The Non-Power of No

The following is a guest post by Melissa as SOS MOM.
“No”…. such a little word, such a powerful word.
A word that carries strength, respect and authority.
All in one little bite-size package.
We use it so often that we forget how much impact it can have… especially on a child.
It puts them to the test, challenges them…
They will test your limits whenever that word resonates in their ears.
Push your buttons with it.
Toy with your patience if they can… and they know they can!
Very feasible too, that they will throw a tantrum (those are especially pleasant in public!) as a protest… Being held back from accomplishing what they had started is not making them a happy camper.
They undoubtedly know the meaning of the word “no”.
After all, it doesn’t take much of a rocket scientist to figure it out… it is a word that carries loads of significance.

It nearly makes you wonder if they are born prepared for it, for THE word.
Perhaps our uterus gives them a crash course called “How to deal smartly and efficiently with the “no” word”… seeing that they seem to master it pretty admirably from such an early age.
But alright, all joking aside, our facial expression kind of give it away when we utter the word… putting on our pokerface!
Yet, we are somewhat obliged to keep a straight face, if not so, we would fall short of all credibility.
Hence, a catch 22…
A dead end.
We are regrettably limited in our options here.
So, clever as we are, us parents, we find a way around this conundrum.
We come up with other ways of saying the you-know-what word. Ways that ultimately have the same meaning as the infamous word but that doesn’t come across as a defiance to our children.
Things such as “That’s not a good idea.”, “Oh! Yucky!”, “That’s a boo-boo!”, “Let’s leave that alone.”… and the list goes on…
All of these, expressed along with more or less of a relaxed demeanour, reminding ourselves to keep that rather convincing face on.
It doesn’t take very long before they catch on to us… Oh they do figure us out!
Smart little monkeys!
So, back to square one?
Maybe, maybe not.
It all depends on what usage we make of the word.
Evidently, a child will eventually be saturated with the “N” word if it is reiterated incessantly.
It will not only lose its effectiveness, but it will create frustration, [Read more…]

Deals Of The Day!

Deal of the Month at UmiTake 50% off the Girls’ Morrow Boot. Was $75, now $36.90, plus free shipping! Valid through the month of March. Plus use promo code: Link15 to score 15% OFF Your order!!

Easter Mat Snag an Egg-cellent Easter Personalized Placemat at I See Me Right now! The more you buy the more you save! Below are some promo codes to use, for the amount of mats you want to purchase! Mat runs $11.95 for 1 mat. So if you buy more you will save more!

  • Buy 2 – save $4 with code SAVE4 at checkout!
  • Buy 3 – save $9 with code SAVE9 at checkout!
  • Buy 4 – save $16 with code SAVE16 at checkout!
  • Buy 5 or more – save 33% with code SAVE33 at checkout!
TreeHouse Tykes
Treehouse Tykes has a great sale on the “I Like Books” right now! You can snag them for only $9.95 normally $19.95! These books are so unique! They allow you to write things you “like” about their child in [Read more…]

Finding New Friends- H0P 4 Ways!

Welcome back to week 49 of Finding New Friends Weekend Blog Hop hosted by Shelly from My Saving Game, Sam from Have Sippy Will Travel and Jeannette from The Adventures of J-Man and MillerBug! Thank you all for helping make this hop so successful! We love you tons! Now what are you waiting for?

Let’s get to hopping! We are finding some fabulous blogs through this hop and having a great time getting to know so many of you! So thank you for linking up again this week to those of you who are hop veterans and welcome to those who are new! Let’s continue to make new bloggy friends and increase our traffic! We do have a few simple rules for you – nothing too tough though. So here we go!

1. Please follow your hostesses My Saving Game, Have Sippy Will Travel and The Advetures of J-Man and MillerBug on one of our social media platforms.Leave us a comment and we [Read more…]

Dear Daddy, Little Missed You Today….

And he wanted to show you.
Since he got up late today, and mommy and Little will be sleeping when you get home (hope you have fun with your friends!) we know you will see this tomorrow.
We love you!

First we ate breakfast (and you know what a big breakfast I ate- I even helped make it!), and then we went to the park. Well, mommy checked her email first. She’s such a buggar!!!
Then we went home and I did a worksheet and had some lunch. I had a peanut butter and Amish jelly sandwich- on bread! And celery. And a banana. And a yogurt. (I was really hungry!)
Then I drew you a picture. It’s on the table for you. Mom tried to get me to take a nap- no way! [Read more…]

Pin Me, Pin You- Come H0P on Over!!!

Follow Me on PinterestBlessed Elements Create

Follow Me on PinterestHave Sippy Will Travel

Follow Me on PinterestRandom Deals

This week’s Guest Hostess is That’s What She Said Please follow her and leave her a comment to let her know she is l♥ved .

Choose your hop or hop on both:
For this one:
Go Grab the Pin It Button For Your Tool Bar and Go Hop From Blog To Blog. Those listed on this linky have posted pictures on their blog [Read more…]

National Nutrition Month Has Found Its Perfect Snack

Here’s an easy way to celebrate National Nutrition Month every day (not just in March): choose all-natural Crispy Fruit and FruitziO as the snacks of choice for you and your kids. Crispy Green

Quick Dinner Rolls- Recipe

This recipe is pretty fun to make with the kids. It looks like a biscuit, cooks fast like a biscuit, yet isn’t a biscuit at all. It’s called a Quick Dinner Roll. You can whip this up in under twenty minutes and serve it along with dinner not ten minutes later. Fast enough for you?
Not only is it quick to throw these rolls together, they taste great and all you really need to know how to do is mix. It’s that easy! Have the kids help mixing it up and drop spoonfuls into muffin tins for a really quick addition to the dinner table.

My kids adore them so much I always make two batches!

Quick Dinner Rolls

Ingredients

1 package of active dry yeast

Wholly Guacamole Review and Giveaway

Who is a fan of Mexican food?
Maybe a little salsa here and there is how it starts, then comes the tacos and burritos. This all leads to the mystical guacamole and tortilla chip combo. This addictive combination may taste as if it is horrid for you and clogging your veins with cholesterol, but in actuality when done right with the best of ingredients, it is one of the healthiest food you can eat.

Wholly guacamole is proof of this. This guacamole is fresh, full of vitamins and minerals, a trans-fat free food, and even gluten free. The flavors are earthy and creamy with a touch of spice to get you ready for the next bite. Each bite is a joy to consume and leaves you wanting more But every good thing must come to an end, and unfortunately there is a bottom to the container.

Fret not, noble chip eaters- there is more then guacamole with which to dip. Try new wholly salsa which is one of the freshest complex salsas around. This salsa is perfect on taco night (or even breakfast time, shh!). Pour some on a fresh out of the pan cheese omelet and you’ll get a delicious Mexican breakfast. I am a big fan of the medium salsa, it has just a bit of a kick and is perfect for just about anything I have thrown it on including chicken, rice, burritos, and of course nachos.

Oh no, a catastrophe has [Read more…]