Our Bedtime Routine

This post is linked up at Director Jewels!

Because of church and The Farm keeping us out past bedtime at least 3 nights a week, the kids' bedtime routine is pretty streamlined and quick.  Hubby is generally at The Farm or at work during the kids' bedtime so 98% of the time, I do it on my own.  I can get all 3 kids in bed by myself in less than 20 minutes assuming no one throws a tantrum (ahem, I'm looking at you, Little Man).

Looks comfy, no?

With the two older kids not taking naps anymore (thanks to kindergarten and a general stubborness from Little Man) and Star still needing an early bedtime, I try to feed the kids supper at 5 pm so the bedtime routine can start between 6 and 6:30.  They're all in bed by 6:30 or 7 at the latest.  Thank goodness that the kids can't tell time yet or they'd probably protest their early bedtime :)

The two older kids are in charge of putting their pjs on while I change Star's diaper and get her into her pjs.  Then I lay her down with her blanket and her pacifier in the pack n' play in my room and check on the progress/non-progress that the other kids are making.  Once they're both in the pjs, they're supposed to put the dirty clothes in the laundry basket and head into the bathroom.  They each go potty, get a drink of water, and brush their teeth.  They like to "forget" one of those steps to give them an excuse to get back out of bed later so I double check that they're done with everything before it's time for a story.  We read a devotional from Keys for Kids (You can get Keys for Kids for free through the mail, online or on the app) and then the kids each get to pick out one book to read.

We head into their room and the kids climb into bed, Princess on the bottom bunk and Little Man on the top bunk.  We took the ladder down because we didn't feel it was safe to have up with a preschooler and toddler, but it has the added benefit of keeping Little Man from getting out of bed.  :)  I turn on a lullaby cd and their nightlight, rub their backs for about 30 seconds each, and tuck them in.

Star generally goes right to sleep when I lay her down.  Unless they're super tired, the older two usually talk or play in their beds for a while before they fall asleep.  Sometimes, they keep each other awake for a few hours which is pretty frustrating since I know it means that the next morning will be full of whining and tantrums if they stay up too late.

So that's our bedtime routine!  Because of all three kids having very dry skin and exzema, I limit baths to 1-2 a week during the winter and 3-4 a week during the summer.  Those are fit in whenever we find time--morning, afternoon, or before bed. 

What's your bedtime routine like for your kids? 


 

30 Random Acts of Kindness To Do With Your Kids

I want to do something with the kids this Christmas that encourages them to put others first and focus on the real reason of Christmas.  After being inspired by this book, I put together a list of 30 random acts of kindness that I can do with them at Christmas and all year round!

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You can read an updated version of this post on my new blog, Sunshine and Spoons! 

How to Get Your Kids to Clean Up Their Toys in 24 Hours

If you think this is going to be one of those "try this trick on your kids and in 24 hours flat, they'll be rushing to clean up their toys like it's the best thing in the world" posts, than you're wrong.  Sooooooo very wrong.

Just as the title says, this post will tell you how to get your kids to clean up their toys is only 24 hours time.

Here's the timeline:

6:59 AM: Wake up with the baby and give her a bottle.  While you're sitting on the couch, half asleep, you look around the living room and realize that there isn't even a path across the room because of all the toys on the floor.

7:15 AM: The kids awake (grumpily, of course) and make their way to the living room.  You inform them that they need to get their toys picked up right away after breakfast.

8:42 AM: The kids are finally done arguing and complaining about breakfast and are ready to move on to the next fun activity.  You throw away more food than you gave them (how do they do that?), and clean the kitchen quickly so you can supervise the toy clean-up before they get anything else out.

10:32 AM: You've been directing clean-up for almost two hours now and so far they've picked up 4 toys and dumped 5 more out.  You realize that they're still in their pjs and you need to run to town to pick up milk and mail a package.

11:19 AM: All three kids are dressed and ready to go so you all head out the door to run errands.

