*bullies*

~kaden with his owwie still *rockin on*

Poor little kaden got a little roughed up this week by some bullies. For the record, I do not actually believe these two and three year olds are actually "bullies", and I understand how impulsive and the low frustration tolerance that goes hand in hand with being a toddler. Although I know better and understand their intentions, my first instinct was to give these little bullies the stink eye.

The first was a huge scratch that he got on his face when some little girl (apparently with very long well manicured nails) wanted the toy he was playing with at daycare. I freaked out a little when I got home from work and first saw him, but Chad convinced me that his daycare teacher was super apologetic and said that she had spoken with the girl's mother. The second incident happened at the mall with both Chad and I there a few feet from him. I saw this little boy hitting his mama while she was texting (of course she didn't once put down the damn cell) and she continued to scream at him "go play". He was in a little tunnel in the play area at the mall, and although I didn't see exactly what happened, kaden said the boy smacked him in his face and threw him on the ground. Kaden was HOWLING and screaming "he got me".

At this point, I am wondering out loud how other mamas would handle this. In the past, I have felt that it is not my place to discipline other people's children. That being said, if a child is being overly aggressive, and no one is really supervising that child, I think somehow they need to be held accountable for their actions. I made the decision to go over to this boy's mama (still texting)and let her know what happened. She shared with me that he was autistic and he is nonverbal, and went right back to texting. Having experience working with children with autism, I quickly apologized to her and just focused on talking to kaden to calm him down.

I haven't stopped thinking about how I would handle this next time....and I know there will be a next time. Kaden is not the little guy that hits others at the park, he is the intuitive little people watcher that is probably gonna get bullied for being such a sweet and sensitive soul at some point. Or maybe not. He is a pretty cool little dude.








~jamfest.



Linky Love!

Loving this super duper adorable Fall Bucket List printable from Loves of Life. Just click on the blog and you can print one for yourself!

I'm feeling giddy about Halloween this year, and I'm feeling extra crafty. Loving all these cute Halloween ideas!

I stumbled upon this blog this week and it is my newest blog crush. Passive Aggressive Notes. Definitely worth a drive by...it is hilarious!

I have been quite lazy this summer with regards to cooking, and it has been TOO hot out to turn on the oven! I needed some inspiration to get back into it, and I tried out two new recipes this week that were incredible and I have to share with you!

The first I made in my beloved slow cooker. It was this Brown Sugar and Balsamic glazed Pork Loin from the blog C&C Marriage factory. Worth a look with that super cute blog name! This was soooooo yummy and so easy, I will definitely be making this again soon!

The second didn't *sound* very yummy to me, but I am always looking for ways to get us all to eat more sweet potatoes, so I decided to give it a try. Please make this! You won't be sorry! These are Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos from the Cassie Craves blog. I find myself always perusing her blog when in need of new things to try...her site is definitely worth a visit! These were SO tasty and may be my new favorite way to make tacos!