Building Blocks

Ever heard of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)? Well this is like that but at Watermark Community Church. The 1st Friday and 3rd Thursday of every month they host a speaker, brunch and free childcare so you can come refresh yourself by hearing from some amazing women, eat some yummy food and meet other like-minded ladies. Check out their next event.

In fact, I went this last Thursday and heard a fantastic talk about Disciplining in the Pre-Schooler years. As we all have experienced, the most difficult criticsm to swallow is about your parenting. We all could use improvements regardless of what stage of child-rearing we are in. Frankly some of these tips could easily translate to those with older kids too.

Anyhow, I feverishly jotted down so many notes and walked away with some great tactics. The purpose of discipline "isn't to just get behaviors out of my children but to raise them to choose the good and right." I don't want my kids to just be well-mannered when I'm looking but to make good decision when I'm not looking too. I would highly recommend listening to the audio. You will walk away with something. Go to http://www.watermarkradio.com/.

Follow these instructions:

Under Select Another Channel, select Parents
Scroll to Building Blocks
Select CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL MESSAGES FOR THIS SERIES
Click on "2-19-09 Discipline Doldrums"
You may also Download or Order a CD any of the messages

Divine Consign

A Children's Consignment Show.

I have never attended this but I have heard about it through mommy buzz that it is awesome. Prices are great on all sorts of child-related goods. If I were in town this weekend, I'd totally be in Grapevine with a wagon in tow. But instead, I will attend the one in Plano.

Grapevine Convention Center
Feb 22 11am-7pm
Feb 23 8am-12pm

PLANO CENTRE
Mar 1 11am-7pm
Mar 2 9am-9pm
Mar 3 8am-12pm

www.divineconsign.net

Getting Your Body Back

Two words. Swim Suit. Why on earth did I try one on the other day? I'm pasty white. I guess I was attracted to all the pretty colors and designs. And yes, I bought one. We're going skiing in a few weeks which means hot tub time and last year I was 7 weeks post pardum when summer hit... so needless to say that swimsuit isn't going to work.

On with my point.

Pilates. I've become a HUGE fan of this exercise modality since having my first child. I really feel like it helped me get m body back. All the moves target your core muscles; you know the ones stretched to kingdom come when you are preggars. Those muscles get re-engaged and targeted. So when I saw those swim suits staring at me I didn't completely cringe because Pilates helped me get my body back.

Now I'm not talking about just an Pilates. I'm talking about Power Pilates. If you want to try a class with me, let me know and I can get you a pass. Here's where I go. (Yes, that is me in first picture. I was 9 weeks pregnant if I remember correctly. Yes, that is where I worked for 5 years pre-parker so I am partially bais. I love this place. I love the childcare. I love the atmosphere. More on all that later). Seriously, let me know if you want to try out a class and I'll get you a pass to come with me or go on your own. I go to the Monday/Wednesday class at 12pm. The pass will also cover your childcare expense that day ($2.50/hour).

If attending a class or paying for a membership isn't for you right now, might I suggest this video. The Director of Pilates at TELOS teaches Power Pilates style and this video is a taste of what you would get at TELOS.

Enjoy!

Three Elle Designs

These days a nursery can't be just a crib, chair and changing table. Our babies enter the world with a room filled with precious items waiting for them. As moms, it seems every item we place in their rooms has a meaning... a significance. From the color choice, the type of crib, items on display, stuffed animals, rocking chair, and oh, the wall hangings. What special way to personalize your babies room with customized wall hanging. But, you're not the artist type? Neither am I. So let me introduce you to www.ThreeElleDesigns.com. She was neighbors with my friend Shannon and her stuff is too cute. Heck, you don't even have to limit it to your newborns, kids of all ages would love this stuff. Enjoy!

Shabby Chic Aprons

I've reconnected with a high school friend via Facebook, Chelsea Burelson. She started her own business making handmade aprons and when you view the website you too will find them to be incredibly chic, vintage and fabulous! I'm already making my list of who I can buy some for. What makes these even more incredible; they are extremely reasonably priced, ranging $20-$35. That is a great price range for gifts. Enjoy!

http://web.mac.com/chelsburleson

Boymomdesigns.com

I couldn't resist. I really should wait until tomorrow but I just can't wait to share this one! This is for all you boy moms out there. www.boymomdesigns.com. Best part about it? A part of the proceeds go to help poverty kiddos in Southeast Asia. A little taste of her site...


