Parenting Children

Kids love to play in water. If you are a parent, you know that already. we have even let our kids run around in their clothing in the rain. You are only young once and what is the harm of a little water? here are some ideas for fun with water for your kids:

-Squirt shaving cream into a disposable muffin tin. Add a couple of drops of food dye into each cup and stir. (only use a small amount, you don’t want a green kid after soaking for awhile!)
Let your kids paint themselves and the walls. Hose them and the walls down when everyone is done!

-Help your children build boats and rafts from craft sticks, Styrofoam blocks, aluminum trays, egg cartons, etc. Put your boats to float in a wading pool, sink, or bathtub.

-Pair off children and have them face their partner. Have the kids toss a water balloon to each other. Every time the balloon is caught the child that caught the balloon takes a step back. When they miss they usually get splattered with water.

-If you are having a sun shower break out the slip and slide, you don’t even need the hose!

-Play “tag” with the hose. Who ever gets “hit” with the spray of water from a hose or a water shooter is it.

-Use eyedroppers to drip watercolors on stiff clear plastic. Let the paint dry in the sun, then hang the art in a window.
With a Group

-Dig for worms outside, there will be plenty on a rainy day.

It wasn’t until a couple of months before I gave birth to our third baby that I thought about diapers. When I was pregnant with the twins, it wasn’t a thought, we would use disposables like everyone else did. Now we are trying to be more “green” and Earth friendly so I did decide to look into other options and share what I found out with all of you.

Cloth diapers- usually sells for about $1.25 per diaper which is more expensive up front but will save money in the long run. Of course there are more expensive ones that have pretty fabrics and are easier to put on with velcro instead of using pins. Those can run you up to $15.00 per diaper. Cloth diapers require more, care. The contents need to be dumped into a toilet and then put into a bucket waiting for wash day.
A little too “crunchy” for me.

Disposable diapers- These will run $.20-.25 per diaper but you can get them for as little as $.17 per diaper if you clip coupons, watch for sales and order online in bulk. They are the most time efficient to put on, take off and no washing! These are the most environmentally unfriendly because they end up in landfills and don’t break down for hundreds of years.

gDiapers- These are the newest and trendiest “cloth” diapers on the market. They are $27.00 for a starter kit and run $.37 each for replacement pads. They look like regular cloth diapers but they are flushable! A huge plus but make sure you have a good toilet, because these can be a plumbing “don’t”! They are the most expensive choice I found but the most earth friendly.

Which diapers do you use for your child?

diapers, diapering, gDaipers, cloth diapers, cloth diapering, parenting, parenting children, infants, babies

Sometimes I just get bored with sandwiches. Sometimes I just don’t have deli meats or bread in the house. (Hey, cut me some slack I just had a baby!) My kids get bored with sandwiches every day too, so I try to be creative and unique with lunches, or dinners for that matter, and give my kids variety and it gives them an opportunity to try new foods too! Here are some of our favorite ideas:

Veggies and dip. Put string beans in a hallowed out pepper, bake some pita to make your own pita “chips” and if your kids hate raw veggies cook and cool them first.
DIP
1 greek plain yogurt (7oz)
1 garlic clove, pressed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2C mayo
1 tablespoon dill and mint chopped
1/2 cucumber
1 teaspoon lemon juice

To make:
Grate the peeled and seeded cucumber and squeeze dry in paper towel and add to bowl
Add the rest of the ingredients and combine
Serve with veggies

Try chicken salad or egg salad in a lettuce leaf instead of bread
Try hummus or guacamole (two of my kids favorites) instead of dips
Go pick your own at a local farm, your kids will be more likely to eat the veggies if they see where they are grown and pick them themselves!
Don’t forget about edamame, kids love these and you can even buy them chelled in teh frozen section of your grocery store

What are your favorite substitutes for sandwiches or traditional lunches?

kids, healthy kids, healthy lunches, feeding kids, parenitng, parenting children, kids health

Since I had my twins in 2003, I have had three pediatricians. We lost one when we moved and the new one here left a bad taste in my mouth. You rarely got to see the doctor and the physician assistants or nurse practitioners were rude and would question me on things like my vaccination choices and the occasional use of a bottle for my two year old son. So, now we are on our third kid doctor!

I know that doctors are only human, they make mistakes and have their own opinions. I know that they don’t always know the newest procedures or medications, only the ones who chose to read and/or learn about them do. I don’t have a problem telling a doctor what I want or don’t want, or questioning them on why they want to do something especially when it comes to my children.

