Tabi Happy's Guide to Last Minute Christmas Shopping.

I am an expert at last minute Christmas shopping. In fact, it's all I know. I don't believe there has ever been a year I started shopping for Christmas more than one week prior. Christopher always says we should start earlier next year, but I don't think I could do it any other way.

The pros to last minute shopping:

• Lots of sales!
• You get it done in a much shorter amount of time.
• The attitude of 'it's either this, or nothing' makes the decision of which gift to get a lot easier!
• Time constraint and lack of choices forces you to get creative, which is good!

So, here are my (very experienced) tips for all you last minute shoppers out there:

1. Most importantly: Have grateful children! The kind of children that are down with the whole 'you get what you get and you don't get upset' mentality.
2. If you have kids, it's best to do this in two parts: (a) First trip, take the kids and shop for extended family members and friends. Having the kids with you works for you here, not against you. They will point out on the shelves what things they'd love to see under the tree for themselves. This will give you an idea of what's left that they will be ecstatic about. (b) Second trip, find a sitter willing to watch the kids for at least 5 hours. This will be your last shopping trip... it's go time.
3. On that first trip, if there are items you think won't last until the second trip, we employ the two parent, second secret cart trick. Second parent will exclaim, "Oh, honey! I forgot to get <insert boring, non kid related item here>." Then revert back to aisles to pick up low stock items and stash in a cart in a non-conspicuous area. Be sure to check on that cart pretty often, so other crazy last minute shoppers don't mistake it as a restocking cart. When going to check out, parent two exclaims "We should pick up a frozen pizza for dinner, I'm way too tired to cook!" While parent 1 pays and loads the kids in the car, parent two grabs frozen pizza, a bottle of Chardonnay or Bailey's, second secret cart and pays. Distracting the kids in the van with an interesting movie is very important here, so they don't really notice the extra bags Daddy is loading into the back of the van.
4. You are already halfway done! One trip, one store! Note, this store must be of the Target variety. It could work at a mall, I suppose, but would require much more skill and take a lot longer.
5. Second trip, I suggest picking two stores maximum. Traffic is killer those few days prior to Christmas, so at least half of your allotted sitter time is sucked up sitting in the minivan. Although, the traffic does give you some precious minutes to use your iPhone to search which stores have certain things in stock. Our two go-to stores are: Toys R Us and Super Target, unless the other Target has something Super Target is out of...
6. During this last shopping trip, remember: breathe... the universe is on your side.
7. Allot a dollar amount per kid. This way you don't go overboard in the overabundance of toys and deals.  Also, if you stick pretty close to your budget, when you get home and the 2 year old has 20 presents and the 10 year old only has 7, you'll feel okay about it because, they are overall receiving an equal amount of 'love'.
8. Try to get at least one large (in size) present for each child. It makes for awesome presentation value Christmas morning.
9. Whatever you can't find at store 1, you will at store 2. (If not, then you will have a procrastination induced creative surge and come up with a more awesome idea.)
10. Stocking stuffers! Don't forget the stocking stuffers. I usually skip the 'stocking stuffer aisle' and get all these in the Target dollar section. Those stocking stuffer aisle items are crazy expensive for not so awesome things. Plus, the Target dollar section always seems to amaze me with their offerings!
11. Also, don't forget tape, wrapping paper and batteries.
12. Once everyone is done, drop the presents off and hide them at the house before picking the kids up from the sitter.
13. It's okay to break the rules. I do all the time.... this year, while at store 2, I did have a last minute awesome idea, but Target was out of both the Kinect AND the Kinect Star Wars game. So, Christopher called Game Stop and it turns out, they had both the items needed, they were used/refurbished and saved us about $50!! SCORE! This would add a little extra time, but we worked it out by dropping off and hiding the loot at the house and then split up. I went to pick up the kids while Daddy went in his car to GameStop and to get Smoothies (in case the kids ask where Daddy is).
14. YOU ARE DONE SHOPPING!!! 
15. Remember that imperative bottle of Chardonnay and/or Baileys you bought on Trip 1? You'll need that for your late night gift wrapping sessions. I suggest Baileys and espresso if you are going to be up till the wee hours. While wrapping up, keep in mind that beautiful paper will just be a pile of crumbles on your floor in the morning. Perfection is not necessary in this case.

It might sound crazy, but this system WORKS! I've never done it any other way, but I sometimes think starting shopping any earlier sounds exhausting.

Do you have any last minute tips? I'd love to hear your tricks!

<3, Tabi :D

Parent Tip #113

Tonight, Roxy and I went to family Body Flow together. At the end, there is a short period of relaxation/meditation (the most relaxed 5 minutes of my week!). Tonight, the instructor said this,

"Think about something you did today
that you are proud of."

