Toddler Bedtime is ALL Unicorns & Rainbows with Hefty Petz

I was sent a blanket to review for this post,  regardless all opinions expressed below are completely my own.

We recently were lucky enough to be sent a weighted blanket from Hefty Petz and I have nothing but amazing things to say about the it. It's super soft, the quality is amazing, the weight is just right for my little one to feel comforted, and the design is ADORABLE.

D loves it because it's a cute little unicorn and she calls it her heavy super girl blanket, because she feels powerful when she carries it out of bed with her, to read in our chair. It's pretty much the most perfect addition to our plethora of blankets and definitely our most used since receiving it.

Speaking of D's favorite things, Hefty Petz asked me to interview my sweet girl and I thought it was fun enough to share with y'all! She seemed to really enjoy answering these questions.  If you decide to interview your sweet kiddos, let me know in  the comments below - kids say the funniest things, so I can't wait to hear.

*Q1: At what age did you first start sleeping on your own? 
1.5 and it made me feel like a super hero!!

*Q2: What makes you feel brave? 
When I drink my own water. When mama gives me hugs and kisses, that makes me feel brave too.

Q3: If you could have one superpower what would it be? 
Um, like flying, probably.

*Q4: What do you want to be when you grow up? 
A ghost or a monster or a teacher?

Q5: What makes you so awesome? 
When I play dress up.

*Q6: What is something you do now that you need an adult for but would like to try to do all by yourself?  
Playdoh.

Q7: If you wrote a book, what would it be about? 
It would be about a monster.

Q8: If you were a teacher and could teach your students anything at all, what would you teach them?
 I would teach the kids to sing and to trace their letters.

*Q9: What do you look forward to when you wake up? 
10... and going on a walk and my toys.

Q10: What's a memory that makes you happy?
Playing playdoh with my daddy

Q11: What do you think you’re going to dream about tonight? 
The fairy and the playground and presents... and figuring out the fairy's name.

Making Toddler Meal Time Enjoyable with Happy Family Organics & Mama Mentors!

This post is sponsored by Happy Family Brands but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Meal times should be enjoyable... I mean, sure, we all can agree they should be... but when you're two and learning to express yourself in different ways sometimes lunch involves screaming silly words at the top of your lungs and other times dinner is filled with tears and complaints, even though your plate is full of foods you previously loved.

Toddlerhood. That's what this is. She's a ball full of confusion, sass, and knowledge. One day she begs for carrots, the next she throws them at the dog. One thing she hasn't started handing over to her canine companion is her Happy Tot snacks and bless it, I'm so thankful for this fact.

The thing is, we were worried a few weeks ago when she started turning down all her favorites, I had no clue what to think - so I turned to my new friends over at HappyFamilyOrganics.com and actually was able to get some sound advice on how to cure her picky eating habits once and for all.

When the expert I spoke to mentioned "Division of Responsibility" it sounded more like a chore chart than a way to solve our issue, but she explained it a little further and it basically breaks down the feeding relationship between parent and child and allows your child to take the lead & follow her instincts in a way that's right for her.

What it gets down to is, providing your child with an adequate, wholesome meal and letting her take the reigns at that point. This is tough sometimes, when she's being a little sassy pants especially - but it's easier when we tie in familiar parts of her diet - like Happy Tot Pouches.

We have introduced some new foods to her recently that have been huge hits - like the Happy Tot Protein bars. She sees the box and sometimes demands one for snack time, which is a-okay with me since she isn't a fan of most other protein-rich foods.

One last way that we've found to encourage her to eat, is offering something she truly enjoys once she finishes something else on her plate... this may not be ideal, I believe it's actually called bribery, but when I just want her to eat some carrots, I'll offer a Happy Tot Cookie and she's all set to chow down on some veggies!

Are you experiencing some food troubles with your kiddo? From breastfeeding help to encouraging your kiddo to enjoy a meal, the experts at Happy Family Organics are here to help. Check out the website and chat with an expert now and then grab your kiddo some delicious, nutritious Happy Family foods the next time you're at the store!

How to Encourage Your Toddler to Help with Daily Chores & How We Quickly Clean the House Together!

This post is sponsored by Bona but the content and opinions expressed here are completely my own.

If you're a parent, you know having a toddler in your home is super rewarding but absolutely chaotic. From meal times, to leaving the house, to just daily activities, everything is a production. Whether she's sassing me telling me "I do this", throwing a fit because I'm not letting her have her way immediately, or running out of the room and then back in again, because the sound of our food processor scares her - she's always ready to learn about life and always adding her own little twist to things to make them interesting.

