Momi Land indoor playground

We have found a new fun indoor playground here in Ohio that my two year old daughter absolutely loved!

There are two locations, one in Hilliard and the other in Polaris. They just updated their hours to accommodate for everyone and they are staying open later.

Their updated hours are Monday-Friday 9am until 7pm, Saturday 9am until 8pm, and Sunday 9am until 5pm.

Their facilities include large ball pits (one for big kids and another for babies), trampolines, kitchen play rooms, multi-slides and much more! They do require the kids wear Momi Land socks and adults can wear normal socks. Children above 4ft 6in. And/or over 8 years old.

You can bring prepackaged snacks in their public/break area.

Party packages! They have many options to have your kids party here as well, you can get in contact with them by calling or checking out their website. This would be a perfect place for your little parties especially if they are during a season that it can be chilly for outdoors.

Pricing to play

First child is $15 and each additional is $10.

Children under 1 are free with paid sibling.

Without paying sibling they are $10.

Parents are free, 2 parents per family.

Additional adults are $5.

Membership pricing

First child is $49 a month

Second child is $29 a month

Each additional is $10 a month

Memberships can be used at both locations.

Annual membership

First child is $199 a year

Each additional is $100 a year

You can check them out on Instagram or Facebook.

We will most likely be going back a few more times this year, she had so much fun and it’s a nice place to go when you want to get out of the house but the weather is not wanting to cooperate that day.

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Welcome to the world

On April 3, 2023 we welcomed a sweet 7lb. 15oz. baby boy into our family. He is our last little babe and I have mixed emotions about that. I know I want to be done having babies but it’s crazy to think that time has come.

I am putting together his birth story and will be sharing with you all on here. It has been crazy around here and I had to be taken off of work 3 weeks before he came due to me having constant contractions and being very uncomfortable. I will share more in his birth story, I wanted to just make this post first to introduce to you our baby boy.

Here is Kuhlyn Ozryk Grimshaw

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The third pregnancy

well my friends, I haven’t posted much about my third pregnancy because well, I have two other needy young kids and I’m just exhausted everyday.

I decided I wanted to write a post about this pregnancy and what I have experienced so far with all the ups and downs. This little one has been cooking for 22 weeks now and man I feel like I just found out.

Real BIG real FAST

I have definitely found out that the more pregnancies you have the faster you show. I also have noticed that when I personally carry boys I am huge everywhere ahaha. It really seemed that my body really jumped at the opportunity to grow and enlarge fast this time around. I was still in my first trimester when I grew out of my pants already.

Curious older siblings

One thing that I have found really enjoyable is my oldest is at the age he enjoys feeling the baby move and understands what is happening. My two year old just thinks everyone has a baby in their belly which is quite funny to watch. I have taken them to all appointments and my oldest loves being able to see his baby brother on the ultrasounds and hear his heartbeat. He asks every time we go if we can hear him.

Back pain Galore

I am convinced I have a back of a 70 year old woman at this point. Any activity I do I can’t do it for long because in comes the back pain. Just the most simple things picking up the floor, doing dishes, cooking. I am in pain and have to take a break. I think it has a lot to do with him staying so low but man it’s no fun. I am almost to the point I am going to have to invest in a belly band for the rest of this pregnancy.

So much love for baby

Even though this pregnancy was very much unplanned, I feel like he came at a time we needed him the most. When I found out we were going through some rough times and I really feel like this was meant to be. There’s also just something more familiar about the third pregnancy that makes us focus more on the baby rather than the pregnancy. I also a, soaking in ALL the littlest movements because I know this will for sure be my last time going through this experience and it will be gone before I know it.

As of now that pretty much sums it up in a quick post, I will try to keep updates more often and post more on here again, I really do miss writing even if not slot of people care I do enjoy it and appreciate the love I do get.

You can also follow me on Instagram, I would love to have you there also.

Ways to help your firstborn get adjusted with the new baby

I have really thought about making this post for awhile now and it has taken some time to get the list of things just right for all of you!

