“Why in the world would you want me to go in and shut your child’s blinds - he’s already asleep!” I silently scoffed to myself as I headed toward the sleeping child’s room. I’d been a professional nanny for many years but had never understood the obsession with dark rooms. In this particular instance, I had forgotten to close the child’s blinds before nap and he had fallen asleep just fine. But when the child’s mom popped in and checked the monitor, she noticed that his room didn’t look as dark it usually did and she was clearly alarmed.

We love our kids more than anything else in this world and we like to assume they know that, but with the busyness of life, many of us struggle to slow down and really connect with our kids each day. Not only does this strain our relationship with our kids, but it also invites bedtime battles as kids demand the attention they’ve been craving while we are trying to get them down for bed. What’s the solution to this, you ask? Special time! I first encountered the idea of special time in Dr. Jane Nelsen’s Positive Discipline and it was such a huge aha moment for me.

We all know the feeling. You’re sleeping peacefully when you are suddenly woken by the sound of your screaming child - at 5:00 AM. You were alarmed the first time this happened and concerned the next few times, but now it’s normal, and all you feel is frustration because you desperately need more sleep. But what can you do? Early wakes are notorious for being the hardest sleep problem there is to solve. Before we can dive into problem solving mode, we have to first determine the cause of the early wake.

You know what drives me crazy? Seeing moms shame other moms for wanting a good night’s sleep. We’ve all heard it at one point or another - “sleep training teaches your baby not to communicate their needs” or “you can’t just choose not to be a parent overnight”. Phrases like these make me want to scream. OF COURSE you can’t stop being a parent overnight. Helping your child learn to fall asleep independently is by no means choosing not to parent.

It's that time of year when we all take a step back and try to focus on what we are thankful for...

It's been a hard year. A truly crazy year for the whole world. We are living in the midst of a global pandemic and is has affected each of us in different ways. As I take a step back and reflect on what I'm truly thankful for in life, the number one thing that comes to mind is FAMILY. I'm also thankful for each and every one of you who has supported me as I launched Beautiful Beginnings this year! It has been an incredible journey.