family Archives - The Ten Thousand Hour Mama

12 reasons why I garden with my kids: Raising mini gardeners

March 16, 2018catherinemryan

Gardening with your kids has about a million benefits, but these are the top reasons I get out in the yard with my children. It’s not hard to garden with your kids. Try it and report back if you see any of these side perks, too! This post contains affiliate links.

The other day, Peeper looked out the window and asked, “What’s on fire?” In a panic, I looked outside and saw not smoke—but clouds upon clouds of pollen wafting off a tree in our backyard. Spring is officially here, people.

(Now where’s my Claritin?)

As much as allergies annoy me, I am so ready for spring, partly because I can’t wait to garden with my kids! We’ve been talking a lot about what we want to plant, and we picked up some seeds from the garden store the other day. We’re raising bees this year, too, which will greatly benefit our garden—and influence what we plant, since I want to ensure we grow a pollinator-friendly garden.

But my aims to garden with my kids goes beyond providing food for our honeybees. Getting outside with my preschooler and toddler, connecting them to the natural world and teaching them responsibility by caring for plants are just a few reasons why gardening with my kids is at the top of my priorities.

Curious? Hungry? Excited for spring? Here are my top reasons why you should dig in with your little gardeners.

Moms’ weekend in Hood River, Oregon: Wine, beer, hiking + laughter

February 26, 2018catherinemryan

One weekend. Eight moms. Two hikes. Plenty of wine and good food. An absurd amount of snacks. Our Moms’ Weekend trip to Hood River added up to a fun, restorative trip we won’t soon forget.

The eight of us have been friends since we were in moms’ group together, when our kids were babies. In some cases, we’ve known each other since our littles were just weeks old. Now that our kids are toddlers, many of us get together every week for homeschool preschool.

We keep in close touch—but even though we hang out often, we seldom get the chance to truly connect. After all, it’s hard to have a sustained conversation when kids are running sprints in the house, asking for more goldfish crackers and getting into fistfights over Paw Patrol toys.

We needed a Moms’ Weekend.

We planned our Moms’ Weekend in Hood River for months, putting it on the calendar so everyone could plan around it. We chose a house in Hood River, decided who would cook which meal and scoped out fun things to do.

When you have eight moms planning a trip, it’s going to be organized—and awesome.

Once we set out, leaving our families behind (except for one mom who brought her second baby—squee!), we also shed responsibilities. We didn’t have schedules or anywhere to be. We had a wide-open Moms’ Weekend in Hood River with some of our closest friends. It was primed to be epic.

12 best children’s books about a new baby: What we’re reading

January 31, 2018catherinemryan

These children’s books about a new baby will help a big sister- or big brother-to-be understand what’s coming, process their emotions and feel reassured that they’ll still be special even after the baby arrives. The post contains affiliate links.

12 best children's books about a new baby - Ten Thousand Hour Mama

When I was pregnant with Kiwi, Peeper and I read a lot of books about a new baby to help her know what was happening—and why Mom’s belly suddenly took up my entire lap. She had a lot of questions, which books helped us answer in a comforting way.

Kid’s literature also gave a reference point for us to talk about what would happen when our new baby was ready to come—and after.

12 best children's books about a new baby: Ten Thousand Hour Mama How to help Big Sister adjust to a new baby: children's books about babies. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

When the Big Day came, Peeper was more calm and comfortable with everything that happened—and I’m convinced these children’s books about a new baby were a big factor. All the changes were more familiar and less scary because she’d read about them many times.

Rereading these books with her and Kiwi now, I finish with stories about when they were born: like the very first time Peeper met Kiwi in the hospital, she came in and sang her new baby sister “Happy Birthday.” Awwww!

And although their relationship has had its rocky points, they have become the best of pals.

How to help Big Sister adjust to a new baby - Ten Thousand Hour Mama

If you’re looking for children’s books about a new baby to explain what it means to be a big sister or big brother, start here. Add them to your cart or request them from the library: You and your child will want to read—and reread—them even after Baby arrives. Read more →

“Let them be little”—protecting your kids, or white privilege?

January 22, 2018January 13, 2018catherinemryan

“Let them be little”—it’s a hashtag I use on Instagram often enough, and it’s a sentiment I hear on Facebook. But when a friend wrote this in response to a post I’d written about involving my kids in the resistance against injustice, my gut told me, no. Sheltering children from reality at any cost doesn’t do them any good, and it is a mark of white privilege.

After all, parents of color can’t “let them be little” when it comes to teaching their kids how to deal with a police officer so they don’t end up shot. Undocumented parents can’t “let them be little” when it comes to preparing their American-born children in case parents are detained or deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or police.

We live in a time where raising children to grow up and create the world we value is more important than ever. For me, that means raising socially conscious, compassionate and strong citizens.

Create a sanctuary at home: My January monthly resolution

January 4, 2018January 4, 2018catherinemryan

This is the first of my 2018 monthly resolutions. Up first in January: create a sanctuary at home by kicking out clutter, organizing like a boss and getting the whole family on the home organization bandwagon. Here’s how.

