Do it yourself Baby Shower Decor!

This year has been very eventful. Both of my sisters are expecting, one just recently had her baby girl in May and one is due in July with a baby boy. I have had the priveledge in giving them both a baby shower. For my first sister it was not as detailed as it was planned quickly while she was visiting around the holidays. With my other sisters baby shower which is this Sunday, my mom and I have been putting together all the decorations, food, and games. All made with our own hands. :) Here are a few pictures. I am very proud of what we have made.

The magic # 3?

To have 3 kids or not to have 3 kids..... maybe I will just stick with my 2 (a girl and a boy). How could we have gotten so lucky?

Well, I have been doing a lot of thinking lately and over the last few years my husband and I have gone back and forth on whether we should have another child. Sure there are many reasons not to have another child, but deep down I have a sense that I am missing something. Like a piece of my heart is not filled in. I have a feeling my husband feels the same way. This is why:

Me: should we try for another one.

husband: I like to practice, but I like the baby stage too.

Me: Well, I would like another one

husband: Well, we should get on it. I don't want my kids 8 years apart.

Me: are you sure?

husband: Sure.

Me: oh never mind!

He may be short with me, but I think he misses the baby stages. He really enjoyed the kids as babies.
As you can see though, I change my mind and waffle the idea.

Sure there are plenty of reasons not to do it, I could list a few:

• Less money
• Less time
• Cramped space 
• Tiredness
• Paying for another kid to go to daycare. 
• Likely demise of mother's career (see "less money," above)

The reason to have another one is not as compelling as it was with my first two. Sure lets have another one to keep the older one company, that box was checked. Genders covered--- check and check.

This decision has been weighing heavily on my mind and heart, since last March when my husband and I found out we were expecting but the a few days later miscarried. We were both so happy and accepting that we were having another child, but then devastated after loosing a child. I was only a few weeks along. I keep telling myself that god has a plan and if he really wants us to have 3, it will happen eventually.

You'd think that a person who had already decided to have two kids (without angst, without doubts) would have no trouble deciding whether to have a third -- but again, um, no. For all the reasons I mentioned above, the decision was much harder for the third time around, and Nick and I continue to waffle.

So the decision to have another child is still in the air, but I am hopeful that I can either find closure and fill that space or have a third child.

What made you decide to have 3 kids (if you do)?

I told you 3 times not to do that!

Oh the joys of parenting, and most of the time I feel like I am the bad guy! After a long day of work my husband and I both took our kids to swimming lessons. Well, after getting them to the Y, into their swimsuits and into the pool with their instructor, our 3 almost 4 year old son decided he was not going to listen and of course there is only so much an instructor can do to keep your child in check and listening.

So I and my husband both stepped in asking our son to stop moving down the side of the pool away from the instructors reach and possibly drowning in the pool. Of course another little boy follows his lead. My husband and I were both sitting next to this little boys dad. He thought it was funny that the two boys were causing mischief, but for us mischief with our son was a daily event. So after asking him 3 times to stay near the instructor, I removed him from the pool kicking and screaming and took him to get dressed. We had a long discussion in the changing rooms, that while we are in classes like these we need to be listening to our instructors rules and following directions.

So I let me husband know that I would meet him at home and I took my little guy home.

After a week of not listening, I was at my breaking point and wits end of not knowing what other steps I could take that would show him that his behaivor was unacceptable. Well, when we walked in the door I went into his room with 2 big black trash bags and started filling them up. At the same time he was standing there in the middle of his room sobbing. It hurt my feelings to see him so sad and upset, but at the same time telling myself to stand my ground and verbally telling him that his behaivor for the week was unacceptable and that I was very upset that he was acting out. I let him know that he was going to have to earn his toys back and that they will be in my room until he can show me his good boy behaivor.

So far its been 5 days since I removed every single toy from his room, leaving a bed, dresser and bare shelving. We have run into some incidences of him saying "NO!" but I keep reminding him that he still has to earn his toys back. Which has helped with some of the behaivor.

Things I have learned from this situation:
1. I probably should have put my foot down when all this behaivor started.

2. Taking toys can not only show a child who is boss, but helps them take responsibility for their actions.

3. Your not being the bad guy, you are setting rules and expectations that will help them when they are grown ups.

Never hurt me as a kid, when my parents took priveledges away. Why should it hurt him?

