How To Colour (and other things my two year old taught me).

 One of the biggest things I’ve had to learn since becoming a mother is that things don’t always have to be done a certain way. To a toddler, everything is new and everything has a different way of being done that what we’re used to.

It’s been interesting having to teach myself that in the world of my toddler, there isn’t a “right” way to do things. It’s always so tempting to tell her that she’s doing something wrong, or to try and tell her the right way to play with a new toy. We’re so used to following rules or reading instructions that as adults we too easily forget that we once had an imagination too, and that sometimes and little rule breaking is so much fun.

All or Nothing-Creature of Habit-Procrastinating-Super Mom Wannabe!

So I’m not sure which is worse, the fact that I haven’t written anything in 10 days or the fact that I feel like 10 days is forever ago. Heck I even feel like the three days since I posted the list of Halloween events was forever ago. I’m starting to think this is a side effect of being a parent.

I’m hoping it’s not just me (but maybe it is?) but I seriously feel like some days feel like entire weeks. Today was one of those days. And it wasn’t even a bad day, it was a pretty good day! I’ve only been up for 12 hours but I feel like it’s closer to 20, I’m actually already in my pajamas.  I think it’s just because today was one of those days that felt non stop. I feel like I was “on” all day and now that I’ve actually sat down it’s catching up. Don’t get me wrong though, having a busy and productive day is kind of nice!

Halloween Events This Year!

A Huge Thank you to our Alaska's Kids Organizer Jamie for putting together this post! She's done a great job hunting down this years local Halloween events for us! 
If you know of any events we missed or have any extra details to share please feel free to post it in a comment or let us know via email at alaskaskids@gmail.com!
 

ANCHORAGE/EAGLE RIVER

Fall Carnival-- Anchorage Muesum Oct 23rd 10a-6p Included with museum admission: $10 adult, $8 senior/student/military, $7 child, free ages 2 and younger
Wear your Halloween costume to the museum and enjoy hands-on science activities, listen to spooky stories, paint a pumpkin and more.

Trick or Treat Street-- The 4th Ave Market Oct 30 2-5p FREE
An event for the whole family where kids can come downtown with their parents to trick-or-treat for candy in a safe environment, on 4th Avenue and 5th Avenue, between C Street and L Street. There will be games, treats and prizes at participating merchants and a Halloween stamp map where kids and parents come in and get their maps stamped at every location. Completed maps will be entered into a drawing for prizes.

A Day In The Life Of.... A Part-Time Working Mom! (Monica!)

In this post Monica tells us a bit about what it's like for her as a working mom! She has a young daughter and a baby on the way and does it all while working part time as a Registered Nurse!

The night before:

Get everything ready after bath and bedtime routine. Mad mission to get her, me and my
honey’s lunch made because if I don’t make it for him he often does not take one to work. Pack
things up that she may need for daycare like extra clothes etc. Get my clothes and things ready
so that I don’t wake anyone up getting ready in the morning.

5am:

Vibrating iPhone alarm goes off, get dressed and out of the house quickly.

If I want to shower in the morning I have to shower at work because at home, Isabel wakes up.
Like her mom, she is a light sleeper! I keep all the showering necessities at work in my locker and thankfully we have a shower and it is just cold enough to make you rush and never run late for work.



RN at Prov and mornings are our busiest time of the day. 6am to 10 we rush, rush, rush. I keep
my cell phone in my back pocket and the two times I forgot it in my locker daycare called and I
felt terrible about it. I fear someday I will get buttocks cancer from the phone but I don’t have
an option. Now that I am pregnant my scrub bottoms are constantly falling down and the cell
phone weight does not help!!!

Thankfully I have only had to leave a few times to go pick up my daughter! I can’t say I have
a good back up plan. My husband leaving work is my back up plan but he is super busy and
travels frequently.

Pick up time:

Done at 4:30

if I clock out right at 4:30 I make it to daycare just in time

If I am running late and sometimes I run late a lot, then I rush like crazy and get home to
wonder how her day was and how the provider does not threaten to fine me if I keep pushing it
so close. she is amazing and she is very understanding.

If I leave on time we get home, make dinner, sit at the table. If I run late, we get home, Isa is
starving and grumpy, we find something to eat quickly and often she won’t even eat it as it
seems I miss her dinner window and she just wants milk.

Bedtime:

Bath and bed time she is so exhausted she can hardly stand it and so am I! And my feet hurt
and my lower back aches

When my honey travels:

Did I forget to mention that when Kameron travels I have a sitter who comes over at 5am to be
there when Isa wakes up and then drive her to daycare….no stress really!!!

But:

I love working and being a nurse!

When I work I am a much more patient and happy mom on the days I spend with Isa. I also
know that she absolutely loves going to daycare and really enjoys her friends and talks about
them constantly at home. I look forward to a day when I can go to work well rested and clear
minded and come home to less responsibility but I know that is a long, long way away and for
now I enjoy each chaotic day as it comes!

A Day In The Life Of...A Working Mom! (Rachel!)

Here a working mom, Rachel, tells us what one typical Tuesday is like for her as she balances an early morning job, pumping, and life with her husband and four month old son.

1:45am 

Alarm is going off. grrrrr. pretty sure that was not my normal four hours of sleep. I pump and get into shower.

2:30am

Kiss husband and James goodbye, head downstairs.

2:45am 

Maddy is ready,(Maddy is my pump), Husbands lunch packed, dinner is in crock-pot, Diaper bag ready to go, banana and toast ready to eat while I drive, Nalgene bottle filled with H20, grab keys and go.

3:00am
Welcome to work! I load my truck for the day while singing to myself "the wheels on the bus go ....."

3:45am
Leave bakery, start my route for the day.

A Day In The Life Of....A Working Mom! (LeeAnn)

I am mama to 10 month old Iris Bloom, wife to my wonderful husband Lincoln, dog mom to a 12 year-old golden retriever named Kodiak, and a Dept Director at ANTHC in Anchorage. After ten years of marriage, two graduate degrees, a few career changes, and lots travel, I was thrilled to give birth to Ms. Bloom last December but I was completely unprepared for how to balance work and home. I thought for sure that my gift for organization and multi-tasking would make going back to work full-time a breeze! Add last-minute diaper changes on the way out the door, mid-day Pediatrician appointments, discovering milk stains on my sleeve during a presentation, and sleepless nights to an already packed work schedule and you will find opportunities for chaos. While there are many challenging moments, I feel so grateful to be able to contribute to my community through my work and still have a full family life. Here's a snapshot of a recent Monday:  

Rockin' Green Giveaway Winners Announced!

And the winners of our Rockin' Green Soap Giveaway are.......

Melissa (Plain Green Tea's)

and 

Richelle! (Orangevana)

Congrats Ladies!

Please contact us within 5 days to claim your prize! 

Thanks to everyone who entered! 

 

Raising a Housewife.

Growing up I was told that I should do great in school, find a career path, and be able to take care of myself. “Don’t depend on a husband” was one phrase I heard frequently. My last couple of years in high school I endured many talks from the school counselors about how I HAVE to fill out my college applications, how I needed to focus my energy into finding a career. My answer to them? I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.  Thank goodness they finally gave up on me.

The truth is, I knew what I wanted to be. I’ve always known. I wanted to be a housewife, a homemaker, a mother. For as long as I can remember I’ve never wanted to be anything more than someone’s wife, someone’s mother. Well, except for that brief stint where I was convinced I was going to be an astronaut (thank you Apollo 13 starring Tom Hanks). I had jobs while I was in high school, after graduating I was given an amazing opportunity with a well paying/great benefits job, I successfully managed a store for two years, but the entire time I knew I would never last. I’m not a career woman, I’m a housewife.

You mean you won't just decide that for me?

What happens when your kid doesn’t make decisions for you? That’s what I’m facing right now. I always thought that there were a few things that kids were supposed to just decide for you. Things that were just going to happen on their part and I would just go along with it when it did. Things like when they’re going to potty train, stop nursing, or move out of their crib. Boy was I wrong!

I always figured that my daughter would let me know when she was ready to move to the next step with all of those things I listed above. I figured she would tell me when she was ready to potty train but she doesn’t really seem like she’s too keen on the idea. I’m alright with it though, she’s only two and she does at least attempt it. As for nursing, I had no idea that she was going to still be nursing at two. Again, I’m totally alright with it, but now I’m starting to wonder if she’s ever going to choose to stop. Will she ever decide she’s done or am I going to have to gently suggest that she stops? When will that be? I honestly thought she would just make that decision for me too.

Kids Are People Too!

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people treat their kids like an accessory or even a pet. We seem to forget that just like us, they have wants/needs/desires/etc and it’s up to us to help them to feel fulfilled. Too often people tend to just shove their kids feelings aside thinking things like “Oh he’s just a kid, what does it matter?” Right from the get go we have people telling us how we should raise our children. There are hundreds of books written about how your kid is feeling, how he’s confused, how he doesn’t know better. But it’s not very often I’m told to just listen to my child. 

Rockin Green Soap Giveaway!

***This giveaway is now closed***


Rockin’ Green Giveaway!

I’ve wanted to do a review for Rockin’ Green Soap and was planning on it regardless, but I thought that you all might appreciate a little giveaway. So I emailed Kim, the owner of RnG to see if she would be interested in offering up a couple of samples to give you one of you lucky Alaskans. Instead, she sent me TWO FULL BAGS to give to you!    Now that’s what I call service!

Before I get down to the nitty gritty of entry details I’d like to tell you all a bit about how amazing Rockin’ Green Soap really is!

