Busy Bag Swap {Part 2: Plan It}

If you missed Part 1...What is a Busy Bag Swap, then you can catch it here.

There are tons of ways you can do a Swap.  If you are wanting to host a Swap of your own here are a few questions you need to answer before you start.

1.  What age of child are you wanting to create activities for?  There are activities geared toward various ages.  Do you want to create activities for 18-36 month old?  Or do you want activities that are geared toward pre-schoolers?  Knowing your "target market" will help you limit what activities you choose and which moms to ask.  We choose to target 3 and 4 year olds.  While I'm hoping that some of my activities will still interest Blaine (2 years) on a certain level, he was not the focus this go around.

2.  How many bags do you want to walk aways with?  I knew that I wanted to walk away with 20 different activity bags.  If I did this project, I wanted it to be enough to last me a while.  Enough that Colin wouldn't get bored with the choices. 

3.  How many different activities do you want each mom to create?  I've read some blogs where there were 20 moms involved and they each did one activity, making 20 bags of the same thing.  I can only imagine the monotony that must have come with that project.  At times I was tired of my 10 bags of one activity.  I'm sure it depends partly on the activity, but I liked the idea of doing 10 bags each of 2 different activities.  The only way I would create more than 2 activities per mom is if I had more moms involved, maybe 15 or 20.

4.  How much do I want to/can I spend on this project?  Your budget might be your deciding factor in how many bags you make.  We wanted to keep each mom's cost between $20 and $40.  Our mom's agreed that we succeeded in that allowance.

5.  How do I want to do the exchange?  You can have the swap exchange by mail if you are including moms from a different state.  Each mom would just be responsible for the shipping of the activities she made to you, and she would need to include payment in her box for you to mail a box back to her with all the exchanged activities.  If you are going to do this, and are stateside, I would highly recommend making use of USPS and their offer to pick up your package at your front door.  That way you aren't toting 9 boxes down to the post office.  If you are considering doing this via mail, I would just be sure to calculate the shipping costs into the overall budget.   The second, and I believe, more common exchange is to host a Playdate; which is what we choose.  Once you decide what type of exchange you want to have that will also help you determine who to ask to participate.

Once you have those questions answered it will help everything else to fall into place!  Here's what we chose for our Swap:  Focusing on 3 and 4 year old kids. (We have a few moms whose kids are technically 2, but they looked over the projects and thought that their kids could benefit from them!) We had 10 moms total, each making 10 bags each of 2 different activities. We wanted to keep each mom's spending budget between $20 and $40.

Next Step:

1.  Gather Ideas for Activities!  If you can have your activity list done before you get your moms it will help your timetable move along more quickly.  Marque and I split this task down the middle.  We each had a goal to locate 10-12 activities that we thought would be beneficial.  If you come back for Part 3, I will have our complete list of activities that we choose from.  You don't even have to do any research if you don't want to.  :)  In our compilation we listed the project, the web link for reference, and a list of the supplies needed for the project.  If you want to search it out on your own, you can Google "Busy Bag Ideas" and you'll have ton's of links pop up.  You can also search on Pinterest and come up with quite a few links.

2.  Locate MOMS!  It's important to inform your "intended target" of the estimated cost of the project and the time commitment it will take to complete it!  Most of our moms agreed it took more time than they thought it would.  Some had unexpected "hiccups" along the way.  (I had many!)  On average our moms spent anywhere from 6-10 hours completing their projects!  As I said in my previous post, this is not for the faint of heart!!!  We started with our list of 10 moms that we thought would be interested.  We gave them a brief overview of the project and asked them for a  response by a designated time so that we could move on to the next mom if she wasn't interested.  We had a few say no, and we had to do a little digging to find a few more participants, but they were out there!!!  I think it took us about a week and a half total to get the 10 moms we wanted "locked-in".  And just to make it as easy as possible for you, click here to open up a copy of the first email we sent out asking moms to participate.  Copy and paste, and change what you need to!

