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5 Simple Tips to Encourage Young Readers

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It’s simple really, reading is fun! Reading is learning, and as the age old saying goes, it’s fundamental! I’ve loved reading since I was a kid, and I still do. It’s just that these days I’m reading Goodnight Moon, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Guess How Much I love You (to name a few). There’s something fun about beans leading to a beanstalk in the sky where a giant lives. There’s magic in reading, and adventure. I know how much reading helped shape my imagination, expand my vocabulary, and teach me other interesting facts, so I’m hoping to carry those things over to help my children gain a love for reading too!

benefits of reading baton rouge momsI admit, I was one of those moms who read to her babies while they were in the womb. It was a regular thing. Before Landen was born I had a whole collection of books for him (that I’m now reading with his baby sister). Once born, I read to him several times a day and he always seemed to be tuned right in. But what really changed things is the My Superdad, or “daddy book” as Landen would call it. I had this book made for Trey’s first Father’s Day. I thought it would be awesome to have a hard cover book with his dad’s picture on every page with a cape on like a real superhero. It was perfect! He LOVED it. His dad was in a book, eating pizza with a gorilla, flying through the sky, and taming a crocodile. What kid wouldn’t enjoy that??? Landen was 10 months at the time and is 3 now, and it’s still highly requested to read at night before bed.

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He loves books all on his own now. We made a reading nook in his room, and he can reach the shelves and pick which books he wants to read. He has his own library card and uses it to check out books and movies at the local library. We’ve done the summer reading program from the library for the past 2 summers and currently working on 1,000 books before Kindergarten (also a program through EBRPL).

Baton Rouge MomsMore than anything, I love the little time that I get to spend with Landen and Ava when we’re reading. I love that even though Landen interrupts me and asks a ton of questions before I get through each page, he’s enjoying listening to me. I love that he’s learning, and I love that it’s something that both of my children will remember us doing together. It’s never too early or too late to develop a love for adventure through reading with your kids. Here are some of the ways we’ve done that with ours.

5 Simple Tips to Encourage Young Readers

1. Develop a routine at night that includes a bedtime story.
2. Attend story time at your local library.
3. Sign up for Summer reading programs at your local library.
4. Attend story time at Barnes and Noble
5. Let them pick the books that they want to read (because they love feeling like they’re in charge).

Happy Reading!

Baton Rouge Moms

Praying Moms

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I’ve spent a lot of time praying lately. I mean, I’ve always prayed, but these prayers seem to be deeper, more honest, more open even. As soon as I’m up it’s the first thing I do. And then it seems throughout the rest of my day I’m just having these honest talks with God and sending up prayers.
Many of the prayers aren’t even for me, they’re for others. Other families who are grieving, friends, teachers, leaders, parents etc. Two people in particular are my children. I start to think about how much my mom must have and still does pray for us. It’s much like loving them, and nurturing them. No matter how old they get, you just never stop Doing it. My next thoughts are my fellow moms friends and how much they must pray for their children. The next is the mom I don’t even know when I wonder how much time in the carpool line is spent in prayer(because sometimes that’s the only time we get)!

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And then finally I conclude that there is probably nobody that prays more than a mama. We’re praying that the kids make it to school safe, that they are safe once there, that the teachers are loving and caring, that their little brains absorb whatever they’re being taught, that they’re healthy, and that they’re kind to others.

I’m always praying for my children. I can’t think of a time when I’m not. Of course I pray that they are intelligent and bright, but I’m also praying that they know, love, and follow Christ. That is more important to me than anything. I know I’m not alone in this. If it’s one thing that all of us moms can agree on it’s that we are always, always praying for our little (and big) ones.

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Who prays for us mamas? Our mamas, I’m sure. Motherhood is hard. Parenting is hard. Praying moms, pray for other moms. Pray that she has patience, that she has strength, and that she is loved. If there’s one thing that everyone needs that they can never have too much of, it’s prayer!

