Today I’m going to outline a very effective plan for consistent 1 year old discipline for you to use with your toddler. From our experience of having 4 kids in 5 years, it’s never too early to start setting expectations and training your little ones. 1 year olds understand WAY more …
In this post, you will learn 5 ideas for how to deal with the terrible twos that actually work! We’ve gone through the two year old stage with all 4 of our kiddos, and I’ve interacted with tons of other toddlers as well. After going around the block a couple …
In this post I will give you my 12 best tips for surviving with 2 under 2. Our first 2 kids are 17 months apart, and the first few months with our second baby were SO hard. I basically felt like, “WHAT DO YOU TINY PEOPLE NEED FROM ME AND …
I thought I deserved me time. Everyone told me I did. “You should get your nails done.” “Just buy yourself a cup of coffee.” “Just do a little shopping.” “You’ll feel better if you can have a night to yourself.” And all those things are nice and were said by …
It all started when I had a 10 month old. We had just moved across the country and my husband was in a crazy intense masters program. I was staying home in our tiny 3rd floor apartment, with no family nearby, no friends, and no car. AND we’d just found out we …
You guys. I have read a LOT of parenting books. And there are a lot of good ones out there. But this one is the best parenting book. If you have a kid or think you ever want to have a kid, this is a must-read book for you. It easily soared …
Several months after our first baby was born, I found myself thinking that she was in my way. I had lists and agendas and time tables, and if her nap schedule was off, or she was teething or sick, the change was an inconvenience to me and my plan. Because …
I’ve been working on Emma’s baby book and thinking about what a newborn really needs. Looking through pictures from her first year brought me back in time… I was remembering the craziness surrounding the month she was born. It was a couple of our hardest months. There was a cross …
My 3 year old started crying at 6:00 am. Hard. Sudden, piercing, loud screaming tears. Nightmare, maybe? I had just opened my computer to get in my hour of blog work before the kids were “supposed to” wake up. It feels like no matter how hard I try to thrive, I’m just …
Sometimes, (okay, often)… I get these grand ideas. An idea of something we’re going to do, and how it will be so lovely and make everyone feel all warm and fuzzy. I had a makeshift Montessori Learning Shelf for my 3 year old & it worked great. For a couple …
In September, I wrote about choosing contentment in our home. Several people said it really resonated with them. And I totally understand why. We are inundated with information and ads and messages from every direction at every minute of every day. You need this. You need it now. Buy it. …
This is the cake I made for my one year old daughter’s birthday. It was from a box. I frosted it and put sprinkles from valentines day on it. Go ahead, I’ll wait for you to pin it. You can call your pin “epic boxed cake with canned frosting, valentine’s sprinkles, …
A stay at home mom day can be very exciting. Between the laughter, tears, and poop, you never know what might happen. When Ben gets home and asks what we did, I often just stare blankly: huh? I don’t know. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about all that intentional mothering stuff. Raising …
I am torn between a million thoughts and speechlessness. Between not wanting to talk about it and wanting people to know. I feel both simultaneously. It’s weird. Clearly I’m opting for the latter… For better or worse, I tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve, and it’d be hard for …
So, Addie (our 2 1/2 year old) has become more and more conversational. We can really have basically regular conversations with her at the dinner. Though her information isn’t always accurate. Dad: What’d you do today, Addie? Addie: ummmmm I went to Home Depot and the zoo and played puzzles. …
[Side note: I wrote this post on a more-whining-than-usual-day and now the last couple days have been great. Ben was out of town for a few days, and I think the girls feel it when he’s gone. I know I do! He’s the cheese to our macaroni, the cream in …
I recently wrote about engaging my kids throughout the day as a parenting goal for 2015. In that post, I alluded to some mysterious practical ways I engage my kids. Obviously, I do these perfectly every day. HA! Not. They’re goals. Things that I feel like the Lord consistently puts on my heart …
…the highlight of your day is a successful trip to Walmart with your kiddos. Addie got to walk for a little bit (before she lost the privilege by forging ahead into forbidden territory). But overall, her walking or running beside the cart was a success. Emma was happy the whole …
I stumbled upon this article one day, talking about Pink (the singer). It wasn’t super interesting or anything, but one thing struck me. She was interviewed about her 2 year old and the phrase “the terrible twos” inevitably made it’s way into the discussion. The article reads: The Grammy-winner admits …