Mom's Soul

{About}


Hi friends!  This page is dedicated to all of my thoughts and experiences about being a Mommy.  I will be writing to you about my "motherhood" journey, I hope that you will find it fun, and please feel free to comment anytime! All that I ask, is that you are truthful! I love to hear what people really think, no "sugarcoating" allowed! Haa! Haa! Looking forward to chatting with you!!


Cheers!
Annie


September, 2012
                                           {Hooked on Phonics!}

I don't know about you fellow Moms, but if I was to let my son watch T.V. or movies all day long, he'd be one "happy camper!" Monitoring his electornic usage, whether it be the television, ipad, or my iphone has been a little difficult for me, for we all will agree {but won't admit aloud} it gives us a nice little break {in my case, it's a REALLY nice break especially being pregnant}. My son gets to watch two-three shows a day while playing in his playroom. It may sound like a lot, but it really isn't. They are over beforeI know it and he's usually asking to "Can I watch it again Mommy?" Does this sound familiar?

While excitedly introducing Phonics to our Creative Minds site, I came across a video about couple of weeks ago at my local grocery store that his been an ABSOLUTE FAVORITE to my 2 year old, Leap Frog's LETTER Factory! I highly highly recommend this video!!! I think I paid no more then ten dollars for it. From the moment I popped it into my son's DVD player he was "hooked on phonics" the boy can watch this over and over! The best part is...he has learned his sounds to every letter in the alphabet! He loves to ask my husband and I, "What sound does a S make?" then quickly replies before we have a chance to answer, "Ssssssss, like snake!" He'll go though the entire alphabet! My son learned how to sing the ABC's throughly at about 18 months, but we hadn't yet really introduced phonics until now. It amazes me how quickly he caught on, and this video has a lot to take credit for!  The entire short film goes through the alphabet in a fun corky way while engaging children from the start to finish!
So, if you are in the hunt for a great EDUCATIONAL guilt free 30 minute video, buy this one! I know you can find it on Amazon cheap! If you do buy it, I would love to hear your stories on how it has affected your child{ren}. 


Happy rest of the month!


Cheers!
Annie



July, 2012
                                           {Oh boy..it's a BOY!}
    
This past Mother's Day I received the best news a woman could ever ask for, in 9 months I would be a new mother for the second time! I was extremely excited, but extremely scared at the same time, for I had had two previous miscarriages before. This time around my faith and optimism was put to the test. I had to just believe and leave it up to God that every thing would be alright. My husband and I decided not to tell anyone our news until the first trimester was over, well let me tell you that is pretty hard to do when your belly "pops" out so much sooner than it does with the first child. It was really hard to keep it a secret considering we are always around our families..I don't think I had ever worn that many loose tops in that consecutive time than I did those first few weeks. In the end, with all the previous great ultrasounds and the doctor's approval..we did make it to the 12th week before saying anything to our family and friends..except for my sister. Lol! 

Hearing the news made everyone excited, but right away came the wondering of the sex. It seems like from the start I had had the worst case of "morning sickness," so I was determined I was having a girl. With my son, I was NEVER sick, so wouldn't you start picturing "pink" everywhere? I know I did. For fun, we look at the Chinese Calendar..a girl, we did the spinning of the necklace...a girl, we looked at the heart rate..a girl and so on and so on. But, things changed at my 13th week ultrasound, when the technician said, "Would you like to know what you're having?" Filled with excitement, we gladly agreed, and sure enough it was a BOY! Now, she did say she was 80% sure, and that she would not say anything unless she was "really sure," and we got the picture to prove it, that it was in fact indeed another BOY! 

Despite our thought, we are extremely excited to be giving our son a brother, there is nothing better than having a sibling. We thank the good Lord for allowing us to be parents again and for the healthiness this time around has made us so grateful, we just continue to pray for a healthy remaining few months and a healthy baby! In the end, that's all that matters!

Looking forward to sharing more baby events on Mom's Soul here in the future!

