Parenting Children

I am sick. Actually my son is also sick, and he gave it to me, so we are down two family members this week. Moms don’t get sick days and when you have a sick kid on top of it, well it is trouble. My son has a cough and a low fever so we have been using tylenol for his fever at night and honey for his cough which has worked better then over the counter cough syrup!
Being pregnant and sick is the most helpless feeling. Since I am pregnant I can’t take many medications but when my asthma kicked in I had to go on steroids to kick this infection and make sure the baby is getting enough oxygen. If I can’t breathe, neither can the baby.

My husband has been a big help, without his help around here, I don’t know what I would do. We are trying to keep he and my daughter healthy and unaffected by these colds!
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Onto bigger and better things lets get to the winners of my personalized fruit rollup contest! Thank you for all who participated, it was so much fun to read all of the amazing valentines sent and received! I hope your Valentine’s Day this year is as sweet!

The winners numbers were chosen by random.org.
Commenter #7 Mama Zen, #12 stacey moore and #18 Julie Mead! I will email each of you with your code later today, so you can order your own fruit rollup!

contest, sickness, sickness and pregnancy, pregnancy, kids sick kids, keeping kids healthy

Staying home all day with twins is hard, staying home all day with twins when your husband has to go away for work, is the worst. It has happened dozens of times over the past five years. The worst was when he needed to go away for a month. He flew home on weekends but I was on my own with TWO, two year olds. He did something I would have never thought to do though, he joined the Disney movie club for us and had them send us movies.

We are not huge believers in television for kids, but when you are alone with twins for a month, anything goes. He picked out which movies he wanted, paid a small fee and the next week we had a surprise stack of new movies to enjoy. All of E’s favorites were on the list like, Lady and the Tramp, The Lion King and The Incredibles. We had to buy a couple of more movies (that were no more expensive then buying at the Disney store or Best Buy) over the next year so then I got to pick my favorites like Aladdin and Cinderella.
If you are looking for something to give your kids this Valentines Day or for summer vacation or just because this is a good deal. They have over 1,000 Disney titles, including new releases, animated classics, preschool favorites, and live-action features. You can now get 3 Disney movies for only $1.99 each and FREE SHIPPING! or, you can give the gift of Disney movies for as low as $14.95 each and FREE SHIPPING by signing up for Disney DVD Gift Express.

Get 3 Disney Movies for $1.99 Each, Plus Free Shipping! Join Now!

Diseny movie club, Disney movies, Valentines Day gift ideas, kids, parenting, kid’s movies

I know Valentine’s Day is a made up holiday but I can’t resist the red and pink home made valentines, the candy hearts and the beautiful flowers. Valentine’s Day was something my mom always made special for us. We would get a shirt or a small toy and would always get some chocolate. She also would something special for us in our lunchbox. I want to do the same for my kids so when Mom Central told me about myfruitrollups.com I knew I had to explore it for Valentine’s Day!

You can go on www.myfruitrollups.com and design and order your fruit Roll-Ups valentines. It is so simple to do, you pick a design you like, it doesn’t have to be a valentine, they have pictures for birthdays, Easter, spring, Halloween and many more. Then you pick either another graphic or write a personalized message. Happy Birthday, Be Mine, what ever you want. You can even pick out the color of your font and pictures! I have to admit I had so much fun designing one for my kids.

Are you as excited about this as I am? WIN a personalized fruit roll up of your own, a $30 value! Leave me a comment here telling me the sweetest Valentine message that you have sent or received by January 28th at midnight and I will award THREE readers a code for a free one! If you can’t wait, order your own by February 2nd to get one in time for Valentine’s Day and use the code BEMINE to get $10 your order!
So go ahead and let me know your sweetest Valentine!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED I WILL POST THE WINNERS LATER TODAY 1/29!

my fruit rollups, personalized fruit rollups, Valentine’s day, kids, parenting, valentine’s day gifts for kids, contests, valentine’s day contests

Once again caffeine intake is being linked to miscarriage. A new study says that caffeine drinking can increase the risk of miscarriage. Caffeine is any form is what is dangerous it doesn’t matter if it comes from tea, soda chocolate or coffee.

According to the January issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology woman who ingest greater than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day, have double the risk of miscarriage than women that don’t have any caffeine. The study looked at 1,063 women from San Francisco; they were interviewed at an average of 10 weeks’ gestation. During the study period, 16 percent of the women, 172, had miscarriages and 60% of the woman said they had up to 200 milligrams of caffeine a day.
“Caffeine, the most frequently consumed drug in the world, crosses the placental barrier and reaches the developing fetus, according to the study. While previous studies have found an association between caffeine intake and miscarriage, it hadn’t been clear whether the problem was due to the caffeine or another substance in coffee, or if it had something to do with non-coffee drinkers’ lifestyles — perhaps people who didn’t drink coffee ate more fruits and vegetables, for example.”