What a great idea!! It could be anything! Whether it's the drawing your preschooler did this morning at center time, or how well you handled the two year old tantrum when her 'popop' (lollipop) fell in the dirt, or how you rocked those warrior twos.

This is my new favorite dinner time topic. I tried it out tonight. What a positive thing for everyone to do! I actually found, it was easier to pick one thing for each kid I was particularly proud of them for today, then myself.

This will be a great exercise for the whole family to build up confidence in the things we do.

What I'm proud of that I did today: I made it all the way through dinner and baths without losing patience and everyone ended their day happy and in good spirits.

<3, Tabi :D

How I Potty Trained My 24 Month Old

< left > Roxy's 'Potty Training Boot Camp' Chart, complete with prizes.
< middle > The only thing that would coax the Bear to sit on the potty was that Red Game.
< right > The ZoBo doing it HER WAY.

Did I get lucky? Or just better at picking up the cues?

Well, this is my third child... and to be honest, it's my first child I didn't completely dread going through this stage of toddlerhood with.

With the first one, Roxy, I was gung-ho towards potty training. I read articles, even sections of books ('sections of books' is big for me, I don't read grown up books) on potty training. I purchased all the necessary supplies: potty dolls, potty Elmo, books with toddlers going potty, actual toddler potty, toddler potty seat, rubber pants, regular panties. I even made the sticker charts with rewards. All of the supplies were picked out by Roxy and I with great anticipation and everything was surrounded by excitement.

Well, she was around 18 months old when we began (because that's when the book said we should start potty training) and through lots and lots of frustration on my part and a very strong-willed resistance on her part... we eventually made it to success when she turned 3 years old. Yes, it took us 18 months to potty train my first child.

With Riley, not only was I still drained from my first potty training experience, but he was also a boy. Which, in my head, meant that potty training would be completely different this time. Add to this the fact that he had absolutely ZERO interest in sitting on the potty or wearing underwear at ALL until he turned 3. He loved his diapers and I was not willing to force it on him. I felt like I forced the potty on Roxy and that's why it took us 18 months.

It turns out Riley was totally different at learning than Roxy. Roxy learned the skills of the potty gradually and eventually. With Riley, it was an overnight thing. It was more of a decision that he had to make himself. One day, he loved his diapers and refused to look at the potty, and the next he was in underwear and had practically ZERO accidents, even through the night.

Which leads us to child number 3, my ZoBo. Child number 3 had absolutely zero interest in that kiddie potty she's seen in the corner of the bathroom for so long. She wouldn't look at it, so getting her to sit on it was out of the question. I decided not to push it.

Readiness Cues

... until I started noticing her going longer and longer between wet diapers. And then I noticed she would wake up every morning with a dry diaper. I waited it out to see if it was a fluke, and it wasn't. Three months before her 2nd birthday, she had a steady pattern of waking up with a dry diaper. Finally, I decided I'd start her potty training regimen after we came back from our Summer Adventure so she would have more of a reliable schedule to not distract her from learning this new and VERY IMPORTANT skill.

Since she still had zero interest in that toddler potty, one morning I sat her upon a little toddler Dora the Explorer seat we have had since Cameron started using the potty (yep, about 8 years ago!). She went and was very proud! Mommy and Daddy did a little dance and she knew she did something good.

Since that moment, I would ask her periodically if she had to go pee pee. Most of the time she would exclaim, "Yea!!" and sit on the potty. Sometimes she would go and sometimes nothing came out. It was okay with me either way, she's sitting on the potty and that is amazing to me.

The Timer Method

After about a week of sporadically going in the potty, I bought a pack of Target brand Pull Ups (which I hear is a no no, but they are working wonderfully for this child), and I decided I'd start her on the timer method. I set the timer for 40 minutes and every time it went off, we would sit on the potty and try, then reset the timer. If she went, she would get a lollipop or 3 marshmallows. She started to prefer the marshmallows, so we only get marshmallows now.

Baby Steps and Learning Curve

After about 2 days of the timer method, she started telling me when she had to go! I realized we were making some real progress here!

Currently, she is at the point where she has a dry diaper all day EXCEPT sometimes when she naps, and she isn't at the point of going number 2 in the potty.

We have gone a few days with panties, even out to Roxy's Open House at her school and a restaurant in panties with total success.

She still looks forward to those 3 little marshmallows as a reward and so I still make a big deal out of it and make sure she gets that reward she is entitled to.

