For the Love of Screen Time

This post is sponsored by Hulu.

I’ve met some moms in my day who are totally anti-screen time. Maybe you’ve met them, too. Maybe you are one of them!

My theory on motherhood goes something like, “If that works for you, great.” This applies nicely to a lot of mothering topics, and applies well to the families I’ve known who don’t allow much or any TV watching, movie nights, tablet time, etc. If that works for you, great.

But in our house, the kids love their screen time. I think I might love their screen time even more. And here are a few reasons why.

The quiet. I am sorry to say that these sweet angels don’t have the most angelic behavior. It’s a rare day when I don’t have to break up multiple fights, negotiate toy swaps, and convince them that they ought to still be friends after one has wounded the other (whether physically or emotionally). But when these two are placed in front of one of their favorite shows? It is so peaceful. So quiet. I bask in the absence of whining and crying and arguing and feel rejuvenated to handle another round of parenting when their show ends.

The influence of great shows. Sometimes I turn on the TV and feel bleak about the world. There’s so much garbage out there. But at the other end of the spectrum, there are shows that I love to let my kids watch, because they inspire their curiosity, or teach them kindness, or expose them to new ideas or places or people. I’m selective with the shows my kids are allowed to watch, and our favorite for years has been Curious George. I love that after watching George, my kids have exciting new thoughts and ideas, and they’ve learned new things. I can’t tell you how many times Forrest has told me something interesting he’s learned, and when I ask him where he heard it, the answer is Curious George. My kids are obsessed with that little monkey, which is fine by me, since it’s a show I’m happy to let them watch!

Curious George is now streaming only on Hulu, so you can easily watch all 9 seasons (that’s more than 100 episodes!) as well as the animated film Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey, exclusively on Hulu. We have had a Hulu subscription for quite a while, so I love the convenience and easy accessibility.

Screen time as a reward. I’m not above using a little bribery to squeeze good behavior out of my kids, and offering screen time is one of the most effective ways I’ve found to reward the kids. Their all-time favorite treat for good behavior is being allowed to stay up 15 minutes past bedtime to watch a show, and knowing that this reward is waiting for them has helped us survive many grocery trips and boring errands.

Getting stuff done time. Every day when Jeff gets home from work, he’ll list off all the things he accomplished that day, then asks me what I did. And I reply with an embarrassing average of 3 tasks I’ve completed (and sometimes those tasks are as simple as “I fed the kids lunch”), because it’s nearly impossible to get anything done when I’m constantly being interrupted to fetch snacks or referee arguments or change diapers. I’m amazed at how much stuff I can get done when the kids stay put on the couch for a few episodes of a show. I love being able to complete a chore uninterrupted, or work on dinner without having to stop every few seconds to help someone. I feel better about my day when I’ve ticked a few items off the to-do list, and the kids’ screen time helps me get important things done.

All 9 seasons of Curious George, as well as the animated film Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey, are now streaming only on Hulu. As with all kids programming on Hulu, Curious George streams commercial-free.

How do you handle screen time in your house? Do you have Curious George fans, too?

Mother's Day Truths

This post is sponsored by the theatrical release of Mother’s Day, in theaters April 29. #MothersDayMovie

Motherhood is the greatest gift, the biggest challenge, just the MOST of every emotion you can possibly fathom. And no matter how well prepared you may feel as you wait for your little one’s 

arrival, no matter how many books you’ve read or mom friends you’ve chatted with or viral Facebook articles you’ve shared on your wall, you simply cannot imagine the reality of daily motherhood until you experience it yourself. You will be endlessly surprised and frustrated by the things you’ll learn and experience.

No one else’s kids will ever be half as cute as your kids. Or even a third as cute. Or a quarter as cute. Your kids’ cuteness will absolutely demolish the cuteness of every other child you will ever behold. And every mother will think this about every child she has, whether they are actually beautiful or entirely average looking or even kinda goofy. 

