Gentle Parenting During Toddler Tantrums

>> Friday, April 30, 2010

This post is written for inclusion in the Carnival of Gentle Discipline hosted by Paige @ Baby Dust Diaries. All week, April 26-30, we will be featuring essays about non-punitive discipline. See the bottom of this post for more information.

We've all heard it or said it "You need to stop throwing tantrums and be good!”. It's ironic that we put these expectations on our toddlers when even as adults we sometimes have our own little temper tantrums.

I'm a firm believer that when a child can do well he will do well. I believe this applies to children of all ages not just our toddlers.

We bring our babies home from the hospital and they cry. But we (hopefully) realize these cries are their only way to communicate with us. They lack the skills to communicate any other way aside from crying. So we spend countless hours responding to their cries and talking them through their cries “It’s okay baby, your diaper is wet but mommy is going to change it” or “Aww you’re a hungry baby! It’s time to nurse you again”. Gradually our babies start to tell us or show us what they need and the crying becomes less.

We reach toddlerhood with lots of words and the ability to communicate things they want and don’t want (haven’t we all heard “No!” a million times today?) and our expectations suddenly sky-rocket. Our little one wants something in the kitchen or at the store and we say “just a minute” or “I’m sorry, but we aren’t buying that today”. And.Then.We.Wait. For the meltdown to begin. And once it starts, I don’t know about you but I really wish there was a magic way to stop it. I’ve been dealing with the tantrums head-on for awhile now and I’ve been trying to “come to terms” with them if you will.

In my reflections and reading about tantrums, I’ve realized that just because my little guy can talk it doesn’t mean that he has the ability or the skills to express how he is feeling. He is not able to say “Mom, it’s making me very frustrated that I can’t fit this square block into the circle slot.”, so he’s left to throwing a tantrum to express himself.

What can we do to help our children through and to get over throwing tantrums?
  • We can give them the words they are lacking. Just like we did when they were infants “I know it’s frustrating for you when the toys don’t work like you want. Would you like some help?” Recently I’ve been reminding him in a calm voice to use his words. I tell him I don’t understand what you want when you are screaming at me; you have to use your words. Sometimes it works, he’ll stop crying and I can help him find the words he needs.
  • We can lower our expectations. I don’t mean allow them to do whatever they want, but when we expect them to behave as two year olds our expectations will fall so they can actually meet them. They don’t understand when we say “Just a minute” – they have no concept of time so to them that would be like saying “Just wait an hour”. However, if we said “Just as soon as mommy puts these dishes in the sink I can get you juice”, then we might avoid a complete meltdown.
  • We can try to avoid tantrum situations.
  1. How often do we know that the kids are tired or hungry yet we still attempt that quick stop at the store on the way home? Either give the kids a snack before going in or try to run to the store when the kids are better able to handle a stop.
  2. We can give our children notice of changes that will be taking place.
  3. Offer choices when possible.
  4. Try not to use the word no. So often we mean something other than no, such as stop or don’t touch. Sometimes just avoiding the word no will avoid a tantrum or three.
Sometimes no matter what we do there are going to be tantrums. It’s just part of being a toddler (teen or adult). What can we do once a tantrum is underway?
  • Stay calm. I wrote recently, how sometimes I feel like joining him in his tantrum. But raising my voice or getting angry will only end up making the tantrum worse for both of us.
  • Wait it out. Once the tantrum is in full force there is no reasoning or distracting. If we’re home I can offer to sit with him and hold him (sometimes this does work). When I hold him I validate his feelings and try to give him the words. Sometimes he tells me to “Go!” So I walk away a short distance (making sure he is safe) and wait until he calms down a little, then I’ll again offer to sit with him. If we are out somewhere I try to take him someplace private (I’m sure it’s embarrassing for him as well when he can’t control himself & people are looking at him) or we will just leave if we are able.
  • Don’t give in. If the tantrum is because he wants something now is not the time to give it to him in order to stop the tantrum. He will remember this and use this tool in the future many more times.
As your child gains the skills to handle themselves and their emotions let them know they’ve done well “Great job for not throwing the toys when they didn’t work the way you wanted” or “Good job using your words, I can help you so much better when you tell me what you need”. They will realize this is good and appropriate behaviour and they will want (and be able if other stressors are favourable) to repeat it again next time. I don’t believe we need to praise them every single time they don’t have a tantrum, but the first couple times they handle themselves appropriately I think it’s ok to let them know they have done well.

