Posts Tagged ‘parenting’

PRINTABLE: Parent Motivator Post Cards

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lilyjade

This post is in partnership with Lily Jade. Their bags are insanely awesome for motherhood and adventuring.

I’ve fallen head-over-heels for the MEGGAN bag, it doubles as a backpack and has like a zillion pockets with a removable insert that can be easily washed. Connect with Lily Jade on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

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Parenting can be rough. I’ve found a few things have helped my journey, among them are: my Lily Jade bag (I can hide ALL the food, diapers and calligraphy supplies in those 27 pockets and still have room for more) and the encouragement of random strangers. Some of the most impactful moments as a mother have been when someone was there to lift, give comforting advice, share a laugh and saying that it’s all going to be okay.

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When I first became a mother, I found myself the center of a lot of scrutiny. It seemed to drown out any encouragement I got. As time went on, I listened to the encouragement more and more. It has helped those wounds heal. So I’d like to pay all of that kindness forward in a small way.

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Last month when I flew to Charlotte with the kids, there was a child on the plane that had a terribly hard time with the flight. My heart just ached for his parents, who were likely stressed out by the situation. I heard snide comments about that child by the passengers near me. UGH! I understand that no one wants to hear a screaming kid on a plan, but good grief, I don’t think anyone on that plane was more tortured than the child’s parents. A little bit of understanding goes a long way, in my opinion.

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Oh how I wish I had had a card with an encouraging word to pass along to that family. So I’ve made these so I’m not so unprepared the next time I see a parent who needs a laugh or a bit of encouragement. I thought I would make these available to you as well. You can print them double-sided as postcards for easy mailing or keep the backs blank for a flat notecard or a simple pass-along card.

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Activity Contest & Giveaway

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Knock knock just recently sent me a few parenting products that they just added in stock, that I love. Since I started blogging over 4 years ago, I stopped journaling. That’s a pretty big deal since I’ve been semi-regularly journaling since I was 6. My very first journal entries were all practically the same (which I find so hilarious). Why did I think it was so important to journal that I had breakfast?

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Roughly translated, here’s what it says:

Sunday 4-1991 (I was 6 1/2). Today we ate breakfast, and then we ate lunch. We went to church. Today it is ma may. Today we went to school. I went to go home. I got a snack. I got (something). I watched TV. I loved watching TV.

May 1991  Thursday is May. My mom had her birthday today. I gave mom a note on Peggy’s birthday. Mom had a happy birthday. We had a good breakfast.

Gosh, I can’t believe that was 20 years ago this month!

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Whenever Penelope does something funny, I often think oh I’ll remember this forever. Of course that’s never the case. I was overjoyed to get Knock Knock’s parenting journal. It’s full of hilarious quotes & it focuses on the imperfections of parenting. The front cover really says it allundefined

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Since receiving the journal I’ve written in it pretty much every other night; if not, every night. It’s great to document all of the Penelope-isms & track Felix’s growth. Oh, Felix ROLLED OVER today. WHA? Penelope didn’t roll over until she was at least six months. I’m in trouble.

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Knock Knock also sent along Parenting Flash Cards (so hilarious & the perfect gift for first-time parents) and a Let’s Pretend Pad. Chris & I  just laughed & laughed while we read the parenting flash cards. They’re hilarious!

I’m not sure if Penelope is old enough to play with the Let’s Pretend pad, but after she seemed so interested in air stories last night, I might give it a try soon. Just barely I’ve started telling air stories to Penelope; it was something that my parents did for me as a kid. I loved those! Basically my parents would sit at the foot of our beds & we’d all contribute to a made up story. It was so fun!

Knock Knock was so nice to send these goodies my way & offer to sponsor a giveaway. I gladly accepted for a few reasons:

  • I love everything Knock Knock
  • I need a journal
  • I want you to share your playtime activities with me

Yeah, I need ideas for things to do with Penelope. We’re in a rut these days. All we ever do is go to the park, run errands or watch TV together. Every once in a while I’ll bust out the paints or playdough, but other than that, our days are pretty boring.

SO, if you’re interested in some free Knock Knock stuff, I’d want your best ideas for fun activities to do with 3 year olds. Let the best idea win! Here are the contest guidelines:

  • Check out knockknock.biz – they’ve got cool gifts & organizational products for parents & (non-parents, too). What’s your favorite item?
  • Comment, leaving your best idea for a fun, kid-centered activity
  • Comment on THIS POST by Tuesday, May 3, 11:59pm MST
  • Only 1 (one) comment per person
  • No need to be a parent to enter
  • Open to US residents only
  • 1(one) winner will be chosen by me & announced Wednesday, May 4

I’m sure It’ll be super hard to decide on a best idea, I know. I’ll be featuring my favorite ideas here as I do them with Penelope & let you know how they go! Thanks for your ideas in advance!

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