As parents, we all make mistakes. We learn parenting skills as we go. Often we question ourselves, doubt ourselves and maybe even feel a little embarrassed or ashamed about the things we do as parents. You are not alone, all parents feel this way and I find it comforting to know that it is not just me.
I found myself in a terrible situation about a month ago and wanted to share my story.
For the last day of school my sons preschool put together a fun fair in the back parking lot. We arrived at the fair and immediately walked over to where one of his teachers was,to give her a gift. I handed her the gift and went to take my sons hand to lead him to the games. He was not there. In a matter of 5 seconds he was gone and all I could see in front of me was a sea full of children, parents and teachers. I figured he must be mixed in with the crowd so I began to look for him. I was so embarrassed that I had "misplaced my child" that I did not want to tell anyone. After about 2 mins. I went over to a couple of the other Moms that I know and quietly whispered "Can you help me find Jacob, I can't seem to find him"
A few more minutes went by and now I started to panic. Once the panic set in I began to think of the most awful things that could have happened to him. At this point, all the other parents and teachers could see by the look on my face that something was wrong. Once everyone knew there was a child missing, EVERY SINGLE PERSON (including the kids) was searching for my child. They all kept saying "Don't worry, he's here somewhere, we'll find him"
In and out the school, back and forth between the road out front and the parking lot and still no Jacob. Then my husband showed up and I had to tell him "We can't find Jacob" I never thought I would here myself say that, ever.
My Husband scanned the outer part of the lot and on his way back towards the school he noticed my Son standing at a locked door at the side of the school. He was knocking on the door wondering why it was locked!
So he brought him to me...immediately tears were streaming down my face. "Oh, Mommy, it's ok, don't be sad" he said as he hugged me. He had no idea what had happened over the last 10 mins. Good thing for him, at least he was not panicking looking for me.
Once I calmed down I felt so embarrassed, like I was the worst Mother in the entire world. Each and every Mom there came over and told me their story of when they lost their child. Suddenly I did not feel so humiliated. I was so grateful that it happened at his school where I had that many people to help me find him and help keep me calm. That day I came home and wrote a letter to the school for the parents and teachers.
Here it is......
" Jacob was the 3 yr old boy who temporarily went missing today at the fair.
I feel compelled to say thank you to you, Goldie and all the Moms, Dads, teachers etc... who pulled through for me today. I have no way to contacting any of these people so maybe you can forward on my gratitude & appreciation.
In my entire life I have never experienced anything as terrifying as when I could not find him. Those 5-10mins. felt like hours. At first I just started to look for him on my own but after a few minutes I realized that I had scanned everywhere and he was NOWHERE.
Immediately every single person there was looking for him. ALL of them are like heroes to me. This is a moment long forgotten about by Jacob but a memory that is burned into my brain forever. A part of that memory will be of all the people who looked at me and said "Don't worry, he's at Torah Tots, we will find him" and then ran off to continue their search as if it were their own child missing.
And when we finally did find him, I will never forget all those Moms who came up to me and told me their terrifying stories of when they lost their child. After calming down and I had a moment to think, all I could think about was "What kind of a Mother looses their child? I am a horrible Mom"
Hearing all of those beautiful and wonderful Moms Mother's tell me that this has happened to them made me feel much less guilty. I realized today what a wonderful community I am a part of, what a wonderful school Torah Tots is and what a wonderful group of Mom's, Dads and teachers my child is surrounded by. I will forever be grateful to all of the people who were a huge support for me today. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Your support and quick reaction to the situation made the world of difference. Thank You...Thank You, I will always remember."
Great Blogs to check out
http://mumsthewurd.com/
Are you looking for some great finds? I love these 2 blogs that I stumble upon. They do reviews, promotions and contest giveaways. Both these ladies have fantastic taste and clearly have a nack for finding unusual, funky and fun finds!
I must comment that as a "Mompreneur" it is so nice to have the support and encouragement of other Momprneurs out there. Much of my online popularity is credited to all the wonderful women out there who have written rave reviews about Alli's Originals designs. I am lucky to be a part of this amazing networking community of talented women!http://www.funkyfinds.blogspot.com/
Are you looking for some great finds? I love these 2 blogs that I stumble upon. They do reviews, promotions and contest giveaways. Both these ladies have fantastic taste and clearly have a nack for finding unusual, funky and fun finds!
