After Nap Activity

Some toddlers wake up grumpy from their naps and it is hard to deal with sometimes. I seriously just found this and I wish I would have found it sooner. I can't wait to try it with my daughter tomorrow. So for this activity all you need for this is your imagination and your child's toys. While your child is laying down and taking a nap take they toys and line them up or put them in a circle on the floor or your couch, anywhere! When your child wakes up let them find the line of toys. You will see them light up like a light bulb. They will be thinking that something is going on and they will want to find out what it is. Then it is play time! I know it is simple but man its going to make things easier on the rough days, lol.

If anyone tries this please leave a comment and let me know how it goes for you. I am interested to see how it goes with everyone who tries it.

Tantrums....Oh No!!

Most parents dread the terrible two's (and as you will find out, three's), but honestly if you go into it know what you want to achieve then it really won't be to difficult. One day your little precious child will do a total 180 and be a little demon seed, but have no fear, because you are prepared. This is something you should sit down with your significant other or your children's father and talk about before you hit this stage. It will make it much easier since you will be a united front that is ready to conquer this battle. I have seen the effects of both ways this can go and I personally have found a favorite. I have seen first hand a parent give their child whatever they want as soon as a tantrum hits. It ends in a bad result as a child who does not listen to or obey you. It is sad really. Now the other way it can go is when that tantrum hits stand your ground. If they are throwing a tantrum over having corn with dinner instead of green beans stand your ground and put the corn on their plate. Then stand by what you have decided and do it with confidence. Your child will see that you will not give in and they will go sit at the table and eat their dinner. If they are throwing a fit in the grocery store because you aren't buying the cereal that they want that is loaded with unnecessary sugars stand your ground. Sure there will be some people who are offended that you will let your child throw a fit in the middle of the store but then there are the rest of the people who are parents and know exactly what is going on and are proud of you. You have to remember that you are the boss, you guide your children through life and teach them what they need to know to be successful. You cannot just hand your children whatever they want, as they will think that will happen all through life. Then they will be in for a rude awakening when they figure out life isn't that easy.

When a tantrum hits just remember to make up your mind on how you will handle it and then stick to it with confidence. Your child will learn rather fast that you are not going to give in and when they do it is smooth sailing from there.

Disciplining Toddlers

Now this can be confusing to many first time parents. What is the right way to discipline my toddler? Are your discipline styles appropriate? Honestly it is all a personal choice, as it will always be. There are many different approaches to take but it all depends on your beliefs. You do need to remember you toddler wants and needs to know who is the boss.

It is rather confusing when you don't know what you can and can't do, but when you don't know what the difference between right and wrong then it is even more confusing. You can't let your kids just do whatever they feel like doing as it could get them into trouble later on in their lives and make it more difficult when it comes to raising them.

Also, one thing is you shouldn't let your own personal pet peeves be implemented into your discipline style. One example is if your child is clicking their tongue. When they are toddlers they are doing it because they have learned how to do it and think that it is so cool. You can't punish them for doing something that irritates you that they learn from. They are learning better control over their tongue and the noises that it can make. They will think that it is wrong to click their tongue when all it is doing is irritating you. Basically unless they are doing something wrong then don't discipline them.

There are instances where you will want to teach them though that what is right is something that they should be doing voluntarily and not being forced into, such as sharing. It is my own personal view that we should not make children share but teach them that they should want to share. You can teach them that sharing is nice and that more kids will want to play with you as opposed to not sharing. It not only teaches them to be nice and to share but it implements values that can help them later in life.

Remember, whatever style of discipline you decide to take that you need to be strong in your decision. It isn't easy to discipline a child but it is much easier than the repercussions of the fact that they learn what works to get what they want. You need to be consistent and strong to be successful.

Jello Finger Paints

Now this one isn't my favorite but I have not tried it out yet so I will have to give a better review after I try it.

What you need for this on is a package of any flavored jello and boiling water. You will mix them together until you get it to a goo consistency that is good for finger painting. You can use any materials that you would normally use to finger paint on.

It seems that kids would love the feel and the smells from this finger paint so try it out and let me know how it goes, that is if I don't do it before you do.

Kool-Aid Finger Paint

Here is another alternative to the expensive finger paints that you buy in the store that you cannot be 100% sure that they are non-toxic.

What you will need is 2 cups of flour, 2 packs of unsweetened Kool-Aid, 1/2 cup of salt, 3 cups of boiling water, and 3 tablespoons of oil. You will simply mix the dry into the wet and then when you are done you will have your own homemade finger paint.

It is very simple and not as costly as the stuff you buy in the store because most people usually have some of these ingredients, if not all of them.

I hope you and your children have some fun with this! Also if your children always want to help you in the kitchen they can always help you mix this all up, just be careful of the boiling water!

Pudding Finger Paints

I know we all worry about our kids eating their finger paints and whether they are truly as non-toxic as they say there are. There are many easy solutions for this but I will share one of them right now.

You can make finger paints from pudding. It can even be sugar free if you don't want your kids eating a lot of sugar(like me) or if your child is diabetic.

All you need for this is some instant vanilla pudding and food coloring. I'm sure you can guess what you do with it because it is all very simple. You mix the food coloring into your pudding (follow the directions on the box to make it) and ta-da, you have an edible finger paint that you know is safe if your child eats it.

You can paint onto disposable paper plates so that you don't have a horrible mess to clean up!

I hope you and your children can now enjoy finger painting for a cheaper cost and with a lot less worry!

Keep them in your thoughts...

Before I go and post anything else today I want to post this.

Yesterday and today we, as a country, have had a horrible tragedy.

Yesterday, there was the shooting at Ft. Hood. A man named Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, killed 13 people and has wounded 30 more. He is currently in a coma, and personally I hope he makes it through. I want him to make it through so he can go through our justice system and have to live knowing what he has done. It would simply be to easy for him to die. I would like to thank Kimberly Munley, a civilian police officer. Due to her quick actions she stopped Hasan by shooting him four times. She was wounded during this but from what I have read and seen on CNN she is being treated and is doing well. My thanks go to her, who knows how bad it could have been if she didn't respond in the three minutes that she did. She is certainly making her family proud and I'm sure her 3 year old daughter will look up to her for her bravery.

Today, there was a shooting in Orlando. A man named Jason Rodriguez went into the Gateway Center building and went to his former employers office and killed one person and injured 5. After doing so he ran like a coward to his mother's house. Now from what I have heard is that he was let go in 2007 from this former employee for poor work performance. I also heard that he has since filed for bankruptcy. This man is a coward. I hope he gets the justice he deserves from our court system and receives the maximum sentence.

Now with all of this being said I just want to say that my thoughts go out to all the victims and their families. They will all be in my heart throughout these hard times.