I know as a parent of a toddler (and two pre-teens) it’s not always easy to keep your cool and remain patient. We’re human. I know I fail more times than I care to count. It’s important not to beat yourself up when you make a parenting mistake (perceived or otherwise). Start now when your kids are little of making it a priority to apologize when you’ve made a mistake (this teaches them it’s okay to admit when you are wrong and that even parents make mistakes). At the end of the day during nightly kisses or our last nursing session many times I’ve told my kids I’m sorry for losing my patience today, that I love them, and tomorrow I will do better. That’s the best any of us can do especially when we are dealing with multiple meltdowns a day.

More resources on dealing with tantrums:
Cry for Connection: A Fresh Approach to Tantrums
Abrupt, by Annie from PhD in Parenting
The No-Cry Discipline Solution, by Elizabeth Pantley
When Toddlers say No! - It's a good sign


Gentle Parent - art by Erika Hastings at http://mudspice.wordpress.com/Welcome to the Carnival of Gentle Discipline

Please join us all week, April 26-30, as we explore alternatives to punitive discipline. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month in the USA and April 30th is Spank Out Day USA. In honor of this we have collected a wonderful array of articles and essays about the negative effects of punitive discipline methods, like spanking, and a myriad of effective alternatives.

Are you a Gentle Parent? Put the Badge on your blog or website to spread the word that gentle love works!
Links will become available on the specified day of the Carnival.

Day 1 - What Is Gentle Discipline
Day 2 - False Expectations, Positive Intentions, and Choosing Joy (coming Tuesday, April 27)
Day 3 - Choosing Not To Spank (coming Wednesday, April 28)
Day 4 - Creating a "Yes" Environment (coming Thursday, April 29)
Day 5 - Terrific Toddlers; Tantrums and All (coming Friday, April 30)


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Sapadilla Product Review & Giveaway (ENDED)

>> Thursday, April 22, 2010

Winner Announced!!











Congratulations Deanna! I know you're going to love Sapadilla as much as I do! :)


I read about Sapadilla eco-cleaners on the web and I was so impressed by their product that I wanted to try it. After looking on their website I realized no one had their products locally. So I contacted Sapadilla to see if they would be interested in allowing me to review their product for my blog.  If I can find a great eco-friendly company that is also in Canada I want to share it with you! They agreed and they sent me three of their products to try :  their All Purpose Cleaner & Counter Top Cleanser  in Grapefruit & Bergamot, and a bottle of their Dish Soap in Rosemary & Peppermint.

A little bit about Sapadilla:
  • They are manufactured completely in Canada.
  • Their fresh aromas are made from 100% pure essential oil blends with no synthetic additives. These heavenly scents were created by a natural perfumist and add mood-lifting benefits to household chores.
  • They use alkyl polyglucoside as the main surfactant, or cleaning agent, in all our products. This ingredient is highly effective and derived from naturally occurring sugars. It is also endorsed for products eco-labeled “Good Environmental Choice” by the Swedish Society of Nature Conservation.
  • All of the ingredients are plant-based, derived from renewable resources like coconut, palm and corn oil. They do not use:
  • o Synthetic fragrance or dyes
    o Sodium Lauryl Sulfate/Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate
    o Petroleum-based solvents
    o Phosphates
    o Ethylene Glycol Ethers
    o Chlorine
    o Ammonia
    o EDTA
    o Formaldehyde
    o Parabens
    o Any other harsh or questionable chemicals
  • They donate 1% of their revenues to 1% for the planet. (www.onepercentfortheplanet.com)
  • They are against animal testing and say so on their packaging.
  • Their clean, modern package design means are oh-so countertop worthy.
  • You won’t find them at unsightly bigboxmart type stores.
I think this is one of the few truly green, eco-friendly companies out there and I'm so excited to share them with you!

