3 Fun Crafts for Easter

Here are three fun and easy ways to decorate your home for Easter:

Finger Painted Name Cards

Naturally, I wanted to get my budding petit-artiste Owen (21months) involved in the crafting. I thought fun, sensory and easy projects for him to do and well…let’s just say that he had a blast finger painting.

What ever was I going to use his masterpieces for? I’ve been planning our menu for quite a while, and with every party I do, I tend to gravitate toward buffet set ups and tent card labels for the food. It seemed only fitting to use his works of art for the tent cards.

Easter Egg Garland

To go across the hearth of our new {swoonworthy} fireplace, I took a queue from Pinterest and created my own paint chip Easter egg garland. It quite possibly was the easiest thing I’ve created in a long time and I would highly suggest you do it.

I used Disney paint chips from Home Depot, since they seemed to be the only two-tone chips—and the most cheerful. Then I traced a free hand egg, cut the chips and voila! Garland!

Not only was it easy, it was also super economical. I already had the ribbon in my craft supplies, and the paint chips…free!

Dessert Table Centerpiece

The last piece I create will be the centerpiece of our dessert table, and it literally took me all of 5 minutes to design:

And because I love you Mama’s oh-so-much and want nothing more than for each of you to have a beautiful Easter with your families, full of memories—and chocolate—I made it into a free printable for you to download!

Happy Easter!

Do you have any easy crafts to brighten up your home for Easter?

Shannon Moyer-Szemenyei is the artist and mastermind behind Sweet Stella’s, a haven of inspired art for you and your home. She is the Mama of her muse, Owen and loves to connect with other mama’s online through her artsy blog, Twitter, Facebook and Etsy shop.

Shannon is a big advocate in using art to heal and started her company in the thick of her Post-Partum Depression when her son was 5 months old. Now, a full 17 months later, she is loving her life as a mama and is back to her roots as an artist!

Their story began when the two met in a drag queen karaoke bar, progressed when they wed, and grew into chapters at the birth of their first daughter Maddie. She was born four years ago, more than 11 weeks premature, ending a very rocky pregnancy and beginning an extensive acquaintance with their neonatal intensive care unit. As their first child, she was the one that introduced Mike and Heather not only to the life-changing, soul-expanding, heart-wrenching experience that is parenthood, but also to the difficulties of raising a child born with immature lungs, and the gut-deep grief of loss when she died at 16 months of age from a severe respiratory infection.

While Heather had blogged before, her involvement in social media deepened greatly as she chronicled the travails of their experience and began following the blogs of other parents of prematurely-born children. What had once been something she considered a “time-waster” developed into a means of getting the word out about organizations who help parents like themselves, and work to prevent more premature births, namely the March of Dimes. It was that organization that first congratulated Mike and Heather on Maddie’s birth, when everyone else was afraid to for fear of her death, and who helped educate them along the way.

And it was that spirit of celebration and education that pushed Heather and Mike to eventually start their own nonprofit, Friends of Maddie. Their work is to help other parents who’ve been thrust unwittingly into NICU life by 1) providing NICU Family Support Packs to the nursing staff of Level III NICU’s across the country which will be distributed, at their discretion, to families of children being admitted to the NICU for long term care, 2) assisting in finding temporary lodging for families who live beyond commuting distance of the NICU that is treating their child, and 3) creating a network of former NICU families who are willing to provide counseling and more to families currently in the NICU.

Each purchase of the You Are The One song goes towards Friends of Maddie’s three-pronged mission. While that song initially expressed Mike’s love for Heather, it “took on a whole new meaning after Maddie passed away,” says Heather. Each time someone buys and downloads the song, it is a continuation of the Spohr story, one that developed over an unforeseen twist but which grows, even as Heather and Mike raise their second daughter Annie, directly along a positive plotline.

