I am sure that I have said it to you before, but my daughter loves hearts. She is always cutting them out of construction paper and coloring them or drawing designs on them.
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One of her latest creations was the inspiration for this simple Valentine’s craft.
I used to love in old cartoons when the characters would fall in love and their eyes would bulge out of their heads filled with hearts. This would always crack me up. With Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought that these love goggles would be a quick and fun project.
Love is in the air. Valentine’s Day is just a few weeks away and my daughter is loving all of the hearts. She has been making sweet Valentine’s every chance that she gets. She even learned to spell and write the word love on her own. It is wonderful to get love messages from my little girl now.
Hearts, hearts, hearts, my daughter love hearts. She doodles them and cuts them out of construction paper all of the time. With her love for hearts, Valentine’s Day is the perfect holiday for my little love bug.
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We have been dabbling a lot with mixed media art. My daughter and I love doing these projects together. I had an idea to make a set of love birds using heart shapes.
Mirror, Mirror on the wall… It does not matter if I’m short or tall… If I have skinny legs or my hips are wide… Kim Uliana (The Pinterested Parent)
If you do not follow us on Facebook, you might not be aware that I love to write poems. Being a mother is filled with so many different emotions. There is love & joy and also frustration and sadness. The best way to express these for me is in rhyme or just a simple quote.
Here is the most popular of my works that went viral over Facebook this year. Never did I expect my words to have the impact that they did. Several others have made quite a splash as well.
Mirror, Mirror on the wall…
It does not matter if I’m short or tall…
If I have skinny legs or my hips are wide…
It only matters who I am inside…
Blue eyes, brown eyes, black or green…
What makes me most beautiful cannot be seen…
When you look at me, don’t judge me by my parts…
The most beautiful thing about me is my heart.
Kim Uliana (The Pinterested Parent)
Here are some of my other favorites as shared from our Facebook site. I hope you enjoy them.
*All images & words are copyrighted so please do not copy or reproduce.*
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Raising a child is a lot like creating a great piece of art.
It all begins with the birth of your child.
Your baby is like a blank canvas, pure & untouched.
You have a vision of what your creation should be.
You formulate a plan in your mind of how you will achieve this vision.
You start with a solid base. Your love & nurturing will be the backdrop.
Color & textures are introduced as you try to shape something extraordinary.
At times it can get messy & often there is splatter.
You worry as it begins to take form. Is it going to come out alright or will you mess it up along the way?
You take great care not to make mistakes, but you do.
You cannot fully erase these mistakes, but you can work around them and incorporate these flaws.
As time goes on you may get frustrated and try different methods.
Contrast and light touch your canvas, as often do strokes of blues.
As the paint dries, you sit back and admire your masterpiece.
You realize despite the mistakes that you made and the various imperfections that you have created something truly beautiful.
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I frequently write about my relationship with my husband. I like to joke at his expense often. (Sorry honey) The truth is I know that I am no picnic. I am moody, cranky and many times I do not give him enough credit for all that he does around the house and with our daughter. I say to myself “Well, he knew what he was getting into when he married me.” Did he really though? You think that you are the same person that you were before you got married, but how true is that really?
Let’s compare…
Appearance
Dating: Bought a new outfit, shaved my legs, did my nails, makeup and curled my hair before every date. I continued to primp until he rang the doorbell.
Married: Get home from work and throw my bra on the floor. Wash all the makeup off my face, throw my hair in a bun and change into something more comfortable. “Hey, how many days have I worn these sweats on the floor?” They smell clean. I think these have one more day left in them.
Thoughtfulness
Dating: “Honey, can I get you a beer? Uh oh! I don’t have the beer that you like. I better go to the store. Let me chill this beer mug before I leave.”
Married: “You are closer to the kitchen than I am. Get your own beer.”
Bathroom habits
Dating: Excused myself to use the bathroom because I had to fart. Ran the water, flushed the toilet and sprayed air fresher to cover up the sound or any lingering smell.
Married: “The dog did it”
Conversation
Dating: “Oh my god, you are so funny” (Giggling and flipping my hair.)
Married: “I’m sorry hon, did you say something?”
Interests
Dating: “Oh Yeah, I love football. The Pats are my favorite.”
Married: “The games on? Uuugggh! I will be in the bedroom watching “Once Upon A Time”
Seduction
Dating: Gave him an erotic massage while wearing sexy lingerie.
Married: Unbutton the top button of my flannel pajamas and whisper “The baby’s asleep.”
