Parenting Toddlers

Oh no, not human baby - that phase is done. On Saturday the hubby and I will be going to Maine (about a six hour round trip) in order to pick up the newest babies to our home. Want to see? Meet our babies!

They don’t have names yet…we’re not quite sure WHAT to name them. They are husky/malamute mix and we are so looking forward to adding them to our family. But it brought a few things to mind: the last time I added a puppy to our home was five years ago, and Babygirl grew up with him, knowing how to treat him and to respect him simply because he was bigger than her for most of her life (he’s 65 lbs, so I guess, technically, he’s STILL bigger than her). So I’ve been thinking and doing some research on how to bring a puppy safely into a home with toddlers.

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Hi! My name is Randi and I’ll be your guide through the formative, yet crazy world that is Toddlerville! So, let’s see, what makes me qualified to run Parenting Toddlers? Well, I’m 28 and have two beautiful children (I count three children on the days that my husband’s being whiney). Toad is now 7 and Babygirl is 3. So, technically, I guess my daughter is on the outside edge of toddler-hood. I love talking about toddlers, however, and being a licensed foster parent means that I never know when I’ll have another one in my home.

We live in Vermont (read: Hickville), and my husband works in a furniture factory. I’m a stay-at-home-mom and full-time freelance writer. My mother works at a special school for children who have “issues” (both emotional and developmental), and I help them out by taking children who are considered to be OCS - I’m still not sure what the letters mean, but basically these are kids that have acted up and have to be out of the school for the day.

So what can you expect from this blog? While it’s under my reign, you can expect my thoughts on discipline, food (I have one of the fussiest kids…), naps, toys, and everything that has to do with raising a toddler and a family, because any toddler is highly impacted by the type of family life they have.

So welcome to Parenting Toddlers, and I hope that you’ll know if you have any questions that I’d love to answer them! Just leave a message in the comments…

If you are interested in writing for Parenting Toddlers, you can apply at 451Press via their online application form.

Writing this blog has been a wonderful experience. I have enjoyed my time here, even though it was very brief. Parenting toddlers is a topic I thoroughly enjoy writing about and sharing my experience.

I mentioned last week that my children waiting in Haiti are soon to be coming home. My life is quickly changing — for the better! I have a lot to accomplish before I leave to pick up my children. All of this has changed my life significantly and I am busier than before. I could try to keep up with this blog while trying to prepare for and then welcome our newest family members, but experience has taught me to recognize and honor my limits when they are slapping me upside the head.

This is my final post at Parenting Toddlers. I am certain a new writer will be hired very soon so please keep checking back.

Thank you, again, for your support!

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I am the new writer for Parenting Toddlers. I have been with 451Press for over a month writing the Parenting After Adoption blog. I also write on raising Daughters at BellaOnline.

My name is Rebecca, and I am the mother of four children at home and two children waiting for their passports and visas; my children range in age from 4 to almost 9. I have been married to my college sweetheart for almost 11 years and we live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest in the United States. (more…)