I must comment that as a "Mompreneur" it is so nice to have the support and encouragement of other Momprneurs out there. Much of my online popularity is credited to all the wonderful women out there who have written rave reviews about Alli's Originals designs. I am lucky to be a part of this amazing networking community of talented women!http://www.funkyfinds.blogspot.com/
New Designs are on the way!
I have been busy lately...I have been taking silversmith courses over the last few months and I LOVE it!Not only is it a great way for me to develope some great skills and design some really unique pieces but what a great way to get away a few hours every week. As a full time Mom running a full time business there is not much time for me. Someone once said "If your job is so much fun that it feels like play then you are in the right job."I must say that I have definately chosen the right job!Each week as I drive into downtown Toronto, I listen to music, call some friends and soak in the fact that for the next 4 hours I am all about myself. It is something that every Mom should do. Take a few hours each week to work on something that is just for you.
So I am posting some pics of the work I have been doing. I have also been working closely with a young designer from Europe who creates these fantastic glass beads. Each one is a work of art. I have been incorporating these beads into some of my latest designs. They are all one of a kind pieces so get them while I have them!
These pictures are of my hand cut silver hearts and tags and of one of the new charms bracelets. The hand cut pieces have a brushed finish. The little tags are great for Father's Day gifts. These pieces have not yet been posted for sale on my site so this is your sneak preview. If you are interested in purchasing one, please email me at info@allisoriginals.com.I would love to hear your comments!
Mabel's Labels
I have a vivid memory of my Mother sitting and sewing nametags onto mine and my brothers clothes each year before camp. It would take weeks for her to label each article of clothing for each of her 3 kids. Well Mabel's Labels found a solution to this ongoing problem that all parents share.
I am so excited tell everyone about Mabel's Labels because I can speak from personal experience about just how great they are!
About 2 years ago I met Julie from Mabel's Labels, at a craft show. I fell in love with their labels and tags and couldn't wait until I could place my first order. www.mabel.ca
Mabel's Labels is a Hamilton based business run by 4 enthusiastic and ambitious MOMPRENEURS, Julie Cole, Cynthia Esp, Julie Ellis and Tricia Mumby. They design these fun and funky labels for kids cloths, sippy cups, shoes, school bags....anything you could ever want to label for your kid. What makes them even more special is that you can choose your own colors and icons for them. Kids feel so special when they see something that was designed JUST FOR THEM. They have many types of labels to choose from to suit all of your needs. Labels for clothing, household & stationary. They even offer combo packs. Their sticky labels (which I have and love) are dishwasher and microwave safe and will not fade from the sun. I purchased them and immediately put them on all of my sons sippy cups. I was constantly leaving his cups at friends and families houses, birthday parties and school. Now I get them back! I have put these labeled cups through the dishwasher a thousand times and they are still bright, vivd and look brand new.
Here is another great solution to a common problem for parents. I have found that so many of the children in my sons class wear the same coats, hats and even shoes. Mabel's Labels www.mabel.ca offers a perfect solution to this problem. They have "Shoe Labels" that stick to the inside soul of your childs shoe. They have "Bag Tags," personalized Dog Tags that attach to your childs napsack or bag. They also offer "Tag-Mates" which are a no iron, no sew, sticky label that is easy to put on any article of clothing.
With so many products available you can now label everything your child owns!
Mabel's is always creating and adding new fantastic labels. The latest additions to their collection are their "Return Address Labels" and their easy to use "Tag-Mates."
Now for the household. Who says that with kids you can't be organized? Mabel's Labels www.mabel.ca has an amazing line of labels for everything in your household. There is nothing they haven't thought of from Curbside garbage cans to storage bins and spice rack bottles.
