Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen ways to trick a toddler into what you want them to do.
1. squash up and mix veggies into their regular food such as pastas, mashed potatoes etc. to get them to eat veggies they otherwise wouldn't touch.
2. Buy non-concentrate juices that have veggies in them but taste yummy like fruit. Such as Juicy Juice Harvest, or V8 Fusion
3. When fighting for a living room again, ask excitedly if they want to "help you pick up by putting their blocks in the bag" and then praising them like what they just did was AMAZING!
4. When crying or fussing quickly use the art of distraction to get their mind else where.
5. When fully frustrated and ready to blow, i find that turning on music and full out dancing gets the kids energy out, and also helps get my frustration gone. Plus, they do not know what "good" dancing is or "horrible" so go completely silly!
6. Teaching them sign language or baby tricks, always always praise as if they just one the biggest award of the year...it will encourage it in the future.
7. When yelling or screaming to loudly for the indoors, i find teaching them how to "whisper like you" is a fun game and beneficial to everybody's ears.
8. If you have a curious baby hand that wanders every diaper change, and are especially worried about little hands getting poo on them, i find with Aidan handing him anything he normally doesn't get to hold keeps his hands up by his face and not in his dirty diaper area. examples being a nearby DVD, Pen, Spoon, Tylenol measuring cup...
9. Toy rotation is a life saver, all kids LOVE new toys but when the novelty wears off, they get bored and into things. By rotating their toys every few weeks it is always like having new toys or ones they aren't sick of.
10. In order to shower and nap time is over, i put in a Baby Einstein movie while they are in their cribs so they can't hurt themselves or i give them a few books to read and pass back and forth between cribs so i have a few minutes to shower.
11. Letting them cook in their rooms is a favorite time of theirs, so i let them cook and "feed" me and their toys while i study in the rocking chair. They are occupied and it gives me a few minutes.
12. If attachment to a person is a problem, again distraction is a helper, sometimes when i leave or someone else leaves and they are upset, i will run the kids in the kitchen which is a big treat to run around in their while the person or me sneaks out.
13. While on the computer and they REALLY want to see what i am doing, i will watch a video of them doing something silly and eventually they get bored and leave me alone for a bit :)


This photo is for Katie :) we love this dress and it still fits, so Layla wore it while cooking! I put a sweater over it since it is more of a summer dress.
I caught Aidan spreading ketchup all over his face, as if it was a face lotion or something. He kept dipping his fingers in the ketchup to get more to spread all over his face...which is full of chicken3w