I just had my first week back at work, so I thought it would be interesting to take a look at working mothers to see what the stats are like and if I can get any helpful tips from mothers already working! Here's a look at what I found. The Statistics Globally In general, mothers seem to be returning to work at a higher rate than in previous years. There are probably a lot of different facts that contribute to the higher return. An article by the Washington Post speculates that a large portion of mothers returning to work do so because of the financial factor. Let's start by looking at the facts.  50% of households in OECD countries (the OECD is made up of 36 different countries across the world) include children 67% of mothers in these households return to work according to OECD statistics . This is a lot higher than I expected and helps me realize that I won't be alone in my efforts to balance everything.  According to Catalyst , women do double the u...

Our baby loves knee bobbing games! They were one of the first activities we could do with baby to get a little giggle. I've listed some of our favorites below along with some motions in parentheses. If you're doing these games with a baby who can't sit on their own yet make sure they are very supported. At the start of each of these songs, you will want to put baby on your knees facing you. 1. Ride-o  This song can be done at a slower pace which is nicer for the younger babies. It's very gentle and sweet. Lyrics Ride-o, ride-o, ride-o (bounce baby on knees facing you) Which way shall we ride-o?  To the countryside-o (bounce your knees and lean baby to your left) To find a pretty bride-o ( bounce your knees and lean baby to your right) Ride-o, ride-o, ride-o (while bouncing your knees lean baby to your left then your right and repeat) Clip-clop, clip-clop,clip-clop, clip-clop (back to normal bouncing) 2. Ride the Horsey This rhyme is a classic and o...

Baby has been loving opening anything and everything! So I thought it would be fun to create little animals that would pop-out when my little opened a little box. He definitely enjoyed opening the boxes and seeing the animal inside! Here’s how I did it.  1. Gather supplies For this activity, you’ll need:  a box or two with a lid that opens and shuts. I used two cute stationery boxes we had left from baby shower thank you cards. paper pencil/pen scissors tape  2. Draw the animals  I am an absolutely terrible drawer so I’ll tell you my secret! There are a ton of drawing videos on YouTube that will walk you through how to draw cute animals! I chose these 2 videos and used a pencil. My drawings came out alright. Just don’t look too closely at the lines!  How to Draw a Cute Elephant - Easy Pictures to Draw How to Draw a Lion | Lion Head Easy Draw Tutorial You could also color in the animal if you wanted!  3. Create the po...

My little one loves hand games and songs! They're easy and convenient for me as they only require my hands. So it's a win-win for both of us. I thought I'd put together a quick list of our tops choices along with the lyrics and motions for each song so you can try them too if you like :). 1. Itsy Bitsy Spider This song has been my little one's favorite since he was about 2 months old! He loves watching me do the motions. Song Lyrics The itsy-bitsy spider went up the water spout  (place the index finger of one hand to the thumb of other hand and vice-versa, rotate one finger and thumb pair upwards to meet again and then rotate the other pair up and repeat to imitate spider climbing) Down came the rain ( flutter fingers and bring hands down in rain motion) And washed the spider out (move hands away from each other in a wiping motion) Out came the sun and dried up all the rain (raise both hands and move back and forth) And the itsy-bitsy spider went up the...

Toe rhymes are a wonderful way to interact with your little one from even the youngest of ages! When my little one was only six weeks old we started going to a little music class and these were some of the first rhymes I did with him. He loved them! I've included some of the actions as well in parentheses.  1. Shoe a Little Horse This is a great song for even the tiniest of babies as it is very relaxed. Lyrics Shoe a little horse (tap baby's right foot three times) Shoe a little mare (tap baby's left foot three times) With a tap-tap here  (tap baby's right foot three times) And a tap-tap there  (tap baby's left foot three times) But let the little horse go bare bare bare (rub both of baby's feet in a circular motion with your thumb) 2. This Little Piggy This is a classic! You can't have a list of baby toe rhymes without including 'This Little Piggy!' Lyrics This little piggy went to market (wiggle baby's big toe) This ...