 As soon as I recieved my box of products and tore into it, the first thing I did was smell the product. Oh My! They are lovely! I was immediately excited to start using them, I knew they were going to make my home smell great but I wondered if I would get the usual migraine I get when I use commercial cleaners. Guess what? No migraine! That's impressive!

 The first product I used was the All Purpose Cleaner.  I added 1 tablespoon to my bucket and added 4 liters of water and went to work on my floors.  The scent from the product was lovely and mood-lifting and my floors were so clean. There was no residue left on the floors, no stickiness, just nice clean floors. This is a generous bottle (600ml) and you only use a very small amount, so this will last a long time.

 The next product I used was the Countertop Cleanser. I used it on the bathroom counter and in the kitchen.  It contains Lactic Acid which is a natural sanitizer. Just spray and let sit for a few minutes and then wipe up. It worked great and smelled so good. My counters were clean, shiny and there was no sticky or gritty residue left behind.

The last product I used was the Dish Soap.  I think this was my favorite one of them all.  I really love the smell of the rosemary and peppermint.  Even the kids commented on the smell, a couple times they would come in the kitchen and ask what I was making because it smelled so good! I actually get a little excited when I have to wash the pans that can't go in the dishwasher because I get to use this dish soap, and I hate washing dishes.  Know what else, my hands aren't all dry and rough feeling after washing dishes. That's amazing. I've used it a few times just to wash my hands in between cooking jobs and it feels really nice, and moisturizing. That's not the same feeling I get using a commercial dish soap as hand soap.

 I really love using these products. I love using them so much that I'm going to see if I can get some local boutiques to carry Sapadilla products.  What a great opportunity to support an eco-friendly, Canadian company.

 So now that you've read about this great company and how much I loved using their products wouldn't you love to try some yourself?  Well you can!

Buy it: You can check the Sapadilla website to find a local boutique or an online retailer.

Win it: Sapadilla has graciously offered one of my Canadian readers the chance to win 1 bottle of Dish Soap in Rosemary & Peppermint and 1 Countertop Cleanser in Grapefruit & Bergamot. This makes a nice sink set.

Mandatory Entry: (remember to leave each entry in a separate comment box or it won't count)
  • Visit Sapadilla and tell me what product is your favorite or something you learned about their company. (1 entry)
Here are some ways to get extra entries (remember the mandatory entry is the only required entry):
You must leave your email in your comment so that I can contact you.

This giveaway is open to Canada only! Giveaway will end April 30, 2010 at 10:00 pm EST. A winner will be chosen by random.org and will be notified by email. I will announce the winner at the top of this post as well. You must contact me within 48 hours. If you fail to claim your prize, a new winner will be chosen by random.org and emailed. 

**Disclosure: I received the Sapadilla products at my request, free of charge in exchange for this review. The opinions expressed are my own**


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Marcal Small Steps Review and Giveaway (ENDED)

Winner Annouced!!

Congratulations Kate! I hope you enjoy your Marcal Products! - Sadly Kate Didn't respond so I had to pick a new winner and that winner is:


Congrats Steph! Hope You will enjoy the Marcal products



I was contacted by Marcal Small Steps to see if I wanted to do a review for Earth month. Well, today is Earth Day and what better day to share my review with you!
Marcal Smalls Steps makes toilet paper, napkins, and paper towels from 100% premium recycled paper- not trees. It may seem like a small thing, but it actually adds up. If every household in the U.S. replaced one package of traditional toilet paper with Marcal Small Steps, together we could help save nearly one million trees. And, in your own home, a family of four could save two trees a year (17 trees over 10 years) just by switching to paper products made from 100% recycled materials.
For those of us watching our budgets (who isn’t?!), Marcal doesn’t have the “green premium” often attached to earth-friendly brands. In fact, Marcal Small Steps typically sells for less than traditional paper goods that are made by cutting down trees and often contain dyes and fragrances that Marcal doesn’t use.
My Review:

I was really excited to receive the line of Marcal products to try.  I'll be honest, we don't use a lot of paper towels in our home.  For most jobs I use microfiber cloths to clean with, and towels for spills but I do occasionally buy a package (2 roll) of paper towels.  That will last a long time in our house because it's mostly used when I cook bacon or something that needs to be set on something to get rid of the grease, so a roll can last a couple of months.  The Marcal paper towel was fantastic.  I loved that I could tear off a small piece or a larger piece. The paper towels I usually buy doesn't have that option.  I did use it for one small spill so I could see how absorbent it was and it worked like a charm. Did the job without falling apart too.

