Chubbuck called the Portneuf Public Library. We go get the monthly schedule and attend the music and movement at the Chubbuck library with our preschool aged kids. It’s the best one in my opinion, and if he participates in the class I let him play with the train tracks, magnets, and other toys in the kids area for a bit. You will need your ID and proof of address (power bill) to get a library card.

To find out about events in general, facebook is our key! We make sure to like the Pocatello District 25 facebook page so we can follow the events posted there. Make sure to like your children’s school facebook page as well to stay in the loop as much as you can with that.

There is an amazing parade the day after Thanksgiving in downtown Pocatello that happens at NIGHT! It’s called the Light’s Parade because each float is decorated in Christmas lights and they have Santa at the very end. VERY fun, worth the wait, worth the cold! There really isn’t anywhere to go to the bathroom though so I highly suggest bringing a child’s potty in your car. Make sure everyone tries to go before you leave. Yes, they do throw candy and sometimes glow sticks. We bring hand warmers, a couple chairs, wear coats, hats, and gloves. Pocatello is COLD in November, people! Hot cocoa in a thermos wouldn’t hurt either haha!

The downtown shops offer family events for holidays. Examples include a candy cane hunt, egg hunt, or trick or treating in a safe environment. In these events you will go from shop to shop hunting or participating. They like having events to promote you spending money at the local businesses instead of all the shopping online. These events are always free though! It’s a great chance to see what downtown has to offer, as well as a super fun time for the kids!

Home Depot is right next to the AMC theatre and the mall. They have a free workshop for kids on the first Saturday of every month from 9-noon. One of our faves! It’s on the left side of the building walking in. Each child gets a wooden kit. They provide child height tables, hammers, garbages, and paint so you are provided with everything you need. It’s free and they get to bring something they made home! My younger kids like the painting a ton so we have to make sure we set aside enough time to let them paint their birdhouse or whatever it is! They offer kid aprons so you don’t get paint on clothes, as well as project completion pin. Sometimes they have popcorn on Saturdays at Home Depot as well.

There is a Reel Theatre in Pocatello! Tuesdays and Wednesdays are 2.00 movie tickets, 2.00 drinks, and 2.00 popcorn. It plays movies that have just come out on DVD. A very affordable and fun experience! Our kids ages 5 and up seem to make it through a movie well.

Deleta Skating is a very fun place to take you family. I remember going to birthday parties and field trips there. My daughter just went to a party there and I saw they now have balance helps made from PVC pipe for little kids-kind of like a walker on wheels! Haha! Very cool and makes it possible with small-children-families to participate.

Outer limits has been a great addition to Pocatello! It’s an arcade game place that also has lazer tag and a mini blue-light golf course inside. The arcade games spit out tickets depending on how well you play the game. You can redeem your tickets for prizes when you’re all done! When we go as a family we spend 20 bucks on the token coins and split the coins between 4 cups for our kids. There are games for all age levels! Our 3 year old son likes to sit on the race car game and motorcycle without any tokens. His next favorite game that is popular with all of our kids is the game where you spear fish. The average game takes 3 tokens but they range from 1-4 tokens per game. Each child comes out with over 150 tickets to spend on little toys or candy at the end. Outer limits has food like pizza and things but we don’t ever eat there so I can’t give any insight on that part of it! I know they do offer party packages and that outside food is not allowed unless you purchase a party package. Once our kids are older I’m sure the 20 dollars won’t seem like enough becasue then our toddlers will want to participate in the games more.

I have to mention the new splash pad in Chubbuck at Stuart Park. I didn’t think we would ever get one! It’s a super fun activity and you don’t have to worry about the kids drowning because the fountains on the pad just shoot out and go down the drains in the cement pad. There aren’t many places to sit or have shade so I would suggest to bring a chair, hats, sunscreen, and towels! There is a bathroom pretty close to the splash pad which is a plus! One tip I have for tiny walkers or  crawlers  is to have them wear something like these leg protector warmers . If your child is not potty trained they ask you put swim diapers on them while they play.

