Day 1- Ask "What is one thing we can do together this month?"
Madison wouldn't understand this question even if I asked, so I will figure this out on my own :)
Day 2- Go the whole day without yelling
This is one area I'm ashamed to admit that I need help with. I don't yell at her a lot, or even every day. She loves to push my buttons sometimes and normally when Alan is home. I did, however go this day and the 3rd without yelling at her! Progress! I'm trying to keep it cool with her.
Day 3- Hug your child three times today
This one is easy. I easily hug her 3 times before she even goes to school.
Day 4-Kiss your children while they are asleep
I was able to wake her up for school this morning so I snuck one in :) Usually she's awake while I'm getting ready and she tends to be a light sleeper and I don't want to wake her!
Day 5- Say to yourself "She's only ___ years old. She's still a child." Then treat him that way.
I hate this saying. It's mainly said by parents who don't discipline their child, in my opinion. I think that kids that know better, should be disciplined, even at 2. There are things I can ease up on, sure.. but I won't let her get away with things 'just because she's 2'.
Day 6- Bake, make or buy them their favorite food.
I did not get to it this day but did on the 8th. We made granola bars that she liked.
Day 7- Leave a sweet note for them
She's too young for me to do this.
Day 8- Calculate how many weekends are left until your child graduates from high school.
832 I believe.
Day 9- Picture yourself at your child's age. Remember how you felt.
I have no idea how I felt at age 2. I don't remember that far back.
Day 10- Today's mom focus: Joy
We had a good day. She woke up happy, played good on her own, went to school great, we had lunch with Alan and she took a nap. After her nap, we went to a consignment store and Target and came home where she ate decent and went to bed great(except 2 crying spells by 10pm) As long as Madison is in a good mood, Mama is in a good mood ;)
Day 11- Tell your child "I'm so glad you are my son/daughter"
This is obvious and she wouldn't understand it if I told her.
Day 12- Pray for wisdom
I did this and need to do this more often.
Day 13- Do not criticize your child today.
I don't criticize her...
Day 14- Remember; being a mother is a gift
I always know this but it's not always at the front of my mind. I tried to keep that in mind this day and just treasure her.
Day 15- Be firm when needed, but not harsh.
I have really backed off on her and it feels good. Sometimes I am firm but I feel like I'm not yelling as much :)
Day 16- Picture your child at age 25. Mother with that in mind today
Day 17- Laugh with your child today
I do this every day.
Day 18- Who is a mom you admire? What quality of hers can you live out today?
Any mom is worth admiring. It's hard work! I beat myself up a lot about being a good mom. I don't think I'm good enough and I'm too hard on Madison sometimes. I need to work on all of that.
Day 19- Teach your child one thing he can do on his own.
We do this daily. We at least try to teach her something.
Day 20- Today's focus: Patience
This was a really hard day. She woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was grumpy 75% of the day.
Day 21- Forgive yourself when you mess up
See Day 18.
Day 22- How do you want your child to remember you? Be that mom today.
I want her to remember me as a fun mom. I'm not the fun parent, Alan is. I get wrapped up in getting things done while she's playing, I tend not to play with her. I need to work on this.
Day 23- Replace sarcasm with kindness
I'm not sarcastic with Madison. She was great all day but was wild after her Daddy took her to music class at church. I have been on the go for the past 3 days that I hit a brick wall about her bath time so I kept getting a bit frustrated with her because I was exhausted and she was hyper.
Day 24- Do not interrupt your child when he/she is talking
I don't typically do this anyway.
Day 25- Ask for your child's opinions
We always do this, even at 2 years old. We have always talked to Madison like an adult and have never baby talked to her.
Day 26- Encourage your child today
Something we always do.
Day 27- Do one thing that is good for your health.
I'm trying not to eat horrible. I don't remember what specifically I did this day since I'm updating this post a few days after.
Day 28- Teach your child a new word
I didn't make it a goal to teach her a new word but she's always learning new things!
Day 29- Turn off your phone, computer or TV when your child is with you
I didn't realize this was today's goal until after her nap. Sure, I'm guilty of checking social media or sneaking in a game of Candy Crush while she's eating or playing. After I realized it, I didn't pick up my phone until Alan got home that day. I need to force myself to do this more often. It's too easy to just pick up your phone while your child is playing but I also understand that playing with her is important too.
Day 30- Today's focus: Love
This was a tough day. Not in the love department because I love her like crazy but she was in one of those moods. She was not listening at school and has picked up pushing/slapping/hitting. This put me over the edge because she's not the kid that does that. We had quite a few long talks about being nice and not doing bad things. I'm hoping she's done better at school since then.
Day 31- Go to lunch or some type of fun outing, just you two.
I was able to spend some time with her at her school during her Halloween parade. The 3 of us went out for supper, which is rare during the week. Then we went trick or treating. We didn't go out of our way to do something just us 2 but we do that once or twice a week. Sometimes we will go to lunch after school or just go to Target and share an Icee and popcorn.
