Taking Terrible ouT of Toddler

Owl Painting for Toddler or Baby Room

2011-11-14T15:49:00.009-07:00

I have had a lot more time for painting since putting my toddler blog a little lower on my priority list. I got to work on the owl project where I could do both, paint and now blog about it! Yay!

Being creative I have found has been key to my happiness monitor staying at a high enough level to remain civilized. My latest creative project were 2 owl paintings for my friend's baby girl's room. She is obsessed with cute lil owls and so purchased some owl bedding that had some pretty lame art work to go with it. So taking the bedding idea which was simple, stitching was shown throughout, and had lots of brown and pink, I decided to incorporate its theme but to also add some color to the room to go matchy matchy with toys and stuff that would also be decorating it soon. This is what I came up with:

I used acrylic, watercolor, paper, and material to create this and it was FUN!!

For kids rooms, art work needs to be lively, simple, basic and different textures help too. Kids do learn from their surroundings, having basic shapes and colors are fun for them and educational. This painting has a built in lesson when they grow older on nocturnal animals, like the owl. There you have it, my job is done. I feel so accomplished now ha ha, I am being sarcastic. At least I find time for painting again. Love painting!!

Homemade Bread

2011-09-30T12:39:00.002-06:00

My toddlers LOVE homemade bread! They eat it like it is candy. So I thought I would share this fantastic recipe that I love and my toddlers do too.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/simple-whole-wheat-bread/detail.aspx

Enjoy! And take care!

The Most Important Lessons

2011-09-01T23:46:00.002-06:00

I was looking at photos...not a good thing if you don't like crying, but it was happy crying. I realized something as I was looking back at our family photos, my kids have taught me a lot and I am pretty sure they will keep teaching me. Here they are as little babes and I am suppose to be their teacher, teach them all about life as I know it. Ironically they are teaching me the same thing. They teach me the dreaded word "patience" almost daily, a lot in the psychology department, but specifically they teach me the most important lesson in life.

Gandhi from India died teaching this very important lesson and he wasn't the only one who gave his own life to make a better world, teaching this basic principle. When we hold a newborn baby in our arms the incredible feeling of love you can have for this child teaches, LOVE. Even as they grow and test you, they are teaching you to love- no matter what. Watching them love to learn new things, love the freedom they find in doing things on their own and loving the world around them, helps me to understand that I should the same.

My toddler with only curiosity wants to know why people look different, sometimes saying what some would be offended by, "mom- does that person have mud on their face?" "mom- that persons BIG," "mom- why does that person have pink spikey hair?" But in innocence also says things the same way that are not offensive in our culture, "mom-she has freckles like me", "mom- why do most boys have short hair", "mom- why are my brothers eyes blue and mine are brown." It is how we answer these questions that leave an impression on children and how they should react to differences. I could say negative things or I could say positive things, which at this crucial time in my toddlers learning is teaching my toddler how to perceive the world.

If I can teach the lesson that we as people are all different, we all are, even the most similar people are not the same and teach that being different is not only ok, but it should be celebrated, accepted, and to love individuality, then through my child's eyes I can create a positive impression of the world. If a child learns that being different is not alright, than I am developing an insecure child in an insecure world.

Children observe and pick out their differences, it is normal in child development, it is an observation that's all. We are our children's example. What are our views about being "normal", how about "unique", how about being "different,"what differences do we allow and not allow and how does that effect us, are all good questions to ask ourselves. Teaching a child can go two ways-teach them to look at differences as not being alright...and they will probably go about changing themselves to fit a norm or teach them that differences are normal and good...then they look at themselves as unique and can possibly live to their true potential.

I know the price of negativity from my own experience and as I grow older I care less about being normal and have learned to accept others more. Does that mean I should accept others negativity or wrong actions, I don't know did Ghandi, no- he stood for a cause to make the world better. He gave of himself, including his life, to teach people that we are all equal and all different at the same time. If only from a young age I had known that it was ok to be me and that other peoples differences, were alright too (a lesson I am still learning)- I would probably be a different person today. Am I a bad person, I hope not, but am I secure about myself, not entirely. If only I would believe in myself and not set limitations, what would happen then? If only I could see people as a child sees them, how much good could I do?

We can not help that we are all different, have different circumstances in our lives, it is just the way life is, it is uncontrolable. While toddlers need to control little things, it is good for them to be taught that no one can control everything. That what we do, is really the only control we have. That is where I guess I step in as a teacher to my children.

Unfortunately generations have passed down prejudice against others based on things that really should be celebrated. Once children grow up, if these norms have been accepted they start perceiving that people who are different need to be educated, are lacking something, or honestly not worth much as a person. The worst part of this can lead others to take away freedoms, lead to war, lead to monoculture, and lead to unhappiness. The cycle of hate once started is a hard cycle to break. Sometimes someones hate effects people around them, but it effects themselves too and they lose themselves in the process and maybe even their true potential, happiness, or life. You can not put a RIGHT stamp on something WRONG and follow it with a because...and expect good things to come out of it.

Honestly our world is only insecure because of greed, negativity, lack of love, and a power driven society. We forget the important things, while the non-important stuff is shoved into our faces, taught to us, become a societies norm, and become our personal choices. If every child learned to love one another no matter what and put others before self, what changes would we see in the world? Would our children experience a more secure world? We can not force people to love and do the right thing, but we can start with ourselves, and try to teach our children to accept themselves and look outside of themselves.

So I keep thinking of this game I played as a kid while playing with others, called "I am King of the Mountain," mountain being any pile of dirt or large rock we could find. The purpose of the game is to put yourself on top of the mountain, and yell, "I am king of the Mountain!" As silly as it sounds, it still is silly, their can only be one king of the mountain...so what happens to the rest of the people who are not on the mountain? Then as an observation of the years of watching this game (because I really didn't get the game) I notice, um we have to fight over who is the king of the mountain...then someone else usually pushes enough to get it. The King of the mountain honestly did not care about the mountain too much, just that he was above everyone else or well at least one other person. A much better game that would lead to much less shoving, pushing, and crying, would be to see if we could all get on the mountain and make it our goal to see that no one fell off. I notice that even now I am still the same person I was back then, I could care less who was "King of the Mountain," because it is better to sit on a smaller rock relaxing while everyone else fights over a silly rock. I wish I would have had the guts to try the other game, then maybe no one else would have gotten hurt. That is just a game that can still be played as adults, who is smarter, who has more, who is richer, who is prettier, who is more stuck up....just kidding, but honestly who cares. It is better to just be us and do the best with what we have and put us all on the same ground.

Thanks kiddos for teaching me so many valuable lessons. I love you so much.

Just one more thing, this will be my last post for a while, if not indefinately. It will be great when I can return to it, maybe someday. I hope you find it useful. Take Care.

How to Entertain a Toddler on Car/Airplane Rides

2011-07-26T23:45:00.010-06:00

We recently relocated and it required 8 days of entertaining our kids in the car! I looked for the best possible ways to entertain my kids and found some great ideas!

I followed the advice to buy items (cheap ones, I found mostly at the $1 store) and wrap them up and distribute them during the trip. We traveled about 8 hours in a day, and I found that 4 gifts a day was plenty, especially by the end of the trip. I also got lazy by the end and just stuck them in paper lunch bags...they didn't care.

The idea is to either give them a gift when they get fussy or to have an idea of when you will give them a gift and to use it as motivators for good behavior. "Just 10 more minutes and you will get a gift, but if you keep crying you won't get it"...I used this a lot.

I bought the gifts beforehand. They started with nothing to play with, this is key when wanting them to focus on an item and play with it for an extended period. When they have too many toys and distractions I found my kids got easily bored and found nothing interesting.

What worked great as gifts:
some of these ideas are choking hazards, my toddlers are past the mouthy stage...but if yours aren't just use your judgement

-Slinky

-Kaleidoscope

-Magnets

-Small balloons

-Dry erase board & washable dry erase markers

-Stickers, sticker scenes, sticker dress up...all were great

-Coloring with just 1-3 colors...too many and it gets messy

-Koosh ball

-Flap Books, Touch books for younger kids, I spy books for older

-New Movies (I used them around winding down periods...like before naps, unless you have a kid who won't nap if the TV is on)

-Discovery Bottle: I made it simple out of lack of time and just threw random stuff in a bottle and glued the lid on...but I was trying to go for this: http://www.angelfire.com/oh2/Stilloclass/db.html , my idea worked just fine.

-Sewing Cards: made my own following this site: http://www.minieco.co.uk/printable-sewing-cards/, I found cheap laces at the $1 store.

-Make a Nice Lap Tray for snacks and play, make your own following this idea here: http://ellebelleblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/lap-desk-is-pretty-much-essential-for.html

-Flash Cards: I punched a hole in #, letter, color cards and placed them on a ring and they just flipped through them as they enjoyed. No mess.

-Paper plate and clothes pin faces: Have your kid draw a face on a paper plate and then give them clothes pins to pin on the plate for hair

-Suckers...they worked as great mouth plugs when the kids started to get whiny.

-Spinning Wheels: The kids loved having the windows down to spin their spinning wheels.

-Game: I spy something (color), what is it? Then you take turns....it is funny what the kids say that don't grasp the concept. We had a lot of...I spy something purple...we would guess a flower! "Yes", My daughter would say excitingly...everything was a flower no matter the color for the first couple of days.

-Lock and keys you have around your house

-Dolls to dress and undress

- Sing Old McDonalds and enjoy making random animal noises

- Paper clips: My older kid almost pre-school age was able to do this...you give them a few paper clips on their tray and they link them together to make a necklace. Don't give too many or you might have a huge mess like I did.