*****After this was written one of our Baton Rouge Moms Co-Founders lost her husband, Sean Cruz, unexpectedly after complications from a liver biopsy, he was 35 years old. Sean was the primary breadwinner and leaves behind Tiffany and their two adoring children,  8 and 4 years old. If you are a praying mama. This is a prime example of a time when we must rally around a fellow mama and cover her with prayer. Please keep Tiffany and the children in your prayers during this incredibly difficult time. A memorial fund has been set up for Tiffany and the children. *****

Baton Rouge Moms Tiffany Cruz

Forever Grateful – Gratitude Jar Tradition

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A few nights ago during one of our many “I don’t want to sleep in my bed, I wanna sleep in your bed” episodes, I had a very interesting but heartwarming conversation with my son, Landen. I was trying to read my bible and both kids were still up and it may have been somewhere in the 9:00 hour. I was tired, and it didn’t seem like the kids were. At all. I closed my bible and said “do you know where all the things we have come from”? His answer was “uh huh from God”! I think my heart fluttered and skipped like a million beats! I suddenly had a burst of energy.

I mean I was literally excited at that point. Why? Because we’ve all been there, right? We have those moments as moms where we feel like we’re getting this parenting thing all wrong. Moments when you feel a little bit of guilt because you hand your kid the iPad or turn on some cartoon so that you can have a few minutes of quiet time. But in that moment I felt like I was getting something right! Saying our prayers, saying grace, and talking about God is paying off. Our son is absorbing the things that we are teaching him about God. Those things are important to us. Those things are the ones that we want to get right.

Shortly after that, I started talking about all the things we have, and how important it is to thank God for those things. I asked him to name some things that he wanted to thank God for. Of course, in three year old fashion, he answered with things like “my trains, our tv, my iPad, food”,and so on. I just smiled. I was thankful for that moment. Before I knew it, our prayers were all said, and he was asleep. IN MY BED. But I didn’t mind.
I thought about how over the years as both kids grow, the things that they’re thankful for will change from toys to things like life, and peace of mind.

thankful jar

As mentioned in my previous post, I enjoy making memories with my family. I enjoy starting our own little traditions and planning things for us to do. With Fall being the Season of Thanks, I wanted to do something to start teaching our son how important it is to be thankful for everything, even small things. November 1st, we started our gratitude jar. Everyday, we each say something that we’re thankful for, write it down, and slip it into the jar. This will be our family tradition every year starting on November 1st through the end of the month. Each jar will be labeled by the year, and I can’t wait to compare what Landen and Ava (only 4 months currently) are thankful for at 2 and 5 to what they’re thankful for at 6 and 9, and years later as they’re older. This was one of the items on our bucket list that I’m happy to have checked off. We want them to understand how important it is to be grateful for everything, not just “things”, and to know that there’s always something to be thankful for. We want our kids to know that it’s important to be grateful for things like sunshine, for smiles, and love! And we can’t wait until they’re able to understand those concepts. I’m forever grateful for our little conversation that night!

THankful Jar

Create your own Gratitude Jar with these easy to use FREE printables from Tiny Me.
Or print our FREE printables: Gratitude Jar Covers & Gratitude Cards

Making Time for Family – Five Fall Bucket List Favorites

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One of my favorite things to do since becoming a mom is making plans for us to do things with my family, it’s so important to me. Being pregnant this summer, I failed miserably to do that. I don’t think we checked one thing off of the bucket list I created. It was either too hot, or I was too tired to get out and do a whole lot. Mommy guilt has me feeling like I need to make that up to my three favorite people.

Fall has always been my favorite season. I love the Autumn breezes, the colorful leaves, eating fried Oreos at fairs, and the oh-so-good Pumpkin Spice Latte which by the way I should’ve already had by now! This is the perfect time to get out and have a great time with family and friends. The weather is perfect and never too hot or too cool for the kiddos.
I like to carve out any amount of time I can for us to have fun together. So for  this fall season I’ve created yet another bucket list. Only this time, we are definitely checking most, if not all, things off. I’m sharing my top 5 bucket list items. My list actually has 10 things on it, but these are the five that we absolutely must do.

Fall Bucket List Five

Five Fall Bucket List Favorites

1. Picnic in the park
Yes, I plan to grab a blanket, books, food, and toys for Ava and play with her while daddy and Landen throw frisbees or something.

2. Camping
My son has been asking to go camping for quite some time now. I figure if I i stock up on enough mosquito repellent I could probably survive and of course I also need a pocket knife round-up to have it with me the whole time. But a night in the camper with maybe some fishing (and s’mores of course) should be lots of fun!

