Steady Mom

Preserving Family Memories the Simple Way

The following post is written by Steady Mom's monthly contributor, Kat.

Confession #1: I'm not crafty. At all. I don't stamp, sew or knit. I stink at scrapbooking. I'm not even good at printing photos and putting in frames around the house.

Confession #2: I like memories. I like to keep papers with little painted handprints. I like to keep mementos from vacations, school events and milestones in our family life.

This, my friends, is a bad combo.

The Problem

I have a couple boxes of mementos that I always "mean" to put in a scrapbook of some sort, but I never do (see confession #1). As a result, we only revisit fun memories when I sort through the boxes.

Sadly, I rarely sort through them and when I do it's usually without the children around, even though I know they'd love to be reminded of some of the fun places we've been and things we've done.

The Perfect Solution - A Memory Box

Have You Snagged a Steady Mom Button?

Many of you have already noticed, but I keep meaning to point out that Steady Mom now has a button! I'm grateful to Jo-Lynne of DCR Design for creating it and giving Steady Mom a facelift.

So for those of you who enjoy adding some flair to your blog's sidebar--please grab away!

The code is:

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As always--thank you, thank you for being a reader here!

Educational Videos for Children--That You'll Want to Watch WITH Them! (Moms' 30-Minute Blog Challenge)

Photo by gothopatam

It's been a while since we've talked videos here on Steady Mom, and what videos could make a mom feel less guilty than "educational" videos for children?!

As I've written before, we do let our three young ones (currently 7, 6, and 5.5) view commercial-free DVDs and videos. They typically watch a total of one to 1.5 hours per day (not at one sitting!).

Although we allow viewing, I am highly, extremely selective about the programs I allow my children to watch, wanting it to be an uplifting activity in their lives--not a disturbing, obsessive one.

Most of the kids' programs meet my standards for them but don't interest me at all. Then there are a handful of videos that I love to watch with my children and have a hard time tearing myself away from, even when I'm supposed to be doing something productive.

Here are my favorite five educational videos for young children.

1. Signing Time

I love this slow-paced introductory series to American Sign Language. The songs are catchy and the tone of each episode is sweet and kind--I'm inspired by the mother and family who create this series. And I'm amazed that my slightly older kids still sit through these.

2. Reading Rainbow

No video list could be complete without this classic. This was my absolute favorite show as a child, so I actually get goosebumps at being able to now watch it with my little people. Selected shows have been released on DVD and we also check these out from the library.

Every Saturday night in our home is Reading Rainbow night!

3. Treasury of 100 Storybook Classics

This series by Scholastic includes 100 book selections on 16 DVDs. They include several stories on each DVD, read aloud with slow-moving animation added.

Delightful!

4. The Little Travelers

I've mentioned this series in a previous post, and we are still fans of accompanying the little travelers on their journeys around the globe.

5. The Tales of Beatrix Potter (with Dancers of The Royal Ballet)

This DVD is one of the best for children I've seen in some time.

Several of Beatrix Potter's stories are included--there are no words, only classical music and dance are used to dramatize the story. So fun!

**I'm always on the lookout for more titles to add to our viewing list, so please share your favorites in the comments!**

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Jamie is founder of this spot called Steady Mom, editor of the blog Simple Homeschool, mama to three cute kids born on three different continents, and author of Steady Days: A Journey Toward Intentional, Professional Motherhood.

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Tips for Moms #101: Be a Kind, Detached Policeman

Photo by Ilan

I love reading tips from other moms--lessons they've learned, experiences they've had. And over the past two months as I've been developing my own Happiness Project, based on ideas from Gretchen Rubin's fun book, I've come up with a few tips myself.

I thought I'd periodically share some of my happiness resolutions here, with the hope that even if a tip may not be the right goal for you, it may at least inspire some thoughts that will lead to a happier household of your own.

I'm starting with tip #101 (Because 101 is a cool number to start with!): Be a kind, detached policeman.