"They love all things heroic. All things dangerous. They have dreams of saving those they love. They day-dream about fighting the bad guy and rescuing the girl. They are proud of their bloody badges of honor: beginning as skateboarding scrapes...ending up as black eyes...and then, I guess, war wounds."

That is why I love being a boy mom. I do hope to have a girl some day but I just love that description of a little boy. And man is mine ever turning out to be just like that.

Cheers to all you boy moms out there!

Food Therapy Online

Food. It's something we need to survive yet it has a unique way of either ruling our minds, destroying our attitude, bringing us indulgent pleasure, or causing us anxiety. How could something so necessary for life be so tormenting sometimes?

So here's the deal. Yvette Quantz RD, LD, is a good friend of mine. We worked together for years and now are both focusing on our families however she still does Nutrition Counseling/Coaching part time. It's her love and she's dang good at it. She's one of few people I know who is remarkably passionate about what she does. More importantly, she has an extremely healthy view of food. She is in business to help people make lifestyle changes of making good food choices daily. "Food and nutrition should taste good, be enjoyable to eat, nourish the body, and help you reach your goal."

She's based out of Lafayette, LA but does phone consultations and is getting set up to do on-line conference calls. If you are in need of a serious overall in the eating department or are just stuck in a rut. She's definitely someone I would give a call. If you're not sure yet, sign up to receive her monthly newsletter. It's incredible! Just email her at yvette@foodtherapyonline.com with the subject line of 'subscribe.' (Click on the images below to see the February Newsletter). You can also read more about her and her services at http://www.foodtherapyonline.com.

#1 Mother's Day Out Program

This Mommy believes that all mommies need some time to themselves. For me, it's Tuesdays from 9am-2pm when my son, Parker, goes to Mother's Day Out at the Heights Baptist Church. On these days, I can go workout without having to tote Parker around, run multiple errands, have a lunch date without my attention being diverted by my sweet boy or get some cleaning done at the house. The key is... I get to go what I want to do. I usually wouldn't encourage selfishness, but Motherhood is a 24-7 unpaid job. Now the rewards are limitless, but the pay is not-so-much. So Mom's need a day off here and there too.

On these days, I ALWAYS spend some extended time reading my bible, praying, journaling, blogging, catching up via email with friends. All of this usually occurs while sitting at a coffee shop with a skinny vanilla latte, my iPod and my laptop. So, today, I was doing just this and the idea for MommyCritic came to me. I received another email about a friend's friend who has started her own business. As always, I click the link. Her stuff was amazing! There goes my thoughts, spiraling out of control. I love supporting the self-employed. I love telling others when I experience exceptional service. When I spend money on something that far exceeds my expectations, I have to tell others. I appreciate the small businesses. Why don't I collorate all these websites and share with others? How could I do that? And thus... MommyCritic was created.

Naturally, since MommyCritic came while my son was in Mother's Day Out, I thought my first post would be about the Child Development Center program at The Heights Baptist Church.

My experience at the CDC has been nothing but positive. I enrolled my son shortly after he was born because I was going back to work part time. I received several referalls from friends, toured the facility and read through the entire website. SOLD! I have yet to regret my decision. This place provides exceptional service and a quality product and here's why:

1. I regularly bring home some craft that Parker has "made." Need I remind you that he is only 9 months old.
2. They have a lesson plan even for his age that includes memory verses, age appropriate activties, nature walks, going to music class and more.
3. His teachers authentically love him. He can't wait to see them every day.
4. They are incredibly organized.
5. Each staff person I have encountered has treated me with the utmost kindness.
6. The staff seem to enjoy what they do... something that is important to me if they are taking care of my baby!
7. When I was breastfeeding and sending pumped breastmilk, they handled it was care... like it was gold. (It was!)
8. They enouraged the routine I set out for Parker.
9. The cost is reasonable.
10. They teach Biblical principles at even the youngest ages.

So, if you are in the process of finding a Mother's Day Out of Pre-school program, I highly recommend this one.

Cheers!