Lullabies

Sorry that my question is late, but I would love to know some of your favorite lullabies. We sing a lot of the primary songs, which I love, but lately one of my favorite has been this beautiful song by Billy Joel. The lyrics are just perfect for me and my kids. Please let me know some of the songs you like to sing or listen to that remind you of your kids because we're always looking for more great music!

Computer Time!

My kids have never played video games but recently they have become more and more interested in playing games on the computer. So far my daughter has stuck to playing Princess games on Disney's web page and my son prefers games from the Little People web page. My daughter also thinks it's fun to play on Starfall...and I appreciate this as well since it's more educational.

How do you feel about your kids having "Computer Time?" How much time is appropriate for children? What Web sites do you use? Do you let them at it on their own or do you sit down and play along with them?

Pre-school alternatives

Next year my first son will be four and ready for some sort of pre-school. The word on the playground is that preschools are a hot topic. I live in Southern Maryland and don't know if it is like this everywhere but here are the options where I live:

Public pre-school: difficult to get into if your child isn't behind in any sort of way with a relatively stable home and family life.

Private pre-school (what most kids here do): there are lots of church pre-schools here, mostly Christian-based. They are very expensive (I don't have a number to give you but it seems way too expensive to be paying monthly) and the good ones have a 2-3 year waiting list. Basically, the second you know you are pregnant is the time to get your name on the list.

I've looked into Joy School because I remember my mom doing it with me and my brothers when I was young. It costs a little bit up front but overall the cost is much cheaper. It is closer to home where I can control it more, they still get the benefits of being taught by someone other than me, and they can still benefit from peer interaction.

I was wondering if anyone has successfully run a pre-school from their home or as a coop with other moms, like Joy School or a FREE one. We are all smart moms who are creative and capable. I was just hoping someone could give me some experienced advice.

How to Get Your Kids to Pick Up After Themselves

Allrighty, so first off, can I just say that my kids are SO NOT a shining example of little children who dutifully only play with one toy, and put it away before they get out another. NOPE!

And can I also say that I am not diligent about MAKING them do that? It's too much work for me. I'm a wee bit lazy.

So, since that it not how I roll, my kids tend to sort of tornado through the toys in a day's time, and when 7pm come around, it looks like a natural disaster has indeed hit.

TOYS:
In order to make me feel like I'm doing my job as homemaker, we do a "QUICK PICK UP" every evening before bath time. We make it a race, to see how quickly we can get all the toys back in the toy box. It leaves my family room looking nice for the WHOLE EVENING. This makes me feel good about myself.

I have found that if my husband and I are enthusiastic and excited about "getting" to pick up, the boys are more willing to fall in line with it as well. If we're grumpy, they're grumpy.

Beyond Toys: 
Things like dishes in the sink and shoes in the closet are HABITS we're trying to instill. So, ALWAYS and FOREVER, if your shoes come off, where do they go? In the CLOSET! YAY! If you're done eating where do your dishes go? IN THE SINK!

I was raised in a home where my mother was a mother, not a maid. We as children were expected to do our part. I'm trying to teach that to my boys as well. I want them to be neat and clean people, not slobs. But at ages 4, 2, and 1 there are limits to their abilities. I find that picking up, and being responsible for their own belongings is a good place to start. When my oldest gets to be school-aged, I'll expect him to help with things like setting the table, and other small chores. As they grow, so does their list. :)

Thumb-Sucking Troubles

My daughter is almost four-years old and she is an avid thumb-sucker. She has been since she was teeny-tiny. I was a thumb-sucker too. I was emotionally scarred from my parents' attempts to make me stop. Instead of quitting, I clung to my thumb-sucking even more for comfort.

I don't want the same thing to happen to my daughter, but I am absolutely clueless how to gently help her to stop. And I do believe it is well past time to stop. If she had sucked on pacifiers, I would have taken those away years ago. A thumb just isn't so simple to take away.

Anyone have any brilliant ideas for me???

The joke is on...

I need some help! In 9 1/2 years of marriage I have rarely pulled off a good April Fools prank on my husband and I would love to actually surprise him. However, part of the problem is my lack of creativity in this department. Does anyone have some great ideas to get your hubbies on April Fools?

Tricks of the Trade.... How do you.....?

Get your kids to pick up after themselves???? Maybe this question has already been asked, but we are seriously struggling with the masses of toys around our house. I thought that having a bigger home (when I say bigger, I mean bigger than my 900 sq. foot apt. of 3 years) with a basement would keep all the toys and mess a little more out of the way. However, if I had a dollar for every time I've stepped on a little toy and wanted to throw it away, I'd be a rich woman. We just have toys everywhere and I've tried and tried to get my 4 year old to pick up after himself. He refuses to do so, even when I take toys away, or THROW them away, which I've done, several times. Now when I ask him to pick up he just says "It's okay mom, you can just throw it away." I know he loves his toys, but I want him to know he has to pick them up when he's done. Our basement looks like a tornado came through and emptied every box of toys we own. When it comes to cleaning the basement, he'll help, only if my hubby or me are doing it with him. Which is fine to a point, but he's the one who made the mess so I feel like he should be cleaning it up.