Somehow, motherhood will simultaneously be the best and the very worst part of your life. You will understand deep in your soul that being a mother is the best, most meaningful, most beautiful thing you will ever experience in life. And I guarantee that less than five minutes after this realization hits your core, you will be at your wit’s end, fully prepared to set your children in a box on the side of the road with “free, no returns” scribbled on the side. And you will spend the next 18 years with these two extremes somehow co-existing in your heart. The good outweighs the bad—of course it does—but nothing else in your life will drive you to the brink of insanity with such merciless efficiency.

You’ll never feel like you’re doing a good job. You might feel like you’re doing an okay job, if you’re lucky. My oldest is only five, so perhaps the confidence comes later (I can only hope!). But so far, I’ve spent five years second-guessing my every decision, weighing myself up against other mothers (and consistently coming up short), and ending most days with a miles-long mental list of parenting regrets.

But they’ll let it go and love you anyway. I’m always amazed by how quick my kids are to forgive me 100% when I’ve screwed up and shouted at them for the fiftieth time in the span of an hour. They may sulk for a few minutes or use your mom guilt to manipulate you into buying them a donut at the grocery store (and it will work, every time), but they will always be ready with a hug and a sticky kiss. You’ll remember the mistakes you made today far longer than your kids will.

You’ll freak out as they grow up. And they’ll grow up so fast, just like everyone warned you they would. I do not consider myself a “baby person.” I always say that if I could just give birth to a 3-year old, I’d happily skip the baby stage entirely. And even so, I cry when I look at the pictures I took 3 or 6 or 12 months ago, wondering how is it possible that they’ve gotten so big?! 

But they’ll get better with age. This has been true so far. And I hope and pray with all my little heart that this continues for their whole lives. I am scared silly by the thought of my sweet babies growing into lumbering, sulky, emotional teenagers, but am comforted (slightly!) by the knowledge that each new stage my kids enter is my new favorite, and they just keep getting sweeter and cuter and more fun the older they get.

With Mother’s Day coming up, I can’t wait to see Mother’s Day in theaters April 29th. Three women. Three stories. This Mother’s Day, let go of your fears. Embrace the ones you love.

COME CELEBRATE THE MOTHER OF ALL HOLIDAYS. See #MothersDayMovie in theaters on April 29, starring Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts, and Jason Sudeikis!  https://www.facebook.com/SeeMothersDay/

This is the day that connects us all, and I’m so excited to watch this movie with my own mom! It’s a big-hearted comedy with a star-studded ensemble cast, and I bet it’s going to be the perfect way to celebrate.

New House Tour

I've got a few pictures to share with you today of our new house! I wish with all my heart that I had taken more/better pictures before we moved in, because I really want to show it to you empty before I start sharing any of our decor ideas. I saved the photos from the MLS listing, but I'm worried some psycho will reverse image search them, find the address, and come murder me in my bed.

So instead of that highly appealing option, I proudly present: cell phone snaps taken over a month ago!

Please don't come murder us, mmkay?

We didn't have anything to do with the building process, but this house is a new build. Kind of fun to have something fresh and new without having to make any of the tough decisions or deal with any stressful waiting. It's a rambler style with all the main living on one level, plus a large unfinished walkout basement.

We'll start with my favorite room in the house: the kitchen.

White cabinetry is my love language. I love how bright and fresh this space looks, and I'm crazy about the tongue and groove ceiling. 

Also: DOUBLE OVENS!!! I remember saying to Jeff when we looked at the house that they felt like a bit of a waste, and I thought I'd probably only need to use them on holidays. FALSE. I have used them quite a few times already in the (not even) two weeks we've been here, and they're amazing.

I don't think I really understand the framed accent tile over the stove top -- I can't say it's my favorite part of the house, but honestly, I'll probably never bother changing it. My plan is just to hang something in the middle of it and call it a day.