-Puzzles with 5-6 pieces at the most

-Glow Balls: You can hit them and they start glowing...you can also get bike lights or flashlights

-Frisbees: Not to throw, to use as steering wheels, they can pretend to drive with them. Use it later for a break in the park.

-Tinfoil: Idea is to make something out of it...the results were a ball of tinfoil, still fun.

Do you have any ideas?

I made sure to have handy:

Neck pillows, blankets, jackets/coats, shoes, snacks, drinks, portable potty, first aid kit, car window sun shades, kids music, extra water and snacks, cell phone and charger, extra clothes nearby for spills and potty accidents, big blankets for picnics or naps at the park, sunglasses (kids too), sunscreen, wipes and more wipes, parents entertainment material as well.

The kids did well with stops every 2-3 hours. We tried to find a park, McDonald's Play Place, or some place the kids could run around...for free and not bother anyone. It made for longer days but it worked. We realized that we could travel during the nights while they were sleeping, but as anyone with kids know that during the day time they are awake, they can be pretty demanding.

All together our experience was a good one. We planned far ahead and that made it easier for any sort of emergencies and we did have those. The kids didn't completely act like angels, but the idea to use presents was the best idea ever! It worked great and got us through some tough toddler times.

Hope you have great vacations, trips and moves!

My blogger is down. Posting content doesn't work....so I will be figuring that out, sorry.

2011-07-26T23:35:00.001-06:00

Preservatives? Why?

2011-07-14T21:36:00.004-06:00

So here is another post following the Healthy Toddler Snacks comment that gave me so many great things to write about...I hope you all aren't going crazy yet!

"hydrogenated soybean oil-hydrogenated anything is terrible along with tons of preservatives (unless you're buying organic then the preservatives are fewer) the tofutti although not dairy has just as many terrible ingredients. soy is really terrible for us-although it provides protein you're much better off getting your protein from nuts and other sources. soy needs to be properly fermented in order to be nutritional and unfortunately most products on the market are not. soy really messes with hormones. true Japanese have been eating soy for years but it's fermented and eaten in smaller portions...just be careful (soy sauce is fermented). chia and hemp are great alternatives for protein-both are full of protein,m omegas and fiber and can easily be found organic."

-Robyn (Robyn next time you are making a far better list)

Now I realize that Tofutti cream cheese is not the best (thank you reader) and the better choice would be organic cream cheese. So I have taken that snack off the healthy list, but it will contain milk products if I put it back on. We do eat dairy in our family, we are not Vegan or Vegetarians, I don't even know if there is a name for how we eat... why name people by what they eat? We know that what we eat is a huge part of how we feel and how it will effect our future & kids. Its hard to look past family members dying from cancers, heart attacks, having huge allergy issues while allergies/intolerances are not genetic in our family and over-all having health problems related to diet.

Dairy has a lot of fat and fat is where a lot of the herbicides & pesticides get stored in the body of animals...and well us too and it is in cheese, milk, cream cheese, yogurt...just about everything you find in the dairy section. Milk (organic) isn't bad for us when it is eaten in small amounts, it is actually great for Vitamin D and calcium and other nutrients. Butter is good too, far better than margarine, butter should only consist of cream and sometimes salt...go look and see if your butter has only those ingredients if you want! While your there check out your sour cream....hm sour cream should be milk, cornstarch, and active cultures, just simple. You will find that an non-organic choice leaves you with several ingredients that are intended only for shelf life and consistency...all which leads to more money in the pockets of the supplier, they really don't have your health interest in mind.

The best choice is organic dairy from a local farmer, but as in my case we don't have a nice milker down the road, with nice healthy cows, grazing on grass. But that won't stop me, so I found some organic cream cheese here to buy: http://www.organicvalley.coop/- "Your weekly purchase of 8 oz Bar Cream Cheese prevents the following annually: 4.9 lbs Synthetic Nitrogen Fertilizer. 1.1 oz Synthetic Herbicides & Pesticides."

It would be wonderful to buy everything organic and I realize the huge costs. So what can we do if we can not afford to go all organic?

- Make it yourself. Home-made breads, crackers, cereal (granola), pizzas.....are all cheaper when you make it at home versus buying it at the store. Be aware that flour can be highly processed too, which completely blows my mind, why take the good stuff out so you have to put it back in (enriched)? It is a step I find no sense in and all leads back to shelf life/$$$. Wheat as a whole is extemely healthy for you and can be ground very fine for breads and pastries...it just takes puting it in the grinder more than once. Who has time for that? Well we all do, we just have to take the time, instead of reading this post go make something! Make it with your toddlers, they love it!

- Use the soil you have just right outside your door and start growing a garden. I don't have great soil so we bought organic potting soil and we save lots of money growing what we can in them. I love going outside and grabbing my dinner, its fresh, and it tastes so much better than something picked unripe and put in a truck for a week! It also stays fresh longer, so that means less throwing away of produce and money. It doesn't take a lot of time to grow a garden either, you make it what you want....one day in the weekend to plant and a good water for 5 minutes is all it takes for us to grow enough for our family and then we walk away thinking we need a bigger garden because we both like to be outside working in it.

- Check local farmers and farmers markets. You can ask local farmers if they use herbicides, pesticides, or genetically engineered seeds and actually find out a lot about the food you will have on your plate from them. Farmers may not be doctors but they sure know a lot about plants and they are smart, it takes smart growers to grow organically and to also make enough produce to make profits with what they grow and how they grow it. Things that are very important for us to buy locally organic are meat, eggs, milk, cheeses, vegetables and fruit...oh I think I just mentioned almost everything. I am willing to pay the good farmer a little more than the super market for better quality food to stay out of the doctors office, which one is cheaper?

- Last, buy organically from your super market. Bulk is always cheaper. I buy wheat in bulk and grind it myself. I don't buy a lot of the stuff I can make myself, but I sure can not make an apple (really wish I had a tree), nor do they grow a lot where I am from and there will always be those items that don't grow well in your area as well. Fruits and vegetables with skins are really important to buy organically because the pesticides mainly go in the skin...so if I can not afford everything organically I buy things like onions, bananas, oranges and stuff I take the skin off non-organic.

Ok last but not least the comment said that soy effects hormones. Now I believe everyone should listen to their bodies. Do you know what I mean, you eat something and you get sick or tired, or diarrhea? There are several foods that can effect hormones, and if something is effecting you negatively you should not eat it. Our bodies are meant to tell us when we are hungry, thirsty, they don't particularly like something, and cravings if they are not addictions mean our bodies need something in particular to what we are craving. For instance; pickles=salt, meat = protein, chocolate...ok I am just addicted to that one.

So Oxford Journals had this to say about SOY, " CONCLUSIONS Isoflavone-rich soy products decrease FSH and LH in premenopausal women and may increase estradiol in post-menopausal women. The clinical implications of these modest hormonal changes remain to be determined."

Isoflavones are a class of phytoestrogens plant-derived compounds with estrogenic activity. Soybeans and soy products are the richest sources of isoflavones in the human diet. It is interesting that while I researched this topic that I found pro sources saying soy reduces cancer and some that say it causes cancer. Even considering the sources, I find the research is very undetermined and inconsistent. I can not after researching this topic put a BAD stamp on soy, neither can a put a GOOD stamp on soy. I would have to do my own research and I am not a research scientist. I also know that soy along with corn is the most genetically engineered crop, and we don't have substantial research on those effects either. Either way if soy effects you, don't eat it. If it is organic it doesn't matter, don't eat it. If you grow it in your garden and it is not genetically engineered and it effects you, simple, don't eat it.

Trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils (like hydrogenated soybean oil & margarine) are more harmful than naturally occurring oils. Some studies have shown natural trans fats in beef and dairy products can have the opposite health effect and can actually be beneficial, e.g. lowering total and LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. - Source. If any food product has hydrogenated anything it is usually highly processed and highly processed foods are not good for you and should also be avoided. Here is a list of what I find as the best for fats/oils and keep in mind that these can be ruined by processing also and so I am always referring to the unprocessed. I have a whole list of why's but I will not get into those in this post for your sake.

Olive oil
butter
palm oil
coconut oil
nut oils (peanut, almond, and so on)
hemp oil

Here is a good recipe to try out with some good oils/fats that is fun for toddlers and easy on mothers...trust me it is easier then you think I promise. The first thing I think of when I hear the words scones is ugh...that is one thing I will pay a ridiculous amount of money on at the fair or wherever, but not anymore.

Easy Scones
4 c. flour (wheat when possible)
4 tsp. sugar (raw when possible)
4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
1 1/4- 1 1/2 c. warm water

Mix all ingredients and let rise 5 minutes. The less it is handled the better. On a floured surfaces along with floured palms shape scones. Fry to golden brown. Serve with honey butter...yummy! Or here's a dinner idea and we call it Navajo Tacos; top with chili, lettuce, tomatoes, and top with sour cream or cheese, a favorite with my toddlers.

By By High Fructose- Graham Crackers

2011-07-12T21:29:00.000-06:00

Some other points I want to write about this week are from a comment under Healthy Toddler Snacks:

"i just wanted to suggest going beyond the dairy and reading the labels. i noticed you have graham crackers as a snack and most graham crackers are full of high fructose corn syrup (which is a terrible foreign substance to introduce to your body) and hydrogenated soybean oil-hydrogenated anything is terrible along with tons of preservatives."-Robyn

I just wanted to say that I am glad when parents respond! I love it in fact! Comments help me know that I do have readers, my readers enjoy what I write about, and all this work isn't for nothing. Thank You! Just because of this comment I knew that at least one of my readers would be interested in my Graham Cracker recipe that my toddlers gobbled up!

