31 Days of Pinterest Applied {Introduction}

True story: I really enjoy Pinterest. The gorgeous photos, drool-worthy desserts, and brilliant life hacks I find there infuse me with excitement for my homemaking. When I was on bed rest with my son W, it was almost torturous for me to scroll through my feed. Stuck on the couch, I was unable to jump up and organize or beautify my life.

While I do find Pinterest to be very inspirational, the truth is that often I collect loads of lovely pins, only to let them gather virtual dust on my pinboards. Life is busy, and when I'm barely keeping my head above water with the ordinary tasks, it can be easy to forget about the gorgeous extras I've pinned.

Pondering this predicament has brought me to a conclusion: if I don't use what I pin, Pinterest is just another time-waster. No thank you, I have enough of those in my life already!

If, however, I take the time and effort to strategically employ things I've pinned, my home and family can reap great benefits! Yummy new meals to eat, smarter cleaning tactics, great kids crafts, and organizational helps can all contribute to making our lives more enjoyable and efficient.

For all of October, I will be attempting to do just that: strategically applying my pin boards to real life. Participating with the Nester's 31 days link-up, I'll post about the projects Monday-Saturday of each week {resting on the Lord's Day}.

Pinterest isn't about making my life picture perfect. I am not superwoman, and my home will never look like Martha Stewart's. Trying new things to improve the flow of my home, does, however, help me to break away from housekeeping boredom. It also encourages my husband and kiddos when I make these extra efforts.

I'm all about loving on my home and family. Would you like to join me?

You can find the Pinterest boards I'm pulling from here.

Happy Homemaking!

Introduction 
Pinterest Fashion Applied

Refreshing My Towels

Zucchini Lasagna

Vanilla Extract Air Freshener
Twix Bars
Sidewalk Chalk Paint 
Refreshing My Mattress
Baked Oatmeal To Go
The Sock Bun
Homemade Mozarella Sticks
Coloring On the Go 
Pumpkin Donut Holes 
The Shower Wand 
Vintage Silhouettes 
Pipe Cleaner Color Sort 
Menu Planning Board 
Cheese-Stuffed Mini-Peppers 
Pretzel, Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Chip Cookies 
Orange Peels + Vinegar All Purpose Cleaner 
Pumpkin Spice Lattes 
Homemade Deodorant 
Felt Mr. Potato Head 
Teaching My Child To Sweep 
Fall Leaves Mason Jar 
Concluding Remarks

Taming the Television {Life With Toddler} + Toddler Link-Up!

Photo Credit

Over the last four months I've noticed some distinct changes in my little girl's behavior. Temper tantrums come more quickly and frequently, oftentimes leaving me at a loss on how to respond. I'm trying to be patient, give S plenty of attention, and to meet all of her needs... yet she can be happy for one minute, only to have a major melt down in the next.

Several things have happened within this window of time. First, she turned two. They aren't called the terrible twos for nothing! So maybe it is an age and stage issue?

Second, I went on bed rest, my mother came to live with us, and we had another baby. Perhaps her new attitude is a result of her entire world going topsy-turvy, with new routines, less mommy-time, and big changes at home?

Third, coinciding with my bed rest, S's t.v. time increased exponentially. I've noticed that as soon as we turn off the screen, a tantrum is bound to occur. She just doesn't want to stop watching once she's started. Scary!

So we have a combination of possible causes for her new tantrum tendency. Ultimately, I know that it is because S is a sinner, with an inclination towards wanting her own way at all costs. Still, I want to curtail them as much as possible, so I'm turning my eye to the possible contributors that I can control {as well as seeking the Lord in prayer for His wisdom, a whole lot more!}. 

The television can be an extremely useful parenting tool. When I just need to get a shower and my husband has already left for work, Netflix keeps S happily occupied. When S wakes up from her nap, but I'm still drowsy and not ready to be done with mine {remember folks, I have a newborn}, a few episodes of Little Bill gives me the chance to snuggle her and wake up slowly. Because I was able to rest for those extra minutes, I have more energy for the last {and hardest} part of the day.

I would also argue, however, that television can be one of our biggest parental stumbling blocks. Once I start sticking my kid in front of a screen, I am far more likely to keep her there. It's a slippery slope. Parenting is the hardest job I've ever had- sometimes it is just easier to turn on the tube. I can relax, put my feet up... or maybe finally get caught up on my to do list.