Yesterday, she started practicing pulling her pull up down and getting on and off the potty herself. She is so proud she can do this all by herself. She will even drag a little toddler size chair into the bathroom so she can reach the sink and wash her hands herself.

Sometimes she plays in the water a little too long and that's okay with me. She's excited about going potty and washing her hands herself and so am I.

My Zoie is 24.5 months old and 98% potty trained. I couldn't be more proud.

So, long story short... here's what worked for us:

• Look for potty training readiness cues (e.g. longer periods of dry diapers, dry morning diaper, or blatant interest in using the potty)
• DON'T make her do what she doesn't want to do.
• CELEBRATE all her achievements.
• Focus on POSITIVE reinforcements. Find out what motivates her (in our case, marshmallows).
• No negative feedback. Accidents happen. Scolding her for an accident only makes two angry people.
• Let her learn new skills (i.e. trying out the potty, learning to tell you when she has to go, going potty on her own, number twos...) at her own pace. Don't try to force it all at once, it is a learning experience and there is a learning curve.

... Wow! I sound like I've learned patience. ...

I'm sharing this with you because I know how desperate it can feel when you think you've tried everything. Sometimes you just need to get a little more advice worded slightly differently.

Perhaps the third time is a charm for me, I've finally learned that potty training does NOT have to be the nightmare I had thought it was for so long.

Good luck to you and yours.

<3, Tabi :D

Eat Your Veggies, Children

Note: NOT a sponsored post.

About a week ago, I was trying to pick up an easy dinner option at my local SuperTarget. And there, right next to the Quorn chik'n nuggets were a bunch of Dr. Praeger's items I've never seen before. And, something I wasn't expecting were these cute little SpongeBob Veggie Littles. There are plenty of frozen meat/fake meat items available marketed towards children, but these were veggies! I was intrigued.

I scooped them up to try. My kids will eat their veggies at dinnertime, but it is a bit of a struggle sometimes. Perhaps these cuties will make the struggle a bit easier?

Well, my kids (not Zoie, though) were excited. It's not often at all that Mama (me) succumbs to buying food with cartoon characters on them. I try my hardest to steer clear of all that processed junk, but these are different. The veggie Littles ingredients are: Carrots, Onions, String Beans, Zucchini, Spinach, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Broccoli, Red Peppers, Corn Meal, Corn Starch, Potato Flakes, Arrowroot, Salt, Garlic, Rice Starch, Parsley.
All real stuff. All pronounceable stuff.

Fast forward to Cameron weekend. Cameron is my 10 year old stepson who is the pickiest person I've met. His approved list of foods are: nuggets, cheeseburgers, pizza and mac and cheese. Pretty much a typical kid in the US... but that doesn't fly in my house. On Cameron weekends, however, I do try to compromise as much as possible and I have found some things that we can agree on without much of an upturned nose. On Friday, I cooked up the rare French Fries and Chik'n Nuggets meal. Usually I add on a side of broccoli, carrots or green beans, but Friday we had SpongeBob veggie Littles.

To my SURPRISE, Cameron ate his veggies first, before anyone else, and without any hesitation!!!!

If you know this kid... the kid who crumbled on the floor (fetal position) in tears when I told him we had become vegetarians because he thought it meant all we would eat are vegetables, you'd be blown away too.

So, kudos to Dr. Praeger for creating these little gems. If you have a picky kid in your life who refuses vegetables too, I totally recommend trying these out. I can't find the SpongeBob versions on their site for some reason, but it seems they have more generic, kid friendly shapes available too. Click here to see for yourself.

What other tricks have you found (besides hiding the veggies) to get your kids to eat their green stuff?

<3, Tabi :D

 

Parent Tip #112

Lately, we've been having issues with children having a case of selective hearing. Repeating my requests got pretty old, really fast. It's no fun for me to bark out orders repeatedly, no fun for the kids and apparently, no fun for my husband, either.

SO...

My inventive husband thunk up this little game all by himself. We are trying it out, the system was implemented on Wednesday and the results so far are positive!

The Rules...

• Each kid gets 50 rocks and a jar (that they got to decorate themselves).
• Good behavior gets rocks added to the jar as determined by parent in charge.
• Bad behavior results in rocks taken from their jar and added back into the bag as determined by parent in charge.
• When all rocks are in the jar, a prize is won!! (In our case, they chose a shiny new Beyblade.) Then the game resets.

Beds have been made without even being asked, vegetables have been eaten much more easily, and I have extra helpers on my chores as well!

My hubby definitely gets genius points for this one.

<3, Tabi :D

Parent Tip #111

MORNING CHECKLIST!