The doors on the right open onto a deck. The lot is sloped, so the front door is at ground level, but the back of the house here is the height of a second story. The deck overlooks a nice lake view, and I think we'll really enjoy it in the summer. The closer doorway on the left leads to a small mudroom area, the laundry room, a half bath, and the garage. The farther left door is the pantry.

Backing up a bit, this is the view from the entryway into the living room and kitchen area. Of course I bought the first house I could find that was constructed of more windows than walls. Love me some natural light. That stair rail you see at the left leads down into an unfinished basement -- we'll save up and tackle that project in a few years.

And from the other direction, you can see the entry, the stairs going to the basement, and a lovely board and batten wall. And also my little helper, measuring the living room for me.

Directly off the entry is a smaller room that I am extremely excited about. It's too small to be a family room, and I'm not sure what the builders meant it to be used as (probably an office, or small sitting room for visitors?). Whatever their plans were, I've been waiting forever to make a little reading nook in a house, and I'm finally getting it here. Welcome to my library room.

Nice big windows on one side, and we'll be adding built in bookshelves along the opposite wall (on the right in the picture below). I'll add a couple big cozy chairs and reading lamps, a few little side tables. I'M SO EXCITED. I made sure Jeff realized that building a library room will only encourage me to buy books much more frequently. We have an understanding that many new books will need to be purchased. #happydance

I don't have any pictures of bedrooms or bathrooms (which are down a hallway on the opposite side of the entry from this room), so those will have to wait until they're all set up and ready to share. So this is a brief and partial tour, but it's a start, at least! Thanks for visiting our new house with us :-)

Good news!

I didn't mean for this to be a big secret, but it kind of turned into one anyway.

If you remember from the sale of our house last year, I concluded that I'm not superstitious but I am a little stitious, and house sale/purchase stuff is jinxed if shared online. So I decided to just keep quiet about it this time around until everything was 100% finished.

But now that it's over and done, I can finally say without superstitious fear: we bought a house!

Truly stellar picture quality! Blogger of the year award goes to ME!

We're so excited about it, and plan for this to be a long term home for our little family. We despise moving with all our hearts and souls, so barring some unforeseen major change, we'll be here for many many many years to come, and I am really excited about that.

I'll share more pictures as things get settled!

Family Photos with Jordan Bree Photography

Quite a few weeks ago, I entered an Instagram giveaway for a makeup session and photo shoot. I enter these giveaways all the time (you too, right?), and never expect anything to come of it. And 99% of the time, nothing happens, of course.

I'm totally counting this as a Christmas miracle -- I won! *insert dancer in red dress emoji!*

The lovely and talented Jen of Classy Cosmetics came over one Saturday morning in January to give me the full Disney princess makeover treatment, and I'm begging her to move in with me and make me up every day. She's amazing and hilarious and so good at what she does. Jen, I can offer payment in the form of all-you-can-eat cookies and unlimited laundry services.

After my makeup session, we headed out to meet Jordan of Jordan Bree Photography for our family photo shoot. You know how sometimes you feel incredibly awkward while having pictures taken? You're suddenly hyper-conscious of your every move and facial expression, and find yourself suddenly wondering, "Wait . . . how am I supposed to smile? Is this too much? Too little? What do I do with my arms? Who am I?"

Not the case here. Jordan was amazing and so funny and kept us laughing the entire time (even while Darcy cried and moaned and generally acted like a 2-year old about the whole experience). She made us so comfortable and the whole experience felt so easy and natural. And I am so excited about how beautifully our pictures came out!

  

I've put some others on my Instagram, so you can visit me there if you'd like to see some other shots. A big, huge thank you to Jen and Jordan for their amazing work! Make sure to visit them at the links below to see more of their talent in action!

