FREE Printables - Kids Bathroom

    I promised at the beginning of the week that I would post the free printables that I made for my daughter's bathroom, which is underwater themed. If you'd like to see the rest of the pictures of Toddler Picturesque's underwater themed bathroom, see my previous post DIY Kids Bathroom. 

    The FREE printables are linked below each picture. I hope you enjoy!

  Click on the picture above to print "Mightier than the waves of the sea is His love for you."

    Click on the picture above to get the printable for "Rise and shine and give God the glory."

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DIY Kids Bathroom

 

   We recently moved, and I have been hard at work unpacking and decorating. The first things I had decorated were Toddler P.'s room, playroom and finally her bathroom. So I wanted to post the final pictures from decorating her bathroom with an underwater theme. It was super easy, and relatively cheap!
    The first picture (above) you can see I purchased a blue fish themed cloth shower curtain. I got that for fairly cheap from Wayfair.com.

    With the picture above and the one below, you can see the fish on the wall. Our last house I went to all of the work of painting so many walls. With this house, I decided that I could decorate another way. I chose to decorate with vinyl or fabric wall decals! I found these adorable fish ones from Walmart.com.

    I also found these towels for fairly cheap from Walmart.com. But the two pictures framed above and below I made myself with Publisher. I can't take all of the credit though, I got the idea of these designs from Pinterest. In my next post I will give you all access to these free printables. The above one says "Mightier than the waves of the sea is His love for you." Psalm 93:4. 

    This picture says "Rise and shine and give God the glory." Both of these frames were purchased for under $3 at Walmart.

   I'd love to see your kids bathroom inspiration! Post in the comments below!

UPDATE: Here is the link to the FREE printables for the above pictures!

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Toddler Picturesque's TV Picks

    I know I have been absent from this blog for far too long, we recently just moved and sold our previous home. So needless to say we have been just a tad bit busy! 
    For today's blog, I'm going to mention some of Toddler Picturesque's latest favorite shows. Mr. Picturesque and I tend to enjoy watching most of them with her too, since they are actually pretty cute and educational. 
    Toddler Picturesque's TV Picks

    1. Masha and the Bear. Oh my goodness, Toddler P. adores this show! Unfortunately there are only two seasons on Netflix but she doesn't mind watching them over and over. This show was originally in Russian but was translated to English. Super cute cartoon and Toddler P. likes the antics of this 4 year old Masha. Here is their official website.

  2. Peppa Pig. Toddler P. is able to catch Peppa Pig on Youtube, and boy does she love it. She always is getting at "silly peppa!"

  3. Clifford's Puppy Days. I actually am not a big fan of this show, but Toddler P. adores it. I don't know why, but she finds it adorable and hilarious. We catch Puppy Days on Netflix.

  4. Curious George. George is always up to something silly that Toddler P. is giggling at! She enjoys this show so much Toddler P.'s second birthday was Curious George themed! We catch Curious George on Hulu.

  5. Clifford the Big Red Dog. I prefer Clifford to Puppy Days, but Toddler P. doesn't agree. That's why Clifford is #5 on her list. We can Clifford on PBS.

  6. Sesame Street. Last but not least, Toddler P of course loves Elmo and Sesame Street. You can watch older episodes for free with PBS Kids (either the channel or the App), or new episodes on HBO.

What's your child's favorite shows?

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Mom Support

    As you all probably know, I lead a small group (connected to my church) that consists of moms with toddlers. We get together weekly and discuss whatever book we are reading for the week, this month's study is Fervent by Priscilla Shirer (based off of the movie The War Room). The book focuses on teaching you how to gain the power of prayer. We also bring our children. Some weeks we could have as many as 8 toddlers and 2 babies, or some weeks as little as 2 toddlers! It's busy, it's hectic, it's loud but it's our way of supporting each other as mothers. 
    Ever since I became a mom, it became clear to me that we (moms) are the first line of defense for our families... and therefore the ones that are first attacked mentally, emotionally, and spiritually by the enemy (spiritually speaking of course). We are the ones thinking through our childrens' whole lives, what they eat, what they wear, where they go to school and the list goes on... Our minds are overwhelmed. We go to bed exhausted with the weight of our child's livelihood swimming through our heads. 
    But the truth of the matter is it's not really our responsibility, it's Gods. Scripture says before we were even formed in our mother's wombs we were chosen (Jeremiah 1:5, Galatians 1:15, Ephesians 1:4). We were chosen for this moment in time, we were chosen to be these childrens' mothers. If we ask for it, God gives us the wisdom to make the right decisions, the best decisions for our children. Scripture again tells us, if we lack wisdom to ask of God and He will give it to us (James 1:5)!    
    So not only do we have God's support and leading in raising our children, we also have hopefully our husbands support, and friends support. This is another reason why I meet weekly with other moms for small group. We meet for fellowship. We support each other through the good and the bad, and offer what small words of wisdom we can. 
    We approach each other with grace, with hope, and words of encouragement. As mothers we need grace. We surely don't give ourselves enough of it, why not at least give it to another? In today's world of blame and shame, let's offer support to each other and encourage one another. Let's pray together and love on each other. Let's be the the light in the world offering hope, not only to our children but to other parents.  
    Today I challenge you to encourage and support another mom.