If you are up to going to a good outdoor pool, Ross Park Swimming Pool is the place to be. It has a little kid area with water that gets about a foot deep and for older kids it has a water slide, lilly pads, a tide pool, etc. You can get a family pass there if swimming is your family’s thing! My kids still don’t know how to swim so the free splash pad at Stuart Park is our safest option unless Daddy can come with us!

Zoo Idaho is right across the street from Ross Park Swimming Pool and is pretty fun to stroll around but it’s definitely not the best zoo I’ve been to and has a ton of hills so keep that in mind in your preparations to go! My favorite part is when the peacocks spread their tails to show off, or when the trumpeter swan is around-it really does sound like a trumpet! My kids say they like the bear the best.

About a week after school gets out, the district starts summer lunch at parks around town. Free summer sack lunches at the park are served to kids ages 1-18. They must be eaten at the park and adults are not allowed to eat any part of a child’s meal but can be purchased for 3-4.00. My cuties love to eat at the park and play with other kids on the toys (and I love not having to make them lunch haha)! It does have its drawbacks with having to find shoes for everyone and if the park is more than a block or two away we are using the gas money to drive there, so we don’t go 100 percent of the time. BUT the option is SUPER nice and I really missed the program when we moved out of state.

I’m not sure if it’s because I grew up here, but my husband and I always felt a huge pull every year to come back for the Southeastern Idaho State Fair in Blackfoot. I’ve never been to one that I liked better, and we’ve lived a lot of places. You may have to pay for parking and pay to get in but just being able to look at all the animals undergoing competition, the activities, and booths they have is so memorable! Always a great time! Our kids look forward to riding the ponies every year as well as the other rides, and my husband and I look forward to the food! Try to look at the schedule and see what days and times they are having the best free activities so you can get the best bang for your entrance ticket!

Pocatello has a Costco. Their carts hold two cuties instead of one (BONUS)! I have specific things I buy there which saves us a lot of money. They have free samples of an assortment of things starting at noon every day and their gas is always the cheapest in town, along with the best return policy of 2 years satisfaction guaranteed. I haven’t even mentioned the food court yet! You can get a mouth watering 18” pizza for just 10 bucks and it’s really good, you guys! They also sell hot dogs and frozen yogurt for super cheap so it makes a great date or family pizza night. Yes, you can call ahead to order the pizza or order it there and walk around the store while you wait the 15 min. They discontinued their photo center-it’s only online now, but the best rates and our only choice for prints.

Arctic Circle is a great place for kiddie dipped ice cream cones that are only 20 cents each. Our oldest could eat a regular cone, but the others waste half of theirs. I can get five mini dipped cones for just a dollar! That is less than the price of one regular-size non-dipped cone so I LOVE this deal.  Another option is to get a regular ice cream cone with their kiddie ones so I can give them “refills” from the big one as long as they save their little waffle cone.

This is a college community which means there are a ton of options on campus! The student union building (everyone calls it the sub) is the source of awesome cheap bowling and pool! Awesome family night or date night. They also have a bingo night every month when school is in session which is free to students but only 5.00 for anyone else to get in! The prizes are awesome and the atmosphere is super fun! It’s better to go as a couple or with kids who are able to shout out there own bingo with gusto since it’s a rule you have to yell out your own bingo. My 8 year old could totally do it.

One silly thing we love about Pocatello is that a siren goes off in the distance at 12:30. I’ve heard it’s the lunch siren for simplot but I never confirmed that. Our kids and I call it the “ghost of 12:30”. We hear it a lot in the summer at the free park lunches. I find it hilarious when my kids hear it and start dancing around squealing about “the ghost of 12:30!” (yes, they know it’s just pretend haha)

The newest thing around here is the Portneuf Wellness complex. It’s got a small sandy beach with a large pond you can fish at. It has bike/walking trails and play structures! There are soccer fields, tennis courts, and basketball shooting areas. We see people flying kites there, etc.

There is a small hike you can do that starts on ISU campus and goes up to the pillars at the top of the hill. Our kids call it “The hike to the ruins”, and it ends with a great view. It is an awesome little hike in the middle of town!

I’ll post these for now and add to it and add to it as more awesome thrifty things come along. I hope this post makes you feel excited to be in Pocatello. Make it a great day!

 

Jexi

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Surviving Church with Toddlers

I know every family is different but these are things that work AWESOME with our littles at church.

