7 Tips to Help You Raise a THANKFUL Child

It's interesting how having a child instantly makes holidays feel a little bit more exciting, I knew the moment we found out we were expecting that Christmas would be different this year and now that we're celebrating Thanksgiving with her today, I'll admit Turkey day is a little better and brighter with her in it! Although next year will be even more fun when she can try the food with us... for now I'll snuggle her up while I'm nursing her and whisper how thankful I am that she's my daughter in her tiny little ears.

With that said, I've been doing a lot of thinking about how to raise her. Whenever you find out you're pregnant, the duties of parenthood run through your head... that's inevitable. I know I thought about all kinds of situations, some that I put my parents through, some that would only be relevant to her generation, and I'm certain there are some that I haven't even contemplated yet. One thing I do know about parenthood and how I plan on raising her is that I want her to be thankful. I want her to know that while she is loved, she isn't entitled. I want her to thank her elders and smile when asked to extend a helping hand and while I'm no parenting expert, I have been reading up on the matter and today I want to share 7 tips to help you raise a more thankful child.

1. Initiate a thankful habit and count your blessings - While D is really little, I help her do this. We look around at all the amazing clothing and toys she has and while these are great, I want to teach her to be thankful for her blessings in life. Ranging from her amazing Nonnie, her loving aunties, her Gigi that considers her a real life princess - these people are truly blessings in her life and I remind her of that daily. When she gets a little older I hope to keep up this practice but have her tell me who or what she considers a blessing in her life, outside of just the materials she's lucky enough to have.

2. Work Hard and Spend Wisely - I want Delainey to know money doesn't grow on trees and that we work for what we want in our house. I don't plan on practicing slave labor, or anything of the sort, but she will start doing chores when she's old enough and desires certain possessions. When she's 5 and wants a new barbie, learning how to do a task around the house will be her way of earning that reward. This lesson won't be one that we learn for a while but it's definitely one I hope she grasps quickly.

3. Please, Excuse Me, and Thank You - Learning her manners is an important part of teaching her to be thankful and polite. When she's super young she may not really understand what these words mean but teaching them to her when her vocabulary first starts growing is one of my main goals. I want her to know that these words mean a lot, in my opinion, and make you seem like a more gracious guest in someone's home, a kind girl in social situations, and ultimately, just a better person in general.

4. Listen Up - Teaching her how to listen is important too. While she's pretty small to teach about eye contact and choosing her tone of voice, this is on our agenda to teach older D. I think the best way to teach her this will be to listen to her when she speaks, teaching her how to properly make eye contact by demonstrating the behavior and listening intently to whatever she's trying to tell me. While this won't always be possible, doing this as much as I can will encourage her to mimic my behavior... or at least that's what the experts say.

5. Show and Tell...the Truth about life - While exposing D to homeless people currently isn't on our agenda this turkey day, we do plan on eventually spending this holiday volunteering at a shelter with her when she grows up. I want to expose her to the less fortunate, preferably around this time of the year to remind her how lucky we have it. It's eye-opening to do things like this and while I don't want to scare her, I want her to know life isn't rainbows and butterflies all the time for everyone and that we need to help others whenever possible, two lessons in one turkey day... I'm looking forward to this.

6. Spring Clean with the Kids - This may sound like an extra chore, along with doing the chores... but it'll be worth it! Have the kids choose clothing and toys they no longer want during the spring months (or any time really) and donate these items to those in need! Teaching your kids to live minimally while also ridding your house of the extra "stuff" will be good for everyone involved. This is something I know Delainey and I will be doing, I have a bad shopping habit and this will be the perfect way to keep that in check and we'll both learn from it.

7. Get the family in on the thankful fun - This one should be easy, all you have to do is get the family on board with the thankful lifestyle. Encourage grandparents to overuse the word thanks when your kiddo is around or tell older cousins to tell babe their definition of being thankful. It's fun to get everyone involved in being thankful and it spreads the goodness all around!

It's True, We Co-Sleep (with Dockatot)!

Thanks to Dockatot for sending over this awesome little gadget for us to include in the baby shower gift guide,
regardless all opinions expressed are completely my own.

Parenthood is full of a whole bunch of new experiences. From learning all about our little Delainey and her personality to spending hours trying to figure out what she needs in her life, we've been learning a lot along the way so far... and I have a feeling that won't be changing any time soon. While we've appreciated all of the help we've gotten along the way, we've been given a lot of advice that was unwarranted.

Some people say co-sleeping is the ONLY way to get some rest when you have a baby, while some may say it's a big no-no. I'm honestly kind of on the fence with this discussion and where I stand, especially because Miss Delainey is pro co-sleeping. With that said, there's no reason to panic or worry about her well-being if you don't agree with co-sleeping because we've added a DockaTot to our stash of baby gear and it's definitely going to be put to good use!

Have you heard of DockATot? It's something every parent should have - a multi-functional lounging, playing, chilling, resting, and snuggling little dock you can take anywhere! The best part is your little baby will feel snug and secure without being unsafe and you can rest easy knowing your little one is safe & sound in the little pod! They are the closest thing to the womb, other than mama's arms, so any baby tucked into one of these beauties will sleep like a, uh..., baby!

