"Good Girl": A Remedy to Tantrums

So we have been facing tantrum zone with our gal, who is going on two.  Sadly, it seems that instead of getting better, they are getting worse.  She is a delightful little angel with company, but leave Dad and I alone with girl and a monster emerges.

When we try to discipline or change a diaper, we are hit, scratched and hair is pulled.  As a mom, I sometimes don't have the strength to control these tantrums.  In effort to help the munchkin, we tried to not say, "No" as often, instead finding other ways to help her adjust her behavior.  While we are not against firm discipline, we have found Riley imitates us and often responds with the same disposition.

One morning I stepped out of the room and heard a cringing crash.  Our daughter had knocked over our computer.  I calmed myself and very seriously said, "Never, ever touch that again."  She glared me in the eye, pointed and said, "Don't!".  I realized in effort of avoiding the word, "No", I'd simply reverted to the word, "Don't".

Still, we have a child throwing tantrums and we feel even more helpless to stopping them.  So we have tried to focus on the positive moments more often.  We have been affirming our child, telling her she is a "good girl".  And even more precious, is that she can now say the phrase on her own.

This morning I was getting ready, before getting her up for the day, and heard her rummaging around her room.  I asked her if she was being a "good girl".  Without hesitation or emotion, she said, "No".

Just a few days ago, I was cooking dinner and the rascal was awful quiet.  Again, I posed a question, "What are you doing?"  She emphatically chimed in, "Good girl!"  She will even copy me when I affirm our dog, with the infamous phrase.

While the tantrum problem is not solved, helping our daughter focus on a more positive state helps her revert to a more gentle nature.  We are all learning and laughing along the way.  And while our sinful nature is not so attractive, even in little ones, it is just a reminder of how human we all are.


(If you have any advice on how to help little ones work through tantrums, please share in the comment field below.)

Does Your Baby Have Dry Skin or Eczema?

If you  have found your little one has eczema or dry skin; Aveeno is a wonderful way to treat this problem.  First off, our little girl does not have terribly sensitive skin.  We use regular detergent and dryer sheets that do not affect her one bit.  Still, we noticed the signs of dry skin and ezcema.  The more we played in water, the more her ezcema flared up.  I, her mother, also struggle with ezcema, so I am not just making light of extra dry skin.

Her pediatrician gave us a few samples of pretty exspensive shampoos and body washes, which I found, made her hair pretty greasy.  I gave in and splurged on Aveeno's original body wash and shampoo.  (I can't recall if our bottle is the same color as the picture above; just stick with original.)  Her hair stays soft, it treats the problem and it smells so good that both Dad and I also want to use her shampoo/body wash! 

We use it sparingly at bath time and it has lasted months.  Had I not left the bottle open and let more than half the body wash leak out over our summer vacation at the beach, I think we'd still have more than half a bottle around half a year of use (I'm referring to the large bottle).  All to say, it is a wise purchase budget wise (I think it is aroud $7 for the year for both shampoo and body wash) and I no longer see any signs of dry skin or ezcema.

Also note that Aveeno lotion is wonderful.  I have found I can only use certain washes and very few lotions on my own face.  After receiving Aveeno lotion as a gift for our daughter, I tried a little myself and have found it to be great for a facial lotion as well.

Garlic Overload

A little article I wrote for a friends blog a while back. 

For a few days I started to smell a slight odor I hadn’t noticed before.  I’d give it a slight thought and flippantly go back to work, thinking one of my co-workers had forgotten their deodorant or had too much garlic the night before.   In our open and clean workspace of cubicles, all smells had to draft from an individual.  The cleaners left the open area spic and span after their late night rendezvous.

The lingering smell persistently stayed past a week but, oddly, I noticed it once I’d gotten to work, cleaned and showered.  I smelled my long tresses of red hair and sniffed under my arms when no one was looking; no signs of body odor.  More perplexed than ever, the smell continued to follow me.  Days turned into weeks and my co-workers enjoyed the light banter that this expecting mama was going crazy.

One morning in our office that annoying odor floated back into my senses.  I’d had it; not again.  I sniffed my hair, my clothes, under my arms; finally looking at my co-workers and saying, “Do you smell garlic?”

They good naturedly chuckled and made pregnant puns, yet again.  My supervisor leaned over and said, “All I smell is heavy perfume.”  And a light went off!