While her interference may be considered a foul in my game plan for each day, I'm learning life really is about those moments. Being a parent has taught me it's okay to take a time out and teach her what I'm doing, dare I even say it's important for me to do this?

The dishes can wait until she's in bed and maybe her helping "fold the laundry" with crumbs all over her hands from snack isn't the most productive thing, but it's fun watching her curious mind learn. She is so intrigued and curious about how to do things that seem so mundane to us. So instead of getting frustrated with her wanting to help, I've learned that she's capable and willing to do chores if I encourage her to do them in her own way.

On that note, today I'm sharing how we make cleaning fun for Delainey and how you can encourage your toddler to help around the house as well!

1. Bona-fide Fun with our Bona Quick-Clean kit - We'll start with the chore Delainey loves doing the most - dusting & mopping with our Bona! It's a quick way to get our floors clean, so I tend to do a quick swoop through the house dancing with my girl, then I lower the adjustable handle and allow my little dancing queen to take over.

She loves running around the room with the Bona® Microfiber Mop, sliding around and dancing like she's in Risky Business... and our floors look superb afterwards so it's a win-win! If you want to encourage your toddler to do the same, make this chore look fun while you're doing it. Pull out all the Tom Cruise moves and dance around to that good time rock n' roll, I guarantee it's a behavior your sassy little sidekick will definitely want to imitate.


2. Make it a competition - We often make things into a game, because I mean... why not? Life is all about having fun, after all! So, whether we're putting away her blocks or stacking her library books before bedtime, I like to encourage Delainey's competitive side while also getting things accomplished a little faster. We race from the kitchen to her bedroom to put on pjs, we spend just seconds organizing her doll house since we're both moving at lightning speed, and she thinks it's hilarious and so much fun. The best way to encourage your toddler to get speedy is again, to exhibit the behavior yourself. Show Junior how fast you can stack his blocks or put away books, then challenge him to do the same. Whether or not he's super fast the first time or not, ENCOURAGE him and I bet he's ready to race you (and maybe win) the next day!

3. Everything has a place - While this may be obvious to some, I didn't live with this mindset until maybe my mid-twenties. I've always been a whimsical (ahem... lazy) person and never really enjoyed cleaning, but after years of being forced to "adult", I'll be the first to admit - I have definitely grown to appreciate a cleaner home... and in that cleaner home, I adore organization (more than I could have ever thought possible). While I'm not sure if she's going to keep a tidy house in the future or not, for now I'm encouraging her to put things away as she plays. It's not a demand, it's more of a gentle reminder that "if we take out our blocks from the closet, it's time to put away our dollhouse next to her toy box". She may not always put things where I want, but I figure it doesn't hurt to encourage and her remind her where things go... and well, if she's helping put things away and she gets close to the right spot, I'll consider that a win in my tidiness book! While we're still working on this, my suggestion to help your toddler learn that everything has a place is to show them and then remind them about where things go until they start remembering on their own!

4. Allow your toddler to lead - Last but not least, never force your toddler to do any household chores they can't handle or absolutely despise... but also, on that same token, encourage your toddler to try doing new activities that help around the house daily. One day she may not be able to climb up and rinse off her plate, but kids grow quick and she may be tall enough tomorrow!

One thing Delainey has recently started doing that blows me away, is requesting to take out our trash and recycling... and while she's not big enough to carry the heavy loads, I sincerely appreciate her willingness. I mean, I just love it when she takes my office trash and is all excited to throw it away. It's funny, because who would have thought... the key to a toddler's heart and the easiest way to make her smile is by letting her do a task that most people don't enjoy doing.

But that... that's why I encourage her to do these things. It not only brings her joy, it helps spread joy in our house. It may sound trivial but these simple tasks and the giggles, love, and sweetness she shares while doing them - it's a reminder of what parenting is all about... and well, really... what life is all about.


Want some extra awesome news? Bona and I have teamed up and one lucky winner will get a FREE Quick Clean Set just for leaving a comment below! Tell me your favorite quick clean tip for your chance to win! You'll also have the opportunity to enter on my facebook tomorrow!

The "Quick Clean Kit" will include:   The Bona® Premium Microfiber Mop for Hard-Surface Floors, The Dusting Solution – Bona® Disposable Dusting Cloths, and The Cleaning Solution – Bona® Wet Cleaning Pads!

Keeping Your Happy Tot Happy with Target

This post is sponsored by Happy Family at Target but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. 

