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Say Yes To One More Book by Kim Uliana

‘Say Yes To One More Book’ by Kim Uliana

I have had a lot of bad luck in the past few years with people plagiarizing my poems and quotes. My most popular and copied poem was and still is “Mirror, Mirror on the wall, It does not matter if I’m short or tall.’

This one is now a close second. It saddens me, but at the same time it is wonderful that the words resonate with so many people.

This is one of my favorite poems and it all still rings true to me today. My little girl is growing more independent every day. I am savoring all of these moments and reminding myself

to always…

Say yes to one more book,

one more hug,

one more kiss tonight.

Tuck them in,

snuggle them &

ease all of their frights.

Cause one day, you will try to tuck

them in & they’ll be grown.

They will smile & say to you

they can do it on their own.

Poem by Kim Uliana (The Pinterested Parent)

 


Say yes to one more book, one more hug, one more kiss goodnight poem by Kim Uliana The Pinterested Parent

Free Fill-In Mother’s Day Poem

A Free Printable Fill-In Poem for Mother's Day. It is fun to hear the answers to you kid's questions..

Mother’s Day is only a few weeks away. There are many things that us mother’s could get on Mother’s Day, a day at the spa, flowers, maybe jewelry or chocolates or perhaps just some time to take a much deserved nap. My favorite part of the day will still be to cuddle up with the ones that made me a mother in the first place.

My daughter & I had a little question and answer session that we turned into a customizable poem that I thought that you all might enjoy.

MY MOM FILL-IN PRINTABLE POEM

MY GRANDMA FILL-IN PRINTABLE POEM

A Free Printable Fill-In Poem for Mother's Day. It is fun to hear the answers to you kid's questions.

Here is the poem that my daughter came up with based on her answers about me.

A Free Printable Fill-In Poem for Mother's Day. It is fun to hear the answers to you kid's questions. Would make a great gift or card

Thank you as always for reading. Please visit us on our Facebook page as well.

 

Poems & Quotes For Mother & Child

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)12 quotes & poems about motherhood & children - poetry mother & child.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)

Mirror, mirror on the wall. It does not matter if I'm short or tall.. A poem by The Pinterested Parent. DO not copy image or words.  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.

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.*

Let Me Be A Child

Say Yes

I Am Mother

My Children Are The Reason

A Mother’s Resume

Parenthood Is

The Art Of Raising A Child

You Made Me A Mother

Some Days I’m A Bad Mom

A Small Warning

From The Beginning

Frustration & Beauty

Thank you as always for stopping by. Please follow us on Facebook as well.

12 quotes & poems about motherhood & children - poetry mother & child

10 Things That Your Mother Was Right About

10 Things That Your Mother Was Right About

Raising a child can be difficult. We are at that age with our daughter where she tries to challenge us at every turn. She does not understand why we don’t let her do certain things & thinks that we are unfair. I have been thinking about my own mother a lot during these trying moments.

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I can remember being a difficult child. I can remember every eye roll and wise ass remark. I thought that my mother was so unfair & just enjoyed being a nag. Oh, how I wish I could go back & tell my young self that my mother was right about almost all of it.

Here are 10 times that my mother was right.

1. When you have kids of your own, you will understand. – This is ringing so true to me right now. A great deal of clarity comes with having a child of your own. You will never appreciate your mother more than when you have your own children.

2. Your Middle School boyfriend/girlfriend is not the only person you will ever love. – Can you remember being young & thinking that your crush was the beginning & the end of your life? For a few this might have been true, but for the majority of us, that “love” eventually passed & we crushed & were crushed several more times.

3. Study hard.- When you are young, you do not realize how important your studies will be for you when you grow up. Your parents do.

4. Wear your jacket. – If you drive by any bus stop with pre-teens or teens standing there, I am sure you will notice the lack of outerwear. It does not matter if there is a blizzard in the heart of the winter, it is just not cool to wear a jacket for some reason. We know that you are cold. Put on your jacket.

5. This too shall pass – It does not seem it at the time, but it will. As you get older, you will understand that some things are beyond your control. In time, heart aches & disappointments fade & later may even seem insignificant.

6. Just because all your friends jump off a bridge, it doesn’t mean that you have to. – A classic momism spoken by mothers for ages. This goes hand in hand with “If they don’t like you for who you are, they are not really your friend.” Mom was right. Be true to yourself. Those that like the real you will stick around.