Before I know it, the day is over, and my daughter hasn't played outside, colored pictures, read books with me or had unstructured, creative play time. Childhood is much too short, and far too important, to be spent entirely in front of a screen.

What's the balance?

I have no idea.

I'm trying to avoid it as much as possible. I'm trying to make sure we cross off our list of important childhood activities each day before turning it on {get outside. read. play. dance. color.}. I'm also trying to give myself grace when I really need that shower or a little bit of extra rest because my night was just too short. I'm trying to observe my daughter's behavior before and after t.v. time, so that I can adjust our use of it as necessary.

How do you structure t.v. time at your place? Have you observed any changes in your children's attitudes as a result of screen time? 

Don't miss the other posts in this series!

Introduction
Cleaning Up with Your Toddler
Family Worship
Home Education 
Housework with Helpers

Now it's time to link-up, toddler mamas! What have you learned as the mother of little ones? How do you train, nurture, and engage your toddler? What does a typical day in your life look like? Any and all posts related to toddler-dom are welcome. Please feel free to share as many posts as you'd like. And please share a text link back to here so that other moms can join in on the fun! 

Housework With "Helpers" {Life with Toddler}

"Help! I have a two-year old and I have no idea how to get anything done anymore!"

"My toddler is into everything- I turn my back for a few minutes, and all the work I've done is undone."

"My carpet is literally strewn with a million cracker crumbs... I vacuum, and within the hour it looks like the vacuuming never happened."

Words echoed from the mouths of countless mothers... or is it just me? Please tell me again that I am not alone here!

While some of these conundrums may never be solved {especially the cracker crumb scenario- seriously, I say I won't let her walk around the house with a snack anymore, but that has yet to happen}, and the messes will always keep coming back, there are a few tricks I've employed in keeping house with my two year old.

Washing the dishes. When I wash the dishes, S washes her "dishes." I stick her in her high chair with a small container of water, throw in a few bath toys, and let her have fun. Yes, my entire kitchen floor is sopping by the time we're through. Oh is she happy though, and Mommy is happy too, because all of her dishes are done :).

Cooking. S loves to help me in the kitchen, and I am kicking myself for not including her in my cooking and baking sooner! She dumps measuring cups into bowls, taste-tests the veggies I've chopped, and helps me stir.

Warning: when cooking with toddlers, I'm learning that I need to have a game plan ready to go before starting if I want to keep my patience and sanity. Knives and spillables need to be in a corner of the counter far from S's reach. Suitable activities for her to participate in need to be identified and prepped before I enlist her help. Then we can both have a good time, and I won't have to fret about how to salvage a recipe tweaked by S when my back was turned ;).

Cook dinner earlier in the day. Seriously, 5 o'clock is when everyone in my house loses it. The baby is screaming, the toddler is screaming; I am tired and hungry, they are tired and hungry. Putting off dinner prep until then is a recipe for disaster. When Niall walks in at 5:30, I want him to be greeted by happy kids, a cheerful wife, and a hot meal. Not a frazzled woman with two irritable children and something burning on the stove :).

When I plan ahead what we will be eating, tackle as much as possible of the prep-work when everyone is fresh and well-behaved earlier in the day, 5 o'clock is a much more peaceable hour. I am free to attend to needy children without feeling stressed. We can dance and sing and snuggle, and be ready to greet Daddy with smiles.

Playing with (and taste-testing) bagel dough

Monkey see, monkey do. One thing I adore about this stage is that S wants to do everything Mommy does. Her unbridled enthusiasm for me won't last much longer, so I want to take advantage of it {hopefully even prolonging it by doing so}. If I'm vacuuming, S has her toy vacuum out. If I'm sweeping, she grabs her broom and then holds the dust pan for me. We pick up the living room as a team. Almost any task can be done together!

Does it take longer? Absolutely. I have to re-sweep multiple times because my neat pile has been spread across the floor all over again. But S is learning valuable life skills, and spending time with her mommy. And I am learning to develop mass quantities of patience :).

How do you get stuff done around the house with your toddler(s)?

