Tape Shape Matching "Recipe"

Age: 2-5 years
Energy Required: Medium (requires some prep)
Skills: Gross motor, Shapes recognition

Ingredients: Masking tape
                      Paper (colorful preferred)

Preparation: Use the masking tape to make shapes on the carpet. Four shapes is good. Cut out the same four shapes from the paper (two of each shape).  

Directions:  Match the shapes!  Our favorite way to play this game is for me to lay on the couch and hand her a paper shape. She then matches the shape to the tape shape on the floor. But she has a movement for each shape that she has to do!  For example, if she gets a diamond, she has to run to the diamond and jump on it.  (Example: jump on diamond, spin on square, dance on triangle, sit on pentagon).  You can always just match the shapes without the actions. But it's fun to see if she can remember what action to do on each shape!

Mama Notes: We have been known to leave the tape shapes on the carpet for days!

Dark day, light thoughts

I had a bad day. I was literally in bed ALL day, upstairs, away from my sweet daughter ALL day. I was "herxing" from a third antibiotic for my Lyme. Herxing is when you feel awful because so many Lyme bacteria are dying releasing endotoxins and your body just can't handle the toxic load. It is hell. 

We have a sound machine in our bedroom so that I can drown out the noise. 

But I could still hear the happy shouts of my 2 year old coming from downstairs.  I missed her. I wasn't able to walk or talk very well (I have neurological Lyme), so there was nothing I could do but listen and think about things. 

It is easy to get into dark thoughts when all you have is pain and a dark room. 

But I realized that instead of missing her and wishing I could play, I could be celebrating the time she is getting with her Daddy. They are really bonding. I chose to be happy for them instead of sad for me. And I tried to remember all those days when she was a baby where all I wanted was a day of rest. I got that day today. 

And my husband got his daughter all to himself :)

"How happy or unhappy are you?  That is the question. You are the answer." -Native American quote

Savor The Moments

I am typing this with a cat on my lap. I was pushing her away over and over because I wanted to use my iPad...you know, the "important" stuff.

Purrrrrrr.  She just kept staring at me purring, knowing she could break me eventually.

And the moment she gave up and turned away, I had a realization that these cuddling moments are the "important" stuff. Her whole life is me. She has devoted her entire short life to loving me. And man, these purrs feel so good.

I need to break for my daughter too. When I feel so sick laying there on the couch, all she wants to do is holler in my face about how I'm Shiny and she's Tiny from Dinosaur Train. My head pounds and I start to get shaky from the noise and input. And sometimes I have to leave.

These are my daughter's persistent "purrs". Her whole life is me. She has devoted her entire life to loving me. And man, even though my head is throbbing and I have no idea what she's hollering about, she is excited and happy and I'm a part of it.

Savor these moments.

Cubby Jump "Recipe"

Age: 18 mo-3 years
Energy Required: Medium, you must sit up and have good legs/knees
Skills: Gross motor, Imaginative Play

Ingredients: A big blanket
                      Footstool or coffee table 

Directions: Jump in my cubby!  Sit on the couch with your legs stretched out and feet on the coffe table/footstool. Put a blanket over your lap. Spread your legs a little so that your child can climb onto your legs and jump between your legs on top of the blanket!  The blanket rides down with your child so that they are now in the "cubby". They can stay in and be cozy or pop out and do it over again!  Make sure to pull the blanket tight each cubby jump.  

Mama Notes: Cubby jump started a couple years ago when my dad (Papa) was sitting on the couch watching tv with his feet on the footstool and covered up with a blanket. Our daughter climbed up to see him and ended up jumping into his cubby!  And we have all done it 59,000 times since :)  Enjoy!

Reasons I Am Thankful For My Illness

Some people may think I'm crazy for being thankful for my chronic illness. And they are right. I am crazy.

Crazy happy.

So if you need a dose of happy to put a curfew on your pity party (which I do often), then I highly recommend making a list like this. It is so therapeutic and if you actually write it down, you can keep looking at it during those times when your life as a sick mom feels hopeless (which I know is often). You are not alone.

I think anyone with a chronic illness has the power to heal themselves. I believe it is more powerful than some herbs. Try it! I've been doing it and I had a turning point this past week!

I'm not saying it can cure you. But it is free, it is God given, it is very easy to access, you can travel with it, use it day or night, etc.

REASONS I AM THANKFUL FOR MY ILLNESS

-time to reflect on my life

-greater appreciation for life

-greater appreciation for the little things- like washing dishes! I can wash these dishes yeah!!!

-learning how to listen to my body and slow down

-learning all about how my body functions and how to help it

-losing weight

-eating healthy and not drinking wine all the time

-laying on the couch lets me watch my daughter play instead of constantly trying to get away to do chores

-time has literally slowed down

-cuddle time with my pets

-closer with my husband (emotionally)

-closer with God

-spiritual journey (these are nice to have during hard times.. Soul searching)

-time to color in a coloring book!

-I'm so spaced out all the time, I'm pretty darn stress free on spacey days 

-extra love and attention from my family and friends

-I have found out who my real friends are

-one word: kefir. I love that stuff!

-self love. I am learning how to really love my amazing body/mind/spirit connection and how to utilize it in my life

-I live more in the now. So important.

So there are some of mine!  Even though I am having severe anxiety and depression, I am able to PUNCH IT IN THE FACE with a big positive fist.

Maybe try adding a new one every day!

Pillow Trail "Recipe"

Age: crawling-5
Energy Required: Low
Skills: Gross motor, Imaginative Play

Ingredients: Different sizes of pillows (more the better!)

Directions: Let's make a pillow trail!  Grab different pillows of all sizes and put them on the floor in a trail design. It can be straight or have curves in the trail. Watch from the couch as your little ones hike the trail!

Mama Notes: This has been one of my daughter's favorite activities for over a year. We started with three or four pillows that she could balance on when learning to walk, and it has transformed into ten pillows and her running over them!  She builds the trails herself now, making this a zero energy activity for this sick mom!  Win win!

Mama is happy and sick

Before becoming sick with late stage Lyme disease, I was a very active mama of one lovely 2 year old daughter. We were always going places and meeting friends, going to music/art classes, and playgrounds. We were active at home too. We were always dancing or jumping, making art or cooking. 

We were busy, busy girls. 

One day, I just couldn't get out of bed. And starting on that day, my life of being a play at home mom quickly turned into being a lay at home mom. 

We all had a hard time adjusting to being home everyday, most days with me on the couch or in bed. It has been a journey so far, but I'm learning some things along the way. 

It's not about what you DO, but who you ARE. 

Your children really just need YOU. Your attention. They need to feel big and strong in their little bodies, especially when their life is changing all around them. They need to express themselves and be heard. All of that fancy Pinterest stuff is not necessary. They need their mom present with happy eyes even if they may be teary. 

One of my daughter's new phrases is, "mama are you happy and sick?"  

And I totally am.