Jen @ Classy Cosmetics: blog - youtube - facebook - instagram

Jordan @ Jordan Bree Photography: website - facebook - instagram

Forrest's New Favorite App: Curious World

This post was sponsored on behalf of Curious World via One2One Network. All opinions stated are my own.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve shared our favorite educational apps, and there’s a reason that I haven’t had any new app recommendations to share . . . we had a long streak of struggling to find great new ones! My kids (especially Forrest) love playing on tablets, and I am happy to indulge that love, especially if the games and apps they use have some sort of educational benefit.

But it can be really difficult to find great learning apps that you, as a parent, will feel really comfortable letting your kids use.

Today, I want to share our experience with a new educational app called Curious World.

The short story: Forrest absolutely loves this app and actually has not wanted to play with any other apps on our iPad since downloading this one. I’m so happy with it and am thrilled that he wants to play with it so much, since I think it is fantastic.

The longer story: Curious World has a huge library of early learning activities specifically tailored to kids ages 3-7. The content is tailored to your child’s age, so you know everything they see will be age-appropriate for them. It can be used on iPads and iPhones, and offers a wonderful variety of games, videos, and books.

No big surprise what my favorite feature is, right? THE BOOKS. The app lets him choose from an
awesome library of books (some older favorites, such as Curious George classics, and plenty of great
newer releases, too!), and it reads aloud to him as he flips through the pages. Honestly, I would get the app for this feature alone!

I love that it reads aloud to him, but we also have the option to turn off the audio and read books together. There are recent books on here that I’ve been trying to track down at our local libraries and haven’t been able to find, so I’m really excited that it has such an amazing selection.

There are also all kinds of wonderful games that teach letters and spelling, language skills, math, animals, science, and more. Many of the games feature Curious George, which is a major bonus for my kids, since they are both obsessed with George.

One of Forrest’s favorite features, and the one I see him exploring most, is the video section. Curious World has all sorts of awesome kid-friendly videos about everything under the sun: stories, crafts and experiments kids can do at home, National Geographic features on cool animals like stingrays and tigers, simple explanations of scientific ideas like weather, animal habitats, and evaporation, plus exercises kids can do at home . . . there are so many videos on such a huge variety of topics, and Forrest loves watching them.

One video Forrest particularly loved was all about making DIY shadow puppets at home.

I saw him watch it a few times in a row, then he came to me and listed out everything he’d need to make them himself, and explained to me how to do it. He was so excited to make his own shadow puppets and put on a puppet show. We made these puppets together based on the video.

Awkward smile, because he was so excited to play with them and didn’t want to stop for a picture!

I never would have thought of making shadow puppets together, but he was really eager to make them
after watching the video. As I’m typing this up, he and Darcy have been putting on shadow puppet shows for over an hour. OVER. AN. HOUR. This is awesome. Not only does the app entertain him and teach him new ideas and skills, but it prompted him to do a creative activity we wouldn’t have done on our own, and he’s having an awesome time imagining stories to act out with his shadow puppets.

For those of you with kids in the 3-7 age range who are interested in a really extensive educational app for your kids, I totally recommend Curious World. It is a subscription service, but you can sign up for a 30-day free trial if you want to check it out before you commit! There are no advertisements at all, so you don’t have to worry about kids clicking something that will charge you extra, or take them to another site or app. Download in the App Store today! The collection of videos, games, and books is curated by global learning company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and new content is added weekly, so there’s always something new to check out. And there’s even a dashboard for parents so you can see what your content your child is accessing the most (like if they’re avoiding math activities and focusing on reading, or if they prefer books over games, etc).

I have been so, so happy with the app, and Forrest has, too. Gotta love an app that he is crazy about, and doesn’t even realize that he’s learning.

The Nuggets' Christmas Sunday Outfits

When I was little, my sister and I always got new matching dresses to wear to church for Easter and Christmas. I'm happy to carry on the tradition as best I can with my kids.

We're also creating our own family tradition of being late to church every week because Mama needs pictures of her babies in front of the garage door. It's nice to have special traditions during this time of year.

