I wanted to share something with you that we have implemented in our family to make sure that our kiddos get more one on one time. When we had our first child, we felt like we got a LOT of time with our son, and didn’t ever feel like we didn’t get one on one time with him. Then we had little sister, and we felt a little bit like we weren’t getting much one on one time with our oldest. {babies are needy, yah know!?} So we started doing dates with our son on his birthday day of every month. SO toward the middle of the month my husband and I trade off taking our little boy on a “date”. Our little girl just turned one and we have started doing it on her birthday day every month, too! It is a lot of fun, and a really fun way to get to know your little one a little bit better, and improve that relationship one on one:

Here are a few ideas to get you started! You DO NOT need to spend ANY money! {though, you can!} The key with these dates is undivided attention, to get to bond with your child. No smartphone, no tablet, no business, no to do list, JUST Quality time with your child.

1. Take them out to dinner, or just ice cream!
2. Take them to the park and PLAY with them, don’t just play on your phone the whole time.
3. Make a special meal or treat with them.
4. Take them to a movie.
5. Take them on a long walk where you can talk.
6. Play games with them.
7. Read a book together.
8. Go on a Car ride together and just chat.
9. Go to the pet store {This is a BIG hit in our house!}
10. Take them hiking/biking/horseback riding/play basketball/catch etc!

These are just a few thoughts, but really think of it as a date with your kiddo! I have had a BLAST getting to do this with both of my kids because that time alone is SO special! And they feel special when you take that time with them! My son and I just laughed and laughed when we went to get frozen yogurt together, we both even snorted laughing we were having so much fun!

Let me know if you have any additional thoughts or questions! I know if you add this to your monthly routine, you will feel a strength in your relationship with your child.

Love,

Traci

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Family Home Evening, of FHE, is a suggested practice by the LDS church. Family Home Evening is a great way to grow closer as a family, even if you aren’t religious. Family Home Evening is just a time set aside each week for uninterrupted family time. It could be an activity, a lesson, performing some kind of service, even going to a movie. Obviously some things help build unity more than others, but the important thing is that it is consistent and is a top priority each week. 

The LDS church suggests making Monday family night. If Monday doesn’t work for you, pick another day of the week. It doesn’t matter what day. 

The LDS church lays out a list of things that a family home evening should include. You can see the full list and details here. Those things are:

• Start and end with a prayer
• Learn from the scriptures
• Add music
• Make it fun
• Be consistent
• Add variety 

In our home, we have two little kids. The oldest is only 2, so it doesn’t make sense to have gospel lessons that are complicated at all. We stick with very simple and short lessons, followed by a long singing time and a snack. For example, one of our lessons was all about how we fold our arms and bow our head when we pray. We sang songs like “Do as I’m Doing” and had the action be folding the arms and bowing the head. It was probably a five minute lesson, but it brought a good spirit into our home and helped us grow closer together by spending time with each other. 

Here are my five tips for having a successful family home evening when toddlers are involved

• Keep it short
• Keep it simple
• Plan ahead
• Be consistent 
• Sing lots of songs

I know I said this before, but consistency is KEY! The first time you try to have a family home evening, it might go horribly. Your child might hate the fact that you are making him or her sit down for fifteen minutes when they could be playing. Don’t give up! It’s so good for your kids to have to sit still. If they can’t handle it, start with singing time. Nothing works better than a few songs to get kids to relax and unwind a little. 

There are a TON of resources to help you be successful with family home evenings. One of my favorites is A Year of FHE. She is no longer coming out with new lesson plans, but there are over 120 lessons to chose from (THREE years worth!). Many of those lesson plans can be easily adapted for little kids. 

Mormon, Mother, and Marriage Therapist has a list of 55 ideas for FHE with toddlers. I found that list very helpful. 

There is a blog called 5 Minute Family Home Evening with a TON of short little lessons that are great for little ones with short attention spans. 

Those are just a few resources that I have found helpful. Remember though that Heavenly Father knows EXACTLY what your little one needs. If you prayerfully plan out your Family Home Evenings, they will be successful. They may not be perfect, and you WILL have some that you feel have failed, but just keep it up, and in the end you will have years of family memories and wonderful lessons taught to your growing children. 

Do you have any awesome Family Home Evening ideas? I’d LOVE to hear them! 

The post Having An Effective Family Home Evening With Little Kids appeared first on A Mouse In My Kitchen.

Unfortunately, head lice are common in elementary schools – about one out of every 100 elementary school children becomes infested.

Most parents would agree, the letter home informing of a head lice outbreak is not a welcome sight. The question of “What do I do?” is common. Knowing the facts beforehand can help you resolve the situation quickly. 

The Headfirst! Expert Advice on Lice website aims to help you do just that. Created by head lice experts (and moms) for other moms, families and communities to learn about head lice—what they are, what they look like and how to treat them.

The site offers a variety of tools including:

• The How to Lose the Lice Guide, with a handy checklist to save time and reduce stress when battling head lice
• The Headfirst! Lice Experience video allows you to choose your experience, whether it be you’re not sure you have lice, or you just want to get rid of them:

 So if you are trying to get rid of head lice, or a parent who always likes to be prepared, visit Headfirst! Expert Advice on Lice for more information.

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Run to Walmart {or drive, I suggest driving, sand is heavy pick up one $20 plastic underbed storage with a lid. Then head back to the garden department and get about 10, 50 cent sand bags {they have cleaned play sand for sale that is specifically for sandboxes} Take it all home and set it up on your patio. I also suggest getting your husband to bring in the sand for you
If you are being really adventurous, grab a cheap set of beach toys. It was amazing. My little one year old boy would not play with ANYTHING for longer than about 5 minutes, but the sandbox, seriously he would stay out there forever! I hope your kids enjoy this as much as mine!

Oh and if you need some proof, here is a picture of him dancing in the sandbox

Happy Sanding!

Traci

The post My Little Sandbox {a simple & affordable DIY for your toddler and you!} appeared first on A Mouse In My Kitchen.

I bought all this kitchen stuff at the dollar store. I decide instead of getting pretend stuff, I’d let me kids play with the real deal. You can’t hardly beat the price, anyway.

I just bought a bunch of kitchen stuff that I thought my kids would like to play with. There is a spoon, some measuring cups and spoons, some funnels, tongs, and a few other little things. Then, I add a little something each time they play with it. It might be a little flour that I add, or some rice, or just plain water. They have a great time transferring the ingredients from one cup to another or trying to grab things with the tongs. Sometimes we take it all outside and fill a bucket up with water and let them go at it. They end up super wet, but they love it. It’s great because it teaches life skills like pouring and stirring. And the best part is that you won’t have to worry about your kids using YOUR kitchen stuff anymore, because they have their own! We even use this stuff to make real muffins sometimes. That’s a HUGE hit.

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