Cursing like a sailor!

Last night, we had just got home from swim lessons. Kids were getting their pajamas on and getting ready for bed.
I went in and tucked my daughter in and then went off to bed. There was my son all snuggled into my bed ready to go to sleep. I could hear my husband in the kitchen yelling and upset about something, but I couldn't quite figure out what hit, his nerve.
As I climbed into bed I snuggled up to my sweet boy and BAM! The words hit me like a bolt of lightening " Daddy's an Asshole". I tried so hard not to laugh, luckily the lights were out and he couldn't see my slight smurk on my face. I took a deep breath and I calmly said to Nicholas "Now we don't call people names and we certainly don't call them bad words, that is not very nice." Nicholas replies "Well, he is!" I was blown away at this point. I was trying so hard not to laugh, yes I thought it was funny. It was really hard to keep my calm, disciplining voice. I asked him "Now would you want to be called a naughty name like that?" Nicholas replied "Nope!" I said "Hurtful words hurt peoples feelings and we shouldn't call people bad naughty names." He then snuggled in and said " I love you mommy!" I said "I love you too, now close your eyes and go to sleep." I sure do hope I got through to him, but to call his dad an asshole was shocking to me!

I did a little research on this subject and came across some expert advice from Parent Magazine here is what they said:

As children learn the power of language, they also discover the shock value of certain words. So if your otherwise sweet, innocent child starts cursing like a sailor, it's most likely just a ploy to get your attention. Or perhaps he heard the word somewhere and has no idea what he's saying. Regardless of the reason for the obscenity, don't laugh. Although it may seem comical to hear such language from the mouth of your babe, letting him think he's cute and funny will only encourage more of the same. And don't quote your child to another adult for a laugh either, at least not within your child's earshot. The first time your child swears, ignore it -- he may simply be repeating a new word much as he would any other, and paying no attention can help it disappear from his vocabulary. Acting shocked or horrified teaches your child that the word is powerful, and gives him an incentive to repeat it. But if your child keeps cursing, then remind him of your rules -- you can say something like, "We don't use that word in our family." And remember, kids follow your example. If you curse and swear, expect your child to do it as well.

Too discipline or NOT to discipline.....What methods are appropriate????

I have been pondering this the last few weeks. My husband recently worked long 12 hour days for 3 weeks and I was home after my own 9 hour shift, alone with both my children. Boy, do they know how to push some buttons. Having an Early Childhood Education background, I found myself throwing everything that I was trained and educated to do with regards to solving issues with my children out the window, like it never exsisted. I was yelling. I could feel my blood pressure rise, and I had literally lost control of myself. Doing that made me feel like an awful mom. I reached out to a page on Facebook called "It Takes a Village", on there are friends and old classmates and people I have never met in my entire life. I asked them for "HELP!" After consulting with them, I found that I was not alone! I am not the only mother in this world that has literally lost it and reached my breaking point of having no patience what so ever. So I have decided to share my thoughts about it with you. Some thoughts and ideas that may help you with appropriate methods of disciplining your child. I believe we are all guilty of spanking at one point or another, but is that truly the answer? Here are some things that I have read on and would like to share.

The word "discipline" comes from the Old French and originally meant "instruction given to a disciple." That's still a pretty accurate description, actually: discipline really is a form of teaching. We're supposed to model for children how to behave maturely and responsibly, even when we're upset or angry — especially then. I grew up in a household, that if you talked back, slammed a door, or disrespected your parents, you had better run because it was either a spoon or a belt coming your way.

Let's talk about different ways of disciplining and what methods really work best?

TIMEOUTS:
According to the Journal Clinical Pediatrics 45% of parents reported using timeouts.
Timeouts are recommended for toddlers and younger children. The purpose is to isolate or separate the child for a short period of time (usually 5 to 10 minutes or depending on their age) in order to allow the child to calm down, as well as to discourage inappropriate behavior.
Time-outs may be on a chair, step, corner or any other location where there are no distractions. The child should be old enough to sit still and is required to remain there for a fixed period as a punishment and to allow them time to reflect on their actions and consequences of it. The procedure has been recommended as a time for parents to separate feelings of anger toward the child for their misbehavior, replacing yelling with a calmer and more predictable approach.
To be most effective, parents should evaluate each situation to determine what may be causing the misbehavior, such as a toy, frustration, hunger or lack of sleep. Parents should also explain why the child was put there, in order to make it an opportunity for learning, and how long he needs to stay there (but too much explanation can reinforce the unwanted behavior).
In some views, the only requirement for release is for the child to be sitting peacefully, while others advocate a set period of time. When the child has calmed down, they may then express their needs in a more polite manner or return to their activity.
I have also heard of parents taking timeouts (mommy timeout, etc.) and showing their child that it is ok to step away from the situation and to calm down.