One of the best things EVER is pipe cleaners and cheerios. It is so simple, cheap, keeps them busy, and involves a healthy snack instead of sugary stuff. If they are too little to put the cheerios onto the pipe cleaner, you can help or put them on yourself, and they can enjoy taking them off and eating them! Pipe cleaners are the better option over string or wire because the fibers keep cheerios in place so they can’t just slide off! Soo genius I can hardly stand it haha! Our daughter likes to bend it into a bracelet when she’s done and wear it.

I keep bottled water in our bag so we aren’t feeling pressure to leave for the drinking fountain if our kids get thirsty. I’m a huge water-drinking advocate so it doesn’t feel right telling my child no when they are thirsty.

The coolest product offered out there that my kids never get sick of are the “Water WOW” activity pads by Melissa and Doug. There are several thick pages on a ring that color when water is applied, and they each come with a refillable water pen! Literally you just untwist the bottom, fill it up with water, and then do it again once the pages dry. The kids love uncovering hidden things on the page in the trees, in the buildings, everywhere! It’s the answer to a lot of problems I’ve had with dry erase boards, kids eating crayons, you know what I’m talking about, Momma! Totally mess free unless you spill the water upon refill, but hey water dries! Oh yeah, and a cool money saving tip is this: The water pen tip will get frayed after a bit which makes it difficult to use, so instead of buying more water pens I just use wipes! I’ll pour a tiny bit of water onto a wipe and let them dab at the board. I also do this if we just plain lose the water pen!

Another thing I love to keep on hand are these sticker sheets. Their price fluctuates so I like to buy them in bulk when they lower in price. There are a variety to choose from and the options are awesome for the kids to create something different each time, even if they need a little help getting the stickers off. I just have them use the back of the sticker sheet to put them on! Sometimes my kids will want to color a scene behind their creation as well. They are limited to one each at church so they learn to be creative with all the options each sheet gives and there aren’t too many stickers everywhere.

Gummies are a great asset in the church bag, when used with temperance! That’s one item we get at Costco. I only bring one gummie package per child. We usually hand them out when there is 15- 20 minutes left of the meeting. That way it’s like the best for last and we can use it as an incentive to “be good”. Gummies are fun to take a small bite of and stick on your toddlers face! It may not be the most reverent thing, but it extends the life of the gummies into a sort of game where they feel for it and pull it off and in turn, extends your ability to stay in the meeting and catch a few words of the speakers! We also prolong the life of a pack of gummies by holding out our fists and having our child tap one to guess which hand holds the gummy. If you’ve never done this you won’t believe how much they enjoy it! You can even do the game with a small toy, or switch so they hold out their fists for you!

We make books part of daily life, so I bring 4 books in our bag since we have 4 kids, and they can trade with each other. I try to make them more church-oriented, but sometimes I’m in a hurry and am happy to just grab 4 books on whatever, as long as there are lots of pictures. 

I try to bring a small toy for each child. We don’t allow toys that make noise, but since I pack the bag it’s not usually a problem unless someone sneaks one in! Toys I will choose will be things like a sandwich bag half-filled with legos, a matchbox car in a tiny box, a baby doll with a bottle, or a hair brush and a pretty bow clip.

WIPES! Every church bag needs wipes. You just never know when your cutie (or you!) will need one. It’s amazing how fast their hands get sticky or you get to church and realize breakfast is still smudged on your child’s face. Their use doesn’t just include diaper changes! I also like to pull one out and stick it on my baby’s head just to see them smile and take it off over and over. Unfortunately, this behavior usually results in them wanting to put in on YOUR head haha! So try having them put it on a doll’s head or maybe hide a toy by covering it with the wipe in a game sort of like peekaboo.

The most expensive thing I ever got for church as one of these fabric quiet books. There are a few to choose from but at 40 bucks retail, I couldn’t buy one for a while and they rarely go on sale. I used a 25% off coupon on the day after Thanksgiving sale at Deseret Book and made it a family Christmas present. I’m very proud of the book choice I made because I thought it through and got one that zippers shut (the exact one in the link above). It ended up being very well loved by our kids and a great educational tool. I would NOT recommend any of the books that don’t zip shut…I bought one on a great deal a few years later but the pieces were scattered within weeks.