Other known risks of miscarriage smoking, a history of previous miscarriage, drug use, alcohol use and more. Although they have stats saying that 60-80% of miscarriages are because of genetic defect doctors still say to stay away from or at least limit the amount of caffeine pregnant woman intake, at least for the first three months.

pregnancy, pregnant woman, miscarriage, miscarriage risks, healthy pregnancy, pregnancy safety, caffeine and pregnancy, women’s health

When I found out I was having boy/girl twins I was so excited. Not only did I get to buy baseball mitts, overalls and cars but I got to buy pretty hair bows, dolls and jewelry. My daughter has jewelry, but no earrings yet because I was too chicken to get her ears pierced as a baby.
There are many reasons parents decide to have their daughter’s ears pierced. There are family traditions, cultural traditions, or for gender identity.
Ear piercing a baby has always been the subject of a controversy. Should you pierce their ears when they are young so they don’t remember the pain? Or should your child make their own decision when they get older?

My friend who has a one year old daughter decided to pierce her baby’s ears when she was just five months old. “I wanted to make sure everyone knew she was a girl, so I really did it for gender recognition” she said. Her pediatrician was fully on board with piercing anytime after the baby reached three months old and she did it safely in his office.
Of course there are health and safety concerns that you should consider with ear piercing:

Infection: This is the most common problem with any piercing. Make sure that the equipment being used is sterile, that the posts are clean and new, that the posts are 14K gold or hypo-allergenic stainless steel, and that the earrings are not too tight onto the earlobe. It is important to clean the ear with rubbing alcohol daily to prevent infection.

Choking: Of course earrings are not permanent so they can become loose and even fall out. Anything this small can pose a choking hazard to a baby. Make sure the earrings you get have a special baby proof backing that is very hard to remove easily.

Injury: You don’t want your baby pulling on the earring or ear and hurting herself. Make sure you only use stud earring until your child is much older, hoops are too easily entangled in clothing or hair and easy to pull on.

This is a decision that is one that should be made by both parents. Many feel that doing it early in life is easier for the child. We are going to let our daughter decide when she is ready to get her ears pierced. We will all go and celebrate with her as a family, like I did with my parents. I am excited to share this developmental milestone with her and to add to her jewelry collection for her “big girl ears”!

ear piercing, when to get baby’s ear pierced, baby ear piercing, ear piercing little girls, parenting, babies, infants, girls

Being at home with kids all winter long is not nearly as fun as it sounded like when I was working full time before kids. It is hard work, monotonous and boring. Getting housework done is nearly impossible when trying to entertain two kids and forget about trying to get to repairs and remodels. We have wanted to remodel one of our bathrooms since we bought our home. There is just never enough time or money.

You may not have enough time or money either but you can win the chance to “relax, restore and renew” and win a full room makeover from Kimberly-Clark products. Chances are you have Kimberly-Clark products in your home right now, they are the name behind Kleenex, Kotex, Scott, Huggies and more. From January 28 to February 15, one person per weekday will be announced on The View and win $25,000 to renovate any room in their house! Oh the possibilities! Enter daily here for your chance to win this amazing prize.

Tell me what room in your house would you renovate if you won this prize and why?

moms, SAHM, room a day makeover, Kimberly-Clarke products, remodeling a home, parenting

By far the hardest part of parenting so far has been potty training my twins. It would have gone a lot easier if I trained them one at a time instead of together. Potty training will go a lot easier if your child is ready and you can see if your child is ready with the readiness quiz I have below.

If you feel like your child is ready, begin incorporating potty training into your child’s daily life. Bring your child with you as you use the toilet, and explain what you are doing, narrating the process. Encourage her to do things on her own like put on her own clothes, pick out her coat etc. Go to the library and read potty books and take out potty movies. Watch them together and explain what he is seeing.
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Here I am 31 weeks pregnant and I don’t have anything ready for the baby yet. Maybe I am not alone, maybe many moms wait to get the nursery ready, or maybe I am just a second time mom and I know there is no rush and things will get done when they get done. I really have only a few things to buy for this baby but I have to get out all of our old baby gear and “things”.
I have a feeling I will have this baby early though, so I am now feeling the rush to get some things done. One of the things I made a list of is what to pack for the hospital. I forgot all the things I had or didn’t have last time around so this is like starting fresh for me. Here is what I have on my list so far:

-cheap slippers to throw away after the hospital
-soft socks
-toiletries like shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, great lotion, chapstick, makeup, toothbrush, hair brush, hair dryer.
-snacks for my husband
-pads
-ipod
-contact list of friends and family
-camera and camcorder
-outfit for the baby
-comfy pjs or sweat suit
-nursing bra
-treats for the nurses*

Is there anything you think I left off this list? What did you have with you in the hospital that you are glad you did?

