5 Easy Ways to Teach Your Toddler their ABCs and 123s + GIVEAWAY

I love being a Mom and I take my job as a Mom seriously.  I feel like it is my responsibility to help my children explore their interests, learn new things and support them along the way.  As a Mom of a 3 year old and a soon to be 11 month old, that means I'm playing a lot of "tractor", "boat" and "rocket ship", and encouraging my kids to take many first steps, literally when talking about my daughter MP.  One thing I'm cognitively making an effort right now to do with my son LP is to teach him letters and numbers.

Here is a simple list of five things I do to help teach LP his ABCs and 123s:

• Count Out Loud and Often:  We count the number of stair steps we take, the number of bananas we buy at the grocery store, the number of books we check out from the library, etc.  You can find ways to count everyday!
• Sing Songs:  Along with singing the "Alphabet" song with your toddler, also sing songs like "Five Little Monkeys", "One, Two Buckle My Shoe", etc.  LP learns really well through song.
• Read Books:  Read alphabet books such as Curious George's ABCs, Alphablock, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and counting books like 1 Little, 2 Little, 3 Little Elephants,5 Busy Ducklings, and Butterfly Colors and Counting. 
• Print Worksheets:  There are tons of websites available that have free number and letter worksheets.  My favorites are from Parents magazine:  alphabet worksheets and number worksheets.
• Bath Letters and Numbers:  Incorporate some "learning time" into your next bath routine with these fun Bath Letters and Numbers from Nuby.

Nuby's Bath Letters and Numbers are a great bath toy to add to your collection.  Both LP and MP enjoy playing with them, as they float in the bath tub and easily stick to the walls of the bath tub after they get wet.

It is fun writing LP and MP's names with the letters and seeing LP recognize both letters and numbers.  He especially likes lining the numbers up on the wall.  The foam letters and numbers come in a variety of colors and designs that make the learning experience fun.  The set comes with all 26 letters and 10 numbers.  I would highly recommend Nuby's Bath Letters and Numbers for every family with toddlers.  Our family has enjoyed this product so much that Nuby is giving away a set to one lucky follower.  Comment how you enjoy teaching your toddler their ABCs and 123s and then enter for more chances to win your own set of Nuby's Bath Letters and Numbers:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you would like to get your own set of Nuby's Bath Letters and Numbers check out BuyBabyDirect.com.  Also, be sure to get connected with Nuby through their various channels of social media:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Instagram

Also, be sure to check out my Nuby and my "Learning Time" Pinterest boards for more ideas.

I love being a Mom, how about you?  Check out a couple of my favorite posts about being a Mom to now four children:

• Having Fun in the Tractor with Mom and
• The Quest for Life as a Super Mom

5 Simple Ways to Make Bath Time Fun

Life with a toddler and a baby is always full of adventure - check last week's Wordless Wednesday post to see just how much fun we've been having lately...  Anyways, I got to thinking the other day about some simple things I do during Bath Time to continue the fun for both LP and MP.  Here are five simple ways to make bath time fun:

• Sing while you soap up:  I have made up little dittys that I sing while applying shampoo and soap on the kids.  They both love it and LP even sings along.  If you don't feel comfortable making up your own song, sing classic kid songs like "Wheels on the Bus", "You Are My Sunshine" or "Old MacDonald" while the kids are getting soaped up!
• Tickle:  You need to be careful while doing it but why limit tickling to dry land only.
• Read a book:  Most bath times at our house take place right before bedtime, so to help with the winding down process before bed, I'll read them a book while they play in the tub.
• Let their imagination run wild:  LP's imagination is amazing and bath time is a perfect environment for him to discover open seas in his boat or pretend he's a fish in the ocean.
• Play with toys:  Some of my kids' favorite bath toys include cups, bowls, and a strainer.  And that is why it was so much fun to add Nuby's Splish Splash Stacking Cups to our bath time toy collection.

Both LP and MP love Nuby's Splish Splash Stacking Cups.  They are recommended for children 9 months and older, and like I said, both my 9 month old daughter and 3 year old son enjoy them.  There are five cups in the set and each cup has holes in it like a strainer, which creates a waterfall effect.  LP loved racing cups against each other seeing which one would empty first and MP loved running her hands through the waterfalls trying to catch the water.  Another added bonus to the cups is that they come in a variety of colors and each ascending size has a different number assigned to it, 1-5, so you can teach counting and numbers, colors and shapes with toddlers.  The cups also stack two different ways which is great for teaching coordination.

If you are interested in getting your own set of Nuby Splish Splash Stacking Cups check out these retailers:

• Amazon.com
• BuyBabyDirect.com
• buybuy Baby
• Bed Bath & Beyond
• Diapers.com
• eChildStore.com
• BabyEarth.com

To learn more about Nuby, get connected through their various channels of social media:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Instagram

Also, be sure to check out my other Nuby bath time review on their Tear Free Rinse Pail.

What do you do to make Bath Time fun at your house?

Remember to Comment for a Cause!

19 Weeks - Corn, Beans, Pig & KIDS

When I started this blog over a year ago I decided to call it "Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids" because that is what we raise on our farm and it just has a nice flow to it.  "Corn, Soybeans, Pigs & Kid" just didn't seem to have the same ring to it.  And My Farmer and I often, if not always, introduce ourselves as farmers from North Central Iowa who raise corn, beans, pigs and kids.  Now we have been caught a time or two having to explain the kids part since we only have one, but now I'm officially excited to announce we are expecting a second child on June 6th, so we officially will being raising KIDS on the farm!

Now I had hinted at that we were expecting another child in my New Year Resolutions, but I figured today, at 19 weeks, I'd make an official announcement that MP (Mini-Plagge) will be arriving this spring.

The best picture MP would give us yesterday at my ultrasound

So what does it mean being pregnant with your second child when your first is a busy toddler?

• Well, it means when you're tired and just want to take a nap, you can't just take one anytime you wanted to, like with the first pregnancy.  You have to wait till nap time or bed time, which I have to admit, I've thought about changing slightly just so I could lay on the couch.  I found out I was pregnant in September and actually kept the pregnancy a secret most of harvest.  Now this was hard at times because harvest can just be tiring to begin with, add going through your first trimester and you can imagine how tired I was at the end of the day (or in the middle day as the sun was really beating down through the tractor windshield)!
• My Farmer has always told me that I plan too much, but I figure planning for arrival of MP won't hurt anyone right?  Well, arrival of MP makes me think of how much, or shall I say how little, "free" time I'll have with two kids in the house?  I also wonder how well LP will do with MP?  I know he'll be a big helper but I also am aware he might be confused or jealous.  Having two kids in the house also make me wonder how well I'll be able to divide my focus, energy and love towards both of them?  Along those lines, I think how hard it is sometimes for just My Farmer and I to go out and have time just to ourselves now, let alone with another child.
• Now at the same time, I am so excited for LP to have a sibling.  I have two sisters and I wouldn't trade growing up with them for anything in the world.  We are all each others best friends and my parents often tell us stories of when we were younger of how we almost had our own language and I remember the countless games we played, just the three of us.  Earlier I mentioned how I think about how well I'll do dividing up my focus, energy and love towards both kids, but the great thing for MP, they'll have not just Mom and Dad to get attention from, they'll have an older brother that'll give them attention too!

So, yeah, I guess that is what this mother is thinking at 19 weeks.  We are almost half way through the pregnancy and we're all excited for MP to arrive!  Do any of you have any advice for a soon to be family of four?