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Category: Motherhood
As a vegetarian married to a meat-eating husband, I get asked the same question a lot
“How in the world do you guys make dinner?”
I think most people totally over think it. They think of dinners like meatloaf or pork chops and wonder what in the world we do. So I thought I would write a little about how an herbivore and a carnivore dine together in peace. Make sure you read about how we make dinnertime less stressful. You should also take a listen to our podcast about how we survive and enjoy family dinner.
(Also, for those wondering, Mac is allowed to make her own choices in this area because we don’t make food a fight. She is offered some of everything and decides for herself what she wants to eat. But right now she is a picky eater, so we are just happy when she eats anything. Read about how we are dealing with picky eating.)
All toddlers go through picky eating phases. Sometimes they are short-lived, but other times they can seem to last forever. How do I know? Well, besides having worked with toddlers for 4 years, I’m also living with an extremely stubborn, picky eating toddler right this minute. But I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve that I’m using to deal with Mac’s picky phase because I don’t want to make food a fight.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy through my link, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. Check my disclosure page for more information.
After the two weeks I had off for holiday break, I forgot how little time we actually have after work until Mac goes to bed. We get home, rush dinner onto the table, attempt to have some family time and then scoot off to bed. So how do you make those precious few hours together less stressful? Make sure you also listen to our podcast about surviving dinner time.
Well I have come up with a few ways we have found really make our weeknights less stressful. (And P.S. do not make food a fight!)
Feeding your toddler can be really frustrating. Despite the great start I gave Mac by doing baby led weaning, she is now the pickiest eater ever. Avocados were the first food she ate and were her hands down favorite for months and months. Now, I can’t even get her to try them. The other day, she wouldn’t even eat takeout pasta that Andrew brought home for a special meal. She took two, small bites and then pushed her plate away and said
“I like sauce”
which means applesauce. We tried harder to encourage her to eat this special meal, but each time she pushed the plate away and declared
“I like sauce”
until finally we just gave in. While we had the special treat meal, she had a peanut butter sandwich and applesauce. But we are willing to deal with that so that food doesn’t become a power struggle. It is so important that you do not make food a fight with your toddler. Read on and I’ll tell you our mealtime rule with Mac. (If you want some more tips on dinner as a family, check out my post on making dinnertime less stressful, even with kids.)
When it comes to kids and sleeping, I mostly see “black or white” posts about either never allowing your child to sleep in your bed or how the family bed is the only way to go. Well, what if I told you there is a gray area where your toddler can have her own bed, but also sleep in yours. The situation I have going on right now at home is kind of the best of both worlds. Let me tell you all about Mac’s sleep habits, our unique sleeping situations (including how we part-time bed share), and the benefits of both.
The New Year is upon us and even though I always have good intentions about keeping resolutions, I always struggle with them. I either set super unattainable goals (publish a best seller within the next 12 months despite the fact that I haven’t started or even thought of a book idea) or I just have trouble keeping them. But this year, I am going to make better resolutions. Here’s how.
Andrew and I recorded a podcast all about our experience with cloth diapering and how cloth diapering has changed over time. It is just as convenient as disposibles, in our view. Give it a listen.
Previous Cloth Diapering Posts:
5 Reasons I Recommend Cloth Diapers
A Minimalist’s Guide to Cloth Diaper Accessories
Cloth Diaper Store:
What We Used (and Recommend):
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy through my link, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. For more information, see my disclosure page here.
Diapers
Accessories:
This post was sponsored by WeatherBug. Make sure you check out my disclosure page for more information on sponsored posts.
I live in Minnesota where we can experience all four seasons in about 48 hours. One year on Thanksgiving it got to 60 degrees and we all sat outside on the deck. Less than 24 hours later, it snowed 6 inches. It is so important to keep up to date on not only the weather right now, but what the weather will be like all day. Technology today means we can easily check a weather app and get all of the information we need. And let me tell you, apparently a ton of parents need a weather app they can depend on, because you wouldn’t believe how some kids come dressed for school. That is where WeatherBug comes in. (Also make sure you take a look at my tips and tricks for dressing your child for winter weather.)
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy through my link, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. For more information, see my disclosure page here.
Every winter, parents struggle with how to keep their kids warm in the winter. As a parent, I understand the fear of your child getting cold. We always want to keep them warm and snuggly and unfortunately, that sometimes leads to parents not allowing their children to go outside at all during the winter months. But kids need to go outside in all kinds of weather. Here in Minnesota, we believe that there isn’t bad weather, only bad clothing. But what should you look for in kids winter clothes? And how do you get your kids to keep them on? Well, as a Minnesota mama, I feel like I have some great recommendations for kids winter clothes, some tips about getting them on and keeping them on, and my #1 trick for winter success.
(P.S. Make sure you listen to my podcast about surviving winter outdoors with children. It is at the end of this post!)
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy through my link, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. For more information, see my disclosure page here.
With the holiday season on the horizon, now is the time to start brainstorming gift ideas. Gift guides for kids of all ages are easy to find. Most of them contain a long list of the popular toys of that year. But what about gifts that aren’t just toys, especially if you want to buy the entire family a gift? That is where my non-toy gift guide for the entire family comes in.
(Click to read why I don’t want people to buy my kid toys for Christmas)
This gift guide is designed for entire families. Whether you are parents buying for all of your children or an aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa, etc. who wants to buy something for an entire family, this gift guide is for you. Presents for the entire family don’t have to be big or expensive to satisfy everyone.
If you want to read non-toy gift guides for other ages, make sure you check out my Non-Toy Gift Guide for Babies, Non-Toy Gift Guide for Toddlers, Non-Toy Gift Guide for Preschoolers, and Non-Toy Gift Guide for Elementary Aged Kids.
