GET A HOBBY! -Erika

Has anyone ever told you when you're stressed out that you need a hobby? Well they are right! As I prepare myself to start my 365 day journey tomorrow, I've been working on coming up with ways to keep my cool in those stressful times. So I'm going to start by embracing my hobby and using it as an outlet. Scrapbooking! I've become positively obsessed with cutting up the pictures and organizing them into books with cute stickers and embellishments so I have these amazing projects to look back on. When I first started scrapbooking, of course, Timmy, always the curious toddler, would be all over my scissors, glue, stickers, everything he could get his hands on. And being the stressed out mom of a toddler in training, I would scold him for touching everything. Now when I'm getting out my supplies however, I let his creativity flow along with mine. I give him a piece of scrapbook paper, some photo scraps, a couple pairs of scissors, and a sheet of stickers and let him go crazy! Now what do I get out of scrapbooking besides a fun project for myself? I get some amazing memories that last a life time, of watching my sweet boy create his own "pages" as well. 

He sits on the floor in front of me and says "help Mommy," while he puts everything together his way. Now that is an awesome trade for yelling at him to leave everything alone. 
So what am I trying to say? Alternative number 1 to yelling at your child, improvise what you're doing in a way that makes it special for him, and makes him feel like he's helping! If you're folding laundry and he doesn't quite know how, get an extra basket for him to put his own folded laundry in so it's separated and you can fix it as you go. My son likes to stand on a chair in the kitchen an help me with the dishes, so I'll let him put dirty ones in the sink for me and clean dishes in the drainer to dry.Now I just need to find something for him to do while I'm cooking.....