Ethan and his cousin. They are 11 months apart and they absolutely love spending time together. So cute!

my favorites montessori websites

As I stated in one of my  previous posts I am very interested in montessori education. I go online constantly to look up toddler activities and just to learn more about the montessori methods. I have put together a list of my favorite montessori blogs. I know there are many out there but these websites might be a good place for someone to start.

The counting coconuts website has a lot of activities, printables and information. Love it!
http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com/

Jens peaceful parents has great montessori ideas. She has a great home tour which can give you a lot of ideas on simple things you can do at home.
http://jen-peacefulparenting.blogspot.com/

Montessori for everyone has a lot of great materials for sale and also some free printables. The blog also has a lot of great info.
http://www.montessoriforeveryone.com/

Living montessori now is another great place for information for parents who are interested in everything montessori.
http://livingmontessorinow.com/

These are just a few websites that I visit on a regular basis. There are a lot of montessori blogs and websites out there and I use them for ideas that I can use at home. I do what works best for us but it is great to see how others are using the montessori methods.

a sense of relief

In the last couple of days we have been glued to our tv's. We couldn't help but feel scared as the police searched for the bombing suspect. Scared for the people in the area, the state and the country. I feel so horrible for all the people that have suffered and I still feel so angry that this has happened. For now we do feel a sense of relief knowing that these two suspects are not out there to hurt more people.

doggy love

yesterday's tragedy

What occurred yesterday is just sad and disturbing. I have not gone to the Boston marathon in recent years but as I child I went every year. I can't imagine what these families are feeling at this moment.  It makes me sad to see what is happening in this world. As a mother I worry all the time but now I have to worry when I send my child to school or when we go to any event. I don't know why someone would want to cause such hurt. 

Let us all take a moment in the day to be thankful for what we have and to say a prayer for all the families involved in this horrific tragedy.

choosing a baby name

My only piece of advice when choosing a name is not to tell people the list of names you are thinking about. I cannot stand when people ask pregnant women or the dads about names and then just flat out say they don't like this name or that name blah blah blah. I made this mistake in the beginning of my pregnancy and after that I just started saying that we had no names.

I knew that I wanted the name Ethan but I also wanted to explore my options. I've liked the name forever because I have an older cousin with the name. So when I was young I always said I would name my son Ethan because I loved it so much.  So fast forward years later I'm pregnant with a boy so how perfect that I have a name that I love. The only negative part was that the Ethan was showing up on all kinds of baby name lists. That was ok but it was near the top of all the lists I read. I'm the type of person that likes names that are not weird but that nobody else really has. I knew nobody except my cousin with the name so I went for it.

Now fast forward to 17 months later and it seems like everybody has named their son Ethan. I just hope another popular name comes along so everyone can forget about the name Ethan. I get a little annoyed because I've had the name picked out since I was a little girl. And nothing against the name Aiden or Aidan or Aden but I don't want the name Ethan to get like that name has become. Please do not take offense I have a 10 year old nephew with the name and I do love it but it just has become too popular for me. Again I'm just not the type to want to name my child Michael, Jonathan, or Ryan even though I do love those names.

So I think as long as you love the name and you know you didn't choose it just to be like everyone else then that's all that matters. I think Ethan is a beautiful name and I wouldn't choose anything else for him.

project organize

So if you've read my previous post about organizing you know that I have quite a list of projects that need to get done. So I went shopping and got some labels, storage bins and some Martha Stewart hanging folders which are great. They are part of her office collection at Staples. They stick to different surfaces and you can remove them and use them again.

I started with an idea to put a shelf above my washer and dryer. I haven't done it yet but I got some storage bins and just temporarily put them on top of the dryer. I reorganized the closet next to the washer and dryer and no longer have a laundry basket in there. I just figured I needed something for Ethan's socks or any dirty laundry that gets left downstairs because it doesn't make sense to have to bring it upstairs. I also got one for dirty kitchen towels, placemats, etc.

For the hanging folders I just put them inside of a cabinet and used one for coupons and one for menus. The picture below is awful but you get the idea.

I'm glad I've started some things here and there. It will take time but it will get done little by little. I will keep you all posted.

Cute labels!

Chalkboard labels

Menus

Coupons

Temporary. I want the shelf to go right above washer and dryer.