Don't miss the rest of our series on toddlerhood through the month of September! And please join us for our toddler link-up on Friday the 27th- any and all posts on toddlers welcome {feel free to dig up your archives!}.  

Check out the other posts in this series:
Introduction
Cleaning Up with your Toddler 
Family Worship
Home Education

Home Education {Life With Toddler}

There are affiliate links in this post. That means that if you click through and make a purchase, I receive a commission at no extra charge to you. You can read my full disclosure policy here. Thanks for your support of The Purposeful Wife! 

The two year old brain is a vast and incomprehensible sea of possibilities. Toddlers are so eager, so energetic, so intelligent, so drawn to the attention and affection of loving adults in their life. With very little application on my part, I am amazed at the knowledge and understanding my daughter displays.

The biggest obstacle to me investing in my daughter's education is a lack of intentional effort on my part. If I'm not careful, an entire day can go by without me laying aside distractions and taking the time to read with S {one of our favorite things to do together!}. A week will easily pass without me cracking open our art supplies. Hitting up the library will never happen if I don't intentionally aim and make it happen {especially now that I've got a newborn in the mix!}.

With this reality before me, I've been *attempting* to form plans and follow through with them, on purpose.

My plans?

Slow and Steady Get Me Ready by June R. Oberlander. Recommended in The Well-Trained Mind, Mrs. Oberlander's book offers one "learning" activity for each week of a child's life, from birth to age five {just in time for kindergarten!}. Varying from physical exercises to craft projects to rhyming games, it provides manifold educational experiences for moms (or other caretakers) and their kiddos. I am even trying to do the infant activities with W.

I may miss a week here or there, but they don't take too much extra effort, so I might double up (or triple) the next week. S has enjoyed the small handful of activities we've tried so far!

Hit up the library once a week. Or every other week. I'm a big believer in interest-led learning, so I seize upon S's current fascinations and check out books accordingly. For example, right now she is way into the moon. Don't ask me why, but the kid loves it. Hearing her lisp about the "waxing gibous" cracks us up.

So last week we checked out a stack of books from the children's library on the moon. While many of them were written with older kids in mind, I am surprised at S's capacity for sitting through them {when she is in the right mood, at the right time}. Other less lengthy books fail to hold her attention because they just don't speak to her interests.

Read. A whole ton! We read in 10-15 minute chunks periodically throughout the entire day... this is made especially easy by my little nursling. W's meal time is S's book time- I'm already sitting on the couch, so I might as well be taking advantage of it! This also keeps S out of trouble when I'm preoccupied with the babe.

Arts and crafts. I am terrible at this, but I need to improve. There are so many great, free printables and ideas floating around the web. I'd like to do at least one well thought-out, prepared in advance art project with S each week. But as long as I pull out some crayons or markers once a day for her, I will call myself a success. We want to encourage that beautiful toddler creativity ;)!

Other than that, I point out letters as we encounter them in books or on signs. We count cheerios and toys and fingers and toes. A few friends of mine with older preschoolers meet up once a week with informal preschool lesson plans, and I will try to show up for those. I try to expose S to good music every day, and lots of musical variety. She pounds away freely at our piano's keys, and Daddy tells her the names of each note.

You may notice that I say the word "try" a lot. That's because juggling two kids is new to me. And because life happens. And because I know that it isn't the end of the world {or my daughter's hope for an excellent education} if I fail to carry out a full-fledged preschool program from home. She is little. Reading with her, and really, just giving her the time of day, will cover a multitude of other inadequacies.

What educational resources do you and your toddler love? 

Don't miss the rest of our series on toddlerhood ! 
Introduction
Cleaning Up with Your Toddler
Family Worship

Family Worship {Life With Toddler}

As Christian parents, we know that the Word of God ought to be central in our homes. Most of us probably think that family devotions are a good idea. We want to teach our children that the glory of God is our first priority, and we want the way we structure our home to reflect that.

But how?

There are two major pitfalls that Niall and I have experienced in our attempts at holding meaningful family worship times.

1. Lack of QualityMaterials. I cannot tell you how many times I've been reading a Bible storybook with my daughter, only to scratch my head and puzzle over the author's additions and/or misinterpretations of the Scriptures. We have purged more children's Bible books than I care to recall, simply because they are inaccurate or misleading. I've learned that if there is any question in my conscience, I'm much better off just getting rid of it, rather than inwardly cringing each time I read it to S.

