How to Handle a Picky Eating Toddler ft. Oogaa Baby Utensils

I feel like kids hit a point in their toddler-hood (totally just coined this term now lol) where they just start to hate food, some kids deal with that point a lot longer and it hits them a lot harder than others. As a new mom I dealt with this, having a child that absolutely loved everything and would eat every type of food, to all of a sudden hitting 2 years old and despising everything. Honestly I wasn't expecting and I was scared that she was losing weight and not eating a balanced meal. But let me just say this to all the new moms out there its a phase, because now my 2 years old who is now 5 years old literally eats everything and is constantly hungry and wanting to eat all day long. The reality is kids have to grow their palette, they need to learn what they like and don't like and when they hit around that 1.5 or 2 years old mark they start to make that decision  on if they want to eat something or not. So I thought I would share some tricks that will help make this bump in the road.

• Make dinning time fun! Try even if your child is fussy or just not trying to have it still make the dinning experience fun for them. Incorporating fun music or even fun eating utensils such as oogaa baby is such a game changer, it peeks their interest and even gets them interested in even feeding themselves. I especially love their fun spoons sets, it is appeasing to your little one and gives you a chance to play with them while feeding them as well. 
• Pick your battle! Be willing to bend the rules and give them what they want. The way I see it a fed child is better than a fussy one who isn't gonna eat but fight you the entire time. With Simi she went through a phase where literally all you wanted to seat was mac n' cheese, so guess what for a month straight all she ate was just that. The way I saw it was should I keep fighting her and also wasting my food, or just make what she wants to eat so I did just that. 
• Be patient, honestly its so frustrating and also a very worrisome if all your child wants to eat all day is strawberry or just one specific type of food all day long. There was a point where we worried she was becoming too lean and just not growing up as a healthy child, but the reality is this is just a phase very soon you will be begging your child not to eat your entire house down. So just be patient and let it run its course. 

It is quite a journey being a parent to little ones, and the reality of having little humans is they will test every little part of your being and push buttons. Just understand that you are not the only one in this boat, and it is just a phase and your most important role as the mom is just being understanding of that and also use it as a chance to get to understand what your child likes cause they are building those favorites meals at this point. 

***This is a sponsored blog post, all the opinions and words are all mine based on my personal experiences***

4 Simple Ways to Make him Priority after kids

One of the biggest struggle as a new mom is feeling overwhelmed, your life has suddenly gone from you and your husband to now being on call to this little human being and learning how to take care of them properly while but still making time for your husband and making your marriage a priority, its quite a struggle honestly and can put quite a strain on your relationship. I remember after  I had Temi, my body went through quite a lot I felt so much like I wasn't myself anymore, on top of that I had a toddler to care for and I still had to make my husband and marriage a priority, every day I would feel so helpless and just felt like I was being pulled a million different places and I saw it affecting my relationship with my husband majorly, but it doesn't have to be that way and even just the littlest things will make your marriage thrive no matter how many babies come along and make your bond even stronger than before.

• Include him, I know once kids come around especially in those early stages its very easy to get caught up in doing for the baby you kind of schedule things around the little one and before you know it your life is all kids and you and your husband are just an extras. So just learning to include him in things, makes him feel like his still number one and honestly its extra help for you as well.
• Make time for each other everyday, this might involve putting the little(s)  one to bed on time, or even you staying up a little later just to be able to talk and spend some quality time with each other and not have all the noise of the kids. Sometimes it just takes a little sacrifice but its very worth while. 
• Be spontaneous, be willing to go off script sometimes and plan mid day dates or just something fun and unexpected for both of you. 
• Communicate with him constantly life can be busy as a mom especially as a new mom, so let him understand the emotions you are dealing with, so he can be more sympathetic and know where he can assist as well. 

Marriage is definitely constant work, and when kids are added to the mix it makes your job just a little harder but nothing good ever came easy right. I hope these tips can be helpful you all, and if you have any extra ones I have missed I would love to hear them out in the comments.

5 Things to do When Feeling Overwhelmed as a New Mom!

I remember when I first had Simi, I felt like my life went from straight chilling to where do I start from now. It was stressful and scary, and honestly even the second time around I still felt very similar emotions and feelings. Thankful I had all the help in the world, but guess what eventually everyone had to go on with their lives and I was left to be mom by myself and the reality of it all set in. I have learnt that you don't have to feel this way and there are so many ways to curb that feeling or help ease the feeling of overwhelm.

How to maintain a social life as a new mom

One of the hardest things after I had Simi was getting balance being a mom to a little human as well as still having some type of life, honestly even with two kids that is still quite a balance I am still learning to handle. Being a young mom it rocks your world when you first become a parent, it almost seems like your life goes from litty mode to now completely confused and unsure if you should keep your turn up friends or get a whole new set of mommy friends (which is very hard but a topic for another day lol). Maintaining a social life as a new mom can be quite a struggle, you are dealing with mommy guilt and then constantly feeling like you are the odd man out with your friends who don't have kids or understand the situation you are in as well. Honestly I am still learning ways to have a social life and as the girls get older I am making a very blatant effort to have a social life and make my life more than just about my kids. Here are a few tips to maintain a social life as a mom:

How to make the school year less hectic

As a mom I know I look forward to back to school season after a long busy summer, but as much as I look forward to it the school year can get quite overwhelming. Last year was Simi's first year in public "real" school, and honestly it was quite an adjustment not only for her but for me as well. But along the way I have learnt a few tricks that I intend to fully utilize this school year and hopefully they can be of good use to you all as well.

How to get a moment of peace as a mom

Lets be real being a mom is full time 24/7 around the clock job, you barely ever really get a break and just when you think you are getting a break to go pee, there is someone barging into the bathroom or messing with the handle to unlock it (sigh) but every once in awhile you might get that 5 mins of silence or if you are lucky a full hour of nap time to get a breather and take in some fresh air. With summer and the girls keeping me heavily busy, I have learnt to cherish and really utilize these little times I get and utilize them to my advantage. Here are my go to things to enjoy my moment of peace.

5 Ways to keep your sanity when the kid are off for the summer

We are officially in the thick of summer, so that means lots of hot days and loads of free time for the kids. If your kids are anything like mine, they are keeping you very busy and probably driving you crazy a bit. I had shared on my Instagram at the beginning of summer, how Simi was literally eating the house down mainly due to boredom so I had to quickly find some ways to keep her busy and help me stay sane this summer or completely lose it on her lol. Its funny as parents we all look forward to summer so we can get a little break from the school year schedule, but then Summer comes around and you realize you have to keep your kids busier now lol. Anyway here are some things working for me right now.