1st Grader's Perspective: Spotting Wildlife

We recently got to spend the weekend at Rocky Mountain National Park.  You can often get good deals on condo rentals in the winter there, since not having a ski area nearby makes it their off season.  (If you haven't hot tubbed outside, in the snow, you are missing out - make sure you book one with a hot tub!)  This is a majestic and beautiful area, and my favorite part is getting to see lots of elk.

I love when its snowing, and it just builds up on their back.

1st Grader's Perspective: Mall Purchase Criteria

Spoiling the kids.  That Big Black Hole that's so hard to free yourself from ... once you've been sucked into its bottomless vortex.  It is so hard to strike a balance, isn't it?  You get sick and tired of your child with their sense of entitlement, which you know that you have fostered, constantly asking for more.  Then discarding the new toy or piece of clothing within days - no longer meriting their interest.

That's it.  You're done.  No more new stuff.

The questionable object of my 6 year old's affection:  "Shake It Up" sneaker boots, from Payless. 

Tale of a Waking Baby

What DIDN'T we do wrong?  You know as a parent, when you see yourself making these classic parenting mistakes ... and you are well aware of why you shouldn't do what you're doing ... but you can't seem to stop doing it? 

1st Grader's Perspective: Mom’s Bad Haircut

It’s not that I’m unselfish, or do not enjoy being pampered.  I do.  But I have never been one to spend great amounts of money on my hair at beauty salons.  There is a part of me that would love to have my hair dyed and highlighted professionally on a monthly basis.  There is another, larger and stronger, part of me that is way too cheap to fork over the $100+ per month that this habit would demand.   Whether I have the money or not, I can’t get past all the things I would rather spend $100 on!

Between that and having longish, not-a-hairstyle hair … I typically scrape by with a combination of coloring my own hair and getting it trimmed about once every 6 months.  (I know.  Who do I think I am, right?  Bragging all up in here about my gorgeous do.) 

Keeping Track of Your Kids At Disney - Giveaway (Ended 12/31/11)

The next time you head to Disney with kids, here's an innovative way to easily keep visual track of them - and them, of you!  Why not try wearing matching striped shirts?   (Oh, how I wish there were a castle in the background, but you get the idea...)

Red and white go particularly well with Minnie Mouse ears!

Wordless Wednesday - Snowy Landing

Enjoy more Wordless Wednesday shots with 5 Minutes For Mom!

How young is too young for sledding?  Read my post "Sledding - Good Old Fashioned Fun"...

Sledding - Good Old Fashioned Fun

In an age where technology has taken over the entertainment of our children - I think it's neat that sledding is still considered universally by kids as a very fun thing to do.  School called off by a "Snow Day"?  The nearest sledding hill will likely be packed.

I make milk. What's your super power?

Years ago while using a one room, no stalls restroom at a client site - I observed that it contained an extra, loose chair.  Just sitting in there.  So that's:  sink, stool ... and extra chair.  I tend to prefer order and reason in my world, and I was completely baffled, and somewhat disturbed, by the what the purpose of this piece of furniture in that environment could possibly be?  Little did I know I had just had my first glimpse into the self sacrificing realm that is the Nursing Mommy!

1st Grader's Perspective: Movie Candy Smuggling

Are you a Movie Candy Smuggler?  How about a "Sodas and Bottled Water in your Huger Than Normal Purse" Movie Goer? 

Image courtesy of digitalart

Oh, I'll patronize them for their $64.50 large bucket of hot, buttery popcorn.  It's out of my realm of control, really - I have to do it.  It doesn't matter what strategy I try to employ, prior to a trip to the movie theater.  I can be filled to the brim after eating an entire ribeye hanging-off-the-sides-of-my-plate steak dinner, five minutes prior to leaving for the theater.  It won't matter.  The second I get a whiff of the concession stand's steaming, freshly popped popcorn ... I'm getting in line for some. 

1st Grader's Perspective: Mom’s Dangerous Job

Each year of my eldest child’s life brings new and interesting developments, which I delight in seeing.  

I don’t know about you, but they are teaching my daughter much more in First Grade than I EVER learned at that age.  The other day she inquired, “Do you know what a polygon is?”  I thought I probably did?   Don’t ask me to give you an actual definition, or anything crazy like that.  Which she proceeded to do.  “A polygon is any shape with 3 or more sides, flat, with no openings”.  Sweet!  I’m going to try and use that word three times in my daily life today, and make it my own.

I have always tried to explain things in terms I thought she would understand, trying to giving her context to help grasp new concepts.  Myself, I’ve always been a “show me the Big Picture, and where this fits in” kinda girl.  And the technique seems to work well for her, too.