Melanie O'Reilly-Rogers

IT'S HERE! MY ULTIMATE MOM PLANNER IS HERE! . . I searched high and low for a planner. And struck out everywhere. So I just made my own. Had it tested by a few moms and here it is. . . We are in pre sale until tomorrow night. $27 until then. . .Do you find yourself: Losing your temper with your kids more than you’d like to admit? Feeling like your to-do list is never freaking ending? Getting frustrated with your spouse when he/she does a whole shit ton of nothing to help? Scrolling through social media instead of tackling your to do list or hanging out with your kids, then feeling guilty about it later? Feeling like your kids don’t ever listen and that’s why you don’t enjoy hanging out with them all the time? Then this planner is for YOU. YES, YOU. It's more than JUST a planner. It's a mini crash course on how to not drown in ALL THE THINGS. . . Comment with your excitement and I'll send you the link. . #momplanner #plannersformom #perfectplanner #momlife #momchaos #organize #selfcare #prioririzemom

I don’t make my kids clean up. . . I hate cleaning and if you follow me in my stories YOU. KNOW. THIS. . . I complain about it every time. I do a time lapse video because it’s my reward and I’m weird.  . . But every time I complain, someone messages me and says I should have my kids help or do it. It doesn’t bother me. It’s a valid suggestion. But I want to tell you why I don’t do that. . . Kids are supposed to make messes when they play. It’s in their nature. It’s not a mess to them and there is zero reward for cleaning (unless you give them one which is a whole other topic). They have no reason what so ever to clean. So they’re not going to do it without a fight. I choose not to fight this fight. It takes them way too long to do it. This takes away from their play time, our family time and delays bedtime. All things I do not want. If we think the mess is overwhelming, can you imagine how THEY feel? Not very fair, IMO. It’s easier for me to do it and I get to be alone and reflect on my day a little bit (BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS IS NOT A FORM OF SELF CARE) Sometimes we have them do it (if we’re not rushed for time) and here are some tips: Pick one thing to clean first. “First clean the books, then come find me.” Breaks it into chunks and makes it seem more manageable. Set timers. It took me 6 minutes to clean the play room on my own. Set a timer for 3 minutes and then tell them they get a 1 minute break. Often times I can get my kids to just plow through after the 3 minutes. Do it with them. Team work (and it goes by quicker this way). Start way before bed and have one activity out for 10 minutes before bed. Books, cars, magnatiles. Easy quick clean up. Tell them what you’re doing after. Kids love to know what to expect. Not a reward, just tell them what’s next. First we clean, then we have a snack. (Not "get" a snack - "have" a snack.) If you are pulling your hair out trying to get your kids to clean, I challenge you to drop it.  #momsofinstagram #instagrammoms #preschoolersofinstagram #toddlersofinstagram #parenting #parentingtips #cleanup #preschooltips #childdevelopment #momlife #realmoms #realmomlife

You asked, we listened. . . Today is the release of the sensory bin activity guides! . . They are waiting for you, in my shop. Sensory bin/bag for ages 3 months - 4 years. . . ✔supply lists with links ✔ways to facilitate their play ✔age appropriate skills that you're working on ✔supplemental reading ideas ✔(coming soon) themed bins and bags! . . What are you waiting for? Let me know if you need the link and I'll send it over to you. . . #sensoryplay #toddlerplay #toddlersofinstagram #educationathome #sahmlife #lifewithtoddlers #preschoolhomeschool

People: why haven't you cut their hair yet? Us: 📸: @kellyo01 💡: @anneyb03 & @kellyo01 #wayneandgarth #waynesworld #twinsofinstagram #toddlersofinstagram #twinsandmultiples #twinmoms #halloweencostumes #gma #wgnnews #wgnmorningnews #wgnmorningshow

Happy September, goodbye August! . When I "came back" to social media, I told you guys I would have a new message. . Then I asked how I could offer you the best value. . I'm super thankful for those that answered! . It made me realize I don't have to shift a lot at all. . I will still be offering: - Laughs - Real parenting advice - Real parenting situations - Our favorite (NOT expensive) products to make our lives easier - Tips for keeping your kids busy - Easy meals and snacks . Basically, I'm going to help you stay sane in this stage of life. . What am I currently working on? . - The daily mom planner - Sensory bin activity guides (it's coming next, I promise!) - FREE masterclasses on hot parenting topics . So stick around for more value. And tips to help you keep parenting and life mostly under control. . Hit me with your parenting topics you'd like to see featured in the masterclasses! . #pandemicparenting #momsofinstagram #parentingtip #tipsforparents #twinmom #momlife #twinmomlife #parentinginapandemic #stickaround #toddlersofinstagram #remotelearning