3.  Email your moms!  Once we had our moms committed we emailed them the list of activities, asking them to look over the list and email us back, with-in a specified time (3-4 days), of their top 3 choices of activities that they would like to make.  Our goal was to get each mom at least 2 of their top 3 choices.  Surprisingly enough, it worked!!  We only had a few mom's requests overlap, but that third option normally helped to work it out.  At this time, we also gave our moms a few options on different playdate exchange dates/times.  Again, you can click here to find another copy of the version of this email we sent out.

4.  Assign each activity and schedule a Playdate!  Once your moms have responded with their top 3 choices, make your final list and email it back out with a date for the Exchange!!  Our Playdate exchange was very flexible.  I think we changed it about three times.  We had to wait on a lot of items to ship, some of which were on back order.  If for some reason one of your moms can't make the playdate it's no reason for her not to participate.  Just make sure she delivers her activities to you before the playdate so you can exchange them for her! 

5.  Get your supplies and create!  Don't put this off!  Time will sneak up on you!  While deadlines are also great motivators, you might be regretting it at 3 AM the morning of the playdate.  (I am NOT speaking from experience on this one!)  I do know that my two activities took me more time that I thought.  I also ran into a few bumps along the way, having to adjust my original plan on how to complete the project, and even having to change one entire activity.  :)

6.  Communicate!!!  Always a key, right?!  This is important from the beginning to the end.  Marque and I had to follow-up with moms from the time the first email was sent out asking if they were interested.  Make sure you are keeping up with your moms.  They have crazy lives too and things come up.  Make sure they are getting your emails.  Make sure they found all the supplies they needed.  Do they want to get together for a playdate on the side to put their activity together?  Did they under-estimate the time commitment; do they need to gracefully back out? 

7.  Playdate!  You can make this as simple or as complex as you want.  If you've been wanting a reason to bake some yummy treats and host some company, then this could be it!  Otherwise, plan a bring-your-own-picnic date at the park, or just a regular hour of play at a local playground.  Again, if there is a mom that can't attend just make sure you get her activities from her prior to the playdate and you can exchange them for her.

8.  Walk away with new activities for you and your child to enjoy!!  Keep in mind that some activities might take a little more instruction/help to begin with.  On some of the activities we choose there are a few different ways each one could be used.  Some could be used just as a motor-skills activity, but can also be used as color coordinating, or making patterns, or counting, etc, etc.  You have the freedom to use the bag how you want!


Make sure you come back for Part 3 for the list we used for our Busy Bag Swap!

Busy Bag Swap {Part 1: What is a Busy Bag Swap?}

Have you ever heard of Busy Bags? 

A busy bag is a simple, age appropriate activity, normally kept in a Ziploc bag, that can be pulled out for your child to enjoy either with you or on their own.  They can come in very handy when you need just a few minutes of uninterrupted time but don't want to stick them in front of the TV.

Soon after we moved to Germany I heard of a friend back in Texas who had participated in a Busy Bag Swap when she was in Kansas.  I have seen lots of ideas over the Internet on activities to entertain your toddler/pre-schooler, but this was the first time I had heard of a "Swap". 

The idea intrigued me and it sat in my brain for a few months.  After beginning Homeschooling my need to find some activities to help entertain Colin and Blaine became very clear.  It was something that needed to be moved toward the top of my "project" list.  My friend, Marque, also started Homeschooling this year and she found herself in the same position with her 3 year old.  I had mentioned the idea to her in months past, and knew she was interested, so I recruited her to help me with the Swap.   Having someone to do it with, that you know is "on-board" is always a great motivation. 

Why a Swap for these activities?  It's the whole concept of killing two birds with one stone.  Getting more bang for your buck!  There are lots of moms that are probably in a similar situation as you.  1.  A lot of these activities can call for items that are cheaper to be bought in bulk.  What am I going to do with the other 220 magnets, when I only needed 30?  2.  Breaking it up between multiple moms also cuts down on the cost.  If I wanted to make 20 different activity bags it would probably cost me a minimum of $100, to get all the supplies I needed.  Then I'd end up with an excess of supplies.  3.  As I stated above, having someone come alongside you with a like purpose is great motivation!  Knowing that there is a group of women working hard to create an activity that you and your child will benefit from is motivating!