* I think this is a good idea to say thank you to all the nurses that help you at this vulnerable time. Bring donuts, candy or chocolate, but bring more then one box because you will have various shifts of nurses during your stay.

pregnancy, bringing home baby, pack for the hospital, what to pack for the hospital, birth, labor, birthing plan, moms to be

My kids are very lucky and have no known food allergies. My husband’s father is allergic to seafood so we waited until our kids were three to introduce fish and they have never had a reaction. Since I have been pregnant I have eaten a ton of candy, which is what happens when you gestate through Halloween. Most of that candy had nuts in them which I never thought about until one day when it realized to me that maybe me eating all of those nuts may give my unborn baby a nut allergy. It wasn’t something my doctor told me to stay away from, but I remember that advice from other moms.

According to a new guidance report for pediatricians, in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics, I have nothing to be scared of. The only sure fire way to prevent allergies, food allergies and wheezing is to breastfeed your children. The report says:
-There is no convincing evidence that women who avoid peanuts or other foods during pregnancy or breast-feeding lower their child’s risk of allergies.
-For infants with a family history of allergies, breast-feeding for at least four months can lessen the risk of rashes and allergy to cow’s milk.
-There is some evidence for feeding hypoallergenic formulas to susceptible babies if they are not solely breast-fed.

Surprisingly to me, they say there is no convincing evidence that delaying the introduction of foods such as eggs, fish or peanut butter to children prevents allergies. They also state that infants should not get solid food before 4 to 6 months of age, just like pediatricians tell us.

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There are only so many toys I will allow in this house. There are some things I think my kids can never have enough of one of them is books and the other one is games. I love games and now so do my kids. When I had the chance to review the new Cranium Bloom kids games designed just for preschoolers, I couldn’t wait for them to arrive. I love Cranium games and I knew my kids would too.

The first one we played was the Let’s Go To The Zoo Seek and Find Play Puzzle. It is a large size 24-piece puzzle of a zoo and everything you would see in it. My kids love puzzles so this was great alone. Then you each draw cards to find something. There are beginner cards that would ask you to find something red or find three dolphins, and advanced cards which would ask you to find something that starts with the letter “K”. You circle your finds on the puzzle with an erasable marker. My kids loved this game. It is for ages three and up and even one person can play.

The next game we tried was Cranium Bloom’s Let’s Play Count and Cook Game. I knew this one would be a hit because both of my kids love to cook and bake with me. This is a game complete with a “recipe book” and you have to take turns moving around a board and collecting the ingredient cards you need for one of the recipes in your cookbook. It actually comes with some real recipes to make with your kids and kitchen tips. This game is for ages three and up and is for up to four players.

These games are educational, fun and inexpensive. I loved them as much as my kids and I will buy Cranium games for all ages as gifts for upcoming birthdays this year. You can find all the entire line of Cranium Bloom games at Target.

Cranium Bloom, Cranium Bloom games, Bloom games, preschoolers, games for preschoolers, games, rainy day ideas, indoor fun, parenting

You Know you are a mom when:

You spend 20 minutes in a line just to get your kids a animal balloon

You let your child race matchbox cars all over your body just so you can nap

You don’t watch the news or made for TV movies for fear of hearing something bad happening to children

Willingly smell not only your child’s diaper but other people’s children’s diapers to determine where a particular smell is coming from

Let your kids watch more TV then you ever thought you would just so you can get soem peace and quiet or a shower

Judge other mothers because it makes you feel better about what kind of mother you care (c’mon you know you do it!)

Watch the clock until it is your child’s bedtime then you miss them 30 minutes later

Now you finish this sentence “You know you are a Mom when……..”

moms, being a mom, parenting, kids, sahm

I was talking to a friend about kindergarten one day. My kids are almost two years older then her son so she had some questions. I told her I was working with R and L on some skills that I wanted them to know before Kindergarten like writing their own names and buttoning their coats. She couldn’t believe they had to know some of the things that I had seen them working on in preschool. “Well then, what do they learn in kindergarten?” she asked.
Good question. What should kids learn to do to start school full time?

