Useful Toddler Distractions

Toddlers and young children are a handful at home. When you take that busy little person to a place outside the home, and expect them to sit and wait, things can get ugly. Waiting for dinner to arrive or for their sibling's class to end can seem an eternity. Before your patience runs screaming from the room, remember to swim downstream... not upstream.

Instead of seeking a quiet moment to yourself, or time for adult talk, make the most of "now." Expecting your toddler to be patient like an adult is asking him to act-out to get your attention. 

There are definitely tricks to making the waiting less painful. After a few minutes of "shhh" and "sit still," the parent may be looking for some options that work for toddlers.  First, try asking your child to tell you a story, or about something that happened today. Toddlers treasure moments when they are the center of your attention and you are truly listening.

If they are too active to talk, try a distraction. Take the child's mind off the waiting with a story, song, rhyme, bounce on the knee or task. Your child will be thrilled with ANYTHING to do, and you will be happy they are occupied. Some favorite distractions are:

• A sheet of stickers they can apply to your purse or sleeve. (Applying the sticker could be a reward for a some action or service, like identifying colors or letters.) 
• A game of "I spy." This is a fun game to play with the camera on your cell phone. They close their eyes, you snap a picture, then they guess where the photo was taken. Zoom in for more challenging matches.
• Tell a story or read from a favorite book.
• Pull out a small toy you save for "quiet time" occasions.
• Offer crayons and paper. Ask them to draw your house or draw a portrait of you. The child's favorite part, of course, is your appreciation of their artwork. 
• Keep a sheet of removable window decals handy for a quick diversion.
• A cup of chipped ice and a spoon. Endless entertainment your waiter can offer, for free. Add an empty cup and they can transfer from cup to cup.
• Ask them to slide a penny across the table into your hand. If your child is past the choke-able objects stage, this simple game is readily available.
• Toddlers need to move. If you can do your waiting where there is an open area for running, like an empty hallway, try sending the toddler after a bouncy ball.
• Paper airplanes.

Believe it or not, you will miss these times. Enjoy your adorable little one!

Making It A Happy New Year

Walk along with the crowd or choose my own direction?

Happy new year to you! As I walk into 2011, I am going to change my perspective. Rather than focusing on how much weight I have to lose or the state of my home, I choose to focus my energies this year on the timeless adage, "Be the change you want to see in the world" (Ghandi). How can a busy mother of three who works outside the home find time to "be the change?" Answering that question is my goal for 2011.

Part of "being" is living the way you want others to live. A parent's life is a model for her children. We teaching them how to be. Leading by example. Thinking this through, there are several areas in which I could stand some improvement.

1. Better food choices. Plan, prepare and teach healthy food options.
2. Minimize materialism. Keep the focus on enjoying our time together and not the need for things or possessions. 
3. Fly. Although not a strict follower of the "Fly Lady" if I can keep up a little each day, my life will run more smoothly and I will be less witchy at home. Keeping organized will help me to find time to reach my goals.
4. Find my niche. One person can't each change the world, but I can make the best of what I have and try to find my personal niche to make a difference. What is the task that I enjoy, that targeted toward a worthy cause will improve lives outside of my immediate family. Determining this is my goal for January. 

I hope you will join me in my quest to make the world a better place.