12:01 PM: You forgot to mail the package, but at least you remembered to get milk.  Everyone is grumpy as they walk in the door because they're hungry and it's lunchtime NOW.  You throw a frozen pizza in the oven and instruct the kids to each pick up 5 toys in the 15 minutes it'll take for the pizza to bake.

12:16 PM: The pizza is done, but the kids haven't picked up one toy yet.  You threaten to eat the whole pizza yourself if they don't hurry up.  Wailing and gnashing of teeth occur (mostly because they've seen you eat a whole frozen pizza yourself and know that you're really not kidding), and they agonizingly pick up their five toys apiece although you can tell that it's physically painful for them.

12:26 PM: The pizza is GONE, and you only got one piece.  The living room is still a mess, but now it's rest time so you lay them down for naps and caution them to be quiet for 1 hour.

2:30 PM: Rest time didn't go well so you tacked another hour onto their "naps" which means that you spent an extra hour yelling down the hall to "be quiet and go to sleep!"  The kids get up, and you tell them that before they can play with their toys, they need to clean up what's already on the floor.  You assign them specific jobs ("You pick up the tractors and put them in that box, and you pick up the blocks and put them in that box) because that's how a smart mom gets her kids to clean up messes.

5:18 PM: 2 tractors and 4 blocks have been picked up and the kids have spent almost 3 hours playing with the toys they were supposed to have cleaned up.  Of course, every time you tell them to quit playing and pick up, they feebly lift a toy several inches into the air and whine that they are picking up.  You inform them that bedtime is at 7 and if the toys are not picked up very soon, they will miss supper.     

Source: Proverbs 31 Ministries

6:14 PM: After much screaming, yelling, arguing, and crying, there is finally a small clean spot in the middle of the living room floor.  The kids happily proclaim that it is officially clean and, because you're so sick of fighting, so you tell them to go eat their supper so they can go to bed early.

7:04 PM: Bedtime.  'Nuff said.

7:33 PM: You flop down on the couch, exhausted and turn the tv on.

7:48 PM: The mess in the living room is really annoying you, plus you just can't fathom having another day like this one tomorrow.  You decide to do a quick cleaning and organizing spree of the kids' toys.  Then tomorrow, you will keep a close eye on them so you can make sure they pick up what they were playing with before taking something else out.

9:27 PM: The toys are all organized in the right boxes and stacked neatly on the shelves.  You step back and admire your work.  Time for bed!
 
The next morning...

6:59 AM: You wake up with the baby and gaze admiringly at the organized toy area in the living room.  You promise yourself that you won't let it get messed up today.

7:15 AM: The kids wake up and come out to the living room.  They survey the beautiful clean-ness of the toys, and the 5 year old turns to you and happily exclaims, "See, Mommy!  It's all clean now!  The cleaning fairy must have fixed it while we were sleeping!" (side note: This is not an exaggeration.  This is a direct quote from this exact scenario.)  You explain that Mommy worked very hard to clean it last night, and they need to keep it clean today so Mommy doesn't go completely insane.  Then you go into the kitchen to make breakfast.  

7:22 AM: You come out of the kitchen to tell them that breakfast is ready.  Every. single. box. has been dumped out and the shelves are cleared.  You officially go insane. 


Okay, I lied.  The actual title for this post should be "How to Clean Up Your Kids Toys Yourself in 24 Hours with a Maximum Amount of Stress"

How do you get your kids to clean up their toys?

Random Monday - July 1st, 2013

Little Man LOVES to cut paper up with his little safety scissors.  Last week, I gave him a catalog to cut up.  He was thrilled until the first time he cut through a picture of a person in the catalog. Bringing the catalog to me and showing me the cut through the person, he sadly informed me that he "cut a people up and they are crying now." 

Because of some tractor rides with his Daddy and Grandpa lately, Little Man has really been into playing with his tractors.  When a trailer wouldn't stay on the tractor, he brought it to me and asked if I could put a band-aid on it for him.