SPANKING:
My parents were spankers. They always insisted that they hated doing it, that it hurt them more than it hurt us, and I always fully believed them. I still do. I never felt abused or harmed. I never doubted that they loved me. I never doubted their gentleness. Spanking was a punishment that was delivered upon my sisters and I when we breached certain family rules, like [...] acting in any way that might bring harm to ourselves or to each other. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, we knew well in advance what was coming. It never came as a surprise, and it was never meted out in the heat of anger.

So what is spanking teaching your children?
I know I've been pushed to the limits more than once, I can see losing your temper so completely that you hit before coming to your senses. I am sure some of you are thinking "Oh, right, we don't hit people." Right? Isn't that one of the first things you teach your child, when they venture out into the world? You don't hurt people's feelings, and you ask before you take someone else's things, and you DON'T hit.
I was the child in a spanking household, I was the child that would lie like crazy, just to avoid a spanking.
My husband and I have discussed this many times about whether it is or is not appropriate. We use spanking in our household if and when you do something that was asked of you more than once, when you do something that is inappropriate and when you do something that puts you or someone else in danger. These 3 things are not tolerated in our house.
My husband had this great idea when we became parents as our children have gotten bigger, it is "If you lie, you are in more trouble than you would be if you told the truth."  I really liked that idea and it has worked well with our children.  Everyone has a different discipline techinique and everyone has a right to choose the way you discipline your children. That said, I don't think that people who spank their kids do so out of malice, and I would never presume to declare that someone else's style of parenting is wrong. My parents did spank, and to my memories of being spanked, they were hardly traumatic.

Here are some other great tips from Modern Parents Messy Kids:
I think these are great and has given me a good perspective on what to expect from my children at such a young age.

http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/2012/03/parenting-cliff-notes-no-cry-discipline.html#more

What discipine techniques do you use?
Do you find that they work effectively?
Do you think children should be spanked in order to learn from their mistakes?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

I feel like a cow! MMOOOO!

Breastfeeding and working isn't easy. Working while pumping is possibly the biggest obstacle to a long-term breastfeeding relationship between a mom and her baby. I have been there twice!
Not every mom nurses. But many who do aim to breastfeed up to -- or beyond -- the one year recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. For moms who want to keep breastfeeding and working, that means figuring out how to keep nursing without quitting your job and getting frustrated and quit nursing your baby. These four steps will help you continue feeding your baby breast milk even after you return to the work place.

1. Learn How to Pump:
The first time my husband saw me hooked up to a breast pump, he mooed and I laughed, yes I thought it was funny! But I was doing something wonderful for my children. Yes, it can feel uncomfortable and awkward, but pumping is the optimal way to give yourself the freedom to leave your child in someone else's care, and provide the nutrients and antibodies your baby needs.
A double-electric breast pump is your best bet for pumping efficiently without busting your budget. Two popular ones are the Medela Pump In Style and the Ameda Purely Yours Breast Pump. If money is no object, a hospital grade pump will drain your breasts in just a few minutes. I used the Lancinoh double breast pump and it was half the price of the Medela and works GREAT! The single hand pump ones and the single electric pumps are literally a waste of money. I tried them both with my first child and wish I would have never wasted my money on them. I was only able to pump and nurse for 6 months because the during the day while pumping one breast the other would let down and waste literally 2 ounces of milk into my nursing pad. :(