I really am the worst morning person ever. And on mornings when we need to get out of the house to be somewhere at a certain time, chaos ensues at the Deneweth House. 

I feel much like a drill sergeant barking orders to do the same things they do every single morning to get ready. If I don't keep on top of these kids, it seems they complete one task, then retire to read a book, play with legos or whatever else catches their attention at the moment.

Today marks the second day, I've tried this hack out and I am happy to report that it totally works!! While I finish up my breakfast, I make a little list of the things they need to complete while I clean up the kitchen, get myself ready and get the 1 year old dressed and ready. Roxy is a new reader and she loves this!! I go over the list with Riley, who is not quite a reader yet and he understands what needs to be done and Roxy is happy to help him if he needs the next task read again to him. 

They get their tasks done and I get ready faster because I don't have to worry about staying on top of what the other two are doing at the other end of the house!

You will note that there is one task with a star next to it. They know this is what they get when everything else is done. If they complete everything on time, then they get a reward.

I'm thinking of making up a list and laminating it, since most morning tasks are the same. And I'm excited to perfect this morning routine before school starts again. It would be oh, so much less stressful if we didn't have battles every school morning.

Do you think this little trick would work for you? Do you have any tips you'd like to share?

<3, Tabi :D

Parent Tip #110

My kids are still little, the oldest one 6. But this is no longer an excuse for them to not help out around the house. With having kids, there are a lot of chores. Things around the house that must be kept up to have a clean, healthy, somewhat organized and functional home. My philosophy on getting chores done used to be either, wait until kids are sleeping to get anything done, or engage them in some activity that needs minimum parental involvement (i.e. playing outside on the porch, coloring at a table...) and work as fast as possible.

Lately, I've been toying with the idea that, hey! these kids need to learn to do these things. Unless I want to be slave to their every whim, they need and deserve my guidance in teaching them domestic skills (age appropriate, of course).

Tonight, for example, we cooked up a simple spaghetti dinner. I was in charge of the sauce, Daddy was in charge of the noodles, Roxy was in charge of the Crescent Rolls, Riley was in charge of the green beans and Zoie's job was to set the table.

Of course, Roxy and Riley were assigned assistants (Mommy and Daddy) to assist them in their culinary tasks at hand. Then when their tasks were completed, they became Zoie's assistant to setting the table.

Dinner was a major teamwork effort. And it was awesome. They not only enjoyed helping out, they enjoyed eating their dinner more, and were brainstorming other things they can do to help out around the house.

What chores do your kids do around the house?

<3, Tabi :D

Parent Tip #108 and #109

#108: Not all things wanted need to be bought at the store!

My poor Riley Bear has been asking for a new piggy bank ever since his little glass monkey bank had been shattered what feels like centuries ago. I kept saying I would buy him a new one, but it's not a thing high on my priority list, so the bank gets forgotten on shopping trips.

Then, when kids find change and get excited and run to their rooms to put their shiny coinage in their banks, I feel super bad that the Bear has no place to keep his.

So, yesterday he found a nickel and had no place to put it. I felt bad about it... again. Until I decided to just make him his own little bank out of an empty clean peanut butter jar. As you can see, it's nothing fancy, we just decorated the bank with washi tape, put his name on it and cut out a hole at the top of the jar.

His new bank does the trick! It holds his treasures AND makes a happy Bear. I know he was as happy with this little 5 minute bank as he would have been with a $15 purchased one at Target. Maybe happier because he got to help make it and it's got his name on it. I swear his smiles make my heart melt. As you know, Bear's are sometimes very hard to please...

#109: Make the time to have special one on one times
with each of the kids and the other half

Yesterday, after lunch, the Deneweth clan split into two. Daddy took R and R to the barber shop while Zoie and I ran errands at Target and did a little grocery shopping.

I always hear one on one time is an important thing to do with your loved ones, but for me, it's a toughie. And I realized yesterday, that it only happens on a rare occasion.

Zoie and I had so much fun. She felt so special with a new sunglasses purchase... she wore them proudly for the rest of the day. With only one kid in tow, she even got to walk through the grocery store (as opposed to strapped into the cart) when I had to go back in for a forgotten item. It was her very first time walking the aisles of Publix and I could tell she thought she was hot stuff. She was so proud and so so cute. 

I vow to do this more. It will be tough to find the time, but it will be worth it.

Click here for more Parent Tips. 

<3, Tabi :D

Parent Tip #107

Step 1: Get an iPad  (If you don't have an iPad, use your iPhone.)

Step 2: Download anything/everything by Toca Boca

I swear it will improve your quality of life.

