Advent Ideas for the Bambinos

I grew up in Germany because my family was stationed there multiple times during my childhood. It is a beautiful country steeped in hospitality and tradition. One of these traditions is the use of advent calendars for kids to count down the days to Christmas. Marie #2 cannot have chocolate due to her reflux, and rather than give her a bunch of trinkets and doodads like I did last year, I opted to do an advent calendar based on activities. Some of the activities are fun, while others are based on charity and giving. They are in no particular order:

1. Set up a kid-friendly nativity
2. Watch "The Polar Express"
3. Read a Christmas story
4. Make a Christmas paper garland
5. Ride around and look at Christmas lights
6. Visit Santa
7. Go to a parade
8. Go to a tree lighting
9. Make ornaments
10. Write a letter to Santa
11. Bake cookies for Santa
12. Donate food to the local food pantry
13. Make a card for a soldier
14. Make gifts for your teachers and sitters
15. Donate 3 toys
16. Read the Christmas story
17. Watch "The Grinch"
18. Open new Christmas pjs
19. Game night
20. Make a card for the mail lady
21. Have a dance party to Christmas music
22. Have a birthday party for Jesus
23. Visit daddy at work with goodies
24. Visit a Christmas tree farm


I made 24 envelopes out of scrapbook paper. Inside of each envelope is an activity for each day. What I really love about this is that it is easy to switch out the activities based on how much time have you have to allot to your advent activity on a particular day.


If you keep the envelopes safe from destructive kiddie hands, you can use them again next year!

UPDATE 12/19/13: I have somehow managed to keep up with our advent activities, although I must admit there have been days where we had to play catch-up and do two. I will say...the advent using activities, although a great way to create sweet memories and spend quality time together daily, is HARD! I may revisit this again when Marie #2 is a little bit older. Next year I think I'm going to revert back to a traditional advent calendar with goodies and treats or we may do Truth in the Tinsel.

Toddler Fall crafting

I am a HUGE fan of kiddie crafts. Though it is certainly easier to let Marie #2 watch tv, I limit what she watches as well as the amount of television she watches. I try to keep her well-rounded and she is certainly curious, so we do a lot of crafts and music and activity books and outings. A lot of my mommy friends have told me they are intimidated by doing crafts with their toddler (and with good reason), but it doesn't take a lot of time or money to do something with them that you can keep for yourself or mail to grandparents and godparents and the like. I especially like crafts that are flat and can be filed or stored in a binder because we move a lot. A LOT. I love the simplicity of these and the fact that no two are alike! Below are a few crafts we did in a pinch with materials I had already.

Thumbprint pumpkins.

Materials: paper, paint, tiny thumbs. As a matter-of-fact, I didn't even have orange paint so Marie #2 and I made some with a bit of red paint and a bit of yellow paint.



Paper forest.

Materials: paper, glue stick or tape. I cut everything out and helped her assemble.



Scrappy corn.

Materials: paper, raffia, glue stick or tape. Coach actually did this craft with Marie #2!



And the quintessential handprint turkeys!

Materials: paper, paint. Marie #2 made these with her cousins while we visited them for Thanksgiving.



And with that, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD FOR HE IS GOOD.
1 Chronicles 16:34

Reflux baby mommas...read on

Marie #2 has GER (gastroesophageal reflux). At a few months old, I discovered that something was wrong with her when I nursed her, but I suspected a host of other issues before she was diagnosed. It's been two long years of doctor visits, procedures, and a lot of research, but God is good and our baby girl has superior physicians who continue to provide excellent care and support. One of the main contributors to keeping her reflux controlled (in addition to medication) is her diet. I try to purchase organic foods whenever possible, but when I can't, I opt for all-natural and try to stay away from processed foods. I've compiled a list of yes and no foods to help out any mommas facing the same issues with their baby.

No:
Eating late (This is key!)
Fried foods
Red meat
Cheese
Onions
Tomatoes (This includes sauce-based foods such as pizza and pastas, as well as ketchup.)
Garlic
Peppers
Citrus fruits or juices
Chocolate
Caffeine
Carbonated beverages

Yes:
Grilled/baked/sautéed fish
Grilled/baked/sautéed chicken
Bread, rice, and grains
Oatmeal
Melons
Bananas
Broccoli
Asparagus
Green beans
Low fat coconut, almond, soy, or cow's milk


DISCLAIMER: I am not advocating any or all of these products; I am simply sharing the information I have gleaned in the hopes of helping out another parent going through the same with their baby.

Our Fall Bucket List

I love to make lists. ::chuckle::

But unlike a list of chores or errands, this one is fun! Every season I make a list of activities to do with Marie #2 that are specific to the season. It includes outings as well as crafts we can do together and even books to read that are season-related. Although it's late in the season, I thought I'd share my Fall Bucket List with you so that you can do some of these with your family, too, before Christmas is upon us.

Visit the pumpkin patch. (Missed it. Sad.)
Go to a football game. (Or ten.)
Walk through a corn maze. (Same as the pumpkin patch. Sad.)
Learn why leaves change colors.
Bake a pumpkin pie.
Go on a hay ride. (Missed it, too.)
Make thumbprint pumpkins.
Make a handprint campfire.
Pick apples at an orchard.
Take our family Christmas card photo.
Read "Yellow Dress Day".
Take a nature walk.
Go to a Veterans Day parade in honor of my dad.
Learn about Thanksgiving.
Make a tree or garland of thanks.
Make a handprint turkey.

Stay tuned for our Advent List...25 activities to do with your family from December 1st to 24th!

Two Maries

The story behind this site is quite simple. The biggest inspirations for me as a woman, a GODLY woman, are my mother (whose nickname is Marie) and my daughter (whose middle name is Marie). My mom is who I want to be when I grow up. My daughter is why I want to be that way.

For some time now I have felt compelled to share my thoughts on life as a spirit-filled woman, wife, and mother. I included spirit-filled because 1) unlike many websites and blogs, I'm not afraid to say that I am, and 2) it is vital to my day-to-day activities as a Godly wife and mother. Comments made to me by some wonderful friends over the past few weeks have confirmed that I should, and could, do this. So here I am. Proverbs 16:3.