Princess had kind of a rough weekend.  On Saturday night, she put herself to bed at 5:30 pm and only woke at 7:30 to take a nebtreatment before going back to bed for the rest of the night.  She had a pretty high fever, but no other symptoms so she spent Sunday relaxing on the couch.  Today, she's back to normal-which means refusing to sleep no matter what.

Speaking of Sunday...Star learned to crawl on Sunday!  I took this video of her crawling for the second time.  Sorry about the video quality-usually my camera does a much better job than that.  Oh, and that's Josh Groban singing in the background.  He was hanging out at my house on Sunday, well, at least in the form of a cd. 

My sister and I have been toying with the idea of starting a review and giveaway blog together for a while.  I've wanted to do more reviews and giveaways, but didn't want to turn this blog into a giveaway blog.  I like running occasional giveaways here, but for the most part, I'd like to keep this blog more personal.  Anyways, we're currently in the process of getting everything set up and are hoping to get the blog off the ground sometime in July!  We may even include our super stylish little sister to do some fashion posts.


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How to Keep Kids From Using Too Much Toilet Paper

Kids (and some adults) are notorious for using too much toilet paper.  More than once, I've caught Princess happily unrolling about 2 yards of toilet paper for one wipe.  That's kind of a money waster.

To save money on toilet paper, I could do what this lady did and switch to reusable toilet paper aka family cloth.  But since that idea appeals to me about as much as sticking a screwdriver in my ear, I thought I'd go a different route.
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You can read an updated version of this post on my new blog, Sunshine and Spoons! I hope to see you there!

Mama's Getting Tough

It's time for some changes around here.  I'm done listening to the seemingly constant whining and tantrums.  I'm done arguing for half an hour with kids who need to learn to take no for an answer.  I'm done telling kids 908 times to be quiet and just go to sleep already.  I'm done with the backtalk and the sassy attitudes.

Obviously, what I'm already doing to stop these behaviors isn't working so it's time to try some new tactics.

So here's the plan.

We will be practising the "Obedience Game" several times a day.  The Obedience Game is where I randomly throughout the day tell a child to do something such as come over to where I am, jump up and down, sit down, etc.  If they obey immediately with a good attitude, they get a big hug from me.  If they don't, then no hug.  The kids love this game and ask to play it.  I haven't played it consistently with them though.  Now it's going to be a part of our everyday life.  Obedience is not just about listening to parents, it's about safety.  I can't tell you how many times I've had to run out into the street to grab Little Man.  When I tell a child to "come here" or "stay there," it's very important that they obey immediately!

I printed off a copy of our family rules and posted it where the kids can see it everyday.  No, they can't read yet, but it'll be good for Hubby and me to be able to see it. Also, being able to point to a rule when a child is misbehaving is like having backup on the discipline front.

In conjunction with the family rules, I cleaned out two baby food jars and wrote each of the kids' names on one.  In the morning, I put 10 marshmallows (or chocolate chips, or any small treat I have on hand) in each jar and put them on the counter near the printout of the family rules.  If a child breaks a rule, I take them to the jar, tell them which rule they broke and how, and take one marshmallow out of their jar.  Then we talk about how they can handle the situation correctly the next time.  After supper, they can have whatever is left in their jar.
*Update: I have since changed the number of treats in their jar to 5 instead of 10.  If they do something really nice without being asked (cleaning up, being kind to a sibling) they can earn a treat for their jar.  At bedtime, if they haven't had any treats taken away, they can put an extra sticker on their nightime sticker chart (see below).

I found printable habit charts at Raising Arrows and printed off one for each of the two older children.  The habit that we're working on right now for each one is learning to go to sleep at night instead of goofing off and keeping each other awake for hours while getting out of bed every 2 minutes to see if it's time to get up yet.  If they go to sleep quietly and quickly the night before, they get a sticker on their chart in the morning.  When the chart is full, they'll get to pick out a special prize.  I have no idea what the prize will be yet, but I'm thinking something small from the dollar store or I'll reward them with some special time with me or Hubby.

