The Perks of Play

This information comes from the February issue of Baby Talk.

An enriched play environment is critical to baby's development and teaches skills they will use later on in life. Here are the top ten reasons for play.

Play makes kids smarter. Turn off the TV and educational DVD's  and pull out the dolls, cars, balls and bubbles.

Play helps social development. Whether it's a play date or a trip to the playground, provide opportunities for your tot to interact with children their age. These moments build the foundation for future social relationships and exert external pressure for them to act in socially desirable ways.

Play helps develop impulse control. Don't be quick to create play agenda when hanging out with your child or hosting a play date with others. Give children the room and the materials (such as balls, boxes and shape sorters) to create "free" play on their own terms.

Play reduces stress. If you're facing what is likely to be an anxiety-provoking situation for your baby (doctor's visit, holiday dinner with unfamiliar faces) try to arrive early with toys and enjoy play time with your child beforehand. This will help redirect focus away from the anxiety and settle him into a new environment through familiar stimuli.

Play improves concentration, attention span and memory. Instead of getting mad when your child is so busy with her blocks that she doesn't look up when you call her, be patient. She is developing important skills!

Play aids in physical development. Let your toddler kick a ball, crawl through the sand at the beach or initiate a game of patty cake. Mastery of the physical body promotes self esteem and provides a feeling of accomplishment.

Play helps children understand the way things work. If they're happily occupied with one toy, don't lure them to the next. Let them experiment with repetitive play.

Play helps develop mathematical thinking. Pull out the legos. Toddlers know that if they put one lego on top of another they will have two. They know if they have two legos and you have five, you have more. Even thought they do not know the words, they are learning about addition and subtraction. Who says you have to wait until kindergarten?

Play promotes language and literacy. Give them blocks. Studies have shown babies scored 15 percent higher on their language assessment than those who didn't.

Play allows children to voice difficult feelings. Give your tot the room to act out their feelings, whatever they may be, in play. It reduces the likelihood of them acting out in real life.

Cheap Toys Work Great!

• Blocks : prompt fine and gross motor skills
• Bubbles: work on eye development and visual tracking
• Dolls: prompt sociodramatic and pretend play
• Boxes: work on imagination and creativity
• Bowls: prompt auditory stimulation and cause and effect 

No More Excuses

I know I still have a little over a month left before baby Madilynn gets here but I am already thinking about getting into better shape than I was before this pregnancy.

These tips from Run Like a Mother should help me get going.

1. Blare your favorite song as you change into your gym clothes. You'll be revved up before you even head out the door.
2. Pay yourself a dollar for every mile you walk or run. After 10 miles, make a matinee date with a friend.

I think I will start paying myself now for walking. On Mondays I have started walking 3.5 miles with my church group :)

Ideas for the Baby's Room

Last night I was kept awake by the fact that I don't have a chair to nurse in the baby's room yet. I know I still have till April but I want things done. I was thinking about what chair I wanted and its from IKEA.

This is the very cushy chair I would like to have. Unfortunately, I think it is a little too high priced for me at $349.00

So this is the alternative...



Still a little high for me at $229.00 but I have sat in this one and it is comfortable. Then I thought about how I would really like a footstool to rest my feet on while I am feeding the baby. I remember seeing this fabric fluff footstool that had flowers sewn all over it. A lady used it for newborn portraits, I thought maybe I could find a way to make something like it. I found a pattern by Amy Butler! I am so excited!



This made me think of a beautiful mobile that Young House Love made for their daughters room. So I thought I would try to look for something similar. This is what I found and I am sticking with it! They are so beautiful and the real thing is my favorite flower.
Last weekend I went to Target and happened to find some owl decor. Unfortunately, I could not find any pictures on the website.

I might be overdoing it but there is no way to tell until it is all in the room.

A website for new photographers

http://www.kamerasimulator.se/eng/?page_id=2

New Year

A few things that I would like to accomplish this year:

1. Take a few photography classes
2. Learn more about homeschooling and put it into affect
3. Complete a few sewing projects
4. Read 25 books of my choice

That seems like a simple list. I think that once I know exactly what I want then I will make it more specific.

Happy New Year!
xoxo, Amber Kay

Future Self

December 21 – Future Self. Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead? (Bonus: Write a note to yourself 10 years ago. What would you tell your younger self?) (Author: Jenny Blake)


Baby or not, you need to exercise. It is the only thing that is going to keep you going. Two kids is going to be a lot to handle on your own. Just do a little bit at a time and I am sure that you will love it!


Self from 10 years ago,
I think you should know that the Navy is going to be one of the best things you ever do for yourself. Don't be scared, it's a piece of cake! When you are pregnant, please, do not eat for two. You don't need to. You will get depression after the baby is born. Please, find someone to talk to. That is all you need and you will make it through. I love you!

Beyond Avoidance

December 20 – Beyond Avoidance. What should you have done this year but didn’t because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?) (Author: Jake Nickell)


Exercise and eat strictly healthy. I have been making excuses for myself all year! Today is a rainy day and I should walk over to the gym with Aiden. Then I tell myself no because they probably won't like Aiden being in there with me.