The song is available for purchase through iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Medianet, eMusic, Zune, Rhapsody,  I Heart Radio,
VerveLife, Nokia, and Napster. Read this post to get specific links to the service of your choice. The song is 99 cents and 100% of the proceeds go to Friends of Maddie.

How has music gotten you through a difficult time? What songs do you like to listen to in order to lift your spirits?

Most simply, the Mommies Network is a community for moms. It is a national online free 24/7 forum where moms can discuss anything from child-rearing to best family-friendly restaurants. It started with just two moms, Heather and her friend Heidi, who wanted a way to meet other moms without subscribing to expensive mom-n-me activities or committing to strict meeting schedules. As Heather says, “we just wanted to find some other women in similar situations who wanted to chat and get together every now and then. It started out kind of selfishly-motivated.” The idea was a good one, though, because over the course of the next few years, a network of more than 90 local groups sprang up across the country. In 2005, an actual 501(c)(3) non-profit organization was formed to support those chapters and their 25,000 members.

Those chapters enrich the Mommies Network community experience by providing opportunities once-a-month for members to get together in real life and develop friendships. As the Mommies Network website says: “We are a reflection of mothers… in the real world. Our members work full time, stay home full time, work part time, represent many races, adopted children, were adopted themselves, are newcomers to the area, are natives to the area, have twins, are happy with one, are single parents, are just beginning their journey as parents and have watched their kids graduate.”

They also provide opportunities for members to grow charitably, not just socially. “We are parents in and for the community. We help out our neighbors as much as ourselves through organized fundraisers and other charity events — specifically those focused on providing for parents and their children. Once our communities are a year old, they organize at least two charitable events or drives each year, focused on helping moms, dads and/or kids. Each community also assists members in finding local charitable opportunities via our Volunteer Match Program. It’s a great way for everyone to give back to their community while having fun and making a difference in the lives of other moms, dads and kids.” Some chapters host “baby showers” where the gifts are donated to a local YMCA; some organize walks for various causes. It’s up to them. They have become powerful forces for good in their own rights in their own communities.

Heather says that the growth of the Mommies Network, while helping herself and many other women, has not been without its challenges. Some member moms have tried to smart smaller support groups within the network, for moms in particular circumstances (e.g., stay-at-home, etc.) While the need to identify strongly with moms that are most similar to oneself is understandable, says Heather, the need for members to focus on their most common elements— their love for their children and their desire to improve the world in which they raise them—is greater.

As a mom, how do you stay connected with other moms? What support groups and communities have you joined?

On the other hand, I don’t want any of my relatives to stage an intervention on a reality-TV show because I keep losing my toddler in a pile of papers, either. I find that a reasonably neat, organized, smoothly-run home makes everyone feel more peaceful and happy. Fortunately, it is possible to strike a happy medium and say “yes” to mess while still maintaining order.

Tips for Maintaining Order

Never leave a room without making it better

This was one of my mom’s guiding principles and one that has stayed with me because it works so well. If you get in the habit of always doing something to make a room better before you leave it—whether it’s picking those throw pillows up off the floor or grabbing an empty glass to return to the kitchen—you’ll do a lot of tidying without really thinking about it and the mess won’t have as much chance to pile up and overwhelm you. In my book, The Happiest Mom: 10 Secrets To Enjoying Motherhood, I give specific ideas about small things you can do effortlessly to help your house feel cleaner and calmer.

Establish a time and place for everything

Flexible routines (not necessarily strict schedules) and “homes” for all of our possessions are the backbones of peaceful, orderly family life. If your child always knows, for example, that writing utensils are in the right-hand desk drawer (and there’s a functional sharpener there, too) you won’t have to run madly around the house trying to find a pencil so he or she can start his homework. Similarly, if clearing the table and loading the dishwasher is a customary and reliable part of your after-dinner routine, everyone in the family will get used to it and you’ll have to do less, uh, nagging. SimpleMom has a great list of free downloadable tools you can use to help you decide who does what, and when.

