Party Time at Chuck E Cheese!

I can’t even wrap my head around the fact that my beautiful baby boy is now four. FOUR! I have a four year old. How the heck did that even happen! I swear I remember him just being two, and wobbling around trying to repeat words we said. Now he’s a full on four year old with a wide vocabulary, spelling out his name and sharing his strong opinions with us. It has been quite an adventure with him, and it’s been fascinating just watching him grow and grow every day. Seeing his personality shine through more and more. Truly one of the best things about parenting, but also the hardest, or should I say saddest. Makes me miss when he was so little, and relied on me for everything! 

When it came down to where we were going to have his party we knew Chuck E. Cheese was the way to go! Not only because it has been his all time favorite place for years now, and his last two birthdays were done there. But we needed something that wasn’t going to stress us out too much. February was already very chaotic and eventful for us so we had many things going on, and things that we had to get done, so having a place that would let us breath a bit and do all of the work for us was a must! Chuck E Cheese made it all happen for us with their very easy birthday packages that include play, food, and cake! We got to just enjoy everything as much as the kids did, without worrying about a trillion things. If you haven’t had Chuck E. Cheese pizza then you are truly missing out. They also made sure that he felt like a birthday superstar. His face lit up when Chuck E himself came out to sing him happy birthday and he was able to hi 5 him and take a photo. He was the happiest boy in the room. 

It was such a great day, and the smile on his face made it all worth it. Chuck E. Cheese is a big parenting win when it comes to party planning. If you want it all done for you, for a reasonable price & tons of fun for the kids then you should go with Chuck E Cheese! 

This post is not sponsored. Just sharing our experience, and all opinions are 100% our own!

Eating can be fun too!

The biggest struggle on our home besides homework time has got to be dinner. I have two outrageously picky eaters. Like to get them to try something new is a definite no go! They even analyze food I make that they usually like. We all know that the favorite food from last week, will somehow be hated the next week. When it comes to getting these boys to eat anything that’s not donuts it  is a struggle! I have tried just about everything too! Cod liver oil to help their metabolism. Not giving into snacks during the day. It all just doesn’t seem to work!

I randomly was searching through Zulily one day and found these really cool Fred & Friends Dinner Winner plates. As a desperate momma who was worried that her kids were quite possibly malnourished, I ordered two and waited very impatiently for them to be delivered. They are not only super cool and colorful to look at, but very sturdy and well made. It looks like a super fun race to the treasure kind of game. Of course I told the boys it’s not really a race to see how fast you can it. It’s just a race to see if you can eat all that is on the plate to get to your ending surprise. 

Did these plates completely fix their bad eating habits ? No. But it’s not to say they didn’t work at all either. I believe it all matters on your child’s age, and just the kind of kid they are. I have noticed it fully works for my six year old, but I can’t pack it full with food. So I put very little in each space! I am hoping that each time I can add just a tad bit more, and we will make it work. For my youngest it must be a food he likes, because if it isn’t he can careless what the ending surprise treat is. But if I put some chicken and rice for the most part he will make it all the way on a good day, or atleast half way - which is honestly a huge improvement from ordinary dinner time chaos.

I would definitely suggest parents of picky eaters from 4 years old & up to give them a shot. They might not fully work but some progress is better than no progress at all. At every meal time now they always say they want their special dinner winner plates, and I am very happy I decided one stressful 2am night to order them and take my chances. My kids no longer go to sleep with empty bellies, and that’s a huge mom win right there. 

Valentines Day Interview with My Kids

I wanted to do something special with Valentines Day approaching. As some of you know I went into labor right after Valentines Day, and then two days later Caleb made his grand entrance into the world. I have always been a big fan of Valentines Day, with or without a partner. But now as a mom I love it even more, because I have seriously never felt a love like this one before. It has been such a beautiful yet tiring experience, but I would not trade it for the world. I wanted to do something a bit different that I can look back on in a few years. Maybe it will be something  I can do every year just to see how much their answers change. I decided to interview my kids about the topic LOVE. It was pretty stinkin' cute if you ask me.
 ( Jace: 6 years old, Caleb: 3 years old )

Q: What do you think the word love means?

Caleb: I love you!

Jace: When people hug and love each other

Q: How do you know if someone loves you?

Caleb: They cuddle with me.

Jace: Because they give you besos.

Q: What do you love about mommy?

Caleb: That she gets us lots of packages, you are a packager lady. That's what I love about you.

Jace: She makes me laugh

Q: What do you love about your brother?