I hit a breaking point the other day in my home: We had just gotten back from a weekend trip to the beach, the girls were hangry and I was just trying to grab a book to read to them while their dinner cooked. But as I pulled out the library book, an entire stack of stuff—more books, artwork, a box of bibs—toppled onto me.

Having a disorganized, overstuffed house is not new to my family. We have more than we need, and I have struggled to get it under control. In the past, I’ve made progress and instituted systems, only to have the everyday chaos of kids undermine my best intentions. My house usually feels like this:

Not good.

Some folks flourish in clutter; I’m not one of those people. Although I’ve developed a tolerance for mess (thank you motherhood!), the explosion of stuff everywhere is a constant source of stress.

So for my first monthly resolution, I’ve set the goal to create a sanctuary at home.

Enduring a holiday hangover

December 28, 2017December 27, 2017catherinemryan

Christmas has come and gone, and in spite of a holiday hangover, we had a phenomenal day.

The morning started with the girls and their cousin absolutely jazzed about their stockings, the presents under the tree and the note Santa left behind thanking them for the cookies, milk and carrots they left out the night before. We opened presents in shifts—after all, kids’ attention spans are short enough that they want to play with the toys they just got for Christmas.

But in all, the best part of Christmas didn’t come wrapped. As always, the best present was the presence of our loved ones.

The excitement is worth the holiday hangover, but thank goodness Christmas comes only once a year! Ten Thousand Hour Mama Read more →

The love of sisters and the rage of sisters: Hugs and punches

December 27, 2017December 26, 2017catherinemryan

A friend recently told me they’re thinking of having Baby #2. My immediate reaction: awwwwww! In spite of having some really difficult nights—which involve hours and hours of trying to get the girls to sleep—and breaking up fights over the most ridiculous things—like wanting to sit on these six square inches of couch despite having a whole sectional with plenty of room—I’m happy for my friend because of the love of sisters.

Just the other night, I was reading the girls a book. I noticed their arms reach out for each other. They hugged the whole time I read, and I pretended not to notice for fear of disrupting their special sister moment.

My heart nearly burst, though, when I heard Kiwi: “Aw, big sister,” she crooned. Maybe, just maybe, these two are on their way to becoming best friends.

For the love of sisters: Will these 2 become best friends? I sure hope so. Ten Thousand Hour mama Read more →

How to decorate a perfect Christmas tree with kids

December 21, 2017January 20, 2018catherinemryan

Christmas is the best time of year no matter what, but it gets even better when you have kids. You get to relive the excitement of waking up Christmas morning, the joy of tearing through wrapping paper, the wonder of listening for jingle bells and hooves on the rooftop. And now that you have kids, you can decorate the perfect Christmas tree. (‘Cause kids never break Christmas decorations, right?)

To make this super-straightforward task even simpler, I’ve broken down how to decorate the perfect Christmas tree into just 18 easy steps. So what are you waiting for? Round up the kids and get ready to have the most Pinterest-perfect Christmas tree of all time!

How to decorate the perfect Christmas tree with kids. Ten Thousand Hour Mama Read more →

Tea ring: The best Christmas breakfast pastry you’ll ever eat

December 19, 2017December 19, 2017catherinemryan

When my brother and sisters and I were growing up, we eagerly watched the front porch at Christmas. We got excited about every delivery, but we waited for one package in particular: One from my grandma containing tea ring, the best Christmas breakfast pastry I have ever had the good luck to eat.

She made two tea rings for us every year, without fail, my entire childhood and mailed them to us in Oregon all the way from Illinois. They arrived slightly squished, but that just made the deliciousness more dense. We never complained.

Tea ring is a Christmas breakfast pastry that combines a fluffy dough, cinnamon, brown sugar and butter—lots of butter, of course. It’s a little like a cinnamon roll but won’t give you a sugar headache afterward. Even better, the recipe makes two, so you don’t feel bad going back for seconds—or fourths.

In the Christmas spirit of giving, I’m sharing my family’s most-treasured recipe for tea ring here. It’s legendary around these parts: Family friends continue to talk about tea ring, and friends of mine have dropped by Christmas day to “say hi”—aka angle for a slice of tea ring.

I’m always willing to share. If you have Christmas breakfast pastry this good, it’d be cruel not to.

Make a Christmas tree for animals

December 13, 2017catherinemryan

When we traveled to the Midwest for Christmas last year, I figured we’d be cold. But then we arrived at the tail end of a winter storm and our first day in Chicago had a forecasted high of 10 degrees. People. 10 degrees. So yes, we were cold. And when we arrived at my in-laws’ house in Michigan and saw so many animal footprints in the snow, I thought of all those critters struggling to survive the long winter months with scarce food and low temps.

So in the days leading up to Christmas, I wanted to give the critters a little present. The girls, their grandparents and I thought we’d provide a little holiday treat: We made a Christmas tree for animals.

How to make a Christmas tree for animals: A new holiday family activity to do good! Ten Thousand Hour Mama Read more →