More Than a Mommy

December MUST Do’s in the Toledo Area!

I’m THRILLED!!! I had a lot of people respond to my November calendar of events in the Toledo, Ohio area so I decided to give you a good snap shot of what we plan on doing the month of December and you can pick and choose what you think your family may enjoy. I have toddlers and preschoolers but I must say this list is for ANY AGE! I have also included all links to the event pages along with the Toledo Parent link (which is where I get many of my monthly ideas).

By Mary Bockert, ago

My Child Has Anxiety…Now What?

As Ben and I have learned the secret that drives our sweet 2 year olds behavior, we have taken a proactive look into how we can best help her cope. Diagnosed with severe anxiety disorder just 3 short weeks ago, we have been on a whirlwind of emotions. Once the initial shock of it all had disapated a bit, I could truly focus on the issues at hand…What is severe anxiety disorder in children? How do we best help Delise overcome her anxiety? What might her anxiety look like at different stages of her life? How did this happen? With all of these questions, I turned to the professionals and sought out answers.

By Mary Bockert, ago

Preschool Friendship…How Cute!

I was observing Annora interact with her friends the other day. It was fun to see them get imaginative, play dress-up, get the Barbies out, sing crazy funny songs, etc. It was nice to see her as a friend as well. She was kind, gentle, and patient with her sweet little guest. I noticed that a conflict arose between the two when one of them didn’t want to play what they were currently playing. Instead of jumping in to help resolve the disturbance, I watched it play out. Boy am I glad I did! The two girls got upset with each other, turned their backs, and then started playing together again within a matter of seconds. It made me curious and I began researching preschool friendships (I know…who has time for that right?!?).

By Mary Bockert, ago

It’s a 10! Healthy Holiday Treats for the Classroom That will Make You Look Like Super-Mom!

When the holiday season rolls around, so do classroom holiday parties! Of course we have to provide our kids with some festive treats, but who says they can’t be healthy?

These healthy holiday treats are perfect for classroom parties, or even just snacks at home! They’re full of festive holiday spirit AND nutrition. We’ve also included a couple non-food treats. All the kids will love them!

By Mary Bockert, ago

Top 5 Products/Ideas our Family Can’t Live Without

As a family of 4, I feel like we have a lot of stuff! As a means to declutter our home, I have found that there are 5 products our family could not live without. I am sure you can relate to this list of must haves!

#1 Baby wipes

I never bought baby wipes until I had children – now I can’t possibly imagine life without them. It doesn’t take long to appreciate just how many other uses wipes have. I seriously use these things for far more than wiping the toosh of my sweetie pie!

By Mary Bockert, ago

How to NOT Break the Bank for Thanksgiving

One thing I have learned as a stay at home mommy is how to budget and save for the best bang for my buck. Holidays can be overwhelmingly expensive if you don’t plan things out. We aren’t hosting this year (and never have) but I came up with a list of important to-do’s to help cut the costs of hosting Thanksgiving in your home.

1. Create a meal plan

Get the idea in your mind of you want your table to look like when the guests arrive. Do you want mashed potatoes and gravy or sweet potatoes with brown sugar, carrots or green bean casserole, or all of the above? Once you have decided on what the “feel” of how everything should be and what the menu consists of, get to work writing it down. Remember, Uncle Joe does not need to go home with a HUGE plate of leftovers!

By Mary Bockert, ago

What to do When Your Child Suffers From Anxiety

Ben and I went to Delise’s doctor yesterday to get a good handle on what is going on with our sweet 2 year old. She has been demonstrating a lot of aggression and her temper tantrums are almost too much to bear. We knew something wasn’t right so my husband and I took her to a developmental pediatrician and she underwent a series of tests and we underwent a booklet of questions that never seemed to end. In the end, we discovered that our child has severe anxiety. Honestly it was a HUGE sigh of relief. It sounds cruel to say something like that but when the terms autism, sensory processing disorder and ADHD are thrown at you, you start to get anxious yourself. Now we know and can move forward. I started doing my homework and this is what I came up with to help her get through the tough times.

By Mary Bockert, ago

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes that the Kids will LOVE!

As a momma, I am ALWAYS trying to keep our meals as clean as possible. Making sure to get in all of the food groups can prove to be tricky at times and keeping the sweets to a minimum (especially since we have Halloween candy galore right now) can be almost impossible. I have spent several hours and countless experiments in the kitchen to “clean” it all up (by clean I mean nothing processed). Since Delise is our beautiful little one who has proven to be a bit tricky, we have tried to take out as much processed anything as possible (another topic for another day).

I thought it fitting that I blog about creating a healthy, unprocessed Thanksgiving meal that everyone will LOVE. The flavors are rich and the meal is as healthy as it can get. You won’t feel guilty stuffing yourself and then laying on the couch to “sleep it off” with these recipes.

By Mary Bockert, ago

Best Fall/Thanksgiving Crafts to do With Your Preschooler & Toddler!

I just can’t help it…the holidays near and I get all geeked up about crafts and art projects. I did a little Pinterest investigation and found my Top 10 crafts that Annora, Delise (and even Daddy) and I plan to conquer! We may not get to all of them but at least we have several options. Whenever I choose crafts to do with the girls, I always look for something that incorporates some type of learning. You will see that these Top 10 will not only be FUN, but educational as well!

You can also follow me on Pinterest at: https://www.pinterest.com/mommy2be81/

By Mary Bockert, ago

The myths of the Stay-at-Home Mommy!

What happened to me?!?

I went shopping at the mall for the first time since I had a child and the sales associate said something that horrified me.
He asked “What do you do for a living?”
Smiling I said “I’m a stay at home mom” I should have said I’m a domestic engineer because that is more accurate.
“Oh. you don’t work then. Your lucky. Sit around the house all day and do nothing. You have a life of leisure and relax all day.”
I was livid! It is baffling the crazy stereotype of the modern day homemaker. It is because of these myths that we get little respect in society. Today I hope to set the record straight and educate the public.

By Mary Bockert, ago