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Music Treasure Basket

7/31/2020

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  • Basket/Bin/Box
  • Musical instruments or items that can make noise
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You all know that I am a huge fan of treasure baskets and Layla has been really interested in songs and when Lincoln and I dance to music so I decided to make a musical treasure basket. ​
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I filled the basket with larger items like a toy piano and drums. But what seemed more interested to Layla was the smaller items like a pair of maracas, baby rattles, small cymbals and more. Lincoln's favorite item was the harmonica and kazoo. You can definitely mix it up by focusing on a single sound or pitch, too. 

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Hybrid Parenting

7/28/2020

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I often get judged or questioned for how I parent my children. It comes with the territory of living with my grandma and mom, who are from different generations and have very different parenting styles than me. I also feel the vibes of others who wonder why my kids go to bed early or don't eat out much or are always naked. I'm pretty damn confident in my parenting which is why I'm going to explain my hybrid style of parenting that sometimes leaves people rolling their eyes. 
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Past Life Regression Trend

7/28/2020

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If you're on Tik Tok you've probably seen the past life regression trend that's been going on. I'm pretty skeptical overall, but I give anything a chance so I figured I'd try it out. I like the idea of reincarnation and having past lives, and I'm also a firm believer in karma. It seemed like a pretty cool thing so I tried the popular YouTube video of a man guiding you through the meditation and hypnosis. I did my "session" after the kids were in bed at 8 pm so I was pretty zoned out and easily relaxed!

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Importance of Sign

7/26/2020

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The number one thing I am so happy I did for my son (and now daughter) is to learn and teach him sign language. I remember when my Aunt was teaching my cousin 14 years ago and how cool it was so see her catch on to signs and when she did a new sign for the first time how rewarding it felt. I knew when I was getting near the end of my pregnancy with Lincoln that this was something I wanted to invest my time in and start early. I'm also extremely lucky that his daycare, and where I work, supports and promotes infant signing. 
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The only negative I hear about teaching children sign language is the FALSE CLAIM that it delays speech. There has been extensive research on how untrue this is and to take it even further, it's actually proven that teaching gestures and sign language helps verbal communication. Read on as I share some studies and answer the most asked questions about baby signing...

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Easiest Playdough Recipe

7/23/2020

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Lincoln really wanted to make playdough but I didn't have some of the ingredients I normally use so we figured we'd do a science project and wing it. It came out better than my regular recipe!! 

2 cups flour
1.5 cup salt
1.5 cup water
Cap-full of vegetable oil
​5 drops of food coloring (we did blue)


Mix it all together. I recommend mixing the water and food coloring first so it doesn't get on your child's hands. Add more flour if it's sticky or more water if it's too crumbly.
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Binoculars

7/23/2020

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  • Two toilet paper rolls
  • Tape
  • Scissors
  • Ribbon/String
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Put the two toilet paper rolls side by side and tape together. I've seen them stapled before as well. Wrap a few times to make sure they can't separate. Poke one hole on each side and thread string through. 
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I prefer using paint to decorate the binoculars but Lincoln was very eager to outside so we used crayons to avoid drying time. He told me that he drew birds and squirrels and the sun. We put our binoculars on and went outside to search for random things. We went on a color hunt, a bear hunt, and eventually picked some raspberries from the bushes in our backyard.

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Kitchen Treasure Basket

7/22/2020

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  • Basket/Bin/Box
  • Assortment of kitchen items 
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Treasure baskets are an amazing way to expose your child to real tools and items that are easily found in your house. I like picking a theme and making a basket around that. You'll quickly discover that children LOVE to manipulate and explore items they see you use. ​
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For this particular kitchen basket I chose the following items: metal and plastic whisk, different sized wooden spoons, metal bowl, plastic bowl, strainer, funnel, and pasta spoon. While Layla explored, I prompted by making sounds with her and handing her various items. 

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Conversation About Death with A Toddler

7/21/2020

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As many of you know, our family dog passed away. Two days after his passing, my son Lincoln who is 22 months old, asked about Beau. I figured I would share our first conversation about death. Below you will read a quick transcript of the conversation and then explanation why I said what I did. 

As a background statement, I don't deal with death well. I don't really show emotions in general but when it comes to those I love passing, I get weird about it. I really make an effort to not pass my own issues onto my children and my background in psychology is able to help a lot. My goal from this is to remove the taboo/ don't talk about it stigma that death sometimes carries no matter how uncomfortable or sad it makes us feel.
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Losing Our Dog

7/20/2020

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There's something uniquely devastating about losing your family dog. I am lucky to have spent the last 8 months at home to get that time with Beau before having to say goodbye. But now that he's gone, the hole seems to magnify when realizing the little empty spots in our day-to-day life. 

I got Beau from our local dog pound for $5 in 2010. I was 19 years old, had just left college, really had no direction, but when I saw him, we bonded instantly. My first hurdle was convincing my mom and grandma to let me get him since I had moved back home. At first they didn't like that he was barking but they warmed up to the little guy fast because he had these soulful, kind eyes. ​
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Cooking with a Toddler

7/16/2020

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While the mess of cooking with a toddler can be stressful, there are so many benefits to cooking projects. I absolutely love cooking with my little man and while the thought of his messy fingers, drool, and whatever other things he throws in isn't necessarily yummy, it's beyond fun for him. On top of the sheer joy of food, there are so many other beneficial aspects of cooking.

​Let's lay them out...

Obviously while cooking children hear and understand simple math and science concepts. I won't dig into numbers, measuring, weight, and all of that. We know cooking involves science and math, but it's not unique to toddlers.
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