I don't write to tell people what to do or tell people that my way is the right way. Honestly I write because I am interested in the topic, I studied the topic and considered the resources, and then I felt it was something other parents might like to know.

Kids eating healthier, especially now as toddlers when we can teach them healthy habits that allow them to live longer-happier lives is very important to me. I don't like the obesity in American children...or especially obesity while other children are starving to death. I don't agree with the way the world is using its resources and most importantly that it is based on conveniences. It aggravates me that I can be told by leaders to eat this and you will be healthy, when in fact researchers are finding those same things to be harmful. In my opinion it all comes down to my children, my choices, and all those things I hold dear are my responsibility and not the schools, doctors, governments, leaders, or anybody elses. Once we realize the power we have just by making our own CHOICES and not handing those choices over to someone else, we give ourselves back freedoms of not being influenced by what we hear, or what we have available, or by those who are only interested in power/money. Then we can start making individual choices that will have a POSITIVE impact on ourselves, children and our world.
So back to the point, why I hate high fructose corn syrup?

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup is really addictive, what toddler doesn't love sugar is more than proof. High fructose Corn syrup goes beyond the need for sugar and I like the way that Aaron Snyder puts it, "In my first book, The New Diabetes Prescription, I make the case that everyone should avoid high fructose corn syrup, the sweetener found in well, just about everything.
I can give you a thousand reasons why: from it being known to disrupt leptin levels, or increase insulin resistance, LDL cholesterol, and blood pressure... I really don’t have to go on.

Still, some people think “what’s the big deal?” To these people, I ask the following question. It works 100% of the time because no one likes to feel like they’ve been tricked, which is exactly what high fructose corn syrup does to their body. The question is really simple. Here it is: Click Here to Read On"

Why is high fructose in everything? Companies can sell more product with high fructose corn syrup because it is cheap and most importantly it gets you hooked on the product.

2. It is also a major contributor to child obesity...and this is NOT one of the ways we want our children to grow (Princeton University Findings).

3. Our U.S. government has to pay (in other words we pay) the farmers to keep growing the corn to make the corn syrup the way they are growing it with government programs/subsidies or because our government has no idea where our money goes this happens: Farm Program Pays $1.3 billion to people who don't farm.

4. Corn is sprayed a lot and thanks also to Monsanto it is genetically modified to withstand all the pesticides put on it and farmers trying to grow organically can be contaminated by genetically modified corn and will be sued by Monsanto for personal gain, therefore leaving us no organic choice. Pesticides and genetically altered foods have harsh impacts on people and the environment, we know effects of pesticides but genetically altered foods haven't been thoroughly tested for the effects on people but studies have shown they are killing bees and butterflies worldwide...and therefore who is going to pollinate then, us?

I hope after reading this and clicking on the links with important articles you will hate high fructose corn syrup as much as I do. If your kids love graham crackers they pretty much all have high fructose so here is a great recipe.

Gwam Crackers-
makes about 12 crackers- time: about as long as it takes to go to the grocery store, find the crackers, check out, and drive home...for me anyway.

1 1/2 c. Whole Wheat flour
1/3 c. raw sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. oil
2 tbsp. molasses
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 c. rice milk or water

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the middle and pour in oil, molasses and vanilla. Give the liquid ingredients a quick wisk with a fork and then continue mixing until everthing is well combined and crumbly.

Drizzle in the milk/water and combine. Use your hands to knead the dough a few times until it holds together. You should be able to form a pliable ball of dough.

Place the dough on the parchment and work into a rectangle. Flatten a bit with the palms of your hand and sprinkle with flour. Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle that is roughly 10x14 inches, you might have to take the parchment & dough out of the pan to do this...I don't so I shortcut it by just doing it all in the pan. The dough should be about 1/8 inch thick. If the edges look crumbly, that's ok. Cut the edges off so that the edges are even. Cut the dough into 8 crackers using a nice sharp knife. Gather the scraps of dough and form them into a ball and roll out like you did before and try to fit as much as you can on the baking sheet.

Then make shallow cuts just like on commercial crackers to make them easier to break.
Poke the cookies with a fork 4 times in in 2 columns. You don't have to poke all the way through.

Bake for 12-14 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheet.

ENJOY!!!

Healthy Snacks for Toddlers

2011-07-08T12:00:00.002-06:00

Snacks for our kids used to include cheeses, yogurt, milk.....and crackers and other snack items that contained cheese and milk products. They were getting some form of dairy in just about everything they ate! All day long! Of course I really didn't know and didn't even think anything of it (string cheese is just so convenient)...milk does a body good right?! Wrong. Most toddlers get OVER the amount of dairy requirements by a long shot and this is NOT good for them. Not to mention that dairy products today contain antibiotics and growth hormones...and are fed genetically modified foods, but that is another story. Cutting down on dairy was a huge help to my toddlers over-all health.

So I came up with some healthy snacks/lunches that do not contain any dairy. Some of them contain almond/coconut milk (almond milk is by far better than soy) and so having this on hand is a bit of a change...but a good change, my kids like it.

Snacks:
1. Graham crackers with peanut butter and honey dip
2. Nuts and Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries) in a bowl: I use my knife to give them a quick chop to eliminate any choking hazard
3. Fresh Fruit like an apple: If not organic than peel skin off
4. Carrot stick...that's it, they are naturally sweet if organic and the kids love them as is.
5. Cucumbers with hummus dip
6. Hard boiled eggs
7. Smoothies made with juice or coconut milk/almond milk....coconut milk is heavenly, you can also find coconut yogurt...no milk in it, but all the benefits of the cultures!)
8. Take left over smoothie and freeze into cups w/stick or Popsicle maker and there is another snack...good on hot days.
9. PB & J Popsicle...see recipe below
10. breads/muffins like banana, zucchini, go to allrecipes.com for the best ones and make sure no milk or substitute with almond milk.
11. Apple sauce, or any canned fruit.
12. Crackers w/out milk in them...there are surprisingly a lot to choose from.
13. Warm up frozen peas and place in a bowl with some salt on top
14. chips and salsa
15. pita with hummus
16. tortilla with mashed beans inside
17. Peanut butter and honey sandwich in small shapes
18. bagel lightly dusted with oil and veggies inside, salted
19. noodles with a can of sauce or salad dressing on top with any veggies I find
20. tortilla wrap with hummus and cucumbers, shredded carrots, or sliced strawberries inside.

PB & J Popsicle
Combine:
1/2 c. Peanut butter or almond butter
1 c. coconut yogurt
1 c. almond/coconut milk
2 tbs honey or Agave
2 tsp vanilla...if pure add only 1 tsp

sesame seeds

Fill the cups or Popsicle maker about half full and add some sesame seeds on top, freeze.

Combine:
1 c. raspberries
2 c. raspberry juice (cranrasberry or lemonade makes it too tart)

Fill the rest of the Popsicle to the top and freeze. Now you can always layer it more switching from peanut butter and juice freezing each layer...but I don't have time for that with 2 toddlers!

Vegetarian Recipe toddlers will love!

2011-07-06T11:54:00.003-06:00

Don't worry your kids will be getting all the nutrients they need...calcium from vegetables and so on. Meat and milk are just one way to get protein and calcium. We went from about 2-3 servings of meat and dairy daily (if not every meal) to a high vegetable diet, only eating dairy once a day if that and only having a small amount of meat about 1-2 servings a week(servings are smaller then most people think)! We get over our daily amount of protein and enough calcium with our new diet based on "USDA dietary guidelines" . My kids don't drink a glass of milk a day like they used to, in fact they drink water now and milk is saved for pouring on cereal and cooking into meals. For one months given weight my daughter went from 29.2 lbs to 30.8 and my son went from 25.8 to 27.0 and that's good for having a toddler girl who was below the percentiles/growth curve for a long long time until we started this diet. My kids by far are sick less often, we were catching everything, when they are sick they don't get it as bad as say...the neighbors we got it from, and they recover faster. With all the positive changes this has given our family I just can not sit back and say nothing, especially with the poor health the kids have in America. We will never go back to the food pyramid again...its just not the healthiest we have found for our family. It is not healthy to have dairy and a meat in every recipe!

You don't have to make a big diet change for your family to enjoy these recipes too!

All recipes are for 4 servings.
Slow Cooker Chickpeas and Spinach
2 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or 3 cups precooked and 2 cup of water
1 onion, diced
6-8 cloves garlic, diced
1/4 c. olive oil
4 tbsp. lemon juice, or juice from 1 large lemon
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. coriander powder (or you can add dried cilantro instead)
1tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garam masala (so sometimes if I have none I just add 2 cloves and a stick of cinnamon to the pot to simmer the whole time and remove at the end)
2 large handfuls of spinach (I chop it up for my toddlers)

Add ingredients besides the spinach. I use my slow cooker and depending on how long I will be gone I put it on low if it will be all day, or high if I will be gone 3-5 hours. Put the spinach in right before serving and let it wilt down. Serve over rice (I like to add a can of coconut milk to my rice or you can just add coconut oil and 1-2 tbsp of vegetable oil for a cheaper/less fat coconut flavor). My kids think this is dessert!!

