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Here are 10 Easter Activities to Do with the Kids Today

Bellyitch Rewind

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Easter brings images of bunnies, jelly beans, crosses and spring to mind! Most families do the traditional Easter basket, egg hunt and church routine, but this Easter shake things up a bit by thinking outside of the box and incorporating a few more meaningful activities into your Easter traditions.
  1.     Natural egg dyes – Did you know that you can dye your eggs without chemicals? Annie’s Eats provides a list of different colors that you can easily create at home by using food to provide the color. You can find recipes for grey-blue, blue, yellow, pink and lavender.
  2.     Egg dying techniques – Why not make egg dying an artistic process? Spoonful has various techniques to use for your egg dying experience, including using tin foil, string, bubble wrap, thumbprints and tissue paper.
  3.     Easter egg hunts – Egg hunts are a traditional Easter activity for most Christian families. A lot of towns or churches will host an egg hunt, but if they don’t you should consider arranging one for your neighborhood or family! You can use real eggs (make sure they are hard-boiled first!) or use plastic eggs filled with various items, such as money, candy or other small trinkets.
  4.     Tissue paper egg art – Egg art is an easy way to decorate your house for Easter. This simple project requires some poster board, tissue paper, a pencil and a bit of glue. Have your child cut out an egg shape from poster board, draw a design on the egg with pencil, and then, using small squares of tissue paper, the eraser end of the pencil and a bit of glue, fill in the spaces with the tissue paper to create your Easter egg!
  5.     Stained glass crosses – You can easily create a stained glass cross to hang in your window with your child using tissue paper and clear contact paper. Cut the tissue paper into small shapes (have your child help, if it’s age appropriate) and cut out a sheet of contact paper. Draw a cross on the non-sticky side of the contact paper, remove the paper, and have your child fill in the cross with the tissue paper shapes. Once they are done, place another sheet of contact paper over the tissue paper and then cut inside the lines of the cross you drew on the first sheet of contact paper. Hang your creation in the window for the entire family to enjoy!
  6.     The jelly bean story – The jelly bean story is a great way to represent what Jesus gave his people and why Easter is celebrated. There is a short story to print out to go along with the project and each jelly bean color represents different things, such as the sun, grace or sorrow.
  7.     Envelope bunnies – Envelope bunnies are a great way to welcome guests to your home during the Easter season. Have your children help create them and then fill them with treats!
  8.     Egg chickens – Egg chickens are a cute way to spruce up a hard-boiled egg for a centerpiece at your table! You can create other animals too, so let your imaginations go wild!
  9.     Egg relay races – If you live in a climate that makes it possible to head outside on Easter day, consider doing some active outdoor activities with the kids. Who doesn’t love an egg relay race? You can place the eggs (hard-boiled!) on spoons and run with them (if they fall, you have to stop and pick it up). You can also pass off the egg to each other or pass the eggs down the line using only your elbows! The possibilities are endless, and the entire family can get involved!
  10.     Egg bocce ball – Use your leftover hard-boiled eggs to play a game of egg bocce ball. You’ll need one white egg (the pallino) and each player will need two of the same colors of eggs to play. Roll the pallino in the grass and have players take turns trying to roll their eggs as close to the pallino as possible. The closest egg wins!

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Mommy Wars: ‘Don’t Worry About How I Choose to Feed My Baby’

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People can be so judgmental about mothers and their choice of how and when to feed their baby. If it’s not society, it’s the overbearing mother-in-law or the know-it-all Queen B on your due delivery board community.

Everyone needs to just back off and live and let live. But let our partners at Tend explain it better:

 

Check out Why It’s None of Your Business How I Feed My Baby

by Tend Editor at Mode

The 5 Things Work-At-Home Moms Must Do to Stay Fit & Trim

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I am a work-at-home mom and like many other women who have to balance the rigors of earning an income from home while balancing responsibilities as a mom and wife, I find it difficult to squeeze exercise in my schedule.