3. Pumpkin Patch
Because it’s just not fall if there isn’t a trip to the pumpkin patch!

4. Global Wildlife Center
I’ve heard such great things about Global Wildlife. Unfortunately,  anyone who knows me, knows I’m terrified of animals. My son though, is quite the opposite. I know that he’d love being up close and personal with the animals and getting to feed them.

5. Volunteering
Fall season is also the season of Thanks. With so much to be thankful for, we must keep in mind that there are others less fortunate. Occasional donations of food and clothing are ways that we try and bless others, but in this season we plan to “serve” others through our Church’s annual serve opportunities!

These are my top 5 fall bucket list items. They make for excellent ways to spend time together and do things as a family. You don’t have to create a bucket list, you can just create small moments whenever you can to make time for family time!

What’s your favorite Fall family activity?

The Second Time Around – Birth Story

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I’ve heard it so any times, “every pregnancy is different”, and boy was that true! This pregnancy was proving to be the total opposite of the one before it. With Landen, I wasn’t sick, didn’t vomit, didn’t have weird cravings, wasn’t sensitive to any smells, nothing! Yet, here I am in the second pregnancy and I used pregnancy gear. I can’t keep anything down, the smell of coffee, and cologne both result in my face in the toilet, and speaking of my face, I looked like I had just hit puberty (severe acne!) Don’t even talk about weight gain. My pants literally looked like I had stuffed two basketballs in them.

I mean These pregnancies couldn’t be more different.

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I couldn’t believe all the changes I was experiencing that didn’t exist the first time around. Nonetheless, we were excited. That excitement soon went to a whole new level when we learned we were expecting a daughter. Before We knew Our son’s gender we had two names picked out, Ava and Landen. We of course chose Landen for him and gave him the same middle name his dad has. We wanted to keep the name Ava for our daughter and since everything I know about being a mom, and everything I hope to be as a mom comes from the amazing mother that I have, I wanted her to have Marie as her middle name which is my mother’s name.

Time was passing by quickly and before we knew it the due date was upon us. My back hurt so bad and everything was so swollen that we did not want to go too far past the due date and had an induction the following day. Emotions were running high but we just prayed for a complicated free delivery and a healthy baby girl.
We were at the hospital July 2nd at 6:00 a.m., and I got pitocin at 6:45. It didn’t take long for things to get going. When they did, the pitocin was kicked up a notch and those contractions began to kick my butt. My pain tolerance is zero on a scale of anything so I was in agony. At 10:30 I couldn’t take it anymore and got the epidural. At 10:45 my water broke. I started feeling like I had to poop and kept thinking please God, no! But nope, that was just Ava making her way down and letting me know it was almost time to push. The tables were being set up for the Dr, everybody’s getting suited up, and my feet go in the stirrups.

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My Dr then asks if I want to use the mirror. I quickly said oh God no, but she encouraged me. She said, “I think you’ll enjoy it, Come on, use the mirror. So I did. It’s 10:59 and I start to push, and I’m looking in the mirror, and time stood still. Every time I ever threw up gone! Every back ache, gone! Every pound I gained, gone! Watching my daughter make her entrance into the world took away every pain I ever had, every complaint I had during this pregnancy, every complaint I’ve ever had in life!!!!! It was an indescribable feeling. I would push and then break down in tears, push again and bawl some more! I think I pushed 3 times and at 11:02 Ava Marie Henry was here. We were in love as soon as we laid eyes on her. God gave us more than we prayed for. Her birth was one of the most amazing moments of my life and one I’ll never forget.

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Ava’s been here for one month and has already made such a huge impact on our family. Her brother adores her and her father and I are just crazy for her. She’s just perfect in every single way. I wouldn’t change anything about this pregnancy or her delivery. We are so grateful that God chose us for another parenting journey. Our children make us so whole and they both fill our hearts. Landen started our family, and Ava completed it. Dear children we love you both endlessly!

Fears about having another child, who am I kidding???

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Currently I am 34 weeks pregnant and feeling all sorts of crazy! At first, finding out I was pregnant was some of the most exciting news ever! We learned we were having a girl and the excitement went in to overdrive. But over the past few weeks I’ve started to feel overwhelmed, sad even.