If you really think about it, you have been telling your oldest that they will have this wonderful little brother/sister to play with, and how much fun and amazing this will be. Now that the baby is here, your oldest is most likely thinking, “How am I supposed to play and have fun with them?”

He then tries to “play” with the baby the only way he knows how. He tries to wrestle and he gets yelled at because he can hurt the baby, he plays peak a boo and gets yelled at for putting the blanket on the babies head, he gives the baby a big hug and then you tell him not to because the baby is too small for the big hugs and he has to be a lot more careful.

Now your oldest is confused at the fact you said he was going to have so much fun with his new sibling and it will be the best thing ever, but keeps getting yelled at for it.

Here is my list of things I thought could help out other families that are about to or are thinking about adding another baby to the family.

1. Watch what you say

Don’t blame everything that you can’t do on the baby being here. “Be quiet, don’t wake up the baby.” We can’t go play outside because the baby needs to take a nap.” Saying things like this will most likely make your oldest not want the baby around anymore. Maybe try alternative words like, “We can go after the baby takes a nap.” “I can help you in just a few minutes.”

2. Give extra love

Tell them you love them a little extra than usual, give more hugs, find time to read a book or even play a game together.

3. Let your oldest be your helper

Teach your oldest how to be helpful with the baby. Let the older sibling use the camera to take pictures, or help put the babies socks on, he can even help with spoon feeding the baby when it comes that time.

4. Give praise

Whenever you see the oldest sibling helping or doing nice touches with the baby, make a positive comment. Try to make a big fuss about it and how important big brother/sister is and tell them just how proud you are of them.

5. Teach by showing them

Children will learn and do what they see. Your oldest will be always watching you and how you are handling the baby. Your child will learn everything they need to know just from you and watching what you do.

6. Quick reaction times

Anytime you see your oldest being too rough with the baby, act quick. Firmly let them know that hitting or whatever they were doing is not a nice thing to do.

7. Teach soft touches

Teach the older sibling how to give the baby soft touches. Try showing him how to give the baby a gentle back rub and let him know that he is helping to calm down the baby.

8. Hover over them

Whenever you have both of them together, hover close by. If you see your oldest about to get rough with the baby, you can quickly pick the baby up and distract the older sibling by singing, dancing, doing a craft, activity, etc. By doing this you are protecting the baby and also staying away from constantly saying no.

9. TEACH

I saved this one for last because it is in my opinion the most important thing you can do. Your main goal is to make sure the baby doesn’t get hurt, but your second is to teach your oldest how to be gentle and interact with the baby in nice ways. You can sit down and talk to him, show him by demonstrating what to do, and encourage great behavior and nice touches.

These are just a few things I have thought about and I am sure there are way more out there. I would love to hear some of your ideas, especially since I have a five year old and ten month old so we are constantly learning.

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Birthday gift ideas for one year old girl

I cannot believe I am writing this post already. I am currently holding back tears while I plan our baby girl’s first birthday party that is in two months!

I have decided to put together a little list for everyone with some ideas for a one year old girl since I will be shopping soon for our little girl.

1. Books are a great gift idea for young kids

2. Play tent/ball pit

3.Sippy cups with straws are a great idea to help teach your littles to drink from a straw

4.These are always so fun for kids

5.Baby crocs are so adorable!

6.These are perfect to teach your little ones how to do puzzles and they can’t ruin them by mouthing them.

7.Baby dolls are always a great go to for little girls. My daughter just started showing interest in them and I will be getting her one.

8.You have to have a stroller to push your baby dolls in.

9.I got one of these for my son and he loved it.

10. Activity cubes are always so much fun! We have this one already from our son, and our daughter already loves it.

Thank you everyone for reading this post, I really enjoy writing these for you and I appreciate every single one of you who read my blog.

If you have any other ideas, I would love to hear them in the comments!

This post contains affiliate links

Let’s connect!

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Baby-Led Weaning

I had no idea about this with my oldest, the only baby food I really knew about was the purees. As he got older I started hearing more about it, but at that time he was already out of that stage. So with our daughter I wanted to do it once I did a lot more research and knew I was comfortable doing it.