Like many young girls, my daughter is caught up in the fairy tale world of princesses and princes. She parades around our home in her princess dresses and tiaras almost every day. “Princesses don’t wear pants, mama.” They do however, wear gowns & sneakers like it is their job.
Lately, she has been bringing her father into her world of make believe.
“Prince, prince, where are you prince?”
“Prince, please get me some juice.”
Her prince is always happy to oblige.
I think about this fairy tale world that she lives in right now. In these stories the prince is always dashing and handsome with great hair, a sparkling smile and the ability to slay dragons. It is love at first sight. True love is portrayed with song and dance routines and of course everyone always lives happily ever after.
In the real world if you went around singing & dancing, they might have you committed. Love is seldom at first sight & that dashing prince might be a wise cracking bald guy. Not every relationship is a whirlwind romance, but that does not mean that it is not a great love story. The man that wins your heart might not be handsome or dashing, but he makes your heart skip a beat. In a real fairy tale the prince & princess have their ups & downs. They fight, they make up. You might not get a happy ending. You might get left with a broken heart. Life is not a fairy tale.
I hope that as you get older, you realize that real love is not what you read in your story books or see in the movies. There are no big dramatic gestures. John Cusack will not be outside of your window holding up a boom box. There will not be a mail box full of love letters from Ryan Gosling. Real love is flawed, it takes work. It requires communication, patience & understanding.
Real princes are men like your father. They clean off your car when it snows outside. They make supper when you are running late. They get up in the middle of the night to change poopy diapers and they are great fathers. Prince Charming may have slayed a dragon, but he never slept on the floor at the foot of his sick daughter’s bed. That’s a real prince.
Some days I’m a good mom – I feed you veggies & fruit
I keep my calm & don’t yell, even when we’re in a dispute
Some days I’m a lazy mom – I stop at Mickey D’s
I talk on the phone & sit around & park you in front of the tv
Some days I’m the funny mom – I am silly when I talk
You laugh at me when I tell jokes that begin with Knock Knock
Some days I’m the mean mom – I can’t help but scream & shout
You look at me with tears in your eyes when I send you to time out
Some days I’m a nurturing mom – I dry your every tear
I hold you close & comfort you & let you know that I am near
Some days I am the jealous mom – Tonight you like daddy more
I smile with a tinge of envy at the two that I most adore
Some days I am a patient mom – I answer every “Why?”
I take my time & carefully give you a well thought out reply
Some days I’m the frightened mom – I am scared almost every day
I ask God to please watch over you each & every night while I pray
Some days I’m the know-it-all & some I don’t know what to do
I am many different kinds of mother & all of them love you
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This weekend my baby sister got married, and by baby I mean soon to be 30. With 11 years separating us, I sometimes forget that she is a grown woman. Even with as much as we have been through together and the friendship between us, I often still think of her as that little girl that I used to make call me mom when we were out in public. After our mother passed, I felt as if I took on a maternal role. I took on all the worry, the protectiveness. I glowed with pride at all of her accomplishments and watched her mature and grow.
I looked at her over the course of the evening. She was so beautiful, so happy. I watched as she kissed her new groom & it felt almost surreal. When did she become this woman? She caught me watching her a few times, “What’s wrong?” she asked me. “Nothing.” I replied. She never did care for me thinking of her as a little girl. Why should she? She is a woman.
Our daughter was fortunate enough to be included in her auntie’s festivities as a flower girl. She was very excited to be a part of the wedding. She was dazzled by the whole day. Mai put on her beautiful dress. She had curls in her hair & a basket of flower petals. She oohed & aahed over the lights and flowers and flirted with the groomsmen. It was a night to remember.
This morning, still beaming from her first march down the aisle, our daughter asked to put on her gown again. We obliged & let her spend her day twirling & dancing in her new princess dress.
“Mama, someday I will grow up & I will get married.”
All of a sudden, I was having flashes of talks about the birds & the bees, young suitors, broken hearts, and my husband armed with a shotgun waiting at the front door to greet her dates. What kind of man will win her heart? Is it someone we know already? Will he be a nice boy or a punk? Will he be good to her? Will we like him? One day this day might come & as with my sister, I know that I will have a hard time. Even though she will someday be a woman, she will always be my baby girl to me.
“Yes Mai, someday when you are a big girl you might get married.”
For now, let’s take a nap in our princess dress & have sweet dreams about Play-doh.
