Messy Bun, Get Parenting Done
Being a mom is a little like being a ninja. You run and jump, fight off bad guys and strategically plan your escapes. Just like a ninja you need to dress appropriately. No, this doesn’t mean you have to resort to schlubby mom jeans.
I’ve curated pants that are as cute as they are comfortable. My criteria included a high waistband, good stretch, versatile and of course fashionable. And yes, I include some leggings as “pants”. You can fight me on this in the comments 🙂
If you loved our original edition of easy fine motor skill activities you will love this list too! Fine motor skills including cutting, coloring, ripping and eventually writing. These are skills that you can work on when your child is a toddler and into their teens, or even farther.
This list has fun crafts, activities, printables and more to help you have fun while learning these important skills. Your child will make flowers, move pompoms, play with stickers and other fun things he or she will love.
Check them out and be sure to take a look at my favorite fine motor skill toys too!
Dots and Coins Fine Motor Play from BestToys4Toddlers
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog.
I once had three toddlers (briefly at the same time) so I was always looking for ways to have fun and keep them occupied. When I looked for toys I looked for a couple of things. First, I wanted toys that would last a while. Not only because they were sturdy but the kids would actually want to play with them as they got older. I also love toys that target a particular developmental skill. Bouncy toys help core strength, sand and water toys help with fine motor, and balance bike target the skills needed to move to a bigger bike. Lastly, I look for toys that you get a lot of bang for your buck. Some of these toys are expensive but your kids will use them ALL the time making them price per use actually quite low.
I hope you love our guide to our favorite summertime essentials! Make sure to also check out our fine motor skill tools and basement toys (for those rainy days)
My oldest son, Ross, has autism. He was diagnosed when he was 3 and is now a happy, thriving 6 year old who just started kindergarten. Last spring we took my son with autism to Disney World. My Husband, my boys, my mother and father in law, my sister in law and her husband and I all headed to Orlando to go on a new adventure to Disney World. This adventure went far better than I had expected. Honestly, I had set very low expectations for the trip and especially for how much Ross was going to like it. I was pleasantly surprised by how engaged my son was and how much he liked Disney World, especially Magic Kingdom and Epcot. I was also surprised by what I learned as a parent and how it changed how I parent all three of my boys.
I think Ross spent 75% of the time in Disney World in his stroller. Most of that time he had noise cancelling headphones on and Netflix videos were playing through the bluetooth in the headphones for part of that. BUT, he loved it. A few years ago I would have prodded him to get out of the stroller and experience the parks the same way my neurotypical boys do. I would have tried to get him to go on rides or see more movies and he probably would have melted down. He was actually quite happy sitting in his stroller, looking around, hopping out for the occasional character. He also became obsessed with trading pins. This was the perfect activity for him and actually didn’t end up as terribly expensive as I expected. In the last three years I have had to learn to accept that he will experience things in his own way and that he enjoys things in his own way. He still talks about how amazing his trip to Disney World was and I’m glad I got over myself and let him decide how he wanted to experience it.
On our third day in Disney World the kids, my husband and I had reservations to Chef Mickey’s restaurant at the Contemporary Hotel. When we got there we discovered that strollers had to be parked outside and there was no way that Ross was getting out of his stroller. Ross was over stimulated from the parks and on the verge of melting down all the time but was also super excited to have brunch with Mickey. We were at an impasse. I had gone up to the desk when we arrived and asked if strollers were allowed and they said no. In desperation I asked my husband if we should just go and explain the situation. I always fear being too pushy or asking too much but he doesn’t fear these things at all. So he asked if we could bring the stroller for Ross in and explained his situation and they said yes. My fear of being pushy or of judgement had always stopped Ross from being able to go in to what became his favorite part of Disney. Note: I later found out you can get a “Stroller as a Wheelchair” pass for Disney and could have avoided the whole situation.
As Dua Lipa says, “I don’t give a f***”. Ok, maybe I do a little but I’m trying to care less. Back to that third day at Disney and we got a table with a wheelchair spot at Chef Mickey’s and all was fine. Ross doesn’t like many new foods so was totally uninterested in eating. He sat in his stroller with the hood up and his headphones on. And people looked and, at least in my head, they judged.
So I took a deep breath and decided that IDGAF. This happened more than once in the course of the trip. From choosing bubbles over characters to melting down when someone cut in the water slide line I decided to take the approach that IDGAF what others thought. I was going to help my sons have the best vacation possible and not let others bother me.
Perhaps the biggest thing I learned at Disney that made me a better parent was that I need to ask for help. I tend to try to do it all. Whether it was asking for help from Disney cast members or from my in-laws (they watched the kids several nights so my husband and I could have dinner alone) we could not have made it through Disney without lots of support. When I got back to the “real world” I tried to remember this lesson and ask for help because it’s definitely a lot easier.
This article was originally entitled “What Going To Disney World With My Autistic Son Taught Me About Special Needs Parenting” but I think all of these parenting lessons I learned taking my son with autism to Disney World apply just as much to my neurotypical children as my son with autism.
Feel free to reach out to me if you need help navigating Disney World with an autistic son or daughter. Be sure to check out my article on being an autism mom and grab your free IEP worksheet by signing up for my newsletter below too.