See original recipe here: Chana Masala w/ Spinach

Thai Stir Fry w/ Peanut Sauce (there is an allergy version too!)
4-5 cups of fresh vegetables (either the ones your toddlers love, or sneak in a few to try) I use: carrots,broccoli,cauliflower... and I used to chop them small to hide them and now my toddlers love them so they are bite size now.

1tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced

Sauce:
1/2 c. peanut butter (Allergies: I have used Almond Butter and it tastes awesome too)
1/2 c. water
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. brown sugar

In a small bowl, blend the sauce and set aside. In a wok or large skillet heat oil over high heat. Add garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds and then add all the vegetables, stir-fry until bright green about 3-5 minutes. You want the vegetables to be a crisp-tender not turn into mush. Sir in sauce, cook stirring constantly until sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes. Serve over rice (I like to add a can of coconut milk to my rice or you can just add coconut oil and 1-2 tbsp of vegetable oil for a cheaper/less fat coconut flavor). My kids think this is dessert!!

See original recipe here: Thai Chicken Stir-fry w/ Spicy Peanut Sauce

Fettuccine Alfonso
1 1/2 c. corn kernels (fresh, frozen....of if all else fails canned)
1 1/2 c. soy or rice milk
2 tbsp. tahini (this is ground up sesame seeds...they use it in hummus)
1 tbsp. dried onions or onion powder
1 tsp. salt
1 can of Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups of pre-cooked beans)
1 lb fettuccine

salt and pepper to taste

If using frozen corn, thaw and drain it well. Place corn, milk, tahini, and seasonings in blender and process until smooth. Pour blended mixture into a medium saucepan and stir in the beans. Warm over medium-low until the beans are heated through, stirring often.

While sauce is heating, cook fettuccine as package directs. Drain well and return to pot. Add the hot sauce and toss until noodles are evenly coated.

--The UnCheese Cookbook by J. Stepaniak

Irish Leek and Potato Soup
1 1/4 lbs leeks (how to prepare?)
3 medium potatoes
3 celery sticks
2 large garlic cloves
4 tbsp. margarine or oil (sometimes we use butter)
5 1/2 cups of vegetable stock (if I don't have I just use water)
salt and pepper to taste
croutons
optional: scallions, chervil, parsley to top

Peel and cube potatoes. Finely chop the garlic, the cleaned leeks and the celery. Melt margarine in a large saucepan, add the vegetables and cook for about 10 minutes until all the margarine is absorbed by the vegetables, don't brown. Add 3/4 of the stock and simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Puree the soup or place in a blender in two batches adding the stock to blend well. Place in bowls and add croutons on top...homemade croutons if you like.

See original recipe here: Irish Leek and Potato Soup

Spaghetti
1 carrot
1/2 onion
1 celery stalk
2 handfuls of spinach
3-4 cloves garlic

1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp thyme
dash sugar or sweetener
salt and pepper to taste

1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1 1b. spaghetti noodles

Chop vegetables as needed to fit into blender. Puree the vegetables adding tomato sauce as you puree. Add the seasonings to the sauce. Meanwhile boil water and cook noodles as package directs. Place the pureed sauce on the stove on warm and add the diced tomatoes. Once the noodles are done place the noodles on dish and top with warmed spaghetti sauce. Add olives or fresh herbs to garnish the top if you would like.

ENJOY!!

Food For Freedom

2011-06-20T14:09:00.000-06:00

We are driving down a street and are tummies are grumbling. This tends to happen a lot around this time, dinner time, but we are on the move and going home for a meal is not an option. Our choices are fast food, fast food, fast food, I am not so sure about that restaurant, and that restaurant looks too fancy for kids. So looks like fast food for this meal. We drive by the Big M...or McDiarrhea...we have names for all the fast foods; Jack n' the Crap, Bendy's, Dairy not-so Clean, Taco Hell...maybe you can guess which restaurants we are talking about. These names are not very far from what they should be called. My last visit to McDiarrhea....caused diarrhea all morning long, horrible stomach pains, and joint pain. I called up a dear friend to take care of my children, because simply I couldn't.

I might have been really sick and that's unfortunate, but I didn't lose my life and that has happened to toddlers around the world from fast food or contaminated foods bought at super markets. In 1996 a toddler in Boise, Idaho, not far from home, was killed by spinach, 5 years later tainted hot dogs kill 15, tainted apple juice killed infant and sickens many others, hamburgers kill 15 from Jack n' the Box. Colorado 2 year old dies from e-coli after eating a hamburger.
Sources: Please read. http://www.myfoodpoisoninglawyer.com/2011/06/toddler-dies-from-e-coli-poisoning-others-in-tennessee-ill/
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-10-05-spinach-outbreak_x.htm.

We are not immune from this ever happening to us and to our family. I eat out, I shop at the super markets and I make choices everyday that make it more possible for this to happen to my family. What is most disturbing is the way our food is made and the big national companies don't care about me, they don't care about you or whether this happens to you, they don't even care about the food....they care about money. We have no rights to speak in behalf of those who have died do to the "system," we have no rights to speak out against certain companies (we will get sued), we are even losing our rights to plant our own seeds...to water our own plants...in fact we are losing our freedoms while we are losing our health, and for some of us our children.

To become educated about what the heck I am talking about you will need to watch, Food Inc. See Trailer on it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2sgaO44_1c . To become educated is the first step, and by far a very important step for parents to protect their families. The greatest part of the movie is knowing that even though some of our rights can be taken, we still have the rights to choose everyday what we will eat and for most of us that is 3 important choices everyday.

The Food for Freedom Movement is an action to protect you, your family, your freedoms and our resources. The nice thing about the movement is that we don't have to go and stand outside for a day holding up a sign while people ignore us anyway, who has time for that?!

1. We just take the time to become educated if we are not. Watching Food Inc. is just one way, there are several sources to chose from- I liked Food Inc. because it is simply facts from an investigative reporter. I tend to be very concerned when sources of information lead back to large companies, some of them possibly leading me a way that benefits them.

2. We make up our own mind whether we believe it or not.

3. We help other people whom we care about become aware also. We can do this simply by posting this link or our other sources pertaining; like Food Inc. onto FACEBOOK, BLOGGER, E-MAIL, TWITTER...whatever suits you.

4. We take back our Freedom by making choices that lead us to that direction. These don't have to be large changes. Here are examples of ways we can make a change and we can chose to go far with it or not:

Toys Gearing Children to Unhealthy Habits

Eating out Less
Buying Local
Growing a Garden
Eating one or more meals that do not contain Meat or Dairy

Choosing Unprocessed Foods

Finding foods that don't contain Corn Syrup

This month I am going to have several posts about this topic. Some examples are: toddler fast (dairy/meat free) recipes that have been proven by my very own toddlers. How to start a toddler garden, even when living in an area with bad soil or limited space. How we found local food even in Alaska and where you can start looking in your area. What friendly foods we found that do not contain corn syrup and other alternatives to adding sweetness.

There are so many items that I have not talked about that you can google for further knowledge: increased allergy findings in children, children and fast food leading to health problems/obesity, e-coli outbreaks and symptoms, feces in our food source, large companies contributing to health decline, water sources contaminated by large industries.....the list goes on. Have some fun with GOOGLE if you have the time!

Paper Towel Butterflies

2011-06-17T14:14:00.002-06:00

I was looking for a fun-crafty project to do with my toddlers today and came across this! It is a lovely day outside and so this being potentially messy is perfect. Out we go! Fluttering away! Thanks Make it and Love it-Ashley! Want to do it too?- follow the link below the picture.

Make It and Love It

Five Reasons to Stop Saying "Good Job!" By Alfie Kohn

2011-06-10T15:52:00.000-06:00

I noticed that my toddlers are not responding very well to praise, nor are they being very obedient...ya know, as usual...so I did some research on praising and found this article. I thought it was a very interesting article and thought you might like to read it to. - Ashley

Five Reasons to Stop Saying "Good Job!" -By Alfie Kohn

NOTE: An abridged version of this article was published in Parents magazine in May 2000 with the title "Hooked on Praise." For a more detailed look at the issues discussed here -- as well as a comprehensive list of citations to relevant research -- please see the books Punished by Rewards and Unconditional Parenting.

Hang out at a playground, visit a school, or show up at a child’s birthday party, and there’s one phrase you can count on hearing repeatedly: "Good job!" Even tiny infants are praised for smacking their hands together ("Good clapping!"). Many of us blurt out these judgments of our children to the point that it has become almost a verbal tic.

Plenty of books and articles advise us against relying on punishment, from spanking to forcible isolation ("time out"). Occasionally someone will even ask us to rethink the practice of bribing children with stickers or food. But you’ll have to look awfully hard to find a discouraging word about what is euphemistically called positive reinforcement.

Lest there be any misunderstanding, the point here is not to call into question the importance of supporting and encouraging children, the need to love them and hug them and help them feel good about themselves. Praise, however, is a different story entirely. Here's why.

1. Manipulating children. Suppose you offer a verbal reward to reinforce the behavior of a two-year-old who eats without spilling, or a five-year-old who cleans up her art supplies. Who benefits from this? Is it possible that telling kids they’ve done a good job may have less to do with their emotional needs than with our convenience?

Rheta DeVries, a professor of education at the University of Northern Iowa, refers to this as "sugar-coated control." Very much like tangible rewards – or, for that matter, punishments – it’s a way of doing something to children to get them to comply with our wishes. It may be effective at producing this result (at least for a while), but it’s very different from working with kids – for example, by engaging them in conversation about what makes a classroom (or family) function smoothly, or how other people are affected by what we have done -- or failed to do. The latter approach is not only more respectful but more likely to help kids become thoughtful people.