Marcal also sent me a package of 180 ct Napkins in a Drawstring Bag. Again we mostly use cloth napkins, but these will be nice for occasional use. I really liked the drawstring bag. I've bought napkins other times and there is no nice way to store them without napkins everywhere. The drawstring keeps everything neat and tidy and I like that!  They were very comparable to other napkins I've purchased in the past. They did a good job and held up well.

Our family is never going to be one of those families that uses Family Cloth in the bathroom - not for bath tissue or facial tissue. Maybe if I lived alone, but I'm never going to convince my husband or the kids to use cloth. So the option of buying a recycled bath tissue is fantastic to me.  I have to say the first day that I put the Marcal bath tissue on the roller to use everyone noticed a difference in the softness. It wasn't public restroom hard but it wasn't quite as soft as we were used to. After a couple of days of using it though I can honestly say it really didn't bother me anymore. So if you are used to that squeezably soft stuff and wanted to change to a more environmentally friendly option I think you could do it fairly easily.

The facial tissue was very comparable to the usual facial tissue I buy.  I only buy the lotion tissue if someone has a cold (those sore noses hurt!).  I didn't even notice a difference in the way it held up - it did a great job. Also not only is the tissue made from recycled paper the cardboard box for the tissue was too. :)

The GiveawayMarcal Small Steps has graciously offered to giveaway a Marcal starter kit (worth $25) to one of my lucky readers. The starter kit features an assortment of Marcal paper products—toilet paper, napkins, paper towels and facial tissues. Perfect for somebody who wants to give Marcal Small Steps a try!

Mandatory Entry: (remember to leave each entry in a separate comment box or it won't count) The only thing you need to do is go to the Marcal Small Steps website and leave me a comment about something you learned about the company or products. It's that easy!

Really want to try Marcal Small Steps products? Here are some ways you can get extra entries: (remember to leave each entry in a separate comment box or it won't count)
  • Blog about this giveaway linking back to Typical Ramblings, Atypical Nonsense and Marcal Small Steps and leave the URL where you did (2 entries)
  • Follow Me with Google Friend Connect (1 entry)
  • Subscribe to Typical Ramblings, Atypical Nonsense (1 entry)
  • Follow @Luvschweetheart and @MarcalSmallStep on Twitter; leave a comment with your twitter id (1 entry)
  • Tweet about this giveaway; leave the URL where you did. (you may tweet once per day for an extra entry) (1 entry per day) * #Win Marcal starter kit ($25 value) of recycled paper products from @Luvschweetheart & @marcalsmallstep  http://bit.ly/bkXb4V*
  • Become a Fan of Typical Ramblings, Atypical Nonsense on Facebook (1 entry)
  • Add Marcal Small Steps to your Facebook Friends (1 enrty)
*Remember these are all extra entries, the only one you are required to do to win is the mandatory entry.*

You must leave your email in your comment so that I can contact you.

This giveaway is only open to the US. Giveaway will end April 30, 2010 at 10:00 pm EST. A winner will be chosen by random.org and will be notified by email. I will announce the winner at the top of this post as well. You must contact me within 48 hours. If you fail to claim your prize, a new winner will be chosen by random.org and emailed.

**Disclosure: I received the Marcal Small Steps products free of charge in exchange for this review. The opinions expressed are my own**


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Mamavation Monday - April 12, 2010

>> Monday, April 12, 2010

Watch Lives Change
Well another week down and another no change in my weight. It is my fault. At least there wasn't a gain so that's something.  I've not been eating junk but I know I've been eating too much in general. Rather than taking a second helping of veggies I would take a second helping of potatoes - yeah, not very weight loss conducive.  And exercise, well I did do some exercise but if I'm going to be honest with myself, I didn't do enough - not enough to lose weight.  If you want to lose it you've got to move it right? Right! And well, as the queen of excuses - I've always got a reason.  So, I need to ask myself - do I really want to lose weight.  Today I can honestly answer that with a yes.  I spent sometime this weekend paying attention to my feelings and emotions, thinking about what I need to do.  Biggest thing I noticed was I hate the way my body moves - I hate the way it feels. I feel bloated and heavy (and it's not water weight folks). I turn to food when it often times has nothing to do with hunger -stress, boredom, emotional upsets - all times you can find me in the kitchen.  I also use breastfeeding as an excuse - well I need to eat more, I'm breastfeeding. HELLO! The kid is 2, not a newborn.  Am I self-sabotaging for some reason I don't understand? I honestly don't know.