Today was the first full day of E learning for my 2nd grader and for most schools in my area. As I was scrolling the local groups, I saw one common complaint. . “My kid won’t sit still.” . Guess what? He’s not developmentally able to sit still, therefore he shouldn’t be expected to. They are likely able to sit still for longer in school because it’s school. Not home. Where they are comfortable and have been since March. It’s a different environment. . So please don’t reward him for sitting through an entire lesson. Kids shouldn’t be offered rewards for something that isn’t developmentally appropriate. It’s not fair and can create shame in your kids. . Instead, foster the wiggles.  . Here’s how. . My 8 year old has blocks of 20-30 minute live sessions. He has not sat at his desk and doesn’t plan to. Swipe to see all his different “sitting styles.” We’ve (yep, he helped me) compiled some tips to help you work with your kids to get them to be comfortable, NOT SIT STILL. (I have links to all these products, DM me!) . Don’t sit on a chair. It allows for very little movement. Get a yoga chair ball (pictured), a big seat cushion, a balance seat, lie on the floor, upside down, sideways, whatever works. . Get some fidget toys. Sensory balls (you can make some, I’ve got a link for that too), chew necklaces, squishy toys, Lego bricks, etc. . Snacks - we like snacks that take a while to consume. Peanuts in the shell, beef jerky, dried fruit, fruit snacks, etc. We’ve got a snack station by his computer. . Wiggle breaks - most teachers encourage this while in school also. Set a timer for every 7-10 minutes and let your kid get up, walk around the room and come back to sit down. . Headphones - this will help block out outside noises and help them focus. . Go for walks - if you have a 10 minute break, take a quick walk or send them outside to bounce a ball in the backyard until it’s time to come back in. . Doodle - give him a piece of paper and a pencil. Let him doodle to keep his hands busy. . Bottom line, keep his hands and/or body busy while still taking in information from the live session. Tell me, which tip are YOU going to use? #elearning #backtoschool #learningonline

Oops. . 2 weeks ago today I posted that I was taking a break from IG stories for a day. . 2. Flipping. Weeks. Ago. . I did not know how badly I needed that break. I'm all about being real with you guys so here it goes. . I felt like I was failing my daughter and our relationship big time. I literally gave up on parenting her. I didn't know what to do. My support system didn't know what to tell me. It was ugly. . I didn't want to be sharing shit because I felt like a fake. How in the world can I share tips with you if I wasn't even able to figure out my own kids? I wasn't happy. . After a much needed therapy session, I snapped out of it and focused on my kids. . Everyone is struggling right now. Big time. Please know you're not alone. . Had a much needed business strategy meeting today (thanks always, Jenny) and I'm back at it with lots of fun things coming down the pipeline with a slight change in my message. (Don't worry. It's very slight). . I'm so happy to be back! #momblogger #momsofinstagram #stressedout #momlife #mompreneur #wfh #mealplanning #funfriday #lifeupdate

I did not want to be playing with my kid in this photo. There were 10 other things I'd rather be doing - one was to run away. She had finally wound down from a 3 hour scream/cry fest and trying to control every single aspect of every single move we were making. It felt like a never ending fight. But you know what? It is not JUST her fight. It's ours. As parents, it's our job to guide our kids and teach them how to get through these "tantrums" and "outbursts." Do I do it every single time? HELL NO. I'm human. I have definitely stormed off. Every one of us likely has. We can't control people. We can't change them either. But we can teach them. We can work with what we have, change our expectations (no, kids can't "just stop screaming") and JUST DEAL. We can be more positive. When I show positivity, she is more likely to adjust. Again, do I do this every fight? HELL NO. Will it work every time? HELL NO. Will it work the first time? Also HELL NO. But if you don't change the way you approach it, you'll never get different results. #parenting #momsofinstagram #instagrammoms #parentingtips #toddlerlife #momanddaughter

Texas followers. A friend of mine's sister and her 2 daughters are missing. Please keep a look out and share, share, share in your stories! #texas #missingperson #missingpersons #momlife

Real Talk: When my older 2 kids were younger, I did time outs. I did them all damn day long. Over and over again. Yes, I talked to my kids after the time out about why they were there and what they should do next time instead of whatever put them there, blah blah blah.  . But you know what? As they got older and I started absorbing information from mom groups (YES mom groups on Facebook can be helpful!), I realized they are not developmentally appropriate and I wasn’t sending the right message to my kids. . The sentence that really made me rethink the time out: . “If time outs worked, we wouldn’t need to use them over and over again for the same behavior.” . So I (gasp) took the advice to heart in a mom’s group and changed it up. . My almost 5 year old has been in maybe 2 time outs in her life. . I don’t plan to put my twins in a time out. . Do you do time outs constantly? If you do, I challenge you to check out my blog post on time outs and stop using them for a week. Use the alternatives instead. . I want to be clear - if you do time outs and they work, GREAT! But there also can be long term effects that you aren’t seeing yet.  . Drop a comment here if you’re up for the challenge, I’ll send you the blog post and I’ll follow up with you next Monday. . #momlife #toddlers #toddlersareassholes #toddlerdiscipline #parenting #parentinghacks #parentingtips #mombloggers #momblogger

Me before I had kids: my kids will never have toys at the table.  Me, with toddler twins who don't want to sit at the table: give them some toys, maybe that will help. . If you have a toddler that is: ✔Refusing to sit in his high chair ✔Refusing any and every meal you are offering him ✔Sitting in his chair for 5 minutes and then wants to be done . You should try this! . Why? . ✔It gives them something else to focus on so they eat and sometimes don’t even realize it. ✔They start to look forward to sitting in their chair because they get some of their favorite toys. ✔They start to explore some toys because they only have 1 toy option as opposed to the 75 thousand that you’ve bought for them over the years that they seem to not give a shit about. ✔You can start using the high chairs as a “safe place” when you need to change out laundry, do a work out, hell GO TO THE BATHROOM. ✔Sensory play! Yes, it will get messy. . But Melanie, that sounds disgusting. . ✔Pick toys that are easy to clean. ✔Keep a colander in the sink and pop them in the colander when they’re done.  ✔Keep the clean toys on the table, ready for the next meal. . I challenge you to try this if you’re struggling with getting your toddlers to sit, come to the table or stay at the table. . Then come back here and let me know how it went. . #mealtimetips #toddlertips #toddlersofinstagram #instagrammoms #instagramtoddlers #momsoftoddlers #toddlers #toddlerlife #toddlersareassholes