She’s Crafty and She’s Just My Type

Posted on June 19, 2013 by

By: Rachel Ventura

I love love love to get crafty!! Many moons ago, I worked at a child-care center and I believe that this is where the hobby began. I loved designing bulletin boards and birthday walls and decorating the calendar and parent letter every month! I could sit for hours making arts and crafts projects, whether accompanied by children or by myself!

After leaving that position, I had a desk job and didn’t have much time or need to craft. That is, until I got engaged and started wedding planning! I really wanted to contribute to my wedding in some way and decided to hand make a few things, like the card box, favors, and save the dates! Also, my mother made the table runners, my sister-in-law made the invitations, and my aunt did all the flowers! Not only did I save a ton of money, but the wedding felt more personal and had an added level of love, which made an amazing day that much more special.

Wedding

Once I had children, my crafting outlet was thoroughly revamped! I began making birthday invitations and decorations, Halloween costumes, plus lots of things around the house. I’ve even sold a few of my creations on Etsy! It really is a fun outlet for me. Since the birth of Pinterest, the possibilities are now endless!!

I also love a challenge, which seems to happen every Halloween! But I really do love it! Two years ago, when my daughter was 20 months old, she really wanted to be Jessie from Toy Story. Of course, Jessie costumes do not come that small. So, I made it. Now, I do not own a sewing machine nor do I know how to use one. So everything I sew, I do by hand. I really love how the costume came out!!

Jessie

Last year, my daughter’s choice was Snow White. Easy peasy, no sewing involved for that one…or so I thought. Come to find out, Princess Snow White wanted her 5-month-old brother to be Prince Charming. How could I argue that? So, I was back at it again. This one seemed a little trickier and I actually sort of haphazardly put it together. But once again, I was very happy with the outcome.

Snow White & Prince Charming

These days, my daughter is completely obsessed with the movie Wreck It Ralph. The girl seriously loves Vanellope Von Schweetz. So, we decided that’s who she’ll be for next Halloween. I’m not sure if the costume will be available in stores, so I decided to make it. I know it’s only June, but I’m a planner and I’m already about 80% done with the construction of this costume and I cannot wait to see her in it!! I got the sweatshirt, leggings, and skirt on clearance at Kohl’s. I sewed pink shoelaces onto the sweatshirt and will sew the ribbon onto the leggings. I’m going to use a hot glue gun to mount the buttons (which I just got for 50% off at Jo-Ann’s!) to clips to put in her hair. My aunt got the boots on clearance at JC Penney. Viola! You have Vanellope!

Vanellope

In addition to Halloween costumes, my house is filled with things I have created. I love that I can custom make pieces, just the way that I want them, and display them in my home. It takes a lot of time and patience, but to me, it’s worth it. I get to have the decor that I truly want while also saving a lot of money! Here are a few of my favorites!

Decorations

Decorations Decorations

Decorations

Some people read, some do yoga, some shop (I do this too! Ha!), but for me, it’s really all about crafts! Seriously, if I’ve had a bad day, there’s nothing I’d rather do then sit down with my glue gun and some paint. It’s my happy place! What have you crafted lately?

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Moms … Come Celebrate With Us!

Posted on June 18, 2013 by

OB-GYN final art3_BC.pdfTo help us better serve you, our patient, we’ve recently opened a primary care location in Easton!  We are building for the future, and expanding into your community!

To help celebrate this expansion, we’re having a special night just for moms this Thursday, June 20 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at our new Easton primary care location!  The evening will include activities for the kids by Music & Movement as well as crafts by the Easton’s Children Museum.  Also, we’ll have plenty of refreshments on hand such as pizza, salad, juice, water, cupcakes and ice cream.  To come join us, below is the address for our new primary care office in Easton:

Two Washington Place
31 Roche Brothers Way
N. Easton 02356

To RSVP for this special night, please visit www.MySignaturecare.org/RSVPMoms and register online.  In addition to seeing or new location at Easton, this is a chance to meet other moms as well as some of our mommy bloggers here at the Signature Moms Blog!

Posted in Activities, Babies, Brockton, Events, Family | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Art and Nature

Posted on June 18, 2013 by

By: Mary Morris

Kids love nature and they love art. Who doesn’t, right? The two share a wonderful connection. How many times have you gone to an art museum and looked at beautiful paintings of oceans and sunsets and fields of grass? These are seemingly simple landscapes that are captured with light and texture by someone’s discerning eye – and incredible talent, of course.

Children are like that, too.  They can see the beauty and delight in simple objects like leaves and shells, and those items can provide endless fun.

After one of our outings to the plant nursery, my son Zachary and I took this picture of these flowers. These trips are numerous and carefree. We are never on a schedule or in a rush. I know this sounds difficult in the hectic world we live in, but I always think ahead to when my kids won’t want to do this stuff anymore and make time now.