Tara from Feels Like Home is starting a Weight Release Journey, led by Freeman Michaels. He is the author of Weight Release, A Liberating Journey.
I've decided to join Tara and see if I can figure out what is holding me back from losing weight. I know all the things I need to do, so why am I just not doing it?

For the next 12 weeks I'll be joining Tara and the others on this weight release journey and I'll be blogging about it here on Tuesdays. I am really hoping that with this program I'll be able to break through some of the things that are holding me back from being who (what) I really want to be.  I think (hope) with this program and the help and support of my girls in The Sistahood, I'll be able finally lose the weight and be the healthy, vibrant me that I really long to be.

On another note I'm really excited to see who is going to be chosen for the next Mamavation Mom. I'm also excited for selfish reasons.  They are going to have to post their workout and meal plans that will be assigned to them, so I'll get to have a peek at that and I am leaning towards copying as much as I am able. I've read about the success the other Mamavation moms have had so I know it's really possible to use the system and have it work.  It's going to be an interesting week that is for sure. Hope it's a great one!


mamavationsistahoodseal


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Menu Plan Monday April 11 - 16


Good morning everyone! I hope that you had a great weekend. I did! We went to the farmer's market for the first time since last fall. It was still indoors but it was really fun and great seeing all the organic, local products and produce available. I truly love my local communities - such talented and smart people surround me. :) I spent some time in the kitchen baking. I made Giant Oatmeal Confetti cookies and Homemade Pizza Pockets (recipes coming soon) for the kids snacks & lunches. And I tried and experimental Cinnamon roll cookie - that recipe will need some work before I can share it.  Also got some important jobs done and some house tidying.  And of course some relaxing and fun with the family - all & all it was a lovely weekend. I am blessed.

So to the business of what you came here for - the menu! Here's this weeks menu plan for your enjoyment...

*Please note - I use organic, local ingredients when possible. Also the recipes usually call for all- purpose flour. I usually use a mix of 1/2 whole wheat & 1/2 white or just all whole wheat. Remember a recipe is just something to go by, feel free to change them up for health/your family's tastes.*


Healthy Eating Menu for Mommy{Sunday - Saturday}


Breakfast:
Lunch: 
  • Raw Salad (containing some legumes or lean protein if I desire)
Snacks:
  • Morning -  Fresh Fruit
  • Afternoon - Green Smoothie
Toddler Menu {Monday - Friday}

Lunch: 
Snacks:
  • Monkey Platter
  • Orange wedge & Almond milk
  • Yogurt and Graham crackers
  • Homemade fruit bread and Almond Milk
  • Bread sticks & Avocado Dip 
Regular Cooked Menu {Monday - Friday}

Breakfast:
  • Monday - Oatmeal, juice or milk
  • Tuesday - French Toast, juice or milk
  • Wednesday - Homemade fruit bread, yogurt, juice or milk
  • Thursday - Oatmeal, juice or milk
  • Friday -  Scrambled egg sandwich, juice or milk
Lunch: 
  • Monday - Homemade Pizza Pocket, crackers and cheese, Clementine, popcorn, juice & water
  • Tuesday - Salad, strawberries, yogurt, juice & water
  • Wednesday - Egg salad sandwich, apple slices, celery with cream cheese, juice & water
  • Thursday - Salad, orange wedges, pretzels, fruit bread, juice & water
  • Friday -  Bagel with cream cheese, yogurt, veggie sticks & pieces of fruit, juice & water
Supper:
  • Sunday - Grilled sausages & Vegetable pasta salad
  • Monday - Panera's Cream Cheese Potato Soup in bread bowls & Tossed Salad (dh's request)
  • Tuesday -  Tuna noodle Casserole, corn bread & Salad
  • Wednesday - Chicken & Dumplings, Salad
  • Thursday - Dinner & a Movie (movie will be Wall-E, been trying for a couple weeks to do this one)
  • Friday -  Grilled Pizza or Pepperoni Bread (depends on the weather) and salad
Need more menu planning ideas? Then head over to Laura's @ I'm an Organizing Junkie. Also if your interested in more vegetarian, flexitarian or whole foods menus please check out Jenna's Mindful Menus.