A recent article on CNN talks about when it is OK to question your pediatrician’s advice. I think questioning your pediatrician is fine especially when it comes to opinions on parenting, like when to take away a bottle or pacifier. That is something, I think, is up to the parent and the child since no child is the same. Ask for different options, if your doctor is not willing to give you any then change doctors. You need to find a good fit for you and your family.
Do you question or interview your doctors before choosing them and do you question their advice?

pediatricians, choosing your doctor, choosing a pediatrician, pregnancy, infants, kids, parenting, parenting children

Today is World Autism Awareness Day. Now the autism rate is 1 in 150 births compared to 1 in 10,000 in 1983. The rate of autism in New Jersey bosy is 1 in 6, so you can see why I am scared. Does it have to do with the amount of vaccinations given, what is in the vaccines or the environment? I am not sure, scientists are not even sure, but something has to be done.

A new study in the April issue of Pediatrics, looked for early autistic behaviors, though not specifically for a diagnosis of autism, in premature infants who were born at a very low birth weight, about 3.3 pounds. It found that several factors associated with these early births were linked to a positive result on an autism screening test. They studied 91 babies who weighed less than 3 pounds at birth. MRIs were done on these infants around the time of their birth. At around 22 months, the researchers conducted an autism screening test, called the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers or M-CHAT.
Twenty-five percent of these toddlers tested positive on the M-CHAT, suggesting that they had an increased risk of developing autism. Factors included lower birth weight, lower gestational age, being male, having an abnormal MRI, being ill when delivered, an infection in the mother before birth, or the mother experienced hemorrhaging during labor and delivery.

Are you scared about autism with your children? What do you think the causes of autism are?

For more information on autism, check out this web site.

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I have to admit, I was a little naive about breastfeeding. I knew it would be hard and tiring. I knew it could be a struggle and not be as “natural” as I would think it should be. It has been two weeks and I am tired and confused. I think I need a live in lactation consultant!

My son had a tight frenulum, or a tongue tie. That is where the small piece of skin under the tongue does not allow to tongue to extend fully, causing problems eating and speaking, so yesterday he had that piece of skin cut and corrected by the pediatrician.
Yeah, I waited in the waiting room because that was too much for me.
I thought this was the problem with our latch, and it very well could be, but when should it get better?

The last few days though, it is if the baby has regressed and is not latching on properly. I can go to breastfeeding support meetings, but they are only on Fridays. I called my insurance company to see if they covered a lactation consultant coming out for a visit, but of course they do not.
I am watching proper latch on techniques online and reading everything I can about it, but having someone help you is just so much better.
I am still trying to breastfeed and it is a struggle.
Now I know why so many women give up.

Did you have any problems breastfeeding? What advice would you give me about breastfeeding?

breastfeeding, tight frenulum, tongue tied, nursing your kids, nursing, infants, new moms, latch on, troubles latching on, parenting

Finally our baby is here! Through all of my trying to have a VBAC, nothing worked so we went in for a repeat c-section on March 18th, one day before my 40th week. I thought I would share my baby’s birth story here with all of you.

I woke up that morning not nervous at all, although I did not sleep much that night. I left the twins with my mother in law and went to the hospital with E and my mom. We checked in and I gowned up ready for my surgery. I still was not nervous at all. Things moved very quickly from there, I answered questions, got my IV, had a quick sonogram to see where my placenta was located and E got gowned up as well. Then we were off to the operating room.
This is when the panic set in.

E wasn’t allowed in the room until we were ready for the surgery, so I was getting my epidural alone. I was scared, since I had never had an epidural before and once I started to feel the pins and needles in my legs I freaked out. I actually started uncontrollably laughing because it freaked me out so much to have people moving my legs, whcih I could feel but have no control over my legs. The doctors were finally ready to operate and then E came in. I started to cry as soon as I saw him from excitement and fear. E calmed me down and helped me to really not have a panic attack which was right around the corner.

The operation was faster then I expected, and 10 minutes later our son was born, breaking the record of the first 8 c-section that morning all of which produced girls. He is my largest baby weighing in at 9lbs 2 oz and 20 and 1/4 inches. He is named after my father and my husband and is an amazing baby. He only cries to eat, which is often but for short amounts of time. He is very cute and his older brother and sister love him.

Breastfeeding has been …..interesting. I hate that I question everything, is he getting enough, when will he want to eat next, is he still hungry etc. Questions that I didn’t have when I bottle fed my twins. It is demanding and tiring but I think we are doing OK since he gained 5 oz in 3 days. Let’s hope he keeps up on this trend.
So far so good with our new addition, we couldn’t love him more and he really completes our family.

birth story, pregnancy, repeat c-section, parenting, breastfeeding, infants

If I haven’t gone into labor already, right now as you read this, I am probably having a c-section to have my baby. I know I will be quite busy for the next few weeks until routine and schedules are established. I want to thank you all for your comments and emails with well wishes for me and my family. Here are some of my favorite posts that I would like to share while I am taking care of business:

Parenting Tips for every parent or grandparent.

Did you pierce your child’s ears?

Send this post to every expecting mom, I promise they will thank you!

One of my most controversial posts.

I finally realized all children are strange.

This is c-section advice I had to read again to remind myself what I may be in for.
and
Learning CPR is a must for any parents, grandparent, babysitter or caregiver. This CD is a great resource.

infant CPR, child CPR, parenting, parenting children, parenting advice, kids, best posts, new baby, c-sections

As most of expectant mothers do, I read a lot of parenting books. I was not a fan of the ever popular What to Expect When you are Expecting, but I read my share of parenting twins, pregnancy and even baby name books.
None of them let you in on a little secret.
A dirty little mothering secret if you will: Being a mom is boring.

There, I said it.
What no other mother wants to say. Sometimes it is just plain
B O R I N G.

Should I feel guilty for feeling this way? I think many other mothers feel the same way, that if you are not super excited about being a mom and say things like “yes! I can’t wait to change your diaper again today while you try to escape� and “wow, yes, please lets do this puzzle again for the 3439784 time today!�, then you are not a good mom. I feel like you should be able to say that the indoor play park is boring unless you have someone to talk to or that playing with matchbox cars all day stinks, without being judged.

Sometimes being a parent is like groundhog day, the same routine, same lunches, same toys over and over again. Motherhood thy name is monotony. It is ok not to love every aspect of being a parent, I still love it and wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Now if you will excuse me, I have puzzles to put together.

parenting, parenting children, moms, SAHM, kids, motherhood, being a mom, life with kids

I realize I am still in the beginner phase of parenting with my kids only being five years old. On some days I don’t know how I will survive parenting teens never mind the five year olds I have that act like teens sometimes. Statistics like the ones that have come out this week just make me doubt my future parenting even more. A new study finds that one out of every four teen girls has a sexually transmitted disease.

Twenty five percent of teenage girls! Only half of the girls admitted to having sex that were questioned for this federal based study. Out of the girls who did admit to having intercourse forty percent had an STD. This is a shocking statistic. Of course some teens define sex as intercourse only but acts like oral sex can spread STDs as well.
Disease rates were significantly higher among black girls, nearly half had at least one STD, versus 20 percent among both whites and Mexican-Americans.

Obviously teaching abstinence and the health classes at schools are not working. Especially because in last year the government reported that the teen birth rate rose between 2005 and 2006, the first increase in 15 years. Talking to our children about the truths about sex at home seems the way to go. We don’t want our teens or “tween” to get misinformation about STDs and sex from their friends. Of course it is an uncomfortable subject, but one that has to be brought up for the sake of our children. Many STDs have no symptoms and can cause infertility, cancer and some are not curable at all.

What do you think of these startling new statistics?

teens, teens and sex, STDs, stds and teens, teenage girls, parenting, parenting children, abstinence, teaching abstinence

This year we are dyeing eggs early because I can go into labor at any time and if I do not, I have a c-section scheduled for March 18th. I want to participate with them so we will do it this weekend. I always try to stay away from too much candy and junk for Easter. This year will be no different and we are trying to keep our Easter “green”. Here are some alternatives to candy and junk and some tips to be more Earth friendly for your Easter.

Say no to plastic grass. Grow your own. This is easy and looks great in a basket or for a table centerpiece. I have seen edible grass in Target that you can use as an alternative. Have your kids color or paint some paper and shred it for their baskets.

Use natural dyes for eggs. Boil your eggs in water with vinegar and one of these ingredients below, then let simmer for at least 15 minutes:

Purple grape juice (for lavender)
Red cabbage (for blue)
Spinach (for green)
Carrot tops, orange peels or lemon peels (for yellow)
Yellow onion skins (for orange)
Beets or cranberries (for pink)
Red onion skins (for red)

Skip the candy. If you have to use plastic eggs (we use the same ones every year) fill them with coins, almonds or raisins. Or you can just hide the dyed eggs.

Skip the toys. Instead maybe buy books, puzzles, outdoor chalk, phthalate free bath toys (bunnies or ducks are perfect) or bubbles (you can even make the bubbles yourself).

Here are some more ideas for Easter and Easter craft ideas. What do you give your children in their Easter baskets?

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I admit it, I am addicted to the mom confessional sites that are out there. I have spent days reading them to write about them here and it has not been a chore. It is fascinating to me what moms will confess only if it is anonymous. Could we ever admit these things to our husbands, best friends or mother or are we still under the illusion we need to be “perfect” wives and mothers?