7. Eat your vegetables. They will make you big & strong. – Food plays an important part in your all-over health. The right foods fight diseases, give you energy & just make you feel better. Mother want you to start a healthy lifestyle right from the beginning, so do them a favor, eat your broccoli.

8. Money doesn’t grow on trees. – How unfair it was of your parents not to buy you that new bike that you wanted. Why didn’t they spring for the brand name jeans? Because dear children, money really does not grow on trees. Life is expensive. This is an early lesson in financial responsibility & entitlement. You’re welcome.

10. Everything I do is because I love you. – Every decision that a mother makes, even the ones that turn out to be wrong, are because they think they are acting in your best interest. Mothers always worry. We will worry until the day we die & then we will continue to worry about you from above.

So the next time you are aimed with an eye roll or a snarky quip, remember that your mother is usually right. Listen to her.

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10 Things That Your Mother Was Right About

8 Reasons Why Dads Are More Fun Than Moms

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I have always considered myself to be a pretty fun person or at least I thought I was. My daughter & I have a lot of fun together. We do arts & crafts together. We go on fun outings when daddy is at work & we have a lot of smiles & laughs. For some reason though, it seems as if those smiles are wider & those laughs are louder when daddy is around. I know that I am not alone in this either. What is it about daddies that make them so much fun?

1. Dads like to rough house. They will throw you up in the air & swing you around by your arms, as mommies cringe in the corner watching. They are freer with their play & not as cautious. A scraped knee to a father is a lesson not a catastrophe.

2. Dads aren’t afraid of a little dirt. They are not afraid of mud pies, puddles or messes quite as much either. Dads know that the bigger the mess, the more fun that is had.

3. Dads have no problem serving Doritos & jelly beans for dinner. I am constantly stressing about what we feed our daughter. While I am grinding up vegetables to try to sneak into meatballs & smoothies, my husband does not bat an eyelash about bringing home a box of munchkins for breakfast & McDonald’s for lunch. What kid wouldn’t prefer a Happy Meal to a strawberry/spinach smoothie?

4. Dads can act like big kids themselves. I can get pretty silly & goofy, but my husband can always take it to the next level. Whether he is climbing into a crib to read a bedtime story, jumping on the bed or riding around on our daughter’s tricycle, his inner kid comes out to play & our little girl loves it.

5. Dads don’t care what you wear. If you want to wear pajama pants with rain boots and a cowboy hat to school it is fine. Who cares? Mommy does a little. I laid out a perfectly cute outfit.

6. Dads don’t say “No” quite as often. My husband often refers to me as the “No” mommy. If I am the “No” mommy, I guess that makes him the “Yes” daddy. If my child wants to stay up late, or have that sugary snack before supper, it isn’t mommy that she is going to ask. Dads don’t mind bending the rules a little bit.

7. Dads build & fix things. When you get that new bike for Christmas or one of your toys breaks, it is daddy that is the hero. This does not mean that mommy can’t do it of course. We just let him handle the tools.

8. Dads think farts & poop jokes are funny too. Toilet humor is a favorite of little kids & dads alike. They share giggles with every passed gas & chuckle about stinky poops. My daughter even has her father’s toilet lingo down. Last week at daycare, she said to her daycare provider “Miss Laura, I need to go squeeze one out. It’s going to look like a strawberry.” She is her father’s girl.

8 Reasons that dads are more fun than moms

The Benefits Of Arts & Crafts For Children

The Benefits Of Arts & Crafts For ChildrenArt & crafting have always been a huge part of my life. I was brought up in a family of artists. All of my aunts and uncles drew, painted or created works of art in one way or another. When my daughter was born, I hoped that she would share in this passion. When she had barely turned 1, I introduced her to finger paints & she painted her first picture.

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From that day forward, she has not stopped creating. I am teased often for the emphasis I put on arts & crafts. There is hardly an inch of our home that is not covered with a craft project or drawing made by my daughter & there is rarely I day that goes by without her picking up a paintbrush or crayons. The truth is my daughter has learned so much from every craft made & every picture drawn.

Learning about various textures, the combination of shapes & how to mix & blend colors are just a few of the things that art has taught her. There are many other benefits.