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Pregnancy Heartburn Relief

Picture edited with permission, CC. 

    When I was pregnant with Toddler Picturesque, I suffered with heartburn for the majority of my pregnancy! As soon as the morning sickness left at my second trimester, the heartburn settled in. It was so bad I went through bottles of Tums at a time. 
    I tried everything for relief. I was careful with what I ate before bed, I propped my head up at night and I didn't wear restricting clothes on my stomach. But unfortunately heartburn was the one symptom that stayed with me my entire pregnancy.
    I have had many girlfriends who had the same issues with heartburn and all I could offer was my heartfelt understanding. But one friend who is pregnant with her second little one seems to have found a remedy for pregnancy related heartburn! 
    Sarah shared her heartburn relief recipe on her Facebook page. You can see the full original post here.

• A cup or container
• 1/3 Apple cider vinegar 
• 1/3 Apple juice 
• 1/3 Water

    Sarah said to divide the ingredients equally into your container "...I pre-make these in jars, and stick them in the fridge. Each night before bed, (before I brush my teeth 😬), I drink about a cup or more's worth.
    The juice and water help take the vinegar strength way down, and I've heard that too much straight vinegar can be hazardous to your esophagus. Diluting it makes it much easier to drink.
    Feel free to adjust to what works best for you - less juice and more water for example.
    P.S. It also helps with slow pregnancy digestion issues! An additional bonus I did not expect! (I know you ladies feel me!!)"

    All of my pregnant readers will have to tell me if this recipe works for you! 

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Parenting is Hard.

Edited with permission, CC.

    Parenting is hard. There are constant ups and downs. If that isn't hard enough, because of the way technology is incorporated into every. single. aspect of our lives we are innudated with information that makes us feel like whatever we do, we are failures. This is the reality we parents have to live in, to raise our children in. And I for one am refusing to by into it. 
    I appreciate all of the helpful tips, but I am tired of feeling guilt every time I struggle to get Toddler P. to eat her dinner or if I let her watch too many cartoons. All we can do is try to be our best selves. I want to raise my daughter to believe that she IS good enough. That she doesn't need to feel guilty because she does things differently from others. 
    I have to trust God. That's what it comes down to. I try my best to be an amazing mom, my husband tries to be an amazing dad... but when it comes down to it, it is God's grace alone that guides us through. Right now we are struggling with Toddler Picturesque going through a sleep regression. So she has been getting up early every morning for the last two weeks. And. I'm. tired. Ha. But I ask for grace daily, and God has been supplying me with enough energy and joy to get through each day. 
    So I'm going to take a step back from the "mom guilt," and continue to try to be who God wants me to be and I know He will help with the inbetween. 

What have you been feeling guilty about today?

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Don't Let Fear Cripple You

Edited with permission, CC.

    Currently I have struggled with a crippling amount of fear. My husband and I have to make a life-changing decision that requires us to take many leaps of faith. I was up several hours last night worrying about it. I woke up worrying about it. I went to our play date worrying about it. 
    So I came home, put Toddler P. down for her nap, and sat in my quiet place with my bible and my book to try to get some peace and direction. The book I'm reading right now with my small group is called Fervent by Priscilla Shirer. If you haven't read it yet, you need to! It is so empowering! Shirer shows you how to pray through all things and the importance of doing so. Every time I open this book, there is some part of the chapter that speaks to me and helps me through whatever current struggle I may be going through. 
    Today was no different. As I sat there praying, I started to open my book to read and then I read the following: 
    "If I were your enemy, I'd magnify your fears making them appear insurmountable, intimidating you with enough worries until avoiding them becomes your driving motivation. I would use anxiety to cripple you, to paralyze you leaving you indecisive, clinging to safety and sameness, always on the defensive because of what might happen. When you hear the word faith, all I'd want you to hear is unnecessary risk" (Shirer, 105).   
    This was exactly the strategy the enemy was currently using against me. I felt paralyzed with fear and so indecisive. The decision before us seemed so obvious and clear, but my fears were holding me captive. They were keeping me from moving forward because I was afraid to step out of my comfort zone. 
     But God wants to bless us, he wants to take us higher and beyond what we can think. Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and NOT to harm you. Plans for hope and of a future." God has bigger plans for you than you have for yourself! God is bigger than all of this. Whatever comes, He said that He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6). 
     Remember Ephesians 3:20 "Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us." God is capable and willing to do more than we could even think to ask for. What a thought! So when the devil comes along whispering his lies of fear and intimidation... remember that God has bigger plans for you than you have for yourself. 

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