Five Favorites

Linking up with my friend Ashley to share Five Favorites currently:

1. One of my favorite ways to start the day is by singing in my shower.  The acoustics are awesome in my shower, and it just puts a smile on my face.  I highly recommend buying yourself a waterproof bluetooth speaker if you don't have one. The one I linked to is similar to the one I have.

2.  Good pens always put a smile on my face.  These Bic Atlantis pens have been my favorite since 2004.  A pen that has been my favorite for more than ten years is pretty amazing. I have at least three in my purse, one on my bedside table, two in my car and ten in a dollar spot can on the craft table in the dining room. #nevertoomanypens

3. Calm app for meditating.  This has been my go to for at least a year. It's not free, but let me assure you, it's worth every penny.  I tend to use the Body Scan meditation the most.  It walks you through releasing stress from every muscle, head to toe, and you can choose how long it takes, from 3 minutes to 25 minutes.  I love it.

4.  As a mom, I am constantly taking someone's temperature.  And waiting around when a kid is sick for an underarm thermometer to finally beep is the worst.  Maybe a year ago, I finally splurged and spent $25 on a forehead thermometer, and I am so glad I did.  It's ridiculous how easy it makes taking temperatures!

5.  The last thing on my list is this amazing cast iron frying pan from The Pioneer Woman.  You can get it at your local Walmart (which is where I got mine) or order it online. We got tired of constantly replacing our "nonstick" pans, and have just loved having the cast iron.  It makes especially amazing tortillas!  Get one.  You won't regret it!

I am NOT going to YELL at my kids ANYMORE.

Gretchen Rubin talks a lot about goals in her book Better Than Before (which I will be re-reading for pointers) and one of the things she talks about is when to start a new goal.  Sometimes a big life change is a good time (think: after a big move, a new job or a new baby); other times the best time to start is NOW.

And so today, on a random Thursday afternoon in September, I am going to make myself a resolution. I don't care that it's not a Monday, or a new month, or even a new week.  I feel like garbage right now (like I, for real, feel like a super shitty person) and I can't stand it for another second.

I am not going to wait until tomorrow morning, even, to start this new goal. I am starting it right now, while the kids are in school and the baby naps.

I am NOT going to YELL at my kids ANYMORE.

Yelling is not effective, they feel sad, I feel sad, and no one wins. We are all losing.  In addition to yelling, I am not going to swear at my kids (which I do while yelling at them.  Classy.) I am not going to say shut up (also super classy) and I am not going to put my hands on them.

Now I struggle a bit with no spankings or slapping, because I am not necessarily morally opposed to them, but I have been doing them for a while now (maybe the last three or four months) and I haven't found a change in behavior, plus I don't like how it makes me feel about myself as a mother that I am resorting to physical means of punishment when there are so many better ways to teach and consequence my children.

So there you have it.

I, Shelly Cunningham, am committing to calm parenting.  I will not yell, swear or put my hands on my kids again.

I have thought these thoughts many times in the past.  I have even blogged about peaceful parenting and wanting to make changes.  And there have been times I have actually made changes, but I always tend to slide back into yelling.

But no more.

This time I mean it.

And I promise to keep you updated.

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PS- If you have any tips about how you successfully parent your crew without yelling, advice is welcome!!!