Kidloland App: Nursery Rhymes for Kids

I am always looking for simple, fun and good developmental activities for the kids, particularly Caiden.  As an active 3 year old, who is learning daily and is familiar with navigating apps on the tablet or phone, keeping him entertained while not always giving into Netflix or just shows can be a challenge when we are out.

I know, I know, limit screen time. Which I generally agree with.  However, there are some time when you are out, at a restaurant, a wedding, or the doctor's office, where some time on the phone/tablet is all a busy mom needs to calm a toddler who is getting super ancy.  Furthermore, we grew up watching Sesame Street, and still got in tonnes of activities and are fine. Having said all that, I will say, that whatever I give me kid...I like to know he (and eventually she) is getting something really beneficial out of it.

Kidloland nails that.

This is an app easily downloadable on any system.  I would say it is for ages 1 to 5.  It is super easy to use, so the kids can navigate themselves.  It offers a tonne of nursery rhymes, activities, also songs to make learning numbers, shapes, animal sounds, and colours super fun.

Once you are in the app, you are given a lot of options for what category you are interested in.

Once you, or your kid, makes their selection, you get more choices on what song or learning you want for that moment.  The free trial comes with a number of options, but once you subscribe, you just click the locked options and it downloads within seconds.

I kid you not, within each category, there are tonnes of options.  The options are endless, all entertaining for the little ones and they just don't get bored.  You also don't feel guilty because it is wholesome, safe for kids, and educational.  It's a win win.

Caiden loves the animals and animal sounds...he knows them well but I noticed Rayna starting to take notice, and sure enough my little girl is saying "moo" when the cow comes on the screen, or "baaaaa" when we see the sheep.

The other thing I absolutely love, is the fact that once you have downloaded the package or songs within a category, it is there.  You can use it offline, no problem.  So no more fussing about connecting to wifi, or using your data.  For me, this was the winning moment, when I realized this app did this.  I don't panic if I go to a place to eat and they have no wifi, or my data is acting up.  The kids are happy and so am I.

For all this, I think it is a great app, truly.  It's also cheap for subscribing (about $39.99 usd for the year), but you can do it monthly and have a free 1 week trial.  The awesome thing is that you keep discovering new songs and activities, and they are adding even more.

I encourage you to give it a try...links included below.

Caiden surprised me with how much he took too it, and it's been really good for us.


Try Kidloland by visiting one of the following links (different options per operating system):

IOS

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/kidloland-300+-nursery-rhymes/id533412119?mt=8

Android (Google Play Store)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.internetdesignzone.nurseryrhymes&hl=en

Amazon Appstore

https://www.amazon.com/Internet-Design-Zone-Nursery-Rhymes/dp/B00HFQBCEU

Cherry Banana Blast Smoothie

I know I post a lot of smoothies. However there are always new creations that I try, fall in love with and die to share! Plus, I really think it is a great way to pack in a lot of nutrition, can be extremely healthy and often filling. Furthermore, most of the time it is stuff I enjoy with the kids and find they drink it up.  So why not?

Given it is summer, aka cherry season, we have tonnes of cherries around. I wanted to make a cherry pop but ended up playing around and created this fun and yummy smoothie. Both Rayna and Caiden loved it!

I also had a packet of Seedibles, CinnaWow flavour, that I wanted to explore. Seedibles is a Vancouver based company, by two moms, that sought to create a food product that is packed with essential nutrients to be added to meals so that even picky eaters get much needed fibre and protein, etc.  This CinnaWow blend, looks and tastes like cinnamon, and combines hemp seeds, flax, quinoa, amaranth and cinnamon.  So this product provides a tonne of nutrition being seeds and grains.  It provides 4g of fiber, 2g protein and 3.5g of unsaturated fatty acids per serving...awesome. 

Anyways, here is my cherry banana blast recipe. It is delic.  

