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I’m part of the Finish Power & Free Alliance of Moms, encouraging others to #CleanItForward in the Power and Free Challenge for a better 2014. I feel blessed to have my home and family, and can’t imagine 2014 anything other than great as long as my loved ones are healthy and happy. My job is […]
Having kids brings a sort of disarray into the lives of parents, and while it’s a wonderful disarray, it definitely helps to have some aspects of our lives kept in order (or else you’ll never find the baby powder when you need it). While I couldn’t predict what my child would want to eat or […]
What a smart tool! I love that it can attach to the crib. I might need to pick one up!
My tip is to buy baby clothes from yardsale pages on Facebook or from consignment stores. They grow out of them so fast- it isn’t wise to pay full price!
I think the biggest tip you can give someone is to trust their instincts. Noone knows YOUR baby as well as you!
My tip is to not buy a lot of clothes in small sizes but stretch out the sizes. They grow so quickly and sometimes never even get to wear some of the outfits.
My tip for NEW parents? Take help when it’s offered! Seriously…call in all those offers to babysit or help out. You might not think you will need the help, but even if it gives you a chance to get a shower and a nap, it’s worth it!
I shared!
https://www.facebook.com/hybroanglid/posts/783562381672664?stream_ref=10
h4schaffer at gmail dot com
Tweeted!
https://twitter.com/hybroanglid/status/434513384562634752
h4schaffer at gmail dot com
Try to have everything on a routine. It makes everything easier!!
The biggest thing I learned as a new parent is to nap when baby naps! House work can always be done later.
This is so neat! I’m done with babies but I would so get this!
My tip is not to overdo it when it comes to buying baby clothing, no matter how many cute outfits you see. I did this with my first child, and there were so many outfits that he didn’t get to wear. Babies grow up fast!
I LOVE this. I never had anything like that when Mine were in diapers. I might use this for something other than diapers now actually LOL
Keep babies in a routine to help them better sleep eat and play
Follow your own instincts. If you think there isn’t something right with your baby, have them checked out.
I always tell new moms when they tell me they’re getting conflicting advise that no one can do a better job with their baby as long as they trust their best instincts. No complaints yet…
make sure your house is well equipped with things you will need after the baby arrives before your due date.
buy cloth diapers! in the end they will save you money!
When babies are newborn, you will need to change diapers about every 2 hours. You will need WAY more diapers than you think. We ran out with our first much more quickly than I anticipated! Be prepared! Julie smartsavvymama@gmail.com
My friend Nichol is another wonderful blogging friend with a sweet love story. She is visiting us from Kiddie’s Corner Deals and always speaks so well of her husband that I asked her to share a bit about their relationship to help us celebrate Valentine’s Day. How did you meet? I moved to Chris’s school […]
🙂 Thanks so much for the feature Penelope!!
I love it! Nichol is such a wonderful person and it’s no surprise that her husband is her cheering squad. I see them interact on Facebook and it always brings a smile to my face!
I love hearing everyone’s love stories! As someone who has been with my now husband 23 years, I know what a beautiful thing it is to have that special someone in your life.
Awww, I love Nichol! So much fun learning more about her. Sounds like she and her hubby were definitely soul mates.
Awww — this is my favorite of your love story features yet!
How sweet. It is especially lovely to see young love blossom into a successful marriage.
What a beautifully touching story! How wonderful to be married to your best friend.
what a wonderful story and such trials sounds like many happy years are ahead of them
Lovely story! These posts are very inspiring. 🙂
Aah what a sweet story! They look so happy in love!
That is such a sweet story Nichol and I so agree with your words of wisdom regarding “Communications” it is so true.
It’s always fun to read how people met. You look like a very happy couple!
Thank you for this feature. I appreciate her advice about communication – not yelling or trying to over power the other.
Very sweet. I also agree that communication is vital for a healthy marriage.
What a beautiful couple! She reminds me of myself, I also had a rough childhood and my husband was who got me through it in high school. &I definitely agree about communication!
What a great love story. I love hearing about how people met.
Aww what a beautiful love story!
What a beautiful love story! They truly do look like they’re in love.
So sweet. Not all stories of young love turn out well(mine didn’t), but it is so nice to see an exception to the rule with you and your husband Nichol.
I absolutely love Nichol! She is as sweet as sweet can be, and I know she really loves that man of hers!
I love Nichol, she is the sweetest and one day I saw her hubs share a pic of her on Facebook tagged that she is so beautiful or something like that. They are a couple to be admired, I loved reading more about their story! Happiness.
Aww thanks so much Tammy! My hubby is the best:)
We’ve had a very difficult marriage, but we made it. He’s my soul mate!
Love you too Tiff! He’s my everything, definitely my soul mate!
Thanks Colleen! I wasn’t always the best at communication, but now it is the most important.
Agree, their marriage is so wonderful 😉
What a sweet love story! I wish them many, many more years of wedded bliss.
You have such a beautiful story! It’s funny how when you find the person you’re supposed to be with, you just know. It doesn’t matter the age or distance. If it’s love, it’ll find a way.
This is such a beautiful story! I agree with the “marriage is teamwork” part – I’ve learned that after 4 kids – if we can’t be a team, life will always defeat us.
