Caterpillars and Butterflies

Caterpillars and Butterflies

Life before kids, what a blur. I was working at least 50-60 hours a week in  the business of sales. I was leaving for work around 6 in the morning and not coming home until around 6 at night. I was getting the laundry done, I was cooking dinner, I was going to the grocery store, I was paying bills, and I was making time for all of the people in my life (aka. my busy husband who was busy working himself through law school). At this point in my life I used to think, "how great those stay at home mom's have it to be able to stay at home with the kids and play all day long." I just knew that if I ever became a stay at home mom things were going to be so easy!

Haha. 3 years later, when my son Collin was born, I became one of those stay at home moms. I was ready to play all day!! You can imagine how shocked I was as I started to realize how my time during the day began to vanish. I would barely get done feeding him and changing his diaper before it was time to start over and do it again. And the amount of laundry!! Oh my gosh, everyday. Baby clothes after baby clothes. Trying to clean the house and get dinner was an everyday challenge. Not to mention, trying to find "quiet time" to sit and pay bills. It was so hard. I just couldn't understand how I used to be out of the house 50-60 hours a week at my sales job and was able to get all of my housework done no problem, but now I was home all day and it seemed as though nothing was getting done. How is that even possible? And then baby #2 came along, hello Elle! Ok, so there went every free minute I thought I had. The running around was (IS) constant. 

Where is all of that "play with the kids all day long" like I thought? This just doesn't seem fair. I feel as if I have gotten caught up in this world of motherhood and was left out all of the perks.Well, if this playtime wasn't just going to magically appear I knew it was time to make some changes. I had to start making a point each and everyday to play with my kids. I know that sounds crazy, "having to make time to play" but that's the point I have gotten to. 

 I had seen online that a great activity to do with your 2 year old for fine motor development is to have them string beads onto pipe cleaners. Why not, I thought, let's try it. So I went to Walmart and paid about $3.00 for some supplies and we played. As we were stringing our pipe cleaner my son said, "look a caterpillar  mommy, you make the butterfly." It took me a minute to realize what in the world he was talking about and then it clicked. He was re-creating a story that he had heard several times before, "PROUD MOMMY MOMENT," and that story was "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." We decided to make this activity part of our routine and now we are going to share it with you! Isn't it funny how some of the best ideas can come from our kids?

What You Will Need: 

Pipe Cleaners (any color)

Beads (can be found in any crafting aisle)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Book

How to Play

(Really however you want to is fine!!!) Here's what we do. I will sit with Collin and read this book to him. I enjoy asking him questions along the way and having him point out specific things in the book. The more questions I ask, the more engaged he becomes.

 When we finish reading we begin creating. I always ask him what he will be making me. A butterfly or a caterpillar. "Let's just say he is very good at the caterpillar... lol!

I used to think being a stay at home mom was all about staying at home and playing with the kids, now I only wish that was the case. It is so important to make time to play and interact with our kids. I know we are busy, I mean isn't BUSY the very definition of motherhood in the dictionary??? But we have to remember, that our kids are special, and we are the only mother's they are ever going to have, So let's make memories they will cherish. Even if it is 10 minutes before bedtime because that is all of the free time we have, that is FINE! Our kids don't live off of time blocks and schedules like we do, they just live. And to them 10 minutes with mommy is better than no time at all! So moms, here's to my personal realization on how to play better with our kids in a mom's world.