They have
*The Neat Freak Combo
*Crafter Pack
*Cord Control
*Curbside
*Cannister and Spice labels
*Bin Lables
All of Mabel's Labels are durable, easy to use and multifunctional. They are sold online through www.mabel.ca and also sold in person through one of their 170 agents throughout North America. The labels prices range from $16 US and up. Very affordable for parents and a great price point for gifts for the special little people in your life!
I love my Mabel's Labels! For any parent out there (or neat freak) this is a MUST HAVE!
visit www.mabel.ca or call 1-866-30-mabel and start labelling!!
I am so excited tell everyone about Mabel's Labels because I can speak from personal experience about just how great they are!
About 2 years ago I met Julie from Mabel's Labels, at a craft show. I fell in love with their labels and tags and couldn't wait until I could place my first order. www.mabel.ca
Mabel's Labels is a Hamilton based business run by 4 enthusiastic and ambitious MOMPRENEURS, Julie Cole, Cynthia Esp, Julie Ellis and Tricia Mumby. They design these fun and funky labels for kids cloths, sippy cups, shoes, school bags....anything you could ever want to label for your kid. What makes them even more special is that you can choose your own colors and icons for them. Kids feel so special when they see something that was designed JUST FOR THEM. They have many types of labels to choose from to suit all of your needs. Labels for clothing, household & stationary. They even offer combo packs. Their sticky labels (which I have and love) are dishwasher and microwave safe and will not fade from the sun. I purchased them and immediately put them on all of my sons sippy cups. I was constantly leaving his cups at friends and families houses, birthday parties and school. Now I get them back! I have put these labeled cups through the dishwasher a thousand times and they are still bright, vivd and look brand new.
Here is another great solution to a common problem for parents. I have found that so many of the children in my sons class wear the same coats, hats and even shoes. Mabel's Labels www.mabel.ca offers a perfect solution to this problem. They have "Shoe Labels" that stick to the inside soul of your childs shoe. They have "Bag Tags," personalized Dog Tags that attach to your childs napsack or bag. They also offer "Tag-Mates" which are a no iron, no sew, sticky label that is easy to put on any article of clothing.
With so many products available you can now label everything your child owns!
Mabel's is always creating and adding new fantastic labels. The latest additions to their collection are their "Return Address Labels" and their easy to use "Tag-Mates."
Now for the household. Who says that with kids you can't be organized? Mabel's Labels www.mabel.ca has an amazing line of labels for everything in your household. There is nothing they haven't thought of from Curbside garbage cans to storage bins and spice rack bottles.
They have
*The Neat Freak Combo
*Crafter Pack
*Cord Control
*Curbside
*Cannister and Spice labels
*Bin Lables
All of Mabel's Labels are durable, easy to use and multifunctional. They are sold online through www.mabel.ca and also sold in person through one of their 170 agents throughout North America. The labels prices range from $16 US and up. Very affordable for parents and a great price point for gifts for the special little people in your life!
I love my Mabel's Labels! For any parent out there (or neat freak) this is a MUST HAVE!
visit www.mabel.ca or call 1-866-30-mabel and start labelling!!
5 minute creative ideas for Moms
Most parents try to control the clutter and mess when it comes to their kids toys. At times we may even feel like our kids toys and books have taken over the whole house! We go to make pasta and find an Elmo doll inside our pasta pot! We go to put on a pair of shoes and find a mini dinosaur inside. Often we try to deal with this problem by bringing home bins, baskets, buckets and anything we can find to keep all the toys in one place. The only problem is that over time, the toys sitting at the bottom of some of those baskets become forgotten about. Theres often a mound of little cars, balls & dinosaurs (and quite often stale bagels, cheerios and other bits of unidentifiable snacks), trapped at the bottom. Most of these are piled under all the big fire engines, airplanes and tool sets. You may even find an old sippy cup thats been in there for so long that you would sooner throw it out then attempt to clean it!
You are not alone in this. This is a common problem for any household with kids. How can we get our kids excited about the same old toys and books that they have become bored with or have forgotten about? How can we make them want to play with the same old toys so that they are not inclined to want to sit in front of the T.V watching the same Blues Clues video over and over again?
My very creative friend Tammy thought of an idea that can be a great solution to this problem. It requires 5 minutes of your time at the end of the night before you go to bed. I call it "reintroducing your child to their toys."
