GIVEAWAY: My Reward Chart by Little Billies, a Positive Parenting Tool ($25 Gift Certificate)

{This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to those who entered!}

A year or so ago, I came upon multiple accounts from moms talking about how three was a much "harder" age than two. I scoffed a little bit but, at the same time, my mind started to panic. Big Sister E wasn't completely a Terrible Two's child, but honestly, she wasn't that far from it. How could three be worse? I couldn't fathom it possible.

Now that we are partway through three, I understand.

All of the same issues that we had when Big Sister E was two are still here, except it seems that more have surfaced. Add to that the fact that she is twice as stubborn and has to test each and every limit and... well, there are days that motherhood isn't so much fun. I'm completely baffled when "No, I do it MYSELF," as she snatches the pajamas from my hands is followed immediately by "I need HELP! I no know HOW to do it!" and wonder what in the world I could have done to prevent the inevitable oncoming storm.

I don't want to spend my time focusing on what she should NOT be doing and how she should NOT be acting, but it's just harder to point out the positives sometimes. Now, thanks to Little Billies, encouraging the behaviors that I want to see is just so much easier.


Mother of two, Sarah Dawson, created Little Billies in 2006 when she was looking for a tool to not only positively reinforce her son's behavior, but one that would actually engage him and make him want to behave better. From there, her innovative Reward Charts were invented and later followed by Routine Charts, Visible Schedules and more to help children and parents learn and grow together.

As all of the parts to Big Sister E's My Reward Chart are magnetic (the chart itself as well as the reward sticker-magnets), she was eager to find a place for it on our refrigerator. She and I sat down and looked at the brightly-colored magnets and talked about what was shown in each picture and what it meant in terms of her behavior.

I appreciated having the Parents Tips for Use sheet with us because the suggestions for each magnet were really helpful and yet, the images and words displayed on the magnets can easily be adapted to whatever works best for us. Combining generic terms with simple visual cues, the magnets can have alternative meanings as life changes and children develop.

For instance, the Good Sleep magnet doesn't need to mean just taking a nap or going to sleep on her own because Big Sister E does a great job at those already. Instead, we talked about not complaining when it is nap time and doing a great job of staying in her room in the morning if she is awake before everyone else. In the future, when she no longer takes a nap, maybe it will mean playing quietly while Little Sister B is taking one or, when it is time, having a good transition from a toddler bed to a bigger bed.

Big Sister E easily understood the concept of her good behavior leading to putting the magnets on the chart and working towards her prize. Asking her what she would like that prize to be, I wasn't surprised when "COOKIES!" was the answer. After a trip to the grocery store where she could pick out her own mix, the next morning a batch of oatmeal raisin prizes were baked (and the spoon was sufficiently licked).

Still needing work on her delayed gratification skills, Big Sister E was immediately eager to fill up her chart. "I put these away?" She asked me, pointing at the random plastic cups and containers that Little Sister B had pulled out of a kitchen drawer. I nodded and she quickly stuck them back in, rushing back to the chart afterward and pointing at the Packing Up magnet. My husband could only laugh.

Since that day, using a My Reward Chart with Big Sister E has not only helped her work on her good behavior, it has made her WANT to act better - something so much more important. Whether your child is younger or a little older, there are two different stages of My Reward Chart to choose from (stage 1 is for 2+ and stage 2 is for 4+), multiple sizes and styles to choose from and magnets for all aspects of growing up.

In an effort to make parenting a positive experience, Little Billies has created products that are affirming for both children and adults. At the end of the day, I'm much happier having rewarded my daughter for waiting patiently, sharing nicely and using good manners instead of having had to take away her toys or continually put her in a time-out. It's a much better situation for all of us and I get to enjoy my sweet, loving girl so much more!

Thanks to the generosity of Little Billies, one person will get to select the parenting tool(s) that will work best for their child because...

One lucky person will win a $25 gift certificate to Little Billies!

To enter to win a $25 gift certificate to Little Billies: Check out all of the wonderful products at Little Billies and tell me which one you would love to own. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted. For example, if you subscribe, leave one comment saying "I subscribe #1" and a separate comment saying "I subscribe #2")

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$25 gift card to Little Billies - positive parenting tools reinforce good behavior! @thxmailcarrier http://bit.ly/by4Xjd #win #giveaway

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Giveaway will end on February 25th at 11:59pm CST. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open worldwide - if you're reading this, you can enter!

A big thank you to Sarah at Little Billies for providing a My Reward Chart for me to review as well as a $25 gift card for one lucky giveaway winner. Positive reinforcement is so important - and now easy to do! The opinions shared are my own and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.