Is preschool necessary: The Pros and Cons of Preschool for Children

Is preschool necessary: The Pros and Cons of Preschool for Children

Is preschool necessary absolutely necessary to ensure academic success? I had wondered about this often and started to weigh the pros and cons of preschool for kids. Although we have already decided that we’re going to homeschool Squeaker, at least through her early childhood years, sometimes I do have to wonder. I went through daycare and preschool because it was the best option for my parents. At the time, my dad worked overnights and my mom worked at a bank. With Squeaker, because I intend to stay at home, I’ve looked into home-preschool. We have briefly considered sending her off to preschool part time but I don’t think it’s really for us. So that’s lead me to wonder- is preschool necessary? Let’s take a look…

How To Handle Stubborn Toddlers and Maintain Your Sanity

How To Handle Stubborn Toddlers and Maintain Your Sanity

Chances are likely, as your toddler grows and their vocabulary expands, that they’re going to add the word “no” or maybe “nope” along with the side-to-side head shake. Maybe they’ll even add in a foot stomp, cross their arms over their chest, or put their pudgy little hands on their hips.  And then, before you know it, you’re in a stand off with a miniature (albeit less verbal) version of yourself. But is there a right or wrong way to handle stubborn toddlers? The struggle is all too real. And it occurs daily, sometimes multiple times a day. Maybe even multiple times within the span of an hour if things aren’t going their way. It’s one of those things that parents have been dealing with…

How To Discipline Your Toddler Through The Terrible Twos

How To Discipline Your Toddler Through The Terrible Twos

When babies enter the phase of toddlerhood (which in itself is debatable) you may begin to encounter some behavioral issues that you hadn’t seen in your precious tot before. Things like biting others or hitting. Believe it or not, these are things that a typically developing toddler will do at some point. You may see it in the so-called Terrible Twos or you may see it when your toddler becomes a threenager overnight. But how do you tackle these issues? Are toddlers capable of understanding consequences for their actions? To some extent, yes, I believe that they are. Staying consistent and starting early are two keys when it concerns how to discipline your toddler. Common Toddler Discipline Issues Though it may seem that toddlers have…

How to Effectively Discipline Your Toddler Without Yelling

How to Effectively Discipline Your Toddler Without Yelling

Parenting a toddler can be challenging. Especially when you factor in that they have a limited vocabulary and may have limited ways to express their emotions. Sometimes just figuring out your toddler can be a challenge within itself. You may find yourself in the midst of several power struggles with your toddler daily. But how does one go about disciplining a threenager? And is it really possible to discipline a toddler? The short answer is yes. It has to do with your approach, and here’s a hint: yelling at the toddler who’s probably already yelling at you, won’t help. Let’s talk about: How to discipline your toddler How to effectively discipline without yelling or hitting How to Discipline Your Toddler Without Yelling Disciplining a child…

Simple Chore Ideas That a Toddler Can Do

Simple Chore Ideas That a Toddler Can Do

We all know that toddlers are certainly capable of making messes and sometimes of epic proportions. I’m sure you’re familiar with the term “toddler tornado” and my Squeaker is no exception. Sometimes, it seems, that she’ll wait until I’m done picking up her toys before she follows my path to recreate the mess. Is this intentional? Perhaps. I’d like to give her the benefit of the doubt. She is still just a toddler, after all, but that doesn’t mean that she can’t help me out a bit. In fact, I was wondering about what chores I could possibly have her do. She does like to help with basic cat care like feeding and brushing. But what else can she do? What are other possible chore…

5 Sanity Saving Tips for Traveling with a Toddler

5 Sanity Saving Tips for Traveling with a Toddler

In August of 2016, we took our first cross-country trip with Squeaker. Hopefully it won’t be our last and we’ll see if it becomes an annual thing. Whether we still do a cross-country visit or if we go elsewhere. We’ll see what happens! At the very least this year’s trip, and next year’s trip, were all about traveling to California with a toddler … and well, I’ll say this much- it went so much easier than I thought it would. Part of that was because of some planning in advance. And part of it was because my dad helped us out quite a bit with expenses. I’m already starting a savings fund for next year’s trip as we intend to start in Southern California instead….