For this very reason, I was excited to read blogger Dani’s post sharing her solid tips for getting her work out routine in while also caring for her children during the day. The girl looks fit so I think I’m going to try out her suggestions.

Because what you eat is key to fitness, weightloss and other weight management goals, it was awesome to read this segment of her piece, “5 Healthy Habits for Work-at-Home moms”:

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Put Junk/Kids Foods Out of Sight

Out of sight out of mind. Right? Wrong. (you know exactly where you hid the damn cookies. stop it.) But out of sight, less likely to binge on! I recently did a dump of all the processed foods, white sugar, white flour leftover, etc. I took it out of the cabinets and gave some way, tossed some out. It just had to go. Now, we do have some “junk” food left, and those are on the top shelf and only come out randomly for the kids. (I literally have to get a chair to climb up and get down their mac n cheese boxes) The fridge only has healthy foods (except for my mom’s jams for the kids pb&j sandwiches) If you don’t toss your favorite junk foods, I suggest you have your spouse hide the items and make sure he or she is strong enough not to bend and give them to you when you’re feeling hangry.  (This tip works for moms that work outside the home too!)

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Read more from this piece of advice and the entire post HERE!

Family Travel: 5 Ways to Entertain the Kids In the Hotel

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If you’re on vacation, chances are there will be a lot of down time in the hotel room. Your child may find the lack of space in the room restrictive, which could prompt unruly behavior or temper tantrums. Help them avoid boredom or cabin fever with some fun games and toys. It’s unrealistic to bring the contents of the playroom with you on vacation. However, you can bring along some compact game and toy options, or you can create your own activities that require little to no equipment. Here are some ways you can keep your little ones entertained during your hotel stay:

Dress-Up

If you have a little girl, have a mini-fashion show in your hotel room. The two of you can get her prepared for her debut with outfit preparation followed by spa services. Perform a special facial, paint nails and create a fun hair-do. You can easily pack a few accent pieces in your suitcase, like ribbon, costume jewelry or your daughter’s favorite dress. This activity is ideal for the child who enjoys planning and is enthusiastic about dress-up. It will require some patience on her part– but if you keep the energy high and have fun, it will keep her occupied and the two of you will have a blast.

Puzzles

Puzzles are time-consuming activities that can keep a child’s attention. If you have enough room in your luggage, pack some jigsaw puzzles. The two of you should pick out a jigsaw that is your child’s favorite animal or animated character, so they’re excited about the final product. The more enthusiastic they are about the content, the more time they’ll commit. If you have limited space for jigsaws, you can bring along some printed word puzzles. Design your own word puzzles at Busy Teacher. Include terms or words that are at your child’s reading level. You can make the theme of the puzzle reflect your child’s favorite hobbies, books or movies.

Card Games

Cards are compact and can be easily transported–they make a great alternative to board games. You can bring along a pack of regular playing cards for games like go fish, speed or gin rummy. Bicycle offers a six pack of kids card games that include Go Fish, Slap Jack, Memory, Matching, Old Maid and Crazy Eights. These cards are well-illustrated, colorful and designed especially for kids. Uno is another fun card game that is great for the entire family, as you can incorporate many players.

Music Video

Get the creative juices flowing and produce a music video with your kid. They can choose their favorite song, and the two of you can storyboard the visual elements. You can orchestrate outfits and practice choreographed dance moves. The video can be recorded on your tablet or smartphone. Many smartphones have video editing capabilities or apps, so you can instantly assemble the footage and polish it up for presentation. Your child will love to watch themselves perform and it is a fun, creative activity the two of you can do together.

Bath Adventure

Liven up bathtime and make the tub an adventurous oasis. The tub is like a mini pool where your kids can hang out and play with their bath toys. Bring along the essential rubber ducky or foam figures, so your child can entertain themselves with these toys. You also can go one step further and create an exciting bath adventure. You can purchase themed bath kits at toy stores. The Pirates of the Tub play set includes 36 foam pieces that make pirate figurines, islands, a raft, boats and the Jolly Roger flag. The pieces will stick onto tiles, the wall or sides of the bath tub. The set also includes three pirate squirters that your kid will love.

