NO...the new four letter word

No...is it just a word that corrects behavior or does it go deeper than that? If I was asking my friend, Kathleen, she would say it goes much deeper and in fact it is a word that should be avoided in parenting when at all possible. I trust her opinion for sure because she studied early childhood as an undergrad and graduate student so she definitely knows a thing or two. That being said, we say no in our house. It's not the only term we use when correcting behavior or asking our daughter to stop doing something but I would say that it is the go to, especially when she's sticking her finger in a socket or attempting to ride her toddler four wheeler while standing up and time is of the essence. {Side note, she seriously may be related to Evil Knievel because she's always trying to do stunts while riding her little four wheeler! Crazy kid!}

I understand the psychology behind avoiding the word no but I'm not sure I see the benefit of it. The Millennials are probably the first product of the, don't say no parenting technique, and I'm almost positive we can all admit that this generation could have handled being told no a time or two while growing up. Heck, I'm part of that group and I can admit some weakness in this area as well. While I have been disappointed with most of the bratty behavior of my generation I also have a lot of pride for the ones who have made positive changes because they didn't take no for an answer. {As usual I see the good and bad} 

2014 Toddler Holiday Gift Guide

It's that time of year again and if you're anything like me you still have a lot of shopping to do! At least I'm hoping that I'm not alone in my procrastination. I might be behind in my shopping but I have my list ready to go. Today I'm going to focus on what to buy for the toddlers in your life. This is such a fun age to shop for and there are some great new options this year. Be sure to tell me what is on your list in the comments below! {Affiliate links are listed below}

ONE
Toddlers love all things outside and anything that puts them in motion. Toddler parents love things that grow with their little ones. So much happens so quickly during this stage that it is important to buy things that will adapt right along with the toddler. This Radio Flyer 4-in-1 Trike is at the top of my list for Amelia and I know she's going to love it!

TWO
Time for your check up! Doc McStuffins is everywhere and our house is no exception. Doc is about the only TV Amelia will entertain for longer than a minute. Disney Doc McStuffins Get Better Talking Mobile I probably should've ordered this one last week as it seems to be sold out on Amazon at the moment. Hopefully they'll get it in stock again soon! This is one of the "it" toys of the year and for good reason, it comes with tons of little tools and and compartments and all in all seems like a great educational and fun toy. 

THREE
Melissa & Doug Toys are some of Amelia's favorites and I have a few on the list for her this year. I especially love this cookie set because it comes with a canister to put the cookies in. And if you know a toddler you know they love to fill things up and then dump them out again! 

FOUR

I'm calling thE Fisher-Price Doodle Pro  a must have for the car. I stumbled upon this on someone's Facebook feed and they were raving about it for traveling with a toddler.  

FIVE

Last but by no means least is the Little Partners Learning Tower this one is actually my favorite. So much so that I couldn't wait until Christmas to get one. It is perfect for your little one who is climbing up your legs to see what is going on in the kitchen or any other high place. It has really saved Amelia and I both some heartache and frustration during dinner time or while I'm trying to get the dishes done. I just set her up with her own activity in the tower and I'm able to get some stuff done while she watches and plays! I can't say enough good things about this one!

Here she is making some cookies and whipping up some "cheerio soup" ;) 

Okay your turn...what's on your list for the toddlers in your life? What am I missing? 

weekend in review

Friday:
I finally gave up on thinking my sinus infection was no big deal after the third day of my terrible sinus migraine. I have no idea if that's really a thing but that's what I'm calling it. I went to the doctor on Thursday afternoon and started my second round of antibiotics. I woke up in pain Friday morning but still tried to make it into the office. I finally turned around when I realized how miserable I would be sitting at my desk all day. I did some work from home, napped for about an hour and then went and picked up Amelia. We went to target to kill some time before daddy made it home. Target trips are interesting these days. Some days she will sit the whole time and just get antsy toward the end and other days she channels Evel Knievel and causes others who have either been there and forgotten or not yet experienced the joy of toddlerhood to judgingly stare us down. Normally I'm pretty good at keeping her entertained with snacks and interaction but being sick I just wasn't on my game. Here she is leading the way with the cart and letting me know it was time to head to checkout. 

Saturday:

I woke up feeling a little bit better and we headed to the grocery store first thing to beat the Thanksgiving rush. We aren't traveling for any holidays this year because traveling for both last year with an infant wore us out! My parents live in Virginia and Travis' family is in Missouri, Colorado and California. Needless to say we are SPREAD out, literally from coast to coast. We are both looking forward to some down time and I'm especially ready to get the house decorated this year. It's been fun really experiencing the holidays with Amelia this year. Last year she was still way too little to have any idea about what was going on.  No worries, we won't be alone on turkey day, we are heading to a friend's house for all the traditional festivities of football watching, wine drinking, and face stuffing. I signed up to bring all of my husband's must haves, mine too really, but he is especially particular about his thanksgiving meal necessities. His must haves include, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes and hawaiian rolls. Mine are stuffing and green bean casserole which someone had already signed up for so we're both covered. What are your family's favorite turkey day dishes? Amelia has been up and down with food lately but hopefully she'll be in a good mood and stuff her face with the rest of us. Here's our little turkey last year when the only thing she was stuffing her face with was mommy milk. 

Sunday:

I felt much better this morning but I still had periods throughout the day where I wanted to rip out my sinuses. Amelia and I both have appointments to see an allergist in December and I have high hopes that we can both find some relief from our allergy issues and avoid as many future sinus infections as possible. It was a beautiful day today so we took advantage of it because the past couple of weeks the weather has been pretty dreary. After watching our Texans lose...again, we headed to target to return some things and went ahead and bought Amelia this bounce house I've had my eye on since May. I know, I'm the world's slowest decision maker. She jumped in it at a friend's house for Cinco de Mayo and I've been considering it ever since. I'm not going to lie, our recent battle of keeping a toddler entertained definitely made the decision much easier. After bringing it home and setting it up I'm definitely glad we decided to go for it. She had so much fun jumping around and it made for a really fun afternoon. There's not much I wouldn't do to see this smile. 

What were y'all up to this weekend? Isn't it funny to think about what it was like to be sick before kiddos? "No rest for the weary"...truer words have never been spoken.