It teaches focus & concentration. Each project keeps her engaged & shows her the process & steps that it takes to turn a blank canvas or object into something beautiful.

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It helps develop a strong attention to detail. Whether she is making sure that her butterfly has an antennae or adding a trail of slime to the bottom of a snail, she observes & recognizes the details in everyday things.

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It boosts creativity & imagination. We have experimented with several different types of craft materials over the years. In the beginning, I would come up with an idea for a project & show her what to do. Now at only 3 years old, my daughter takes the lead. One day she asked me for pieces of an egg carton. Since we usually have them readily available for crafts, I obliged & handed her pieces of one. With a few random pieces in hand, she told me that she was going to make a tutu with legs & red high heeled shoes. I was unsure of how she was going to accomplish this, but I watched as she carefully painted each piece & listened to her as she told me all about her girl in the tutu. When she was done, she proudly assembled her pieces. She was not the only one that was proud.

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Encourage your children to express themselves. Remember art is all about expression. If they want to paint a purple sun, let them. Allow them the freedom to create & sit back and enjoy the ride.

I was inspired by Invaluable.com and asked to write about youth art. Invaluable is an advocate for all forms of artwork, whether it be children’s paintings or classic fine art.

 

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Surviving A Road Trip With A Toddler

Surviving a road trip with a toddlerVacationing with a child can be difficult & stressful. Before our daughter was born, my husband & I were big travelers. We wanted our travels to continue as a family after her birth. We have traveled by air, by ship & we have traveled by road as well. Road trips with a small child can offer some challenges, but they are possible & can be an enjoyable way to take your journey.

Our most recent trip was to the Kentucky Derby. My husband has a goal of completing a marathon in all 50 states, so we worked the Derby marathon into a fun filled vacation with the Kentucky Derby as our final destination. This trip spanned 2000 miles round trip. With that much driving time, it is important to make sure that you keep your young ones happy. Here are some tips for the road.

Packing

One of the advantages of road tripping is the ability to pack more freely. You don’t have to worry about the restrictions that come with commercial travel.

Pack all of your essentials. Check out our vacation & packing tips.

While most of your luggage stows away in trunk, there are many things that you should leave accessible for your travels.

Have snacks & drinks within arm’s reach.

Have a trash bag, hand wipes & napkins on hand to clean up spills & messes.

Leave out a change of clothes & diapers if still needed.

Pack books, IPads, movies & your child’s favorite blanket or toys to snuggle up with.

Itinerary & Timing

As they say, timing is everything. This is true with most things & especially when traveling with a small child.

If you are driving great distances that might require a full day of travel, traveling before their bedtime might help alleviate any travel disasters. Getting an early start or leaving at nap time will also take some stress off your journey. We had a 15 hour drive ahead of us. We woke our daughter early & let her sleep in the car for a couple of hours while we began our first leg.

Plan to stop at great points of interest along the way to break up your drive. Add this into your vacation plans.

We made an overnight pit stop in Niagara Falls en route to Kentucky.

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Food & Drink

Stop for quick meals to stretch your legs & refuel. Eating on the run will work too if your child is content. Snacks will be your friend on a long trip. Just make sure to watch your child carefully when they are eating. Be sure to also have drinks on hand, but if possible try to limit their fluid intake while on the road to avoid frequent stops.

Our snack selection included:

Juice boxes

Bottled water

Fruit snacks

Granola bars

Doritos

Animal Crackers

Dry cereal (Fruit Loops & Cinnamon Toast Crunch)

Bananas

Hershey Kisses for emergencies & a little bribery

Boredom Busters

It is your job to keep your little ones entertained. You might have to get creative.

I amused my daughter for a half an hour just by blowing bubble gum bubbles. If you find something that works for you, go with it.

Our daughter is a music lover. It was actually quite funny to hear our 3 year old request Matchbox 20 as we drove.

Climb in the back seat & read your kid/kids a book.

Play a game. Depending on your child’s age there are many fun games to play on the road. We played eye spy with cell phone towers & silos.

Talk to your child. Now is a great time to teach them things. Are they learning to count or their ABC’s? Point out animals & buildings along the way. There are many lessons that they can learn from the car seat.

