Mommy & Me Mondays: Mini Pancakes Breakfast Math

Hopefully you enjoyed a restful and relaxing weekend with your little ones...or at least a messy fun one full of giggles and smiles. We spent our weekend making a few memories and having some giggles of our own. There is no better reminder of why we work as hard as we do than when we are tucking in our little ones each and every night. Their sweet freshly brushed breath and their squeaky clean smell is intoxicating, and when they utter those 4 little words....I love you mama! It's enough to make anyones heart melt. It is better than any paycheck or promotion. 

We hope you enjoyed your Mother's Day!

 

Today for Mommy & Me Mondays we have a super simple activity that you can integrate into your breakfast time routine. Here at our house we are working on several skills including counting. Kaitlyn has counting to 25 down and she can even count by 10's but counting by 5's is a little trickier so what better way to learn than with some tasty mini pancakes. To make the pancakes just get a bottle of Bisquick shake and pour pancake mix and add water. pour a tiny amount into a hot skillet. These cook really fast so you can make several at a time. After they are done cooking and are cool have your little one help you to count out groups of 5 and place onto a mini skewer. We added some raspberries on top for some yumminess. Once they are on the skewers have your little one practice counting by 5's. Placing each group onto their plate as they count. If you want to add a little more of a counting review into breakfast serve up some blueberries with your pancakes. Have your little one practice counting each one making sure to move them or touch them with their finger as they count (this teaches one to one correspondence). If you want to practice place value you can have your little one trade you 10 mini pancakes for a skewer with ten mini pancakes on it. Or you can use the blueberries the same way. Use the freebie printable below to introduce place value and number sense using blueberries.

Whatever your breakfast favorites might be try engaging your little one during breakfast time and get them thinking to start their day.

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Mother's Day Memories with your little ones

Mothers Day is just around the corner and your little ones are just looking for a creative way to show  how much they love you and appreciate all you do. Make some memories with your little one by creating this project together.

Coffee Filter Flowers

Have your little one choose three of their favorite colors.

Have them paint 9 coffee filters using the three colors they chose. If your little one wants to combine colors or get a little creative with the paint encourage it, there is no way to go wrong with these beautifully imperfect buds. Once the coffee filters are done being painted allow them to dry in a  sunny spot outside. Once they are dry take three different coffee filters and stack them on top of each other, pinch the bottom and twist till your filters resemble a flower, twist a pipe cleaner around the base to secure it in place. Add some ruffled green ribbon around the base of your bloom for leaves. Put into a vase and you are all set with a beautiful vase of flowers for Mother's Day. I don't know about you but I would much rather see these on my kitchen counter than a cheesy arrangement from the local florist.

To make a colorful vase like the one seen above check out our recent post on Upcycled Herb Gardens

Hand prints & Memories That will last a lifetime

I don't know about you but I feel like ever since I became a mom my life has been stuck on fast forward. I brought my beautiful baby girl home from the hospital and  all of a sudden I woke up and she turned 4 and had turned into a real little person with opinions and feelings and is getting ready for her first dance recital in a few weeks. When did that happen? I welcomed my son into our family a year ago and now I feel like life is moving twice as fast. I find myself stealing a few more kisses and snuggling a few minutes longer knowing that these moments are going to fade way too fast. Pretty soon I will be helping my daughter navigate her first heartache and teaching my son how to drive. But for now I am going to take each moment as they come and try to appreciate every second. Even the messy, hectic imperfect ones....because I know all too soon they will become memories instead of moments. So take a moment this Mother's Day and give yourself a gift. Make this Handprint with your little one, I promise you will look back on it always and cherish the fun you had. This mother's Day take a moment to enjoy your little ones, because they won't be little for long.

Have your little one make a hand print using some craft paint and a piece of paper, print out the poem below onto 4X6 photo paper, put both into a double 4X6 frame. Add this to your vase of flowers and you will have a perfect gift for Mother's Day a gift you will cherish and a heart full of memories you made getting creative with your little ones.

While your kids warm your heart with their handmade gifts and breakfast in bed your husband doesn't get off the hook quite that easy. If you are looking for some unique gifts, here are a few of my favorites from ETSY. I love the idea of Mother jewelry but I am not a big fan of traditional pieces, so I found a few unique ones on ETSY that I absolutely adore.

      

Follow us on Pinterest for more creative ideas and inspiration for your little ones

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Mother's Day Memories

Each year around this time I've made it a tradition to sit down and reflect on all of the reasons that I love and cherish my mom and the joy she brings to our lives. I write in a journal to her, and it has been passed back and forth for over a decade. The journal has laid on my sorority house bed (the same room my mom lived in 30 years prior), was mailed to me yearly in Washington, D.C. for my additions, traveled back south and saw a wedding under oak trees, and I now write in it each year as a mom myself. I love the idea of journaling about relationships so much that I started a journal the day I found out I was pregnant with Mack. I tear up every time I look back at the funny things he did or said, and the prayers I wrote down in times of complete frustration and absolute bliss. We hope that you will make it a Mother's Day tradition in your house to reflect on your role as a mother. What a wonderful way to capture the happenings of the world around you as your children grow and change throughout the years. If your children are old enough have them reflect back on their year each Mother's Day. Share their smiles, laughs, memories and excitement for the year ahead. Be sure to add pictures to capture your little ones as they grow. Use the images below to start your own journaling tradition with your family.

 It's also a great time of year to give yourself a little pampering. You might not make it out of the house for a day of beauty, but you can bring the spa to you! Here is a simple recipe for some super luxurious sugar scrub. Even your littlest of helpers can help to make a batch.

Materials:
Small glass jars with seal tight lids
24oz of organic cane sugar crystals
7oz of baby oil
a few drops of of an essential oil (we used lemon)

Simply mix sugar crystals, baby oil and essential oil into a large mixing bowl.  Scoop into glass jars and decorate. We trimmed ours with a yellow ribbon and a custom sticker. You can get your custom sticker below.

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