One game we like to play is to stick a small toy, cheerio, or piece of paper in their sock or somewhere. They think it’s hilarious to find it and pull it out but they may need help to get it out if they are getting frustrated.

When my oldest turned one, we noticed that he loved putting money in money banks SOO, I turned it into an activity for church. I washed a little prescription bottle, cut a slit in the top, and filled it with washed quarters or big buttons that I could find. I would hold the pile of coins in my hand and he would stick the quarters into the slot one by one. He absolutely loved this, guys! Very easy thing to put together.

The last thing worth mentioning to me is this buckle whale. I couldn’t believe how much they were when I looked them up online but it’s quality made to last so it’s been through a few kids, washable, has a zipper pouch to hold things, and its fun for the kids to learn to match the colored buckles to the correct side! I had a friend mention she would worry about kids pinching fingers and I had that thought too, but it didn’t end up being a problem for us! The buckles arent terribly tight or snappy so it’s perfect. I ended up getting this for Easter for our daughter and it gets passed down to the next cutie when one of them grows older and loses interest.

We try to have out kids sit on the bench as much as possible but if they are toddlers we are pretty lenient about them standing on the bench to gawk at the people sitting behind us (with us hanging onto them so they don’t fall of course). They can also stand on the floor to play with their toy on the seat, etc. Once they are preschool age we pretty much make them sit on the bench the majority or the time but will occassionally hold them on our laps for a few minutes. When our littles cry or scream they get taken out if we can’t calm them down in a minute. The key to taking them out is not let them feel like it’s a reward. I don’t give any toys, treats, or attention until they can calm down. I usually hold the child without interaction or keep them seated on a couch by me. We don’t let them walk around, so it makes them want to go back in where they can get toys and a snack and move around a bit. The exception to this is if they are crying because they hit their head or got hurt somehow. Then of course lots of loves and hugs until they aren’t owie anymore, but I still don’t let them get down and run around. I WANT them to want to go back in or they will act up just to go out.

Church only happens once a week so I feel it’s really important to show our kids that we want to be there and how important it is to us. We don’t want it to be a miserable experience for them but we also want to provide activities that are church oriented and quiet so we can pay attention to the speakers and partake of the sacrament which is the reason we are there. If they see how important church is to us and that we are trying to pay attention, our example will hopefully rub off onto them (even though it will take a few years)! I would really love to hear things in the comments below that you have found helpful at church with toddlers, so feel free to share!

Happy church-going!

Jexi

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Potty Training Tips

My second is a girl and potty training was an ugly ordeal, even having experience with my first. I yelled at her more than once when she would have “accidents” that seemed more like purposeful pooping on the floor. She had been going in the potty quite a bit so I felt like she knew how and I wondered why she didn’t just do it all the time. My third is a girl as well, Ali, and it went about the same as my first daughter. I felt like potty training took away the special baby bond I had with them because I had outbursts once in a while in frustration. I didn’t want to wait for them to “potty train themself” because I knew 4 year olds who weren’t potty trained and I didn’t want to have 3 kids in diapers, nor did I want to spend all our money on diapers. The thing I learned with Ali was to use her favorite show as a reward. She was free to watch whatever she wanted but “Sofia the first” was off limits unless she went in the potty. Treats didn’t really matter to her. She was consistent with potty training by day three of switching her reward to her favorite show!!

My fourth child is another boy, Kyler. I delayed potty training him because he was supposedly my last child and I didn’t have to worry about having two in diapers. I was going to see how the “wait until they are ready” thing worked out. I would ask him once in a while if he wanted to try going on the potty. Sometimes he would, sometimes he would say no, but he never did go in the potty. But his third birthday was coming up and he showed all the signs of being ready-especially the one where he brought me his diapers and wipes and asked to be changed. He would also hide to poop and ask to be changed afterwards. Yet when asked if he was ready to poop on the potty like a big boy he said no.

