So many people struggle with falling asleep each night. With this DIY Lavender Pillow Spray, you can use the power of essential oils to help you fall asleep.
Moms, the day that’s all about you is almost here—Mother’s Day! With everything you do as a super mom, you’ve earned a day of “R & R.” The trouble with a lot of the “Sleep Help” products and recipes out there is that they are full of fillers or chemicals you might not want on your pillow while you sleep at night!read more
I have travelling many times with my two young kids over the past few years, so I have a learned a few stress free tips for traveling with kids. I’m sharing my best tips in this post!
Angela of Grassfed Mama shares healthy tips for busy moms.
We love to travel!! My youngest took her first plane ride when she was only 6 weeks old (I know, crazy!!) When you love to travel… you learn a few tips along the way.
My girls have been to Vancouver, Washington DC twice, Disney World a few times, Philadelphia, and many other places. We truly believe that you should travel with young kids. Most families have to travel some during the holidays, even if it is just a few hours to a near by town, I know these tips will come in handy to help you have a Stress Free time Traveling with kids. read more
Sleep is something so crucial to our health. So many of us struggle to wake up rested and sometimes it can be a simple change that is all you need to get the sleep you desire. Join me as I share these 10 simple Tips for Better sleep that anyone can put into practice and reap the benefits!
Why Better Sleep is Important for Your Health
Let’s have a little heart-to-heart about the real MVP in our lives: SLEEP. You know, that elusive unicorn that seems to escape us more often than not. But seriously, it’s not just a luxury; it’s a crucial aspect to our overall health. That’s why today we are going to share our best tips for better sleep. read more
Adam and I love to travel! In our first five years of marriage, we had traveled to New York, Hong Kong, Paris, Rome, San Antonio, Atlanta, New Orleans… we LOVED every minute of it!
(I was actually pregnant when we were in Paris)
So when we became parents… we had to decide should we still travel??? (or could we???)
We didn’t have a lot of vacation days to work with, and we didn’t have a lot of disposable income either. But it really was something that we wanted to do more of and experience with our girls, it was a question of how we coulddo that.
The “how” turned out to be starting our own home based business that we could run from anywhere. Our business gave us the financial and time freedom to be able to travel like we always desired.read more
You hear it all the time when you are pregnant “the weight will just melt off when your breastfeed.” However, for some of us, this is just not the case. We are the ones who are not losing weight while breastfeeding.
You may think that you are doing something wrong since your doctor, your friends, magazines, books all tell you that the weight should be going away if you are breastfeeding. There are some real reasons why some of us just don’t “melt” away.
Are you ready to dive into the wonderful world of baby milestones? In this post, you will learn the top baby sign language signs to teach your baby that they can use before they are able to speak in words. As parents, there’s nothing quite as thrilling as watching our little ones hit those developmental milestones, right? From those first adorable smiles to those wobbly first steps, every moment is a milestone worth celebrating!
Today, I’m thrilled to share with you the ultimate guide: the top 10 signs to teach your baby. Whether you’re a seasoned sign language pro or just dipping your toes into the baby sign world, get ready to learn some fantastic ways to communicate with your bundle of joy. Let’s embark on this exciting journey together—because every sign is a step closer to understanding and connecting with our precious little ones!read more
We are creatures of habit. We like to be able to predict what is coming next. Babies are no different. When they are learning about the world around them, it gives them security when they can predict and know that an action follows another action.
Routines are great for babies and kids alike. You will have less tantrums from your toddler and preschooler if you stick to a routine. The minute you change things up on them, expect some protest in the form of a tantrum.
Kids in general don’t like to be surprised. That’s why they like the same book or movie over and over. They are learning language and they are learning to be able to predict what is coming next. They find security in being able to know and predict.
Routines are very important at bedtime. This is a time that you are going to leave them alone and they need to know they are safe and secure. How would you feel if you were dropped off and had no idea when your ride was going to pick you up?
Letting your child fall asleep knowing that this is normal and that you will come and get them will help them fall asleep in a safe state.