Organizing JunkieMindful Menus


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It's The Ultimate Blog Party and You're invited!

>> Friday, April 9, 2010


Psst have you heard that 5 Minutes for Mom is throwing a huge party this week?  Yeah, I guess the kids or their husbands are going to be out of town or asleep or something and they are telling everyone to come to the party and bring a friend. I am so going! Are you??

Before you go any further...It wouldn't be a party without some music.  So go ahead and click on the play button so you can chair dance while you read. ;)



There we go, got the music up. Oh, you're new here? Well, in that case I should introduce myself. If you're wondering what Typical Ramblings, Atypical Nonsense is all about, the name pretty much says it.  I talk about everything from green living, products I love, recipes, organization, crafts, my kids, to parenting...pretty much whatever is on my mind. I'm not a natural born writer (how I wish I was though), I mostly I write like I talk. Sometimes I misspell things but usually that's because I'm breastfeeding while trying to blog, not because I don't know how to spell. ;)  I love my little corner of the blogosphere and I hope you'll enjoy your stay here and come visit me often.  I'm also hoping that maybe I'll find a way to make it to BlogHer'10 this August - and maybe I'll get to meet some of you while I'm there.

Oh, sorry I should be a better hostess. Are you hungry?  Would you like something to drink? Well, it's Friday night and at our house that means PIZZA!
I hope you like pizza. Good thing I had a bunch of these in the freezer, I was able to get them in the oven before you all got here and still look this good!  Here's my recipe if you'd like to make some for your family.

Need something to wash that down with? 
How bout a green smoothie? I kid!! The wine is just over there, help yourself. :)





Powered by Whrrl


The girls at 5 Minutes for Mom know that if you're going to throw a great party you have to have great door prizes.  I have to tell you what my top three prizes are that I'm hoping to win...

   $200 Apple gift certificate from CmomGo
   $200 gift certificate for any Wall Slicks vinyl wall decal from Modern Wall Graphics, the makers of Wall   Slicks
   $50 gift card to Amazon.com from Shasher’s Life

   And if my top three picks are already chosen, I’d love any of the following (in order of preference):

   USC 53, USC 56, USC 23, USC 22, USC 61 or any of the prizes because they are all really great!

Well, I hope that you've had a great time at my party & I hope you'll tell all your friends to stop by! I'm really looking forward to meeting & getting to know lots of new people this week. Don't be shy - say hi! and let me know if you had fun! :)


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Pure Fun - The Better For You Candy

>> Thursday, April 8, 2010

Okay I can not let another day go buy without sharing my kids new favorite treat.  Last Thursday when I was out trying to find some decent treats to put in my kid's Easter Baskets I happened to come across a small display of Pure Fun candies in the organics section of my grocery store.  I picked up the bag and thought, organic candy - yeah right...How can hard, colorful lollipops be organic?  Then I looked at the bag...
At Pure Fun™ we're famous for the ingredients we DON'T use in our candies...
NO Gluten, NO GMO'S, NO FD&C Colors, NO Casein, NO Dairy, NO artificial flavors,NO dyes, NO Synthetics, NO Pesticides, NO preservatives
...nothing but Pure Fun™
Sounds good so far. So if they don't add any of that stuff what exactly are they making this candy with...I look over at the ingredients and this is what it says:
Ingredients - organic evaporated cane juice, organic brown rice syrup, citric acid, natural flavors, natural colors: Red beet and annatto, organic fruit juice, natural alfalfa extract.
Wow! No artificial dyes and no HFC's!  So of course I had to buy them and get them home as fast I could so we could see what they taste like.  First I try, because I'm nice like that - I wouldn't want to give the kids something really horrible. ;)  And then I offered them each one and all of the kids agreed they were very yummy.  I don't give the kids candy very often but at least with a treat like this I don't have to feel guilty that I'm giving them "junk food".  Mom's happy, kids are happy, what more could you ask for?