I found out I was surprise pregnant and was hoping to potty train my youngest by the time he turned 3. Our other kids took about 3 months from the start of their potty training to be “fully potty trained (don’t have to wear diapers ‘just in case’ when we go out or when they go to childcare at church). I did a lot of reading on new ideas and almost bought a huge package of pull-ups to get it going. Something kept stopping me from buying them though. I talked to Caleb about how he felt potty training Kyler and when we should start. He agreed that we should start soon but with our family of 6 and being pregnant it always seemed so busy with appointments and school/church stuff, and I wanted a couple days where we were mostly at home. We never really set a specific day to start. I was going to go to Winco to get some jelly beans in bulk so we would have a reward on hand, then we could start. Guys, at this point, Heavenly Father knew exactly what I was thinking-I had TOLD him in my mind multiple times. I hadn’t wanted to think about another baby until certain things in my life were met, and having my youngest potty trained was one of them. But here I was pregnant unexpectedly and my youngest wasn’t potty trained and we had 3 older children to take care of as well.

One day Kyler asked to play in the bath with his cars, and he pooped in the bathtub. He is very honest with me and yelled to me that he pooped in the tub. I took him out and set him on the little potty with a towel around him. I told him to try pooping more into the potty, but there was a lot in the tub and I didnt have any expectation of him doing it- it was more of a place to put him while I got his new clothes and cleaned out the poop from the tub. A couple minutes later he tells me he pooped again and I’m thinking oh sure, but I checked and sure enough he had pooped MORE in the little potty. I gave him praise like crazy and a chocolate chip from the cupboard. I decided to start potty training right then and there. We set the timer and I told him we could watch his favorite show (Robocars) when he pooped or peed in the potty again. He was potty trained almost all of the way within 3 DAYS from that moment. I was ASTONISHED at the blessing and miracle of it all. His third birthday was 10 days away. Very different experience than my first three, and I am grateful beyond words for the love and consideration Heavenly Father showed me through this event that some people might think is “small” but it was HUGE to me.

So by the skin of my teeth I can say that our four children were all potty trained by the time they turned 3 hahaha! And also that I am totally understanding of why someone would wait to potty train their child for longer. The following list of tips are what I wish someone handed me with my first. You are not alone in your potty training with your sweet child! Please feel my encouragement as you attempt to find what works best for you and your child!