Such a great love story! Marriage takes work but it is so rewardingly worth it!
Do you have a strong willed child? I have two, and while I love it when children have gumption, I don’t like being challenged at every turn, so over the years I compiled some of my favorite parenting tips to help parents raise strong-minded, spirited children who are also disciplined and respectful. Five Tips For […]
Our daughter is strong-willed and we learned pretty early that if we said something we’d have to do it or we’d lose the end game in this parenting venture. So when we told her that if she wouldn’t clean up her toys they’d all get put in the garbage…well we did it (and we didn’t just hide them or donate them, we bagged them up and tossed them on the curb on garbage day). Interestingly enough, she’s 18 now and has never had a messy space since and always picks up her things. Lesson learned for all of us!
I never had a problem with being consistent, and my kids learned really early that when I said something that was that. There really wasn’t any point in whining. My daughter never went through the terrible two’s and my son had a very, very mild period. I feel so lucky. Believe me, based on my own childhood, I should have been paid back with hellions but fate was kind to me.
Consistency has been the biggest help for us. Even if we’re exhausted, rules must be kept. The rules, of course, are always reasonable and can be adjusted depending on the needs of the child at that particular time or the circumstances.
I think listening to your child is imperative. So many times, we talk without listening and don’t get the full story or know how our kids really feel.
We don’t have any kiddo’s, but I still love the post. Thanks for sharing, I will make sure to share with the parents I know :-)!
This is right on! My daughter is now 12 years old and was born strong-willed. My oldest is very easy going, so this was a shock to our system. When she was only three years old, I put her in a time out and as I was walking away, I mumbled to myself “Lord help me”….well she came right out and angrily exclaimed, “the Lord ain’t gonna help you” and this is when we knew that we had a spirited one on our hands. Another time a lady come up to me at the mall to tell me that she could see that my strong-willed child is a handful, but that I would love that independent spirit as she got older. She was right! Our girl is now a honors student and goes after her goals with focus and gumption in community theatre, as a yearbook photographer, student council and more . When she doesn’t achieve a goal, she learns humility and to root for others, too. Of your tips listed above, we found that creating a routine and including her the decision-making process really made a difference. That way we give her guidance (and consequences when needed, too)…and she feels like she has some control and that is important to strong-willed kids who also tend to be perfectionists. Great article!
Since my daughter is autistic my challenges may be a little different, but I agree with all you said. One thing that is tough is sticking to the choices I offer sometimes. Occasionally, I will realize after the choice is made that it will be rather impractical or a big hassle for me, but I stick to it. We all get stuck not carrying through once in awhile, but it is so important that be an extreme rarity.
Great tips! I’m a waffler. Gotta stop!
Fabulous post Penelope! I’m a routine mom and it has helped all these years as the kids know what is expected. Nighttime is especially helpful even when they are my kids ages. I also allow my children to make decisions, if they aren’t the right decisions we explain why.
We’ve done that before too Tammy, my oldest son is pretty good about keeping his side of the room clean.
These are some great tips that every parent should consider. I’ve seen some pretty out of control kids while out and about.
Thanks for the tips, now can you come try them on my boychild..lol
Great tips! We’re having a phase with our toddler and these are definitely good tips to remember.
Love the new layout and great tips for sure.
Great tips! My daughter is a strong willed child. I admire her gumption but man is it hard sometimes!
These are all great tips. I have two very strong willed children and I do quite a few of these things.
Our son has always known that what we say goes. That being said, he knows when he can negotiate with us. And if he has a valid point and can communicate it well, we may change our minds. He also knows that we let him make a lot of his own decisions, but… there are consequences to his decisions.
Routines and positive reinforcement have made a world of difference with my oldest in our home.
Great tips! My kids were not strong willed whats so ever. I was really really lucky. We were so positive and busy with the kids all through there younger years through college. Now it is so fun to see the awesome adults they have become.
These are some great tips I have always let me kids have some decisions but maybe too many LOL.
I have THREE strong-willed-kids — several of these are definitely things that work (which we’ve discovered simply through trial and error).
Love the new theme!
Love these tips! I have recently discovered the beauty of a routine- I wish I would have enforced one sooner!
These are excellent tips! Although tantrums are few and far between these days, my children were always ignored until they were able to calm down. All three of them do best on a routine too!
Love these, Penelope. I also have a strong-willed child and it’s definitely a much different parenting experience. Thanks for the tips.
Both of my girls are strong-willed as well. I’ve been trying to apply the Love and Logic techniques and when I’m diligent with them, I can definitely see an improvement in responses and behaviors.
While I realize my son is young, we have always identified these strong traits. He is almost 2, and one way to help encourage him to listen is to ask for his help with whatever task I am doing. the other day we went to check the mail, and I let him hold it. That small act of contribution, especially when you’re little, is important, and helps keep him from getting into some other fun adventure. Acknowledging what they can do and letting them figure things out before assuming that they need help keeps them from getting frustrated as quickly.