First off, before I even tell you how much I like their detergent, I’m going to tell you about how amazing their customer service is. Seriously, it’s the best. Plain and simple. The gals at Rockin’ Green are well known for their personalized approach to customer service. Having problems with your wash? Just email them and they’ll get back to you incredibly quick. Post something on their Facebook page and you can bet that if they don’t answer your questions one of their loyal fans will. On top of that, when they voluntarily recalled some of their soap a couple of months ago due to it not being as effective as it should have been, they acted quickly and professionally going above and beyond what I had expected! I had four bags that were part of the recall and they sent me four brand new bags and let me keep my old ones to use as household cleaner! (It’s BY FAR the best toilet bowl cleaner I’ve ever used. I don’t know why or how, it just is. It’s also great for getting the bottom of our stand up shower super clean.) 

Resentful to Thankful; My Day Today.

Today has been a hard day. I didn’t sleep well and couldn’t shake it in the morning. The coffee was cold when I poured myself a cup. The diaper pail was overflowing. All I wanted to do today was work on things for me. Not for my daughter, my husband, or my house but for me. I want to be selfish. 

Today I felt resentful. I felt like I never get a turn until everyone else has had theirs. Breakfast was served for my daughter before me. I had to put my wants and needs on hold for hers.

Then a while later, after working on some projects that I wanted to get done, the guilt kicked in. I felt like I should have painted with my daughter. I should have read to her this morning. I should have sat with her instead of trying to just work around her.

Mommy Guilt

The decorative pillows on my couch and loveseat used to have fringe on them. Used to.

When my daughter was three weeks old I sat on my loveseat and propped her up on one of the decorative pillows to nurse her. When she was done I stood up with her and she let out her very first cry out of pain. The fringe had wrapped around one of her teeny tiny little toes. Now me being a new mom, hormonal, and overly emotional, immediately burst into tears. How could I have let something like that happen to my sweet little innocent baby? What kind of mother was I? We had my dad and my brother staying with us then and they burst into the room with the oddest looks on their faces. As soon as they realized why I was crying I could tell they were trying not to laugh. Can you blame them? I totally laugh about it now. But the hilarity of the situation only grew once I promptly walked to the kitchen, grabbed some scissors, and proceeded to cut off each and every bit of loopy fringe from those pillows. This, my friends, is what we call the irrational feeling of Mommy Guilt.

Local Business Interview! Essential Esthetics by Richelle!

This week we took some time to get together with Richelle, of Essential Esthetics by Richelle. We asked her all about her esthetics business, how she keeps it running while keeping up with her two growing boys, and what keeps her mom motivated!

Alaska’s Kids: Tell us just a little bit about yourself, what makes you, you?
Richelle: I am a pretty typical mom. I juggle the needs of my two boys, my husband, a dog, the house and just to make things extra crazy, I threw in a business. I am really passionate about natural health and sharing what I learn with other people who are interested. I also love challenging myself and I am the type of person who functions best with lots of chaos surrounding me.

A Story of Tandem Nursing, by Lia Keller

Today we are happy to post something from a fellow Alaskan mom!

Here, Lia Keller tells us about her experience tandem nursing her two boys.

I have a hard time doing one thing at a time. Maybe that is what led me to my life as a tandem nurser.

I was exclusively nursing my son when I realized I was pregnant and he never stopped nursing during my pregnancy as some suggested would happen. It was painful early on, and seemed to increase my morning sickness during the first trimester. And of course, was logistically challenging as my pregnancy progressed. But it also was amazing to feel my unborn son move inside of me as I nursed his brother.

A Day In The Life Of... A Stay at Home Mom! (Charissa!)

For our last Day in the Life of…A Stay at Home Mom post, we take a look at what life is like for me, Charissa, as I go about a typical day with my 2 year old daughter Lilah.

5am

I wake up from a bad dream and realize a) the chances of me falling back to sleep are pretty slim and b)Lilah is going to be up soon.

615am

I hear Lilah waking up and not only does she sound a bit cranky, but I managed to doze off and now I feel worse than I did at 5!

620am

I go and get Lilah, change her diaper (which I’m pretty sure is at its max for absorbing by this point!) and bring her into bed with me. We’ve pretty much cut out our morning nursing but today she’s cranky, and I’m super tired. I decide to just let it slide.

Twirly Whirly Tutu Winner Announced!!

The winner of our Twirly Whirly Tutu is......

Ashley L.!!!!

Congratulations!

Please contact us at alaskaskids@gmail.com within 5 days so we can get your tutu to you! 

Thanks to everyone who entered! Be sure to keep look out for a new giveaway coming soon!

A Day in the Life of... A Stay at Home Mom! (Jamie!)

Today our Alaska’s Kids Organizer Jamie, shares one day in her life as a stay at home mom to her three little ones! With three kids under the age of four she shares how crazy, but amazing, life with Kaden-3, Brooke-2, and Kora-6 weeks, can be.

310am

Kora is rooting around, time to feed her.

405am

Oops! Woke up and Kora was asleep on the boppy that is still around my waist. The whole reason I try to sit up when I nurse her is so I DON’T fall asleep!

610am

Kora is hungry again, sigh. Everyone else in the household is sleeping except me….one day.

745am

Nursing again…. In 30 minutes my other kids are going to be up and (I say this while whining like a two year old) I’m so tired!! I want sleep too!!!