Homemade Playdough!

Have I ever told you that my mom has been a preschool teacher
for like 30 years?
Pretty much amazing to have that in the family when you have little ones.
She is always full of resources and activities...things she does with her classes,
and things she did with me growing up!
(and I cannot believe now I'm doing them with my own girl!)

one of the best:
Homemade Playdough!!

(PS this is a GREAT rainy day/snow day/blazing hot day activity!)



what you need:
1 cup flour
1 cup water
2 tsp tartar
1/3 cup salt
1 T Veg Oil (I used canola)
food coloring

and you might need a little princess or prince to help you....
(I just let her help me stir stuff before I turn the stove on!)



to make:
Mix the flour, tartar and salt all together in a large pot.
Add the water and oil.
Turn on stove to medium heat.
Stir.
Add food coloring after it's all mixed up a little.
Stir more.
and stir and stir and stir.
(if you stop it will clump!)

it will eventually become kindof a ball

and start looking like playdough.

Then you know you are done!

*press into it and make sure it's not too soft though.

If it is keep it over the heat a little longer!*

drop the ball of dough onto foil to cool!
It's so pretty right?



I got a little crazy.
I decided it might be cool to add some glitter to one batch
(see the yellow below)
It turned out awesome, and needless to say my little princess LOVES it!



now, go have fun.
make lots and lots of hearts and stars. :)



I just store it in large Ziplocks, and it saves for a good while!



Happy Playdough making!

monotony of motherhood

I have found myself feeling a little bit in a rut of monotony when it comes to motherhood lately.

And it's honestly hard for me to admit this, especially when I have a husband who does very monotonous, tedious work all day, every day.

But it's a different kind of "monotony" than just working through legal documents.

And it has actually surprised me.

I really never thought I'd feel this way being a "SAHM" (that's "Stay At Home Mom" in case you don't know!).

Especially because I am not the parent who has much "routine" with my littles.

Besides a few planned dance classes or swim lessons, we pretty much just go with the flow around here. So I guess thats why its surprising, because I had no idea it could ever feel like I was being repetitive in my days as a mom.

But here I am...feeling lately like I live the same day over and over.

(Groundhog Day, anyone?)

Maybe it's just the season I'm in with a toddler who throws fits every day and wears me out with her constant "nagging"...and maybe it's that I have a newbie who still nurses round the clock and doesn't do much yet. Or that we watch the same Angelina Ballerina shows every single day, and have the same battles about eating her meals every single day. I don't know.

I just know that I have been feeling the need for a "hiccup" in my days.

So this week, I have tried to mix it up a bit.

{I went to a Zumba class at the Y for the first time ever, and have been three times already this week...it's addicting to shake your booty to Latin music (you should seriously try it if you never have) and it burns a ton of calories too!}

But even in that, in my stepping out to make things a little different in my days, and do something for myself so I don't go crazy....

it's been hard.

Twice now at the gym, the nursery had to come get me because Bethany was crying, interrupting my workout. Last night, because I had to leave Zumba halfway through that day, I went to workout after the girls were in bed...my sweet husband encouraged me to go.

But alas, I was texted halfway through that Abigail was freaking out that I was gone and so I left and came home.

Don't get me wrong people...my babies and my job as a mother are the BEST thing in my life and I don't want to be doing anything different right now.

I love being needed, and being a source of comfort for them.

But I'm just being honest here. (and maybe complaining a little too..sorry!)

I just sometimes crave a little different in my day....a little break from it all.

(Ill take a beach vaca if anyone wants to pay for it)

ONE thing that has helped me...our little neighborhood lake.

fresh air. sunset. breeze (well really WIND, I do live in Oklahoma). open skies.

babies in the stroller, occupied by looking at something other than me.

just being outside.

I need more of this.

And really I need more of Jesus right now too.

(just throwing that out there, ha...clearly I really DO need more of Him and His strength to get me through this season!!)

Anywho...that's where I'm at right now.

Any of you mamas tracking with me here??

Am I the only one that gets in this rut?

Well, I'm off to another day.

But hopefully I will find a way to spice it up a bit...

Maybe a little booty shaking at Zumba will help. :)

"You know you're a Mommy when..."

I come up with these sayings all the time in my head.

Like the other day I thought to myself: "you know you're a mommy when you have no clue there is spit up in your hair until you look in the mirror...HOURS later."

(yes, true story)

SO I asked y'all to finish this sentence:

"You know you're a mommy when..."

You know you're a Mommy when...

you have diapers and wipes in your purse even when you aren't with your little ones.

you actually TELL someone to spit something in your hand.

And then you wait open-handed in front of them and are happy when they spit it out.

you lick your thumb to wipe something off their face.

you look at them and see nothing but perfection.

you hide candy in your closet so you don't have to share.

you take a picture of yourself and your little one a million times to get it just right.

You know you're a Mommy when...

you take your little one into a warm bath with you just so he will poop.

And then you do it again and again to keep him regular.

your purse is filled with (used) Boogie wipes, random cheerios, goldfish, raisins, etc.

your little one pees on your shirt and you don't even bother to change.

you think their eyes are the most beautiful ones you have ever seen.

your Netflix recently watched list is nothing but cartoons.

one of the best moments of your life was when #1 met #2.

You know you're a Mommy when...

you dread being separated from your two rowdy toddlers to go to the hospital to deliver your next precious baby.

you find yourself singing the theme song to a disney movie out loud to yourself in public,

only to realize you are by yourself...in public.

you realize you are cutting your OWN food into tiny pieces.

you are sitting on the couch watching cartoons, feeding a baby doll, and talking on a toy phone just to see your baby smile.

you take a picture of a "choo choo" on your road trip because you know your little one will love looking at it when she scrolls through the pictures on your phone.

You know you're a Mommy when...

you have to change 4 times in an hour because you keep getting thrown up on, and you aren't grossed out because you feel so bad for your sweet sick baby.

you get excited about the littlest things.

you find a dirty diaper in the back of your car, forgetting you changed him back there in a restaurant parking lot last week.

part of your life is dedicated to the ever-important paci, and you will drop all you are doing to find one when it is needed.

You know you're a Mommy when...

all you can think about it having a night to yourself... until you do.

Then all you can think about is them.

you have to throw a nursing blanket over yourself before answering the door.

you'd rather wipe snot on your favorite jeans with your bare hands than let it run down their face when you have no tissue.

you are out without your kids and find a paci in your coat pocket.

you allow your little one to carry her "lovie" in your family pictures so she wont throw a fit...

but it turns out to be your favorite picture of all.

I had SO much fun reading tweets and FB comments with your way to finish that sentence.

I think ALL us mamas can relate to just about every one!!

THANKS for contributing yall. :)

(Thanks to Emily, Ashley, Misty, Jennifer, Jessi, Amanda, Lesley, Kassie, Nicole, Amanda, Kelli, Beth, Amy, Katie, Natalie, and Kristina for sharing...

it seriously made my day to read all yalls sentences!!)

now YOU finish the sentence!