The reason praise can work in the short run is that young children are hungry for our approval. But we have a responsibility not to exploit that dependence for our own convenience. A "Good job!" to reinforce something that makes our lives a little easier can be an example of taking advantage of children’s dependence. Kids may also come to feel manipulated by this, even if they can’t quite explain why.

2. Creating praise junkies. To be sure, not every use of praise is a calculated tactic to control children’s behavior. Sometimes we compliment kids just because we’re genuinely pleased by what they’ve done. Even then, however, it’s worth looking more closely. Rather than bolstering a child’s self-esteem, praise may increase kids’ dependence on us. The more we say, "I like the way you…." or "Good ______ing," the more kids come to rely on our evaluations, our decisions about what’s good and bad, rather than learning to form their own judgments. It leads them to measure their worth in terms of what will lead us to smile and dole out some more approval.

Mary Budd Rowe, a researcher at the University of Florida, discovered that students who were praised lavishly by their teachers were more tentative in their responses, more apt to answer in a questioning tone of voice ("Um, seven?"). They tended to back off from an idea they had proposed as soon as an adult disagreed with them. And they were less likely to persist with difficult tasks or share their ideas with other students.

In short, "Good job!" doesn’t reassure children; ultimately, it makes them feel less secure. It may even create a vicious circle such that the more we slather on the praise, the more kids seem to need it, so we praise them some more. Sadly, some of these kids will grow into adults who continue to need someone else to pat them on the head and tell them whether what they did was OK. Surely this is not what we want for our daughters and sons.

3. Stealing a child’s pleasure. Apart from the issue of dependence, a child deserves to take delight in her accomplishments, to feel pride in what she’s learned how to do. She also deserves to decide when to feel that way. Every time we say, "Good job!", though, we’re telling a child how to feel.

To be sure, there are times when our evaluations are appropriate and our guidance is necessary -- especially with toddlers and preschoolers. But a constant stream of value judgments is neither necessary nor useful for children’s development. Unfortunately, we may not have realized that "Good job!" is just as much an evaluation as "Bad job!" The most notable feature of a positive judgment isn’t that it’s positive, but that it’s a judgment. And people, including kids, don’t like being judged.

I cherish the occasions when my daughter manages to do something for the first time, or does something better than she’s ever done it before. But I try to resist the knee-jerk tendency to say, "Good job!" because I don’t want to dilute her joy. I want her to share her pleasure with me, not look to me for a verdict. I want her to exclaim, "I did it!" (which she often does) instead of asking me uncertainly, "Was that good?"

4. Losing interest. "Good painting!" may get children to keep painting for as long as we keep watching and praising. But, warns Lilian Katz, one of the country’s leading authorities on early childhood education, "once attention is withdrawn, many kids won’t touch the activity again." Indeed, an impressive body of scientific research has shown that the more we reward people for doing something, the more they tend to lose interest in whatever they had to do to get the reward. Now the point isn’t to draw, to read, to think, to create – the point is to get the goody, whether it’s an ice cream, a sticker, or a "Good job!"

In a troubling study conducted by Joan Grusec at the University of Toronto, young children who were frequently praised for displays of generosity tended to be slightly less generous on an everyday basis than other children were. Every time they had heard "Good sharing!" or "I’m so proud of you for helping," they became a little less interested in sharing or helping. Those actions came to be seen not as something valuable in their own right but as something they had to do to get that reaction again from an adult. Generosity became a means to an end.

Does praise motivate kids? Sure. It motivates kids to get praise. Alas, that’s often at the expense of commitment to whatever they were doing that prompted the praise.

5. Reducing achievement. As if it weren’t bad enough that "Good job!" can undermine independence, pleasure, and interest, it can also interfere with how good a job children actually do. Researchers keep finding that kids who are praised for doing well at a creative task tend to stumble at the next task – and they don’t do as well as children who weren’t praised to begin with.

Why does this happen? Partly because the praise creates pressure to "keep up the good work" that gets in the way of doing so. Partly because their interest in what they’re doing may have declined. Partly because they become less likely to take risks – a prerequisite for creativity – once they start thinking about how to keep those positive comments coming.

More generally, "Good job!" is a remnant of an approach to psychology that reduces all of human life to behaviors that can be seen and measured. Unfortunately, this ignores the thoughts, feelings, and values that lie behind behaviors. For example, a child may share a snack with a friend as a way of attracting praise, or as a way of making sure the other child has enough to eat. Praise for sharing ignores these different motives. Worse, it actually promotes the less desirable motive by making children more likely to fish for praise in the future.

Once you start to see praise for what it is – and what it does – these constant little evaluative eruptions from adults start to produce the same effect as fingernails being dragged down a blackboard. You begin to root for a child to give his teachers or parents a taste of their own treacle by turning around to them and saying (in the same saccharine tone of voice), "Good praising!"

Still, it’s not an easy habit to break. It can seem strange, at least at first, to stop praising; it can feel as though you’re being chilly or withholding something. But that, it soon becomes clear, suggests that we praise more because we need to say it than because children need to hear it. Whenever that’s true, it’s time to rethink what we’re doing.

What kids do need is unconditional support, love with no strings attached. That’s not just different from praise – it’s the opposite of praise. "Good job!" is conditional. It means we’re offering attention and acknowledgement and approval for jumping through our hoops, for doing things that please us.

This point, you’ll notice, is very different from a criticism that some people offer to the effect that we give kids too much approval, or give it too easily. They recommend that we become more miserly with our praise and demand that kids "earn" it. But the real problem isn’t that children expect to be praised for everything they do these days. It’s that we’re tempted to take shortcuts, to manipulate kids with rewards instead of explaining and helping them to develop needed skills and good values.

So what’s the alternative? That depends on the situation, but whatever we decide to say instead has to be offered in the context of genuine affection and love for who kids are rather than for what they’ve done. When unconditional support is present, "Good job!" isn’t necessary; when it’s absent, "Good job!" won’t help.

If we’re praising positive actions as a way of discouraging misbehavior, this is unlikely to be effective for long. Even when it works, we can’t really say the child is now "behaving himself"; it would be more accurate to say the praise is behaving him. The alternative is to work with the child, to figure out the reasons he’s acting that way. We may have to reconsider our own requests rather than just looking for a way to get kids to obey. (Instead of using "Good job!" to get a four-year-old to sit quietly through a long class meeting or family dinner, perhaps we should ask whether it’s reasonable to expect a child to do so.)

We also need to bring kids in on the process of making decisions. If a child is doing something that disturbs others, then sitting down with her later and asking, "What do you think we can do to solve this problem?" will likely be more effective than bribes or threats. It also helps a child learn how to solve problems and teaches that her ideas and feelings are important. Of course, this process takes time and talent, care and courage. Tossing off a "Good job!" when the child acts in the way we deem appropriate takes none of those things, which helps to explain why "doing to" strategies are a lot more popular than "working with" strategies.

And what can we say when kids just do something impressive? Consider three possible responses:

* Say nothing. Some people insist a helpful act must be "reinforced" because, secretly or unconsciously, they believe it was a fluke. If children are basically evil, then they have to be given an artificial reason for being nice (namely, to get a verbal reward). But if that cynicism is unfounded – and a lot of research suggests that it is – then praise may not be necessary.

* Say what you saw. A simple, evaluation-free statement ("You put your shoes on by yourself" or even just "You did it") tells your child that you noticed. It also lets her take pride in what she did. In other cases, a more elaborate description may make sense. If your child draws a picture, you might provide feedback – not judgment – about what you noticed: "This mountain is huge!" "Boy, you sure used a lot of purple today!"

If a child does something caring or generous, you might gently draw his attention to the effect of his action on the other person: "Look at Abigail’s face! She seems pretty happy now that you gave her some of your snack." This is completely different from praise, where the emphasis is on how you feel about her sharing

* Talk less, ask more. Even better than descriptions are questions. Why tell him what part of his drawing impressed you when you can ask him what he likes best about it? Asking "What was the hardest part to draw?" or "How did you figure out how to make the feet the right size?" is likely to nourish his interest in drawing. Saying "Good job!", as we’ve seen, may have exactly the opposite effect.

This doesn’t mean that all compliments, all thank-you’s, all expressions of delight are harmful. We need to consider our motives for what we say (a genuine expression of enthusiasm is better than a desire to manipulate the child’s future behavior) as well as the actual effects of doing so. Are our reactions helping the child to feel a sense of control over her life -- or to constantly look to us for approval? Are they helping her to become more excited about what she’s doing in its own right – or turning it into something she just wants to get through in order to receive a pat on the head

It’s not a matter of memorizing a new script, but of keeping in mind our long-term goals for our children and watching for the effects of what we say. The bad news is that the use of positive reinforcement really isn’t so positive. The good news is that you don’t have to evaluate in order to encourage.

Copyright © 2001 by Alfie Kohn. This article may be downloaded, reproduced, and distributed without permission as long as each copy includes this notice along with citation information (i.e., name of the periodical in which it originally appeared, date of publication, and author's name). Permission must be obtained in order to reprint this article in a published work or in order to offer it for sale in any form. Please write to the address indicated on the Contact page at www.alfiekohn.org.

My Characters!