I would get in from work in the evening and my 2 year old would throw several tantrums, not listen to a word I say, and I’d be ruining around like a crazy person trying to fix dinner and run bath water with tears in my eyes! This is all before daddy makes it home by the way.

Suddenly, the idea of having another little person to care for, and change, and feed, and hold while doing dishes and laundry seemed like a lot! I kept asking myself how in the heck am I going to do this??? How are we going to do this? I went from being overjoyed to being nervous very quickly.

fears-of-second-baby

How would I find the time to do all of the things I currently do with my son? Would I be too tired to make dinner? How will my fiancée and I make time for each other? So many thoughts and questions were running through my mind. But After much self pep talking, prayer, and thought, I asked myself, Taresa, who are you kidding???

Of course there will be hard days, and days where you feel like your failing and doing everything wrong. Who doesn’t have those days? There will be missed date nights and fast food nights, but it’s not the end of the world. Eventually, we will find a rhythm and what works for our family. Things will never be perfect, but they will get easier.

So now, in the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy, I am happier, and less stressed about whether or not I can deal with one kid screaming for a new toy and the other screaming for boobies! I’m happier, and able to bask in the fact that I am bringing another person to love and nurture into our family. Instead of reading up on how to survive life at home with baby number two, I’m reading reviews on baby slings, monogramming everything in sight, and just waiting on baby’s pending arrival.

And I’m just fine with that. 🙂

Revisiting Mom Goals

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The new year rang in a month ago (already!), thankfully, February offers us the chance to re-assess and get back on the right track. Over the past few years I’ve made many resolutions (weight loss, eating healthy, spending less, saving more you get it) that would last until mid January before I was saying screw it. This year I decided to focus on how I could be a better mom. That’s my most important role, and it’s what’s brought me the most joy the past two years, but I also found garcinia cambogia and apple cider vinegar recipe on internet and I know that it can better my health, so I’ll give it a try. Here are a few of my goals along with why I chose them.

Revisiting Mom Goals

Revisiting Mom Goals

Being more patient- Let’s face it, it’s hard to be patient with toddlers sometimes! As a mom of a 2 year old, I sometimes have to take a deep breath and repeat “he’s only 2, he’s only 2” a million times when my son is having a tantrum, telling me NO!, spilling juice, or emptying flour all over the kitchen floor. I have to remind myself that he’s doing these things because it’s what 2 year olds do and that one day these things will stop and as crazy as it sounds, I’ll miss them.

Not Being Perfect- I drive myself (and my fiancé) crazy with trying to have everything so perfect. I wear myself out making sure the laundry is done, the sink has no dishes in it before we go to bed, all the trains are picked up from the living room floor, and so on. A lot of the time I miss out on precious moments with my son because of this feeling that everything has to be perfect and in order. So I’m learning that it’s ok every once in a while when Landen wants me to get down on the floor and play with his trains, but the top to the laundry basket won’t stay on because it’s so full, or if he wants me to come outside with him and daddy but it’s 6:30 and dinner isn’t on the stove yet. There’s nothing wrong with eating dinner a little late, and the laundry basket won’t collapse just because it’s full. 

More time with Jesus- I’m writing about this last because it ties everything together and because I’m thinking of something that was said in church the Last Sunday of 2014. We can make a ton of goals and resolutions, and keep every one of them. But if spending time with The Lord, building a relationship with him, and getting closer to him isn’t one of those goals, you won’t be truly happy and you won’t find peace. For my family, I want true happiness and true peace. The kind that doesn’t come from having the perfect house, or the perfect child, but the kind that comes from knowing the one who does. 😉

Say Hello to My Little Friend, NoseFrida.

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There are so many things I love about Fall; fairs, festivals, a cool autumn breeze, picnics, you get the picture, right? But what also comes with my, oh so awesome, favorite time of  the year is the oh so dreadful cold and flu season! If it’s one thing I just can’t stand, it’s to be sick. And since becoming a mom it’s even harder to see my little man come down with something. There are tons of products on the market to use during cold and flu season to give our little ones relief, but there is one that I can personally vouch for, and I think it’s amazing!

