You may remember me talking about wanting to get rid of our daughter's pacifier last month. If not, you can read about it here. Kaelyn only had her pacifier at night time, but was still very attached to it. There were some major changes between potty training, moving to her big girl bed, and a new little brother...which put off the 'weaning' process until just recently. Being two years old, I knew it was time, but wasn't quite sure the best way to go about it. Thanks to many of you who commented with your experiences and thoughts on the issue, I quickly realized that 'cold turkey' was our best bet.

Kaelyn around 4 months old

We wanted to be sure that when we took it, she had something meaningful to have with her at night (a stuffed animal or something) to take its place. We weren't sure what to do, and then someone gave us a great idea...Build-A-Bear! Why didn't I think of that?! We took Kaelyn to Build-A-Bear yesterday and let her pick out and make her very own animal (she picked a monkey). When it came time to stuff the monkey, she grabbed her pacifiers and stuck them inside. It was such a proud moment for me to watch!

Making her 'Build-A-Bear' monkey

Putting one of her pacifiers in the monkey

She picked out some pajamas for her (since the idea was to have something for bedtime in place of the pacifier) and named her Boppy since she always called her pacifiers 'bops'.

Meet Boppy :)

Everything was going great...she didn't fuss once about putting her 'bops' in the monkey. But, the true test was not whether she could part with them for the day...it was night time that we were really wondering about. Bedtime came and as she crawled into bed she asked where her pacifiers were. We reminded her where they were and that now she had a new special friend to sleep with at night. That was it...not another word was said about her pacifiers. She laid her monkey by her, we read a story and she said 'Night Mommy'. I was floored...was it really going to be that easy?! We thought she may wake up in the night crying, but again, nothing. She handled it like such a big girl!

I am so glad that someone gave us the idea of the Build-A-Bear. I think it was a great way to make her a part of the whole process so she understood what was going on each step of the way. It allowed for us to take her bops cold turkey while still giving her the comfort of knowing that they're always with her, and best of all...she now has something special to take its place.

As a parent of one young child, and another on the way, I think it's important to think about discipline practices and what works and what doesn't. There are so many different views on discipline and parenting out there, that's why I enjoy learning more through reading some of the resources that are out there and readily available to us.

When I was given the opportunity to review the book by Thomas Nelson Publishers, The Well-Behaved Child by John Rosemond, I wasn't sure what I'd think. I know his thinking is a bit different than my own in some ways, but I do agree that for children to learn from their misbehavior there must be a meaningful consequences in place. In some ways his thoughts may be a bit more extreme than my own, but overall, I think he makes a lot of good points, and this could serve as a resource for parents in many different situations.

It's a book I'd recommend to parents. I think it offers a lot of good information and gives parents something to think about, and may be apply to their own parenting styles as they see appropriate.

**The product for this review was provided for free by Thomas Nelson Publishers. This was not a paid post and my honest opinions were given.**

With our second baby on the way, I knew we needed to transition Kaelyn to her "big girl bed" sooner than later. We decided to do it this week. We made a BIG deal about her new bed and she got very excited! I wasn't sure what to expect...would she get out of bed in the middle of the night and play?....turns out she absolutely loves sleeping it and stays there all night and throughout naptime! In fact, she likes it so much that she asks to go to bed. She runs back to her bedroom the moment we say it's time to go to sleep. I'm so glad it's gone smoothly....our little girl is getting so big!

Daddy and Kaelyn trying out her new bed!















Visit Cheaper Than Therapy for more Thousand Words Thursday entries!

Diary of Destiny: A True Story of a Miracle is a truly inspiring one about a young child battling cancer and her mother's diary entries....sharing with us her deepest thoughts as she takes us through a journey that was painful, yet miraculous and life changing!

My friend Lindsey, now a beautiful 25 year old and cancer survivor who was healed from this terminal illness, is the little girl in this story who dealt with cancer at only 18 months of age. Her story, told from her Mom's perspective (Normajean Ashburn), is a touching and thought-provoking one. She has put together this collection of diary entries her Mom had written during this very difficult time in their lives so that others who may be going through similar hurts and sorrows would know that there is hope in God. He is a miraculous God who is there for us every step of the way! Even if you have never been through a similar situation, we have all had hurts of some sort and a story such as this is an amazing reminder that we have a God who loves us and wants the best for us...it will truly touch your heart!

A preview of the first 15 pages of this book can be found here as well as ordering information if interested.

We are so very fortunate to have the Internet and a wealth of information at our fingertips whenever we need it! As a Mom I find one of the most common things I am searching for is information on Parenting. Whether that be for the products we use or the foods we feed our daughter....there is a lot of helpful information out there.