The overall idea is that each mom puts together a set of bags and at a designated time you exchange your bags walking away with multiple activities.  Very much like a cookie exchange!  

You can use these bags to entertain your child while you have to make a quick phone call, during a road trip, at a doctor's appointment, etc.  Some moms have used these Busy Bags to entertain their children during quite-time and have a specified Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday, etc box for them to choose certain activities from.  There are plenty of options on when and how to make these usable!

We originally committed to this Swap mid September.  We just hosted our Playdate Exchange and it's November.  This project is not for the faint of heart!  Given that fact that we are overseas, most of us had to order our supplies.  Ordering easily added 1-2 weeks time onto our timeline; even having to extend our playdate a few times waiting on delayed shipments.  If you are in the states, I'm sure you could have a playdate set up 2 weeks from the time you have your committed moms and it wouldn't be a problem.

Are you intrigued?!  Want to host a Swap of your own?!!!  I've got you covered!!  Part 2 will take you step by step in what you need to do to host a Swap.  Part 3 will have the detailed list of all the activities we used for our Swap.  I love my other mommies out there and wanted to make this something that is as simple as possible with a great return!!!

Not a mommy of young ones yourself?  Don't drop out!!  You might not host a Swap, but talk about a cheap, homemade, functional gift!!!  I promise...you make even one or two of these for a young mom that you know she will be forever in your debt!  (If she doesn't appreciate it then she must be that "Super-Mom" everyone keeps talking about!)

If-Then

A few years ago when we moved to Texas I was looking for something to help me in my consistency with discipline, and something with a more Biblical approach.  I had a few ideas, but hadn't put anything together. 

I had managed to make the last few meetings of the MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) group before they took a break for the summer and one of the Mom's on their "Mom Panel" had suggested a very basic If/Then chart.  If you do "this"...Then "this" will happen.

I originally ordered the If-Then chart from Doorposts; the website where the Mom mentioned above had gotten the idea.  It didn't turn out to be exactly what I wanted, but it still gave me the basis and inspiration for making my own.  They have a lot of other great resources as well!

Why a discipline chart, you ask?  Well, here are just some of my arguments for it...

1.  The chart helps me to stay consistent with what consequence is given for each "offense". 

• They say consistency is key in discipline and I believe it is very true not only with what and when, or how often, but that the consequence remains stable.  If I'm just aggravated and spout off whatever punishment I want, one day it might be time out, one day it might be a chore, one day it might be a spanking...there is an uncertainty left for the child to question what Mom's mood might produce.  I've also noticed in the past that if I'm hopping around on the consequence it seems I find myself saying, "Nothing I seem to do is working!"  Normally, because I don't stick with anything long enough to give it a chance to work.
• In our home, we do spankings.  On occassion, the boys will loose a privledge along with a spanking, but we have found the a spanking (done the correct way) produces the best results.

2.  The chart helps Tim and I to stay consistent with each other.

• When this idea first presented itself, I made sure to run it by Tim first.  In all honesty, I think he thought I was a little crazy.  He didn't think it was really needed and argued that our parents didn't need one.  After hearing some of my thoughts on the subject, he agreed to give it a go.  We sat down and reviewed the categories together and came to agreement on what the consequences should be for each child.  Before we began implementing the chart we reviewed it with the boys so that they were well aware of the expectations and the consequences.  The boys know that whether Mom is around, or Dad, that if they lie, the consequence will be the same.  There is no surprise when the consequence is given.