NoseFredaMeet NoseFrida, or as some call it, “The Snot Sucker!” I stumbled across this when Landen was a couple of months old; up until this summer I had only used it twice. If your child has ever had a cold causing them to be congested and unable to breathe easily, you’ll love it. I never like the bulb syringe because I never felt like I was getting anything out.  I researched this product online and used the store locator to find any stores in the area that carried it. Luckily, at the time,  Angel Britches was on Jones Creek and they were the only store in Baton Rouge to carry it. They have since moved to the Mall of Louisiana and still carry it. 

The NoseFrida looks almost like a jumbo pencil with a tube attached. The idea is to insert it gently into your baby’s nose and actually suck, yes I said it, suck the snot out! I know, I know it sounds gross and you’re probably cringing, but there are filters in the tube so that none of the mucous comes out and ends up in your mouth. During the summer my son came home with a cold, when I used the NoseFrida, it gave me so much relief to be able to help him breathe at night and to be able to see and know that I was getting all the mucous out. Yes there’s a  host of  medications that I can use, and for moms that use over the counter meds and get results, that’s wonderful!  But for me, medications are not always the answer. Saline and a NoseFrida worked wonders!

Of course, when my son was an infant it was much easier. Now that he’s almost as strong as I am, it’s a little harder to get him to cooperate, but I don’t mind the hassle if it helps him sleep and breathe easier. This is definitely something new moms with infants can appreciate! For around 18.00 I got the NoseFrida and a bunch of filters. 

If you have small children that come down with cold and suffer from congestion, you have to try NoseFrida! Once you see how much mucous you’re getting out and you’re little one can breathe freely, you’ll forget that you’re sucking snot!

Whole Foods Market on a Budget

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imageIt’s no secret that I love Whole Foods Market. I’m probably there four or five times out of the week. There are even events that the store hosts where you will often spot me and my family. Due to the fact that I was there so often, at one point, an employee pointed out that there’s a 20 % discount that would help out a lot if I were to get a job there! Well I jumped right on it. So I’ve even had a brief stint as an employee too!

One of the things that people tend to ask me “a lot”, is how I can shop there when it’s so expensive. Believe me folks, it can definitely get expensive in there, but I’ve found what works for me and my family and it helps us stay in budget when we go. Yes, I’ve heard people refer to the store as “Whole Paychecks”, but it doesn’t have to be so! Here’s what helps me keep my shopping trips affordable.

Whole Foods Market on a Budget

Whole Foods on a budget

First, establish what you and your family absolutely have to purchase that is organic. For me,  it’s meat (grass fed, vegetarian diet, no hormones or antibiotics,) and produce. I use the “dirty dozen” list  for our produce.

In 2013, the Environmental Working Group released an updated report that identified foods in the conventional, non-organic food supply that contained the highest number of pesticide residues. The worst offenders—which were nicknamed the “Dirty Dozen Plus”—included:

Apples, Strawberries, Grapes, Celery, Peaches, Spinach, Sweet bell peppers, Nectarines-imported, Cucumbers, Potatoes, Cherry tomatoes, Hot peppers – via http://whfoods.org

brmtaresaThis list contains all the produce that we should purchase organic. For instance, strawberries are on the list as one of the items we should try to buy organic due to the fact that there is no protective skin on the fruit to keep it from absorbing pesticides. So I buy organic strawberries. Organic produce is usually more expensive, but again, first establish what you personally feel like you have to have that’s organic. This way, when you walk in the store you’re not tempted to put Hass Avocados in your buggy that can cost around 3.99 each. The skin on avocado is so thick that it’s not affected by pesticides so you’re free to purchase those anywhere for much less.

Secondly, buy the store brand. Just like Walmart, Target, and most other stores carry their own generic store brand which is usually cheaper, so does Whole Foods. The store brand is 365, and I promise some of  the products run about the same as your normal grocery store.

Lastly, get the sales flyer and the coupons because they really help out. And check your local grocery store for some of the same products because they’re usually cheaper. A few things that I purchase at Whole Foods I’ve found right up the street from my home so I don’t have to travel all the way to Whole Foods for our turkey bacon or my son’s favorite chicken nuggets.

I hope these few things help make a difference in your grocery total the next time you’re shopping at one of my favorite stores!!

Here’s more info on the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen !

Dirty Dozen / Clean 15 Image source http://www.offgridworld.com