It happened again, we had way too much fun at Target, as per usual... and indulged ourselves with some of our favorites.

There's just something about scouring the aisles of this perfectly organized store and finding epic deals that always pulls Delainey and I in, but recently she's become my little partner in crime and we're always finding reasons to visit our favorite store.

From Deals on toys, to flipflops, pool floats, and toddler clothes, I love that I can find things our family both wants and needs easily in one spot... plus, the newly renovated location by my house just feels like a little slice of heaven, with it's amazing decor set ups and perfectly merchandised items... what's not to love?

You may be wondering our most recent reason to head into the land of deals though...? Well, it all started when I realized we were running low on Delainey's absolute favorite snacks from Happy Tot.

We had fruit & veggie pouches and crackers on the mind as we approached the doors of Target, but when we saw the Happy Tot Whole Milk Yogurt in pouches and cups, her and I just knew she had to try them both. I mena, with mindfully made probiotics, no added sweeteners, all organic and non-GMO ingredients, what's not to love? Don't let her sass fool ya, she was overjoyed to be adding them to the cart!

Speaking of adding items to your cart, what's your favorite thing to shop for in Target? Tell me all about your epic steals & deals from everyone's favorite retailer in the comments below!

How to Raise a Happy Baby & Foster Independence in a Toddler

It's official, Delainey is a true toddler - melt downs galore, wiggling until the cows come home with silly little giggles involved, constantly gracing us with potty training chatter, pretty much falling and scuffing herself up daily, and non-stop expressing her opinions... she's a full blown toddler, in every way. Most days, no matter the task, she insists she "do it" and only is content when things are being done her way... and for that, I'm equal parts thankful and intimidated.

This little girl of mine definitely has a mind of her own, with such a personality behind it. She's a little fireball and so full of love. She is flourishing and her adoration for being independent is evident, she expresses her emotions easily and freely, and she often shocks me with the amount of knowledge she has. From surprising me with being able to complete new tasks without even being taught how, to saying new words and sentences without prompting, she really fills me with pride and is my greatest joy.

Speaking of awe-inspiring joy, D's really been teaching me a lot about life and parenting lately. I'm a "recovering helicopter parent" and I'm really trying to do my best to help Delainey succeed in life without interfering. Wondering how you can find the fine line between doing too much and too little?

I think it all starts with encouraging manners and fostering independence. That all sounds great... but I bet you are wondering... How do we do that?

Today I'm sharing a few tips on how we've been trying to let D be "independent" while still making sure she's safe. If you have a little wild child, these tips are great ways to make sure your little one can gain independence while also learning.

One of the easiest ways to help a toddler feel like they are independent is with food. I'm not suggesting baby led weaning is for everyone, but it worked for us. D will eat nearly anything and everything and enjoys eating. We don't have a picky toddler, at all... she loves broccoli, chows down on her Happy Tots Yogurt, and goes to town on any and all fruits.

We started with Avocado whenever she was a little over 6.5 months old and slowly introduced more and more foods, once at a time. She loves them all now... and is willing to try any food we offer now! She recently had a veggie roll at our favorite sushi joint and she loved it. How many 18 month olds can say they like sushi?

With that said, one of her absolute favorite foods right now is Happy Baby Yogurt. She loves to "coop" out big bites on her own with her tiny little spoon. She lights up with delight with each bite, partly because feeding herself is the thing she's most proud of in her life and because she adores each flavor we've tried so far - from blueberry to banana & sweet potato!

Whether your packing these babies in a daycare lunchbox or sharing them as a snack, they are the perfect way to make sure your little one is getting the nutrition they deserve! Sometimes we hand one to D and tell her it's her "dessert" and she just gobbles it up... who doesn't love delicious, healthy dessert?

Want to let your little try yogurt for the first time? Find out how Happy Family fits into your toddler's nutrition and grab a coupon here. But one thing I bet you'll be overjoyed to know now - they have NO ADDED SUGAR... that's a definite #momwin, am I right? I'm definitely a fan of these healthy "treats"!

Speaking of being a fan... I'm pretty much Delainey's #1 fan. I love cheering her on and telling her she's doing great with everything she does. The thing is, we are now at the point with her that she's constantly expressing likes and dislikes, even with her clothing... and while I would love to tell her that she can regularly wear bloomers on her head, a backwards dress, tights with holes, and rain boots on her hands (like she sometimes does)... that's just not gonna fly all the time. So instead of fighting her and just dictating to her what she must wear each day, I allow her to choose between a few options...

