Mary Bockert

123 Magic…Voila!

Your little one won’t eat their dinner, they REFUSE to leave a play date, they talk back in an attempt to really get you fired up, they stomp in refusal to do something you have politely asked them to do, they sit in protest of something you have said, they argue with their sibling….yada, yada, yada! I’m sure if you have a child, you can relate to this list in some form. Even the most even tempered, happy go lucky kiddos have a melt down that can drive a parent BATTY!

By Mary Bockert, ago

What to do in a day?!?

“I’m BOOORRREEEDDD!!!!”

Oh don’t tell me you don’t get those words coming out of your child’s mouth…I would tell you you’re lying! LOL

In all reality, kids need structure to their day…whether they are 1 month or 18 years old. Structure creates a feeling of safety and security. Making it a point to create structure in your household will only make life MUCH easier and I PROMISE you will hear less of “I’m Bored!” comments coming from your child’s oh so clever mouth.

By Mary Bockert, ago

Toddler Busy Bag Exchange

Two years ago I started, ran and participated in a Busy Bag Exchange with 11 other local moms, and hit the busy bag JACKPOT! It was really very simple…I created a Facebook event page, invited all of my mommy friends, we met 3 weeks later and exchanged our homemade activity at my home. Prior to meeting, we all signed up with what type of busy bag we were going to make, then worked for about a month creating 11 identical bags. When we got together, we exchanged our bags, so we all got to take 11 different busy bags home with us for our kiddos!
There was a huge variety of bags included, some original ideas and some made from tutorials found on other great blogs and/or Pinterest. If you’d like some great busy bag inspiration, here are all 11 bags that I received from this swap.

By Mary Bockert, ago

“Can you PLEASE eat your veggies?!?”

Since when does my almost 4.5 year old decide she doesn’t want anything to do with veggies?

I heard time and time again…make sure to give them veggies when they are young so they will love them when they are older! I took this advice and ran with it. Always giving Annora veggies with every meal and for every snack…until 4 years hit and everything changed…I mean EVERYTHING!

By Mary Bockert, ago

FORTS!!!!

“Mom, come find me?”

The words I hear from my 4.5 year old as I wash the dishes in the kitchen. With a smirk on my face, I place my dish rag down and go on a child hunt. It is pretty easy to spot the little feet sticking out from under the curtains but I play the game and act as though I cannot find her. Delise, my 22 month old, has no trouble pointing out where her sister is hiding and the game is over. Annora comes out and, of course, wants to play again, again, and AGAIN! Trying to switch things up a bit, I excitedly recommend making a “fort!” Not the usual fort, but a “Mommy Table Fort!”

We get out ALL of the big blankets and start sliding the chairs out from under the dining room table. I must admit, our fort is IMPRESSIVE! We have height, space, pillows to sit on, dolls to entertain, etc. The fort is TOP NOTCH to any novice fort builder.

By Mary Bockert, ago

Father’s Day Bliss

The hustle and bustle of the day begins at 7:00 AM in our household. Father’s Day was no different but Ben was already out the door and in the Ann Arbor, MI area before the girls uttered their first word for the day. I was in the basement working out when I heard:

“Happy Father’s Day to you,

Happy Father’s Day to you,

Happy Father’s Day dear Daddy,

Happy Father’s Day to yyyyoooouuu!!!”

By Mary Bockert, ago

Date Night!

“I booked your mom this evening!” “Um, for a date night?” I replied. “Eeeeekkkkk!!!!” I was dressed with my hair in a bun, no makeup on, I was working on getting the laundry done, I had on an outfit that looked straight out of the 80’s and TIME WAS TICKING! Read more…

By Mary Bockert, ago

Daddy/Daughter Date Night <3

Princess dresses, tiaras, musicals, The Little Mermaid, The Wiggles, Beauty and the Beast, Annie, Build a Bear, Rudy’s Hot Dogs, etc…Daddy can make a little girl’s dreams come true…or close to it!

It isn’t about how extravagant the daddy/Daughter date night is, it is all about the experience and bond that forms because of it.

I can remember the very FIRST daddy/ daughter date night. Annora was 2.5 years old and a HUGE fan of The Wiggles. I dressed her in all red (Simon Wiggle, the red wiggle, was her FAVORITE) and sent her and daddy to Canada to see the show. She had NO IDEA what she was about to do or what to expect. Sure I would have LOVED to go on the date with them, see Annora’s excitement as the crew entered the stage and she saw them live, be there when she met Simon Wiggle outside of his bus, etc.; but the experience she had with her daddy wouldn’t have been the same with me there. Instead, I was able to hear how wonderful the show was through her eyes. She was so excited to share EVERYTHING that happened and the fact that her daddy was there with her is something they have together…their little secret and bond that no one else was a part of. It was a beautiful thing to witness and from that point on, I made it a priority to send them on dates together regularly.

By Mary Bockert, ago