3.  It helps me to not punish or spank out of anger.

• We keep our chart in the bathroom with a spoon.  I can say that 99% of the time if I spank my child right when the offense occurs it is most likely out of anger and frustration and that is a sin on my part.  And in all honesty, sometimes it happens.  I have to seek forgiveness from God and my child over it.  BUT, if I have to stop what I'm doing and go to the bathroom and follow the chart, then it gives myself time to calm down.  The chart is set up to follow a certain order.  Before the consequence comes God's Word.  I don't know about you, but it's hard to be angry after reading His Word.  Therefore, the discipline then becomes what it's meant to be..discipline, not a whiplash of emotions.

4.  It brings us back to the Gospel.

• In Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp it states "The central focus of parenting is the gospel.  You need to direct not simply the behavior of your children, but the attitudes of their hearts.  You need to show them not just the 'what' of their sin and failure, but the 'why'."  Having a scripture linked with the behavior gives us a very clear picture that Christ expects our hearts to be just as pure as our actions and we are given another opportunity to share with our children the importance of His Word. 

5.  It's goal is restoration/reconciliation.

• Again, the chart is set in order.  Just as we don't begin with the consequence, we don't end with it either.  We end with the attitude/behavior that God would like for them to choose the next time the situation might present itself.  We end with an "I love you" and with hugs, and I would like to start ending in prayer as well.  Then if needed, they are to go reconcile themselves with the one that was offended.  Just as God's purpose in disciplining us is to restore ourselves to Himself, our goal in disciplining our children is to bring them back into a right relationship with us and their Creator.  We also hope that in teaching them this idea of reconciliation it will create a habit that will hopefully be instilled in them in childhood that will translate into their relationships as adults. 

• Is this chart "fail-proof"?  No.
• Do we have perfect children?  Of course not!
• As parents, are we well seasoned and have it all figured out? Again, OF COURSE NOT!!
• Do we always follow the chart to a "t"?  No.  We easily get off course.  Many times we have to stop and start over fresh.
• Does this chart cover all discipline issues?   It's not specific, but focuses on the main heart attitudes that we find in our children.  While every situation is different, we believe that most can be "traced-back" to one of these heart issues.  We ask the Lord for discernment and clarity in deciding what the "heart" of the issue is and discipline that.  Again, we aim not to discipline the action, but the attitude!
• Since using this chart have our children stopped having problems with these behaviors/heart issues?  An overwhelming...Of course not!  By disciplining consistently, I do believe that I can see a visible change, but it does not mean that we never have those problems again.  The chart is meant to be used for years and to help with our consistency in parenting.
• Am I claiming this is the best/only way to discipline your child?  No.  I believe that every child is different and that the Lord will grant wisdom in the area of raising them if we ask.  There are TONS of charts and ideas on how to discipline your child.  I just wanted to share something that has helped us.  Keep in mind the chart was orignially created to help ME in staying consitent in my discipline.  It's a tool that I felt I needed. 

So now I've talked all about it you can go here to print the chart that I created to use for our family.  I left a space at the top empty for you to add your child's name, and I left the consequences column empty.  You can print this chart and fill it out by hand and then laminate it to make it a little more durable.  We have a full size 8.5 x 11 page printed that we keep in our bathroom, and I have a small 4x6 that I normally keep in the car or my purse for when we are out and about.  If you would like to be able to edit it yourself, I would be more than happy to email it to you.  Just leave me a comment with your email address!

Learning to Write

With the curriculum that we choose for school this year Ryan has started learning cursive.  Ryan has done exceptionally well with it.  There have been a few times where he just isn't trying and it shows.  When he does try, it's amazing how good it looks.

Here's one of his recent tests.  The first part is traced and the second is on his own.

To help us learn the proper writing/placement of the letters I made a couple of these templates.

It is based on the idea of a house and there being an upstairs, a downstairs, and a basement.  I put two of them back to back and laminated them.  We use them everyday in place of our "chalkboard" work.  With a dry erase marker and some hand sanitizer/acetone, the board wipes clean and we can use it over and over again.


I also made one for Colin.  Before I laminated it I wrote his name on the lines in dots for him to trace.  Even though he isn't ready for it yet, I went ahead and made the "starting" marks for him once he's ready to write his name without all the dots.