  1. Look for the signs of your child being ready. These include hiding to go potty, removing their wet or soiled diaper themselves, and asking to be changed. They should also be dry when they wake up from a nap (try to check immediately upon waking). Their bladder should have developed the capability of going a while without peeing themselves. They don’t have to have ALL of the signs. You can always commit and try it to see how it goes!
  2.  Do NOT use pull ups or diapers unless you go somewhere. This was something very important I learned from my first child. Having to change their outfit or clean their car seat created a lot of frustration for me when I was trying to get to an appointment or run errands. It’s ok for them to wear a diaper/pull up when you go somewhere in the car, but it brings me to tip 3…
  3.  When you go somewhere with your potty trainee, immediately take them to the restroom when you arrive there, whether or not they went before you left. This is very important because it teaches them that there are potties everywhere whenever they need to go, and that you will take time out of the trip to take them potty when needed.
    Have a small potty in the car at all times. We originally bought a travel potty that folded up and had disposable bag inserts…the inserts were too spendy for my liking so I got a small bjorn potty at a yard sale and we keep the insert in the back of our car ALL the time. It has saved me so many times from having to stop and pull all four kids out of the car to make an emergency stop at a store or gas station somewhere. Even our 6 year old has needed to use it before. I realize that some people might think it’s weird to have a child sit in the back of the car and go potty there, but to me it has been a fantastic life saver and we just dump it at home, or if we are on a long trip I just pour it into the weeds off the road (is that too detailed?? This is potty training talk after all haha)
  4. When you are at home (try to spend the first couple days mostly at home), I think it’s effective to have them be naked from the waist down for the first few days. It’s good for them to see what is happening in conjunction with the feeling when they have to go. Wearing a diaper that absorbs it all hides what is going on and they possibly don’t even feel wet. They realize when they have the feeling of going, there is liquid coming out and it gets everywhere if they don’t go on the potty! It also makes it easy for you as the parent to see and catch what is going on and run them to the potty mid-stream if you can! What a great way to get them to pee a little in the potty and be able to reward them! Once they see and feel what is going on for a day or two, we us regular undies with their favorite characters on them. They enjoy picking out which undies to wear.
  5. Don’t use diapers or pull ups in the night either. Be mindful when they wake up in the night! ALL of my cuties woke up in the night more frequently the night after we started potty training. When they get up in the night, take them to the potty! Whether they go or not, teach them it’s ok to go potty in the night, too. We bought a bed pad to put under them when accidents happened at night so we didn’t have to change all the bedding. I think this step is one of the most important…Potty train them 24/7, not just during the day and you won’t have to deal with kids wetting the bed a ton! To avoid getting them too awakened at night, I put dry clothes on them, switch out the bed pad/towel, and then bathe them in the morning.
  6.  Be consistent with timing. Set a timer on your oven or phone, etc. and take them every 30 min. If they DO go on the potty, set the timer for 60 min. after. Whenever they don’t go, set it for another 30 min. When they have an accident, take them to sit on the potty for a couple minutes and restart the timer for 30 min. I made the mistake of taking my first child every 10-20 min and he got so sick of sitting on the potty and would cry.
  7. Practice what to say for different situations so you don’t have to think about it too much. For example, when Kyler had an accident we say “Uh-oh, you peed on your paw patrols undies so we have to stop playing now to change (remember you are also sitting them on the potty after the accident). I can give you a jelly bean if you pee in the potty.” Don’t yell at or blame your child. Remind them if they go in the potty they can have their reward. Try to have a matter-of-fact tone instead of putting pressure on them. Let them know you are sorry they had to stop playing, it’s a real bummer, but when we pee our pants we have to stop having fun to go change. When we pee in the potty we don’t have to change and we get our treat (or show, or whatever it is). Give them praise EVERY time they try to go potty, whether they get anything out or not. You can even give them a sticker if you are having trouble getting them to sit on the potty. You could also sing a song or read them a book. It’s nice for them to know they can be done trying when the song is over or the book is done, instead of an undetermined amount of time.
  8. Teach your child to tell you when they go potty or have to go. I have noticed a big difference once we implement this into potty training. Teaching your child to communicate to you that they peed or are in the middle of peeing or need to pee is BIG. Vocalizing that they have peed in their pants helps them form the habit to TELL YOU. We are training them to tell us when they need to go pee, and the first step to that is to say when they HAVE PEED. I practice with my kids. Whenever they have an accident I say, Let’s practice! Yell out ‘mommy, I have to pee!’ And usually they start out quiet during our practice but we practice it quite a bit. They tend to use the phrase while they are wetting themselves at the beginning, which is still great cuz then I can rush them to the potty to see if they will get anything into it and get a reward.
  9. I let my babies come in with me when I go to the potty. I also went potty on big toilet while they sat on the little one a lot of the time. This lets them see that it’s a normal thing to do, what happens after I go (we flush the potty, say “bye bye, pee pee!”, and clap our hands. Sometimes they even want to get my toilet paper.) I also teach them to tell me good job mommy! This example is a big one. It teaches them that it’s normal to go pee in the potty, that it’s a deed worth celebrating. Many people have recommended to me the baby dolls that can pee, and while I think it’s a fabulous idea to have a controlled example they can see pee on their potty, I tried it with one of my girls and didn’t see any magical effect that did any more than having them see ME go potty.
  10. I tried to remember to pray. Pray before you start, pray for patience in the day to see your baby through heaven’s eyes as they are pooping on your carpet! Pray for ideas for rewards or a different way of approaching things that may create a more successful experience for you and your child. Pray for your child and yourself. Pray for help with anything you need to do to be consistent, because consistency is so important.
    Don’t feel like a failure if it isn’t going how you think it should. Ask for help from your spouse or a family member. All you can do is your best…life happens when you may have to wait and try again later with fresh dedication!

Good luck, mamma!

Your friend, Jexi

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Favorite songs for toddlers

A while ago I promised to post a list of songs I sing with my kids when shopping, at bedtime, or while in the car. I’m sorry it has taken this long! You can look them up on youtube if you haven’t heard the name before. You can make songs more fun by doing different things like singing in an opera voice.

My Bonnie lies over the ocean-We end this song holding out the last word as long and as high as we can go! We also vibrate our lips on the B as we sing the “Bring Back”. The kids also like to change it from Bonnie lies over the ocean to DADDY lies over the ocean or whoever else!