Our Toca Boca apps entertain our 1 year old, 4 year old, 6 year old AND Mom and Dad. Some games are even multiplayer, appeasing the times when more than one kid wants to have iPad time.

The games are super cute, ad free (!!!) and teach basic necessary skills needed in life and the digital age.

Toca Boca definitely appeals to the part of me that craves aesthetic inner peace.

If you've never heard of Toca Boca, check them out here.

Click here for more Parent Tips.

<3, Tabi :D

Parent Tip #106

Whenever possible, eat dinner as a family at the table, no distractions.

It's simple, yet effective. We have a rule about no toys at the table. Everyone eats the same meal. And a new tradition we started a few weeks back is that everyone has to talk about one thing they learned today.

I love our dinner conversations. Some are silly. Some are interesting. Some are life altering.

What are some of your dinner rules/routines?

Click here for more parent tips. 

<3, Tabi :D

Parent Tip #105

Let grandparents be grandparents
and let them spoil the children.

 

 

It's what makes them happy and it's what makes happy kiddos. So just let it be. 

 

It's so much fun to see the excitement go down.

<3, Tabi :D

Click HERE for links to past Parent Tips.

 

 

P.S.  Don't forget to vote for me on Top Baby Blogs!! Please click on the banner below to vote for me, then click on the cute owl on the left for a positive vote... Or if you didn't like my blog, click on the little owl on the right. :(

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Parent Tip #104

When you have a child with a runny nose,
it is a very bad idea to wear black.

Can you spot the snot smear?

For past parent tips, click here and here and here.

<3, Tabi :D

Parent Tip #103

Be proactive with your children's healthcare. 

Ask questions. Do your own research. Trust your gut.

The sunshine on this soy milk was perfect for my #febphotoaday challenge!!

My Riley Bear developed a rash on his mouth shortly before his 4th birthday last December. At first, I treated at home with Aveeno Eczema Cream and Vaseline. It would get better and worse, but never completely went away. When it got way worse, I took him to the dermatologist and the doctor said it was infected and prescribed a few creams. It got better again, but still never completely went away.

One of those creams was a strong steroid which clearly stated in the literature NOT for use on children. I questioned this with the pharmacist, the pediatrician and the dermatologist. After many many phone calls and days of waiting, I was ultimately convinced by the dermatologist that this was the only way to treat his rash.

I remained skeptical, but the cream did help. Again, the rash never completely went away. I decided to put faith in the scary cream and let it do it's job.

Then I had a conversation with my sister who has had a similar rash/problem since childhood warning me to stay away from steroid creams on the face because she is now having major problems from using these scary creams on her own face for years.

She scared me into being more proactive. Thanks, T!!!

I scheduled an allergy test, because I read that eczema is an allergic reaction. Instead of treating the symptoms, let's find out the cause! The results came back yesterday. My Bear is allergic to dust and milk!!! I was floored. It makes so much sense. He eats his cereal every morning and gets it all over his face, and he's allergic to the stuff.

Anyways, long story short. If I had never requested an allergy test, his allergy would probably have caused him more problems to be treated with more creams and/or more scary drugs. Hopefully, this new knowledge will nip the problem in the bud. My fingers are crossed.

And without getting into conspiracy theories and problems with the system, etc, etc. Christopher pointed out that doctors don't diagnose allergies first off because there are no prescription drugs to treat allergies. And many doctors are basically drug salesmen. (Just think about that for a moment.)

<3, Tabi :D

For past Parent Tips, click here and here.

Parent Tip #102

This one is simple.

And keep it off as long as possible. I promise, creativity will ensue.

<3, Tabi :D

Parent Tip #101

Make your punishments creative!

Time-outs get way old and definitely don't work for every little thing. I've noticed some snarkiness lately in the children. It seems to start at the top of the totem pole (*) and works it's snarky little way down. This new snarkiness is showing it's face in the form of a "Whatever!"... usually accompanied by an eye roll. 

Warnings and time outs could be used here, but sheesh it gets old, and we as parents really do need to switch it up now and then. For effectiveness.

In this case, I decided to instate a Whatever Jar. Whenever a 'Whatever' is muttered - a quarter (I know it looks like a penny in there... in my house, any coin is called a quarter) gets placed in the Whatever Jar.

After announcing the jar and the rules and why it's bad to be snarky to Mom (my reason? Because Mommy doesn't want you to turn out to be bratty kids), the jar worked pretty well. There are only 3 coins in the Whatever Jar tonight.

Remember that purple * up there? It turns out 1 of those coins is from me. I got caught saying 'Whatever'! I guess it really does start at the tippy top of the totem pole. :-/

<3, Tabi :D