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Resources from a mom and former teacher

There are far better things ahead

January 17 by Kelly Anne

It’s January and time to look ahead. Grab this iPhone wallpaper and save it to your phone!

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Uncategorized, Weekly Inspiration

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🌻Are the flowers blooming where you live? Our a

🌻Are the flowers blooming where you live? Our azaleas are in full bloom and this is the first year that Lachlan has really noticed them.
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✨Yesterday he picked one and handed it to me, then blew me a kiss as he ran away. I can't handle the sweet and sour toddler stage. It's just the best! 🥰So it was definitely time to switch up our toy shelf and make it a little more fun for Spring!
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➡️Swipe all the way to see how I plan out our playroom each week.
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✂️Pipe cleaner + paper flowers // I just cut out some colorful paper shapes and punched a hole in them. The pipe cleaners are stuck into floral foam and Lachlan will thread the paper through the pipe cleaners!
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🚜Tractor and farm animals // This tractor from @greentoysinc is so perfect for little hands. Lachlan loves to load it up with the @fisherprice farm animals.
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🐣Easter egg halves, pompoms, and tongs // Great for color matching, hand-eye control, and pouring practice!
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🤏🏼Wire basket and clips // These clips and basket are from @dollartree! Lachlan can play with the clips however he wants but the idea is for him to clip (and unclip) them around the sides of the basket.
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🐛Caterpillar pages and yogurt tops // I love to collect the tops from yogurt or fruit pouches and then use them for simple activities. These caterpillars can be filled in with dot stickers, dot markers, or tops! (and the caterpillar page is available in my Free Resource Library)!
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👊🏼Want to plan your own playroom? This bonus planning tool is part of my e-course, How to Create a Home That Promotes Independent Play! You can print it or use it in @canva

Have you seen that study that talks about memories

Have you seen that study that talks about memories forming in your brain? 🧠When you are young, and everything is new, time actually seems to pass more slowly. As you get older, mental images' production slows, giving the feeling that time passes quickly. Do you agree with that?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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👦🏻The first year with Lachlan moved so slowly. The learning curve of having a newborn, figuring out married life with a child, and enduring changes thrown at you right and left, meant that every decision we made was *new.* ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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👶🏼👶🏼Now, however, time is racing by. Isla and Orion have made our days move so quickly but in the best way. Decisions and routines are a little easier because we've done it all before. As the days grow warmer and our newborns get a little less "newborn-y," I hope we can make time slow down just a tiny bit because these days really are magical. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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✨What do you think?

Better late than never! We made these fun striped

Better late than never! We made these fun striped Easter eggs and a gorgeous "stained glass" cross ✝️this week. And they came out even better than I expected! 🙌🏼

Our two-year-old son, four-year-old niece, and eight-year-old nephew all enjoyed this craft and did such a great job! And even better, you can have all the materials delivered in a few hours! 🎯(Or first thing tomorrow morning).

Just head to my latest blog post to see all the details! (And this egg is the one our two-year-old did all by himself!)

Every baby’s working for the weekend...
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Inspired by @christianblairvordy and @thebirdspapaya 💛💛#appleslicesllc #appleslicesactivities #babyactivities #babyactivitiesathome #montessoriathome #babyplay #babyplayideas #babyplaytime #babydiaries #babiesofinstagram #playislearning#playmatters #playtolearn #playideas #learnathome #simpleplay #earlyyearseducation #eyfsideas #learningisfun #learningeveryday #montessoribaby #sensoryplayideas #childdevelopment #sensorybin #openendedplay #openendedtoys #earlychildhoodlearning #familychildcare #childmindersofinstagram #teachemyoung

Today I *finally* felt motivated enough to tackle

Today I *finally* felt motivated enough to tackle the ridiculous amount of toys and stuff accumulated around our home since we had the twins (nearly 6 months ago). It probably has something to do with the fact that twin A slept through the night for the first time!! (Yayyy, Orion!) At one point today, I was so overwhelmed with all the CRAP I had to organize that I swore to never buy another toy for our kids. Seriously - I was disgusted with it all. But now, all the toys are tucked nicely in the closet, and only a few toys are out around the house. It's crazy how some organization and cleaning can make you feel like a whole new person. I. would love to know what tips and tricks work well for your toy organization! And If you're wondering how we manage it all, I have a blog post with these free editable labels! Just search "toy organization" on the blog. It's not perfect, but it's working okay so far!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#appleslicesllc #appleslicesactivities #toddleractivities #toddleractivitiesathome ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#preschoolplay #playideas #playathome #letthemplay #simpleplay #playmatters #earlyyears #preschoolactivity #preschoolathome #toddlerplay #eyfs #eyfsathome #eyfsideas #finemotorskills #finemotoractivities #creativeplay #invitationtoplay #earlylearning101 #activitiesforkids #earlychildhoodeducation #kidsatplay #funforkids

Full lap, even fuller heart. I wish I could go bac

Full lap, even fuller heart. I wish I could go back and tell myself it would all be okay. These three babies consume my day - and I'm exhausted - but I wouldn't have it any other way. #Orionsfacethough #nevergiveupHope🌈⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#mclellantwins #threeunderthree #twinmom #twinmumlife #allthebabies #twinuniversity #lifeasamama #mymotherhood #familyoffive #DiDiTwins #mynameismama #rainbowbaby #rainbowbabies #nicutwins #nicubabies #preemietwins #stayathomemom #stayathomemomlife #stayathomedad #stayathomemomma #stayathomemama #stayathomelife #honestmommin #boymomadventures #livingmybestmomlife #childhoodunplugged #sahm #motheringboys

It's been a while since I had the motivation or en

It's been a while since I had the motivation or energy to switch out our playroom toys. Ideally, I rotate everything each week or two but with little sleep and three kids who all constantly want to eat or poop, I've been struggling. The most frustrating part is that I know if I take the time to rotate everything, I'll get back a ton of free time because Lachlan will play independently for way longer. So today, I chugged a coffee, started dinner, and cleaned out and rotated the playroom toys. I am also proud to admit that I put Lachlan in front of the tv with a Disney movie... because I can only do so much in one day. I know it seems crazy that fewer toys equal more play. But it's TRUE! If you want to learn more, head to the link in my bio and get your Free Guide to Independent Play! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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On our shelves this week:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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- Alphabet puzzle from @busypuzzle. We're just working on identifying the letters, and the letter sounds for A, B, C, D, and E - so that's all that's out right now. (Minus the "C" that is hiding somewhere 🤔)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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- Wooden shape sorter from @melissaanddougtoys. Such a great activity and super affordable 🙌🏼⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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- Community helper cars from @melissaanddougtoys and rainbow "bridges" from @etsy⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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- Safari animals from @learningresources. Their jumbo animals are SO good. I try to grab a new set every season. I'm definitely considering the Jumbo set of Insects for an Easter gift for Lachlan!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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- A current toy Lachlan is loving - a large bulldozer toy he can push and load up with dog food. Whatever works! 🤷🏼‍♀️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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- And rainbow scarves! These are great for Lachlan AND Isla and Orion. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#appleslicesactivities #toddleractivities #toddleractivitiesathome #montessoriathome #learningathome #invitationtolearn #everydayplayhacks #earlylearning #loosepartsplay #playislearning #homeschoolcurriculum #learnathome #homeeducation #playsavedtheday

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