I am up to my eyeballs in homework, but I wanted to pop in to share this article that was shared on Facebook.

The Important Thing About Yelling

{e} is only 8 months, and fortunately I have not yet had the opportunity to become a yeller. This article gives me a lot to think about, especially as very soon, {e} will get to the stage of baby destructo and I will need to exercise more patience than I may think I have. I know there are many different parenting styles, but this seems to fit with mine- and I wanted to share for others who may have similar views.

2nd Grade | Spelling

This summer I have a lot on my to-do list. Besides soaking up every moment with {e}, I also have my masters program to work on, and I have some classroom projects to work on. It seems like every year I bring home a bag full of things to work on during the summer, and every year, my spelling has  been in that bag. My school doesn't use a spelling curriculum, so it is up to each teacher to come up with their spelling program. I have been working on the actual list for about 2 years. Last year, I finally got the set-up the way I wanted, so my plan this summer is to find some engaging and fun ways to practice our words & patterns in class. I've been combing Teachers Pay Teachers, and have also been making some of my own activities. And that's where this post gets nice for you- I have finished one of my activities that focuses on the /ai/ pattern and am offering it for free! Below is a little preview of what is included- you can get the whole packet in my Teachers Pay Teachers store! (link to the right)

how we survived the first six weeks

All my friends are having babies, y'all. Seriously, there are 7 of us with kids a year or so apart- 6 of us with babies 6 months apart, or less! The other day, someone asked me what my must-haves were when {e} was born. If I was being completely honest, I would have said an IV of pure caffeine, or something stronger, because I was up 23 out of 24 hours with my baby there for a while. But, since that is not medically advised, I was able to give her 6 things that we used daily. And I thought that I'd just put it out there, for anyone else who was needing some ideas.

1. Munchkin | The Medicator - {e} was kind of a sickly little thing there for a while. This was the best thing we found to give her any type of medication. She was not a screamer, or a head-turner, but she just didn't quite have the whole I-need-to-close-my-mouth-when-there's-something-in-it down. She has always taken a pacifier well, so this was amazing.

2. Mary Meyer Wubbanub Pacifier | Ella Bella Elephant -Like I said before, {e} loves a pacifier (or bink, as it's called in our house). This was actually a gift from her aunt, and we love it for many reasons. The reason it made our 'must have' list was because when {e} was little and had some trouble keeping a bink in her mouth, having the elephant attached and laying on her chest kept the bink from becoming lost once it fell out. Now that {e} is 8 months old, she not only likes the bink, but loves chewing on the legs and tail too.

3. Hyland's Colic Tablets - These are magical. {e} was slightly colic-y, but her cousin was such a little fuss pants as an infant. These worked so well for both girls. I love that they dissolve really quickly. Usually these would be just the thing to help {e} get out that burp that she couldn't manage to get out on her own. Gas drops did nothing for her, so these were a lifesaver.

4. Fisher-Price | Rock 'N Play Sleeper - This was actually recommended to us by some friends who had a baby about a year before us. I am so glad they did! We don't use it much now, but for the first 5 months, it was a constant. We used it in place of a bassinet in our bedroom for the first few weeks so {e} could be right there by me at night. There were countless times I can remember flinging an arm or leg out of bed to rock {e} when she would fuss in the middle of the night. As she got older and slept in her crib, this found a new home in our bathroom so {e} could lay there in the mornings while I got ready for work. Now that she is sitting up, she does not like to be in it much, but it was such a worthwhile purchase when she was little.

5. Fisher-Price | Precious Planet Projection Mobile - When we were transitioning {e} to her crib, this mobile made it so much easier for her. Don't judge me, but as a first-time mom, I had a very hard time letting her go to her own room. There was a lot of rocking to sleep and taking naps on mommy's chest when she was an infant, so this transition was tricky. But, with some hard work and this mobile, we made it. I love it because it has 3 different settings- just noise, noise and spinning, or noise, spinning and projection. It has lots of different sounds, and two volumes, so we can get it just perfect for {e}. Perhaps the best part though, is that it comes with a remote, so if it times out, we can restart it with the push of a button.

6. Mommy's Bliss | Gripe Water - I know some people who love this product because it settles stomachs and relieves gas. I love it because it is a natural product and it gets rid of hiccups. {e} gets the hiccups constantly. Like, 2-3 times a day at least. As a baby, this was very frustrating to her. But a couple drops of gripe water and her hiccups would disappear! This was where the medicator pacifier got most of its use. I hated when she would get the hiccups, and didn't feel bad giving her this to relieve them, because of its ingredient list.

There is so much out there, and by no means am I an expert. And every baby + momma is so different, but this is what worked for us, and why. Maybe some real-life user insight will do someone some good, because it can be a scary, stressful guessing game sometimes.

Some Amazon affiliate links used

and so it begins...

Well, here we are. I feel like the first blog post is always so awkward. Like your first date which is actually his senior prom and a friend volunteered you to go with him without telling you first, so you go because your friend said you would, and he seems like a nice guy anyways, and your parents want all those awful prom pictures of your putting on his boutonniere and standing nicely together, and then the actual location is two hours away and you don't really have anything to talk about on the drive there because you don't know each other, but it turns out that you had a great time and he's funny (and CUTE!) and such a gentleman and so you stay up ridiculously late to talk on the phone and finally make it 'official' and then it's ten years later and you've been married for four years and have a beautiful baby girl and thank your lucky stars that your friend set you up.

Wait...that was just me?

Anyways. I wanted to start this little space of mine as a place to overshare, like above (not for that sole purpose alone, but more than likely this will be a frequent event) and to be  place to share what I'm doing as a young (and hopefully hip) mother of one and teacher in a small town. I've always liked to peruse blogs, but once I became pregnant I was a crazy information junkie, and it's only gotten worse as I'm trying to find ideas of how to have fun and maybe teach my baby a little something along the way. I hope you'll find something useful here, or at least slightly entertaining!