Parenting Children

All of my family and friends live aver an hour away from us. We often go up for visits and I try to schedule our drives for our twin’s nap time. That doesn’t always work out and I am always looking for things to do in the car.
I came across these cards. Each card has a picture printed on it of something you may see in your travels, a red car, a horse, the moon etc. You can keep score or just play for fun.

Better yet, make your own cards. Buy some large index cards and have the kids draw something they see on their travels. Then keep them in your car for your next long trip to keep the fighting and boredom at bay!

car trips, kid crafts, car fun, parenting, kids, toddlers, craft ideas

We have all seen the Dateline shows.
The ones where adults pose as children on the internet and are subjected to pornography, inappropriate propositions and child predators. We have read about the teenagers on Myspace who give their personal information away and have scantily clad pictures up.
People always say “not my child” but it is someone’s child. Why not yours?

I was recently contacted by the PC Pandora Corporation asking me if I would like to review their computer program. It is a monitoring program for the computer and although it is a terrific idea, is it really as great as it seems. I was going to use the program and review it fairly.

I downloaded the PC Pandora easily following the instructions given to me. It took all of five minutes to have installed on my computer.

The first thing I liked about it was it doesn’t appear on the screen as an icon or in the program files, the task bar, or registry, it is completley hidden.
I know that you can have it seen on your computer if your purpose was to discourage certain activities.

You have a special keystroke code (think ctrl+alt+del) to start the program and from there you can see every email, every keystroke, every web site, everything that is viewed by your computer’s users and records everything including all instant messages,log in names and passwords to sites like Myspace, AOL, Gmail and Yahoo and all emails sent and received.

It also captures screen shots of web sites visited and all keystrokes.

It is a wonderful program that is well executed and I will recommed to everyone I know.
I think this program is invaluable in this day and age and that everyone with children, especially if your child has a computer in his/her room or goes on the computer frequently with friends, should have it.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the one fault I saw with PC Pandora which is that my computer did run a bit slower once I had downloaded it but nothing that interferred with my regular computer work.

I am not saying to not trust your kids, but do you trust everyone else kids?
Do you trust strangers?

I do not and I am glad there are companies like PC Pandora out there trying to help parents and maybe save a life.

Do you have a new product or something you would like me to review? If so please contact me via the contact link on the sidebar.

child preditors, online safety, kids, teenagers, parents, moms, internet safety, PC Pandora, cheating spouse

I have a confession to make. Take it as my true mom confession.
When my kids were about a year and a half I went to the disney store to buy something and as we left the store and went into the mall, I noticed my son had taken something from the store. He had it in his cute, chubby little hand and I realized my son was a klepto!

I turned the double stroller around to go back in and I saw how crowded the store had gotten.
I just turned around again and left without returning it.

Ok, I have one more. I have had a “momtini” a little earlier then one would usually drink during the day.
Hey, don’t judge I needed that drink.

Yeah.

So let’s hear it. What is your True Mom Confession? Comment or email me with one and you can even remain anonymous if you would like.

confessions, mom confessions, moms, SAHM, kids, parenting, life with kids, parents,

I was just in the middle of writing about how being a mother sets off a whole set of fears and self doubt in yourself. You wonder if you are doing it right, you call your friends and ask for advice, you call your sister and try and compare where your kids should be, and where they really are.

I thought I was finally done with all of that, I finally feel comfortable in my mothering skin. I am doing it! I have terrific, healthy well behaved kids!
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There are great blogs on the 451 press site and now my breat bosses announced a terrific contest to get people checking out and commenting on all our blogs.
Here are the details:

“Every comment made on one of our sites between now and January 31st will be entered in a random drawing for prizes. Every comment you leave will be considered an entry, so there is no limit as long as you leave quality along with quantity.

Prizes:
We will award six prizes to the six randomly chosen comments from this month. There will be one (1) $500 cash prize and five (5) $100 cash prizes. We will contact the winning commenters using the email address they enter with the comment. Comments made through January 31st will be entered in the contest and the winners will be announced on February 1st.”

Cool huh? I wish I was eligible!

So go ahead comment away.

comments, contests, blogs,

I do have one person in my house that loves to play video games and it is not my children, it is my husband.
We have not ventured into the electronic toy phase of parenthood just yet because our children are still young, I am it will be soon enough we are asked to fork over $400 for a video system.
I can’t wait.

I do have nephews and cousins that love video games and play all the time. As a parent I know there are so many concerns with these games like what are the ratings of this game, how much is too much and what are they playing at their friends house?

Tim over at Wii Rally has a great post on Wii and parental controls. It is the hottest new games system out there, and I know quite a few kid’s received them this holiday season.
Go check it out and tell him I sent you!

