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🍋 Embracing ‘Good Enough’ Parenting♥️

How to Bounce Back Financially After the Holidays 💸

Author

Markey Battle
January 08, 2024

Last week at this time, we were ringing in the new year. Now, it’s just another Monday in January. My, how the time flies. But this Monday, you get a newsletter, so things are already looking up!

In Today’s Lemon Mommy:

  • What Embracing ‘Good Enough’ Parenting Looks Like ♥️

  • How to Bounce Back Financially After the Holidays 💸

  • These Toddler Activities Will Calm Their Busy Bodies And Support Their Minds 👏

  • Add The Most Anticipated Reads to Your 2024 TBR 📚

What Embracing ‘Good Enough’ Parenting Looks Like ♥️

The idea of a ‘good enough’ mother originated from Dr. Donald Winnicott in the 1950’s. He realized being ‘good enough’ was often better than being ‘perfect.’ Being ‘good enough’ doesn’t equate to being mediocre. ‘Good enough’ means you’re showing up for your children, but you’re not necessarily bending over backward to appease all of your children’s needs and requests. 

Here are a few of the best ways to be ‘good enough.’

👀 Show Up for Your Children

It might sound simple, but this is the best thing you can do as a parent. Be present with your kids, invest in their lives, and listen to their stories. You don’t need to go to every soccer game, play date, or event. Just let your kids know you see and care about them. 

❤️ Provide Emotional Support

Let your children know you’re on their side and you’ll walk with them through whatever they’re experiencing. While a ‘perfect’ mother might wipe all their worries away, ‘good enough’ parenting lets your kid stand on their own.

🍽️ Make Dinner for Them

Is there food on your table around dinner time? Good, you’re done. Your two-year-old doesn't need a five-star meal every night. There’s a reason frozen foods and Hello Fresh are in business. As long as you have dinner for your kiddos, you’re doing enough. 

🚸 Discipline Them 

The ‘perfect’ mom never disciplines her children. Maybe a perfect mother’s children are also perfect, or the mother is oh-so patient, it’s unrealistic. Appropriately discipline and teach your kids to be better. That’s more than good enough. 

How to Bounce Back Financially After the Holidays 💸

✅ Reevaluate Your Budget

Choose a budget that works best for you and your family and stick to it. Budgeting is never fun, but it’s one of those January necessities that allows for financial success in the new year.

💳 Pay off Your Debts

The scan now, pay later credit card method is fantastic for all the in-the-moment, last-minute spending in December, but it can bite back in January. Look at your holiday expenses and make a plan for paying them off. 

🛑 Start a Spending Freeze

If you overspent during the holiday season, consider a spending freeze. No-spend challenges have become the norm for many families. Pause spending on unnecessary things for a month to give your finances a moment to recover. 

✂️ Cut Spending

If you like the idea of a spending freeze, but don’t want to go cold turkey, consider cutting some unnecessary expenses. Many people stop buying coffee, eating out, subscriptions, and getting ‘little treats’ in January. 

💻 Consider a Side Hustle

Depending on your financial goals, the January slump might be the best time to add another revenue stream to your life. Spend some time researching side hustles or part-time jobs. You can also look into selling on the Facebook marketplace if you don’t want to commit to an entire side hustle. 

👍 Learn and Grow

It’s natural to spend more than you intended during Christmas, don’t beat yourself up about it. But if you’re hurting from your spending habits, the new year is the perfect time to change your spending habits and grow from your mistakes.

These Toddler Activities Will Calm Their Busy Bodies And Support Their Minds 👏

Courtney English, a pediatric occupational therapist, posted a video of her favorite sensory activities to calm and regulate toddlers. Here are some of the highlights:

👣 Foot Squeezes

If your little one has restless legs or kicking feet, squeezing their little toes can help them prepare for sleep. You can also look into your baby’s foot reflexology to target certain issues.

🥏 Tactile Balance Discs

 Tactile balance discs provide textured surfaces for toddlers to balance themselves on. English suggests toddlers try to pick these up and toss them in a bucket, or balance on them for sensory play.

⭕ Balance Pods

If you have an energetic toddler, set up an obstacle course during playtime. While you can use household props for this, balance pods are a sensory-heavy option that will regulate your little one. 

🛋️ Couch Cushion Fort

We’ve all done this before. Make your couch cushions into a fort or incorporate them into your obstacle course! Play couches are great for toddlers because your little one is less likely to get hurt on their soft surfaces. English loves this prop because it incorporates sensory play with motor skills. 

🔵 Tactile Discs

Consider investing in tactical discs as well as balance discs. The difference is these discs sit flat on the ground. They’re a great touchpoint if your child has a hard time sitting still during a meal. 

Add The Most Anticipated Reads to Your 2024 TBR 📚

Here are the best books coming out in 2024: 

Releases January 16

Lana Farrar, one of the most famous movie stars in the world, is well-known for her annual trip to a private Greek island with her closest friends. Only one year, it ends with a murder. 

Releases February 6

Frances “Frankie” McGrath is tired of living a sheltered life. It’s 1965 and women can be heroes. Frankie ships off to Vietnam with her brother to join the Army Nurse Corps. Frankie has to fight harder than ever in Vietnam and her own country. 

Releases February 27

In a desperate attempt to save her village, Lore Alemeyu makes a deal with a Fae lord to leave her home to organize an enchanted library that might introduce her to the magic she seeks. On her journey, she meets two mysterious Faes who help her survive.

Releases April 9

Luzia went from being a scullery maid to one of the king’s magicians. Luzia tries to maintain her composure in the cut-throat world of the kingdom, where magic is a way to win at life. It would be a dream come true, if she weren’t hiding a secret that, if found out, could get her killed in seconds. 

Lemon Shots 🍋 đŸĽƒ

💣Two suicide bombers from ISIS were responsible for the explosions near Qasem Soleimani’s burial site on Wednesday. Their account differs from Iranian media. 

💰Documents released Thursday found Donald Trump had received at least $7.8 million in payments to his business from foreign governments while he was president. 

🏰 The earliest version of Mickey Mouse entered the public domain. Nightmare Forge has already announced Infestation 88, starring a spooky Steamboat Willie. 

🪖 Russia hit Ukraine with North Korean-supplied missiles on Friday. Russia is seeking more missiles from Iran.

🎒17-year-old Dylan Butler killed a sixth grader and wounded five other people at an Iowa high school. The student killed himself after the attack. 

🌹 Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist are married! The Golden Bachelor couple had a live wedding weeks after the show finale aired. 

❌ Chip Wilson, Lululemon’s founder and former CEO, disagrees with the brand’s “whole diversity and inclusion thing.” Lululemon renounced these comments.