Baby Play-Outdoor

A simple post today because the weather is just too gorgeous to sit and write. Plus, my little girl is begging for me to play with her :)

The weather is finally turning into Spring here in Rhode Island and we are enjoying every second of it.

Today Will gets to have play time on the porch. He is going nuts "talking" and kicking his arms and legs around!

Don't forget that a simple change to your baby's normal playtime area can spark big things!

And we won't forget the big girl! It is hard to pull her into the house these days. 

Have a wonderful weekend!!

XOXO Sarah

Project 52: Week 16 & 17

I am little behind in my project so I am trying to catch up. I have been trying to take better pictures with my iPhone. Sometimes I don't always have my DSLR with me or feel like carrying it.





Week 16 theme : Reflection ( I love this picture even though it is a little blurry).

You see the reflection in the sunglasses my boy is wearing. They are his sisters! :)

Week 17: Animals

My lazy doggy Zoey. 

Do you participate in Wordless Wednesday? Please share the link to your pictures in the comments. 

Hugs,

Katey

Sand Paint

Happy Monday!

Sorry for the lack of post on Friday, but I was glued to CNN and terrified and anxious about the big man-hunt.

Anyway, here is a little activity that Liza and my 10 year old niece tried out last week. I saw a pin somewhere on Pinterest about this, but I can't find it to share with you now. If I find it, I will update this post with the link.

Sand Paint:

Materials:

• Elmer's Glue
• Paint (we used finger paint)
• Play sand
• Container
• paper, paint brushes

Procedure:

• Squirt some paint, glue, and sand into a container and mix up. I just eyeballed it, but probably should have added more paint.
• Paint away!

We used a fork to mix everything up.

And we used them to paint with because I could not find two paintbrushes :) I think using fingers and hands would add a whole new level to this sensory experience.

It's such a neat, gritty texture. The kids both enjoyed it.

And it is pretty neat when all dried too.

Just take my word for it and don't turn away from your almost three year old because she might add WAY too much sand to the paint. Sigh.

Have fun!

XOXO Sarah

My Mind

It seems that my mind is always racing. I have a never ending list of things that should be done and things I'd like to accomplish. Like all the things I've pinned on Pinterest. My mind is totally a Pinterest board.

Then there is all the every day things.

Clean the kitchen, take a shower, the kids need a bath. Crap! What's for dinner? S!*t the only pants that fit this post-baby body are in the washer.

Stop.

The baby needs to nurse.

Stop.

The toddler wants me to play.

I'm fairly certain you all know what I am talking about. I guess it's called LIFE.

And I have the itch to write. But I've got writer's block, of course. So, that brings us to this post of randomness.

So, without further ado, here are some random things going on in my mind.

1. Preschool.

Do I send my almost three year old in the fall or keep her home one more year? I'm torn. I see the benefit of both options, but I am leaning towards waiting until she is four. This also means I get to play school at home and plan lessons for her ;)

2. My house.

It's so dang small so I am constantly reorganizing and de-cluttering. I've done three little projects that make me like my house a *teeny* bit more.

I created a chalkboard. I still need to caulk and paint, but I LOVE it and wish I would have made it bigger.

I painted my chandelier.

And I am almost done painting my dinning room table with the DIY chalk paint that I made!

There is also a sliver of a chance that we might re-do our kitchen through Ikea. SO excited.

3. A Pirate Party

A pirate party for Liza's 3rd birthday is brewing in my mind. I've been busy looking for ideas and trying to figure out how do do something amazing for her while spending as little as possible.

source

4. Boston

My other city and somewhere I consider HOME.

source

Feeling scared and sick that things like this happen so close to home.

Feeling thankful that my family wasn't at work that day. My dad, brother, mom, and husband all work right in the city.

Feeling heartbroken for all those who were injured, killed, and otherwise affected.

Feeling pissed at whoever is responsible for this violence.

Feeling fat because I've been stress eating since it happened.

That's all I've got today. Stay tuned for a fun way to paint with your kids tomorrow!!!

God Bless America.

XOXO Sarah

Simple Name Puzzle

Liza has known how to identify her name for quite a while, but she is recently into spelling it.

Her big cousin made up a little chant and now Liza loves to sing it, "L-I-Z-A!"

I figured that now is the perfect time to make some little name games for her. Don't get excited, this is nothing fancy. I literally did this is 5 seconds, and you will totally be able to tell!

Doesn't matter, she loves it. It does the trick for now.

Materials:

• Paper
• Crayons

Procedure:

• I folded and cut a piece of large construction paper in half.
• Next, I divided each half into fours (to match the amount of letters in her name).
• I cut up one half into four squares.
• I wrote her name on all pieces in each space.
• I demonstrated how she would match the letters up and/or put them in order to correctly spell her name.

See, I told you this was nothing fancy.