What do I do?..... hire a maid? throw out all the toys? be the mean mom who only lets him play with ONE thing at a time? no allow the toys upstairs? give him some sort of reward for cleaning up the toys? I HAVE NO IDEA.

Tricks of the Trade: Up-Keep

It's not my week I don't think, but since we haven't had a new Tricks of the Trade for awhile I'm not feeling to guilty about stepping up.

So....

I'm a mom of four now. Life is busy around my house and I rarely get five minutes to myself (outside of the shower). So, as you can imagine, my appearance has taken a turn for the worst.

What are some quick easy tricks you ladies use to keep yourself looking tip top?

Tricks of the Trade: In One Ear...And Out the Same

I love to learn, but my knowledge, especially as a mother, is too often gained the "hard way". I have three children, the oldest is five years old, and I had yet to deal with the whole foreign object inserted in body part issue...UNTIL...this week.

This week, my five-year old son inserted a popcorn kernel in his ear canal and I had NO idea what to do. I'll spare you the nitty gritty details (if you're dying to hear them, click HERE), but I'll dish the advice I have gained after going through this little experience. Maybe I can save you the pain of paying for a visit to the doctor's office, Urgent Care, or Emergency Room to remove the dirty, rotten, no-good foreign object.

*The very FIRST thing you should do is remain calm. Your child can panic if he/she sees you getting flustered. Obviously, remain calm so as not to scare your child, but also remember: A panicky child is a squirmy and uncooperative child. If they grow hysterical, it will make removal of foreign objects that much more impossible.

*The very other FIRST thing (I know. I gave you two "FIRSTS", but moms are good at multi-tasking. You can do it!) you should do when you recognize that your child has put something in his ear (or nose) is....STOP AND THINK! Assess the situation before you touch anything. You can make it worse even when you are trying to make it better. Trust me. I learned this one the hard way.

After you've done these two things, you still have the task of removal ahead of you. Hopefully, it will be easier with my first two tips, but you still need to get that thing outta there.

I am now an expert on popcorn-kernel-in-ear, but I imagine you could use these tips for other objects as well.

*With child's head tipped with the affected ear towards ground, grasp the upper portion of the ear and gently pull up and out. This can change the shape of the ear canal. Try wiggling the ear a few times to see if the object will fall out on its own.

*Apply some superglue to the tip of a toothpick. Carefully insert toothpick and gently touch glue to object. Allow time to dry and slowly pull object out.

*If these two things haven't worked, construct this tool (Sorry about the crude drawing! Doesn't the pretty border make up for my lack of artistic skills though? Haha!) :



This is what our doctor used to remove the kernel from my son's ear in two seconds. It looked like a dental tool, but I bet it wouldn't be too difficult to rig. You could use a pencil and some crafting wire (a paperclip would probably be too thick of wire) or some fishing line.

Other methods that were unsuccessful for us, but might work for you:
*Use a bulb syringe or straw to gently suck it out

If all else fails, PRAY! and make your way to the doctor's office. Surprisingly, removal may not be as emergent as you think. In our situation, the doctor's office was fifteen minutes from closing time and I didn't have a car to get us there. Of course this isn't "official" medical advice, but our pediatrician's office told us that as long as it wasn't bothering him, we could wait until the morning to have him seen. If he was uncomfortable, he needed to be seen at Urgent Care as soon as possible.

Have you had experience with this little predicament before? What did YOU do??

Have any other tips for getting stuff out of ears OR noses? We'd love to hear it!

Ideas for toddlers

I have an 18 month old boy and in May will have boy number 2, and while I'm really excited to have our family grow I feel like I need to get my life in order before the next one arrives. My question for all you expert mom's is what do you do all day with young children?

Porter is getting to the age where he is kind of in the middle of things, and I don't know what I can do with him all day without also being completely bored myself. For example. I can't take him to the park because he gets trampled on by the older kids, he can't sit and color because he sticks the crayons in his ears after 2 seconds of coloring, and the list goes so forth. He likes TV but we try to limit how much he can watch since it's my secret weapon when I need to get something done. Play dates are nice and usually occur about once a week but he still prefers to play by himself even though there are other kids around and just ends up making them cry by taking toys away from each other. We do read and play together but each activity doesn't last very long.

So moms, what do you do with your younger kids all day? Any activities or ideas would be very appreciated! Thanks!

