Photo: Ali Flynn

Last night, as I went in to tuck my girl in after a whirlwind of a day—four airports, and four flights in 18 hours.

I was reminded of how precious time really is.

Time…it’s basic and taken for granted and always looming over us.

Time…we know it passes but often doesn’t slow down to relish in the passing.

But time right now my friends is precious.

This trip yesterday was planned so my sweet girl could ease her mind about college decisions.

And when I think about that right there, I wonder how is that possible?

College?

Wasn’t it just the first day of pre-school drop off as she giggled with excitement as a tear also trickled down her cheek?

Time.

It doesn’t slow down for anyone as much as we desperately try to hold on.

It doesn’t stop for the dying.

It doesn’t pause for children growing.

Time is forever moving forward, guiding all of us and reminding us daily to hold on tight but still go along for the ride and not fight it.

But seriously, how was I just holding this sweet girl, right after being born still connected to me, and now she will be living on her own?

How was I just rocking her quietly to sleep singing lullabies and soon she will be tucking herself in each night?

How was I just tying her shoes that repeatedly wouldn’t stay tied and now I’m looking eye to eye at a beautiful woman who now borrows my shoes?

But this girl here, she has some decisions to make.

Tough decisions.

The hardest decision she has been faced with.

And we all know that decisions aren’t easy.

Decisions…sometimes suck the life out of you.

Decisions…open you up to thoughts you didn’t know you had.

Decisions…make you grow.

And this is what I see happening in front of me.

Growth.

My girl is strong-willed and perseverant while maintaining a kind heart.

She knows what she wants, who she wants to draw into her life, and the kind of life she can see herself carry with pride.

But at the same time, she doesn’t know.

Her mind is racing and she is trying to quiet her beating heart down a bit.

The excitement is rushing but she knows it is important to remain calm and not let impulsivity take over.

And I just watch with wonder.

I watch with pride.

So as I gazed at her sleeping soundly on the plane, a deep joy entered my soul.

A peace washed over me.

Time may move on and we will both continue to grow but our hearts will always be intertwined…peace washed over me.

And just as we were connected so long along, a cut of a cord or a new phase of life does not mean a loss of a connection…peace washed over me.

Maybe now, the deeper, richer, and more fulfilling connections begin…peace washed over me.

A new phase about to begin…peace washed over me.

This post originally appeared on Hang in there mama by Ali Flynn.

 

 

Ali Flynn Is excited to share with you the joys and hardships of motherhood with an open heart, laughter and some tears. Ali is a monthly guest contributor for Westchester County Mom  and has been seen on Filter Free Parents, Grown and Flown, Today Parents and Her View From Home.

Take these touch and feel books for a spin with your little one today

Touch-and-feel books are more fun than ever, with opportunities to explore textures, hear sounds and even chew. These interactive storybooks are fun to read together and will keep your child occupied long enough that you can slip away to get something done. Bring them to doctor’s appointments, restaurants and on long car trips.

Poke-a-Dot: Old MacDonald’s Farm

This sturdy board book has buttons you press to count the animals on each page. Count down from 10 cows to 1 rooster as you and your child sing about how Old MacDonald had a farm. Depending on how your child pokes each button, it will make different clicking and popping noises, adding an element of surprise along with the language, counting and fine-motor-skill development.

Available on amazon.com, $14.

Where Are You Polar Bear?

Part of DK's Eco Baby series, this book is made from responsibly sourced, completely recyclable cardboard and contains no plastic. The books take place in different landscapes and uses sweet illustrations to ask kids to help locate animals at risk of extinction.

Available at amazon.com, $6.

Zoom Space Adventure by Susan Hayes & Susanna Rumiz

Ava and her cat head into outer space to check out the International Space Station, ride in a moon buggy, find a Mars rover and more. A cool pop-up adds excitement and fun to the story as kids learn all about space.

Available at amazon.com, $13.

