Parenting Children

People have no idea what sleep deprivation is really like once you have kids. Ok, maybe doctors know what it is like, but the rest of us?
You have no idea.

I knew it was going to be hard, I knew I had two to feed at night, every night but what surprised me is that I never got used to it. The 4 hours of interrupted sleep I got was something that I never grew accustomed to.

Not only that but the lack of sleep left me cranky and moody. It made me mad at the babies because who wouldn’t want to sleep in their nice warm beds with cozy blankets? Why are these babies fighting sleep? Maybe they gave me the wrong babies at the hospital because these can not be my babies. My babies would love to sleep, like me!

Trying to take a small nap when the baby naps can help. But then when can you shower, clean bottles or do laundry?

Having my husband take the first feeding of the early morning helped me, that way he got his sleep and I got a good 4-5 hours uninterrupted

What the baby books never tell you though, is that although your hours of sleep maybe continuous, it will never be that dead to the world slumber you long for, again.
You will always sleep lighter, listening for a cry in the night or someone sliping into your bed taking up all of your side.

A deep sleep is reserved for when they sleep over Grandma’s house.

sleep, babies, toddlers, bedtime, parenting, SAHM, WAHM, bedtime

The hardest parenting task so far, for me, has been potty training. I thought that I had read the books, talked with other Moms and I knew just what I was doing.
I did, but my kids did not.

My fault was that I was trying to train the kids together. My daughter was ready a couple of months before my son was ready. The only problem was, she would go number one but for numero dos, it would only take place in a diaper.
I let her go into her diaper until there were none left, then I told her she was on her own. That actually worked.
Yeah, I was surprised too.

My son took longer, he was on his own schedule. When he was ready (the key word here) he went full force, never regressing back to diapers.

Here are some tips I can pass on to any parent dealing with potty training:

Make sure you have the proper tools, a kid potty seat or a stool for the “big” potty. The aim targets for boys can be fun but a waste of money. Cheerios work just as well.

Never make negative comments if the child has an accident. That is just what it was: an accident.

Try not to potty train a child after or during a big event. This could include a move to a new home, a new brother or sister or even starting school for the first time.
These could lead a child to regress.

Telling my son that he could use the potty like all his older cousins used really helped. He wanted to be a “big boy” just like them.
Peer pressure is good, sometimes.

Remember, kids all will train when they are physically and emotionally ready to use the bathroom. All kids are different and will be ready at different times. This can be frustrating, but I promise, eventually they will get it.

INCENTIVES.
I rewarded my kids for taking this huge step into big kid world. I had a big dish of brightly colored M&Ms and let them pick a couple out after they went to the bathroom and washed their hands.
This was a treat for them and they really like chocolate.

Lastly, be consistent. If your child is ready but a little lazy, that is ok but keep with it. They will get it sooner then later.

Do you have any potty training tips?

potty training, toddlers, preschoolers, potty, aim targets, potty seats, potty readiness, parenting, moms

I could hardly wait for my kids to talk. To communicate with us, to finally get something feedback from them after all those months of wondering what they want, why they are crying, etc.

Now, they never shut up. I have never seen three year olds that talk as much as mine do. They are constantly talking, it is the soundtrack to my life.

Sometimes I just have to tell them to keep it down, at least if you are talking ALL THE TIME, lets do it quietly.

Don’t even get me started on the demands they give me!

We all have parenting horror stories. Some kids have choked on something, had as child fall off a high bed or couch or had a bad fall.

Our story was about a cranberry. One that was placed in her nose by our daughter, R.
She was just two and not only did she sick the dried cranberry up her nose but she stuck it waaaay up there. I couldn’t get it out, she didn’t know how to blow her nose yet, so that wasn’t helping.
I finally had to bring her to the doctor.
He got them out with some lubricant and a loooong skinny pair of tweezers.

That taught her a lesson she still remembers.
Food is only for our mouths.
Now if I can only get her to put more of it in her mouth then on her shirt!

We all know how fussy kids can be when it comes to food.
My kids are no exception. I try to get fruit and vegetables in them whenever I can.
Fruit is never the problem, it is those pesky veggies.
These are some tips I use to be able to get them to eat vegetables even if I have to sneak them in!

I will puree some carrots, peppers, mushrooms into my marinara sauce when I make it. The kids never know it is in there.

I add a bag of frozen vegetables whenever I make them macaroni and cheese. The little dices of veggies are too hard for them to pick out.

I give them vegetable juice mixed with water instead of fruit juice.

I will cut up little pieces of vegetables and put it in a meatloaf.

Finally, my fool proof vegetable eating trick is to cut them up raw and let them go to town with a dip. My kids love ranch dressing and they love to dip anything.
We just have to make sure they each have their own dipping cup because there is major double dipping going on!

picky eaters, toddlers, food

One of the first things I thought of when the shock of finding out we were having twins wore off, is that this is going to be expensive.

Whether you are having one two or (ouch) three babies saving some money can not hurt.

I recommend that all pregnant women and new mothers sign up at web sites like www.pampers.com

www.huggies.com

www.enfamil.com

www.gerber.com

Not only will they send you newsletters with tips, games and help, but they will also mail you coupons!

I also looked for freebie or coupons web sites to help me find the coupons or samples on the things all mothers need like baby soap, detergent and diaper rash cream.

If you have not already, join the pricing club at your local supermarket, they track the things you buy with your card and give you coupons accordingly.

Diapers seemed to take up the biggest part of my baby budget, so I tried all the different kids of diapers out there from generics to big name brands.

I would also check out www.amazon.com. From time to time they would have a huge sale on big boxes of diapers, I would stock up and get free shipping on my order of $25.00 or more.

What are your big money saving ideas for new parents?

coupons, money saving tips, diaper coupons, parent hack, save money, moms, parents

One of the toughest things I found since having children is setting boundaries and limits.  In our house I have seen that being firm but giving some breathing room is the best, but it is not always the easiest. 

It is so much easier to give into that child that is crying on the floor of a store because he wants a toy that you just told him he couldn’t have.  You just want them to stop the crying/tantrum/yelling. 

That is the easiest, but as we all know, because we have done it, not the best.  That teaches them the behavior that they will always go to in order to get what they want.  They know if they cry loud or long enough they will get the desired reaction out of you. 

If you don’t have limits and boundaries children tend to grow up insecure and confused as to
which behavior is acceptable or necessary to get by. 

Some parents don’t set limits because they were raised in a strict household and refuse to be that strict with their own children, therefore they go completely in the other direction: total freedom.   Parents will be afraid to ruin the “friend” relationship with their child, but being a parent is their responsibility to the child, not a friend. 

I think we can all agree children need certain limits placed on them and being either too lenient or too strict is not the answer. 

As my children continue to push the rules and limits that are set on them, I will continue to reevaluate how important our rules really are and what is ok to let them get away with some of the time. 

boundaries, toddlers, babies, parenting

Welcome to parenting our children! 

My goal for this site is to entertain my readers with personal stories of parenting as well as share stories, tips and advice from other parents. 

My name is Erinn, and I am a stay at home mother to three year old boy/girl twins,   L & R. 

I was born and raised in northern New Jersey but relocated to south New Jersey three years ago.  I have been married for six years to a wonderful man, E. 

Many Moms feel that they cannot share their parenting disasters, insecurrities and faults for fear of not being a “perfect” Mom. 

We should share our successes and joys as well as our faults to not only help one another other but also to support each other on this journey of parenthood. 

I think we can all agree, it is a hell of a ride.