Join us at the largest natural parenting convention EVER! RocketMamas is pleased to partner with our friends over at MommyCon and we can’t wait to see you at MommyCon Chicago. The multi-day event features amazing shopping, interactive workshops, inspirational speakers and more.

Use code “ROCKETMAMAS” for 20% off of tickets.
To view the schedule, buy tickets and get more info: bit.ly/mommyconchi

​Or try your hand at winning two general admission tickets to MommyCon Chicago 2018!
https://1.shortstack.com/9lLb2P

One thing I want to teach my kids, is that in the face of fear, sadness, loss, it’s so easy to be paralyzed when the way is not clear, but... Action = Hope. You can create hope. And hope creates more hope. Just do one small thing. It’s the helplessness that feeds the fear.

Doing an act of good is ACTION and even something small helps kick the snarling dog of fear off your leg.

Our ACTION committee has chosen to help support children displaced by Hurricane Harvey and the flooding in the Gulf Coast. Children are often the most affected in the wake of disasters. Save the Children is on the ground, working with the Red Cross and local partners to establish Child Friendly Spaces inside of evacuation shelter and provide safe spaces for children to play while their caregivers tend to the important work that needs to be done in the wake of a disaster.

Please watch the video below to learn about the project we are supporting. And visit our fundraising campaign page: www.globalgiving.org/fundraisers/rocketmamas-harvey-childrens-relief/
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We are proud to collaborate with TK Photography, Stepping Stones Nursery School, Michelle Taylor of Exigent PR, and The Insurance People, to help support and comfort children displaced by Hurricane Harvey. Thank you to the RocketMamas ACTION committee for your guidance and support.
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Thank you for taking Action RocketMamas.

Need to work and have trouble getting more than a few minutes in at a time? Trying to avoid watching Moana for the 500th time (will you judge if my favorite part is the Sparkly song)? RocketMamas everywhere know your pain. 

Guest blogger Victoria Hilton, the owner of  Stepping Stones Nursery School in Chicago, shares her list of creative ways to engage and distract your child so you can get actual work done in the dog days of summer.

Cooking Adventure
Let them loose on all the random ingredients you had good intentions of using one day. This works well if you have a kitchen tower so they can work at counter height.  Otherwise lay a big sheet, tray or tarp on the floor, give them some big bowls, wooden spoons, water and random herbs, beans, rice etc., to make whatever they wish. 
Bonus - it helps clear out your kitchen cupboards, not so good - it's messy so if you're like me and can get a bit antsy about mess, you have to make peace with this trade off.  For my older kid I extend this and call it magic potions or spells!

Cleaning Toys
Grab a big bucket or tub.  Fill with warm water and dish soap (use hand soap if your kid has sensitive skin).  Have them clean their toys.  We vary this from day to day.  It might be car wash day, when all the cars get washed or it's bath day and the dolls get a bath. 
Bonus - the toys are clean! It is water so you do have to stay in the same room while you work. 
I also vary this for outside using large paintbrushes (the type you use for painting walls) the kids can wash the fence, wash the path, deck, patio - the options are endless! 

Backyard Treasure Hunt
Print out a simple list of things to hunt for. Find a rock, a large leaf, a yellow flower, etc. If your kiddos are pre-readers, print photos. Give 'em a bucket and off they go!

Paint Chip Color Hunt
Pick up some paint color sample chips from the hardware store. Grab a giant roll of tape. Instruct your child to find items in the yard that match the colors on the samples. Tape the items to their matching color chip.

Shaving Foam Painting
Squirt out some cheap shaving cream and add watercolors or food colors so make colored puffy "paint." Let your little one paint paper, a canvas or even a window. (Bonus - they can clean the window after!)

Shaving Foam Sensory Play
Set out a baking tin, cookie sheet, wash bin or vinyl mat, squirt enough shaving foam to cover the surface. We like to drive cars through our shaving foam, but you could offer up dinosaurs stomping, snakes slithering, etc.

Stones and Water
Buy a bag of small pebbles from a dollar store. Give the kiddos a paint brush and a pot of water to paint the stones, watch them dry, and paint them all over again! 

Ice Block Play
Gather up a small collection of plastic toys (little dinosaurs, creepy crawlies, My Little Ponies...put them in Tupperware filled with water and pop it all in the freezer for a few hours. Once frozen, give your kiddo a squirt bottle with water to "free" the toys. (Note from Margaret: I got a solid hour of work on the porch off this one the first time I tried it!)

Ice Painting
Freeze colored water with popsicle sticks in them. Use popsicle molds or even just ice cube trays with popsicle sticks. Let the kiddos use the colored paint-sicles to paint until the popsicles melt! Paint on paper, the sidewalk or even the fence outside

Victoria Hilton is the owner of Stepping Stones Nursery School in Chicago. As a preschool teacher with more than 15 years of experience teaching in public and private schools, Victoria became frustrated with the search for a high quality, play based daycare for her own child and created her own. In 2015, Stepping Stones was awarded the ‘Innovative Entrepreneur’ award from the Women’s Business Development Center for their Nature Explore Certified Outdoor Classroom.

Victoria's headshot courtesy of TK Photography. 

Find Stepping Stones Nursery School on Facebook and Instagram.

Yes, you.

You, in the corner saying, "She doesn't mean me. I just make little things on the side." What? You have an amazing etsy site! Of course I mean you. Fancy pants.

Yeah you, over there saying, "I just make cupcakes in my kitchen and sell them to local moms. She definitely doesn't mean me." Are you kidding me? You're a freakin scrappy entrepreneur pulling yourself up by your flour-covered bootstraps and you are amazing.

You, sitting there saying "Well, I'm a pretty awesome lawyer running my own business from home, she totally means me." OF COURSE I mean you! You're stinking brilliant and inspirational and I get to process my regret of not following my highschool dreams of a law degree through you.

And you, lovely lady, saying, "She can't mean me. I don't own a business. I'm not an entrepreneur. I work at a company. They let me work from home two days a week. And it's awesome because I get to see my daughter during daytime hours, even though I have to have a nanny watching her while I'm taking calls. I don't get to see her during the day otherwise. And my house is really messy and the laundry's never finished. And I thought I'd be farther up the corporate ladder by now, but I opted into this position so I could have that day with my baby. I half regret it at the same time that I rejoice in it... because I'm basically pulling the pin and throwing the grenade at a career I spent 15 years building, but, um, maybe I can make it up down the road...?..."

​You. Yessss. Especially you. Unsung hero. Magic mama. You hold it allll together don't you? Even when it's all falling apart. How do you do the magic that you do? With so few resources. With so little recognition. Oh, you better believe I mean you.

How do you ladies wipe bums while hanging the stars in the sky? How do you carry the weight of entire families on your backs while managing a conference call? You know who I mean. Yes, you.

I'm not very good at writing odes. But believe me when I say, "YOU. Yes, YOU are amazing and you knock my socks off." Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help your star burn brighter.

Love,
Margaret & the RocketMamas