One night last week I sat down and wrote down a bunch of themes. ie. aquatic life, dinosaurs, tea party, alphabet, animals, food groups and transportation. I realized that for every theme I came up with, my son had dozens of toys or books that fit that theme. So each day I set up a play area that was focused on a particular theme. My son loves to have tea parties with all of his animals. So Sunday night I set up his craft table with a tea party. I had all of his animals and dolls sitting around the table, each with a cup, plate and cuttlery in front of them. Then in the center of the table I put a platter with all the toy food I could find. The next day, he was so excited about "The really great tea party" that he insisted on having breakfast at the table with all of the dolls and animals.
The next day I took all of his fish, turtles, frogs, snakes and any other water life toys I could find, and set up an aquatic area with books of the same theme.
I set up a "Dora The Explorer" table with all of his Dora and Diego toys and printouts from the computer for him to color.
On Tuesday I pulled out his train set and put it together. All around the train set I put out cars, airplanes, trains, trucks and any other form of transportation I could find.
My friend Tammy's idea was brilliant. Her daughter Lola loves to play dress up with her dolls. Over time however, even a 3 year old doesn't want to dress her dolls in the same old boring cloths! So one morning while Lola was at school, Tammy dug out all of Lola's newborn baby clothes. She then dressed each doll in a new outfit and set them all up on her bed for her. When Lola came home from school she was super excited. "This is so great Mommy, these clothes are beautiful!" She loved the idea that her dolls could wear HER old baby clothes.
Some other great ideas....
*Set up an office with phones & pads of paper
*Arts and crafts center with paper cutouts, sprinkles, markers and glue. Watch how creative they can be! Dollar stores often carry a ton of arts and crafts supplies.
*"Family Day" Put out photo albums with family pictures. If you have any old photos you can part with, cut out the faces and glue them onto popsicle sticks to make puppets of family members.
*For older kids learning to read and write* Use masking tape and label common household items and toys. This will help them to become familiar with how to identify and spell words they know.
*Keep old food boxes and containers and set up a little Grocery Store so they can shop like Mommy and Daddy!
*Letter of the day. Pick a letter each day (or each week) that you will focus on and create activities around. Post that letter magnet on the fridge, help them identify objects around the house and in books beginning with that letter. Pull out all of your alphabet books and flashcards for them to look at. Repeat the letter throughout the day, making sure to teach them the sound that letter makes. Cut out magazine pictures of of objects beginning with that letter.
*Look through old magazines with your child. Ask them to identify pictures they find that are a particular color or theme. Choose a different color or theme each time. Help them cut out the pictures and make a collage out of them.
*Pull out all of their playdough and accessories and set it up at a table or on a mat.
*SPRINGTIME FUN. Put out toys and books that represent spring ie. flowers, bugs, garden etc.. Plant seeds with them in a little paper cup (grass is an easy one to grow). Teach them about how plants grow when we water them, feed them and take care of them. Watch how excited they get when they see their flower or plant begin to grow. Then have them help you transplant it into your outdoor garden.
Another idea I like is to have an area in your basement or storage where you can store toys. Every week, switch the toys up. This way, you will be removing the stale, "already been over played with" toys and replacing them with a fresh batch of "haven't seen in a while"toys.
There are thousands of creative ideas. Sometimes just asking your "Mommy Friends" how they keep their kids from getting bored, can inspire great ideas. Unfortunately our kids (as creative as they may be) can become tired of the same old toys and books and run out of ideas.
Now, I find my son enjoying toys that he never looked twice at. He comes down in the morning wondering what exciting activity is waiting for him. I am also able to limit his time in front of the T.V. which I think was a cure for boredom for him.
MOMS, let me hear about your crafty and creative ideas.
Let me know how some of these ideas worked for you. I love to hear new ideas and pass them on to other Moms. We all run out of ideas!
Thanks Tammy!
You are not alone in this. This is a common problem for any household with kids. How can we get our kids excited about the same old toys and books that they have become bored with or have forgotten about? How can we make them want to play with the same old toys so that they are not inclined to want to sit in front of the T.V watching the same Blues Clues video over and over again?
