In honor of Memorial Day, our next good deed is to help a service member. I am amazed at and thankful for the courage that it takes to be a member of the Armed Forces, especially during times of war. And I am grateful that I can raise my children in a country that is being protected by so many brave people. I feel like nothing I can do will be enough to repay these people.
Recognizing a fraction of all of the fantastic blog posts, news stories, crafts and DIY projects that are created every week.
The tornado that struck Oklahoma earlier this week is a tragic reminder of how much we are at the mercy of Mother Nature. No matter how much we try to protect our children, there are some things that are unavoidable. Like many others, I find myself wondering what I can do to help. Since I am all the way out in Virginia, I can’t offer a helping hand. So I searched the web for other ways that I might be able to make a small difference.
Ever since the warm weather came around, I have been dealing with my own personal bug hell here in the country. We have bugs in the house, bugs in our yard and even bugs in our cars. Roaches, wasps, yellow jackets, ants, mosquitoes, beetles, spiders, stinkbugs and, of course, cicadas. I consider most insects just harmless annoyances. But the black widow spiders on our front door are unacceptable. As are the mosquitoes, ants, roaches and anything that stings.
Composting is something I do off and on. When I had my daughter eight months ago, composting got pushed to my “maybe later” list. Now spring is here and we are eating tons of fresh, local produce. For my next good deed, I have decided to get my compost pile started again.
Recognizing a fraction of all of the fantastic blog posts, news stories, crafts and DIY projects that are created every week.
As a mother, I often forget about taking care of myself. So many other things seem so much more important – feeding my family healthy meals, planning out our homeschooling for the week, or scheduling the next playdate. When I get a break (usually between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am), I spend that time doing one of the above or blogging.
With warm weather comes bugs – mosquitos, ticks, chiggers, ants and more. Because kids are much more susceptible to the harmful effects of toxic chemicals, it is a good idea to avoid using ingredients like DEET and pyrethrins when applying repellants to your child’s skin or clothes. Natural bug repellant options are readily available online and in stores. If you want to be very sure about what goes on your kids’ bodies, you can also make your own natural bug spray.
Years ago, I took a course on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. It was really helpful, but somewhere during the chaos of motherhood and life, I forgot most of what I learned about being mindful. Recently, I began reading about mindfulness again, and it has made me a better and happier mother. And I had a perfect Mother’s Day.
I love to wear dresses! But now that I am a nursing mom, I can’t really wear most dresses – unless I want to hike the whole thing under my chin or pull the entire top down. So I have been on the hunt for dresses that are both pretty and practical for breastfeeding moms. Here are 10 of my favorite nursing-friendly dresses:
I hope that all of you love the site as much as I do. If you do love One Part Sunshine, you can vote for my blog in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Eco-Friendly Moms contest! Voting is open until May 16, 2013, and you can vote once per day.
Recognizing a fraction of all of the fantastic blog posts, news stories, crafts and DIY projects that are created every week.
If you haven’t heard about Kickstarter, you need to check it out! Kickstarter is a website created to help fund creative projects. Project creators, ranging from musicians to designers, launch projects such as books, art and music. If you like a project, you can pledge any amount of money to help a creator reach their goal. This is an amazing opportunity to help a business or artist in your community.
Now that the weather has warmed up, we are spending a lot more time outside. My son loves nature – climbing trees, hunting for bugs and picking flowers. I don’t have to do much convincing when it comes to getting him outside. But I do like to encourage his love of nature and use it as learning opportunity. Here are 75 activities that are sure to inspire a love of nature in your child:
My son loves playing in rivers. He will spend an entire day searching for minnows, collecting river rocks and creating boats out of bark. So we were excited when the opportunity came for us to learn more about rivers and to contribute to the protection of a local river. For our next good deed, we participated in a local Riverfest.
Recognizing a fraction of all of the fantastic blog posts, news stories, crafts and DIY projects that are created every week.
Don’t forget about new moms this Mother’s Day! I shared some free (or practically free) gift ideas for new moms earlier this week. Now, here is a list of ten gift ideas that can be purchased for new moms. Anything that saves mom time or makes her life a little easier will be appreciated. She works hard and deserves something nice!
Since I am both a new mom and trying to watch our finances, this post on the best free (or practically free) gifts for new moms was pretty easy to write. I just thought about what I would like to have! Of course, I will be accidentally sending this post to my husband. Many of the below gifts can be purchased but are easy to DIY even for the least crafty of spouses.
Recognizing a fraction of all of the fantastic blog posts, news stories, crafts and DIY projects that are created every week.
I recently became aware of a wonderful website called Craft Hope. The objective of this blog is to collect handmade items to donate to charitable organizations. I love this! Most people (including myself) don’t have the income to make large monetary donations to worthy causes. Craft Hope is a lovely alternative that passes along needed items that are made with love.