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Power of The Outdoors

2/24/2021

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Quarantine was rough for us and a major factor was the fact that there was a newborn at home. With any newborn, there's a feeling of being stuck and not being able to go wherever you want. You're very much strapped down to a feeding and sleeping schedule, rinse and repeat. Despite the collic and endless wakings at night, I really found my footing in this mom of two being stuck at home life by getting outside. 

March in New England is still cold. It snows sometimes, is generally wet, and really not a great experience if you didn't have to go out. But once I made it a part of my daily routine to get outside in same way, shape, or form, my mood change and my mindset lifted.
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Potty Training | FIrst 3 days

1/21/2021

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​Can I just preface this with the fact that potty training is freaking scary. I had dabbled in the act of potty training my son about a handful of times before finally committing (and even then it was sort of not fully committing until I knew that he was into it and could handle it). Had day one been a nightmare, I might have backed off and pushed it off another month or so. I don’t really know. 

Potty training, especially a boy, and you’ll understand why in a few paragraphs (think sprinkler) is a lot of work. Not only do you have to be on your child 24/7 for a few solid days at home, but you have to be on your game. And I have to admit, with the smaller girl always attached to my hip, it’s hard to fully devote my attention to Lincoln. 
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​And then there’s just a million and one excuses. He’s not developmentally ready (says who, and what’s the actual requirement for potty training? It all seems sort of arbitrary), he’s not showing an interest (well, he likes the word poop and to flush it, is that interest?!), he’s not asking to go potty. I think more than any of those questions and standards, it’s on the parent to be ready to do it.
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After deciding that I could handle a weekend of potty training, I got two different potty training books, one of which had been sitting on my shelf since March 2020. I took them out and placed them on my nightstand and…never read them. I have every single intention of reading them, but I was just too tired at night and had other things prioritized so I decided to go into the potty training blind—using only my gut as my navigation system. 

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Millennial Parenting

12/29/2020

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If you Google parenting styles I’m sure that a million different options and advice columns would pop up. You’d read about helicopter parents and free range children. A horror story about spanking would traumatize you, and yet on the next page a parent who does not believe in boundaries would have an equally traumatic experience. The fact of the matter is, parents don’t fit into some perfect mold to describe what sort of parent you’re going to be and the effects that style have on the psyche of a newborn, toddler, or child.
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As a 1991 baby, a millennial, but not really one at heart, I feel my style rolls more like a gen-x. I also feel like my boomer family judges me every step of the way from the fact that I let my kids test their limits or paint apron free or the fact that I don’t force them to wear a coat to the car so that they experience the natural consequence of feeling cold. Are you rolling your eyes? Hi, Mom!

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Holiday Traditions

12/21/2020

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There's nothing more magical for a growing child than quietly playing Christmas music, a warm fire crackling, twinkling lights on the evergreen smelling tree, and a pile of neatly wrapped presents. Of course, this isn't real life. BUT the traditions can be!

I have so many memories from my childhood of waiting eagerly with my brother at the top of the stairs before going downstairs, waiting for our parents to wake up so that we can go down and get our stockings. I remember the smell of bacon on the stove and eggnog mustaches on all of our faces. 
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These sort of memories and smells and feelings are engrained in me from holiday traditions. Now that I have my own family, I want them to have these sort of memories as well. I find that merging my own traditions with my husband's has created a really fun season for us. With Lincoln being 2 and Layla being 1, this year is finally a year that he gets it and can join in on many of our traditions. ​

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Fall Bucketlist 2020

10/10/2020

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Make a leaf pile 

Carve a pumpkin

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Matching PJs

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Haunted House

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Decorate the house

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Left to do!

  • Halloween costumes
  • ​Pumpkin Picking
  • Attend a fall festival/event
  • Trick-or-treat 
  • Family picture for holiday cards
  • Go for a hike
  • ​Make an apple dessert
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Pre-Tantrum Tips

10/3/2020

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How to stop a toddler tantrum before it ever begins...

Here's the actual truth, you can't. HOWEVER, I do believe that you can equip your child with coping and self-regulation skills to where a tantrum is a quick and relatively painless process. Tantrums are developmentally appropriate for toddlers as this is a time in their life when they discover their autonomy and that they're an individual in a big, big world. 

But that doesn't mean your child should be miserable and fighting with you all the time in this crazy power-struggle. It starts from day one and it starts with you setting them up for success. The tips I mention below are all practiced in my house (as much as possible) and I think they've helped Lincoln, my two year old, be able to work his way through tantrums better. 
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I Breastfed My Girl For The Last Time...

9/24/2020

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I breastfed my little girl for the last time last night. I remember it being such a bittersweet moment with Lincoln and this time was no different. She is so long that her body stretched across my entire lap, her fingers twirling her little piece of hair around her ear. She didn’t even really want to eat before bed, but I did it to get my one last time with her.

We all hear these horror stories of babies not wanting to stop breastfeeding until they’re 4 or drinking a bottle past the recommended time. I always heard it was such a tough process to cut feedings and stop night feedings or dream feedings or whatever you do with your baby. However, both of my kids just sort of figured it out on their own, without much intervention from me.  
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Double Well Visit

9/23/2020

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​Due to COVID rules and the timing of their appointments, I had to handle both kids well visits at our pediatrician alone. Layla had her nine month and Lincoln had his two year. When I planned them together, I thought it was such a smart idea to get it over with and to streamline the visits into one. However, on the way there when Lincoln was kicking the backseat because he wanted to go back on the playground and Layla was crying because she was already overdue for a bottle, I knew I had f’ed up. 
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Grounding with Kids

9/8/2020

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No, I don't mean the type of punishment. Grounding is something different that I learned about not too long ago through instragram. I started to follow these two sisters who are physical therapists and they mentioned one method that is called grounding. They are very holistic and zen and I don't believe in all that they preach, but grounding has really stuck with me, and myself and my kids practice grounding often.

So, what is it?

Grounding is a therapy technique that has very little research around it. It promotes connecting to the Earth and using Earth's electricity to your benefit, for your mental and physical health.​ Now, listen, there's not a lot of research on it, but if you think about it, this technique makes a ton of sense and has merit.
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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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