I want to briefly talk about the term, because there seems to be a lot of confusion around it. Think of it as baby led feeding instead of baby led weaning. That is important to know because you are not decreasing your baby’s milk intake from the start. You are actually adding solid foods to your feeding schedule and gradually replacing breastfeeding and/or formula with the foods.

When your baby starts to have solid foods consistently, the milk feeds will naturally become shorter and less frequent over time. By the end of the first year, it’s most likely that they will drop to 2-3 per day.

When do I serve the solids?

Choose a time of day when you both are relaxed and not on a time crunch. You might have to play around with different times until you find the perfect time for you both. When I started our BLW journey our time was morning. Make sure your baby is not overly hungry or too full. You want your baby to be hungry but not so hungry they are overly upset because then they wont want to try the foods. I usually like to offer solid foods 45 minutes after breastmilk when we first started. You also want to make sure your baby is comfortable, any discomfort could hinder your baby from eating. Don’t make your expectations too high and don’t worry too much about consumption because eating that first month or so is mainly for practice and exploration (it will get messy).

As your baby starts to eat more, add the second meal because you want to work up to three meals a day by the time they are 9-10 months. I personally was at three meals a day with my daughter a little before that but that is just how it worked out with us.

Why did I decide to do it?

I didn’t want to worry about bringing purees everywhere we go. I wanted her to be able to eat with us. I also feel like it has helped with her not being a picky eater. It is also so fun and exciting being able to see her and watch her facial expressions when exploring new textures and flavors.

How do I do it?

There are many people who do long strips of food so the baby can pick it up, but what works with us is we break the food into bite sized bites. She has very good control with her pincer grasp and has always done great this way. There are a few foods that I put in strips for her and they are avocado, banana, and toast.

You want to make sure you are never giving babies anything rounded that could get stuck and always cut food into strips or bite sized pieces. I recommend reading and watching videos on it before you start, just so you have an idea of what it looks like and choking vs. gagging because there is a big difference in the two. There are many accounts on Instagram that has helped me and using Pinterest for meal ideas and once you start it is easy to make your own recipes.

We are about three months away from Quaytn having her first cake…..for her first birthday! I am very positive that our food loving little girl is going to be all over it!

I do plan on writing more about this topic and sharing my meals that I have made for Quaytn with you guys. I do hope that this was helpful to get you started and I know it’s a lot to juggle and you may be thinking that you need more guidance so If you have any questions or want to chat about this please feel free to reach out at any time!

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Stepmom Stigmas That Need Put Away

Let’s be honest, there are many stigmas that go around the role of “stepmom.” From the evil stepmother in Cinderella, to the evil Queen in Snow White.

We can’t seem to escape the assumptions that are made about us, and it drives me crazy! I was doing some research on different roles and what people think about stepmoms that we can debunk once and for all, and here they are.

We knew what we were signing up for

Honestly, you really have no idea what you are signing up for. I myself grew up in a blended family and I truly had no idea what I was “signing” up for. I also hate that it is called “signing up,” it is parenting, not some sports team. Parenting is hard whether you are biological, stepparent, adopted, etc.

We want to replace the mom

We want to be the stepmom, not the mom! The bond that children have with their mom is truly unbreakable, it is not our bond to have. Mom, our goal is to stand alongside you not replace you. We want to form our own bonds not take what is yours. I love co parenting, we all get along and it makes it so much easier for everyone involved.

We only care about our stepkids during our time with them

Stepparents are still FULL-TIME PARENTS. Our love for our stepchildren isn’t limited to the hours they are at our homes. Being a stepmom does not mean we turn on and off our love for them when they come and go every week.

That honestly breaks my heart when people think that, I love my stepchildren no matter what, they mean the world to me just as much as my biological two do! I don’t get every update or daily phone calls but I do miss them when they are not with us just like I would with my other two.

We only care about our partners

This is where I go back to all those movies that make stepmoms look like evil people. Okay, yes we do love our partners and care about them a lot. We fell in love with them, but we also fell for their children. Being a stepmom does not mean you are selfish, Stepfamilies are a package deal and we accepted the whole thing! Even those stepmoms who have a rough relationship with their stepchildren have love for them and want what is best for them because of the love they have for their partner.