My very creative friend Tammy thought of an idea that can be a great solution to this problem. It requires 5 minutes of your time at the end of the night before you go to bed. I call it "reintroducing your child to their toys."
One night last week I sat down and wrote down a bunch of themes. ie. aquatic life, dinosaurs, tea party, alphabet, animals, food groups and transportation. I realized that for every theme I came up with, my son had dozens of toys or books that fit that theme. So each day I set up a play area that was focused on a particular theme. My son loves to have tea parties with all of his animals. So Sunday night I set up his craft table with a tea party. I had all of his animals and dolls sitting around the table, each with a cup, plate and cuttlery in front of them. Then in the center of the table I put a platter with all the toy food I could find. The next day, he was so excited about "The really great tea party" that he insisted on having breakfast at the table with all of the dolls and animals.
The next day I took all of his fish, turtles, frogs, snakes and any other water life toys I could find, and set up an aquatic area with books of the same theme.
I set up a "Dora The Explorer" table with all of his Dora and Diego toys and printouts from the computer for him to color.
On Tuesday I pulled out his train set and put it together. All around the train set I put out cars, airplanes, trains, trucks and any other form of transportation I could find.
My friend Tammy's idea was brilliant. Her daughter Lola loves to play dress up with her dolls. Over time however, even a 3 year old doesn't want to dress her dolls in the same old boring cloths! So one morning while Lola was at school, Tammy dug out all of Lola's newborn baby clothes. She then dressed each doll in a new outfit and set them all up on her bed for her. When Lola came home from school she was super excited. "This is so great Mommy, these clothes are beautiful!" She loved the idea that her dolls could wear HER old baby clothes.
Some other great ideas....
*Set up an office with phones & pads of paper
*Arts and crafts center with paper cutouts, sprinkles, markers and glue. Watch how creative they can be! Dollar stores often carry a ton of arts and crafts supplies.
*"Family Day" Put out photo albums with family pictures. If you have any old photos you can part with, cut out the faces and glue them onto popsicle sticks to make puppets of family members.
*For older kids learning to read and write* Use masking tape and label common household items and toys. This will help them to become familiar with how to identify and spell words they know.
*Keep old food boxes and containers and set up a little Grocery Store so they can shop like Mommy and Daddy!
*Letter of the day. Pick a letter each day (or each week) that you will focus on and create activities around. Post that letter magnet on the fridge, help them identify objects around the house and in books beginning with that letter. Pull out all of your alphabet books and flashcards for them to look at. Repeat the letter throughout the day, making sure to teach them the sound that letter makes. Cut out magazine pictures of of objects beginning with that letter.
*Look through old magazines with your child. Ask them to identify pictures they find that are a particular color or theme. Choose a different color or theme each time. Help them cut out the pictures and make a collage out of them.
*Pull out all of their playdough and accessories and set it up at a table or on a mat.
*SPRINGTIME FUN. Put out toys and books that represent spring ie. flowers, bugs, garden etc.. Plant seeds with them in a little paper cup (grass is an easy one to grow). Teach them about how plants grow when we water them, feed them and take care of them. Watch how excited they get when they see their flower or plant begin to grow. Then have them help you transplant it into your outdoor garden.
Another idea I like is to have an area in your basement or storage where you can store toys. Every week, switch the toys up. This way, you will be removing the stale, "already been over played with" toys and replacing them with a fresh batch of "haven't seen in a while"toys.
There are thousands of creative ideas. Sometimes just asking your "Mommy Friends" how they keep their kids from getting bored, can inspire great ideas. Unfortunately our kids (as creative as they may be) can become tired of the same old toys and books and run out of ideas.
Now, I find my son enjoying toys that he never looked twice at. He comes down in the morning wondering what exciting activity is waiting for him. I am also able to limit his time in front of the T.V. which I think was a cure for boredom for him.
MOMS, let me hear about your crafty and creative ideas.
Let me know how some of these ideas worked for you. I love to hear new ideas and pass them on to other Moms. We all run out of ideas!
Thanks Tammy!
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