*Overall update: These changes have been working well so far! Little Man is only 2 and hasn't quite got the concept of the nighttime sticker chart, but Princess has.  When she lays down and goes right to sleep at night, it cuts his shenanigans short too. He copies everything she does so if her behavior improves, his automatically does too.

So what do you think?  Any suggestions?  I'd love to hear what works for your family!

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Treasure Every Moment

We've all heard this:

"Enjoy your kids now because you'll never get these days back."

"They'll never be this little again."
"Treasure each day with your child."

It seems that I always run across one of those blog posts or memes on days when I haven't had too many good mommy moments.  Days when I'm literally counting down the minutes until bedtime and simultaneously dreading the usual bedtime battle.  Days when the kids weren't the only ones yelling around our house.  Days when I wish I was done with diapers or potty training for good.

Continue reading this post at its new home on Sunshine and Spoons!

What I Want For My Birthday

My birthday isn't for a few months yet, but I know exactly what I want.  I want a Day.

That's right.  Just one Day to do whatever I want with.  ALL BY MYSELF.  Here's what I want to do with the Day that I probably won't be getting for my birthday.

• I want to empty the dishwasher without stopping every other dish to take care of someone else.

• I want to pay the bills without someone trying to steal my calculator to play "computer" on.

• I want to close the door to the bathroom and not have anyone barge in or bang on the door repeatedly while acting like my absence is literally destroying them.

• I want to sit down and read an entire chapter of a book without interruptions.

• I want to watch a whole movie (not just part of one!) without little voices yelling from the bedroom "Can I get up yet?" every 14 seconds.

• I want to vacuum the living room without children screaming from the back of the couch because they're positive that I'm trying to suck them up with the vacuum.

• I want to fold a basket of laundry without any little "helpers" to unfold things as fast as I fold them.

• I want to sit down at the sewing machine and sew a dress from start to finish without having to get up 27 times to break up a fight, change a diaper, get someone a drink, etc, etc.

• I want to sit down to eat my supper while reading some more of that book I started earlier without anyone asking me for a bite or touching my food.

• I want to clean up the living room in the morning and have it still be clean in the evening.

• I want to brush only my teeth, put on only my pajamas, and put only myself to bed.   

You don't think I'm asking for too much, do you?


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My Kids' New Years Resolutions

Being the little darlings they are, my children are always looking for ways to better themselves.  The precious angels even sat down this New Year's Eve to write New Year's Resolutions for themselves.  Here they are...

Princess:
1. I will not ask my mom the same question 17 times in a row when she answered me the first time.  Even if I don't like her answer.

2. I will pick up my toys when asked to instead of acting like using my toy-picking-up muscles will most likely kill me.

3. I will stop using my special powers to make it look like Mommy hasn't washed my face in weeks when we go to school or church even though she scrubbed my face thoroughly right before we left the house. 

Little Man:
1. I will stop thinking it's funny to make Bob the Builder cry by peeing in my Bob the Builder underwear.

2.I will accept the fact that Mommy and Daddy have to say no to me sometimes and hearing "that word" does not, in fact, destroy my entire universe.

3. I will stop getting out of bed at night 38 minutes after my parents put me in there to walk out in the living room and announce that I had a "goooooood nap." 

Star:
1. I will continue to be the sweetest, happiest baby on the planet.  I will not allow myself to go through one of those phases that completely change a baby's personality.

2. I will take notes on my brother's potty training progress/non-progress so I will be ready to potty train myself in 2 days flat in the year 2014. 

3. I will not stop eating food when I turn one like my older siblings did.  I will embrace new and unusual foods and will not change my mind about what I like to eat every 94 minutes.

