Web Analytics Made Easy - Statcounter

Those three words that can sometimes lead to my ultimate mom guilt.  Because they come again and again!  Sometimes I think , “not again.  I love you, but I have SO much to do….. or I just want to socialize for a few minutes with the other moms!  Play date is for mama’s sanity too child! I can’t wait til you are old enough to swing yourself.”  And then you know what… I feel guilty again for looking at such a task as a chore.

051a0104

Because, tomorrow, they will grow up and my 2 year old won’t have that little sweet chime in his voice when he comes to my office door and “mom you come push me? Push me on da swing mom!”  And so then I pull away from whatever email, edit or project I am working on to go out in the backyard and push him. (not always mind you, but I attempt to balance it out)  I lift the swing back back back and let go. And he or she will squeal with delight “Wheeeeeee!!  Higher mom higher!  Whoa mom, too high, too scary…”

It goes on.

But you know something…. as adorable as their little chimes or squeals of joy are, there is something a little sweeter.

Sometimes I will be working, and take a look out the door into the backyard and see something adorable, I hear something adorable.  It is the way they play with each other.  Yes there is the “NO IT’s MY turn First! MOOOOMMMMMM Milo’s NOT letting me have a TURN!” thrown in there… but every once in a while, I hear them playing together nicely and taking turns spinning each other and giggling together.  This sibling bonding is heartwarming and I love to see it.   I believe that even at a young age, kids recognize the sacrifices we make.  Believe me, there are times I can’t get anything done!  But I have noticed what a huge difference breaking up my day has also had on me, on any stresses etc to step away from chores or emails or whatever to play with the kids, to go to the park, to stop and smell the roses… It brings me back to priorities, to family, and you know something… it drives me, motivates me.

Madeline will notice when I make a sacrifice and she sees when I am turning away from something else that I need to get done.  And it is a serious tug and pull.  This balancing act.  Being an adult, helping pay the bills and making those sacrifices.  I feel like a juggler for a reason. That ought to be a synonym for adult.

Madeline sees when I pull away because every time she sees that I am spending quality time with her, and not half looking at the phone or playing hide and seek (while doing chores at the same time (admit it! you do it too:)

In those moments we are building a puzzle, or reading a book or playing with ponies, or swinging, even if it just 5 or 10 minutes here and there…. she looks at me and says, “I love you mom.”

Time is love.

Have you played today?

All I can say about this photoshoot I recently did with my toddlers is, “The Juggle is REAL!”

This is one of the silliest and most fun photo shoots I have done with my kids.  And as a photographer and a mama these kids have had a lot of pictures taken so that is saying a lot.  They thought hopping all over mama was so much fun because it is something that they never get to do!  I edited this into a Charlie Chaplin styled old movie and I am in love with the high speed cuteness.  Little Madeline’s and Milo’s kerplunking all over the bed and little facial expressions are the sweetest.

image-001-juggle060image-001-juggle090image-001-juggle0960image-001-juggle09510image-001-juggle095130

Not a single day of motherhood is easy.  I can often feel like a circus performer wrangling this little crew.  But I wouldn’t trade it for a thing.  What is your daily juggle?  Tell us and it might just make it into our next video!  Something as seemingly simple as transporting the groceries inside is one of mine from this week.

When it comes to it, yes I have hard days, and more hard days.  Yes, the juggle and struggle is real, but with that… I have learned to roll with it.

Be sure to subscribe to our youtube page!  Or follow us here to see what cute video is coming up next!

Hi there!  My name is Rebecca.  Welcome to Up and Away Moms and thanks for stopping by! I am a mother of two, wife of an amazing husband and I am a professional juggler… daily.  As in, I am a mom.  Not a day goes by that at some point I don’t feel like I have joined the circus!

I started Up and Away Moms as a sanity zone for moms, to uplift, inspire and motivate. So join me for a laugh, learning from mine and other moms and their experiences.  Here we have the DIY inspiration, Baking, Planning, Tips and Tricks for managing motherhood, Stories from the heart and a good laugh to share! May what you find here give you that extra little boost, because you CAN do it! Even with spilled milk.

I post twice a week on Youtube!

We are celebrating Milo’s 2nd birthday this week!  And for his 2nd year photo shoot, we went with an aviator theme because he is in LOVE with airplanes.  He almost always is holding a little toy in one hand, such as a plan, train, car or dinosaur.  So sweet.  These adorable clouds are very simple to make!  I think they are so fun to hang up in a nursery to add a bit of heaven to the room.

Milo 2 year photoshootA

What you’ll need:

  • white paper lanterns (we used 12″ lanterns from LIHAO, White Round Paper Lanterns)
  • string
  • Stuffing (we used 2x Poly-Fil Stuffing, 20 oz bags)
  • Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
  • Hooks or other secure and safe system to hang them on the ceiling

To make these cute clouds, simply open the stuffing.  The kids LOVED helping with this part.  We had 2 large bags of stuffing that made about 4-5 large clouds + some for sitting on.  The kids loved jumping in the piles of fluff!

Assemble your paper lanterns

Warm up your hot glue and when ready, glue zig zags in 8 inch areas so you can get the stuffing on before it cools.

Put one hand through the hole of the lantern and the other on the outside to gently clap your hands together to apply the pressure so the stuffing sticks.

Repeat until all the lantern is covered except for the holes.

Tie on your string and hang them at varying heights!

For an additional special effect, add ACPtek LED Part Lights for a unique effect of glowing from the inside. Be sure these lights are secure tied into your lanterns.

Funny side story about these clouds.  I had them hanging in my kitchen after we had done this shoot, and I was babysitting for a friend. Her little 5 year old boy asked me what it was and I said , “a cloud!”  and he asked if it was real.  I held a staight face and told him that I had captured the cloud with a really long rope.  For about 5 minutes he stared at the cloud trying to figure it out and then finally he stands up and puts his hand though the bottom hole of it and says, “It’s not a cloud!  See… I can put my hand through it! You tricked me!”

So funny and sweet, but the best thing was when after that he said,  “you know… if you really wanted to catch a cloud you would need a really really long rope!”

I died!  I love children’s imaginations of how much is possible in their mind.

When my husband was a little boy, about 3, he thought the smoke coming from a factory was a cloud maker.  Sweet young innocence.

Share your results with us! What will you use these cute clouds for?  Props? Nursery decor?  Let us know in the comments below!

  1. Kelsie O says:

    This is SO CUTE! I absolutely love them.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *