Marla Sokoloff has posted a brand new blog entry over at People.com today!

Holy tantrums, Batman. I’m not sure what is going on over here but we have entered a whole new universe. Aren’t the terrible twos supposed to start at two?

Elliotte is at the 15-month mark so it seems as if we are getting a bit of a head start over here. It happened almost overnight. The word “no” became a constant in our house and suddenly my quiet little peach wasn’t so quiet anymore. Her opinions are quite loud and frequent and she certainly isn’t afraid to let me know when I’m doing something that is not up to her standards.

For instance, last week I forgot to add banana to her morning smoothie and she handed it back to me and said, “Nana nana!” Not the most subtle approach, but an effective one to say the least, as you can imagine how quickly I had that banana in the blender!

My husband and I noticed that the word “no” was not only coming out of our daughter’s mouth a little too frequently, (I think I was starting to hear the words “No Mama!” in my sleep!) but it was starting to fly out of our mouths even more so. “No eating the dog food,” “No standing in the bathtub,” “No pulling the dog’s tail,” “No throwing food on the floor,” “No licking the bottom of your shoe” “No this” “No that” etc…

I very quickly started to realize two things:

One: I didn’t like the mom I was becoming. It didn’t feel like me to constantly be scolding her for something or giving her that look. (You know the look parents –we all give it.) The kind of mom I set out to be (and strive to be everyday) is a perfect combination of fun and authority. A jokester that can still be taken seriously if you will.

Two: saying “no” all the time to almost every move the poor girl was making, became ineffective very quickly. Elliotte wasn’t taking me seriously at all. In fact, it was quite the contrary. Within days Elliotte started walking up to certain objects she knew she wasn’t allowed to touch and would point, saying, “No! No!”

The word “No” was a complete joke to her and she knew that me saying it meant absolutely nothing and had zero consequence. If my 15-month-old doesn’t take me seriously now, what does this mean for me when she’s a six-year-old? Or lord help me … a 16-year-old?

Elliotte and I have been in the same Mommy & Me since she was three-months-old, and if I could bottle the wisdom we have garnered and share it with you all I would.

One of the most valuable lectures that our mommy group guru and trusted leader, Jackie Rosenberg of Babies First Class, has given was the infamous “No” lesson. This discussion came at the very second that we were stuck in our “No” vortex, so I was willing to try anything.

Jackie told us mommies to pick only three things that we felt very passionate about saying “No” to and stick to them. Three deal breakers that just could not be negotiated. Her theory is simple: if you are saying “No” all the time, your child will never listen to you. Case in point: Elliotte Anne.

Here are the three “No’s” that my husband and I agreed were the most important to us:

NO #1: Eating or Playing with the Dog’s Food

This is a tricky one. Many with common sense may think- just pick up the dog’s food or feed the dog after the baby goes to sleep if it’s an issue. This was just not something I was willing to do.

Coco Puro is an old lady who doesn’t have many pleasurable things in her post baby life — I sure as heck won’t be taking away her 24-hour buffet, that just seems cruel! So the dog food stays and Elliotte must wait for bath time to splash water on her face. She ate the kibble once and I’m pretty sure she won’t be tasting that delicacy again anytime soon.

NO #2: Standing in the Bathtub

We picked this one for the obvious safety reasons. Bath time, which was once a joyous and fun occasion, has morphed into the most dangerous 10 minutes of the day. Honestly, I’m thrilled and shocked the girl still has all of her 12 teeth still intact! Not only does Elliotte stand in the tub, she also enjoys walking in the tub, which pretty much gives me a full on heart attack every time she does it.

We’ve had many a close call, which in part is why I’ve had to bust out my “mean mom” attitude just a wee bit at bath time. I do it for the good of her precious little face and because the emergency room is just not a place I feel like visiting in the near future.

Miracle upon miracles, just in the past week or so the message has been received and Elliotte is now sitting in the tub! She sits and plays with her toys and actually cries when it’s time to come out because she is enjoying it so much. Who would have thought?

Side note: Whenever Elliotte is doing something that seems unbearable — it always shifts at the very moment that I feel I can’t take it anymore. Bath time was certainly one of those things because I was always so worried she was going to crack her head open. (Geeze — now I’m sounding like my mom!) So now I take a beat before freaking out and losing hope because I know in my heart that it’s a phase and they will all sit down in the tub eventually!

NO #3: Throwing Food While In the Highchair

Elliotte has become quite the picky eater. Gone are the days where she would gladly eat anything. Pretty much every single thing I put on her tray aside from berries, fruit or yogurt is fast rejected.

If I see even a glimmer of her liking a new food I will make her a homemade version of it. Pasta with meatballs off a kid’s menu equals a Bolognese in my trusty slow cooker the very next day = FAIL. Icky frozen chicken fingers turns out lightly breaded organic strips fresh from the oven = NOT SO MUCH.

In my cooking’s defense, there have been many items she has enjoyed thoroughly. Roasted beets, broccoli soup, sweet potato bites, slow cooked black beans and my famous banana bread have been huge hits!

Elliotte will let me know she isn’t enjoying my cooking by vehemently throwing whatever is on her tray on the floor. Or even worse, across the room. After she does said throwing, she gets (and do not tell her I told you this!) the cutest little grin on her face which makes me want to bust out laughing, which I of course do not. That would definitely break about a million rules in the “Getting Your Toddler to Take You Seriously Handbook.”

Instead I insert one of my trusty authoritative “No”s and that will occasionally get the job done. By occasionally, I mean never. We are still working on this one — the process is not flawless.

This “No” really only gets under my skin when we are eating at a restaurant or when my floor is littered with food I spent hours preparing.

Trust me when I say that I’m well aware of the fact that this is only the beginning of her defiance and opinions. I’m actually happy that Elliotte has something to say and that she doesn’t let her old Mom get away with much!

To be 100 percent honest, I wouldn’t change one single solitary thing about her. It is literally impossible to have a bad day when she is around. Her laugh is without a doubt the most incredible sound I have ever heard and this kid is outrageously funny. I want to squeeze and kiss her all day but she’s got better things to do — she’s very busy.

It’s true what they say … it gets better everyday.

Would love to hear your “No”s or maybe you don’t say “No” in your home at all? Share away! Leave a comment below or find me on Twitter @marlasok.

Until next time!

xoxo,

– Marla Sokoloff

Also, visit people.com to learn how to win a $100 Burt’s Bees Baby gift card!

Yesterday, Marla Sokoloff attended the Corolle Adopt-­a-­Doll Event in Los Angeles. I have just added 3 HQ images from the event into our photo gallery!

ABC Family’s Melissa & Joey is welcoming two familiar faces in the third season.

American Pie’s Shannon Elizabeth and The Practice alum Marla Sokoloff are guest starring on the half-hour comedy toplined by Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.

Elizabeth will drop by in episode eight as Mel’s (Hart) college roommate and sorority sister Anita. She seems well-intentioned, but over the years she’s become annoying and Mel tries to find a way to get Anita out of her life.

Sokoloff, who played receptionist Lucy Hatcher on ABC’s The Practice for more than 100 episodes, will appear in the seventh episode as Blythe, a smart and confident chiropractor who hits it off with Joe (Lawrence). While everything seems to be going well initially, Joe has second thoughts when he discovers a secret about Blythe.

Both episodes will air in the summer.

Repped by Buchwald/Fortitude, Elizabeth is best known as Nadia in the American Pie franchise, and she has appeared in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Scary Movie and TV’s Cuts and That ’70s Show. Repped by APA and Greenlight Management, Sokoloff’s credits include Dude, Where’s My Car?, Desperate Housewives, Burn Notice and CSI: NY.

Melissa & Joey returns for season three at 8 p.m. May 29.

hollywoodreporter.com

Marla Sokoloff has posted a brand new blog entry over at People.com today!

You guys … I have a 1-year-old. A 1-year-old who is walking and saying words. Mama, Dada, hi, dog, bubbles, cheese, ball, more and — my personal favorite — NO. She is suddenly a little person walking around my house and torturing poor Coco Puro. Dog! Dog! Dog!

She’s no longer the little baby that I once held in my arms for hours. Oh no, this girl is constantly on the move and all she wants to play with are non-toy items like car keys and cell phones.

I know I talk about this a lot, but I truly can’t believe how fast this has flown by. Not just my little lady’s life, but starting from the moment I found out I was pregnant — it feels like minutes have passed. As new parents, people constantly tell you to “enjoy every second — it goes by fast.”

You don’t really know the magnitude of this statement until you are staring at a kid whom you swore was just a newborn. Seriously … don’t blink.

For Elliotte’s big day, we rallied our families and some of her friends from Mommy & Me and gathered at her very favorite place, Pint Size Kids in Sherman Oaks, Calif. Pint Size Kids is some serious good times for wee ones because there are so many fun things for them to do and play with! The parents munched on tacos while the kids played and Elliotte was certainly the belle of her birthday ball.

I was really hoping for the quintessential smash cake moment where my birthday girl was covered in her first taste of sugar … but alas, just a simple sampling of frosting proved to be enough for her. All in all, the day was absolutely perfect and filled with many emotions as you can imagine!

Now that Elliotte has reached the ripe old age of one, everywhere I go people seem to ask me, “So … when are you going to have another one?”

Another one what?

Like another BABY?

Already?!

Holy moly.

My life is now just beginning to feel like I have some sort of handle on this mom thing. Work is something I’m finally ready to take head-on and the word “career” is becoming a priority again. That venture is scary in and of itself!

To be completely honest, I go back and forth on when the right time is to have another one. One year into motherhood feels a little premature for me personally, but I also understand the women who want to do it again in a faster fashion.

Maybe I’m alone in saying this and/or feeling this way, but it took a solid year to really be me again. Don’t get me wrong, my exhaustion level is still pretty high, and it took some getting used to the fact that sleeping in is a part of my past. My new lunch hour has replaced my old breakfast hour.

There is also this overwhelming feeling that I’m just not ready to share my time with Elliotte yet. I love our morning, noon and nights together and the thought of having to divide up any of my time with her makes me feel very conflicted. I guess that’s the unavoidable mommy guilt we often hear about.

Obviously Alec and I want to have another child and talk about adding to our family all of the time, I just think I maybe need another birthday to pass before we start the real-deal discussion. Plus, the thought of revisiting swollen feet and 50 pregnancy pounds doesn’t sound so appealing to me just yet!

I thought it would be fun to open up the discussion even further and talk to some mommies who decided to get the job done a little quicker. I spoke to a few pals who had two under two to find out what that experience was like for them.

Meet my friend Sara Mann: Mommy and songstress extraordinaire. (Look out for her new record Lullabies out on iTunes.) Sara is mom to Ruby and Matilda, who are 17 months apart.

Marla: Did you plan to have to two kids under two or was #2 a happy surprise?
Sara: Ruby was planned and Matilda was an “oops,” as we affectionately like to call her.

Marla: Ha! Well she’s the cutest “oops” I’ve ever seen! What is life like with two little ones at home? I know how life-changing one child is; I hear that two is a whole different ballgame.
Sara: Life with two under two is crazy. I see parents at the mall or at a restaurant with just one kid and I want to laugh at how easy they have it. Having a toddler and a baby who can’t even crawl yet has been very challenging. Ruby sleeps through the night and Matilda still wakes up twice a night. As soon as one is napping, the other wakes up. Sometimes they wake each other up from crying.

Marla: How do you avoid having mommy guilt?
Sara: I don’t have mom guilt. They each get my attention at different times. I also have to try and balance time for myself, time for my husband and just enough time to whip up a fast dinner for everyone! So there is NO time for guilt! To be completely honest, I wouldn’t trade the insanity for anything. I love my girls and my life is exactly how I want it to be.

Marla: Whoa … you cook dinner and have two kids? I need to step up my game! I’m kidding … I make dinner as long as it comes from the crockpot.

Meet my friend Carrie Lloyd – mommy and writer. Carrie is a real hero because not only does she have two under two, but at one point she had two under one! She is mommy to Dalainy, 15 months, and Adeline, 6 months.

Marla: Did you plan to have to two kids under two or was #2 a happy surprise?
Carrie: No, we definitely did not plan to have two under two (or, in our case at one point, two under one). But Adeline is certainly the happiest surprise of our lives!

Marla: I bet! Wow. You are amazing. What is life like with two little ones at home?
Carrie: Life with two under two isn’t easy! Everyone I know who’s done it before says you reap the benefits later, once they’re both mobile, because they have built in playmates. I really love when they hold each other’s hands or make each other laugh or when the older one sings to the younger one to stop her from crying.

It’s also a lot of milestones all happening one after the other with no breaks in between, it seems. We had a colicky newborn and a toddler in teething agony at the same time, so nobody was sleeping for a few weeks there. But you get through it with the help of a lot of caffeine!

Marla: Ha! I’m sure! Well you are doing an amazing job. Keep up the good work!

So mommies and daddies of PEOPLE.com I want to hear from you! Did you spread your children out or did you choose to have them closer in age? I can’t even imagine what life is like for those of you with multiples — you are probably reading this blog giggling. My hat’s off to you!

Until next time … xo,

– Marla Sokoloff

P.S. – For those of you following Elliotte’s health journey, we have a really exciting update. A chest x-ray a few weeks ago showed that everything is looking great and that her healthy lung tissue is starting to fill in where the unhealthy lung was removed. It will continue to fill in that empty space until she is about 8 years old. We don’t have to see the specialist again for another year!

Celebrity make-up artist Jamie Greenberg uploaded a new video today with Marla Sokoloff where they demonstrate how to use 5 basic products to create a great look! You can watch the clip below and make sure you subscribe to Jamie’s page to see lots more great videos!

Marla Sokoloff has posted a brand new blog entry over at People.com today!

Happy 2013! I don’t know about you, but I’m completely amazed at how fast 2012 flew by! I must admit, on New Year’s Day I found myself a little weepy to say goodbye to the year that my little Elliotte came into this world. I realized that as long as I’m on this earth I will always have a soft spot for the year 2012, as it was a complete life and game-changer for me. (Clearly it’s also the year that turned me into a total sap!)

As far as resolutions go, I have a few. They include the usual suspects (exercise more, get more sleep, drink more than four sips of water per day!) but my main focus is going to be on my beloved iPhone and our very dysfunctional relationship.

I really want to work on being in the present and putting that thing down so I can suck up every delicious moment with my family. The social media and pinboards will just have to wait until after my daughter goes to bed. Baby steps!

Last week we hit a huge milestone … Elliotte took her first steps and is now walking (albeit a bit drunk-like) almost on her own! The moment was truly unbelievable and one that left me in tears (shocking … I know) as I was simply overwhelmed with joy. I was just so proud of her.

This is where my resolution isn’t a good thing because — had I not had my trusty iPhone glued to my body, I might have missed the moment. Her grandparents would have killed me! I’m just saying…

We spent our Christmas vacation in paradise on the Big Island of Hawaii, but I’m here to tell you that getting there was nothing short of a nightmare. I’m not going to lie or candy-coat this blog at all because this experience was one I never want to relive.

All of my friends warned me about baby airplane travel … basically it could go either way. Kids are wild cards and you never really know what you’re going to get. So in preparation for my little wild card, I boarded our flight armed with earplugs and chocolates for the innocent passengers that could potentially be caught in the line of fire, so to speak. All the while knowing that I will never need to bring out said earplugs … I mean, my child is perfect after all!

This wasn’t Elliotte’s first flight — over the summer we traveled to San Francisco and my little angel slept for the hour flight each way, so I was certain we had this Hawaiian excursion in the bag.

I came equipped with two giant diaper bags. One was filled with diaper bag essentials (diapers, wipes, pacifiers, bottles, change of clothes for both of us) and the other ridiculously large bag was filled with toys and snacks. So many toys and snacks!! If this plane went down, Elliotte could feed the whole cabin with her copious supply of puffs and Cheerios. Basically the plan was, if this kid wasn’t sleeping, I was going to keep her busy and well-fed!

My special edition diaper bag also contained an emergency item. An SOS of sorts. An article that is generally considered a baby no-no in my house, but one that was only to be revealed if absolutely one hundred percent necessary. Friends, I’m talking about the iPad. I loaded my secret weapon up with episodes of Sesame Street and adorable farm animal applications that looked like they would keep Elliotte entertained for at least a temper tantrum or two.

Very much like the aforementioned earplugs, I felt pretty confident that our no-no item wouldn’t be making an appearance.

As our flight took off, I could see that Elliotte was not the happy camper I know and love. Her face turned beet-red within seconds and she was thrashing in her carseat as if it was a torture device. The tears were flowing fast and her scream was one that could not be silenced.

I looked at my husband whose eyes said, “Bring out the iPad!!” but I knew it was way too early in our journey to pull such tricks out of sleeves.

As Alec handed out the chocolate and earplugs to our unlucky neighbors, I brought out some of Elliotte’s favorite toys. Every toy that was presented was met with a louder scream. I moved on to my trusted stash of snacks — surely a handful of puffs would soothe this outburst. Fail. I sang. I danced. I peek-a-booed. Nothing.

How can this be? The seat belt sign hasn’t even been turned off yet and I have pretty much emptied out the contents of my special-edition diaper bag!

Once the captain decided to put me out of my misery and turned the seat belt sign off, I ripped Elliotte out of her carseat (the one I brought thinking she would sleep in) and decided a nice walk down the aisle would do us both some good.

That mission was quickly aborted as the scream-fest continued to unaffected rows that were surely enjoying their cocktails and weekly gossip magazines.

I handed her off to my husband and I took a much-needed break, as well as the first deep breath I had taken since leaving Los Angeles International Airport. We were now three-and-a-half hours into our six-hour flight and Elliotte showed no signs of slowing down. It was in this moment I turned to my family and saw the chaos.

My seat was littered with toys and Cheerios and my poor child looked like a complete mess. Her face was tear-stained and her clothes were covered in squeezable applesauce. (Another failed mission.)

I knew it was time to bring out the big guns. Elmo needed to step in and he better be bringing his A-game.

I placed Elliotte on my lap and out came the iPad. Images of all of my favorite characters appeared on the screen and I instantly felt comforted by my childhood friends. Not only because they are the same characters that were my source of calm as a child, but also I knew they were the lifesavers we so desperately needed.

Well … I guess iPads and big yellow birds aren’t that comforting to teething babies that are 30,000 feet up in the air. The iPad went flying and I sunk into my seat holding my very unhappy girl tight. I was officially out of ideas.

A kind woman in front of me asked to hold Elliotte. She saw in my eyes that I was breaking down and she was a mom who got it. She understood. She didn’t judge or hate us for disrupting the beginning of her holiday vacation — she was happy to help because she had once been in our shoes with her own child. Elliotte enjoyed the break from her parents and was actually smiling in her arms.

We finally arrived in paradise and upon landing, Alec and I decided that we were moving to Hawaii as we were never going to step foot on a plane ever again.

In all fairness, in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Elliotte went from having two teeth to eight teeth so I think the plane and cabin pressure exacerbated any existing pain she was already having. Our journey home was slightly better and she even slept for two beautiful hours!

Thank you for letting me share my story — I would absolutely love to hear some of your travel woes! I’m sure it’s even more fun for those of you who have multiple children.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @marlasok or leave your comments below!

Until next time … xo,

– Marla Sokoloff