Wii, video games, parental controls, parenting, parents, games

I am not one for resolutions in the New year. I think you are asking for failure, but I do believe in revitalizing my priorities and values as a Mother.

Here are resolutions I think every Mom should make for the new year:

1) take time for myself. Being a mom is hard, working outside the home and still managing school, activities, dinner and your husband? I couldn’t imagine. take time out every month for yourself. I plan on making sure I get the manicure and pedicure I need, or just reading books at Borders without having to watch kids.
Book a massage for yourself or get coffee and read a magazine at your coffee house.
Pamper yourself because you deserve me time.

2) make sure you have at least three nights a week to all sit together and eat. Maybe you can only do breakfast on the weekends, but it is better then nothing. Reconnect with what your family is doing and maybe plan a annual family vacation.

3) Keep yourself healthy. For yourself and your family. Maybe the cool gym in your town can fall under the “me time” category.
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I was wondering when I would have to order my referee uniform and start reprimanding someone for fighting. I thought I would be in the clear until they were a little older but I was wrong.
The non-stop fighting has arrived.

R who is one minute younger then her brother, acts like a big sister. Like a 13 year old sister to L. She asks him to get her drink for her, to put her shoes in the mud room to help her in her life of crime.
I hear her whispers to her brother plotting something devious, like eating all of the homemade candy from a neighbor.
They thought it all out, they got the stool from the bathroom, and R the taller one, was the grabber, L was the look out.
They ate it, while I was in my office and just after they had their teeth brushed.

I was less then thrilled.

I do think it is amusing though. I love that they learned to ban together at such a young age, even if it was for evil.

R, though, know just how to push her brother’s buttons and has for a long time now.
She will call him a name and keep on while he yells “no!” at her and then he will hit her. At that point she will come to E or I and tattle that her brother hit her.
We obviously know why.

The hitting isn’t condoned but neither is the behavior that prompted the smack.

The bickering never seems to stop and I know they are bored and a little sick and I also know it probably will never stop, but a Mom can wish can’t she?
Can’t she?

sibling rivalry, fighting, moms, parenting, twins, life with twins, siblings

We are going to have a new feature on this site! Twice a month we are going to have a “Stuff I Love” posting about what I am enamored with, and I am usually singing the praises of something or another mommy related, so why not share?

First up, I LOVE these dresses. They are made from vintage pillowcases and delicately made into a little dress for your little one.
I think it is just darling and what a cute idea. It is unique and adorable and I think makes a great gift for a new baby or for a birthday.
The sizing goes from 6 months all the way up to 4T.

It is something I have never seen in stores and you can be sure nobody is going to have the same dress as your little one.

Do you have something you would like to review? Send me an email and let me know.

dresses, girls, pillowcase dresses, moms, product reviews,

If you are like me, you were terrified at the thought of giving your child their first bath. I Would only do it for the first few weeks if my mother-in-law or mother was there to advise and help. The first few were sponge type baths also because I feared the small baby tub.

Perhaps this will help some other new parents:

Things to Know:
Most experts say that newborns don’t need daily baths. Two or three baths a week is usually sufficient.

Until the umbilical cord falls off and the circumcision (if any) heals, stick with sponge baths to avoid infection.

It’s not really necessary to use soap on a newborn or young infant unless the weather has been very hot or he’s gotten especially dirty from spitting-up or a bowel movement. When you do use soap, use it toward the end of the bath, so the baby doesn’t sit too long in soapy water, which can dry out his skin.

Baby’s hair only needs to be washed once or twice a week. You can use mild baby soap or baby shampoo. If your baby doesn’t have much hair, a washcloth will work fine. As hair grows, keep a cup close by for rinsing (cradle his head in your hand and tilt it back as your rinse so water doesn’t run into his eyes).

Make sure the room where you bathe the baby is warm and draft-free.

If your baby hates being bathed in his tub, keep giving him sponge baths. But every few weeks be sure to try using the baby tub. If your baby dislikes being naked in the tub, try covering his back or belly with a wet washcloth as you bathe his other parts.

A baby should not be bathed in an adult bathtub until he can sit up on his own, usually at about six months of age.

baths, first bath, bathing a newborn, moms, new moms, parents, parenting, infants, babies

Having this blog has been great. I have met a lot of new people, learned new parenting “tricks” and have gotten a lot of great feedback.
Something I wasn’t expecting is the nice people that work for a “mom swap” type of show to invite me to be on the show and swap lives with another mommy blogger.

Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t need cameras pouring over every imperfection I have as a wife or a mother. Plus some days I can’t handle my own kids, how could I handle someone else’s?
It is not my job to parent other people’s kids and no amount of money could get my on television doing it.

What do you think? Could you swap lives with another mother for a week?

mommy bloggers, parents, parenting, children, television, mom swap,