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My Day So Far

The scene: Toys are strewn from one end of the living room to the other.  The 2 year old is throwing a whining tantrum because I wouldn't let him carry a full basket of clean, folded towels down the stairs by himself.  The 4 year old is asking me repeatedly for more milk, having spilled her last cup.  The baby is laying on a blanket on the floor of the living room crying while I'm in the kitchen frantically washing the dirty baby bottles (which, incidentally, includes all the bottles we have) so I can feed her.  I'm also trying to figure out how to arrange naps for both of the crabby older children since Hubby is currently asleep in the kids' room and somehow get 3 dresses, 5 vests, 5 bowties, 1 pair of leggings, and 1 rufflebutt onesie sewn today while holding the baby, who is not her usual happy self today.  Just as I've finished washing the bottle collars and nipples and am starting in on the bottles, the bottle brush breaks.  And then, the dishpan tips, spilling hot soapy water all over my feet.  Tears ensue.

Overwhelmed is the understatement of the year.

Can anyone relate?


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I'll Love You Forever

"Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch was one of my favorite books when I was a kid.

Love You Forever

It's still one of my favorite children's books.  I get nostalgic and warm fuzzy feelings just looking at the cover.  I tear up when I cuddle with my kids to read it to them. 

But every time I read the book to my children, I lie.

In case you don't know, the book is about a mother who rocks her son to sleep through all stages of his life and sings him a lullaby that goes like this (don't worry, I'm not going to actually sing it to you):
"I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be."

I truly love my children.  They are my joy, and my reason for living.  I would die for my children.   They will always be my babies, even when they have babies of their own.

But I don't always like them.

Yup.  I said it.  It's taboo to say stuff like that, especially to other moms, but I'm doin' it.

Right now, both of my older children are going through incredibly difficult phases.  For four year old Princess, it includes whining, arguing, disrespect, babyish behavior, foot-stamping tantrums, and much more.  Two year old Little Man specializes in whining and screaming tantrums that go on forever.  And seriously, at the end of an 11 hour day with constant behavior like that from both children, I don't really like them.  I love them; that will never change.  But I don't like them.  Because of the rough stage we're in, I find it hard to like them quite a bit of the time.

The good thing is that this stuff that's been going on is a phase.  It will end, and I will get my sweet children back.  They will be more likeable soon (very soon, hopefully!).

In the meantime, I'm surviving off the sweet little moments like when Princess sits down to read Little Man "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" or when Little Man comes up to me and rubs my back just because he wants to "touch my Mommy".  I'm also working on actively enjoying my children's company.  That means that whenever I can, I sit down and focus on each one individually, especially whichever one is having the hardest day.  I'm spending time each day praying for them, and for me to have patience (and lots of it!) in this stage we're in.  I'm trying to pay attention to the things I appreciate and do like about them right now.

But for now, my mantra is "This too shall pass."



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Star's Newborn Pictures

It took three kids, but I finally got around to getting newborn pictures of one of them! 

I'm lucky enough to have a cousin who is a very talented photographer.  You can see more of her pictures on her website and her Facebook page.  I could sit and watch the slideshow on the homepage of her website for hours.  Seriously.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our photoshoot!

Big Brother/Sister shirts from Heather Rogers Designs

Sisters

Resting on the Word of God

Owl Hat by Stewiecakes Boutique

Wearing my wedding crown

 
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Singing To My Kids

Almost 2 years ago, I wrote a blog post about my two older kids' special songs that I sing to them.  They are songs that I sang a lot while I was pregnant with them and continued to sing to them after they were born.  I never sat down and picked out the songs specifically, each one just kind of happened.

To recap, Princess's song is "You'll Be In My Heart" by Phil Collins from the Disney movie "Tarzan" 

   

Little Man's song is "Baby Mine" from the Disney movie "Dumbo."  Because he was such a difficult baby at first, singing this song to him really helped me bond with him and it usually calmed him down.  I'm kind of a sucker for anything Dumbo themed now :) 

When I saw this Dumbo blanket and pillow set in this auction on Facebook, I HAD to get it for Little Man. He refuses to sleep without it now.

While I was pregnant with Star, I tried to think of a song that could be her lullaby, but nothing really came to mind.  One night after she was born, I started singing "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" when she wouldn't stop crying and she instantly calmed down to listen.  I realized that I'd sang that song quite a bit while I was pregnant with her and, since she obviously like it, it became her song.




