Mountain West Mama

No Mess Finger Painting Painting with little ones is so fun! I enjoy arts and crafts myself and I've been wanting to try something out with Maci. With painting I was worried about her eating the paint, because everything still goes in this little one's mouth. I saw some posts on edible paint and I want to try that another time, but I found an easy no-mess painting activity. This no-mess finger painting activity is great! I think I enjoyed it more than Maci did. It was relaxing and fun. I guess after the Jello Dig last week Maci wasn't as impressed haha. I will complete this activity in the future with Maci. I think with enough exposure she will become more interested. But I think older kids may enjoy this activity.                     What you'll need: Card stock paper (you'll want card stock so the paper doesn't get soggy and rip) Paint (I used acrylic paint, because that is what I had. I think any paint will do) Ziplock bag Painters tap

Jello Dig Sensory Activity I have recently been looking for new ways to entertain my little one. I feel like she has been playing with the same toys for over 5 months. She seems to feel it too. I do try to rotate her toys so she has a variety to play with. But, I decided it was time to go on Pinterest to search for a few activities I could complete with Maci. I searched for activities that had little prep and possibly things that I already had at home. Each week I would like to complete a new activity. Not only is this fun for Maci, but for me too! Our first activity we tried was the Jello Dig. This is a great sensory activity for children 6 months to 5 years old. Here are some of the supplies you will need: throwaway aluminum tin (purchased ours from the dollar store), package of gelatin, a few of your child's favorite plastic toys (I used Maci's pacifier, four different shapes from her shape sorter, one of her spoons, and teething carrot), apron/bib, digging utensi

Hospital Bag Go Bag for Mama, Daddy, and Baby Updated 5/15/2021 * This post contains affiliate links to some of the products that I use and love. This means that if you shop directly through the links, your purchase supports my blog at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!   As you near the end of your third trimester, sometimes way before then haha, you will have an urge to pack your hospital bag. What do I need to bring to the hospital? What will my hospital offer? What if I need (x, y, and z) but I don’t have it? These questions may have crossed your mind.  With my first I went way overboard with packing and used half of what I brought. I decided to compose a list of things that I thought were useful to me. At the end I’ll add a few things I brought, but didn’t use and you can decide if you might like to pack those items.  Ask your hospital if you can get pre-checked in a few weeks before your due date. What you will do is bring in your ID and insurance t

My Favorite Ways to Save Being a parent can be expensive. Sometimes it seems like there are added costs around every corner. When I shop I like to make sure that I am getting a good deal. I always look for coupons and sales. Signing up for emails where you shop is another great way to get some deals. I'm going to share some of my favorite sites for deals. Rakuten : Formally known as Ebates,  Rakuten  is an affiliate marketing business. Companies pay  Rakuten  to send shoppers their way. You can s hop at over 2500 stores and get paid by shopping through a link on Rakuten. You can stack the savings with coupons and promotions. My savings with them is over $430 . You can cash out every three months and be paid either by check or to your PayPal account. Sometime Rakuten will send you an email and you can opt to receive a gift card to a selected store with an extra 10-15 percent.  Store cash backs are changing all the time. I wait to purchase items when the cash backs are

Reading to Your Little One: Imagination Library Everyone can agree that reading to your child is important. Not only can reading help your child develop important skills, but it is essential for many reasons. Here are a few; reading exposes your child to different visuals, it is preparation for helping them read on their own, reading can be a great time to bond with your child,   it shows them reading is fun, children that are read to have  a larger vocabulary, as well as more advanced mathematical skills, than other non-readers their age, and reading introduces emotions. These are just a few examples on why reading to your child is so crucial! When I was teaching kindergarten I could tell which of my students were read to and which were not. The ones that were read to had a greater vocabulary, longer attention spans, were more thoughtful, and asked more questions. You would be amazed at how many of my students did not know how to handle a book. And I'm not just referring to t

Easter Basket This will be Maci’s first Easter. I’m so excited to celebrate all of these firsts with her. I enjoy celebrating holidays and having Maci adds a little magic to each of these days. I love reliving these experiences from a child’s eyes. It is so special! My mom always added magic to our holidays growing up. For Easter, my mom would create an Easter Basket filled with our favorite things. These baskets would be waiting for us Easter morning. When we were a little older my parents would hide the baskets in our house and we would search for them. I want to continue this tradition for Maci. For Maci's Easter Basket this year I found a cute bunny basket on Etsy . You can personalize the bunny ears to say your child's name and the current year. For the basket fillers I found a stacking toy from Green Toys. I like this company, because their toys are made in the USA, they are made from 100% recycled plastics, and they have fun colors. Then I added some of Maci'