Caleb: When he does silly farts, like I did three farts right now.

Jace: He always makes me laugh with  his dancing.

Q: What do you love about your daddy?

Caleb: When he comes back from work

Jace: When he rips his shirt like Hulk Hogan

 

Q:How do you know you want to marry someone?

Caleb: I don't know what that means.

Jace: You just pick them, I guess so.

Q:What is your favorite kind of candy?

Caleb: Trick or Treat Candy

Jace: Hershey Kisses

Q:What do you think daddy will get mommy for Valentines Day?

Caleb: A WWE Divas book

Jace: Makeup

Q:What do you think mommy will get daddy for Valentines Day?

Caleb: IT Shirt

Jace: Stranger Things shorts

Q: What do you think makes mommy happy?

Caleb: When I play with you.

Jace: That she has us!

Q:How much do you love me?

Caleb: A lot of times!

Jace: A billion jillion.

 

 

 

Kids Night Time Routine.

A couple months ago I shared with you all my very own night time routine so I felt I should share the routine I have with my boys ALMOST every night. Cus let’s face it, sometimes I let them stay up later than usual so they won’t hate me as much. Sometimes I let them go one night without a bath because kids can get away with a night or two, no?! I pick my battles, and I know when they just need me to wing it a bit. But for the most part my kids strive on consistency, like many children.

After a long day of school and work we both need the night to bond for the most part. So I try my best to do everything we have to get done while making it fun, and lots of talking and reflecting. Bath time has always been something they have both enjoyed since babies and I truly believe it’s because I have never made it feel like just something we have to do, but a fun play time in a different room. Whether it’s bringing in some action figures, or playing a simple mind game. We have made up so many games in the bath, and silly songs that bath time is something we are always looking forward to, even if I have to tell them 1000x times to stop splashing! 

Once they are out and smelling fresh, it is beyond important that I make sure their body is very moisturized! They both have eczema that is either mild or terrible due to weather change. During this frigid NYC weather right now, it usually gets worse, so I was very happy when Triderma sent us over their Eczema itch and dryness healing cream. It has been our holy grail night time cream that helps dry patches no longer appear. It feels good to no longer worry about my son scratching off his skin, and feeling uncomfortable throughout the night. Now he can get the rest he needs every night. 

After they are dressed in their cozy pjs I let them pick out some books to read from our impressive collection. I have always been a huge book lover, so it was no surprise to anyone when I started collecting children’s books at 2 months pregnant! I knew I wanted it to be a huge part of their daily life. So being consistent with it and helping them find their passion for literature was important to me. So I try to keep it alive each night by finding books I know will inspire them, and make them laugh. I also make sure we enjoy some time at the library to pick out some new books. I usually stick to books that will teach them kindness, empathy, courage or motivate them to be good human beings. I feel that is the best thing for them to read at the end of the day so it gears them up for an even better day to come. Also now that my six year old has learned how to read I give him the chance to choose a book that he can read to his little brother, and they enjoy it just as much as I love watching him do so. 

As soon as teeth are brushed, and potty time is over I start getting the bedroom ready by making it a peaceful and stress free space. I get my ArtNaturals oil humidifier ready with some drops of lavender and eucalyptus essential oils. I also spray some on the pillows, and ask our Google Home Mini to play some nature sounds. It’s time to wind down and say our I love you’s and affirmations for the day to come. I remind them that they are safe and that today we had some lows (with two boys running around trust me we always have our share of time outs, and tantrums)  but it was a good day, we count our blessings and thank God for the space and love around us that  he has given us. Some nights last longer than others... I will not sit here and lie to you and say they go straight to sleep. Some nights I will lay their for hours as they giggle away, but then theirs nights were they can’t fight it and fall asleep within minutes, and I just give them a little bit of time to fall into a deep sleep so I can  move them over to their bed. Yup, they fall asleep on our bed- mostly every night. A bad habit that every one will tell you not to start.. but it’s what works for us so I won’t hide it, instead I embrace it. They are only little once, and we will get our bed back soon and absolutely miss seeing their little bodies in them. 

A night time routine is definitely much easier said than done. So if you are a parent who is still struggling with it, don’t beat yourself up about it. We all just have to find what works for us, and it won’t be the same for everyone so I have learned to never take for granted what works for us, or compare our routine with others. As a parent you start to realize just how much you miss sleep when it becomes something you barely get to enjoy, so making the last minutes of your day with your kids at the same time enjoyable but productive is key! Do your best, it’s all that matters.