1 Large Banana

1 handful of pitted cherries (preferably from the Okanagan)

1 heaping teaspoon of Cinnawow Seedibles

3/4 cup of Milk

2 Tablespoons of low-fat vanilla yogurt (optional)

Blend very well.

To check out Seedibles please go to:  http://www.seedibles.ca/

Cheers!

My Mom Guilt and What I'm Going To Do To Erase It

Mom guilt. I heard this term a few times but never quite understood it.

Until now.

I know most of my posts are of the joys of motherhood,  and how precious it is.  Which, it truly is, and I am so fortunate I love everything about motherhood...even the hard lessons.  The reason I can say that,  is because I expected the hard work, sleepless nights, tantrums and tiredness.  I anticipated it, and I was ready.

However, I am human. Humans have their patience tested. To be exact, humans with toddlers that are trying to stake their independence and babies that won't sleep, have their patience tested.

That's me. For the first time, in my parenting journey, I have moments where I ask my kids to "just go to sleep" or "please just listen or you are getting a timeout" or "don't do that" like a million times a day.  I am doing it so much that I can feel my patience veering off in the distance, laughing while it's packing its bags and going on vacay (maybe for a few years).  I can feel myself tugging at its leg, begging for it to stay...then it happens...I lose my patience.

I yell or I send a tearful tantrum-mode 3 year old to a timeout or I just walk away myself because I am, at that moment,  not equipped to handle it all.

It doesn't last long, the standoff, but as soon as this moment happens, it's not long until the "mom guilt" kicks in.

That is the worst. I hate it every time and I swear I won't do it tomorrow, but I do...and mom guilt kicks my butt...again. 

This has been on repeat for about a week now, as soon as Caiden turned 3. To no fault of his really, he is being a 3 year old, tough, testing his boundaries, suddenly not listening, and out of no where repeating things back, "no mommy, you eat your cereal!" "No mommy, I don't want to brush you go brush!"  Now normally, past defiances, I have just been able to calmly say to go to his room and when he is ready to come back out...but now, this is a showdown and if I don't carry him into the room, chances are he will not go in there. 

So yes, this phase has knocked me down and defeated me.  I admit it.  I was not prepared to be defeated.  After the third one in the same morning, I crack. I fall and I feel bad.

However, I write here...and as I write I think "I must not be the only mom to have gone through this and I surely can find a better solution." I do not want to yell or get upset, I want to continue to not give into everything and I must continue with teaching what I need to teach. I also want to make sure I'm not just yelling out of tiredness and frustration in general and taking everything as a misbehavior.

I think the solution is...say goodbye to mom guilt and embrace the toddler terrible 3s and tell myself, "I got this."  I need to empower myself, so I don't feel defeated and continue the cycle of: misbehaving/not listening, just saying no, yelling, tantrum/crying, timeout, more crying, repeat. 

To do this, here is a list of things I must do:

1. Try my best to not yell back or yell at all. If I feel like patience is leaving the building, take 5 seconds and just breathe or sit down.  This is super important.

2.  Get close to him and talk eye to eye and ask him to tell you what he wants.  I read that tantrums are often just frustration because they feel you are not understanding them.  So it isn't just one way, they need to know you hear them too.

3.  Stick to timeouts for punishments but make sure it's for actual punishable things, like throwing a toy or hitting his sister, not because he didn't want to eat his yogurt.  Be reasonable and not just insist on being listened to. 

4.  When all else fails...hug.

5.  Lastly, remember that even in the moments of craziness, those are just small moments, and majority of the time, he does have great moments of listening and cuddling and being fricking cute.  So I am not in need to sulk and have terrible mom guilt, he is a good kid and I am still a good mom. 

Do you suffer from mom guilt?  If so, I am a list believer, and think reminders via lists go a long way. 

I am letting go of the weeks battles and starting fresh.  I regretted not handling this new phase better myself, but hey I am human...I live, learn and move on. 

Bye mom guilt...hello patience, I missed you.