It's Earth Day

I've been driving by the landfill near Interstate 480 for 25 years. I can remember watching the landfill grow and thinking about those odd pipes sprouting out from the ground to let the gasses seep from the ground. I took an elective course not too long ago as a "filler" in order to get my last three credits to complete my Bachelor's degree. Environmental Science... why the heck do I need to take that? I'm 25 years old, I know the 3 Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle.

This course was an eye-opener. There are so many other things to take into consideration other than recycling. Burning anything- even our summer bonfires- causes carbon dioxide gases to be released into the atmosphere. These gases are what we now refer to as Greenhouse gases. Nature, being the amazingly complex thing that it is, has a process that consumes the Greenhouse gases to keep things on Earth regulated. Unfortunately, Mother Nature just can't keep up with the amount of carbon dioxide us humans are emitting to keep things regulated. This is when the gases start acting as a big warm blanket and temperatures start to rise. Even though the temperature has only risen about .5 degrees over the past century, there are more carbon emissions in the atmosphere than ever, and the concentration is rising.

I thought I'd pass along some inspiring resources to help everyone see that going green can be simple. It's a lot of little things that make a big difference!

First, I've noticed a trend at the bridal and baby showers I've attended this year. Instead of those fancy gift bags that will just end up in the trash, give your gifts in reusable shopping bags. Use blankets or kitchen towels in place to tissue paper. And, when you are only picking up a few things- don't get your milk in a bag and throw the other things in your tote or larger handbag.

Here are some good Earth Day reads:
US Energy Info Administration
Top 10 Easy Ways to Go Green
Cleveland Inks Deal to Design Small Power Plant to Produce Energy from Waste

Intolerable Toddler Tantrums

You may recall a fairly recent post detailing my troubles with my son becoming a "hitter." This must be the age where everything starts coming together: realization of physical abilities, paired with improving communication, and topped off with explosive emotions. Nothing feels better that Josh throwing his arms around me to get a hug. With this "big" love also come other "big" emotions.

Naturally, being the paranoid mother that I am, I start wondering- is this normal? Are all 16 month old babies this emotional? Before I jumped to any conclusions and put a call into the doctor (which I was only moments away from doing), I hopped on the Internet, researched and chatted with other moms who've had similar experiences. Yes, this emotional stage is very normal. Just like my 'mommy instincts' told me, it's just a lot coming together all at once. After reading countless articles and all kinds of advice, I finally found techniques that work!

1. The Warning Signs
The first thing I try to do to avoid the tantrum is to identify the triggers and the warning signs. These, I'm sure, vary from child to child. My son's tantrums either result from him not getting his way or out of frustration. The moment his tantrum starts to brew, he usually waives his arm(s) in a hitting motion. This happens before he hits me, screams, or starts his fit. This is the first warning sign.

2. Using the Right Language and Set the Boundaries
After the arm(s) flail and I see him coming my way in an attempt to unload his anger and frustration on me, I tell him that I understand that he's upset. "No," just doesn't cut it. I believe he needs to know why I don't want him to have these outbursts. Telling him "no" or to just "calm down" won't help him communicate his emotions, therefore, he feels he can't stop.

When choosing your language, remember that this kiddo is just coming to grips with the fact that he's an entirely separate person from you. After I let him know that I'm aware of why he's upset, I tell him how his behavior is making me feel. For instance, when Josh threw his au gratin potatoes at me the other day, I responded with, "you're not allowed to throw your food." He instantly stopped. Of course this lasted a split second before he was winding up for round two. "It makes me angry when you throw your food." That was the end of that.

3. Encourage Verbal Communication
You've stopped the tantrum. This, in itself, gives you quite a feeling of accomplishment. Don't stop yet! This tantrum may be over, but the overall goal should be to help your learn to effectively communicate his emotions. Or maybe the tantrum isn't quite over but you've settled your kiddo down enough to listen to you. This is when I tell my boy to use his words. I'm completely aware of the fact that he can't just come right out and tell me how irritated he feels when he can't take the toy home from the sitter's house, but I help him along. I want him to be able to identify his feelings and communicate them to me.

This may seem like a lot of fluff just to get through a tantrum - especially when you're at your wits end after a long work day and all the child wants to do is scream and hit you. I've found that after just a short while of using these techniques, the tantrums have tremendously shortened in length and severity. Further more, perhaps this is just coincidental, Josh has been saying more words and using language more to communicate.

I'd love to hear any feedback, stories, and other tips you may have to offer fellow readers!

Giveaway MADNESS

Apparently, the entire time I've been running my giveaways for Kellogg's FiberPlus bars and Chunky Bling Jewelery, the posts and my blog in general have not been showing up correctly in Internet Explorer.

I didn't notice because I've crossed over and become a FireFox user. I'm not sure what the glitch is, but I'm still running the giveaways!

I'll revise the entry guidelines:

Tweet this: I want to win Chunky Bling from @MadMomMission and ChunkyBling.com!
Tweet this: I want to win Kellogg's FiberPlus bars from The @MadMomMission Blog!

and/or

Post a comment on my Facebook Fan Page about which giveaway you want to win.

You can read about each giveaway here: ChunkyBling giveaway and Kellogg's FiberPlus giveaway

Due to the irritating nature of the forms of entry, entries will be limitless so enter today! Giveaways end soon!