Do you have a special song that you sing to your child? 


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Conversations

I had this conversation with 4 year old Princess earlier today:

Me: I'm going to use the bathroom and then I'll be right back to play with you some more. 

Princess *slightly hysterical*: You mean you're going to leave us?!?!

Me: Um, no.  I'm going to the bathroom.  I'm not leaving the house.

Princess *Starting to sob*: But who's going to take care of us?!?!

Me: Seriously.  I'll be gone less than 2 minutes.  And besides, Daddy is standing right next to you.  I'm sure he can take care of you while I'm in the bathroom.

Princess *A little more hysterical*: Don't close the bathroom door!!!!!

Me: How come you get to close the bathroom door and I don't?!

Princess: Because I'm not a Mommy with kids!!

Hubby: Just go.  I'll hold her back.


*Sigh*.  We've been having some issues at my house lately.


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Princessisms

Princess will be five in a few months and her language skills are improving daily.  Which sometimes makes me sad because I love how cute she talks sometimes.  Here are a few of my favorite things she says:

Drinky
Translation: Thirsty
Use it in a sentence: "I'm still drinky.  Can I have some more milk?"


Ge-naskin 
Translation: Nasty
Use it in a sentence: "Little Man's stinky diaper is soooo ge-naskin!"


Long sleeves up the top
Translation: Short sleeves
Use it in a sentence: "It's hot outside so I'm going to wear my pink shirt with the long sleeves up the top."


Long heels
Translation: High heels
Use it in a sentence: "I'm wearing my long heels with my princess dress so I can look pretty."


Brooming
Translation: Sweeping
Use it in a sentence: "Look, mommy!  I'm brooming the floor for you!"

Princess holding Star

 What are some cute things your kids say?


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31 Days-Organizing Toys

It doesn't take much for kids' toys to get out of control.  I've always wished I had a playroom so I could just shut the door and not look at the mess, but because our house is small, our "playroom" is a corner of the living room.  It has to be well organized or the toys take over our whole living area.

When Princess first started accumulating toys, I threw them all in one container.  I had my eye on a toy box thinking that would be the easiest way to keep them picked up, but I soon realized that a toy box was not the best solution as toys get jumbled together and broken easily, not to mention that you can never find the one you're looking for.

The solution is to organize toys into separate bins.  For bigger toys without a lot of pieces, I store them directly on the shelf, but sets go into a canvas bin or bucket.  This makes it much easier for the kids to clean up after themselves.  I've seen some people label their bins with a picture of the type of toy that goes into it,but nothing sticks really well to the canvas bins so I haven't done that.  If you're storing yours in plastic bins, I would definitely recommend that as kids are so visual.

This shelf works perfectly for toys!  If you look closely, you can see that Little Man's hotwheels collection is stored on the bottom shelf in a pink ice cream pail.  Poor boy.

A close-up of several of the bins.  The red one holds miscellaneous toys and the blue one holds My Little Ponies

Here are a few more tips I use to control the toy chaos:

1. If the toys don't fit in their designated bins or area, it's time to say goodbye to a few!  When we get to that point, first I throw out anything that's broken, then I make a pile of toys that I don't mind getting rid of and have the kids pick a certain number of them to give to kids who don't have any toys (aka Goodwill).  This gets the kids involved and teaches them about generosity.

2. Divide the toys in half and put half of them in storage.  Every few months or when it looks like the kids are losing interest in the toys that are out, switch them for the ones that are in storage. Every time we make the switch, it's like Christmas at my house!

3. Ask relatives to go in on one big gift for all your kids instead of giving each child little things.  Or, if your children are still young enough not to notice, ask them to just buy one small gift for each child to unwrap and put the rest of the money they would have spent on a gift into the child's savings account.  


Update: Since I wrote this post, I've gotten these canvas bins which help make the toy shelf neater and stores the toys better.  The best part?  The cheapest I've seen them in stores was $6 apiece and the ones I found on Amazon are good quality and were less than $5 apiece!  