I know many parents are not too keen on their children using electronics, but there are many wonderful learning apps for small children that will teach & entertain. An IPad can be a lifesaver on a long car ride. We saved this as a last resort, but it was successful in keeping Mai engaged on our full day’s journey home. Our daughter used a coloring & drawing app that had her talking and smiling for hours on the way home.

Our road trip went off without a hitch. Our little girl did great. We enjoyed every minute of our family time together. I can’t wait for our next trip. What are some of your best tricks for the road?

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Surviving a road trip with a toddler

 

 

 

 

An Ode To PMS & Sunday’s Best Link-Up #15

i-am-pms-ing-unless-you-have-chocolate-wine-or-bradley-cooper-with-you-leave-me-alone-e2b13Today I cried. I don’t know why.

I yelled at my husband just for breathing..

My pants don’t fit. I’ve got a zit.

This whole day has me seething…

 

I have an ache in my head. I want my bed.

Someone get me a pint of Ben & Jerry’s

Quick get me a spoon. I hope this ends soon.

Before my husband leaves & remarries…

 

Toppled over in pain. This is insane.

I think that I am going to hurl…

Please cramps go away. Come back another day.

Oh how I hate being a girl.

pms

 

Thank you as always for stopping by. Please follow us on Facebook as well. Please continue on to week #15 of our Sunday’s Best Linkup…

 
 
Welcome to Week 15 of  Mother 2 Mother’s Sunday’s Best Linkup We’ve started our April Showers theme. As they say, April Showers Bring May Flowers, but they also cause us to spend lots of time indoors. We’re looking for indoor activities for kids, Mother’s Day ideas, recipes, crafts, DIY, organizational tips, summer garden preparation tips, SEO and blogging tips. Anything that we can work on during those rainy days. Blow the dust off your old posts and link those too. Don’t have posts that fit into the theme, link up whatever post you would like to share. We would love to have parenting tips, DIY projects, homesteading, homeschooling, and your posts on family and life. Your linkups and giveaways are welcome here too. Anything goes, as long as it’s family friendly and you may linkup as many posts as you would like. 

Each week your hosts will select their favorite post and it will be featured the following week. An image from your post will be used on my blog the following week with a link back to your blog. Be sure to check back to see if you’re a Sunday’s Best featured blogger. All Featured Bloggers will have their posts Pinned to the Sunday’s Best Pinterest Board.    

If you are interested in becoming a Sunday’s Best host, please contact me for details at rhonda@mother2motherblog.com or email one of our other hosts. 



                                             Your Sunday’s Best Hosts are:


            Rhonda – Mother 2 Mother                Kim U. – Pinterested Parent         Kim M. – Life In A House of Testosterone


  

Here’s the rules, please connect with us on social media before you leave or subscribe/follow to our blogs:  


Mother 2 Mother: Please like my 
Facebook Page, follow me on Twitter,  Google+, PinterestBlogLovin or subscribe/join my blog on the right before you leave.   



The Pinterested Parent: Please like Kim’s Facebook Page, follow her on Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Bloglovin before you leave.  



Life In A House of Testosterone: Please like Kim’s Facebook Page, follow her on Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Bloglovin, or Instagram before you leave. 


 

Mother 2 Mother Blog

Last, please help us grow by placing our button on your sidebar. If you are selected as a Featured Blogger please let your readers and followers know. They may want to join the party too! For those who have a Link Party list/directory, please add us. I appreciate your help in promoting the linkup with Re-tweets and shares. Now lets party! 

The Sunday’s Best Posts are:

 

Kim U. selected Red Velvet Cream Cheese Bars from Lou Lou Girls   





I selected 10 Surprisingly Fun Things To Do with Canned Biscuits from Coupin Diva 





Kim M. selected – 23 Ways to Add Farmhouse Style from Cottage Making Mommy  








Congratulations ladies! All of the posts were great, and I appreciate each of you linking up. I would like to invite all of you back to linkup your post(s) again, it could be selected this week. While you’re here take a minute to visit these great blogs. It’s a great way to meet and connect with new bloggers. Be sure to PIN or share any posts that you like, we all appreciate a little love. 


Coping With Night Terrors

Coping With Night Terrors                                                                             *This post contains affiliate links*

Being a mother is filled with worry. This worry begins before your child is even born. When you are pregnant, you are afraid of complications with your pregnancy & the birth. After you bring them home, your fears continue & broaden. With each new stage brings a new set of worries.