Establishing a bedtime routine
When should you establish a bedtime routine? As soon as you are able to! Babies are learning from the moment they are born.
If you plan to do a bath time before bed, start it early on. Think about what steps you want to include in your routine. Is it able to be followed away from home? How long does it take to complete the routine?
Aidalyn had a solid bedtime routine in place by 6-8 weeks. We would swaddle her, give her a pacifier, her lovey (Charlie) and turn on her sound machine. She was sleeping through the night in her crib by 8 weeks. This child loves routine though. She never would adapt well when we weren’t at home.
Why My 3 Year old is Not Potty Trained, and Why I’m Okay with That
Potty training is a huge topic among moms of preschoolers. How did you potty train? How long did it take to potty train? Did you do it cold turkey? What did you do about nights?
We actually did start potty training Aidalyn around 26 months old. I was pregnant with our second and was motivated to not have two in diapers at the same time. Potty training while being pregnant was not fun. We did the 3 day potty training boot camp. She was excited about big girl panties. She was excited about getting stickers and chocolate.
Aidalyn did great during the day. She was showing really great progress for about 3 months. We still had accidents during the night (never once was dry in the morning and rarely was dry after a nap). We were never “completely” potty trained. We could leave the house and stay dry, though. We thought we were on the right track.
Then the rains came down (literately).
Our house flooded from an upstairs toilet over-flowing… I was 35 weeks pregnant. (You can read the story here) We had to move out of our house for about 3 months. During this time, I gave birth to my second daughter (read her home birth story here).
This whole series of events was too much for a 2.5 year old. We spent one month in a hotel room, one month in a rental house, and 3 weeks in Louisiana with my parents while our house was being worked on.
The Regression
Aidalyn started acting out in the hotel room. She was drawing on the walls and sheets with crayons ( she had never shown any sort of rebellion like this before). She also started crying about having to use the potty. She basically refused to use her potty or the hotel’s potty. She also had to start sleeping with the light on at night.
Using the potty got a little better once we moved into the rental house. We were back in big girl panties and using her little potty with lots of encouragement and rewards.
Then Annaleigh was born and that was another huge life change for a 2.5 year old.
Aidalyn’s personality is that of being a perfectionist, type A and in control. Her little world as she knew it was spinning out of control and the only thing she could control was #1 using the potty or not and #2 eating or not. We saw both of these issues expressed to the max.
We tried rewards, we tried charts… they worked for a short time. Then they stopped working.
Now she cries at the mention of using the potty. She will tell us at random times “I don’t want to use the potty.” She also says that the potty is scary.
I’m not saying that I don’t believe your 3 year old should be potty trained. I am saying I’m okay with my 3 year old not being potty trained.
Adam and I are both over achievers and like to put success on reaching goals.
When it comes to our children and their development…
It isn’t a race.
It isn’t something to brag about.
These are little people who need to be respected and given their own time to progress and grow.
Every child is different, despite the charts and graphs you always see.
Our job as parents is to help build the scaffolding to ease them into the next phase of growth.
I think that we would have been potty trained already if all the other crisis didn’t happen during the time of that developing skill. Who knows.
Right now, I’m focusing on changing Aidalyn’s inner voice. I keep reminding her that “The potty isn’t scary.” “Big girls use the potty.” “When you are ready, you let mommy know and we will use the potty together.”
I am going to be ready for her to show me that she is ready. I will help her as she gets over her fear of using the potty. Once that happens, I will be there to support and encourage her. But for now, I am waiting.
So to the mom who’s 3 year old isn’t potty trained, the mom who’s 6 month won’t sleep through the night, the five year old who isn’t reading novels:read more
One thing people forget about often is the importance of sleeping enough.
The CDC reports that insufficient sleep is a public health epidemic. Lack of sleep is affecting our ability to concentrate, remember important information, negatively affecting hobbies, driving, taking care of money, and work.
When we don’t allow ourselves to rest, we are actually hurting ourselves more than we realize. Beyond reduced learning and memory ability, lack of sleep is linked to increased weight gain by slowing our metabolism, increased hypertension, and increases our risk for disease. read more