2. Stockpile Breast Milk:
Start pumping as soon as possible after you recover from giving birth. Many moms find 4 or 6 weeks postpartum is when they're ready to stretch the tether between mom and the nursling. Do give the 4-6 weeks to bond with your baby and create a good latch and nursing routine. After the 4-6 weeks it is a good time to introduce a bottle to a nursing baby. It's late enough that breastfeeding should be well-established, but soon enough for baby to be receptive and not get nipple confusion.
You may use the pumped breast milk immediately to have a night out with your husband or lunch with the girls. But try to pump enough extra that you can start freezing two or three ounces at a time for future use. Be sure to label frozen milk with the date it was pumped and the volume.
I found storage bags cheaper and more space saving than bottles. If you lay the bags flat for freezing, you can easily stack and store them. Gerber, Lansinoh and Playtex make very similar breast milk storage bags.
Try to stockpile 50 to 100 ounces of frozen milk before your maternity leave ends -- the more, the better. I fed my children about 15 ounces of frozen milk each workweek, and managed to add a few ounces to my stash each weekend. Frozen breastmilk can be used 3 to 6 months after it's frozen.

3. Sneak In Pumping Sessions:
It can be hard to fit a pumping session between rounds of nursing a hungry newborn. If your baby predictably sleeps for five or six hours at night, you can pump a couple of hours after bedtime. If he takes a long afternoon nap, pump as soon as he falls asleep.
Or, try pumping just before the baby wakes up. You may find that nursing after pumping leaves the baby a bit unsatisfied. Don't worry, in a few days your body will adjust and start making more milk for the early-morning pump as well as your baby's first feeding.
I've read books that advise pumping on one breast while baby is nursing on the other, but I was never that coordinated. If you're a mom of twins, though, you probably are expert at this kind of juggling. I pumped prior to feedings, because my milk would let down with the suckling of a newborn, making my body produce more milk.

4. Working and pumping:
Pumping while at work can prove challenging. Try to pump on your breaks/ lunch, even if your break is only 10 minutes it is better than not pumping and regreting the fullness of your breasts 3 hours later which can be painful for first time moms and can cause what is called Mastitus.
Prior to going back to work, ask your supervisor if there is a room that you can use for privacy to pump. If its the bathroom, NO BUENO! Go to your car and turn on some nice classical music and sit back and milk those boobies while reading a good magazine or a book (I recommend sitting in the backseat of your car behind one of the seats and I hope you have tinted windows for privacy, if not use a nursing cover or blanket). If you are in your office, close the door and put a nice little note on your door stating that you will be available at your earliest convenience. Be sure to lock your door or place a chair in front so noone can walk in on you. Nursing covers are very handy for pumping too.

PS: I was the mom, driving down the freeway with the pump attached, pumping milk in the 20 minute drive from work to daycare. That way I had that extra bottle on hand in an emergency if tummy hunger pains came on with my babes in the back seat. I never went anywhere without my pump. It was my coach purse attached to my hip!

I hope these tips help!
Happy Nursing!

Mom-prueners!

The single most challenging thing for mom-preneurs is the fact that there really are only 24 hours in a day. If we didn’t have to sleep we would all get so much more accomplished, wouldn’t we? But the fact is we do need sleep. I know I need MY sleep. How do mothers “do it all”? I have learned over the years, that there is no way to do it all. It’s not about balance, it’s about trade-offs and juggling and letting some balls fall so that you can juggle the others without losing your sanity. But still, I find myself trying to figure out how to make life a little less crazy (without actually aiming for that unachievable balance) and I hear myself complaining to friends about having too much to get done and not sleeping enough to do it all with a clear head. There are many things I do on a daily basis that help me to find time for my kids, my sanity, and alone time with my hubby. There are lots of ways of handling these things but I would like to share with you three that I think are very important:


1. Get organized
How often do you spend a good hour looking for something that you know is somewhere, but you have no clue where it you put it? I know I do it all the time. Once I put it away my husband asks where it is. My fear for everything I touch because it just magically dissapears into space.
Every week I spend about 15-30 minutes organizing something in my house. I may just put everything back where it belongs, or reorganize a closet, go through that stack of magazines that you tend to throw in the end table, or clear out clutter from under my child’s bed.
The short time that I spend organizing saves me so much time later looking for something that isn’t in the right place. For example, All my children's coloring books are located in a bin with a color box that holds all of their supplies. They know where to find it and they know where it goes when they are finished.