Flowers

We both enjoy the sights and smells of the nursery. My son and I talk about the richness of the colors.  We touch and smell the flowers.

Several days later my son brought his work home from school in his backpack, and in it were all kinds of treasures: a paper kite, tracings of the letter of the week and some rolled up artwork.  Every week he comes home with artwork.  One of the free time areas in his classroom contains an art easel and he loves it.  Here is what he came home with:

Painting

If you ask me, it has a striking similarity to the flowers we admired just days before.  So my humble advice is:  stop and smell the flowers today or any day.  Look at the sun and the sky.  Talk about the colors.  Let your kids splash in a puddle.  Seek out a rainbow.  Art and nature are so powerful.

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Decisions, Decisions

Posted on June 17, 2013 by

By: Sheila Gaudet

Parenting comes with many decisions about caring for our kids. When our kids are babies those decisions include breast or bottle? Cloth or disposable diapers? Co-sleeping or “ferberizing?” Daycare or staying at home?  As they get older it turns into which school is the best match for my child? Do we really want to commit to hockey every weekend for most of the year?  Will the proposed puppy be a learning experience in responsibility or just another item on Mom’s to-do list?

Sometimes these decisions can be easy. We draw from our own experiences.  We read books, magazines and blogs. We talk to our friends, neighbors, and even strangers in the grocery store.  Every decision is based upon what is best for my child and family.

Unfortunately, I’ve been put in the position of having to make difficult choices. I blame no one else; my choice of partners and husbands have led me to this place.  It doesn’t make it easier, though.

When going through a divorce there are so many things to consider. It’s weird to go through a divorce with your children’s stepparent. When the person that you loved (and maybe still do) pledged to be there for you and your children, you want to believe that they will love them as you do, and often they do. When divorce enters the picture, though, that issue becomes irrelevant to the court.

My children and I originally moved to Massachusetts because it was where my husband’s family lived and was where his military unit was located. It was a collaborative decision that seemed to offer many benefits. Throughout our marriage, we made many decisions about careers and finances to provide stability for our family.

Now that we are in the hairy and difficult throes of divorce, every decision (even though they were made jointly) becomes a point of contention. My goal, as a mother, is to provide my children with as much love and stability as possible during this difficult time. They love my husband and have spent five years with him.  Even though they are 10 and 16 years old, the divorce feels like rejection of them, as well as me.

I had hoped that I would be able to stay in town for two more years to allow my eldest son to finish high school here. Unfortunately, because we had made the decision for me to switch careers, I am now in the unenviable position of having tuition bills from that decision but no job (as I was unable to finish my certification). I have returned to work, taking on two part-time jobs. However, my salary will not allow us to stay in our family home. Unfortunately, I have to decide whether or not we will move back to our old hometown, where we came from four years ago.  There, we have friends and family. I also have professional connections from living and working there for 10 years. It is not an easy decision, as I do not have a job yet. However, staying put is not an option either.

I try to put a positive spin on it for the boys, but they know how much it pains me to not be able to provide them with the that stability they want and that I promised them when we moved here four years ago. I worry about their ability to trust people and love them.  I want my children to be confident enough to love with passion and without reservation, and I worry that I have deprived them of the innocence needed to do that. So, decisions must be made. Stay or go? Give or take? Laugh or cry? Somehow, I know in the end it will be all right, because we have each other and some amazing friends and family. However, I still wish I didn’t have to make this decision in the first place.

Posted in Family, Sheila Gaudet, Childcare, military families, Marriage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Swim Lessons for a Sensory Kid

Posted on June 14, 2013 by

By: Martianne Stanger

Shaving creamIf you came to my house during bathing times when my oldest was a toddler, you would have thought something awful was going on inside. My boy had a sensory aversion to water that made routine hygiene a harrowing experience for us all.

Fast forward a handful of years and our boy has not only gotten used to the water, but has begun to love it. He now showers by himself, albeit not daily! He enjoys water play, both indoors and out. And – perhaps the biggest news of all – he told me yesterday that one of his goals for the summer is to learn to “really swim.” Yes, my boy wants to become a “real swimmer.”

In the wading poolI could not be more excited. However, I also could not be more cautious. I know that if my boy’s swim lesson experiences don’t go well, it could be back to the beginning stages of our long water-immersion program for him. First, we created many fun water experiences for hands, then body, then face. We stocked up on supplies for shaving cream fun, shampoo finger paints, gel body paints, and sensory sandbox stay days. We hit the wading pool and splash pad for a sense of “safe swimming” and had sprinkler fun. We took things step-by-step, day-by-day, one experience at a time, from one finger happily in the water to the whole body going under.