Believe it or not, the stylish mittens you see here were not actually meant to be part of their outfits. But you can only make so many requests (demands) before these two are pushed into an irreversible meltdown, and I had already taken away the beloved pacifier, so the mittens stayed. And Darcy insisted on wearing hers for her nap, and to bed last night. Because mittens.

Darcy's adorable little dress is not the most Christmas-y Christmas dress ever, but I love that it is versatile. She'll be able to wear it all through the winter and into spring and summer without it looking too seasonal. I found this dress on sale at The Children's Place a few weeks ago, and ordered it in a 3T. Darcy just turned 2, but she's quite tall and outgrowing most of her 2T stuff already, and I wanted to make sure she had a little room to grow with this one. It's a bit big in the bodice, but not bad. I think it was $12 when I bought it, but is now marked down to $9.

Forrest's pants are also from The Children's Place. We have a really hard time finding pants that fit him. He has a nice big round tummy, and it's been very tough to find pants that will button around his belly, without looking too big in the legs. We finally had luck with size 5 husky jeans and chinos from The Children's Place. He's so excited to have pants that fit him comfortably now!

I made his bow tie a few years ago, and was glad to see that it still fits (and coordinates perfectly with Darcy's red tights).

Do you do the matchy-matchy look for Christmas, too?

Deep Thoughts with Forrest #16

Forrest: Now that I'm 5, I am the most smart!
Me: Yeah! You'll just keep getting bigger and smarter as you grow.
(pause)
Me: Well, some people never get much smarter.
Forrest: Like Daddy.
Me: ???????

As you may recall, I trimmed my pixie up a bit with the idea of styling it in a faux hawk . . . which I ended up feeling a bit awkward wearing. It's growing on me now that I've done it a few times, but I was asking the family what they thought of it.
Forrest: Your hair makes you look like a man.
Jeff: I like it. I think it looks cool.
Forrest: No, Daddy is lying to you. He is just saying that to be polite.
Jeff: No I'm not! I really like it.
Forrest: . . . You look like a man.

Relayed to me from his preschool teacher.
Forrest: (at school) Miss ___________, did you know you are my buddy?!
Teacher: Thank you, Forrest! You're my buddy, too!
Forrest: I know.
(pause)
Forrest: But you are not my best buddy. And I can't tell you who my best buddy is, because it would hurt your feelings that you are not my best buddy.

At his 5-year checkup with his pediatrician.
Doctor: Forrest, do you have any questions for me about your body or your health?
Forrest: (without even a second of hesitation) Yes. How did Jesus make my brain?
Doctor: How did . . . how did Jesus make your brain?
Forrest: Yes.
Doctor: . . .

I forget what we were talking about here, but I jokingly said . . . 
Me: Are you crazy?!
Forrest: No! I'm not crazy! But I actually am a little bit toot-ish. *farts*

While I'm scurrying around, getting dinner ready.
Forrest: Are you tired of doing all this work?
Me: Yes.
Forrest: Do you wish you were a little girl right now so you wouldn't have to work anymore?
Me: . . . yes.


I tried a new foundation and knew that Forrest's brutal childhood honesty would be a good indicator of whether or not I picked a spot-on match for my skin color.
Me: Hey Forrest, come look at my face. Does it look okay? Does anything look different about it today?
Forrest: (inspects) It's fine.
Me: Okay, thanks.
Forrest: You look nice. Today you do not look like a man.
Me: 
Forrest: Sometimes you do look like a man, but not today.
Me: 

Jeff and I have noticed that Forrest has pretty much no resiliency or self-motivation . . . if he wants to do something and he finds it hard, he gets upset and gives up immediately. He's been enjoying his karate classes until the last few weeks, when he's been complaining that they're too hard and he wants to stop going. We don't really want him to give up on it just because it's difficult, so we've been talking to him about giving his best effort and not giving up on things. 
Jeff: So, do you understand what it means to try your best and not give up?
Forrest: Yes.
Jeff: Ok, awesome.
Forrest: And do you know what?
Jeff: What?
Forrest: I am going to not quit. I'm going to eat my whole breakfast now and not even give up until it is all gone!