2. Work efficiently
Learning to work efficiently can be the most important time-saver out there. Someone working on a project while being distracted, unorganized and unfocused could spend 6 hours on the project while that same person working on the same project with zero interruptions, a clear outline of what is to be accomplished and streamlined focus on each task at hand could take 2 hours.
I find I am much more productive if I write down my goals for the day and for the moment that I just sit down to work. I write down what I expect to work on, in what order I am going to work on the tasks and how long I expect each task to take.
It’s best to turn off all distractions. Let the machine answer the phone, make sure the kids are busy (or as busy as they can be for their age), turn your ear away from any other distractions besides the kids and your work, and skip the snacks. (Snacking while working can be a huge distraction, believe it or not).

3. Realize that your house doesn’t need to be spotless
I used to think that my house had to be spotless and picked up all the time. I spent WAY too much time cleaning everything.
After I had a couple children, I realized that I had even less time to get everything done. There was so much more to do. I had to let something go. My work was too important to me, so I had to find other things that were not going to get done. With 2 young children, I was spending a lot of time cleaning up. I didn’t want to hire a maid, so the alternative was to decide that certain things could be cleaned a little less often.
After each child (I have 2), I found more and more things in the house that didn’t need to be cleaned as often as they did before. I have learned that there are many more important things than a clean house and they always come first. And just think I STILL have people who come and visit and mention that my house looks great! How clean is your house? Clean enough?

It ultimately comes down to the fact that people make time for what they feel is important to them. If your business is important, then you make the time for it. You give other tasks, projects and distractions a lower priority.

Thriving in your marriage!

As a mom, it is really easy to focus all my time and attention to my kids, but at the end of a long day sometimes the last thing I want to do is then shift gears to talk to anyone else- even if that other person is my spouse. My husband says I am quiet all the time. At the end of the day, I am ready for my me time! Give me a glass of wine and let me put my feet up and relax and I am set!

Here are some things that I think every marriage needs to thrive:
1. Start over each day with a new start!
Some days are just hard. As a couple I think it is awesome if you can start over with a clean slate each day and recommit yourself to making your marriage fabulous. This requires letting go of grudges and forgiving and forgetting (and not bringing up sore subjects over and over again). I have to resist the urge to bring up past events and instead focus on the positive things ahead! This is really hard to do!


2. Family time is not couple time. Make time just to spend with your spouse.
Spending time with your spouse doesn't mean you have to go out or spend money, but it does mean that you plan specific things to do together that allow you to build on your relationship as a couple. We have been attempting to go on date nights out a few nights a month. Sometimes we go on double dates with other couples, and sometimes we go out alone. We also try and go on a little getaway every year for our anniversary. I think it is important for our kids to see that we take time for one another. I also try and do special dates with our kids each month, I take them one at a time on my Friday's off. It is their special mommy day. I think this teaches our kids that each member of our family is important and deserves special attention.


3. Schedule your date with your spouse first (and schedule the rest of your time around it).

We are working on being better about this. I think most people would agree that life gets in the way sometimes. I think there are definitely seasons of life when we are busier or more tired as parents, so scheduling a date is hard. If that is the case with you, redefine what a "date" is and make it fit your needs. Quality time as a couple can look different in every family. My favorite thing to do with my husband is to sit at the kitchen table while he makes us a late night treat- carmelitas or peanut butter bars. I am always amazed at how much better of a parenting team we are when we have 1:1 time together to just have fun together (and eat our treats).

4. Sit down with your spouse and ask, "What can I do for you to make you feel loved?" Have your spouse ask you the same question.

It reminds me of the book The Five Love Languages of Children. Everyone has a different love language, so talking with your spouse about this can't help but yield positive results. As parents I think this is a little harder, because our kids won't often spell it out, yet oftentimes their behaviors will tell us how they want to be loved/shown love. I'm challenging myself to do this step this week! The last few weeks were rough with my husband working twelves. I didn't realize how much easier it is with him there.


5. Be a role model for your children of the type of partner they have the potential to become.
I want my kids to have amazing marriages and I want them to be successful in their relationships with friends. Their success starts right in my home with how I treat my spouse. They will model themselves after my husband and I behavior. When I get angry too quickly, my daughter tends to get angry at friends quickly and comes unglued. When I am kind and patient, I see those behaviors reflected in her relationships with her friends.


6. Offer a sincere compliment, at least 3 times a day.

Man, I need to be better at doing this one. I am always getting on my husband for folding towels wrong, or mixing whites with darks in the laundry. I guess just the thought of him doing the laundry is very nice. Life is so much happier when we are looking for the positive things that others do. I notice that when I focus on the positive things my spouse does, I am happier, and then my kids are happier too. When I start focusing on the negative with my spouse, things just go downhill and I tend to start being negative with my kids too... which definitely makes me feel like I am failing as a parent!


