The Naughty Step

All children test boundaries. It is their way of learning right from wrong, what is acceptable and what isn't, and how far they can go. There comes a point in time where a simple "no" just won't work and there has to be some consequences for their actions. It is then that you can introduce time-out and the naughty step.
M has a new little kitten and loves to play with him. However, she isn't always gentle with the little kitten. She has to learn that there is a difference between throwing a doll on the floor and throwing a kitten on the floor. She also has to learn to play very gentle with him because he is small. This is an issue of safety that her parents and I have to be very firm on and that is why we use the naughty step.

Eating: Take 2

Earlier I had written that M does not like to eat. She loves certain foods like crackers and cheese, but when it comes to anything nutritious you can forget it. We have been trying a lot of new things to get the food down to her little tummy. One of my favourites is making a fruit smoothie. M can help out and even decides what to put in it. We start off with some yogurt. We were using the little child yogurt cups (it was a great amount and I didn't have to guess a measurement), but now we've started to use Greek yogurt for the great texture it adds. Then we add as much fruit as we want. Some favourites are strawberries, blueberries, and peaches. Once in a while M likes to put in kiwi and apple too. Last we add orange juice. We add as much as we think we need to make sure it's not too thick. Then we put in the blender and watch the magic happen. Ta-da! A nutritious drink that is fun to make.

Out of Control

I have experienced the dreaded Temper Tantrum. Yesterday M threw a full on tantrum complete with kicking, screaming, and crying. I thought I would be one of those lucky people who would never have to experience this horror. I have been babysitting for a long time for many different families and this was my first tantrum. Being in the situation reminds me that it's not that easy to follow the advice about tantrums.

1. Stay calm. It's very hard to stay calm when you have a screaming child right in front of you. The pressure builds up because they are usually trying to resist something you told them to do. I found it very helpful to let M scream a little and take some deep breaths. This calmed me down and made the situation managable. It wouldn't have been good for M to get more upset because I was upset.

Terrible Twos

M had her first ballet class today. It was so lovely. All this little girls were running and jumping around in cute, pink, leotards and adorable little ballet slippers. M was so cute with her dancing and the huge smile on her face. She was the youngest in the class by far, but she did so well. And then we went home and ate cotton candy and rode unicorns....

Ya right! As if that was real life. This is really what the rest of my day was like.