Participation- Kids usually sit in small groups for classes and are asked to participate. They will sing songs, talk about the weather outside, what day of the week it is and have question and answer sessions. Sitting still, waiting their turn are great skills for your kindergartener to have. Practice this skill at home with siblings or at snack time.

Sharing- Easier said then done, I know. Kids with siblings may have more practice with this skill then only children. My kids have had to share everything every day of their lives, so I know they will do well with this, as well as a five year old can do. Make your children ask for things before they snatch it, join a playgroup or go to a children’s museum where they can play with and share toys with other children.

What skills do you think parents need to teach their children before they head to school?

getting ready for school, preschoolers, kindergarten, kindergarteners, toddlers, skills for school, parenting, parenting children

Kids can have all the toys in the world and still get bored. Have you found that already even though Christmas was just a few weeks ago? Being a stay at home mom may give me a little less patience on this issue then most. Are you tired of them complaining they have nothing to do, especially now that winter is here to stay?

Make a bored jar.
Use a cotton ball container or an old jar and place cards with things to do on them. Make up games, have an arts & craft idea or even a recipe for something simple but will keep them occupied.
Whenever someone cries “bored” take out the jar and have them pick something.

If you don’t want to make a “bored” jar then buy one. Land of nod has an amazing arts and crafts jar filled with great things for kids eight and up. It comes with googly eyes, pom-poms, pipe cleaners, glue pens, construction paper, wavy craft scissors, wooden buttons, spools, beads, craft sticks and more. All you need is $29.00 and your own imagination.

If you are looking for learning activities for your child see if there is a Lakeshore Learning Center by you, or order online. This store is amazing resource for parents or teachers. You can find something for your baby up until eleven years old. Sign up for their free catalog.

If they are still “bored” after all of these ideas, just tell them to get a job.

arts & crafts, bored jar, arts & crafts for kids, learning toys, rainy day ideas, sahm, stay at home moms, kids, indoor fun, indoor ideas

It seems like everyone I know is sick. If my friends are not sick then their kids are. Colds and viruses are so common this time of year, but it is hard to know what is just a cold and what is more and needs medical attention. Today we will talk about everything you need to know about colds and sniffles.

About 100 different viruses cause infections that lead to the common cold. Colds usually come on gradually, starting with a runny nose or a scratchy throat. Most kids do fine with a common cold but require a little more TLC. Remind them to wash their hands often, keep them hydrated (if they don’t want to drink, try ice pops, juice or soup) and use the nasal aspirator if necessary. Having a humidifier and/or a vaporizer in a child’s room is great for winter too.
If your child has a fever, Call the doctor.

The Flu season is usually from October to April. The main difference between the flu and a cold is a high fever. Babies and kids with the flu are very irritable can have diarrhea and usually don’t want anything to eat. I would treat the flu the same as if your child has a cold but call the pediatrician if your has has a high fever, has asthma or they have any problems breathing.

Croup usually appears in winter and spring. It usually comes on suddenly and the croup’s signature barking cough (like a seal’s bark) is very scary for new parents. Use a humidifier in your child’s room every day and night. Steam will help the cough and sitting with the child while the shower runs very hot will help her cough. Also bundling the baby and going outside in the cold is been known to help. if the cough seems to last for more then a couple of days or your child has a fever call the doctor.

colds, cold and flu season, flu, children’s colds, keeping kids healthy, healthy kids, croup, babies, infants, kids, parenting, parenting children

I have to admit I find most maternity clothing to be dowdy and boring. I thought maybe something had improved in the four years between my pregnancies, but I was disappointed. The one thing that was much better was the availability of maternity clothes in stores, I hated having to buy all of my maternity clothes online just to get them and see how ugly or unflattering they actually were.

If you are looking for hip, cool maternity clothes that don’t make you look like you are wearing a tent, I have a great site for you. 2chix.com is a great site for expecting mamas, and they don’t leave expecting dads out either! Do they sounds familiar? Well you probably have seen their clothes featured in magazines liek People, Conceive or Pregnancy.
They have the cutest t-shirts for your ever expanding belly like this knocked up shirt or this 009 months shirt.

They don’t just sell t-shirts, they have long sleeve shirts, maternity skirts and tanks as well. At first I was concerned about the “one-size-fits-most” sizing but the soft cotton of their clothing was surprisingly stretchy and even fit over my big belly! If you are scared about the “one size” try their voluptuous tees which fits sizes 12-18.
All of their clothing are for the haute mama in you, we all know that woman are even more gorgeous when they are pregnant, why not let the world see how “haute” you really are?!

pregnancy, maternity, maternity clothes, hip maternity clothes, new moms, expecting dads