7. Try a new adventure together.

We tend to do the same old thing together. We watch shows, make treats, go out to dinner, and if we're lucky, we escape to a movie. Our adventure was spur of the moment we hooked on our travel trailer and headed to a local state park for the evening. Had a bon fire, roasted marshmellows. The kids had a blast and my husband and I enjoyed every minute we spent together, laughing and talking.

8. Do chores together.


I hate doing dishes with a passion. Luckily, we have a dishwasher! Since my husband and I started dateing before we were married. I had this little reminder on the fridge that said  "Princesses don't do dishes".  My husband knows this and typically takes on the grueling task.  While he tackles the kitchen, I am folding laundry or clearing the table. On days that our laundry gets piled up in a mountain, we both work together, folding, and putting away all the laundry. Working together as a couple also reminds me how important it is for us to work together with our kids. So many good life skills are taught through work.


9. Be unselfish. You can't be selfish and have a fabulous marriage.

As a parent, you really learn to be unselfish with your kids. They consume a lot of time and energy. Sometimes as a spouse I am selfish of my "alone" time or even silly things (like my treats), because I get tired of sharing with just one more person. As parents, my husband and I both need breaks from time to time. My husband has been amazingly unselfish this year and has watched our kids while I've gone on three different girls trips. I have come home rejuvenated and ready to be a better mom and wife. I love this article about selfishness in marriage. It has some good things to think through and ends with this great quote- “Being happily and successfully married is generally not so much a matter of marrying the right person as it is being the right person.” - Howard W. Hunter. Being unselfish as a spouse is a great way to teach your kids about being unselfish. They are always watching and learning from us.

10. Give 100 percent effort, not just 50 percent.


My husband and I talked about this a lot when we were first married. If everyone tries to give 50% in marriage, but someone fails on that again and again, then you're never at 100%. If each person gives 100% (or even just 80%), then your relationship is always operating on a surplus... especially on a week where one partner is struggling and can only give 30%. There are some weeks when we just go through the motions and are like passing ships in the night with busy schedules. Leaving nice notes in shoes, buying each other special treats, or even just sending a sweet text during the day are simple ways to still be nurturing your relationship during those times that are crazy or tough! My husband always sends me a good morning, I love you text or email. It makes me feel all giddy inside.

"Mommy brings home the bacon"

When I went back to work after I had my daugter in 2006, I was hit with a huge guilt of leaving her in someone else's care. After my son was born in 2008, not a whole lot of guilt but I felt sadness. After my kids turned 1 and 3, I started a new job in an office setting and felt that I was away a lot more from home, than I was when I taught preschool aged kids. I went from working 8 hour days to working 9 hour days and spending some of my Saturdays recruiting at career fairs for up to 12 hours. As I was away a lot more, I found myself pondering a lot and feeling guilty about being gone more. The kids would get upset and irritable easily with my husband. I found myself surfing the internet trying to find a happy medium to accomodate us all as a working mom/ wife.  I came across this book "Mommy brings home the bacon", so I ordered it and it came in the mail. I pulled it out of its packaging and sat down and read it to myself after the kids had gone to bed as I do with all books before reading them to my children. I thought it was the greatest book ever invented! It is a heartwarming children’s book that explores the touching relationship between a young boy and his working mom. Told from the young boy’s perspective, the whimsical narrative reflects a child’s imaginative interpretation of why mommy goes to work, and the beautiful bond that develops as a result. It fosters a child’s appreciation for a working mother, while simultaneously easing the minds of moms who balance the difficult responsibilities of financially supporting their household and raising the children they so dearly love.

The next evening, I read it to my children. Oh boy, did they have the giggles when they heard that mom brings bacon (the eating kind) home. We read the book and chuckled as we turned each page. Since then it has been our evening read and since my daughter was 3 now going on 6, she draws me pictures to send with me to work so that I can hang them on my walls to remind me of her. My son going on 4 years old just recently started drawing pictures for me to bring and hang on my walls at work. I love the daily reminders of their pictures they put time and effort in too, just for me! My reminder of how much they love "Momma's who bring home bacon!"