**This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Gerber 3rd Foods® Lil’ Bits® All opinions are my own**
We are all so busy. As a result, our kids are just as busy. School, extracurricular activities, play dates to help develop their social skills, birthday parties and on an on and on, keep everyone going at all times. Sometimes it feels like our only down time in this house is homework time!
Slowing down seems impossible sometimes. There is always an extra practice, another school event to go to, a family function to attend… it never ends. I look at my daily calendar some days and feel tired before I even get my coffee.
In our haste, our children’s childhood’s are flashing by us at warp speed. So I thought I would share some easy tips on how to slow down and enjoy their childhood that have helped me!
Let Them Eat Cake!
I think every mom wants their kids to get the best things possible. We all want to slice the veggies, make sure their fruit is perfectly styled and monitor absolutely everything they put in their mouths! But sometimes, it is OK to let them eat cake! Sometimes it is OK to buy snacks and foods at the store for them to enjoy on picnics, family drives or on a Saturday when patty cake is too important to stop playing to make a snack. A little snack here and there from a trusted brand like Gerber® 3rd Foods® Lil Bits™ Recipes can give you some time back with your little one! Plus, learning to chew is a huge milestone for any growing baby! So these snacks keep you out of the kitchen and help your little one too!
Say No!
I am a Yes Mom. Yes, she can be on the cheer squad and have three practices a week. Yes, she can go to every party she is ever invited to. Yes, we can leave one place early to get to your place because we don’t want to disappoint anyone by not showing up. I admit, I get us into most of the craziness just by saying yes. I am learning, through pure exhaustion, that it is OK to say NO! Yes, some people’s feeling are going to get hurt. But running twenty four, seven is not how I want to raise my kids. How can I possibly notice the little things that make childhood so amazing when I am constantly telling them to hurry up?
Mark the Milestones!
There is something incredibly bittersweet about watching your child hit a milestone. But from the first time they can hold a Gerber® 3rd Foods® Lil Bits™ Recipes in their hand to the time they can start their own online blog like mommy’s, every milestone should be marked. I sit here now with a 9, 7 and 6 year old and I am so happy that I have photos that I can look at to remind me of the first time they sit up, stand and walk! It is truly precious, even on the bad days, to look back and see how it all started!
Now, a little about Gerber Lil’ Bits because I wish these had been around when my kids were babies! They are made with perfectly sized soft bit of fruits or veggies that help your little one learn to chew. Plus, Gerber is the only baby food company in the country which uses a special cooking method that gives Lil’ Bits recipes the right texture and perfectly sized soft bits to help babies master chewing. Meaning that they may actually eat it instead of throwing it on the floor, watching the dog pick it up with glee! As we know, chewing is an essential milestone in a baby’s development so it is awesome that Lil’ Bits recipes offer a gradual texture progression which helps babies learn the skills they need to transition to table food!
Plan Time Together
If we can put pizza parties and neighborhood events on the schedule, we can put movie night on the schedule. Turn off the phone, pull out the blankets, build a pallet on the floor, put a kid on all sides and watch something everyone will love. Ignore the badgering voices in your head that says the laundry needs to be done, the dishes are starting to smell and the email box is overflowing. Just enjoy your kids. Listen to the little noises that you used to stand over their crib and hear. Let them laugh too loud so you can’t hear the movie. Feel the imprint of their little hands on your arm and inhale the sweet scents of childhood that emits so distinctly. Be present the entire time. You will be rewarded with memories that will far outlast these moments.
Get Away
When was the last time that you drove down the road and walked the trails of the nature area? How about a bike ride through the neighborhood? And a trip to the duck pond with a loaf of bread? Sometimes just leaving the house to explore what is right out your back door can help you relish in their childhood. That sweet looks of amazement when they find a cool rock on the hiking trail is priceless. The accomplishment that crosses their face when they ride up that tiny hill and the huge smile of life that emulates the thrill of a duck eating their bread piece is all a part of what you will want in your permanent memory bank.
Spending real time with your kids does not have to cost money or your To-Do list. But we only really have the first 10-12 years of childhood before our kids want to go ‘hang’ at someone else’s house. If we are not careful, we will wake up one day, hand them the keys and watch the adults we lived with when they were little drive off to their own too busy lives.
How do you slow down and relish in your children’s childhood? I would love to hear some of your tips!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Gerber® 3rd Foods® Lil Bits™ Recipes
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