I sprayed “Pink” from Gap on my wrist and neck every morning.  Many of my sweaters carried the light lingering of citrus, as I’d wear my cardigans more than once before throwing them in the wash.  That made complete sense.  It was the only smell that followed me even on days I didn’t spray.

As soon as I stopped wearing pink and washed my clothes, lovely waftings of garlic stopped comin’ a callin’.  Thank goodness!  I wish I could say I have recovered and my favorite womanly scent is now wearable.  Sorry ladies; I still smell garlic whenever I’m graced with “Pink”. And, even now that I am not pregnant, I still loath the smell of garlic.  Ughhh, garlic!  Fresh garlic; not in my house.  Garlic powder, in light doses, is about all I can handle.

Miscarriage - Our Journey

February 2012, I went to the doctor for a check-up as Brenton and I thought we were pregnant.  We'd held off on sending Valentines as we were going to send belated gifts announcing our pregnancy... however, our story changed. 

Oddly before our 8 week appointment, I'd seen a number of nurses and one doctor that all reinforced miscarriages were common and to not feel guilty were we to have one.  I took it all in lightly as I didn't really think it would happen to us.  If you've had a child before, you know that you normally do not see anyone prior to your 8-12 week appointment.  Again, at the time, I did not think much about the fact but looking back, I think it was God preparing me.

The first ultrasound (8 weeks) was bit akward as the doctor didn't say much during the ultrasound and then told us that there was no baby.  As she gave Brenton and I a little time together, she said she wanted to talk to us before we left.  Not sure what to expect, knowing there was more news and a little numb, from a nagging before the ultrasound that there may not be a baby, I held it together.  The ultrasound showed there was no child but there was an abnormal growth, what the doctor thought could be a mole... and could mean we had a molar pregnancy.  I was taken in for a D&C within a week, as they wanted to look at the make-up of the growth.  Thankfully, it was determined to be just a miscarriage.

I don't say that to be heartless, but the doctor had braced us for having to monitor my body for a year to make sure there were no other moles or regrowths.  The doctor left out the part that the growths can be cancerous, but if curiosity gets you like it does me, it is "Google" time when you get home from your appointment.  I will say, that possibilities of the next year weighed heavily on me the two weeks we waited on surgery and the lab report.  I was in a drug store when they called to tell me it was a regular miscarriage.  It was almost as if the miscarriage had been forgotten, as it was jumbled with all the other news.  I don't know that I really grieved the miscarriage, considering all the above.  I definitely think it would have been harder had we shared with everyone prior to the news.  It felt like life had been handed over to me again once we found out I was fine and healthy; it was a huge burden released.  We still had the opportunity to have kids.

I don't share this to make everyone hurt or grieve for us.  Just after our miscarriage, we got pregnant with our one and a half year old, Riley.  I can't imagine life without her.  She is our constant joy as life has shared other struggles since the miscarriage.

To other mothers who have had a miscarriage or who are currently in this struggle, "I'm sorry."  I know everyone's experience is different and that words will not ease your pain.  Know that you are not alone; many others are sharing in this hurt and understand your longing to hold your little one.  Hopefully, you can find rest in knowing your child is in Heaven and adopted by God, the Father, just waiting to meet you.  The book "Heaven is for Real", was helpful in my healing process; if you are up for a quick read.

Musings of a Little Boy...

Shared by:  Carolyn M.


I daily have funny encounters with my boys. For example, we've been teaching our older son to listen to God's voice, which also includes teaching him different ways God can speak to him. This morning he woke up and said, "God told me we should go to Sonic and get a slushy, and then after nap time we should play Chip and Dale (nintendo). God told me that plan." 

My only question for Carolyn, "Did you go to get slushies at Sonic?"  And, I only wish God told me that Sonic story daily!

Then, the other day he lined up all of his toys and said, "These are the Israelites and these are the Philistines. David took one step toward Goliath and shot him in the eye with his laser!"

Star Wars and David  & Goliath; does it get any better for a little boy?!

It's also interesting to see how he mixes Bible stories with other stories. To our little guy, right now, everything is "real." There are no pretend characters, like Mickey, and real people, like Jesus.  Everything is a story.  My husband and I are having to explaining how some stories are pretend and how others are about events that have really happened in the past.

Have you had any of these same experiences with your little one or do these stories trigger any memorable moments for you?