Want to see a complete list of the posts in the 31 Days to Simplify Your Life series?  Click here. 
  


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31 Days-10 Tips For Shopping With Small Children

We do small shopping trips to our local grocery store for milk and things that we need in between big shopping trips, but once a month, we head up to the "big city" 45 minutes away from our small town to stock up on groceries.  Between groceries, Princess's gluten-free/nut-free/dairy-free/egg-free foods, clothing, and my boutique supplies, we usually end up making 4-6 stops and spending all day shopping.  Not fun, especially when you have small children!  Here are a few tips I've found that make shopping with kids easier.

1. Park next to the cart corral.  I feel uncomfortable leaving my kids in the van while I walk halfway across the parking lot to put the cart away, but bringing them with is a hassle as well.  I always park next to the cart corral and then I can buckle them in, put the cart away, and never be too far from the van.


Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bryce/237233725/

2. Bring snacks.  I used to pick up snacks while we were out shopping, but that can be more expensive than bringing your own.  I like to use reusable snack bags like the ones shown below for cereal, crackers, or other non-messy snacks.  I also bring bottles with spill-proof lids or sippy cups along for drinks rather than buying them something while we're out.

Reusable snack bags from Etsy

3. Have them help you shop.  I often ask them to look for certain things while we're shopping which makes them feel like they're helping me or we play "I Spy."  I've also seen shopping lists for kids to keep them occupied at the store such as the ones seen below.  You could also easily make your own by putting clip art of food on a word document and printing it. 

Source: activity-mom.com via Jane on Pinterest

Source: she-wears-flowers.com via Lindsay on Pinterest

4. Talk to them.  Describe things you see to them or ask them to do the same.  Ask them questions to get them involved.

5. Never give in!  This means when they whine or ask for things (as they will do!) don't reward that behavior.  EVER.  If you do it one time, they will continue to beg, whine, and throw fits every time you're shopping because they know you will probably give in again.  My mom had a rule that if we asked for something, we definitely wouldn't get it, but if we didn't ask, there was a chance we'd get a treat when we were done shopping!  This is something I do with my kids too now.

6. Make regular trips down the toy aisle starting from the time they're babies.  Seriously.  If you start when they're too young to ask for things, you can train them to NOT ask for things.  When we're walking down the toy aisle, I will stop and point out different toys.  When we're done looking at it, I tell the child to say "bye-bye" to the toy because it has to stay with its "friends" at the store.  They generally will happily comply and learn that just because we see fun toys at the store, that does not mean that we will buy them.  Sometimes Princess will ask for something, and I tell her that if she wants it, she can put it on her Christmas wish list or save her money for it herself.  By the time, she gets home, she's usually forgotten about it completely.

7.  Go over the rules outside the store.  Don't wait until they're acting up to remind them.  I go over the rules before we even get out of the van to go into the store.  This way, they are fresh in the kids' minds, and they're aware of the behavior I expect from them.   

8. Plan a break.  The reason I like to leave first thing in the morning for a big shopping trip is so that lunch time falls somewhere in the middle of the day.  This breaks it up for the kids and allows them to get some energy out.  We either hit up a restaurant with a play place or I take them to the mall which also has a play area.

9. Hit the bathroom before you are stuck in the middle of the store with a cart full of food, and a child doing the potty polka.  The bathrooms are usually inside the door somewhere so take advantage of that and head that direction before you even get a cart.  If your child is afraid of those automatic flush toilets (like mine are) keep a pad of small sticky notes in your purse and put one over the sensor until you're ready to leave the bathroom stall. 

10. Have them hold the cart.  My mom did this when she would do her all-day shopping trips with 5 small children, and now I do it with my kids.  Having to chase kids around the store is a sure-fire way to make the trip a nightmare.  This is also a safety issue!  Put the youngest child in the cart seat as long as they still fit and have the others hold onto the side of the cart.  Make sure they know that there will be consequences if they let go and follow through!  It doesn't take them long to learn.