2015 Christmas Cards

This is our 2nd year in a row ordering our Christmas cards from Shutterfly, and I'm feeling particularly relieved to have this year's cards finished up and ready to mail. Sending and receiving Christmas cards is one of my very favorite holiday traditions, but it was kinda stressful this year. My kids do not make the photo experience easy. I still cannot believe we ended up with a single decent photo to use. It's a Christmas miracle.

I had envisioned a full family photo on our cards, but it turned out to be impossible for us to take a decent picture together. And even asking for a decent picture of just the kids together was totally unrealistic. More on that later.

Luckily, I chose a design that had room for one small picture on the back. There weren't any family photos good enough to make it to the front of the card, but at this little size, you can't even tell that it isn't the best shot ever.

I typically spend a lot of time clicking back and forth between different card designs, torn between lots of lovely options. This year though, I fell in love with one design right away. Shutterfly has hundreds of beautiful choices, but this one looked perfect at first sight. You can find the design I used HERE.

And I particularly love all the adorable coordinating details--like our colorful envelope liners that match our cards perfectly and add such a fun pop of color:

And I love the matching address labels and personalized stamps! I couldn't resist adding one of our photo shoot rejects to the stamp. It was just too good not to include somehow.

I used some glitter washi tape to fasten the envelopes . . . because glitter. Why not, right?

And I love the quality of the cards--the print job is beautiful, and the cards are so thick and sturdy. If you're shopping around for Christmas cards, look no further . . . I 110% recommend Shutterfly.

Now, for the not-so-pretty behind the scenes of our Christmas card photos.

I had envisioned a cute little Christmas morning scene for our pictures--matching pajamas, all of us sitting in bed together, maybe a pile of books nearby for us to pretend to be reading. I suppose it goes without saying that I envisioned everyone smiling and looking at the camera at the same time, but this is clearly expecting way too much.

I'm actually thinking that next year I'll give up on the cute picture entirely and just put together a collage card of all of us crying in front of a Christmas tree.

Lily Jade and London Bridges Giveaway!

I just wanted to pop in real quick and give you a heads up about a fantastic giveaway happening on my Instagram right now!

I teamed up with London Bridges (a local designer here in Utah who I met at the farmers market over the summer--she sews the most adorable and comfortable baby skirts and mommy + me matching dresses), and Lily Jade (makers of the best diaper bags ever ever ever ever ever) for this giveaway. The winner will get a matching mommy + me dress set from London Bridges, as well as the Rosie bag from Lily Jade!

Head to my instagram to enter to win!!!

Lily Jade bags are truly game changers, and I could not love them more. And I'm so glad I got to meet Holly from London Bridges--I bought Darcy two skirts from her over the summer, and she gets so many compliments on them every time she wears them. They're darling, plus so comfy and perfect for busy little legs to play in. And her new mommy + me dresses are so cute and fun.

I also did something for this giveaway that I've never, in the history of my 5 years of blogging, done before.

I worked with a professional for pictures.

I'm sure the difference from my typical post photos is obvious . . . 

  

My friend and new neighbor Carrie is the photographer behind Ivy & Stone, and she helped me out with these pictures. And it is a testament to her great talent that there are any pictures at all where we look decent, because I'm sure we were probably the worst clients she has ever experienced.

I was super duper awkward (unsurprisingly) and Darcy was not interested. She literally shouted at Carrie every time she noticed her lifting the camera to take a picture. "No! NOOO!!!!" I honestly thought we wouldn't end up with a single usable picture between Darcy's attitude and my winning combination of photo day stress and typical awkwardness, but somehow we ended up with so many great ones! Thank you, Carrie :-) You can visit her site HERE, and follow her on instagram HERE.