Streamline and simplify

When we’re busy caring for kids—and, let’s face it, shuttling them around—who has time for complicated systems? Figure out simple calendar and filing systems that work for you and support your family’s lifestyle. There are a variety of tools that can help you keep things simple: for example, since I’m often on the go with my five kids, I like how AboutOne allows me to access scanned documents and files, birthdates, health insurance info, and other important information from my laptop or smartphone wherever I happen to be.

These three tips will help you make your home more peaceful and orderly…without being a perfectionist fun-killer. And that’s a recipe for happy family life.

What are ways that help you maintain the order and peace in your house?

Meagan Francis is the mom of five kids ages toddler to teen, and author of The Happiest Mom: 10 Secrets To Enjoying Motherhood. Meagan blogs about motherhood, family life, home and more at TheHappiestMom.com, and really believes that you can use the word “happy” and “mother” in the same sentence.

AboutOne.com is an online family management system that provides ONE place to safely store and manage memories and household information, including education, health, possession, contact records and more. The system allows you to capture and organize all the information you need to apply for college, and automatically formats that information in a helpful education summary report.

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3 Books That Reinforce the Concept of No Name Calling

1. Bullies Never Win by Margery Cuyler

This easy-to-relate-to children’s book tells the tale of Brenda Bailey, a bully who persistently and relentlessly taunts and teases her classmate, Jessica. Cuyler creates an accurate portrayal of how targets like Jessica typically respond to bullying, including experiencing anxiety, losing sleep, quitting sports, changing their style of dress, and fearing asking for help. She also uses Jessica to show young readers that the best way to handle bullies is to stand up to them in assertive ways. Jessica’s bold “Toothpicks may be thin, but bullies never win,” is a triumphant moment of self-defense that can inspire and embolden elementary school-aged readers.

2. My Secret Bully by Trudi Ludwig

My Secret Bully, written for tween readers, lifts the lid off of the hidden culture of relational aggression, otherwise known as girl bullying.  It tells the story of Monica and Katie—two girls who have been friends since Kindergarten, but who now are facing a rift in their relationship, as Katie begins to exclude and embarrass her former friend in front of their other classmates.  In tackling this painful subject of the ways in which some girls use relationships as weapons, Ludwig provides an accurate and not-often-addressed portrait of a young girl’s anguish at the hands of a frenemy. My Secret Bully is not a light-hearted portrayal of bullying, nor does it offer pat answers.  But it does address an important issue in the lives of upper elementary and middle school-aged girls and can serve as a great springboard for discussions with parents.

3. One by Kathryn Otoshi

You know how sometimes a book comes along that you just know you will hold on to long after your child is done with it?  Borrowing it from the Library will not do—you have to own it and you are certain it will be a top gift pick for any of your Mom friends. For me, that book is this one!  Part of the magic of One is the significance of its message, conveyed in the simplest of terms and illustrations. This multi-award winner is one of the best books I’ve read (and I’ve read a LOT!) on the subject of the power that one child can have to change a bullying situation and to stand up for themselves in a way that garners self-respect and promotes dignity for all.

Additional information, suggested resources, and engaging discussion ideas to use during No Name-Calling Week can be found online at www.nonamecallingweek.org.

If your house is anything like mine, the answer to that question is probably, “Way more often than I’d like.” Can you relate?

I actually enjoy cooking quite a bit. But I like cooking on my schedule, and not under pressure. And throwing something together at the last minute with hungry kids clamoring for another snack is certainly what I call pressure.

One of the most frequently shared tips I pass on to fellow moms to help them manage dinner time (and the budget, too!) is to develop some kind of meal planning routine.

