Raising Kids
“No. No. No bath!” This is my son on bath night. We are in the middle of a toddler power struggle. I'm desperately trying to figure out how to make my kid listen so we can get on with the bedtime already. “Do you want to play with cars or letters in the bath tonight?” “No. NO. NO BATH!” He used to love baths, but in the past [...]
Showing all results for: tantrum
3 Parenting Phrases to Avoid When Teaching Toddlers to Listen
You wake up on a Wednesday morning and wrap your hands around a hot cup of coffee. You think this is the day you will figure out how to get your toddler to listen there will be no yelling at kids today. You look out the window. The sky is powder puff blue and the clouds appear as delicious marshmallows. You think about how to make kids [...]
Schedule / RoutineHow to Help a Toddler Adjust After a New Baby
As I was folding laundry, my toddler reminded me, “Mama. Baby cry. Mama.” I continued folding. He continued reminding me. This is our new routine to help our toddler and newborn adjust. When we first brought our daughter home from the hospital, I was overwhelmed about how to help my toddler prepare for the new baby. I knew we [...]
Mom LifeWhy I Finally Quit Doing It All
My husband and I were picking up the house after we finally got the kids in bed for the night. Toys, laundry, cleaning up after dinner, and finally throwing away the hidden snickers wrapper from earlier in the day. Yes, I eat hidden snacks when my toddler isn’t looking. I’m not ashamed to admit that. By the time we finished picking up [...]
7 Parenting Hacks for an Easier Bedtime with Kids
Inside: If you are struggling with toddler tantrums at bedtime, these are easy, yet effective tips to help for a smoother bedtime with toddlers! Plus, tips for an earlier bedtime! Sitting in the driver’s seat of the car, my forehead pressed against my hands which clenched the wheel beneath them. My sweet baby girl wailed in [...]
Bossy Toddler: How to Keep the Upper Hand
Funny there’s no chapter in any parenting book called Advanced Toddler Negotiation: How to Keep the Upper Hand. I think there should be. Because somewhere between the ages of 18 months and 3 years old your sweet obedient child will turn into a rebellious teenager overnight. Of course it seems cute and funny at first. But after a few [...]
5 Easy Ways to Be a More Patient Mom
I finished cleaning up the house, and I took one minute to go the bathroom. I was ready to be a patient mom and connect with my kids. I just needed one minute. And when I returned my son was reaching into the pantry on his tippy toes. Oh man, I knew exactly what was about to happen before it even happened. Unfortunately, I was about 6 [...]
The Hidden Place Your Daughter’s Self-Esteem Grows
As a five year old girl, you could spot me in a crowd of 200 hundred people in about 1.7 seconds flat. I mostly looked just like every other child in my community. Until you caught a glimpse of my hair. Oh, my hair. My hair was bright fiery red, and it was my nemesis. That bright fiery red hair caused me a lot of grief throughout my [...]
4 Important Words to Help End Power Struggles
As a child, I spent idyllic summers at my family’s secluded lake cabin in the woods of Northern Wisconsin. My fondest memories include swimming with my cousins, cooking with my grandmother, and fishing with my dad. Hello nostalgia. Last Summer I returned that tiny lake cabin to share a week-long vacation with my dad, cousins, and this [...]
What Every Mom Needs to Know About Her Post Baby Body
By some grand miracle I managed to escape my first pregnancy without a single stretch mark on my belly; with my second pregnancy, not so much. My second baby—a girl—weighed a whopping 10 pounds 7 ounces. With each passing day of the last trimester, she grew bigger and bigger. Not surprisingly, so did the web of stretch marks across my [...]