How much is that doggy in the window-My children like to choose different versions of this song by switching the dog for a cat in the window, or “how much is Clover in the window” since they now have a bunny named Clover.

Three little monkies swinging in the trees-This has hand actions, and I like to replace the words with the name of my kids so I would sing “One little Ali, swinging in the trees” and I would be the alligator tickling her when she gets snatched out of the tree!

Goin on a Bear Hunt!-such a fun song with so many different versions on youtube that are so funny!

I’m a Little Teapot-When we tip over at the end we tickle whoever we “tip on to” with our “spout”

I Had a Little Turtle, His Name Was Tiny Tim-We made up our own simple actions to this song.

Little Cabin in the Woods- We sing the regular version of this song and a “creepy” version where we sing it in a scary voice and eat the bunny at the end (because our family is silly ok 😉

Once There Was A Snowman

Popcorn Popping

Raindrops on Roses-I actually don’t know this whole song by heart by we sing what I can remember and do actions to the chorus that starts “When the dog bites…my daughter LOVES it”

The Ants Go Marching-Wow this song can get old, especially if more that one child picks it as their bedtime song! HOWEVER, we invented a shortened version of it that goes “The ants go marching one by two harra! harra! The ants go marching three by four harra! harra!, etc so it turns into a really short song to get to ten! (we punch the air with each harra and my 1 yr old LOVES it haha!)

Theme Songs To TV Shows- My kids are so funny that they want us to sing their favorite TV show song. My 1 yr old LOVES Fireman Sam so we sing that to him all the time and my 2 yr old daughter used to always want us to sing the song from Sophia the First.

I Love To Go To Grandma’s House-I tried looking this song up on youtube after learning it from a dear family friend but I just couldn’t find it so I will be making a video of us singing it to you! it is a very old and very cut song I wish all grandchildren could sing to their grandmothers whenever they go visit!

I am a Child of God- I used to sing this to my oldest when he was 2. He called it “Child of God BOO!” because we did a version where I would yell BOO at random times during the song and he absolutely loved it. I don’t know if that’s appropriate or not, but it sure taught him the song fast and he always asked for it.

Jesus want me for a Sunbeam!

Please share in the comments if you or your cuties have favorite songs you like to sing together so I can look them up or add them to the list! Happy Singing 😀   -Jexi

 

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Ideas for Happy 4th of July with Toddlers!

I have great memories of July 4th growing up, and I want that for my kids too! BUT some fireworks at parties scream and whistle, and it doesn’t get dark here in the summer before 8:30pm which is when my kids are usually asleep. So…how can we have a kid friendly 4th of July?

The biggest life saver we discovered 3 years ago was earmuffs-the kind they use at the shooting range! You know, those really thick padded earmuffs like these so you don’t lose your hearing? I also put them on my baby one time when my husband and I wanted to go to the movies on a date but I was breastfeeding and couldn’t/didn’t want to leave him. Anyway, we got a pair for each of the kids at Harbor Freight and it was so much more enjoyable for us at the firework party! One tip is to set fireworks off on a flat piece of cardboard over your driveway or grass. We set them off last year directly on the driveway and it made a ton of black marks I couldn’t get off easy!

My husband enjoys doing a BBQ on the 4th as long as he’s not having to work! I always love the smell of a great BBQ! Our kids love hot dogs but never really eat the buns so I rarely buy hot dog buns. You can do a fruit tray and vegetable tray with dip and set out the sprinklers in the back so the kids can run around in the water while you grill up whatever!

Another thing we do for the 4th of July is purchase festive things that can be set off and seen in the day-like the army parachute guy firework-it’s become a favorite tradition our kids enjoy doing during daylight hours. My baby is always scared of sparklers so I make sure to get glow in the dark sticks for that. Colorful smoke balls are super fun in the day as well. Popsicles to end the night make an awesome memorable time for the kids! If there aren’t fireworks allowed you can always settle for a different variety of glow sticks or make cupcakes with candles in them to celebrate the birthday of our country! Kids love blowing those candles out over and over if you are willing to keep lighting them ;D Happy Fourth of July!