Mom Feature: Meet Brianna

Meet Brianna

My name is Brianna, and I blog at This Rookie Wife. I was married on May 7, 2011 to my Youth Pastor hubby. We discovered we were pregnant a few months after getting married, and I gave birth to our first child, a baby girl, on May 16, 2012. 

I`m a stay-at-home mom, although I consider blogging my part-time job. I also will be getting more involved in my husband`s ministry in the fall.
 
What surprised you the most about motherhood?   
I wasn't expecting to be so totally and completely exhausted. Even though my daughter, who is 5-months-old, is sleeping through the night, I still feel totally drained by the end of the day. 

I also didn't now what a parent`s love would feel like, and I am surprised by the changes that I see in myself. I`m totally overwhelmed with love for my baby girl. It`s a precious feeling to have.  

Oh, one final thing: I didn't realize how difficult it is to have a hot meal when you have a baby. My daughter always seems to be hungry right when my dinner is ready!
 
What do you think prepared you the most for becoming a mom? 
I read a lot of books, especially on breastfeeding. I watched a lot of videos too and talked to moms who recommended that I get certain products, etc. 

I found preparing myself practically did help me a bit with motherhood, but nothing prepares you like the first day of actually being a parent!
 
What is your "typical" day like these days? 
Right now I`m typically breastfeeding a lot throughout the day, playing with my daughter (and getting great tips from Productive Parenting), and spending time relaxing by blogging and reading. 

I don't get out much, which is sometimes hard, but I just tell myself that this is a short season that will be over shortly!
 
What are you looking forward to the most as your baby grows up?  
To be honest, I try not to look forward. I have a problem with wishing the time away. I did that when I was in high school and wished for university. In university I wished for a career. When I dated my husband I wished for marriage. 

Now, I just tell myself that I need to enjoy my little girl and not think about what comes next, because this time just goes by too fast. 
 
What will you miss the most about these baby years?  
Everything! I keep trying to soak up every minute of this time with her. I like that she doesn't get into things yet. I like that she snuggles with me, and I can kiss her over and over and she doesn't mind. I like that she sleeps lots at night and has lots of naps during the day! I`m going to miss this time when my pumpkin gets bigger!

Follow Brianna and her family at her blog: http://thisrookiewife.blogspot.ca/

How to Continue Seeing Updates in Facebook

Facebook has made a few changes, and you're no longer seeing all of your fan page updates in your newsfeed. In fact, you probably aren't seeing most of them. Follow the steps below to never miss an update again!

1. Log into your personal Facebook account. (Please note that you must be using a computer, this does not work on mobile devices.)

2. Go to one of your fan pages (like Productive Parenting)

3. Like the page, if you haven't already.

4. Hover over LIKED. When a dropdown menu appears, click on Add to Interest Lists.

5. Follow the instructions to add this fan page to a list you've already created or create a new list.

6. The next time you use Facebook, you can click on any of your lists to see every single update from the pages you've added to the list.

We're looking forward to connecting with you on Facebook!

What to Do Wednesday: Fruit Kebabs

Target Age:
Late Four-Year Old

Materials You Will Need: 

• toothpicks or wooden skewers
• variety of fruits 

What To Do:
Let your child choose several new fruits at the grocery store, (or stick with old favorites).

Invite your child to help you wash, peel, and cut the fruits into bite sized chunks or slices.

Show your child how to skewer the fruit onto the toothpicks in a variety of patterns.

Share your healthy snack with friends or family members.

Skills Learned:

• Fine Motor 
• Eye Hand Coordination 
• Vocabulary Enrichment  

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.  

What to Do Wednesday: Performing Star

Target Age:
Early Three-Year Old

Materials You Will Need:

• props
• costumes 

What To Do:
Children love making make believe stories seem real through play.

Choose one of your child's favorite storybooks, then create costume props for the book's characters. Read the story then get out the props and dress yourself as well as your child as the characters.

Act out the story together!

Variations:
Use puppets to act out the story.

Skills Learned:

• Creative Expression 
• Creative Movement 
• Emotional Development 
• Role Play  

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.  

What to Do Wednesday: Mixing Colors

Target Age:
Middle One-Year Old

Materials You Will Need:

• paint
• brushes
• large sheet of paper 

What To Do:
Children love to paint and create new colors! Weather permitting, place construction paper on the driveway or large piece of vinyl on an easel, (if you are indoors.)

Choose two primary colors your child has not worked with.

Example: Red and blue or red and yellow.

Let your child paint.

When the colors merge point out that, "You made purple!" or "You made orange!"

Variations: 
Label the picture: RED + BLUE = PURPLE.
RED + YELLOW = ORANGE

Skills Learned: 

• Concept Development  

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.  

What to Do Wednesday: Key Shake

Target Age:
Early Infant

Materials You Will Need:

• keys or a rattle 

What To Do:
Visual tracking is an important exercise for your child. Place your child on a soft blanket. Use a set of keys (or rattle). Shake the keys and move them from left to right, from your child's chin down to the stomach and up to the crown of the head.

Move the keys to the back of the head. Observe your child's eyes tracking.

Skills Learned:

• Visual Tracking
• Visual Stimulation  

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.  

What to Do Wednesday: Feet Fishing

Target Age:
Late Two-Year Old

Materials You Will Need:

• wading pool
• soap bubbles
• plastic toys 

What To Do: 
Fill a small wading pool with water, then add lots of dish soap and toys that don't float. Have your child sit in a chair and use his/her feet to locate the treasures and guessing what they are before pulling them out feet first.

Variations:
Fill the bath tub and enjoy the activity.

Skills Learned:

• Eye Foot Coordination 
• Tactile Stimulation  

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.