Love On Wings

Friends and Family,
I just want you to know how I love and appreciate your support for this personal blog, I have received such amazing feedback from you all it has inspired me.  I want to expand my writing, I love writing about my kids, but now I want to write more!  I want to inspire and encourage, maybe even entertain, mama's like me.  I will continue to write my babies adventures on this blog but for those of you who maybe want a bit more I would love it if you would consider following my love on wings blog.  Thank you again for inspiring me to be better, to do more, I feel so tremendously blessed!

In Love,

Toddler Choices

Choices have been on my mind and heart lately. We all have choices like who we love, how we act, how we teach our children, what we make/eat for dinner, you get my drift. I am thinking that once a week I might post on ALL of the choices we make and how they effect different parts of our lives.
Today I am going to post on toddler choices, so it's a twofer, choices + mama tips, yea!!!
If you are/have been/or will be the mama of a toddler you need to know choices are the absolute key. Toddlers and preschoolers are always at the mercy of those around them, told when to eat, what to wear, and who to play with. They NEED choices, they NEED to feel like they can be in control of something. I try to give my kids choices wherever and whenever I can. "It's time to get dressed, do you want to put your shirt on first or your pants?". "It's time for dinner, what color plate do you want?". The simplest questions can take a full blown tantrum from a 10 to a 3. Just the other day my sweet Ash was loosing his mind over having to stop playing and come to the table for dinner, what stopped him in his tracks, I asked what he wanted to drink. It's like a fancy little magic trick you can pull out of your mama hat!!

Is that a Grump or is that a Grump?
Photo By Melanie

You should be warned, however, that the choices you offer need to be actually choices between two acceptable things. I learned the hard way that "you can get dressed or you can go to school in your PJs!" can backfire in terrible ways that leave you explaining to your sons teacher why he is at school in spider man pajamas and several days of explaining to your screaming preschooler why it is NOT acceptable that he goes to school in pajamas all the time.

Three Babies

Having three babies in less than three years is not for everybody, truthfully it's not even for me, but God has much bigger plans than I do! I get a lot of looks when I am out with my brood, mostly looks of pity. I have had more people than I can count say, "well you certainly have your hands full!" to which I used to say "yes, but that is better than empty!" which always makes strangers quiet right down but always made me feel a little snarky even though that's not who I am. A great friend of mine just had her third baby in three years and told me that she has started saying, "yes, but they are full of wonderful things!" which also shuts people up but leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy inside so that is my new saying.

Having a third baby is the ultimate dealima for a lot of couples, especially if they already have a boy and a girl. So I am asked pretty frequently about the third baby, here are the things I know to be true about third babies (and if you don't believe me you can ask the before mentioned friend who texted me last night to tell me I was right on all accounts).

Nursing a Third Baby is Awesome...
** the amount of things that you can accomplish while nursing your new baby will make you feel like you have super powers! I once diapered and dressed my 1.5-year-old while nursing #3, I felt like I was bionic!
** while nursing your first born can feel like more of a chore, since you are sequestered away from everyone all of the time. You welcome this break with your third. I would just sit in #3's nursery and rock her and sing and let her nurse for ages while I listened to my hubby out side the door, "#2, leave your diaper on! #1, we don't poke eyes! Boys, no riding on the dog!" I would just grin to myself and keep on rocking.

Three is not much harder than Two, just more time consuming...
** it will take you 20 minutes to load your car up, accept it, plan for it, move on. I am ALWAYS the last person to leave the parking lot after Mother's Day Out, I even see some of the teachers leaving before me!
** the laundry is unbelievable, literally if I told you how much laundry I do you would not believe me.

Number Three is Always Spoiled...
** I don't know how it happens I just know it does. Maybe the nursing time as mentioned above? Or maybe it's the fact that you are required to hold them much more, for their own safety more than anything. Who knows?!
**you will do things with your third child that you swore you would never do as a parent, and you probably didn't do with your first two. Case in point; #1 had his first french fry when he was 2, #2 had his first french fry when he was 1.5, and #3 had her first french fry when she was 6 months. It just happens, forgive yourself in advance and you will all be much happier.

Bottom line...
having a third baby just means more
more kisses
more food
more baby giggles
more toys
more love
more playing
more laundry
more pictures
just more, and truthfully I just can't get enough of it.