What are your tips for shopping with kids?

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I Am THAT Mom

You know that mom who runs (or in my case, waddles) into the school 20 minutes late to pick up her kid from her second day of preschool?

That might have been me today...

Let's just say it's a good thing that Grandma works at the after-school daycare program two doors down from a certain little girl's preschool class.

Do you know what people assume when you're 9 months pregnant and 20 minutes late for something?

No, I'm not in labor.  Just not smart enough to pay attention to the clock.



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In Which I Try to Poison My Children...

Yesterday, Little Man came up to while I was working on the computer (yes, I was actually working!  Those customer emails don't answer themselves) and gave me the cutest smile.

"I eat treat mommy daddy's room."

Ok.....I don't have any treats in my room.  What was he talking about?  I thought I had better look into this further because this is the child who refuses to eat people food, but has no problem eating inedible things (such as what happened here, in this story that's not for the faint of stomach)

"I eat mouse treats.  Mmmmmmm!"  And he rubbed his tummy appreciatively for extra effect.

I was still confused until Princess came over to clarify.

"He just ate some of the mouse poisons in your room.  It's okay, he only ate one."

My heart skipped a beat as I remembered that about a week ago, I'd thought I heard a mouse in my room at night and had put some D-Con mouse poison out as a precaution.  When I say I put it "out" I mean that I hid it behind a heavy dresser where a mouse could get to it, but not a small child who's not allowed in my room anyways. 

Ha.

That'll teach me.  

A quick call to the Poison Control Center verified that one piece of mouse poison would not hurt Little Man*, but to watch him for any unusual behaviors (such as growing a tail or developing an inclination to nibble cheese).

*Disclaimer: No small children were harmed in the writing of this blog post.  The mouse, which was indeed in my room, was harmed as he apparently ingested more of the mouse poison than Little Man.  


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Are Your Kids Perfect?

Last year, I went with Hubby on an overnight trip several hours away so he could take his boiler's test while the kids stayed with his parents.  The evening before his test, we went out to eat at Perkins for supper.  The restaurant was pretty much empty, but our server put us at a table right next to a young couple with two small boys about the same ages as our kids.

The boys were well-behaved throughout the meal, but they did have to be told several times to sit back down in their seats instead of standing up to look over the whole restaurant.  By the time Hubby and I were finished with our meal (which, sans kids, went much faster than the other couple's meal), I could see that the parents were starting to lose their patience and were getting frustrated with their children.

Now, I'm not the type to just go over and talk to a complete stranger, so Hubby was completely blown away when I stopped at the young couple's table on our way out the door to compliment them on their parenting skills, and tell them how well-behaved their boys were.  The couple was surprised too, and I could see a mixture of relief and pride on their faces as they thanked me for the compliment and turned back to their kids with renewed patience.

I've had the same thing happen to me before, and it's always so uplifting and rejuvenating to hear that others think my kids are actually behaving well enough to garner compliments on their behavior.  As the parent, I tend to focus more on the bad behavior than the good especially when we're out in public and the pressure to keep them quiet and still is high, and most parents I've met are the same way.     

Why do we do that?  How discouraging is it for our children to realize that we, as their parents, pay more attention to the one bad thing they did than the five good things?

I've been trying to make more of an effort to remember what good kids I really have even when they're driving me nuts.  The compliments I get on my kids' good behavior is an eye opener for me along with watching those Nanny shows (Supernanny or Nanny 911) on tv.  Yup, nothing like getting a new appreciation for your kids than watching a professional nanny tackle some of the most out-of-control kids you've ever seen.  As a bonus, a lot of times, I get some tips for fine-tuning some behaviors I've seen popping up in my kids lately.

So here it is: my kids are kids.  They're not perfect, but they're pretty good most of the time.  And me....I'm not perfect either.  I yell more than I should, lose my patience easily, and whine sometimes too.  So how can I expect them to be perfect all the time?

I think this says it all:     

Source: Uploaded by user via Hannah on Pinterest

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