Recently I came across BrillBaby, a resource for parents with babies on a variety of useful topics. You'll find information on babies learning and flash card resources, as well as Early Childhood education and right-brain learning methods. As a former Early Childhood educator, and a parent, I found this site to be very informative and could appreciate many of the resources they offer. For instance, do you have questions on Babies Watching TV? Visit BrillBaby for more information.

Just wanted to share a picture of our big girl sitting in her "big girl booster seat". She is growing right before our eyes, and to see her sitting up at the table and not in her highchair was a huge milestone and a little bittersweet for me. She's no longer considered a baby, but a toddler now. The "baby" time went so fast! I can't hardly believe it's been 16 months since she was born. I know many parents can relate...I have a feeling I'm going to be saying "where has the time gone?" throughout her whole life. It goes too fast! Cherish these times while you have them is a big thing I've learned since becoming a parent.

With tax time upon us, I've read many articles about Stay at Home Mom's and the question of whether or not they should get some sort of a tax break. There are tax breaks offered to those who pay for childcare and work outside of the home, however stay at home parents do not have that same benefit. I for one do not think it's fair...how about you? Do you think Stay at home moms/dads who stay home and care for their children should receive a childcare tax credit of some kind?

The consensus seems to be an overwhelming yes among those who have given their opinions on the issue (both working parents and stay at home parents included). In fact, many of the articles and sites I came across also offered information pertaining to the "worth" of a stay at home mom/dad and what their salary would/should be. The most interesting was found over at Salary.com. They have put together a Mom Salary Wizard (for both working moms and stay at home moms) to help calculate the work each does and the wage they should fairly earn. It was just interesting to see, and I thought I'd pass it along for fun. They make it possible to print off the "Mom Paycheck" calculated in the end, which could serve as a neat Mother's Day Gift even?!?

For about a month I have been debating when to start Kaelyn with a "big girl cup", as well as silverware. She's used a spoon here and there, but other than we either help her, or she uses her hands to pick up most foods. I decided to start with the cup today.....it was quite the fun experience!! :) I was preparing myself for a big mess...as I wasn't sure she would understand what to do. I begin by showing her how Mommy drinks out of a cup, then handed the cup to her. She held it in her tiny hands, put it right up to her mouth and began drinking. Was she doing what I thought she was doing?? I couldn't believe she was drinking from the cup so well. After a few drinks, we did have a little spilling, but overall she did GREAT, and spilling was expected! :) I was so proud of her, and could tell she was proud of herself too. We'll have to show Daddy the pictures tonight....he'll be so excited of our little girl!!

As the first of November nears I begin to plan more and more for Kaelyn's first birthday!! It almost seems surreal that she will be one years old in just over a month...I can't hardly believe that it's that time already. I'm having a great time planning for it. I wanted to make the day extra special for her...so I went on ebay, like I normally do to find great deals, and found a SUPER cute little outfit! The amazing thing is that it was brand new with tags and I paid next to nothing for it! Kaelyn will wear the outfit attached on her birthday! Isn't it darling?! :) It says Birthday Girl on the shirt and comes with a little crown hat. I'm excited to get pictures of her in, I'll definitely share when the times comes!

Every now and then I enjoy sharing the lessons that I am continuing to learn in motherhood. Being a new mom, everything is...well...new to me. There are so many things that I have learned and continue to learn each and every day. One thing, which may seem like a "duh" statement to some is the importance of making sure to always have the video camera and digital camera next to me at all time...and making sure that their fully charged as well!

When possible, I am always making sure to try and catch everything on film. This is something that I have wanted to do from the beginning, but as Kaelyn learns to do more and more, it seems even more necessary to have it by my side at all times! It seems that one minute Kaelyn will be on the floor playing with her toys....and in the blink of an eye she is off learning to do something new. Recently that "something" was getting up on her hands and knees. Scott and I knew that this time would come sooner than later, as Kaelyn is a very curious little girl...always wanting to discover the environment around her. She has been scooting around and moving every which way except for forwards for a couple of months now. Soon, she will be moving in that direction though....as getting up on her hands and knees is a very good indication that crawling will be next. It was so cute to watch her as she did this for the firs time. It took so much effort for her to get to that point, and once she did her little face shined and she looked so proud of herself. I'm sure it helped that Scott and I were cheering and clapping...saying "YYEEAAHH Kaelyn!!":) I suppose you could see we're very proud parents!! ;)

It seems that these days we must research everything before using it, especially when it comes to the products that we use with our precious little ones. Up until now I have only breastfed my little girl...no bottles at all. I know at some point I may have the need for a bottle though, so today I began researching to find the best brand and kind to use. As I did some digging online, it came to my attention that there are some very interesting studies being done on the safety, or lack there of, when it comes to 95% of the plastic baby bottles that people use. Are you curious as to what I might be referring to?