At the Store with the Kids

I am not very good at sticking around the house all day every day. I have things to check off my list, and many of them involve running around town and inevitable stops to the grocery store, department stores, etc. But, just adding one more kid to the mix has made these types of trips a LOT more difficult, and I just don't want to do it sometimes. But, I have a couple things that help me get through trips to the store with my kids, and I'm sure you all have a ton more.

Here's what we do:

-My 2 year old uses the potty BEFORE we leave the house
-Make sure the diaper bag is loaded with diapers, wipes, extra clothes
-Bring toys the kids don't always get to play with
-Lots of snacks
-Don't go to the store during nap time...ever...



Then when we are at the store, I have started picking out a "treat" or small thing with my daughter that she can hang onto while we are shopping and if she is good, meaning no fits, whining, disobeying, etc., then she gets to keep her treat. Otherwise, it goes back on the shelf. This particular tactic has worked REALLY well for her, but could be hard to maintain if you have a bunch of kids or the treats are pricey. We usually pick a pack of stickers that is $1 or at the grocery store some sort of food that is what we need, but maybe a little special, like cinnamon applesauce instead of plain so it has been good so far.

What are your tricks for maintaining peace and happiness while running your errands?

Milk allergy

I'm super annoyed. Hear me out. I have never dealt with a food allergy before and so it is mostly inexperience and ignorance.

Pete is almost 11 months. I haven't given him any cow's milk yet. By this time, my first son, Charlie, was living on cheese, yo-baby yogurt, and scrambled eggs. A couple months ago I tried the yogurt with Pete and he got a red rash around his mouth. The same thing with cheese, the fruit and yogurt baby cereal, and even milk-based formula. I recently tried giving him cheese again and he got the same red rash. Doctor says he'll probably send us to an allergist but in the meantime we gotta do soy formula, which he isn't drinking very well (I'm not nursing as much so we've got to supplement) and to also avoid eggs!!

I guess I'm annoyed because now I'm having to come up with all these other ideas of foods to give to Pete. We love cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, and milk in our family. Has anyone had experience with food allergies? Do they go away? Is soy milk going to be permanently in my fridge? What else can I feed him? Help!!

Eating Strategies

I have written before about my 3 yr old son, Ian, who is the pickiest kid I know! Well, we recently found out that there is a medical reason for his pickiness. He has been diagnosed with celiac disease. Now that we know what Ian can and can not eat we are using many different creative techniques to get him to try new things. I thought I would share some of these methods with you ladies and if you have any tricks to getting your kids to try new things please share!!!
Here are my tricks:
1. Making food fun. This picture shows our edible sailboats. Ian love eating these sailboats! Sometime we just put the food in a fun pattern on the plate, cut the cheese in cute shapes, or let him build houses out of the cheese planks.
2. Food races. This is not a race to see how fast you can eat!! Ian will run around the house and has to eat a bite before he can go around again. I usually put my leg up as a barrier and after he takes his bite (chews and swallows it too of course) I lift up the gate and let him go. He never tires of a food race.
3. Animal bites. If he is trying something new and is hesitant to take a bite we try different animal bites. We go smaller and smaller until he agrees to try that size of a bite. Kitty bites, mouse bites, etc.
4. Tea Party Plates. This was my mom's favorite way to get me and my siblings to eat. She would make a little plate with lots of little things and call it a tea party. We do this often for lunch or snack time.
5. Quizzes. This one is our newest trick. Ian is really into words and what they start with. So we quiz him and when he gets the right answer he gets a bite. For example, "what letter does plate begin with?"
6. Hiding the veggie. Ian will NOT eat a veggie to save his life. He says when he is 4 he will eat a carrot. I am counting down the days until his 4th birthday!!! So I try to hide the veggies in things. He will eat muffins (Gluten free ones now) so I make pumpkin muffins or zucchini muffins (pureeing the zucchini). I have also been putting carrot juice in my jello. The big box of jello calls for 4 cups of water (2 hot and 2 cold). I put in 1 cup of carrot juice instead of one of the cold water cups. A few marshmallows on top and it is irresistible!
You may think this is all ridiculous, if you do...then you don't have a problem eater! The rest of you share your own tricks please!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Tricks of the Trade: Baby Bowels

I have a bit of an odd question for this week. My little one is 4 months old, she is completely breast fed and... she doesn't poop every day. Is that normal? I can't remember if that ever happened with my other kids, but I don't think it did.

She can go two or three days between bowel movements and it's a bit unsettling. Is it something that is worth bringing up with a doctor or is it more common than I realize?

How to transition from a crib to a Big-kid bed

We are about to embark on lots of changes for our daughter, beginning with moving into a big bed. For the past several months we have had 2 beds set up in her room, making her room look ridiculous. My husband was a little anxious to have her in a big bed, so we tried it during the summer. After 2 nights of her screaming (she learned how to open doors the first night) we decided to try later. Well I think now may be later.

