Mom Monday | One-on-One

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It’s not easy to find the one-on-one time that my children crave.

Four kids: ?One me. ?The odds are not in my favor.

My husband and I try to give each child the individual attention they deserve, but it’s hard at times. ?And it’s getting even more difficult?to give the attention as they get older. We often overlook little Lucy’s needs since the older kids are signed up for activities. ?Their responsibilities have grown exponentially over the past two years, and it’s taking some major juggling for things to run smoothly.

So many practices and meetings, so few drivers and cars.

When my kids reached 4-year-old, they all attended 4-day-a-week preschool. ? I felt it would prepare them for the long week of real school ahead of them if they spent more days away from mom.

I didn’t make that choice with Lucy, even though it was an option.

lucy 10.15

I’d miss her too much.

And trust me, I’m so not “that mom” who can’t stand being separated from her snowflake. ?Remember: I’m the one who counts down the first day of school before summer even starts. ?I’m okay with my kids in school; we are all good when they are in school. ?They would tell you the same thing.

But in this case, it’s simply the fact that she’s the last one at home. Once she heads off to kindergarten next year, I’m not going to have a little helper around the house. ?My excuse to take a midday nap will disappear. ?My grocery shopping companion will be gone, along with my excuse to indulge at Chick-fil-A more than I should.

Okay, so that part is probably a good thing, but I’m going to miss those naps & waffle fries.

The end of a mommy era looms near. It will be the first time in 15 years that I don’t have a kid at home with me all day long.

It’s going to be a pseudo-empty nest. ?Weirdness, y’all.

Today I’m embracing some of the mommy time I have left. ?Lucy and I are heading to Disneyland for a Mommy & Me trip to Mickey’s Halloween Party.

I’ve taken each of the kids for a few hours of one-on-one time at the Disney parks before. This is something I highly recommend to parents if it’s at all possible.

There’s such a level of connection with my kids and me when we are at our happy place: ?Disney magic is real.

luke selfie

My son held my hand as we navigated the crowds on New Year’s Eve together. ?My daughter told me I was the Best. Mom. EVER. for getting her on the Seven Drawfs Mine Train before her brothers. ?Seth got to ride his (secret) favorite ride without any teasing from his older siblings: he loves?the “baby cars” (as his brother calls them) on Tomorrowland Speedway.

Now it’s Lucy’s turn. ?And I’m more excited about it than she is.

Added bonus: ?we’re going to the Halloween party which means we get to dress up. ?Something we both absolutely LOVE to do!

I let her pick out our costumes and did my best to make them just right.

Her’s was easy. ?I went to her closet for the dress. No reason to reinvent the wheel, right? ?I only had to make the bow and the trick-or-treat bag.

apple

snow

Next up was my costume. ?I’ve got quite a collection of running inspired looks, but I didn’t have anything that “matched” Snow White exactly. ?Lucy asked for a dwarf, but I wasn’t looking forward to wearing a beard all night long.

I do have some costuming limits.

She gave approval for the Evil Queen and I cackled with joy. ?This was going to be fun!

Magic Mirror on the wall, who’s the evilest of them all?

evil q

I came up with two versions of the Evil Queen. ?One is perfect for a race weekend (I’m thinking Princess Half Marathon) and the other will be perfect for tonight’s festivities.

The cool part? ?I didn’t have to do much shopping for these.

evil q 1

I owned the skirt (Sparkle Athletic), the belt, and the cape. ?I made the amulet out of craft foam.

The white collar is a $1 foam visor turned upside down (and I removed the connection cord).

The headpiece I did go ahead and buy.

It was on Amazon & I love Amazon. ?Prime and I are BFFs. You can check it out here. ? It’s fabulous and I’m glad I didn’t try to make it myself (though I think it’s totally possible!).

IMG_3472

I bought the skirt to match the shirt- both of which were on clearance at Old Navy. ?SUPER cheap since I also had a coupon for 40% off.

The robe is part of an old Hogwarts?costume. ?Gryffindor, of course.

The belt cost me $11 at Joanne’s and is probably supposed to be for your curtains. ?It works.

queen

Be sure to follow along on Periscope?for live chats and on Instagram for all the fun. We’re heading to the Disney Parks Blog Meet-Up and will have a full evening exploring Mickey’s Halloween Party together!

Have you faced the “empty nest” before? ?How did you prepare yourself for it?

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4 Comments

  1. What a sweet story! I was looking for how to make an evil queen costume and I remember seeing you show one on Instagram so came looking on your blog. You did an excellent job putting this together! You’re gonna look so fab at PHM!

    1. Thank you! We actually ended up in a different direction so the evil queen will have to wait. But I’ve got a costume ready to go whenever the need arises!

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