Children may be young, but they certainly have a greater capacity for understanding than we realize. These early years are critical, and I do not want S to develop false impressions of God and His Word, simply because we carelessly fed her a diet of "Christian" twaddle.

2. A Short Attention Span. Two year old's can have a hard time sitting still... especially when they are tired or cranky, like right before bed when we do our family devotions. The last thing I want is for S to think of our Bible time as a burdensome, tedious exercise. My goal is to keep her engaged and interested, interacting with the material.

Our current solutions?

 365 Great Bible Stories. I am so thankful that my pastor's wife introduced me to Carine Mackenzie's collection of Bible stories! The stories are concise, simple, and true to the Word of God. Each one has a beautiful and sensible, Christ-centered application.

The only thing I don't love is the artwork- some of it is okay, but some of it is downright awful. I am picky, but I believe that quality illustrations are important... what can I say?  

S does pretty well sitting for these stories, but does sometimes get antsy. We try to encourage her in learning to sit quietly and still through them, but occasionally will just shut the book early on her extra difficult evenings.  

The Children's "Prove It" Catechism. I found this pamphlet randomly lying around at my church, and am so glad I picked it up! While we've wanted to begin a catechism with S for awhile, each one we looked at was just a little too wordy to hold her attention and memorize. This one is perfect! Each question and answer is short and to the point, with one proof text to memorize.

So far S has pretty well memorized the first five questions! We try to introduce one new question each week {if we neglect the catechism one week, we just stick with the same question the next}. You can find this catechism for free in a cool game format for older kids here. Or you can pick up a copy for $.75 here.

We start our family devotions by reading {usually} two stories from 365 Great Bible Stories, then move on to the catechism, reviewing a couple questions, and working on learning our new one for the week. Finally, we close out with a song or two and prayer.

Teaching S to sit still and concentrate is for sure a work in progress, but she is improving each week!

What resources for teaching the Bible to toddlers do you love? How does your family structure worship times? 

Don't miss the rest of our series on toddlerhood through the month of September! And please join us for our toddler link-up on Friday the 27th- any and all posts on toddlers welcome {feel free to dig up your archives!}.  

Check out the other posts in this series:
Introduction
Cleaning Up with your Toddler

Linked with: Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman, Thrive @ Home, and Growing Home.

Cleaning Up {Life With Toddler}

One of the simplest and most basic responsibilities that I can require of my toddler is to pick up her own belongings. In our home, I *try* to have S put away her toys and books before bed each night, as well as cleaning up little odds and ends throughout the day as we go along.

Of course, there is usually something else she would much rather be doing, and each toy that she picks up is a new temptation to play with. Many times I find myself getting irritated that I'm telling her yet again to put away the same thing, that cleaning up a small room takes 20+ minutes, or that I have to micromanage her progress with such a seemingly simple job.

Yet patience seems to be the number one requirement for gentle child-training. I must constantly remind myself to take a deep breath, keep a pleasant tone and countenance, and faithfully follow through on the commands I give her.

This is a work in progress. Tell me I'm not alone here?

I want to model joyfulness in my work, to show S by example that work is God's good gift to us, not a drudge. So for both of our sakes I am trying to keep it fun!

Make it a game. Totally on accident, I managed to invent a game for picking up. It started one day when S had dumped her entire box of crayons all over the floor- definitely one of our more tedious clean-up jobs.

To encourage her along, every time she dropped a crayon in the box I would make a different sound effect {think animal noises, robots, musical ditties, etc.}. She thought it was hilarious. So much so, that as soon as she had put the last crayon away, she dumped out the entire box again so that we could continue with our game. *Smacks forehead.*

From the crayons, it carried over to her food toys, and stuffed animals, and before we knew it, everything was nice and tidy. Success! She fondly refers to this game as "bee-doop" {the original sound I made}.

Sing. Who doesn't know the clean-up song? I'm convinced it is the international anthem of toddlerhood :). We will also put on some of S's favorite music to inspire her and help "the medicine go down." Every task is more fun when you're dancing!

