Hello Everyone!

For those of you who are reading this, this is my first blog so please bear with me. Ever since Christmas 2012, with my daily advent activities, I have had a few inquiries about people thinking I should start a blog for people to follow and get ideas for their kids. With that being said, this is in no way started to toot my own horn, and make any other parent feel inadequate. I plan activities for my kids, because there ARE days where I am NOT as much of an attentive parent as I should be. I am not a perfect parent; I yell, discipline inappropriately and maintain selfish behaviours that aren’t always conducive to raising your children in the best way you can. I let my kids at times watch TV so I can have a few minutes of quiet, I go hide for 15 minutes in another room so I can maintain some form of sanity with my children running around screaming…and don’t get me started on housework. I’d like to say that most times my house is unkempt is because I’m doing activities, crafts, etc with my children (which I am a lot of the time), but some times it’s because I’m far too lazy to spend 20 minutes vacuuming. We also have a dishwasher…so you’d think that dishes shouldn’t pile up in the sink…well my friends, that is entirely NOT the case in our house. So with that all being said, the activities I plan for my children are to make up for the times that I am not the perfect mother; to help ensure that my children have a happy and thriving childhood amongst the throes of everyday chaotic life.

A little bit of VDV information. We are a family of 4, with our oldest “Bug” turning 4 in July and our youngest “Bear” who has just turned 1. Up until my last maternity leave, I didn’t put a lot of effort into activities with my child (Bug at the time). We kind of just did everyday activities, letting him play amongst his toys while I maintained some semblance of “me” time. It wasn’t until our youngest was born, and we really got into the fun age of having a toddler at home where I really put forth the effort of planning activities. They can range anywhere from picnics, going to the park, playing in the pool to activities that require a little more planning such as zoo trips, play dates and craft days. I’m a very crafty person, so a lot of my go to activities I plan are related to painting or any other kid friendly craft. Where I really got into planning fun events for my children was this past Christmas (2012), where I made an advent Calendar which had daily Christmas endeavors rather than just a candy. It was so fun, that when the last of our activities during the season came, it was a bit bittersweet. Bug (Bear was only 7 months at the time so his involvement was limited), looked forward to these every morning…and most of them weren’t really extravagant. In this blog I will have a list of our advent fun we did this past year.

What really got me thinking of continuing activities throughout the year were the numerous comments I got from parents stating that “it was such a great idea, but I won’t be able to do it for Christmas 2013 because I’ll be at work”. Now don’t get me wrong, I in no way feel that these comments were meant to be malicious or vindictive…I think they were more of a way of feeling better about themselves for not doing these activities with their kids because they were at work. I’m not one to say, nor am I saying that I’m a better parent because I did do these activities…I would never try to compare how I am as a parent to how another person is. I just know that what I plan with my kids, and making sure I plan these activities with my kids…it is making ME the best parent I CAN be. We all are different, and what makes you the best parent you can be is different than what it is for me. But those comments made me realize that my work will NOT be an excuse for not doing things with my kids. It is difficult…regardless of my shift work, vs. your Monday to Friday job, vs. a stay at home mom’s schedule. We have so much on our plate as parents, so it is easy for our days to slip us by. This past maternity leave has flown by so quickly, and it’s just been this huge reminder of how small our time is with our children at this age…where everything is new, everything creates this type of awe and excitement, and every moment they want to share with us. So, as much as I would love to put a standstill to this time and get more moments with my kids in this AWESOME age; I realize that can’t be done so I’m going to enjoy every moment I can. I’m going to enjoy the late night wake up calls where my boy(s) want to cuddle. I’m going to enjoy the daily interruptions where they want to show me something (that I’ve probably seen 5 times already). I’m just going to enjoy THEM. Of course this will come with curses, screaming matches, lost hair from constant pulling (from me…haha) and dark circles under my eyes; and I hope no one out there honestly feels like I don’t ever find being a parent challenging. To me though, it’s the best kind of challenge out there!

PS. If you really make notice of the constant word throughout this post…it is PLAN. A lot of my ideas have started with a thought during my work day or right before I go to bed and my mind is still running a mile a minute. I have a little notebook, or I type a quick note in my smart phone of the activity I’d like to do, and PLAN a day on my days off to play with my kids. So not only am I GOING to do my advent activities this next Christmas (which have already been planned out), we will be having a Camp Mommy day on one of my days off, each set off. I really hope that I can be an inspiration to mommies (and daddies) out there…not to compare each other as parents, but to help each other realize we can take a little bit of time away from activities around the house to plan things with our kids…I mean really, dishes can wait (even if you have a dishwasher)…right?! Hehe.