If you are a stepmom or know someone who is, I would love to hear what other ones you have heard about in the comments.

Things we do that annoy our husbands

So I was thinking it was only fair to ask my husband and have other ladies as their husbands what we do that annoy them.

These responses are pretty hilarious and the ones my husband said are very true haha.

“Taking forever to make appointments, especially because I don’t want to call.”

Why is this a recurring complaint haha. I am the one to call and make appointments as well. Anyone else?

“Move things around the house every few weeks.”

This is not me lol, my husband is the one who likes to move things around.

“I ‘baby’ our daughter”

I mean, what mom doesn’t baby their kids?

“I’m untidy apparently.”

ME TO GIRL, ME TO!

“Babying our son and not remembering things.”

Well, again what mom doesn’t baby their kids? HELLO! it’s called mom brain lol.

“Moan or get grumpy”

We are allowed to be grumpy lol

“I have to have something that is expensive and then I only use it a handful of times.”

This is true, I can’t deny this statement

“I pout about a lot”

Yes, again can’t deny lol

“I want things right now and if I don’t get my way I pout.”

I am trying to work on this, OKAY? lol

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This was fun to do, thank you for everyone who joined in with me so that I could make these blog posts.

Is there anything else you do that annoys your husband? I would love to read about them in the comments.

I want to say thank you to all of my followers for all of the feedback and enjoying my posts, I really could not do this without all of you!

The 2020 Elf On The Shelf

If you are an Elf on the Shelf mom like I am, we can actually make this year a whole lot easier. For the first 14 days you do not have to run around like a crazy lady at 4 a.m. trying to figure something out because you forgot to move that damn elf. Last year was my first time doing it and it was rough. Even with Pinterest, I was on a major struggle bus a week into it.

This year I have done some research on different easy ways to set up the Elf on the Shelf. I am sharing them with you on here and if you have any other ideas, I would love to read about them in the comments.

The arrival of the Elf

So since COVID is still here and rising once again, I saw this going through Instagram one day and thought it was amazing and had to share with all of my mom friends. Since the Elf had to travel, he has to quarantine for 14 day!

Can you say “BRILLIANT!”

So if you are like me and bring the Elf on the Shelf out on December 1st, you will not have to move it for two weeks!

10 Days left!

You can’t go wrong when the Elf brings treats for the kids! This is simple and easy, and you can even enjoy some of those kisses if you like.

Who doesn’t like a little hide and seek game? I would do this one on a weekend day so you have more time in the morning and not rushed to make it out the door on time.

This is such a neat experiment! I have been wanting to do it with my son but I am waiting until the Elf brings it now. This is a good one for toddlers and older kids.

This one is so simple! just grab a washcloth that you have already, wrap him up and put him in the fridge. Your kids will think this is so funny that he is hanging out in the fridge. Just make sure he is out of little fingers reach.

If you have a little one that loves this game like I do, then they will surely get a kick out of their Elf playing the game also.

If you want to do this or the flower one, using a baking sheet will make the clean up 100 times easier for you for the next days set up.

Who doesn’t love it when the Elf is a little mischievous? I think this is just too funny and I am definitely doing this one this year. It is so simple with things you already have around the house anyways.

If you have a little one that you know wont touch the Elf, then this is such a cute and simple idea.

If you are not doing laundry one day, this is so simple! Just get some of your kids’ other toys and have them going for a ride in the dryer.

When it is the last day, this is a cute and simple idea to say goodbye, you can even have a letter from the Elf saying bye.

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my blog posts, I greatly appreciate it! I hope that everyone has a fun and safe holiday this year!

2020 Black Friday Deals

This black Friday is going to look a whole lot different. There are many stores that are already doing black Friday deals online, I have decided to do some research and find some deals for all of you whether you are wanting to do online shopping or still go in the stores.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Black Friday

Dick’s Sporting Goods will start their Black Friday deals on November 18^th and they will go through 11:59 p.m. on Saturday November 28^th. You will have ten days to shop with them which is actually much nicer because in the past they would only do deals on Thursday and Friday only. The deals will run in store and online during the store’s opening hours. They will also be closed on Thanksgiving Day and doors will open at 5 a.m. on Black Friday.