Just because you are a mom does not mean you have to stop caring for what you wear. When you are a mom you do need more functional clothes though. Here are some of my favorite fashion finds for when you want to look cute and pulled together even when you are running after a toddler or carpooling a pre-teen.
The staple of mom style is the legging. I think sometimes they get a bad rap but really they are amazing for chasing kids while looking cute. One of my favorite brands is Zella, Nordstrom’s brand. They have a high waist (my #1 requirement) and thick so my underwear will not show through. They are sometimes a little too thick in the summer but are definitely worth the money to splurge on. Z by Zella is the Nordstrom Rack version and I think they are just as good. The styles and colors are more limited but they are significantly less expensive while having the same features.
My other favorite are Mono B leggings. A little more obscure but these leggings pass my first two tests: they have a high waist and are thick enough not to show too much. They also feature four way stretch and some amazing wicking technology. The patterns range from shimmery with exclusive sparkle thread to really cool moto ribbed black leggings.
[Read more…] about Ten Top Fashion Picks for MomsDisclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog.
Well, by never go shopping I mean never drag your newborn, your sick child, or your three super active little boys to the store if you do not want to. Like most moms I enjoy a good stroll through Target by myself. I’m a little less enthusiastic about dragging tired twins to the grocery store when they’d rather be doing pretty much anything else. Here are my favorite programs for shopping while keeping your sanity by not having to actually go IN the store. Because that toy aisle at Target is always RIGHT in the middle and hard to avoid and really, why waste time shopping with your kids when you can go to the park instead.
There are several great options for getting groceries to you without going in the store. My current favorite is Marianos Clicklist (it’s also offered by Kroger stores). You have to go in the store, but not INTO the store. You order online and pick a time slot you want to pick up. You the drive up, call a number and they bring the groceries out to the car. Perfect for a napping child or a quick run to the grocery store on your way home. I like Clicklist because the groceries are picked by store employees. They know where things are so I find there are less “out of stock” items and the produce quality is the highest. There is a fee by delivery or by month/ year. If I know the kids are going to be off school and I won’t have time to shop in peace I’ll turn on monthly then go back to just by trip. You can use the code LEPSTEIN at checkout for $10 off your first order.
This does not solve the problem of when you don’t want to or can’t leave the house. I like Instacart but I don’t love it. That said I actually used it today so it’s my favorite of the don’t leave your house at all options. I was planning to grocery shop after the kids went to bed but my husband got stuck at work and Instacart rescued me for pretzels and strawberries I need for tomorrow’s lunches (and a bunch of other stuff too). Better planning would probably have solved the whole issue but you’re on a blog call The Messy Bun Life so we can’t expect perfection. I like the ease of Instacart. It comes right to your door and is usually pretty quick. The fees are about the same as Clicklist. The problem is that for some stores the prices are significantly higher. But some are comparable and sometimes I have a sick kids, or poor planning, and just need my groceries. The other problem is that the you are at the will of the picking skills of your independent instacart shopper. Sometimes they are fine, and sometimes they aren’t. As long as you doublecheck and provide feedback when necessary instacart is a good option for when you can’t, or don’t want to, go anywhere.
Well, Amazon
I may have mentioned I love Target. I actually grew up in downtown Chicago and we didn’t have Target until I was in my mid-twenties (gasp!) which is probably part of my obsession. I don’t usually love taking my kids to Target. I have three boys, a 6 year old and twin 4 year olds, that have more interest in the pokemon section then guest bedroom bedding sets or the amazing array of dry shampoo. The order online, pick up in store option has always been my favorite way to do quick target runs. When the drive up option started rolling out I was a little skeptical if I would ever need it. Then my twins got sick. Not super sick but that grumpy, needs to nap but doesn’t feel well enough to comfortably sleep sick. Then we ran out of pretzels (this happens a lot) and were running low on everything else. Plus I was looking for a reason to get the twins in the car so they would take a good nap. So I tried the drive up and it was awesome! It’s like it sounds: you order online, then drive up and they bring it out. My biggest concern was how long it would take once I stopped before they came out. I didn’t want the twins to wake up. It was quick. Future trips, which now happen regularly, were equally fast and it has become my go to for small to medium size target runs when I don’t have time but I am driving somewhere close to it. Prices are the same (and right now they seem to be running a lot of specials), they pick perfectly and the selection is most of your everyday stuff you would buy from Target. Target for the win!
I hate clothing shopping in store. Honestly, I hate going clothing shopping with OR without the kids in a store. That’s why I’m sort of obsessed with Stitch Fix. If you aren’t familiar Stitch Fix is where you fill out an online style survey including sizes and the approximate price you want to spend (items range from $25 to $500). Your personal stylist sends you five pieces to try based on your preferences. You pick what you want (and pay for it then) and send back what you don’t want. There is a $20 styling fee that is applied to your order. I have my account set for an automatic box every three months so I have new clothing seasonally but you can order on demand or set up an autoship.
I did not realize until someone brought it up how much of my wardrobe staples are from them: my favorite shoes, jean jacket, sweater, and jeans are all Stitch Fix. Those stylists are pretty good. I have never had an order where I didn’t love something and sometimes they are dead on. You provide feedback every time so the more you shop, the better the boxes become. You can get $25 off your first order here!