That's Not My Dragon... by Fiona Watt

From ears that are too tufty to a tail that is too prickly, each page offers a new dragon that’s not your baby’suntil the final spread. The dragon book is just one of the many titles in the That’s Not My series. Find a favorite for every personality, whether your little one prefers pandas, pirates or princesses.

Available at amazon.com, $12.

Where Is Baby's Belly Button? A Lift-the-Flap Book by Karen Katz

Lift the flap to find where baby’s belly button, hands, eyes, and more are hiding. The illustrations are bright and eye-catching, and the peekaboo-style pages build excitement as readers anticipate what is under the flap. It offers teachable moments for babies to learn about different body parts in a fun way.

Available at amazon.com, $5.

The Cheerios Play Book by Lee Wade

Who said you shouldn’t play with your food? Snack time becomes play time when you mix the iconic O-shaped cereal kids love with this interactive book. Let baby test out their pincer grasp by filling in the circular spaces with Cheerios to complete each picture.

Available at amazon.com, $6.

Peek-A Who? by Nina Laden

Peek through the die-cut pages to guess who is peering at you. The simple rhymes are a play on the classic baby game of peekaboo. The book is full of silly wordplay, like when the cow says, “Peek a Moo!” And the last “Peek a YOU!” page lets baby see themselves in a mirror.

Available at amazon.com, $7.

Fuzzy Fuzzy Fuzzy! by Sandra Boynton

Sandra Boynton brings her signature humor and playful animal characters to the touch-and-feel style of books. The cover invites children to “touch, skritch, and tickle,” while the interior has an array of different textures for kids to explore. The eggs at the end hold an amusing surprise!

Available at amazon.com, $15.

Tails by Matthew Van Fleet

Touch, pull and sniff your way through this interactive exploration of animals. Tails introduces baby to concepts like counting and opposites in a way that engages many senses. Be sure to check out Matthew Van Fleet’s other reads, such as Alphabet, Heads and Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings, for more sensory fun.

Available at amazon.com, $13.

Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book by Rod Campbell

This classic lift-the-flap book is a longtime favorite that continues to delight young readers. The refrain invites you to reveal what animal the zoo has sent in an attempt to find the perfect pet. Add in your own animal sounds for even more fun!

Available at amazon.com, $5.

Good Morning, Good Night! by Teresa Imperato

Wish your little one a good night on every page of this sweet book. The soothing feel of each animal’s fur is perfect for a low-key sensory experience at bedtime. Practice tucking in the character on the last page before tucking in your own bundle of joy.

Available at amazon.com, $1.

Noisy Trucks (My First Touch and Feel Sound Book) by Tiger Tales

Give your mini-explorer a glimpse into the real world with the photographic visuals in the My First Touch and Feel Sound Book series. Truck sounds offer an auditory experience for babies and toddlers that goes beyond the typical touch-and-feel read. Discover trucks, farm animals, dinosaurs, and other noisy options with the different books in this series!

Available at amazon.com, $12.

Baby's Big Busy Book by Karen Katz

A day in the life of a baby is busy indeed! There is so much to touch, explore and see as you follow along with babyfrom waking up to eating and playing throughout the day, and finally to bedtime. Build your baby’s vocabulary by reading all the little objects labeled throughout the colorful illustrations.

Available at amazon.com, $15.

Busy Baby: Friends by Sarah Gillingham
Turn that frown upside down! Little hands will be kept busy swiveling the face in the center of this book from sad to happy. Build up baby’s social and emotional skills as the characters navigate through the everyday happenings of sharing, making friends, and playing. Retro illustrations add to the distinct look of this book.

Available at amazon.com, $6.

 

Katie L. Carroll

featured photo: iStock 

 

RELATED STORIES:

19 Classic Books All Babies and Toddlers Should Have

Woof! Roar! Oink! 11 Animal-Themed Books Your Baby Will Love

Top Funny Books for Babies and Toddlers

Looking for something fun and out of the ordinary? The Venice Canals are a perfect outing for families of all ages. Moms love tucking their little bundles into the stroller for a scenic walk while older kids dart around looking for ducks and race across the many arched bridges.