I went to the Pure Fun website and they carry more than just lollipops too - they make cotton candy!!.  My store didn't have all of the Pure Fun candies that are made, unfortunately. I am going to keep watching though because I really want to try the Cotton Candy (would be great to find this summer with all the carnivals and fairs that will be around selling it), the Root Beer Barrels and the Jaw Boulders.  I hope the next time you're looking for a treat to buy for your children you'll think of Pure Fun candy and give them a try - they are the better for you candy - and you can feel better about giving them to your children (or yourself).


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Mamavation Monday - April 5, 2010

>> Monday, April 5, 2010

Watch Lives Change
I woke up this morning excited (sorta) to see my weigh in results. I was prepared to only see a pound or two loss. I wasn't hoping for a 10 lb loss over the course of a week, just a small loss.  What I got was nothing. not even a half a pound. This just sucks. I mean I know I wasn't perfect with my diet but I was so much better than I would have been. I didn't eat hardly any junk, on Friday I had 2 cookies & yesterday I had a small slice of my birthday cake. Saturday I had one can of coke, oh and I had one yesterday with our bbq.But seriously before last week I could easily drink 2-4 a day.  Exercise - I didn't do interval training on Monday because I was just in too much pain. The rest of the week I exercised and I was moving all week. I was cleaning, moving furniture, took E swimming.  So after all of that I seriously expected to see at least a pound gone.

This isn't new.  This is the biggest issue I have with losing weight. I can't seem to lose any unless I am starving myself - literally. When I put my diet under 900 calories I can lose weight. But I can't do that forever. I need something I can live with you know, so after the diet I don't gain it all back + some.  Right now, I feel like saying forget it. I'm never going to lose weight, I will be fat and hate my body forever. But I don't want to. I want to be happy with my weight and feel comfortable in my own skin. I want to have more energy, I want to not be self-conscious with how I look.  Just right now, it feels like that will never happen.

This week's re-cap:

Exercise: Tues & Thus I did 6 minute #NEWO, Wed & Fri I did 20 minute #NEWO interval training. Spring cleaned the whole house last week. Played outdoors with E.

Food: Diet was good not perfect. I guess I need to use a food journal to really make sure I am not forgetting things.

Weigh-in: No change.


Goals for this week:

Exercise: Maybe I need to step it up more and do more?  I've heard a lot of talk about EA SPORTS Active for the Wii. I've heard it's really helped quite a few to kick start their weight-loss.  I would love to be able to give that a try.  The weather is going to be nice for the next couple days - I will be outdoors with E and I'll try to throw in a walk or two.

Food:  I'm going to keep track of my food better using a food journal. I've had the idea in my head to make a sort of daily planner for myself.  So I'm going to do that and see if that helps. Start my day with an intention and hope that this week is better.  I know I need to work better at getting in my water. Well, I got my water in last week but many times it wasn't until around supper time that I started working on it.  I need to spread it through the day.

On a good note I was accepted into The Sistahood last week.  I'm very excited about that.  I hope I can figure this out and start seeing changes on the scale and in my body.

mamavationsistahoodseal


I hope that you all had a great week last week and this week you are reaching more of your weight-loss/health goals.


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Happy Easter!

>> Sunday, April 4, 2010


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Small Talk Six: Not Tonight Honey....

>> Saturday, April 3, 2010

Want to join in? Go here to learn how and to view the weekly Small Talk Six topics for 2010.

Today's topic is six excuses you have used to get out of sex. No doubt we've all used an excuse or 10. This is going to fun to see what everyone lists as their excuse. Without further adieu, here is my list.

Not tonight honey...

  1. "I have a headache."
  2. "I am too tired."
  3. "I am touched out."
  4. "Don't you have to work early?"
  5. "I haven't showered yet."
  6. "I just started my period."
So those are my top six excuses, what do you use as an excuse to get out of sexy time? 


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