2011-05-17T13:53:00.002-06:00

Greening Up Your Clean

2011-05-02T15:01:00.000-06:00

Greening up my clean is not about going to the store and finding the "green" labeled cleaners. Its about knowing what is in the products I use and making them safer. It also has as much to do with my toddlers as it does with the environment. Getting back to basic cleaning is a choice I have made for my families health, its saves money, and I have knowledge & control of what is in my home, my air, on my skin...and so on. Unfortunately meeting the bottom line for retailers does not include safety in most cases. If I could say that one product has stood out to being the best product ever...well I wouldn't be writing this post. There are many products to buy because it has more to do with money than the person buying the product. It is nice to know that I can make my own products and if it is better for the environment, it also has a far better chance of being safer around my children. Please read the link below and become educated in the products in your home.

Harmful Effects of Household Cleaners

My friend made this laundry detergent linked below and gave me a bag of it. I have to say this has been the BEST laundry detergent I have ever used. I have also tried a lot of them. It requires hardly any (2 tbs/reg. load) to clean the clothes, it is cheap, it cleans my clothes really well, and it also helps the environment...I couldn't ask for more...thanks!
Sew Much Ado: Tutorial: Homemade Laundry Detergent

Here are some other recipes to use for cleaning products:
Cleaning Product Recipes

Hope your homes are safer!
-Ashley

Fun Musical Online Game

2011-04-28T19:04:00.000-06:00

My toddlers love clickety-clicking the computer mouse and pounding on the keys...what could be funner...it's a tossup. My older toddler thinks (akl;fhdaos;difhoawe) spells a word. Computer time = random lost data, upside down screens, zoomed out or in screen, and a random site my toddler clicked onto that wants me to sign up for something and my first name is entered 11111111. Well to the point, this game was really fun for my toddlers cause it allows them to click spaztically on little squares and the result is a fun little music lesson. Try it out....both my toddlers LOVE IT!! I posted it in my online Toddler Online Games, Fun-Free-Freedom! Its under Music by Nothing is True.

Or click Here!

Thanks Sally for posting this on Facebook!

Teaching Toddlers the True Meaning of Easter

2011-04-23T18:51:00.001-06:00

I keep updating this past post, with a tradition we have now about teaching the true meaning of Easter while we also enjoy the fun around Easter.
http://takingterribleoutoftoddler.blogspot.com/2010/04/easter-fun-and-true-meaning.html

Also a great Easter basket gift that not only coincides with Earth Day, is a purchase that gives to those in need and fosters creativity in toddlers. http://www.youtube.com/user/tegutoys,
http://www.tegu.com/

Earth Day Toddler Activities

2011-04-17T22:26:00.001-06:00

April 22, 2011 is Earth Day!

My goal this year...(last years attempt ended in my toddler pulling out all the plants pictured below, I can laugh about it now) is to teach my toddlers about the most wonderful and giving thing...our earth.

Lesson: The earth takes care of us by supplying all of our needs, in turn we should take care of our earth and give thanks for all it does for us.

Here is some fun earthy activities to do with toddlers:

- Grow Stuff: Kids love planting, it really teaches them the importance of the earth and also important survival skills. Toddlers should learn how food grows and that it doesn't come from a grocery store. The grocery store is just where we buy it from, but we don't have to get it from there when mother earth is providing for us outside our door! I don't know a toddler that doesn't love to be outside digging in the dirt. If you don't have land consider planting in pots or in community gardens. We don't have our own land, neither can we do pots, or a community garden this year :( so sad....but we do have a window!! We are starting pumpkins by our window...thus far they have been stabbed and drowned...but heck they have a journey to take anyway (we are moving)...so survival is a little questionable, I am keeping my fingers crossed.

- Recycle: My garbage has to go somewhere, recycling it will keep every ones earth better longer. Instead of throwing in the garbage: I should consider its many uses, take re-usable items to the second hand stores, or give them away. Instead of always buying new: I should consider 2nd hand items, even items like toys and clothes for toddlers (they don't know the difference). Re-purposing is awesome!! Learn to re- purpose clothes from this blog: http://www.makeit-loveit.com/ . My toddlers and I are learning this lesson by means of giving up items we no longer use....they don't really understand the whole paper/plastic thing...nor do I want them picking up icky garbage outside and touching their mouths, yuck! So giving items up has actually been an on-going lesson with my toddlers, as we are moving. The toys that don't get play with are magically the hit item when they are in the "out the door" box, but explaining that other people can use them more than us... might be catching on...we will see.

I am really excited about teaching my children to value the earth, especially in these times when it really isn't valued. I don't know how many times we try to enjoy the outdoors to find garbage surrounding us, and it makes me want to instill even more in my kids respect for everything, especially the things we love. I see all the damage that consumerism is doing and it makes me sad. All this "stuff" made from the earth and meanwhile we destroy the very resources it is giving us...

I hope this next generation can do better.

Ashley

Healthy Morning Muffins my Toddlers LOVE!!

2011-04-09T11:43:00.001-06:00

This recipe is my own version of the Easy Morning Glory Muffins...I like my version better & thus took it upon myself to rename my muffin and call it my own. My toddlers eat these muffins like they are candy and I don't mind at all because they are good for them. I will hear noises of a chair moving in the kitchen- being dragged to a counter...and to my surprise my children are not getting into the candy, but the muffins instead!! When my toddler is hiding underneath a blanket, bed, chair or...you know they find the darnedest places to hide and I am thinking...hm what is my toddler into, to my delight my toddler is trying to get away with eating a MUFFIN, yippee...besides the mess. I can handle these sort of muffin problems as I call them. It is rare that these delightful "num num uffins" as my youngest calls them, last more than a day.

Healthy Morning Muffins...worth stealing
Cook time: 20 min
Preheat Oven: 350 degrees
Serves: 12-18 muffins...or lots more in small muffin tins

1 1/2 Cups    flour
1/2 cup         whole wheat flour
1 cup            sugar
2 tsp             baking soda
2 tsp             cinnamon
1/4 tsp          salt

Mix together, than add:

2 cups          shredded carrots
1/2 cup         dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, blueberries, figs........)
1/2 cup         nuts (walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds...........)
1/2 cup         unsweetened coconut
1                  apple- peeled, cored & shredded

In a separate bowl mix together:

3               eggs (if there is an allergy, substitute with flax)
1/4 cup      vegetable or canola oil
3/4 cup      apple sauce
1 1/2 tsp    pure vanilla

Stir all ingredients together, just until moistened. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 or more minutes (when inserted toothpick comes out clean) at 350 degrees.

Enjoy a Healthy Breakfast!

Other Healthy Recipes you should check out: http://www.cookingbread.com/bread_recipes.html

Fun Post of the Week

2011-03-25T21:34:00.001-06:00

So I am connected with a lot of toddler blogs and I just loved this post about teaching the ABC's. The ideas are really fun, my favorite is the ABC art/craft with your toddler that she puts on her kitchen wall, its an authentic art piece! I could also see my youngest boy really getting into the hammer. To see what the heck I am talking about, I guess you will just have to visit. You won't be sorry.
Check it out! http://a-heart4home.blogspot.com/2011/03/guest-post-alphabet-ideas-for-tots.html

Bad Mommy Moments

2011-03-15T18:43:00.002-06:00

Ok, so everyone has those moments or at least most parents...the bad mommy moments. It is those moments when you are tired, at your wits end, or you have your hands full and you don't think clearly. Moments when you forget your kid and not your keys in the house....you know, come on, something like that. Or your child is screaming at the grocery check out line and your cart is full and there is just NO WAY after all that work you are going to leave the store with nothing. So you try to ignore all the eyes on you, and you know those people are just begging you to leave the store so they won't be bothered by your crying child, while you wrestle your child in your arms and struggle to grab your money to pay.

Well I have those moments. Geesh. Like the other day my dear little climber climbed a stool at a friends house for playgroup and my sweet friend lets me know, so that I can guard my toddler. I say, "Oh, he is ok he climbs stools all the time at his grandparents house." CRASH....CRY....and ok, maybe even at the grandparents house I still need to keep an eye on him." Good thing he was alright, but ya, you know...one of those moments.

Yes, and sometimes when I am talking, I ignore my kids.

Like today, my toddler wanted to go to a little jungle gym at the Stroll N' Roll. So I decide to send my older child off to the jungle gym so that I can deal with just one child. My 3.5 year old is almost 4 I think to myself....ok, so 1/2 a year away and the rules are you have to have a parent there unless your child is 4...then hopefully that means you check on them occasionally. Right. I still wouldn't send a 4 year old over and not check on them. I have also been the mom numerous times that sat there and watched while moms snuck away and came back occasionally to check on their child. My child not even noticing that I am there watching and having a wonderful time. Well I was talking and time was passing and I hear over the microphone..."This little girl has lost her mom and her name is........" That's me. Crap. So I go over and get my sad faced child and ask her why she didn't just come find me, she knows where I am, the same place I was before. So in my head I really thought it was ok. Obviously not. A mother comes up to me and says, "Good thing their are other responsible parents in this world." Oh, I get it....that excludes me. At least I am not the only one, their was a little boy who lost their mom earlier.

So what. The one time I think my kid is responsible enough, is the time I will find out their not. Those times, well, I guess I will learn to be more responsible too. Its life. It happens. There will always be those people who love to stamp other moms with "bad mom" too. I like to just smile because I know they will be in my shoes someday and that will hopefully keep their mouth shut in the future or those darn glaring eyes will turn into a "been their" smile...I hope.