Let’s face it moms are so hard on other moms. It is hard to break into a new friendship with moms in my experience and other moms are quick to judge. Is it because we only think our parenting choices are the correct ones or because we know we are lacking in certain parental areas?
Sites like truemomconfessions.com , true wife confessions and herbadmothersbasement.com are wildly popular and addictive. There are confessions ranging from:
I tell my newborn to shut up sometimes… to I refuse to have sex with even a ray of light in the room because I am so ashamed of the way my vulva looks. I wish I could afford a labiaplasty.
Women do not have the market on this type of confessional site either, try reading truedadconfessions.com to get an insight into your husband’s or your friend’s husband’s thoughts.

How can we support these women with a comment on a blog or a “me too” through the internet but cannot or do not in real life?
So tell me, are you addicted to these sites like I am? Do you confess on them or on your own blog? Finally, how do you think we can support the women we know, judgment free, in our own lives?

mom confessions, confessional websites, moms, SAHMS, WAHMS, parenting, mothering, parenting children, moms who judge

If you are anything like me, you do not like traditional parenting books. Of course I have read a few in my day when I had problems with sleeping or potty training but to me, they are usually all the same. Since all kids are different and respond to things differently so, I like to wing it. That made me excited to review “The Gay Uncle’s Guide to Parenting” from MotherTalk, to see if someone who is not a parent at all, can help parent a child.

It takes a village all right, or at least one gay uncle as this book will let you believe. Brett Berk, who was a was a teacher and director and is now a research consultant for producers of children’s toys and media, takes you through the journey on the outskirts of parenting children and what you are doing wrong and right. Everything from real life examples for toilet training, bed time, sibling rivalry and bad food habits and more. He does it in a humorous manner so you will be laughing throughout this book.

I don’t agree with everything he had to say, but I have never agreed with the an entire parenting book before. After all, he is still just and Uncle and gets to leave at the end of the day!

The Gay Uncle’s Guide to Parenting, parenting, parenting children. book reviews, parenting books, moms, dads

When our family dog died it was a terrible time for us. Not only for E and I because she was our first baby but for our kids who just started to really enjoy her. They were only three but had loved her so much. Granted we still have two cats at home (only one actually comes out and socializes with us) but we still miss our dog. I believe kids should have pets, like I did when I was a child. After this baby is a little older then we will get another dog for our family.

Kids look to their pets as companions or friends when they are upset. I remember crying in my room cuddling my family dog to remind me that at least someone loves me. Pets also teach kids responsibility, if you let them learn. Let kids pick up the dog poop from the backyard or clean the cage. Teach them to change the food and water every day. That shows them that their pets need love and attention, but they need to be taken care of too.
Lastly, having pets in the home can lower your children’s risk of having certain allergies like dust mite and ragweed allergies.

What pet is best for your house or child? Dogs are probably the hardest to care for, but could build the strongest bond. They are man’s best friend. Cats are great but scratch often when they are kittens. They require slightly less care then a dog and are more independent. Many kids are allergic though.
Birds are great but are messy. Some live a VERY long time so research what type of bird you would like before going to by one that is pretty.
Don’t ever underestimate fish. Maybe best for younger kids new to pets. Of course many don’t live that long so unless you are ready for the long march to the toilet, maybe this isn’t the right choice for you.

Tell me what type of pet you have in your house and do your children help with your pet(s)?

pets for kids, kids, parenting, parenting children, best pets for kids, families, family

Now that my kids are older and they receive money as gifts, it is not as easy as just putting it into their banks. Now they would like to spend it. I can understand that, so sometimes we let them take 40% of their money and use it to buy whatever they want. Sometimes it is a fruit and cheese platter from Starbucks and sometimes it is a small toy. We are figuring out how to let them manage money as they get older. Here are some tips we like that you may want to use with your kids.

Gift Cards- Kids can learn to buy exactly what they want when they get a gift card. They can save them up to make a bigger purchase and my kids feel like a big deal with their “credit cards”.

Fun Money- When kids are older then give them fun money. This is a budget with say $20, to do what they want to with their friends or with you on a weekend. The $20 has to pay for their activity, food, arcade whatever. Then kids will learn how much a movie and popcorn really costs.

Earn it- Let them ear their money buy giving them an allowance. Give them chores to do every day or buy the weeks end and pay them a fair wage. Either let them do whatever they want with that money (but they have to save all of their birthday and holiday money) or make them save some and save some.

Get a new piggy bank- This one has four chambers, one for each of the four money management choices a child should be taught. They are SAVE, SPEND, DONATE, and INVEST.

teaching kids money manangement, kids and money, chores, school age children, parenting, parenting children, kids, money management