Here are just some of the deals you will find with Dick’s Sporting Goods on November 18^th

Up to $1,200 off SOLE Cardio Equipment

Up to $200 off Schwinn Exercise Bikes

Up to $50 off Nishiki Pueblo Mountain Bikes

Up to 40% off select golf equipment

On November 22 the week-long deals begin, and here are some deals you will find during that time.

30% off The North Face

25% off select Nike and Adidas athletic footwear

25% off select Nike, Champion, Adidas, NCAA and NFL products

On November 26^th starts the 3-day sale and some of those deals include:

Up to 25% off men’s, women’s, and youth Sorel Boots

The North Face men’s and women’s Alpz 2.0 Down Jacket and Vest for $109.98 and $69.98 (normally $169.00 and $119.00)

I know some of you might not want to enter the stores and want/need the items quickly or do not want to pay for shipping. So Dick’s offers one-hour curbside pickup.

Costco Black Friday

Costco is having a Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. The Pre-Black Friday deals started on November 5^th and will run throughout the month until Cyber Monday on November 30^th.

They are also closed on Thanksgiving Day and opens at 9 a.m. of Black Friday.

Here are some of the deals Costco is having during this time

Fitbit Charge 4 Fitness Tracker Watch- $89.99 which is $50 off

Google Nest Learning Thermostat with Nest Temperature Sensor is $50 off

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.4-inch S6 Lite 64GB- $279.99 it is $100 off

Bose Solo Soundbar Series II- $139.99 which makes it $40 off

Macy’s Black Friday

They are closed on Thanksgiving Day and open on Black Friday from 5 a.m. until midnight. They have some deals that start November 16^th. All of their Black Friday deals throughout the store will start on November 24^th and go through November 28^th.

Here are some things that you will find during their sales:

$70 off Fitbit Versa 2 Watch

$170 off KitchenAid 5-quart artisan mixer

25% off women’s Uggs

Walmart Black Friday

Their sales will start online on November 25^th at 7 p.m. ET. You can order for your items to ship or do curbside pickup. On November 27^th, more deals start at 12 a.m. ET for online, and 5 a.m. local time in stores.

Deals starting November 25^th

These are ONLINE ONLY

New gaming consoles- Oculus Quest 2 for $299 and Xbox Series X for $499. In stock starting when the sale starts online at 7 p.m. ET on November 25^th

Nintendo Switch bundle with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe game download for $299

Airpods Pro for $169

Apple Watch Series 3 GPS 38mm for $119 and the 42mm version for $149

Fitbit Versa 2 for $129

Vizio 70-inch Class 4K UHD SmartCast TV for $478

Roku SE Streaming Media Player for $17

Deals starting November 27^th at 12 a.m. ET online and 5 a.m. in stores

Google smart home devices- Google Nest Mini V2 or ChromeCast for $18.98. Google Nest Hub for $49.98.

Canon Pixma All-in-One printer for $19

Mainstays eight-piece comforter and quilt set for $35

Select kids’ bikes for $29

Target Black Friday

Target is having sales all month with new deals each week. They will also price match if it goes lower at Target before December 25^th

Sam’s Club Black Friday

Sam’s Club is changing their usual Black Friday sale for this year. They are offering a longer event called the Thanks Savings Sale. It will go for 10 days compared to their usual four-day event.

Here are some things that you will find during the sale

Fitbit Charge 4 for $89.88

iRobot Roomba e5 5134 for $229.98

Bose Solo Soundbar Series II for $139.88

Backyard Discovery Oceanview Cedar Swing Set for $999. That is $300 off!

Sam’s club also offers curbside pickup. Sam’s Club is also closed on Thanksgiving Day.

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I hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving and stays safe! If your stores you shop at offers curbside pickup you should try it out! It is my favorite thing offered especially with having kids.