Provide extra incentive. The other day I felt frustrated because try as I might, S was not staying on task during our morning clean up. Her favorite song is Gene Kelly's "Singing in the Rain" {we have similar taste, my girl and I <3}, and she asked to watch the You Tube video of it. I told her that as soon as she finished picking up her books, she could watch it.

Lo and behold, the task I'd been unsuccessfully encouraging her to do for over ten minutes was finished in less than two. Sometimes a kid just needs a little healthy, fun motivator- a light at the end of the tunnel, a reward for a job well done.

I know I sure do! I often reward myself at the end of a hard or unpleasant task with a few minutes of reading, a little bit of chocolate, or a cup of tea. Why should my child be any different?

Motivators shouldn't necessarily be offered every time- S does need to learn that she must obey, simply because Mama said. But they sure can be a nice occasional treat.

What works for clean-up time at your house? Any tricks of the trade to share, toddler mamas?

 Don't miss the rest of our series on toddlerhood through the month of September! And please join us for our toddler link-up on Friday the 27th- any and all posts on toddlers welcome {feel free to dig up your archives!}. 

Linked with: Grace Laced, A Sweet Fragrance, and The Better Mom. 

Life With Toddler {A New Series}

 S just turned two last month. She is a delight to my soul, bringing massive amounts of joy, laughter, and energy to each day.


She is also my greatest challenge. All of that energy demands that I respond likewise, and some days it is impossibly hard. Half of the time I just wonder if I'm doing things right, how I ought to respond to her, how to handle the different situations that arise.

Tantrums. Whining. Insatiable curiosity. Food issues. And boy oh boy does the girl want and need so much of her mama- my time, my love, my affection, my undivided attention.

Over the month of September I'll be sharing lessons I'm learning, what's been working in our home, how we are trying to embrace age two as terrific, not terrible :). I plan to cover education, family worship, adjusting to a new baby, handling housework... as well as anything else that strikes me.

Because I really long for the wisdom and fellowship of other mamas, I will be hosting a link-up here at the end of the month, on Friday the 27th. Any and all posts on toddlers are welcome (feel free to dig up your archives)!

What is your biggest challenge as the mother of a toddler? What kind of topics would you like to see covered in this series and the link-up?

Back to School For the Mamas {2013 Edt.}

Last September, I shared with you all my love of learning and the autumnal, back-to-school season. In honor of this most lovely time of year, I like to make sure that I am reading a hefty dose of goodies for my personal intellectual growth.

Here's how I'm furthering my own education this fall:

Last year I read Jesse Wise and Susan Wise Bauer's The Well-Trained Mind, and learned all about how to educate my children in the classical style. This year, I'm filling the gaps in my own sub-par education with Susan Wise Bauer's The Well-Educated Mind. So far it has been a fun read, challenging me to pick up all sorts of delicious classics, and to keep my own "common book" as a record of what I'm reading. I also am getting a kick out of the author's lively sense of humor- by being so witty, yet down to earth, she makes the task at hand seem more doable for average gals like me.

 Yes, I am still trudging {just barely} through Defoe's less than gripping account of the fallen Moll Flanders. I have this thing about finishing almost every book I start, and it is a classic... one of the first novels ever written. So heaven help me, I will conquer it! And then move on to one of the more exciting classics on my list, like Oliver Twist or The Great Gatsby.

For my Lord's Day reading, I've been enjoying Wiersbe's short biographical sketches of famous Christians of old lately. Jonathan Edwards, Matthew Henry, Katie Luther... all fascinating people who's faithful examples are desperately needed in our current casual Christian culture. Each chapter covers one person, is only a 5-8 pages long, and stands well on its own, so it is easy to put it down for awhile and pick back up right where you left off. Perfect for busy mamas!

I am trying to discipline myself to read books during nursings, instead of my blog rolls and Facebook newsfeed :). That should ensure good progress!

What books are on your reading list this fall? How do you celebrate back-to-school season?

21 Days to Loving Your Husband {Review and Giveaway}

Today I am over at A Biblical Marriage, sharing my thoughts on the recently released ebook, 21 Days to Loving your Husband, by Carrie and Melinda of Wholesome Womanhood.

It was a great read! Head on over to check it out, and for the chance to win a copy. Happy Tuesday!