This post brought to you by PERK. All opinions are 100% mine. I spend about 3 hours a day in my car, and I’m used to finding crumbs and messes in the car seats (the result of having two kids who need to be kept fed while driving around). The worst is coming into my […]
Cool idea! We’ve used cotton balls with essential oils and that works well too.
We eat a lot in the car and need something to eliminate those pesky food odors.
Shared on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/amyorvin/posts/737539109599223?stream_ref=10
To keep the car smelling fresh and new.
Sounds like an awesome air freshener!! We are in need of some, so I am off to check them out!
We have three little ones and have to carry a potty around for the ones training- so we could use some air freshening.
My car is OLD. Seriously…we call her Old Betsy, and she is twenty, nearly twenty-one, years old. That means there is at least a couple of decades worth of mystery in her vents. Sometimes she doesn’t smell so sweet! These would so great to try! And I know Old Betsy would feel better, too. 🙂
h4schaffer at gmail dot com
I shared this on FB!
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h4schaffer at gmail dot com
We’ll soon be purchasing a new (to us) car, and we’d love to have a nice fresh scent every time we open the door to our new vehicle! Not to mention our current vehicle needs all the love it can get- it accumulates so much trash and food crumbs throughout the week it’s not even funny!
I used to smoke in my car. Now I’ve quit, but the smell just won’t! I’d love to give this a try!
coriwestphal at msn dot com
Tweet: https://twitter.com/coriwestphal/status/433357572486070272
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Oh heavens! My car definitely needs this and more, LOL. But we will start with these! They sound really yummy smelling!
cause I have 3 messy kids that leave dirty stuff behind
nannypanpan@gmail.com
I have an older car which means that the smells tend to be a bit permanent. It would be nice to have a pleasant aroma in my car!
My car needs a PERK Vent Wrap because with a baby in diapers and a dog, our car can start smelling pretty stinky.
Because I love the smell of a new car and I have a nine year old daughter so it no longer smells new!!
Hubby’s vehicle desperately needs this… between funky wet boot/sock odors, chemical odors from floor stripper and stuff that he was supposed to have for lunch that is fermenting in a bag someplace in the back seat area, I really don’t want to go into his car unless I have to…so Perking up his car with fragrance would be great!
My husband’s car has this lingering odor of crayons and socks. I’m not sure why as we neither take our shoes off in the car nor have any kind of crayons in it. It is what it is, but man could we use some freshener like this in it!
I am a person who loves things to smell pretty! So I am in desperate need of a pretty scent for our car, as I am out!
my brother uses the car and it smells like smoke its very nasty
Cause we’re stinky an we need to smell fresh!
I actually like the way these smell & I am uber fussy.
I drive a huge vehicle with 7 kids in it
Our dishwasher broke last spring and we have yet to replace it. However, I was a Finish fan when it worked! Psst: I also hate streaky glasses!
I really wish we had a dishwasher!!! I think that Finish really works good, that is what my sister uses, and loves it!!
I love Finish Quantum in our last home it was the only detergent that I could use in my dishwasher that actually cleaned my dishes properly. I like their Speed Dry Turbo Jet Dry, but it’s really really hard to find anywhere any more (I wonder if it’s discontinued), I buy it off Amazon.
We’ve used these before and found them to work well. Our new dish washer suggests we use a different brand though..
We use our dishwasher every day – I’d love being able to use something w/ less chemicals!
I know people will think I’m nuts, but I rarely use my dishwasher. For just the 3 of us (and I confess to using paper plates several meals a week), it’s just quicker. But I haven’t tried Finish before, I’ll check it out.
I use Finish rinse aid in our dishwasher and like it very much. The last time I used the Finish detergent I wasn’t impressed. This new one without harsh chemicals is definitely worth looking into.
I love Finish and can’t imagine using anything different, especially the Jet Dry. If I don’t pay attention and let the reservoir get empty, I can tell because all my dishes don’t get all the way dry.
I wish I had a dishwasher to try this.
I’ve never tried these. I’m exceedingly fussy about my detergent, so I rarely try new ones.
Our dishwasher is fairly new, but I have been noticing streaks on our glasses too. Maybe it isn’t the dishwasher, maybe we just need to be using a different detergent.
We have used Finish dishwasher tabs for years now and I couldn’t imagine anything working better. Not to mention how JetDry manages to keep our glasses streak free despite having insanely hard water here in Las Vegas!
I hate streaky glasses, too. Finish is one brand I rely on.
I’ve heard of this before but I’ve never used it. I’ll definitely have to add it to my to-get list.
I hate streaky glasses too. I’ll have to try Finish Power & Free.
When we had a dishwasher I used this brand and loved it. Now we hand was b/c our dishwasher broke…boo.
I don’t currently have a dish washer, but hope to change that! If we do, I will certainly have to give this a try, it seems like it’s a great product!
I’ve never tried this but it would be great if it works well.
Our dishes haven’t been as clean lately. We will have to try this!
I have never tried this product. Glad it works. We have to clean our dishwasher before we use it again. The water softener stopped working and iron build up in the dishwasher is preventing anything from getting truly clean. 🙁
We have such hard water that even with rinse aids it’s frustrating that the glasses still come out streaky. I need to check this out as an alternative to the liquid I’ve been using.