I also admit my kids have used toys that weren't in their age limit, yup, I guess I am "bending" the rules. Why my toddler could not play with markers then. Obviously children have choked on the caps, and that could happen to my child, so they put like 3+ on the box. My toddlers both loved markers long before age three. My toddlers both also at one time or another put the cap in their mouth, like most toddlers do, and got in trouble. Should I really not let my child play with markers until they are three then? Like the crayons won't get eaten or stuck up their nose. After watching my child and seeing if the lesson was learned and I believe it is, I begin to trust my toddler to color when my back is turned. Does that mean they won't randomly try it again in the future...well no, so I can stare at them coloring or get the dishes done. Same thing I was doing at the stroll n roll. See my reasoning...my husband doesn't see my reasoning either, so its ok. Its funny, really, now come on laugh. Laugh at all these moments and all the moments like these that will happen to me, to you, to somebody random.

Great Fast & No Mess Snack on the Go!

2011-03-04T10:31:00.001-07:00

I found this wonderful snack!

Materne GoGo squeeZ Applesauce on the go!

Several reasons I love this snack:
-I love this snack because here are the ingredients: Apple, Apple Juice Concentrate. Or you can have a little extra flavor with the applecinnamon kind with the ingredients: Apple, Cinnamon. No artificial flavors or preservatives! No added sugar! Yay! One pouch = 1 fruit serving.

- No mess! Applesauce always ends up in my toddlers hair...or everywhere else. This kind you twist the top and they have to suck it out of the tiny top. No mess is the best!

- Easy to carry around, grab really fast, or use for vacations. I love to put a couple in my purse or in the car so that if snack time comes around and we are still on the go, I can just grab the snack and I won't find some later on the car seat....or in their hair, or where ever else.

- Easy for little hands to hold and for toddlers to take the caps off (Although younger toddlers might need help taking the caps off).

- I am not so sure about the Amazon price but you can find these at WALMART for about $2-3 for a package of 4. I figure I can pay a little more for the convenience.

Hope you enjoy this snack on the go!

Let me know if you find this at any other stores. Thanks.

Toddler Meal Choices

2011-02-21T16:44:00.001-07:00

Have you read Love & Logic for Early Childhood? It is one of the best parenting books I have found for parenting toddlers. Mostly it is about teaching by example and by giving toddlers choices. Choices that are simple-small ones that won't hurt a darn fly.

A toddler making choices now, will help them learn how to make good choices in the future, as the natural consequences now are usually less severe than when they get older. They practice now, so they can become pros by the time they are teenagers....uh, I am crossing my fingers.

I have been working on trying to give my toddlers more choices. So I came up with an idea to let my picky eating toddlers make a choice of what they want to eat. I came up with a Food Choice Chart for my toddlers. It has been exciting to see eating turn from a daily chore to a fun and exciting thing for them. They look forward to making this choice and now look forward to eating. Love It!!

FOOD CHOICE CHART:

YOU NEED: It is really simple to make, all you need is sticky Velcro, self-lamination sheets, and pictures that you can find on the Internet.

HOW: I found a weeks worth of pictures for breakfasts, snacks and lunches that my toddlers love that I was fine with making and eating. So we have a Breakfast, Snack, Lunch and Drink Category. What is great about this chart is that you can take the basic idea and create something that works for your own family. I did not add dinner, because this is a choice that mom and dad make. My toddlers are more willing to try new things for dinner since we have started this chart.

I copied and pasted all the pictures to a one page document, printed it, cut out the pictures and placed on an Avery Self-Adhesive Laminating Sheets to laminate them. Then I laminated a plain piece of paper. I categorized the pics and stuck one side of the Velcro on them. The other side of the Velcro went in the right place on the plain piece of paper and that is it! (You might like to add a sticky magnet to the back of the plain paper so you can place on your fridge)

The basic idea is I let my toddlers choose from the correct category on the chart and then I let them take the item off the chart and it is removed until ALL the pictures have been removed from the category. This is so they won't chose the same item each time. Then we start over when all of the pictures from the category have been chosen and removed. So my toddlers who chose muffins this morning will not get a muffin choice until next week. I do not make separate meals for each kid, we take turns choosing. They do understand by the end of the week their choices run out, but that is still their choice of what food items they want last.

This works for even the smallest toddlers as they can just point to the pictures on the chart. Even small toddlers love to make this choice and will catch on.

Hope you like this idea and it works for your family as well!

Winter Activities with Toddlers

2011-02-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

It is so cold that stepping outside causes me to spastically run to the next warm place...hopefully my car has warmed up enough. Even when I bundle up, the cold creeps into my layers until it finds some nice warm skin. My kids don't enjoy going outside when it is this cold, it just isn't fun. Although most of the winter I like to take them outside to play.

Lately the cold days have been dragging on, and on. Instead of taking my toddlers outside, there are other great places to take them, like: Library Programs, Indoor Swimming, Pet Store, Mall, Skating , Play Groups, Bounce Houses or Activity Centers. If for some reason I can't take them anywhere, there are plenty of ways to stay inside and keep everyone sane during the long winter days.

What do I do with my toddlers all day? I bring the outdoors inside! Here are some ideas on how I do that:

-Create a Park: Create a park or fun zone in you're home. I have little tents but I used to put blankets over tables as tents that the kids run under and hide. I also made my own Ball Pit that we always use at our "park-fun zone." I also put pillows on the floor that they can jump on and put the couch cushions on the floor...the ground is hot lava believe it or not, so they must jump from cushion to cushion while avoiding the fiery depths of the ocean of lava that has taken over the living room. If I have big boxes we use them as tunnels...I have bought tunnels now that we use. I also have a small trampoline...ok my house is just a fun zone, but really I also use stuff I have around the house too. Nothing in my home has more worth than good times and fun memories.

-Garden: If I have a chance to get out, most stores have small plants, pots, and bags of dirt. Digging in the dirt is very therapeutic to me and the kids...just makes it feel like spring. Have your kids plant small flowers, seedlings or even seeds in the pots. Don't worry about the dirt, they will make a huge mess, but it vacuums up easily. I always wish the plants the best of luck realizing it will be a miracle if they make it through the day. If I can't get out of the house, we water our house plants instead.

Another idea is to blend up a bag of Oreos and mix it with chocolate pudding. I like to hide gummy worms, rock candy, candy looking bugs...there are a lot of candies that resemble something you can find in the dirt. Then I give them a pile of edible dirt on their own section of wax paper, clean their tiny hands really well, take off their clothes (trust me) and let them dig away with their fingers while licking them. It is fun and satisfying.

-Leaf Jumping Party: I got this idea from my friend Lara who did a guest post for me, Teaching Creativity. What to do: take an old newspaper or magazine and let the kids shred it up. Give older toddlers children safe scissors...good practice for them, let the younger toddlers tear it up. Shred enough paper to make a nice jumping pile, this is the pile of leaves. Toddlers love to rake the pile up. My toddlers love to jump into the pile, bury each, throw shreds up in the air and let them fall on their faces. When we are done we clean it up by singing to the tune "first you pick it up, then you put it in the bag...bum bum," I remember it from an old cartoon, called "In The Bag." You can keep the "leaves" for future play times, recycle them, use them as hamster bedding, or even crafts.

- Camp Out: Go camping in the HOUSE! Put the tent up, sleep in sleeping bags, use lanterns...the real deal...with the exception of a warm bathroom with running water (isn't that nice). When my family does this, we eat camping food like: hot dogs, chili, dinners wrapped in foil, and smores. You might have your own camping food you like to eat. The food makes it feel more authentic. We also play games inside the tent and tell stories. The kids think they are getting to do the real thing, the parents are happy they don't have to pack and clean all that camping gear, or deal with curious toddlers that think dirt and ashes are as good as chocolate cake.

-Picnic: Pack a picnic just like you would if you were going to the park. Lay out a blanket (water proof on carpet floors) in the living room and set up the picnic the same as you would on a hot summer day. My toddlers bring out all the stuffed animals and dolls they can find...sometimes the dolls get plates too. Then we eat our real picnic food (I like to buy a watermelon just to make it feel like summer) and we enjoy the company of our stuffed friends.

- Summer Day: Declare the day a summer day and let your toddlers dress in swim suits, shorts, sandals...whatever summer cloths suit their fancy. We wear sunglasses, throw beach balls around, sip lemonade, eat ice-cream...its a summer day! We even sometimes lay out on towels and pretend we are tanning...very relaxing if your toddler lies still long enough. We do this all while staying inside and just pretending. You might want to turn the heat up or find a south facing window on a sunny cold day, open the blinds and lay in the sun coming through the window.

-Go Swimming: That is...in the bathtub. Put the toddlers in swim suits and get out all the small swim toys and fill the tub, its a pool party. Put a towel on the floor for precautions and don't worry at all about cleaning the kids. I let a little stream of water run down from the faucet or shower...just for the fun of it. Then they just play, play, play in the water.

-Petting Zoo: Go to the zoo. The zoo in your toddlers room that is (it may seem like one everyday). While the kids are occupied with something else, get out the stuffed animals and some of the small hard ones...they are fun too. Then bring the toddlers back into the room (it is more surprising that way) and pretend you are at the zoo. We pet all the animals, name them, feed them whatever it is they eat (pretend), talk about where they live, make the sounds they make...and so on. They can actually feed the lions this way and not get eaten! We have a lot of fun.
Hope some of these ideas help you through this long winter!

Preschool Advantages & Disadvantages, Half Day vs Full Day

2011-02-02T22:16:00.001-07:00

Does Half-day Preschool Really Make a Difference?