I would like to know any tips or tricks you use when putting them to a big bed. We've got those white plastic things to go over the door knob so she won't be able to open the door, but other than that I am planning on taking down her crib, so that's not a temptation for her (or me...) and just bearing through it.

How did you make it a good experience? Or was it not a good experience? Would it help to get rid of the binky before or after the big move?

Doctor Visits

Sorry to be a slacker with the tricks of the trade question! It's been busy around here! My question isn't so much asking for tricks but more just curious.

I'm wondering how often you go to the doctor? Do you go in to the Gynecologist every year like you're supposed to (not including when you're pregnant)? And in addition to that do you go in to a Family Dr. for a general check up too? Or do you only go in if you have a concern? And how often do you go to the Dentist?

It's easy to keep our kids on a schedule but I'm curious what the norm is for adults.

Nausea and Vomiting

A lot of times on Mommy Diaries we focus on post-birth mothering. But since I've looked like the above woman (minus the cute hair and clean bathroom) for the last 4 weeks I'm desperately seeking advice on pregnancy and sickness. I'm grateful the new (at least new since my last child) term is "nausea and vomiting" instead of "morning sickness" because as most of us know it isn't limited to the morning. In fact, the morning is when I feel my best and it gets progressively worse throughout the day.

Here are a few things I've tried so I wouldn't throw up twice a day:

• They say to eat every 2 hours (I upped mine to every 1 1/2 hours)
• Ginger (I tried Organic Ginger Snaps that look like little mints...they are good to distract your brain if you are about to throw up. I've also tried Ginger Snap cookies and Ginger Ale. I also have some "legal" ginger tea I should try but the thought alone makes me queasy)
• Ice pops
• Sea bands (did NOT work)
• Dramamine (again did NOT work)
• B6 vitamin (25mg) coupled with Unisom
• And lastly, I got a prescription for the generic of Zofran (the drug they give to chemo patients) but it has yet to work.

I'm hydrated enough but I am pretty worthless when it comes to mothering my other two children and caring for our home...which comes with it an unbelievable amount of guilt. What do you do to combat the nausea and vomiting in pregnancy?

**And if you are one of the lucky ones who doesn't experience this please leave a comment so we know there's hope out there!**

Baptism Help!

I'm sorry that I haven't posted in forever my excuse is I had a baby (with complications) and therefor put off most of my responsibilities... well, that's my excuse at least.

So here's my problem:

October is a very busy month in our home, not only do I have to come up with costumes (this year she wants to be Hermione Granger and he wants to be a Ninja, and they want the 2 year old and baby to be pumpkins) but I also have two birthdays to plan--20th and 22nd-- PLUS this year I have my daughter's baptism.

*screams in terror and hides in closet*

I used to be Primary President and helped people through this process and now I feel as if someone has asked me to plan a wedding... solo.

I have no clue where to start. NONE. Do I have to give people food? Do I have to ask people to talk? If I have to ask people to talk, then how many people?

Has anyone done this before or seen it done? I'm absolutely beside myself here and am therefore procrastinating to the umpteenth degree.

I would love some advice... some tricks of the trade.


Thanks

Charity

Baby Gas

So, I'm sure that we've probably visited this topic before, but now that I have a 3-week-old it's pretty much all that is on my mind these days. My little girl is so sweet and is relatively easy to get to sleep, but then after about 5 minutes of being asleep she just starts with really loud sharp cries that pretty much break my heart (and have severely rearranged my sleep schedule). It seems like her stomach is just really upset and keeps waking her up. I'm nursing her and have cut a lot of things out of my diet, but haven't seemed to found anything that has worked very well. Does anyone have any suggestions on great burping techniques or gas cures that will help my baby feel better and hopefully help our family get a little more shut-eye?

I'm an airhead!!

So sometimes I am a little slow!!! I get an email that says..... Andrea it's your turn for tricks of the trade!!! IF you have any questions let us know! ........ so my brain wiggs out and tells my fingers to hit the respond button..... uh yah I have questions.... what is tricks of the trade???? Well, to clear everything up.... I totally knew what the tricks of the trade post was..... my brain just wasn't processing!!! Sorry Girlies! I really am a competent woman!
Ok so now to my post! My hubby and I are trying to save save save money in all ways!!! Who isn't right?! So we canceled our t.v. subscription and I get this bright idea to take up the new task of couponing!!!!!! Has anyone else gotten into this?? There is a deal in our area that you can get the newspaper every day of the week except Monday and then 5 papers on Sunday so that you get all the coupons!!! And you get the papers for only 40 cents a paper!!!! Well..... this Sunday was my first Sunday being an official couponer (Is that even a word!! hahaha it's late!) and I LOVE IT!!!!! But as I am new I would love some advice! So.... without further waiting..... Tell me all the secrets that you have found to couponing! Your binder, the stores, the deals you have gotten!!! I am craving all the info I can get so I can be Great at this!!!!