So, what do I plan to do in order to ensure that my boy’s first swimming lessons of the season are positive ones?

I debated long and hard about this. I know my boy is ready to jump in the water to swim. I also know he is ready for more class-type experiences in his life. However, I am not sure he is ready to jump in the water in a class-type experience with a teacher he doesn’t know and kids he doesn’t know. While this would be no big deal for some kids, it could be just too much for mine. Too many variables. Too many unknowns. Too many distractions and things to get used to.

Sensory sandboxThank goodness, then, that I found U Swim.  It is an incredibly helpful site that guides adults in how to teach children to swim one-on-one.  I used the site a bit last year for ideas in how to move all three of my children from waders to porpoises, floating and diving under shallow waters. Now that my oldest has declared he is ready for “real swimming,” I will move on with the lessons outlined on the site. Then, when (and if) my boy asks if he can take group lessons, I will set U Swim aside and brave local group lessons.

My oldest’s pace.  My support.  One day, one victory at a time.  That is our swim plan for this season.

What is yours?

Posted in Family, Martianne Stanger, Mommy Advice, Parenting Advice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Early Intervention

Posted on June 13, 2013 by

By: Heather Desmond O’Neill

“Dada.  Dada.  Dada.  Dada.”

A year and a half ago, this was all my youngest son was saying, and I was pretty devastated.  Just once I wanted to hear “Mama.”  I’m sure you’re thinking, “careful what you wish for…”  Now, I live with a real life Stewie.

At Jackson’s 15-month check up, my pediatrician told me she was concerned.  She recommended that I get in touch with Early Intervention and have him evaluated.  As a special educator, I knew that this would be a great resource for him, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to enter the world of evaluations and measuring his abilities.  But we did, and I’m thankful every day.

JacksonProfound physical, intellectual, language, social, and emotional developments occur in the first 3 years of a child’s life. Early Intervention measures a child’s developmental progress and determines if that child needs specific services to meet age-appropriate goals.  This family-centered approach has been instrumental in my son’s development and progress.

I know that some people view early intervention negatively, like there’s something “wrong” with a child who qualifies for services.  Let me tell you, they have been a blessing.  The only measurement I had for my second child was my first child.  Although I didn’t want to compare the two, I knew that Jackson wasn’t meeting the milestones at the same age that Jameson had.  I was apprehensive about the initial evaluation, but thankful for the answers it provided.

Once we started sessions it was clear that this was going to benefit the entire family.  Our clinician, Jen, was reinforcing skills with Jameson, teaching them to Jackson and answering all of my questions in between.  I find that I constantly question my parenting abilities and it was nice to bounce some ideas off of Jen and get some honest, open, and realistic feedback.  She helped us work with one another as a family, and Jackson’s skills have improved greatly.

PlayingJackson now sees a clinician and a speech therapist, and attends a community toddler group where he interacts with other kids between 18-36 months. He loves to go and I’m thrilled that he’s interacting with other kids his age. He says, “I’m going to Jen’s house to play with my friends.”  I truly appreciate these services.

I was once concerned.  I am now grateful.  Jackson will now chat up anyone within earshot.  His vocabulary has increased tremendously, but my favorite word of his will always be, “Mama.”

Early Intervention is not only for speech and motor coordination. They provide support groups for parents, families and siblings, parenting classes, infant and baby classes, home visits, transportation, and physical and occupational therapies.  If you think your child could benefit from these services, talk to your pediatrician.

Posted in Family, Health, Heather Desmond O'Neill | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Galactic Crafts

Posted on June 12, 2013 by

By: Tanya Pimental

It’s no secret, I love any excuse to look through craft supplies and plug in my hot glue gun. Imagine my delight when Jack’s school decided to end the month of learning about outer space with a  dress up day.  Instructions were to keep it simple. It wasn’t an effort to have Halloween in spring and to be either an alien or an astronaut. Even more awesome than getting to dress up as an alien? Getting to be green alien when it’s your favorite color. (Or at least that is what my middle man deemed to be awesome.)

Jack the Alien

We recently picked up some DIY foam sun visors for some birthday party fun, but we never got a chance to use the supplies. I never get rid of leftover craft supplies, as there is always cause to use it again. So, I used my leftover visor supplies to make the perfect hat for the occasion.  A few foam balls cut in half, googly eyes,  a hot glue gun, and a quick Google image search for martian ears were all I needed. The eyelashes are my favorite touch.

Lucy the Alien

The girls were so thrilled with the outcome that they, too, wanted their own versions.  This craft then resulted in building a space craft from couch cushions and an afternoon of imagination.

Emme the Alien

Posted in Activities, Family, Tanya Pimental | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments