Mama Knows Best » Family Fun

Potter Park Zoo – Lansing, MI

Jessica — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 00:59:10 +0000

After several weekends of working, I finally had some time off to take the kids to do something fun. Our choice? Potter Park Zoo. I had heard several people talk about this particular zoo and thought it would be nice to give it a shot. We had such an awesome time, despite the awful heat. The next time we visit, I will be packing a lunch and making the most of our trip by having a picnic in the park with the munchkins.

2 for 1 special

Jessica — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 16:44:53 +0000

Shortly after finding out my sister (in-law) was pregnant, I found out I was pregnant with Addie. Towards the end of Beth’s pregnancy with Jaclyn, we found out I was expecting a girl too. The family wanted to throw us a dual baby shower, but both of us declined. Neither one of us needed much of anything and why have people spend that kind of money on us? It seemed pointless to us, you know? Ethan was only two years old when Addie was born, thus I had all of this baby things still and much of what I had, could be reused. But now we joke around that if either of us got miraculously pregnant again (we had our tubes tied around the same time), we would do it all over again. We’d let them spend the money on unique baby shower invitations and finger foods. If we got pregnant again, our babies would definitely be miracles and would need to be celebrated.

How the time flies..

Jessica — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 02:23:10 +0000

Each morning as I struggle to wake up, I remember why I made the decision to take this particular class. When I feel like life is spiraling out of control, I look to my anchors to keep me grounded. Ethan and Addison have been the biggest rocks through all of the obstacles life has thrown my way this year. They are what keep me going and help me get through the days. Because of them I will never give up on my dreams, no matter how long they make take me to achieve. I want to give my children the love they deserve, teach them all that I can and be by their side during new experiences. I hope to give them things I never had and take them places they have never been.

By December 2011, I am hoping to take the kids on a vacation- just the three of us. They will be at the perfect age for a trip to Disney, which is why my bedroom is flooded with pamphlets with information about various Disney vacation packages. I know we tried to go this past winter, but things did not work out and it crushed me. I will make sure my children get down to Disney before the magic runs out..

Review: KinderCone

Jessica — Thu, 13 May 2010 11:00:13 +0000

Last week, I teared up at the thought of Ethan being old enough to attend school this fall. How bittersweet a moment it was to realize that so much time had already passed. His love of learning and desire to be in school melts my heart with pride and then, I too find myself becoming overly excited about beginning this next chapter in our lives. As each day passes, I cannot wait to celebrate his accomplishments and shower him with love, affection and little gifts periodically.

One of the ways I intend to celebrate his going to school is by purchasing a KinderCone, filled with a KinderJournal “Me, Myself and First Grade,” Karli the Cat plush toy, 5 KinderCone pencils, KinderCone temporary tattoos and a limited-edition certificate. Of course, I will be adding more personalized items to our KinderCone. Seriously though, is that not a creative and encouraging gift to give to a young child? The KinderCone is based on a German tradition dating back to the early 19th century. In Germany and Austria, parents celebrate their child’s first day of school and present their first grader with a Schultüte (KinderCone).

Despite Ethan not being quite the age the KinderCone was intended for, he has absolutely fallen over in excitement about the idea behind the cone. He is looking forward to receiving a KinderCone after he graduates from Kindergarten and heads into First Grade! And while I know the contents of the KinderCone, I have not shared them with Ethan…We want it to be a total surprise to him when he reaches the age.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of KinderCone and received KinderCone samples to facilitate my review. Mom Central also sent me gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

I need a jumbo sized planner.

Jessica — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:24:09 +0000

Why is it that I can go weeks with nothing to do, but just before 2 midterms are to be taken, I am booked to the max? I love getting out of the house and being social, but did all of the “social” activities have to be this weekend?

Tomorrow, we take Addie to the local doctors office to get our out-of-network referral for her visit to the ID specialist on March 15th, which is completely surreal at this point. We have been battling this parasite for six long months and now we are right on target for where we need to be. Tomorrow will also be a big day for Ethan. While Addie is at the doctors office with her Daddy, Ethan and I will drag out the markers and have ourselves a blast. He has been so anxious to learn how to write and draw his shapes- so tomorrow will be the perfect day for doing just that. He gets so frustrated with himself with not being able to draw/write simple things and darn it all, I want to help him so badly. This is truly a big deal to my little man. All of his friends, who are older, can write/draw and he just so badly wants to be a “big boy” just like them. Any suggestions, readers?