Healing

December 19 – Healing. What healed you this year? Was it sudden, or a drip-by-drip evolution? How would you like to be healed in 2011? (Author: Leonie Allan)


The Power of a Praying Wife - Stormie Omartian
This book has done a lot in the little bit that I have read. I want to continue reading it and after I finish it I want to go through it again on the subjects that I feel still need God's hand. Praying for my husband has put a change in me and if I keep at it, hopefully it will be a permanent change.

Try

December 18 – Try. What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for it? (Author: Kaileen Elise)


I would love to try surfing! I have wanted to do that forever and have always put it off. 


I wanted to start my photography business this year and did. Although, all of the sessions I did were free and when someone tried handing me money for it I would decline. It felt really good to photograph other people. I was really happy at those moments. Hopefully I will be more persistent this year in advertising whether it be on craigslist or somewhere else. I also need to be persistent in taking those classes I have wanted to take forever! 

Lesson Learned

December 17 – Lesson Learned. What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward? (Author: Tara Weaver)


Without persistence I will get nowhere in life.
I hope to remember this and push through my walls of believing I can't be better at photography, or no one wants me to take their pictures and I shouldn't waste my time.


I will never be the perfect mom or wife.
I will still never stop striving to do the best for my family though.

Friendship

December 16 – Friendship. How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst? (Author: Martha Mihalick)

Just that everyone needs someone to lean on. 

5 Minutes

December 15 – 5 Minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010. (Author: Patti Digh)


1. How big Aiden has gotten this year. His speech has gotten so much better. 


2. Aiden asking me how the baby was going to get out of my belly. "Does the doctor have to crack you open, like an egg?"


3. How much my husband really has changed for the better. Small steps or not, it is still change.


4. I finally found a friend who is willing to be there for me as much as I am there for them. I have appreciated her ear when I just need someone to listen. Then there is that ten days on bed rest where she spent so much time playing the same card games with me over and over. I really appreciate her patience.

Appreciate

December 14 – Appreciate. What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it? (Author: Victoria Klein)

I have really come to appreciate my husbands patience with me. I have always had a little bit of a temper and pregnancy has magnified it. I feel like I am constantly yelling and I can't seem to stop myself. Lately, I have been making sure to tell my husband thank you for whatever it was he helped me out with that day. It makes me so happy when I don't even have to ask him to do something. For instance, take Aiden outside to play so I can rest for a couple of minutes. I am working on not yelling as much and hopefully I can eliminate it altogether very soon. Sometimes I just need to remind myself to walk away for a minute or don't start yelling, talk nicely. I hope to get my temper under control very soon.

Action

December 13 – Action. When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step? (Author: Scott Belsky)


My next step would be to start advertising my photography on craigslist again. I would also like to save up for real advertisement which anything is too expensive for me right now. Then I also have to keep taking classes to further my knowledge and skills. Like I said though, money...

Body Integration

December 12 – Body Integration. This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present? (Author: Patrick Reynolds)

I have to say I don't understand this at all. Guess I will have to pay more attention to myself this year?

11 Things

December 11 – 11 Things. What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life? (Author: Sam Davidson)


1. Facebook games
2. Cell phones with internet
3. Credit Card Debt
4. Cable t.v.
5. Store bought treats
6. ... I will have to get back to this one, we've already eliminated just about everything we don't need. 

Wisdom

December 10 – Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out? (Author: Susannah Conway)


I think that would be getting rid of our internet capable phones. Although, it hasn't happened yet! My husband is pretty attached to his. I feel that if we were to get just basic cell phones we would definitely save money, but also be a little closer to each other. My husbands nose is always stuck in front of his cell...

Party

December 9 – Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans. (Author: Shauna Reid)


Ha Ha! I don't think I have ever been to a party!

Beautifully Different

December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful. (Author: Karen Walrond)


I think the fact that I aspire to be a housewife and stay at home mom makes me different than a lot of moms I know. I love knowing that I am here trying to make our house as comfortable as possible for my husband when he gets home. No, dinner is usually always forgotten about; but my husband usually never has to lift a finger when he gets home and can relax!
Being a stay at home mom is a wonderful job. I would rather try to spend every minute with my son than to send him to a daycare where every child is put in the same category learning style. I want to figure out what is best for him and how he will learn best. 
The thing that close friends like about me is the fact that I always try to be there for them no matter what. 

Community

December 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)


Community isn't something I thought of looking for this year. I would love to go to church more in 2011. Hopefully to one that is close. I really like The Rock Church but I feel its a little overwhelming. There are just too many people and it seems too hard for me to get involved. 


I am interested in taking a few photography classes in 2011 to build my confidence and knowledge.


Then there is also my son. I would like to get him into a homeschool meet-up group this coming year. He is so very curious and I just don't know what I should do to further his knowledge and curiosity. This group, I am sure, will also help me get a feel of what to do as far as homeschooling goes.