Ten Reasons to Plan Your Meals in Advance

Have you ever debated about whether or not to plan your meals in advance? Here’s 10 reasons why you should start meal planning:

1. You’ll know exactly what I need to buy at the grocery store, which helps avoid buying unnecessary items.
2. Buying only what you need, helps you spend less.
3. You’ll always know the answer to the question, “What’s for dinner?”
4. No more 5:30 headaches trying to figure out what you’re in the mood to prepare.
5. You’ll find that you make fewer trips to the grocery store.
6. You’ll waste fewer ingredients bought and never used.
7. You’ll be less likely to eat out when meals have been planned ahead.
8. You’ll eat healthier. Meals tend to be more well balanced when prepared in advance and eaten at home.
9. You’ll be more likely to include important things like veggies, fiber, etc. when you planned ahead.
10. And the most enticing reason? Cooking is more enjoyable when there’s less stress!

Meal Planning Methods

Implementing a meal planning routine is easiest when you find one that fits your family, your time, and your personality the best. I recommend testing out a couple of methods to see what you prefer. The two methods I use the most are:

• The Calendar Plan: Write down specific meals that you are going to prepare each day of the week.  I will typically write 5 days worth of dinners on the calendar per week and count on having left overs twice a week.
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• The Flexible Plan: Plan and shop for a set number of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners (ie–enough for one or two weeks) and then keep a list on the fridge of the “available” meals for the week. Each morning, see what you’re in the mood to cook.

What tips do you have for meal planning?

Lolli is a mother of five who believes that kids can do more than they lead us to believe. So she puts her kids to work cleaning and cooking as much as possible, reassuring them the whole while that they will thank her for it someday. When the kids are at school, Lolli spends her time writing on her blog, Better in Bulk, tweeting, and editing pictures from her latest photo shoots.

Time

In basic math, we learned what is called the Munnday-Knightfut-Ball Theorem, that is the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. In other words, the quickest way to get from Point A (the grocery store  entrance) to Point B (back home to watch the football game) is to NOT SHOP AS A COUPLE. I don’t say this lightly, it comes from years of trial and error, but the best way to do the shopping at our house is to let me go alone. I’m faster, more agile, and have a pocket full of coupons that I’m not afraid to use.

Variety

Price

Soon after our honeymoon, I discovered my wife had a condition she had failed to disclose prior to our marriage. It was her eyes. They are unable to see or recognize an item’s price. The condition isn’t listed on her driver’s license, but it is an illness just the same. Just as someone who is colorblind can’t see certain colors, my wife is apparently powerless to see prices. I’ve pointed to them on shelves, on price tags, and even on the inordinately high numbers at the bottom of her receipts. Nothing. Zip. Nada. It’s like they’re not even there.

What Have We Learned?

No one can be Mary Poppins, but everyone—mothers, moms at heart, or any of us who have the ability to influence others—has the opportunity to create magical, Mary Poppins-like moments and be a positive role model.

What Is a Mary Poppins Moment?

For me, a Mary Poppins moment is a little lesson you learn that makes a big impact.

My most memorable Mary Poppins moments were taught to me by my own mother. Most specifically, she taught me to appreciate people from all walks of life and to discover our similarities while at the same time finding joy in our differences.

When I was 2, my mom learned about women who were in the process of placing their babies for adoption and needed a place to stay before their babies were born. Even though she was only 23-years old with a toddler and a 1-year old and wasn’t much older than the girls who needed help, my mom took in these women and mothered them at, what had to be, one of the most difficult times in their lives.

That was just the beginning. When I look back at the 18 years I spent in my parents’ house, they hosted four foreign exchange students, invited two teenagers with unstable home lives to live with us, and offered countless people to stay in our “hotel” while they traveled, needed shelter, etc. My mom not only cleaned the house, prepared the meals, and mothered or played hostess to all of these people, but also was a very involved “soccer mom” to six children of her own.

Five Tips for Being a Mary Poppins-Like Mom

Here are five things I learned from my mother about being a Mary Poppins-like mom:

1. Love to Laugh. Never let something as seemingly important as housework get in the way of playing and laughing with your kids. Have fun, be present with them, and help them feel like the only person in the world when you’re with them.
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2. Take a Spoonful of Sugar to Help the Medicine Go Down. Don’t let life’s challenges beat you. Enjoy the journey, even if you are going through some dark and scary places. Show your kids it’s OK to get covered in a little soot now and then, but help them focus on the positive so they can climb to new heights.
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3. Feed the Birds. Help those that can’t help themselves. Reach out. Lift them up. And make a meaningful difference in the world. Involve your kids in charity and help them experience how amazing giving can be.
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4. Go fly a kite. Set your sites high and push through to clarity. Help your kids have vision and see their potential, giving them opportunities and letting them learn from their own experiences.
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5. Say Supercalifragiliciousexpialidocious! Keep in mind that everything doesn’t have to make sense. Pulling lamps out of carpet bags and uttering silly phrases may feel just as out there as going with your gut. But, trusting your mother’s intuition and letting it be your guide will give you confidence and help you make the right decisions for yourself and your family.

What Mary Poppins-like moments do you create with your kids?

At any local photo shop or craft store, pick up a simple 18” x 24” poster frame.  Encourage your child to gather up all of the souvenirs that he’s saved from the season—baseball game tickets, Summer Reading Club stickers, amusement park admission stubs, postcards, maps, brochures, photos—and get to work putting the best memories on display.

Work with your child to arrange the momentos and affix them to colorful construction or scrapbook paper. Allow the display to dry overnight, then re-assemble the frame, using the cardboard backing to support the collage and carefully placing the glass over your child’s treasured items. If your frame comes with a mat, invite your child to write a personal message to finish off his collage. A simple “Summer 2010” will do, but a favorite memory or saying will preserve the moments in his own words.

Display the creation in your child’s room or a common family area where the fun memories of summer will keep everyone warm well into the cold months of winter.

With the start of a new school year, try this simple exercise with your child.  Better yet, invite one or two of your child’s closest (and most parent-approved) friends to join in this thinking exercise on “What is a friend?”

• Tell the kids that you want to play a brainstorming game about friendship.

• Allow two minutes for each person to write down as many positive qualities that they look for in a friend as possible.

• If this activity is being done with just one child at a time, ask him to read his list aloud and talk briefly about why each quality is important.  You may also challenge your child to rank the top five or top ten qualities and talk about the rankings.

• If more than one child is participating in the activity, ask each one to take turns reading their list to the group. Instruct all of the kids to circle any of the items on their list that are read aloud by someone else. Friendship qualities that appear on three or more kids’ lists can be starred. Continue until everyone has had a chance to read their list aloud.  Encourage the kids to talk about the friendship qualities that they listed in common and why they each consider these qualities to be so important.

• Next, challenge the kids to think about things they would want to avoid in a friend.

• For example, if a friend was always nice “to their face” but talked about them behind their backs, would they want to hold on to that person as a friend? Why or why not?

• This time, when the lists are completed, encourage the kids to call out their answers while you make a list on a large sheet of paper for all to see. Even if you are only doing this exercise with one child at a time, seeing the list posted on paper makes a lasting impression.

• Once the two lists are done, draw some comparisons between them. Emphasize that kids have the power to pursue friends that possess positive qualities and to avoid close relationships with persons who exhibit many of the qualities on the “avoid” list. Be careful to specify that kids should not behave unkindly toward anyone, but rather that when choosing friends, they should aim for getting to know kids with positive, desirable qualities.

• An important follow-up question is to challenge kids to think about why people sometimes make friends with the “wrong” people. Allow for discussion and encourage the kids to talk about things like peer pressure, fitting in, and intimidation.

It can be very helpful for kids to hear that their peers have the same anxieties and insecurities about making and keeping friends as they do. While having friends occupies much of children’s time, rarely do they dedicate moments to considering making good friend choices. This exercise gives kids a fun and memorable opportunity to think about what they want—and want to avoid—in a friend.