I show her 2-3 outfits to choose from every morning, all laid out and ready to go... and she chooses which one she likes better. This makes us both happy... she feels heard and acknowledged with her choices and I know she's not wearing shoes for gloves, that's a definite win. I know as the years go by, this fashion battle won't be one worth fighting... but for now, I'm happy that we're both satisfied with this solution.

Another way to foster independence in a toddler is allowing them to take the lead. I don't mean that they are in charge all the time, because that's just not going to end well for anyone. BUT, sometimes allowing your kiddo to choose which direction you walk or letting them go ahead on a walk for a few paces can be rewarding for you both.

Almost any time we go on a walk or to the store lately, D loves to run ahead of us by a few feet, stop turn around, smile, and keep going. She's practically showing off for us on most of our adventures and she eats up that attention. It's an easy way to allow her to make choices and overcome obstacles without endangering her.

From walking through the park and selecting which slide to go down to spending time navigating the busy aisles of Target, I think it's important to let her wander sometimes and while this can be difficult to not police - I've noticed the less I demand D stay nearby, the better she is about just wanting to be there with me. I know some kids are a little more wild and like to get into everything... so maybe start doing this only on a couple of woodsy adventures first... and I'll bet your trips to Publix for Happy Tot items become a little calmer too.

Speaking of calm, I think an often overlooked way to encourage independence is teaching her self-care routines early. From calm breathing while she's upset to teaching her to brush her teeth, I want D to feel like she's capable of and enjoys taking time to care for herself.

We've been encouraging her to brush her own teeth (after we give them a good brush), we do the same with brushing her hair... and when she's upset I work with her to calm her breathing and we talk through how she's feeling. While she's only 18 months old, my hopes are that we are starting healthy habits young and fostering good personal care in all aspects.

Speaking of all aspects of independence, one that we haven't touched yet is cleaning up after one's self. This is definitely a hard one to teach a toddler. D would much rather spin like a tornado and take everything off the walls than to pick up the pieces and put them back where they belong, but we're working on that.

From encouraging her to help throw away pieces of trash, to spending time helping her clean up her books and toys, we are doing our best to teach her to clean up after herself. She's also started to help unload the dishwasher, put away the groceries, give the dog her daily vitamin, and sometimes she even helps water the plants. Some may say 18 months is too young to teach her to do chores... but she loves "helping" out around the house and I love watching her learn a new skill, especially one that teaches her to be more independent!

So tell me, how do you (or did you) foster independence in your toddler? I'd love to hear your experiences with your fireball in the comments below!

Our Bedtime Routine at 16 Months Old

This post is sponsored by Gerber, regardless all opinions expressed below are completely my own.

Did you see us? We're what I call "officially official"! While I'm super shy and awkward in front of a video camera, we did it...  my cute little chunk and I made our debut on Facebook LIVE and if you caught it, you'll know one of the few tips I'm going to share today already!

With that said, today I'm dishing out all the details on how we get Delainey into sleep mode each night. As I mentioned in our live, she sadly isn't a through-the-night sleeper yet... But we've mastered the technique of getting her to sleep so I thought I'd share for other mamas that are going crazy trying to get their tiny tots to sleep.

We'll start with the bit I mentioned in our video, socks! We want to always provide comfort so we choose Gerber socks, since they are the softest... and of course, the coordinating Gerber PJ sets, mittens, towels, etc. from Walmart are also super soft and among our favorites.

We choose Gerber because it's a brand we can trust and I mean, how cute does she look in this?

The next thing we do is a bath! My former bath-hater suddenly did a 180 and now pleads to take a bath all day long. Post dinner seems to be the best time for us and it just so happens it's become part of her night time routine now. I love getting to watch her splash and enjoy the water... and it probably comes as no surprise that both her washcloth and her towel are from the Gerber Childrenswear line we adore so much.

Speaking of adoration, my favorite part of our night time routine is getting some cuddles in - We always sit down and read books before we officially say night night and we both love this time..

Find the right bed - While we planned for Delainey to sleep in her crib every night... it just doesn't always happen. She loves her Dockatot though. It's been a real life saver and actually has helped us all sleep better. I know she's safe and she feels safe... it's a total must-have for us!

Lastly, make some noise! Well, I mean, don't start banging pots and pans, but don't walk on tippy toe all the time either. You'll want your baby to be able to sleep through some things. We use a sound machine with a beach sound to soothe her and it's truly been with us every night of her life. It's a must in my book.

Now, tell me, if you have a through the night sleeper or a little early riser like D, what's your bedtime routine look like?