We humans have a strong tendency to hold a grudge. When my kids start acting crazy, I have a hard time getting in a better mood and moving on.  However, experts say this is very important, especially for self-esteem.  The authors of Parenting with Love and Logic Magic, The Early Years, stress the importance of moving on after a time-out.  The kid has paid the price and they shouldn't have to continue to pay the price all day just because Mom is in a foul mood now.

I had to really become super-human yesterday to put this into practice.  I caught Munchkin Girl pinning Little Buddy's head to the couch while I was making lunch for them.  She had a mischievous grin on her face, and she knew full-well what she was doing.  I'd already warned her that if she did it again she was headed for a time-out, but after she was finished with her punishment, I found that my blood was still boiling.

I knew we needed to re-direct our energy or I would never be able to move one in a nice way.  I pulled out her all-time favorite project: Christmas sprinkles.  We've used these in the past many times to work on letters, but I thought I would try something new since this was a unique situation.

First I traced my hand for her to show her what to do.  Since she's done this sort of thing before, she knew just what to do.  She used the glue to trace what I'd done, then she asked for the sprinkles.  I always use this foil tin to catch the mess.  My daughter was thrilled and I was thrilled to see her lovely smile instead of her evil grin.  She absolutely loves this game and it was the perfect way to move on after a time-out.

After she finished my hand, she traced her own hand and did the glue and sprinkles.  Squeezing glue is always good for fine motor strength.

Then we moved to her foot and my foot.

Then she begged to do it with her doll, and I thought "Why not?"  She held her down while I traced around her.  I even added the doll's name and this turned out to be the most favorite finished product of the afternoon!

If you enjoyed this post, you will love our book!  I teamed up with former Kindergarten teacher, Susan Case, and we released The Happy Mommy Handbook: The Ultimate How-to Guide on Keeping Your Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy, Out of Trouble, and Motivated to Learn in July, 2012.  If you have ever tried to cook dinner while your kid clings to your leg and cries, this is the book for you!  We give you a Mom's point of view and a teacher's point of view, so that you can do activities that not only keep the kids busy, but also keep them motivated to learn and develop their natural curiosity.  Kids behave better when they are given challenging projects to work on, which will in turn give you more free time to do the things you really need to do, like washing dishes, paying bills, and relaxing so that you can be a better Mom!

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