 

 

If you click on the link above you can print off the template and use it as you wish.  :)

Not a Baby Anymore!

It's official.  No more babies in the house.  Blaine turned 2!

 
Just a little re-cap....
 

2 Weeks Old:

 

(If you are interested in Blaine's Birth Story you can catch that here and here.)

 

9 Months Old:



 ...and that's why we sometimes call him chunks.  But he's such a cute chunks.

 

 

1 Year Old:

 

A few pics from yesterday:

 

I always find that buying gifts for a 1-3 year old is pretty difficult. Out of some recent "clues" he gave me, we went with Snap Cubes, Wood Blocks and of course a movie. We were pleasantly surprised when he didn't even seemed phased by the movie and was completely satisfied to play with the blocks.

 

 

Since Blaine can't answer the 20 Birthday Questions, I figured I'd do my best to hit the highlights.

 

1. Blaine loves movies.  His favorites include, but are not limited to, The Incredibles and Larry Boy. 

2. His favorite thing to do is to dump things all over the floor and then move on to the next room.

3. He recently learned how to open the refrigerator.

4.  If you couldn't tell from the pictures, he's addicted to his left pointer finger and his blanket. 

4. His favorite book is "Animals".

5. He wakes up at who knows what time in the morning (always before my alarm), turns half the lights on in the house, and either goes and wakes his brothers up or brings me food.  (His way of telling me he's hungry.)

6.  His favorite thing to wear is his diaper....and nothing else.

7.  He loves acorns and airplanes and always points them out when we are outside.

8.  He's a great climber and often confuses our couch as something to crawl over.

9.  He recently had a growth spurt and is currently 30.5 lbs and 2 ft 10.5 " inches.  According to our growth chart he grew 2.5 " in the last six months alone! 

 

 

Official 2 Year Photos to come!!

 

 

Wax Leaves

 

 

A couple years ago when I discovered the blogging world I came across a blog on preserving fall leaves.  Since we've been in Oklahoma and Texas for the last few years we haven't seen a whole lot of leaves.  After we went and collected our leaves we followed this simple tutorial from Clover Lane.

 

I used all four bars of wax that came in the box and I have a TON of wax left over.  Two of the bars would have been plenty. 

 



 

We were able to string some leaves together to make some garland for our windows, a few doors, our mirror, and a five small paper plate wreaths to hang on our doors.

 

 

If you have any colorful leaves where you live, this is a project worth doing!

September {In Pictures}

Last month the boys were begging me to have a "sleepover" with Blaine.  Tim had Staff Duty (a 24 hour shift) one Friday and I figured that was a good time for their sleepover.  I blew up the air mattress, threw some pillows on there, and put in a movie.  It was getting late and Blaine was getting cranky so I gave the boys the option of me putting Blaine in his room to sleep and they could finish the movie, or turning the movie off and going to bed with Blaine.  They actually choose to turn the movie off!  I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't choose to "ditch" their brother for a movie.  (Although, Blaine would have had no idea/cared less.)  I ended up having to sit in there until 2 out of 3 of them fell asleep.  Ryan was the 1st to go, then Blaine, and finally Colin.  Here's the one picture from their sleepover.

 

 

Diggin' deep in the bag for the good chips!

Blaine has recently been all about yogurt..and not wanting me to help...at all.

 



 

 

It normally ends up all down his shirt, and all over the table and chair.  And obviously his face.

 

 



 

 

Blaine had a weird week in September (we are guessing the beginning of 2 yr molars) where he slept....A LOT.  Tim and I were getting ready for church one morning and came out to find Blaine asleep in the middle of the living room floor.

 

 

And lastly...who needs games, or busy bags when you have Scentsy scents?!!

 

Are my boys the only kids who enjoy opening these up and smelling them?  They've even asked me if they can carry one with them when we run errands!  Colin was very intentional about going through all of them and then coming up to me with the one that he liked the best (Hazelnut Latte, I believe).