Mama Loves: Shades of Gray

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! So glad that you've stopped by!

Mama Loves is a linky party where mamas can share anything that has made your life easier as a mama.

Maybe you've found:

• a toy or book that captivates your child(ren)
• gear you just can't live without
• a recipe your choosy toddler gobbles down
• a parenting book that you've found perspective changing
• an activity that wears your kid(s) out (these lead to good naps, which we all love)
• an outfit that flatters your post-baby body and makes you feel fabulous
• or anything else you're loving--creativity welcome!

Share it with us! Blogging has made me a better mama, because I've learned about all kinds of great things, like those listed above, from mamas just like you. Here's your chance to share it with all of us!

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Sometimes being a mama is just hard work! We'd all love to find "that thing" that makes life just a wee bit easier. Here are a few great solutions from our mamas you should check out!

• Hands full of good things? Let Melissa tell you about the awesomeness of The Mommy Hook.
• Does your baby have a stuffy nose? Jennifer can tell you how to help your baby breathe easier with Olbas Oil.
• Has your little one(s) mastered the art of climbing out of the crib? Before you resort to toddler beds, check out Katie's solution! 
• Are you traveling with your toddler(s)? Melissa can tell you all about Trunkis. A toy and a suitcase. Love two-for-one deals!
• Having a tough time with discipline? Melissa has two fantastic parenting books for you to check out!
• Need a distraction for your kids, so you can go to the bathroom real quick? Jennifer found the very thing that makes that possible.

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So, I've been waiting to share my Mama Loves for this week until I could give you iron-clad proof that it "works".

Sometimes things "work" in shades of gray.

Isn't that what parenting is sometimes?  

Shades of gray?

She's potty trained, but she has accidents occasionally.

He eats all table food, except green beans--it's a texture thing. He only eats the pureed green beans out of a jar.


She's walking. Two or three steps at a time.

So.

I mentioned awhile back that our girls have been beating each other up, gladiator-style, pretty much every day.

Hitting.
Biting.

It has been so ugly. Especially the biting. The girls have bite marks and bruises from old bite marks, in different stages of healing, all over their arms, backs, and Hadley even has a bite mark on her foot.

One particularly hard day, I went to work searching for the solution.

Mamas, I don't think there's a magic solution out there. I realized, nothing, nothing is a cure-all. Much of it depends on me too. I can't just throw a book or parenting technique at my girls and expect it to magically work.

But.

I've found something that has helped (?), or at least given us some language to talk about what's going on.

Free Spirit Publishing has a line of children's board books called the Best Behavior Series.

We own Teeth Are Not for Biting and Hands Are Not for Hitting.

The rest of the series includes:

• Diapers Are Not Forever
• Feet Are Not for Kicking
• Germs Are Not for Sharing (you know I love this one!)
• Pacifiers Are Not Forever
• Tails Are Not for Pulling
• Words Are Not for Hurting

I really like that these books have simple language and illustations that are easy for the girls to understand, yet the message is loud and clear.

(Don't you love the Cozy Coupe parked off to the side?)

I also like that the books give alternatives the behavior, and explain the correct activities that hands and teeth should be used for.

My girls are still biting and hitting. That hasn't stopped.

But.

When I say, Teeth are not for biting, sometimes they run and grab the book. So, that's something. At least they know it's not okay.

We're working on it, mamas, we're working on it.

Shades of gray.

Can't wait to see what you're loving this week!

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