I’m probably jinxing myself right now. This very second, I am probably shooting myself in the foot. Because I haven’t seen any trace of the ‘terrible twos’ in awhile. Home life has been great fun. There are always going to be tantrums and defiance – it’s the nature of having an independent spirit. But they’ve been few and far between lately.
So for now, I’m enjoying this period. Which is joyful, playful and yes, even easy. Now I’ll sit back and wait for the parenting gods to strike me down.

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‘I love you. I need you. Don’t touch me. Don’t help me. And please, don’t even look at me the wrong way’.
That seems to be the message I’m getting from Miss Riley at the moment. She craves her independence with a fiery passion. And yet, at times she cannot bare to be separate, or on her own. And sometimes her frustration with some of her physical abilities threatens to overwhelm her entire being.
I read this beautiful post by Kelly Diels about how sometimes ‘I’m scared’ really means I need …

We had our first full-blown supermarket meltdown today.
You wouldn’t think it to look at her. She looks all zen and serene and peaceful here. Like she could give Ghandi a run for his money.
She’s always been a pretty good shopper. She’s usually so excited to be out and about that it’s rare for her to have a tantrum or lose the plot when we’re out. That sort of thing is usually a special treat for her mama when we are home alone.
Lately, the supermarket has become somewhat more challenging. Her …

Fair Warning – this is going to be one of those super mooshy posts where I wax lyrical about how much I love my baby. If it’s not your kind of thing you may want to skip over it or get a bucket. But don’t say that I didn’t warn you.

I’ve had a rough week. And I suppose I haven’t been my usual Christmas-enthusiast (rabid fanatical) self. I’d hoped to be pleasantly pregnant during the festive season, but my miscarriage threw me a bit of a curve ball. Physically, I’m …

Riley is nearly 18 months old and I’m yet to come across a situation that would require even an early form of discipline. Some of the mothers’ in our play group are already using time outs or a slap on the hand. I don’t believe in any form of slapping/smacking/threat of either as a way of discipline myself and have heard that it is ineffective anyway. Although I’m so against it I doubt I would use it even if it did work. I agree with MomHouston that most of the …

I was never very good at keeping my mouth shut about anything, although post-baby this is a skill that I am apparently honing. When I was pregnant it amazed me how many people believed that they were entitled to have a say in what I should/should not do/eat/drink etc. and if anything that gets much more intense once the little bundle is born.
Exhibit A:
In response to myself mentioning to a work colleague that I was breastfeeding (Riley was 10 months at the time): “oh no, you have to get them …