Even though parents want to freeze time, childhood flies by. Your child may be in the dreaded "terrible twos" stage and it might seem like it will schooling is light years away, but this in fact is prime time to consider preschool and day care options. There are many factors to be considered and they include but are certainly not limited to the type of education, public, private, or Montesorri, as well as selecting the actual school they will attend. As there are so many factors to consider, many parents do not think of the full or half-day pre-school attendance question until it is in front of them. According to basic principles of early childhood development education, preschool is an integral time for children to learn proper socialization. There is significant early childhood development research dedicated to the question of full or half-day preschool. The information below can be highly beneficial in your decision making process.

Advantages:

Many researchers, scholars, and educators argue that a child can begin building a solid social and educational foundation by attending a half-day preschool program. Children in half-day preschool programs are introduced to proper ways of socially interacting with their peers as well as gain exposure in appropriate behaviors for a classroom. Children enrolled in half-day preschool programs gain invaluable educational and social experience, while slowly introduced to the idea of attending school for a full day. Half-day preschool programs make the transition from preschool to kindergarten much easier. Many neurological researchers believe that the attention span and learning capacity of a 3-year old child is better suited for attending half –day preschool.

Disadvantages:

One of the largest disadvantages of half-day preschool programs to consider is the disruption that a child will experience as they leave their classroom half way through the day. This is a factor to be considered especially by parents who will send their children to a preschool program that runs the full day, but plan on sending them only for a half-day. From a socio-educational stand point the child may miss out on many activities and opportunities to interact with their teachers and other students, if taken out of the classroom earlier than other students. Your child’s complete classroom experience might contain a gap between their daily experience and one of your child’s peers who remained in the program for the entire day. Many children who remain in preschool program’s for the entire school day receive a more whole and complete social and educational experience.

The Decision:

The choice of sending your child to a full or half-day of preschool is very personal. While it is important to take into consideration many of the advantages and disadvantages listed above, the final choice must also reflect the personality of the child as well as the lifestyle of the family that the child comes from, as well as the needs of the parents. It is important to keep in mind that whatever route you select there is going to be a large adjustment period for your child and yourself. Keep in mind that fatigue, crankiness, and difficulty separating from the family are all normal reactions to beginning formal schooling. Some children adjust smoothly while others struggle. There is no normal reaction and each child should be parented as an individual.

Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas
Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the Atlanta day care facility, a member of the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose Schools (located in 16 states throughout the U.S.) and part of the network of day care preschools delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum.

Life With a Toddler and a Newborn Baby

2011-01-20T21:51:00.002-07:00

Bam, smack...I am hit! Feels like I have been run over by a car...although if I had, I probably wouldn't be alive. Maybe this is different than being run over, maybe it is more like putting myself into a boxing ring and beating myself up, repeatedly, and than having to take care of myself and defenseless creature directly afterward. Ya, that sounds more like it. This is what I felt like after giving birth to my first child and all the ooh, ahhhing, helpful people left, and I had to figure this parenting thing out alone. First off I didn't want to accidentally kill the poor defenseless sweet baby I was in CHARGE of. That was my goal basically. On top of it I really needed to be babied myself...I was hurting in all sorts of places that before having a baby...I didn't have a clue people could hurt in these places. Amp that up to times 2...that is how I felt after my second baby and having a toddler as well, INSANITY. It didn't matter how long my toddler was at care by other people... I was going to have to adapt to being alone with my kids sometime and that was reality.

First adaptation was I had to, not only try to keep my poor defenseless baby alive...I had to guard the poor thing from a mortal enemy who Love, Love, Loves to be near it, and whom unintentionally would smash, drop, forget they were holding, poke it, smother it....and so on, the enemy was my TODDLER. I felt sorry for both kids, the one who would at sometime or another could get hurt accidentally, and the toddler who had hurt feelings around baby constantly. My solution was to set ground rules: No touching baby unless I say it is ok, No holding baby unless you are on the couch and I am nearby, No covering babies head, No hugging baby unless I am around, No, NO, NO....list goes on. So I felt bad for my toddler again, because now there was even MORE reasons to say no to my toddler, plus the hurt feelings. I was soo tired of no, my toddler was so tired of the word NO, so I came up with some YES's. Yes you can get the Binky for me, Yes you can help me change diapers by getting the diaper and wipes, yes you can help push the stroller....and so on. This was working out because my toddler was actually helping me and that made my toddler feel helpful and happy. Eventually my toddler got the hang of what to do and not to do and it was back to just keeping up with the demands instead of both the demands and a hostile environment.

Second adaptation, SLEEP, please come back to me! I missed sleep, even more than chocolate (colicky baby). What is funny is when you say the word colicky...its a competition to whom has the more colicky baby, whom HAD the more colicky baby...and really is it colic or just a fussy baby... who cares! It doesn't even matter if I had a colicky baby, lack of sleep is a result of having a baby and is heightened by having other children. I wanted to explain the lack of sleep I was getting and that yes, I understand lack of sleep is normal, but I thought normal is what I had with the first child...because that was my only experience. Having a crying baby and a crying toddler is an entirely different scenario than one crying child. Toddlers have this thing with certainty, repetition, routine....that stuff goes out the window with a new addition to the family. I tried to stay on top of it to the best of my abilities, but reality is, it just gets messed up at some time. So my toddler was not only getting their constant world where they had some slight control, interrupted by a baby, but their sleep was interrupted by a baby and therefore my sleep was interrupted by BOTH. When they get sick, and your sick too, INSANITY. The best thing I learned is...it doesn't last forever. Both kids adjust and so did I. My body eventually could handle interrupted nights. My toddler got used to baby crying and stopped being super concerned and slept right through it. (Tears) Both kids are now toddlers...I am still having those nights every once in a while.

Third adaptation...getting out of the house! Oh my goodness I could draw a great picture of how a sleep deprived woman looks who is cooped up in the house, hasn't showered, is surrounded by mess, along with constant demands, crying children...and food needing to be made. The blood shot eyes accompanied by dark circles, messy hair, puky-slimed pajamas, nut case, is just the truth. I was lucky to get a shower, and maybe lucky to have one before noon, and lucky that if I didn't have to lock both kids in the bathroom why I took a shower...just to keep them safe. Than to try to adventure into the world with a baby and other children...like I said, INSANITY. On top of getting myself presentable was the dilemma of getting a toddler ready to go outside...this can be a long process, it is worth avoiding. Second the simple things like locking the door, carrying the car seat and getting your toddler to the car...is daunting and a long process, and worth avoiding. Third getting a toddler into their car seat safely while keeping the baby car seat nearby safely (Lucky if it is not winter or the sun gets into the babies eyes) is daunting, and worth avoiding. It was always a relief to have both kids in the car and on my way to the destination, on time...well that rarely happened. The relief was short lived when I realized that even the small errands that I knew I could just run in and run out easily 5 minutes without kids...was illegal, as I couldn't leave my kids in the car, nor was safe, and crying was in-evadable. This made even the tiniest errands daunting. Other things like frantically searching for a cart to contain children and relieve my arm muscle was followed by trying to safely remove the children from the car. I realized that a toddler can't be expected to already know how to behave, and during the learning process, a baby is hard to leave while you have to run after a toddler (by the way you can't do that), so picture a crazy mom with a baby struggling to run after a toddler. Leaving a store empty handed with a collapsing toddler in one arm and struggling to hold onto a baby (car seat) in the other really tries your patience. So I learned that X-Tra was always followed by time, I learned that leaving kids home for 10 minutes with a friend was the best gift ever! I also learned that having an extra adult with me was priceless and errands by myself with my kids was left to emergency cases. After getting a handle on things I could adventure out more with my kids, but I always weighed weather I would go more nuts staying home or getting out of the house.

Fourth adaptation, house being cleaned. When I had the extra time between breast feeding, feeding my toddler, feeding myself in there somewhere, maybe brushing my teeth, I didn't have much time for other things. My priorities were constantly being rearranged. Toddler crying, must need more mom time...baby crying, must need more mom time, that is what became second to necessities like feeding, cleaning, changing diapers. The dishes and dirty bathroom just were not that important anymore, adjusting ourselves to the change over rode the dirty house by a long shot. That doesn't mean I didn't have to live with it. Having a dirty house is like adding chaos to the chaos. Things piled up and I no longer had a clean sippy cup for my toddler, messing up the first priority of making sure my kids were feed and watered (yes like plants). Finally I just had to let my children who were begging for my time to just cry, so I could get those blasted dishes done. Finally I got a routine and I took full advantage of those small pockets of time when I could actually clean something. I also learned to prioritize what I did clean, first was always dishes...I need dishes to eat on. Second came vacuuming, it is too disgusting to have a toddler picking up dirty old food and putting it in their mouth or your baby rolling all over it. The toys I finally discovered that cleaning them up during the day was worthless. I started cleaning them up before bed with my toddler.

I learned, I grew, I adapted, and before long the chaos was controlled and I was relieved to find myself enjoying my newborn and having time for my toddler as well. Things got smoother, happier, calmer, cleaner, and less dreaded. The light was at the end of the tunnel and I had more confidence that yes, I, could handle multiple kids. I new I wasn't the only one having to adapt, I had two kids and a husband adapting as well...and we all did. Not one of us had something earth shattering that would make having a toddler and a baby regrettable. In fact I would never, ever, regret it! I can look back now and see how much we all have grown from the experience and made us our own little family. Now my kids are best friends, that fight yes, but play a lot together...even now as I just checked to see if they were sleeping, one of them snuck into the others bed, was snuggled up to the other with books all around them. My guess is someone was reading to the other in toddler babble before they both fell asleep. It brought a smile, and a feeling of joy beyond explanation. This is our family and no other family is just like ours...this is what we can make of our trials, the best things imaginable.

- Ashley