Life, Gluten Free

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

My daughter picked this book out at the library, another adaptation of Goldilocks and The Three Bears. Often times, when we think of story re-writes, we think they must be missing valid story elements. I've come across some stories that aren't as good as the original by any means. But this book surprised me. I really enjoyed reading it to my daughter and she enjoyed the story and the photos in the book.

As Goldilocks picked herself up off the floor, she caught sight of the twisty wooden stairs.

"Stairs. I wonder why I didn't notice those before."

The answer is because she was too busy eating other people's porridge and breaking other people's furniture to have possibly noticed the little staircase winding up through the house.

Do you have a favorite kids book?

-heather

Power Struggles

I am reading a book about how to be your child's emotion coach and avoid power struggles. Mary Sheedy Kurcinka is the author of Kids, Parents and Power Struggles. 

An excerpt from the book:

"Recognizing those emotions is the key to stopping power struggles before they even start. Responding to those emotions builds the relationship that makes your child want to work with you."

She also wrote Raising Your Spirited Child, which is next on my list to read.

There is definitely a current power struggle going on between us right now and I am trying to figure out the emotion behind it. It started suddenly and I hoping it will be short-lived. Here is an example, I am getting ready to change her diaper and she says "no! daddy! change it!" This means, she doesn't want me to change her diaper, she wants her dad to. She'll also ask for grandma, if she is around. This will also happen if my husband is the one being the "monster," so it seems, and then I am called in.

It also happens (sometimes) when me or my husband try to get her dressed or undressed. And it's not like we do it forcefully. We always talk about what we're doing, and why. For instance, I'll say that we are getting dressed because we are going out (to the park, to the library, or wherever).

So why is she doing it.... It can be very exasperating. I don't know if it is just her exerting her independence and showing that she has her own preference. Even still, there is some emotion behind it. I am going to be applying some of the concepts that I have learned so far in the book Kids, Parents and Power Struggles and will update then.

-heather

Recipes Written in Crayon

Although we have many pens to choose from, they are never in the draw or anywhere to be found when you need them.

Was it the gnomes?

Perhaps.

You see, where we lived previously, we had a large laundry cart in our closet. It contained three bags. One for whites, one for darks and one for our daughter's clothes. Pretty easy, right?

Unless you have gnomes...

My husband said that the reason his clothes always ended up laying over the cart or near it on the floor, was a direct result of what he called "gnomes."

Pesky little buggers. Since we moved here, they must have followed us and decided that they needed a new hobby: pens.

This has been an ongoing issue, and many of my recipes have been scrawled in crayon.

And I am guessing, that the popcorn that I stepped in while photographing the recipe, was more than likely those same gnomes!

Because, clearly, my daughter didn't do it. She loves to clean and help.

And she's very good at it too.

Show your kids that housework can be fun. It doesn't have to be a bore! 

-heather

Well, that was hard.

Parenting isn't always easy. I just thought I'd let you know.

A baby is a blessing. <-- that's true

A baby grows into a toddler. <-- very true

There is such a thing as terrible two's. <-- well, maybe

I don't like to use the label terrible two's, because it seems demeaning to me. This is just a developmental phase that a child goes through, kind of like teenager years.

I wasn't a difficult teenager.

Ask my mom. I'm really serious.

My parents actually raised me in an attachment parenting style, they just didn't know it was called that.

I was respected, trusted and nurtured. So, I didn't rebel. 

Really.

Positive - or - attachment parenting doesn't mean that your toddler or child will never get upset. But it means that there will be fewer issues. Your child will learn to manage his or her emotions.

Today was a tough day. We have been inside a lot lately because of the cold weather. Sophie didn't want to go down for her nap. She was overtired and got to the point that she really didn't know what she wanted.

I decided to take her upstairs, she had to take her nap soon, as it was getting too late in the day. 

She wasn't sure at first, but she cooperated. She really was tired. I gave her a dropper of Valerian Super Calm by Herbs for Kids. She nursed, and within mere minutes she was fast asleep.

A part of attachment parenting, is knowing that your child has reached his or her limits. Then you respond in a loving and understanding way. After all, we have all been there... We have times when we are really tired but just - for whatever reason - can't relax and wind down.

-heather

Positive Parenting

she loves to help :)

When I was pregnant with our daughter, my husband and I already knew some things for sure (though not her gender, we waited until the birth to find that out).

We knew that we were going to parent her in a positive way - ie, attachment parenting.

And that no matter what, we would always love her. We want her to be who she is and feel confident being herself.

And yes, no spanking. or threatening. or demeaning her.

It wasn't until I got some books that I knew our philosphy had a name, attachment parenting. This phrase was coined by Dr. Sears and his wife.

When Sophie was still around 8 months old, I had purchased a book on Amazon called:

The Discipline Book: How to Have a Better-Behaved Child From Birth to Age Ten 

When I received it, I thumbed through it lightly and put it aside. I guess I felt like I really didn't need to read it then.

But yesterday, I just got the book out of the garage and started reading it.

It made me feel good, because I felt like it was validation that I was already on the right track with her.

I already knew, through reading other books on positive discipline, that when your child is doing something they are not suppose to do, you say something like "no don't do that" and if he or she doesn't stop, then you need to remove them from the situation.

Not forcefully, not meanly. Just gently. 

So yesterday, when Sophie attempted to play with the LED christmas lights - regretting my decision to buy them and put them up - I gently plucked her up and set her down else where. She quickly became engaged in a different activity, with no grunts or screams. I reinforced my "no" by removing her from the situation.

And the other day, we were at a thrift store, and she started trying to get an ornament out of a package that they were selling, I told her no, but her attempt was continuous. I took her hand away, and she growled at me. I decided to use another positive discipline technique:

Remove from situation and replace with something else.

I took her and showed her something else that was safe to look at, and she was fine.

Sometimes it takes a few more minutes, sometimes just mere seconds, but positive discipline is worth it. You feel more connected to your child and your child learns to trust you. 

And they learn to manage their emotions. This is another hot topic, how to raise a child with a high EQ. But more about that later :)

After reading part of that book last night, it gave me an inspiration to start blogging about our positive parenting experiences so be sure to check back for more on this topic!

-heather