It's been found that many popular brands of plastic baby bottles leak BPA when heated. This is a toxic chemical that is used to make the plastic. Everything I have read links BPA to things like obesity, certain cancers, diabetes and more. This is a chemical that is not healthy for any of us, but especially infants and children. There are many people switching from plastic bottles to glass bottles....a choice I'm strongly considering and one I urge you to think about as well.

I recently came across a very funny song, the "Mom Song" sung by Anita Renfroe. If you've never heard it, you definitely have to check it out...hilarious! She sings everything a mom says in a 24 hour period over 2 1/2 minutes! Anyone, whether you're a mother or not, will thoroughly enjoy this song...

A while back I wrote about the things I've researched and learned when it comes to babies and their naptime routine. I had learned so many tips in just the first few months of having Kaelyn and did my best to share them with other mothers who were wondering and going through the same things I was. Now, over 3 weeks later, I am still following those tips and very happy I hung in there!! Kaelyn is on more of a routine, one that she kind of just settled into on her own. I tried to keep things consistent each day...having feed time, wake time, and sleep time throughout the day in that order! At the very first sign of sleepiness, I lay her down in her crib and within 5 minutes she is out! It's a wonderful feeling to be getting into more of a routine...my baby is happier and so am I! I know there are so many different opinions on what's right and what's not when it comes to naptime routines, but I just wanted to share with you the experience that I've had and it's amazing results! I am enjoying the consistency of knowing when she will sleep, eat, play etc. It makes life much easier and more enjoyable!! You can read up on some of the tips and things that I have found useful by visiting a previous post I wrote last month.....Baby Naptime....Useful Tips.

With that said, I must say that I am not the type of mother who believes that you must have a strict, written in stone, type of schedule. I believe children need consistency, but think it's important to be flexible at the same time...especially when they're young like my daughter is. Most importantly I have learned that it's important to follow the motherly instinct that we all have. If you follow that, you'll be just fine!!

Each month I try and write about a lesson in motherhood that I've learned and come to realize as important now that I am a stay at home mom. Although there are things I learn each and every day, that are crucial to me. This month it's a lesson learned about, and for myself. Remembering to take time for mom is key!

Over the past few months of being a mom I've learned so many things, but one thing I've learned that's so important to remember, is that it's important to take time for yourself. Having a baby is wonderful...I enjoy every day I get to spend with her. But sometimes it's nice just to take a moment for myself. Not only important, but crucial! Being a mother is the most important job in the world. I want to be my very best, and to do that I must take time for myself. Sometimes I just need to recharge my batteries. Whether it be taking a bath or reading my Bible, it's important to take time here and there for myself!

Although this is important, you may be saying...."But it's not an easy task to take time for yourself when you're trying to balance everything else that goes along with being a wife, a mother, and a homemaker, etc." This is true. It's not easy task, but something we truly need to work at. No matter how hectic life gets, even if you don't think you have the time, it's important to make the time. I'm not talking a whole day off or anything, just a half hour here and there.

I've learned how important this lesson really is. If you want to be the best mom that you can be, you must take time out for yourself. You deserve it!!

My husband and I have been married for 2 1/2 years now and always knew that we wanted children!! Last February we found out that I was pregnant and were extremely excited about it!! We couldn't wait to become parents and meet our little one! :) Those next 9 months went by very quickly, and this month our beautiful daughter was born!! She is everything we had imagined her to be and more. What a blessing she is and has been to our lives so far. Becoming a mother is something I had thought about and dreamed of since I was a little girl. Now, this dream has become a reality and I'm loving every minute of it. The biggest change to becoming a mother is learning to balance all of the other aspects of my life at the same time. Between being a wife, a mother, a stay at home mom who tries to make a little extra cash here and there, as well as keeping the house clean, making meals and getting exercise in once in a while...I've learned that the balancing act of motherhood is not always an easy one, but an adventure I am living daily, learning about with each moment that passes, and loving with all of my heart! I wouldn't change a thing and thank God for each and every day and all that He has blessed our family with! With that said, I thought it would be fun to begin a blog about the adventure of motherhood and the balancing act it entails! I'm looking forward to sharing my life as an everyday mom and relating to other mothers out there who are also experiencing this wonderful adventure and journey of motherhood!!