Plus, I love that the DockATot can be moved from room to room easily without having to worry about waking your precious child from their slumber. That means you can always have your eyes on your little darling without having to disturb their sleep, a great little bonus for both mama and baby!

Not only does DockATot provide your little bundle of joy with a cozy place to rest and play, while also offering you portability, this little dock reduces risk of flat-head syndrome. I had no idea this was a thing, but apparently positional plagiocephaly (aka Flathead Syndrome) is a result of a baby lying on one side of the head more than the other. But how does the DockATot help this little issue? The mattress on each DockATot is a soft thermobonded fiber wadding plate with a great bearing capacity to relieve pressure on the head, which is just what your babe needs to avoid a flat head. In addition, the fibers of the surrounding bumpers on each dock offer great support and can function as a positioning prop, enabling you to alternate the baby's resting position, from back to either side without a worry in the world!

Are you interested in trying a DockATot for your tot or maybe you want to grab one to gift to a friend at her upcoming baby shower? Click here to find out more and score a discount on one of my favorite baby gear items on the market!

Interested in finding more awesome items for babies and new mamas?
Click here to check out my Baby Shower Gift Guide!

Learn About the App: IFTTT & How It Can Simplify Your Life!

As a mama, I've learned that if I want to get anything accomplished I need to find some shortcuts. Instead of trying to speed home every afternoon or cutting a diaper change short, I've decided to try and make things I do anyways a little simpler with "IFTTT" or "If this, then that" - the app.

While initially setting up my applets took a little bit of time, now I don't have to take 3 actions to share my twitter photos on Instagram, because the app does that for me.

IFTTT lets you do more with the services you love and applets within the app help you bring together services you love. From pairing your Insta with your Twitter to pairing your phones GPS with your lighting system, IFTTT has so many applets that can help you. So, with that said, here's some ways you should be using IFTTT in your life.

1. Automatically wish your friends a Happy Birthday on Facebook - Ever felt like a total jerk because you ignored the notification for a buddy's birthday and never took a minute to write on their wall? Use IFTTT and you'll never have that happen again. Just sign up to send well wishes and the applet will do it for you!

2. Share Instagram photos to Twitter as a photo (not a link) - THIS is literally the reason why I originally started using IFTTT. It may seem lazy but it's nice, as a "momtog", to share photos on Instagram and have them share directly to my most beloved social media platform, twitter. If you love both Insta and Twitter as much as I do, then this is a useful applet for you.

3. Be your own weather person, know when it's going to pour - Don't fret about whether it'll rain or not tomorrow... IFTTT will let you know. Just sign up for a notification and you'll always know if it's going to rain!

4. No worries when dealing with photo storage - Using google drive, back up your Android photos and never worry about having to transfer photos to an external or deleting extras. As a mama with a passion for photographing her baby, this was a huge reason I fell in love with IFTTT.

5. Hit the lights without lifting a finger - If you have the Hue system, which I talk about here, then you have to check out the IFTTT applets that sync up with the lights! You can change your lights to blue lights when it's raining, have your lights automatically turn off when you leave home, press a button to make hue lights color loop and more. I'm obsessed with playing with my lights and IFTTT has made them even cooler!

6. Keep track of everything with Trello - Whether you've heard of Trello before or not, now is the time to start using this app and paired with IFTTT, you'll never forget anything again! I love using this app to keep track of upcoming assignments, appointments, and fun stuff too. The coolest part is I can label an email with a specific label and IFTTT will create a card in Trello for that event. Making time for everything just got a little easier.

Add Some Sparkle with Just Born!

We're such big fans of Just Born that we're actually brand ambassadors, regardless all opinions expressed below are my own.

Having a little girl means we are blessed with a ton of pink and sparkle in our house, so it comes as no surprise that we are obsessed with the Just Born Sparkle line for our gal. From the clothing to the changing pad covers, the line is absolutely adorable and the perfect girly touch for our little darling and her mermaid room.

I shared how much I was looking forward to sharing Just Born with Delainey recently and now that she's here, we both agree that they only make stuff that makes a girl smile!

Have you seen the latest from Just Born? When we were sent the crib rail guard in pink with a gorgeous pink crib sheet and the pink changing pad cover, both Delainey and I were gaga over the new additions to her room!

The sheets are super soft and she loves just hanging out in her crib watching her mobile and feeling the gentle sheets against her, it's a blessing that she loves to spend so much time just lounging in her room and being curious.

While the sheets are soft and perfect for my gal, the crib rail guard is a great feminine touch to her crib and great while she's little. I love the delicate female tone of pink and the gold embellishments are the perfect compliment to any nursery theme.

Lastly, the changing pad cover is awesome. Why? It's mainly because it's the softest in our collection... but also because it sparkles!

So tell me, are you looking to add some cuteness to your baby's room or wardrobe? Check out the Just Born Sparkle collection and tell me which item you are going to add first!

Interested in finding more awesome items for babies and new mamas?
Click here to check out my Baby Shower Gift Guide!