One more thing, I truly believe that you should teach your children how to identify and/or write thier name properly. This means that they have one uppercase letter and the rest are lowercase (in most cases)! Please, please don't teach your kiddos only uppercase letters :)

XOXO Sarah

Rhody Bloggers

• Simply Mommies is very excited to be a part of an AMAZING group of local bloggers. We'd love for you to check out thier blogs!
  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  Alicia- Born Ready Baby
  Audrey – Mom Generations
  Candice – The New Modern Momma
  Carla –allofmenow
  Chelley- A is for Adelaide
  Elizabeth – Documama
  Elizabeth – Learning to Juggle
  Erika-Fox Trot Press
  Heather – Housewife Heather
  Heather – Kraus House Mom
  Jane – Mom Generation
  Jenn – Savoring the Thyme
  Jen-Keekoin
  Jessica – 30 Something Mother Runner
  Jessica – Keeping Mommy Sane

  Julie - Give and Glam

  Joanna – Baby Gators Den
  Jodi –Blushing Mamas
  Kameron – My Wrinkle in Time
  Kerri – Six Until Me
  Kirsten- The Queen of the Earth
  Laura – My So-Called Sensory Life
  Lauren – Don't Lick the Trash Can
  Liza –Cira's Lyrics
  Mary- Tall Mom Tiny Baby
  Megan – A Baby Makes Four
  Melissa - Filling Our Bucket
  Melissa – A Woman of Steel
  Melissa – The Mommyhood Chronicles
  Michele –Dodging Acorns
  Michelle –Wildflower Studio Photo
  Renee – The Lute Family
  Sarah – Soxy's Diamond
  Sarah –Sweet Lil' You
  Sheri – When the Kids go to Bed
  Stephanie – Everyday Family Living
  Tera – Girl Gone Healthy

How to Dye Rice

Hi friends!

A quick tutorial for you on this Friday morning.

Here is how I dye rice for our sensory play.

What You Need:

• rice
• rubbing alcohol
• food coloring
• Ziploc bag
• cookie sheet

Procedure:

1. Dump rice into Ziploc bag.
2. Squeeze a few drops of food coloring onto the rice. The more you add, the darker the color.
3. Pour in a teaspoon or so (eyeball it!) of rubbing alcohol over the rice.
4. Seal the bag and shake the rice until the color seems blended.
5. Pour rice onto a flat surface and allow to air dry

I dye pasta the same way!

XOXO Sarah

Project 52 Week 14: Bloom

Hi there! I am a little behind in my project but I will catch up eventually. Last week's theme was bloom. 

Buds on the tree gettting ready to bloom

Link up below to our project 52 with your Wordless Wednesday pictures. 

Hugs,

Katey

The Ultimate Blog Party 2013

Hello! We are linking up to the Ultimate Blog Party hosted by the lovely ladies over at 5 minutes for Mom.

Simply Mommies was started as a way for Katey and Sarah to share their journey through motherhood and connect (and learn!) from other mothers a long the way. 

We are a few weeks into our second year of blogging and still trying to find our way. We hope to accomplish a little blog makeover and create a solid goal for Simply Mommies in the upcoming months.

We hope you'll stick around as we grow and stretch our blog muscles. Please be sure to leave your blog link below!

Here is a little about us:


Hi there! I am Katey, and I love that spring is finally here! It's been a long winter for my thin Floridian blood. My family just moved back to Massachusetts after living in sunny south Florida for 5 years than Southern Ontario Canada for 2 years! We have had quite a journey, and plan on staying put for a while and raise our little family. I love photography, reading, writing, the beach, warm sunshine, and couldn't make it through the day without coffee!

I have three beautiful children with one more one the way, due in July. I have a crazy house at times but its a lot of fun and I wouldn't change it for the world.  I became a stay at home Mom almost three years ago when we moved from Florida to Canada. It has been wonderful. I used to be an administrative assistant for a large office. 

I find staying home to be challenging at times, but I LOVE it!

Be sure to follow my Project 52 on Wednesdays until December. It is a challenge to take a picture a week. Usually the picture is prompted by a theme of the week. I would love if you joined in!

So that's me in a nutshell! :)

Hugs,

Katey

I'm Sarah, and boy am I excited to be sitting outside on the patio blogging today! I love God, my family, iced coffee, makeup, bags of all kind, making friends, writing, day-dreaming, and getting my hair done. I can seriously never straighten it like my stylist does. 

I am blessed to have married my best friend and together we have two gorgeous kiddos.
My Liza has been my inspiration for this blogging journey and has kept me motivated to create the learning experiences for her that I share here on the blog.

 I am excited to share how important play is for all children and can't wait to look deeper into how infants play through the eyes of my new baby, Will. 

I am a former Early Childhood educator (Kindergarten being my favorite!)  and now stay home with my kiddos. I put myself through college as a bartender and waitress, and I can't understand how I was ever able to stay up till all hours of the night (morning?) while wearing makeup and heels.

I am a terrible housewife, but I like to think I am a pretty good mama. 

Before I had kids I enjoyed manicures, pedicures, leisurely reading, going out for dinner, doing my hair, and finishing an entire cup of coffee. 

Now, I am blessed to enjoy blogging, sleepless nights (not wearing heels), yoga pants, my curly hair, Pinterest, Instagram, and play dates!

Raising a family has been the most wonderful and exhausting experience of my life and I am beyond thankful for it.

XOXO Sarah

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