Parenting Children

Things that seemed like a great idea at one point in time:

1) Teaching children to talk, Enough said. No really, enough.

2) The kids sharing a room

3) Letting the kids pick what they want to eat

4) Beige carpet

5) Let my son pee standing up when he was potty training

6) White tile in bathroom (this is no other reason then #5)

7) Having twins

parenting, kids, life with kids, moms, dads

Congratulations to Victoria, Alison and Crystal, you eachl won a free annual pro membership to greetingflix.com!

Thanks for playing along and have fun with greetingflix!

Toys R US the Mecca of children everywhere has its 2007 summer fun toy list out. It includes old favorites like sidewalk chalk and bubble mowers but also some toys that don’t seem like they are for summer at all.
Hand held video games, DVDs and action figures don’t seem like they should be on a summer toy list at all.

What happened to bubble wands, bikes and scooters. Are pools, sprinklers and slip n slides too “old school” for kids nowadays?

What are your kid’s favorite summer toys and what are yours?

Oh and I will have the winners from the photo contests later today!

[/tags] summer fun, summer, summer toys, kids, children, parenting, SAHM, moms, dads, toys [/tags]

A Setauket junior high school gym teacher, Matt Foster, was arrested last week after he duct taped a students legs together causing him to break his arm.

The 57 year old Long Island NY teacher and chair of the physical education and health departments, was put on paid leave from the school.
He wrapped a students legs together in the locker room, apparently because the student was late to class, and was told to walk into the gym like that. The freshman student stood up and fell, braking one of his arms.

What do you think should happen to this teacher? Was being put on a paid leave appropriate or should he have been fired right away?

You can read the full story here.

gym teachers, school, teacher duct taped student’s legs, teenagers, parenting, abusive teachers, Matthew Foster

My daughter wants her ears pierced.
Yeah.

I wanted to get her ears pierced when she was a baby but I always chickened out. Then it got to the point in time where I was afraid if I did them she would pull them out or get infected and my husband E, would blame me.
I resigned myself to the fact she wouldn’t have her ears pierced until she was much older like I did when I was 7. Now my four year old daughter wants her ears pierced.

We have talked about how it is going to hurt, how the doctor will click a machine in her ear and put a hole into it for the earrings. That scared her at first but know she says she understands and she is excited.
Her cousin had her ears pierced recently and that put her over the edge.

Would you let your four year old get her ears pierced or would you make her wait?
In the meantime, I beg you, my dear readers, to keep coming back and reading my stories, because someone has to make enough money to pay for the BIG diamond earrings R wants!

four year olds, preschoolers, parenting, children ear piercing, ear piercing, moms

How cute are these gummi lights?
They are a blast from the past.

I am a child of the 70’s and 80’s and I love the resurgence of everything 80s. My daughter plays with My Little Pony, has a strawberry shortcake doll and loves Hello Kitty. Secretly I love that my daughter plays with these things because I love them too and I get to play with them under the guise of being a good mom, and relive my childhood.

My son loves all the super heroes but men like Spiderman never go out of style. At least that is what the Hulk told me.

What things do you love from your childhood that now your children play with?

70’s, 80’s, toys, kids, strawberry shortcake, Hello Kitty, parenting, parents, kids, children’s toys

I have already told my husband that we both better get two jobs because I am already planning on not really letting the kids out all the time, I would rather them and all of their friends be at our house.

Call me over protective but I doubt I would let me children at other people’s homes without me unless I knew the family very well. One of the things I worry about is guns in the home, especially with little boys who are curious and adventurous all at once.

A new study I just read about guns in the home stated “Almost one-fourth of 3,754 parents with young children — surveyed at 96 pediatric practices in 45 states, Puerto Rico and Canada — keep a gun at home. Yet in 70 percent of those homes with guns, parents said they hadn’t taken adequate precautions to safely store the weapons, researchers report.”

We do not have guns in our home, but we do have family members that do and I know they are stored away in a very safe place where kids could not get them.
I wonder for the future though, should I always ask if there are guns in the home of my kid’s friends? Would I trust their answers anyway?

I want to know what you do as parents, do you ask about guns and where they are stored? Do you have guns in your home and how do you make sure they are safely away from all little hands?

guns, parents owning guns, children and guns, parenting, moms, dads, gun safety, home safety

source

Looking for something for your Dad or your husband for Father’s Day besides a tie?
You came to the right site, I have a gift giving list for any father in your life.

For the 9 to 5 Dad

For the grilling pro

For the convertible owning dad

For the new Dad

For the grandad

For the dad that loves the gym
For the outdoor dad

For the stay at home dad

For the lover of football

For the dad that loves tats but isn’t that committed

For the beer loving dad

For the hip dad

For the music lover

For the dad who likes to tape his daughter’s dance recitals

What are your gift ideas for your dad/husband/grandfather for Father’s day?

Father’s day, Father’s day gifts, Father’s day gift ideas, kids, parenting, moms, gifts for dad, parents

It is the season for swim school, or at least it is here in NJ where all the swim classes are packed. This will be my four year old’s first time in swim classes. I think they will be great, but I am glad I didn’t take them much sooner.
A new European study has found infants who take classes or swim with their mother’s in indoor pools are at a higher risk for developing asthma.
Children who swim in indoor pools with overly chlorinated air, is associated with airway changes that, along with other factors, seem to predispose children to the development of asthma and recurrent bronchitis.

They think the exposure to chemicals, like chlorine, may alter the lining of the lungs making it easier for children to develop asthma.
They say you should not expose yourself or your children to overly chlorinated pools (you know, the pools when you walk in the smell of chlorine is very strong) and not allow children to swim in indoor pools for more then 20 minutes. Of course, try to make sure your children do not drink pool water.

The findings appear in the June issue of Pediatrics

pools, swim school, kid’s swim classes, swim classes, indoor pools, parenting, kids, children, infants, asthma, asthma in children

I have exciting news, if you read my post about child/infant CPR and you are looking to order a copy for yourself or as a gift, you are in luck.

Hurry and order your copy now to receive 10% off your order! Enter the coupon code: Tracy during checkout and enjoy 10% off.

CPR, infant CPR, child CPR, child safety, summer safety, pool dangers, CPR DVD, how to perform CPR, parents, parenting, children, kids, pools

Paper doll chains is an oldie but a goodie and my children love anything to do with arts and crafts. It is also nice to be able to do something fun inside when a summer storm comes along and ruins outdoor plans.

What you will need:
sturdy paper
scissors
crayons or markers
glue
decorating items like old buttons, scraps of fabric, beads, glitter

Instructions
Cut a strip of paper about 4 inches tall and as long as you want (the longer the paper the more dolls on each chain)

Fold the paper like an accordion, each section should be about 2-2.5 inches wide

If you are doing this with an older child they can outline a figure (body, monster, alien) making sure each part touches the outside of the panel
If you have a younger child you will have to draw the figure and cut out for them

Cut out the figure being careful not to cut the folds where the body touches

Unfold and have your child color or decorate figures how ever they chose to. Add buttons, fabric for clothes, yarn scraps for hair and beads for eyes.

Enjoy your homemade paper dolls!

paper dolls, crafts for kids, kid crafts, kids, toddlers, kid fun, parents, parenting, SAHM