Cheers!
Annie








April, 2012
                                  {Play Mats}

Creative Minds has been moving right along, we have enjoyed composing weekly lessons for our viewers! We hope that you find them useful! I wanted to share a fun activity I do with my son using his Alphabet/Number Play Mat. I think we purchased this mat for a little over twenty dollars, so it was very inexpensive, but we have also got so much use out of it! The mat is in my son's playroom, it's a nice soft surface for my son to play on and it protects my carpet from food and spills! This mat has also been used to sing our daily ABC's and 123's {the bottoms part of the mat has the numbers 1-9}. One of our favorite mat games is called "Letter/Number Search!" We first clear the mat completely of toys, then with my son standing on the perimeter, I call out one letter at a time , he then goes and finds the letter and stands on it. We then do a "good job happy dance" and continue on with more letters or numbers. He loves this game, it's kind of difficult spotting one letter with the remaining 25 letters and numbers. As he advances, I plan one saying letters/numbers in Spanish or have him spell out a word standing on one letter at a time until the word is spelt. You can get really creative! Just wanted to share this fun, educational, and cheap activity you can do with your little ones! 

The Play Mat

Stallone found the "S" for Stallone!


March, 2012 
                          {The Messy Bun}


Happy Spring Season Everyone! I can't believe March is almost over, where did the month go? This month I have decided to talk about good ol' fashion hair. Being a full time stay-at-home Mommy, I don't know when moms ever have the chance to do their hair? I know there are a lot of Mom's out there that have the beautiful natural straight or curly hair where this might not be a problem, but if you have the mid-length semi curly, semi straight hair like I have...well, it's a problem. From day one, I had promised myself and my husband that I would not sport the hairdo that looked like I had stuck my finger in a light socket 7 days a week. Yes, I know, I know, every once in a while it is okay to have those days, but not every day! So, today I want to show you a quick do, I call the Messy Bun, that literally takes me 10 minutes at the most.


Step 1: With a straightener, straighten all the little hairs around your face and the top layers of your head.


Step 2: Section your hair into two pieces towards the back of your head. Lay the front piece across the top of your head, and with the second bottom layer, lightly spray the bottom layer while holding it up.


Step 3: With a brush or a comb, lightly rat that bottom layer, then repeat theses steps with the front layer that was laying across your head. I usually do this to the sides of my head too.


Step 4: Brush hair evenly down, gather hair to one side making a bun and wrap a rubber band a couple times around it securing the bun. For thicker hair, take another rubber band and wrap it around the bun once more to secure it more tightly. 


Step 5: Pull random pieces of hair out making it look more messy or in my words sexier!


Cheers!
Annie


Side view of the messy bun!







February, 2012


{Picture your Life Photography}

Smile! Hi friends and family! Well, I thought January flew by, but all I can say is, "Where did February go?!? This past month was extremely busy for my little family, for we packed up our house and moved back to God's country! Literally. We are now surrounded by breathtaking mountains, trees, and wildlife! We love being back in the community where my Husband and I first met, high school.  In the middle of our move, I have discovered a new passion, well...I have always had a passion for this, but I am now ready to give it my all..photography! {and party planning} I was fortune enough to have the opportunity to take pictures of close family friends of ours, these kids were not only beautiful, but adorable!! Here's a sneak peak of my work. Hope you enjoy!


Cheers!
Annie











Cheers!
Annie


January, 2012


{Stallone's 2nd Birthday Party}

Hi friends! My adorable son just turned 2 and we celebrated with a big birthday "car themed" bash!  For two months I was thinking, dreaming, and making cars.  My inspirations came from my son's love for cars and the 4 X 7 invitations I picked out.  It was baby blue with three primary colors cars and I had a picture of my sweet Stallone.  I must have visited our local hardware store at least three times a week, buying more poster paper, markers, fishing line, tape, you name it...i got it! My dining room table was covered with party decor for two months.  A lot of my ideas were inspired by pinterest.com.  I have a few party tips for all of you moms: Tip one: If you are going to spend a lot of time on your decor, make your food easy.  We ordered my son's favorite food...pizza! {Stallone just said pizza while I was typing outloud}. Tip two: Base your parties around your kids naps.  Our party was from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.  Tip three: Have everything done the day before, so you are relaxed the day-of.  Hope you enjoy some of the photos from his car-rific party! Vroom Vroom!



Cheers!
Annie