Tucked just a few blocks from the famous Muscle Beach and Venice Pier, this network of man-made canals were built in 1905 by developer Abbot Kinney as a homage to Venice, Italy. Back in the day gondolas took tourists on a tour while today small boats and canoes belonging to homeowners are moored along the route. Four canals stretch east-west, Carroll, Linnie, Howland, and Sherman while the Eastern and Grand Canals run north-south. This quaint neighborhood feels like a hidden pocket of Los Angeles, and the quiet atmosphere and fresh, ocean air does wonders!

When to Go: Year around, which is why we love this easy trip. During the winter months, the temperatures may be chilly and foggy (with cooler temperatures stretching into the spring) while the summer months provide cooling ocean breezes.

How to Get There: Aim for the intersection Dell and South Venice Blvd. Heading West on Venice Blvd., this will land you smack in the middle of the canals.

Parking: Parking is plentiful if you make the trip on a weekday. Look for spots at the top of the canals. Street cleaning is Tues. from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., so parking can be difficult. Weekends are always busy so hedge your bets and get there early.

Good to Know: Beachside is always cooler than expected, so always have a light jacket or cover up on hand. Yes, even in the summer!

What to Do:  The walkways and bridges make a fun runway for kids of all ages to explore. Armadas of ducks float along the canals, the occasional pelican swoops in for a bite of fish, plus there are plenty of butterflies, squirrels, and housecats that make for a fun game of I Spy. Note that while most of the sidewalks along the canals are shielded by bushes, there are open spaces for the kids to get close to the water, so you’ll want to keep a hand on little ones. Signs are posted requesting visitors to not feed the ducks, but you might want to pack a few morsels of bread, just in case (wink wink).

Lunch Spots: Abbott Kinney is a short 5-10 minute walk from the canals and is brimming with places to shop and eat. Lemonade (1661 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice) is the closest destination and situated on the corner of Abbot Kinney and Venice. The chic buffet serves up light salads, specialty sandwiches, and the kid-perfect macaroni and cheese—not to mention refreshing blueberry lemonade. A surefire food fix is Abbott’s Pizza Company (1407 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice) where you can grab a slice or order up a pie.

Cost of Trip:  Free, unless food or other souvenirs are desired.

Bonus: For some retail therapy for the children, hit up Burro Goods on Abbot Kinney (1409 Abbot Kinney, Venice). The boutique has lovely gifts, adorable clothes, and unique books and games.

First and third photo courtesy of Lara Burnap; second photo courtesy of Emily Stanchfield via Creative Commons

—Lara Burnap

RELATED STORIES:

30 Fun Activities to Do in Santa Monica With Kids

Experience Big Family Fun in Big Bear Lake 

10 Cool Spots to Throw Your Kid’s Birthday Party

Your baby’s birth certificate. Medical records. The family’s passports. Social Security Cards. Your will or trust. Family photos and mementos. Do you know where to find them? It’s always a good idea to keep your important documents safely stored, but even more so after you have a baby. Between mombrain and lack of sleep, you may struggle more than usual to find things when you need them. And that’s where these document bags come in super handy.

If you’ve ever asked yourself what you’d grab in the event of a fire or flood at your home, here’s your answer: Grab your Secure My Legacy bag. These fire-resistant and water-resistant document bags can hold about 300 documents each and are compact and easy to take with you in an emergency. You already have enough new-mom anxiety. Give yourself the peace of mind that you have all of your documents organized and easy to find when you need them.

What It Is

Made from silicone-coated fiberglass and secured with both a zipper and VELCRO flap, each bag is large enough (11 inches by 15 inches) to hold all sorts of important documents. The company suggests storing things like a contact list, passports, financial documents, insurance papers, medical records, legal documents and family documents.

Have a lot to keep track of? Each bag is imprinted with a specific term (including Emergency, Medical, Legal, Business, Real Estate) so you can get a few and store items separately.

Why You Need One

When faced with an emergency, you don’t want to have to search for your important documents or waste time finding them them. As a new parent, you’ll want to focus on your baby, not trying to remember where you put important paperwork. If you keep all of your documents organized in these document bags, you’ll find what you need in a snap. Plus, you’ll have kept them protected from fire, water and smoke damage. And that means you’ll be able to get your life back on track more quickly.

Keep separate bags for the family’s legal papers, real estate documents, medical records and wills. Cards from Grandma, photos and newspaper clippings of dearly departed ancestors and birth mementos are also worth tucking into a bag to keep them as safe as possible.

We love the bundle that comes with one bag and a notebook for logging important information about your contacts, medications, finances and more family and household information. The notebook is key for parents who use babysitters regularly or have caregivers in the home. It ensures they’ll always have access to important information if they need it.

Available at securemylegacy.com and amazon.com, $17.99 for 1 bag plus a notebook.

—Eva Ingvarson Cerise

RELATED STORIES:

New Health & Safety Innovations for Babies & Toddlers

Be Sun Smart: 10 Sun Safety Tips to Follow with Babies & Toddlers

Money-Saving Mom Hacks: Creative Uses for Old Baby Items

 

When was your last romantic date with your significant other? Was it a night out on the town or a candlelight dinner? According to a survey of 2,000 parents of school-aged children conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Groupon, it’s probably been a while. 

Valentine's Day Couple

The study examined the romantic lives of 2,000 parents of children aged 5-18 and uncovered seven in 10 reported that the romance in their relationship significantly decreased after having kids.

According to new research, the average parent hasn’t been on a romantic date in more than three years. 30% of the parents polled said it’s been so long, they don’t even remember when was the last time they went out, just the two of them.

The majority of the respondents say it’s something they want to change, as 81% say that they need to step things up and have more frequent date nights. More than half long for the freedom they had before they became parents. 

The most important thing parents miss about life pre-children is spending quality time with their partner. They are nostalgic about their lives before kids, wanting to have more sex, sleep in, travel, more, and simply having more alone time. 

Groupon Valentine's Day Inforgraphic

Though they may miss the lack of responsibility of their lives back before they had kids, 77% of those surveyed revealed they are happier and more fulfilled now that they have children. 

Working parents look forward to spending time with their kids and family at the end of a long day. With making dinner as the number one thing parents reported looking forward to after a busy day at work, followed by tucking the kids into bed, reading bedtime stories, and snuggles. 

In fact, even when it comes to how they spend their Valentine’s Day, 79% would rather spend the day as a family rather than one-on-one with their partner. 

“As parents, it’s great if we can pull off a romantic date night experience with our partner on Valentine’s Day. However, it’s also about celebrating our other loves, too,” said Groupon’s Head of Experiences Brian Fields. “And when it comes to finding the perfect gift for all of your loves, our research shows that experiences are remembered nearly 40% more than physical things and leave people feeling nearly 20% happier.”

Maybe this survey will serve as the catalyst to get more parents to spend more time going out and doing something special with the one they love. 

Looking to revive the romance? Check out out these easy date night ideas for busy parents. 

—Jennifer Swartvagher  

Photos courtesy of Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

RELATED STORIES

This Study Shows the Stress Working Parents Face Could Actually Cost Them Their Jobs

New Study Reveals How Praise Affects Students’ Behavior

New Study Finds the Brains of Babies & Adults Sync Up During Play-Time

When it comes to D-I-Y projects with your kidlet, you’re more like D-I-not-so-much. But with these super cute, teeny tiny crafts, you can build fabu furniture with the best of them. Whether you use these pieces to celebrate fancy mouse day, mix them in with your already existing dollhouse furniture, or use them to furnish Emmet’s swanky LEGO apartment, you and your crew will have a blast making each one. Read on to find out how.

photo: Little Irish House’s Facebook

1. Fabricate a posh bed using an empty Altoid tin and felt or fabric scraps to make it cozy. Simply glue a comfy lining to the bottom of the box to keep your critters warm to start. Then stuff a sweet hand-sewn pillow with cotton balls or batting. Finish it off with a fabric scrap turned blanket perfect for tucking in your tiny friend. The best part? Your mini me can close it up and take it anywhere his little heart desires for instant playtime.

photo: Allison Sutcliffe

2. Build a dresser that really stacks up. A package of matchboxes, a glue gun and your favorite patterned scrapbooking paper is all you need to make this pint-sized staple. Empty the boxes before gluing three on top of each other. When they’ve dried cover the whole shebang with stylish paper. Your sidekick will totally dig the working drawers that can be filled with petit treasures.

photo: Allison Sutcliffe 

3. Light up the room with this for-decoration only standing lamp. We turned the mini-est cupcake liners you can find upside down, and then balanced them on a toothpick, using a dab of play dough to hold everything in place. Fashion the bottom out of an egg carton or even mold a round base using clay. It’s almost too easy!

photo: Allison Sutcliffe

4. Make a seat for your fancy friend using three supplies you’re sure to have on hand: craft sticks, an egg carton and a bottle cap. Start by painting the egg carton and craft sticks to match your mouse’s house décor. Then glue them together once they’ve dried. Finish it off with a bottle cap turned cushion, so tiny friends know just where to make themselves at home.
 

Do you plan to make any of these tiny furniture ideas? Have you already? Share your experience in a comment below.

—Allison Sutcliffe

Kids say the darndest things – and with these funny parents, those things immediately go on Twitter. We’ve rounded up the most hilarious 140-character quips from kid to parent. Scroll below and see how many you can relate to.

 1

2

3

 

4

5

6

7

 8

https://twitter.com/MUMSIEesq/status/743815133458104324?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

9

 10.

 

11.

https://twitter.com/ValeeGrrl/status/680118060263538688

 

12

 

Kids have no filter, and sometimes the things that come out of their mouths are confusing, hilarious, or brutally honest. And sometimes they say things that’ll flat-out send a shiver down our spines. We’ve compiled a list of creepy things children have said to their parents, as shared by parents of Reddit. So sit back and prepare to be spooked.

I was tucking in my two year old. He said “Good bye dad.” I said, “No, we say good night.” He said “I know. But this time it’s good bye.” Had to check on him a few times to make sure he was still there.

– UnfotunateBirthMark

 

While changing my daughter in front of the open closet door. She kept looking around me and laughing. I asked her what was so funny. She said, “the man.” To which I replied, “what man?” She then pointed at the closet and said, “the man with the snake neck.” I turn around and nothing was there. I’m afraid to look into the history of my house to see if anyone hung themselves in the closet. At least she wasn’t scared.

– QuagmireDP

 

“Daddy, remember that time we died?”

– CtrlShiftZ

 

“Go back to sleep, there isn’t anything under your bed”.

“He’s behind you now”.

– ToastedCheesee

 

My 3 year old daughter stood next to her new born brother and looked at him for awhile then turned and looked at me and said, “Daddy its a monster..we should bury it.”

– Like_I_Was_Sayin

 

I was sound asleep, and at around 6am I was woken up by my 4 year old daughter’s face inches from mine. She looked right into my eyes and whispered, “I want to peel all your skin off”.

– psalm_69

 

My niece was sitting on the couch with a weird look on her face. Her mom asked her what she was thinking about, and she said, “I’m imagining the waves of blood rushing over me.”

– hrhomer

 

Not to me, but to his grandmother. He was cuddling with her and being very sweet (he was about 3 at the time). He takes her face in his hands, and brings his face close to hers, then tells her that she’s very old, and will die soon. 

– NotTomPettysGirl

 

“My brain is telling me to do things I don’t want to do.”

– Bortson

 

My daughter told me she wanted to live with me and my wife forever. She’s 17.

– I_Am_Not_Jesus

 

Photo courtesy of Emily is Skittles via Flickr

 

What was the creepiest thing your child has ever said to you? Tell us in the comments below!