More Than a Mommy

What Every Expectant Mother Should Know…

Well…Baby #3 is going to be joining our family Thanksgiving 2017 and we are pretty excited and nervous all bundled into one at the thought of going from 2 to 3 kiddos. We have always wanted a bit of a larger family and 4 was always our “perfect” number. After being blessed with two beautiful baby girls, we were pretty certain that 4 may not be in our future but 3 was a must! So…here we are!

Having been through this 2 previous times now, I do have some advice for us mommas…

By Mary Bockert, ago

Water Safety

Summer is coming and so is bathing suit season! If you are anything like my family, you can’t wait to hit the beaches or swimming pools this summer. But…being aware of your surroundings is key to keeping everyone safe.

By Mary Bockert, ago

Does My Child Have a Developmental Delay?

“He hasn’t rolled over yet?”

“Aren’t kids usually talking by now?”

People may not mean to be insensitive when they ask you questions like these. But it can still be upsetting to see other kids passing milestones before your child does.

Not meeting these types of milestones isn’t always a sign that your child has a developmental delay. If it turns out he does have a delay, however, getting supports and services early may help him catch up more quickly.

By Mary Bockert, ago

Meal Planning with Kids + a Kid-Friendly Meal Plan

I LOVE eating healthy and challenging myself to feed my family right. My main motivation in writing this blog this morning is to help make natural & healthy living easier for other families. Certainly, this job is easier said than done, and getting kids to actually eat the healthy foods we prepare can be difficult.

I’ve also found that having kids help with acquiring the food (through gardening and shopping) and preparing the food with kid-appropriate tasks like chopping with a crinkle cutter, stirring food or helping serve goes a long way toward helping my kids want to eat the food I prepare.

By Mary Bockert, ago

Staying Active With Your Kids on Rainy Days

I don’t know about you but winter/ grey skies/ rain/ etc. gets me into a FUNK! I could just wrap up in an overly soft blanket with a good book and read my day away…and then there are kids 5 and under…which want nothing to do with sitting still and reading books all day under a blanket. Humph! What is a momma to do?

By Mary Bockert, ago

Creative Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat Their Veggies

Getting my girls to eat their veggies can be tricky if it isn’t one they prefer. I usually have to think creatively, be mindful of their nutrition, and a bit sneaky as well. Here are some tips that may help keep your little one from turning up his/her nose at the dinner table. I know there are some I have not used yet that this momma plans to implement!

By Mary Bockert, ago

40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge

I am one of those people who truly loves “STUFF!” I love nick knacks, I love my girls’ things, I love things from my past, I love clothes…you get the point. When someone loves “stuff” you can pretty much guarantee that they have a house full of “things” with “significance,” making it difficult to get rid of.

“But it was Annora’s first pair of shoes!” or how about “But I wore that at my high school graduation!” or even better….”That is the shirt I got when I graduated Safety Town!”

Really???

By Mary Bockert, ago

The Complete Crash Course on Clean Eating

Clean eating is a deceptively simple concept. Rather than revolving around the idea of ingesting more or less of specific things (for instance, fewer calories or more protein), the idea is more about being mindful of the food’s pathway between its origin and your plate. At its simplest, clean eating is about eating whole foods, or “real” foods — those that are un- or minimally processed, refined, and handled, making them as close to their natural form as possible. However, modern food production has become so sophisticated that simply eating whole foods can be a challenging proposition these days.

By Mary Bockert, ago