Take the Anxiety Out of Public Breastfeeding with these 3 Solid Tips!

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Breastfeeding in public can be STRESS-FUL and  can cause anxiety in many new mothers. But it doesn’t have to. The key is to ease the pressure is to  prepare for the moments. Here are three awesome tips from fellow mom blogger Carrie Willard on how to breastfeed in public like a pro!

1. Nurse at the first signs of hunger. A nursing baby generally draws less attention than a screaming one! So latch your baby on as soon as you notice that s/he is hungry…rooting, sucking on fist, grimacing face, etc. A crying baby also makes you nervous and you and baby may take longer to get latched on comfortably.

2. Bring a book or large purse to set in your lap for camouflage. Your diaper bag would also work. Set it in front of baby on your knees while you latch baby on. Or hold a book so that your baby’s head and your breast are out of view.

3. Practice latching your baby on quickly and discreetly in front of a mirror at home, so that you know how to do it without anyone really noticing when you’re out and about.

Good luck moms!

How to Turn Your Palm Sunday Fronds into a Cross

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Yesterday was Palm Sunday for Catholics and many other Christians world wide. The palms are representative of those crowds in Jerusalem waved when they saw Jesus and his disciples walking towards the temple on his donkey. The day is the start of Holy Week which includes Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Glorious Saturday and Easter Sunday.

It’s the end of the Lenten season and the beginning of ordinary time in the church.

During services palm fronds are handed out. Later the fronds are burned and their ashes are used for the next year’s Ash Wednesday.

A neat thing that people like to do with their fronds is contort them into crosses that they keep at their work stations at work, in their kitchens and some use as bookmarks.

Here is a video sharing how to turn your fronds into a cross.

Alison Wong’s New Mom Comic Strips are So Good Cause They’re So True

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I just discovered Alison Wong‘s new comic strip series, New Mom Comics and I am hooked! It is a hilarious and VERY RELATABLE look at the real life up and downs, joys and funny neurotic moments of life as a first time new mom.

Wong and her husband are parents to a one year old son and she says in the caption of one of her strips that she uses the comics to help her stay connected to those first tender months of her son’s life.

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And they are growing in popularity because of how on point they are. Here are 10 of my faves! I recommend “liking” her Facebook page or subscribing to her blog so you can get updates when she posts a new strip! I did!

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Jury Awards Maryland Couple almost $400K For Unwanted Birth post Sterilization Surgery

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A jury awarded a Maryland couple $397,000 to care for an unwanted fourth child they welcomed after the mom got pregnant following an unsuccessful sterilization surgery.

Chivonne Posey underwent the surgery after her doctor Dr. Paul Rodgers advised her and husband William Posey to get the procedure when the couple expressed not wanting to have any more children.

Rogers performed the surgery in January 2011 but a few months later she became pregnant and had a son later that year.

The court awarded the couple the money to compensate them for the cost of raising a fourth child who has special needs.

Eco-Friday: Get Curated Eco-Friendly Pregnancy, Baby & Mom Products Delivered Monthly

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And in our latest installment of “Eco-Friday“…..

The curated box market is booming.

Included  in this range of monthly or quarterly subscription boxes are services that target expectant mothers, babies and moms, generally.

The boxes are used as a way of educating new mothers on wholesome, earth-friendly and organic products that are safe to use during pregnancy and on their babies and themselves. Every month, subscribers receive a curated box of eco-friendly, conscious, products presented in chic, eco-friendly packaging.

A 3-month subscription cost $70.50 or $23.50 a month; a 6-month subscription is  $138 or $23 a month; and a  12-month subscription is $264 or $22 a month. Each includes 5-9 sample and full size products.

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The mom-to-be box for example usually has a beauty item, bath & body product, a snack, a pregnancy care item and a baby prep selection.

Membership, which is limited to US and Canada residents, also involves exclusive product discounts and “members only” giveaways.

Great stuff!  Learn more about Ecocentric mom HERE!

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