One of the most terrifying of events that we have encountered as parents was the first time our daughter experienced a night terror. In the most frantic of screams she called out for us in the middle of the night. When I went to see what was the matter, I found her sitting up in her bed. I crouched down beside her & let her know that I was there. She looked right through me with wide eyes. I called out to her & she began to scream. My husband & I tried to hold her to comfort away whatever it was that was disturbing her. She began to shake & seize until she almost fell out of our arms. We laid her back down & she started to throw herself into her bed rails. It was as if she was possessed by some sort of demon. We placed her on the ground and surrounded her with pillows as she shook & slammed her head down. Terrified that our daughter was having a seizure, we called our doctor & began to prepare to bring her to the emergency room. With tears in my eyes, I continued to watch my daughter thrash on the ground while my husband spoke to the on-call doctor. Suddenly, our daughter stopped. She put her thumb in her mouth, rolled over and fell back asleep as if nothing had happened.

This was only the first of many other incidents. Each episode is different. Some are more dramatic than others; some are strange occurrences of sleep talking in which it sounds as if she is speaking in tongues. Very usually, we can predict when one is going to occur. Her terrors are usually brought on after a sickness or several days without sleep, but there are other factors that can cause a terror such as stress, sleep disruptions, sleeping away from home or in some cases, a medical condition.

Our daughter has been battling a nasty cold this week. Between the sickness & the lack of sleep due to the sickness, I knew a terror would be coming. I was right. Last night, I was awakened by frantic cries, a blank stare & the all too familiar thrashing around the bed.

What you can do:

Make sure your child is safe. If they are thrashing and flailing around, place them somewhere safe so that they don’t injure themselves.

Do not try to intervene. We learned this the hard way. Trying to hold or touch them will only prolong the episode. Talk in a hushed voice or sing softly and let it ride out. Be sure to stay close by until it is over & they are no longer in danger of injuring themselves.

You may also try products such as Lully Sleep Guardian. Check out what people are saying about this system.

Have you had any experiences with night terrors? Please share.

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10 Parenting Truths That We Are Guilty Of

 

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As much as we would all like to be super mom or dad every day, the truth is there are times that we are less than perfect. There are moments in parenthood that we are not always proud of.

1. We use our children as excuses not to go places. – “I would love to come to your Tupperware party, but unfortunately the little one has a sniffle.” Not only have we used them as an excuse not to go somewhere, they give us a great out when we want to leave somewhere early.

2. We have left our kids in pajamas for the whole day. –   We have even been known to stay in our jammies all day long with them. Don’t judge.

3. We have fed our children snacks for a meal. A bowl of Goldfish, some fruit snacks & a couple of blueberries is a good lunch, isn’t it? I hope they are not still full from the handful of saltines with peanut butter & the box of raisins that they had for breakfast.

4. We have skipped over pages in a bedtime story. – I have skipped over words, paragraphs & even full pages to get through a story quicker when I was tired. Unfortunately, as they get older they begin to realize this trick. 

5. We have completely tuned out something that our child was saying. – We do not do this intentionally, but let’s be honest; we have all done this at least once while distracted by another task. A few head nods and a carefully placed “Reeeaally?”‘ or two while you are fixing dinner and you have missed a whole conversation.

6. We have called our children by the wrong name. – For the longest time growing up, I thought my name was Linda-Kim. My mother mixed up me and my sister so much that she just started calling us both by the two names combined.

7. We have kept our children awake in the car, so that they would nap at home. – Let’s face it, a nap in the car is a waste of perfectly good quiet time for mommy & daddy. I have tickled my child’s feet, sang or given her a snack when I saw that she was starting to doze off. Stay awake kiddo, mommy wants a nap too.

8. We have lied to our kids. – Whether it is perpetuating the myth of Santa Clause & the Easter Bunny or trying to convince our child that brussel sprouts taste good, we have all told a few white lies.

9. We are not above bribery. – We know we should not do it, but we do. In a pinch I have pulled out a bag of Skittles to get through a meal out at a restaurant. I have offered treats to get her to smile for a family photo. Sometime desperate parents crack under pressure.

10. We don’t like other people’s kids. – This does not apply to everyone of course. There are exceptions, but on the whole other people’s children annoy us. You can admit it.

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10 Parenting Truths That We Are Guilty Of