All the Mommies

Sleep

2012-01-04T21:56:00.000-08:00

I found this cool article on the Sam's Club Healthy Living Magazine, and I thought I would share. Tip #4 always seemed to work for me when I needed it.

FOOD THAT HELP TODDLERS SLEEP
-Tim Vandehey

1. Bananas
The body converts bananas to serotonin and melatonin, hormones that promote sleep. Bananas also contain magnesium, which relaxes muscles and can help little ones nod off.

2. Oatmeal
Oatmeal (often with a little sweetener) is very palatable for young children, and oats are a good source of melatonin, which helps bring on sleep naturally. Oats are also rich in vitamin B6, which increases serotonin levels, improving the chances of a deep, restful sleep.

3. Honey
A small amount of honey added to warm milk deactivates a neurotransmitter called orexin that produces alertness.
Note: NEVER GIVE HONEY TO CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN 1 YEAR OLD.

4. Warm Milk
The granddaddy of all children's sleep aids, warm milk contains the amino acid tryptophan, which has a sedative effect. The calcium in milk also helps the brain use tryptophan more effectively. plus, the simple act of drinking warm milk before bedtime can be soothing and relaxing.

Thankful

2011-11-08T19:58:00.000-08:00

The one thing I love about this time of year and about Thanksgiving is the feeling of gratitude and thankfulness that takes over. I saw this video today and I loved it.

It's so easy to complaint and find things that we don't like, but how often we do stop and actually list the things we like and especially the things - big and small - that we are grateful for.

Last year I made a thankful tree, much like this one, with Thomas and this year I am trying to decide what to do - but still something along that same line.

Here are some ideas that I've seen and really liked:

This upscale version of the Thankful Tree.

Thankful Tree - Simply Vintage Girl

I also loved this idea for a thankful countdown to Thanksgiving - those who can't wait until Turkey Day will have fun with this! ;o)

Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar

And this super fun Thankful Turkey!

Today I'm grateful for rainy days, what are you grateful for today?

Preschool :: Thanksgiving

2011-11-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

With Halloween behind us, we can now focus on Thanksgiving and then Christmas - hurray!

So, going along with Aline's idea for preschool activities, I'll be sharing some fun Thanksgiving ideas I've been collecting. To start off, Allison at Oopsie Daisy has some great home preschool ideas and packets, including this one that she has for download (and for free!).

Found HERE

So take a look, print it out, have a fun, and come back to check out some more Fall and Thanksgiving ideas to do with your kiddos!

Preschool Activity Week 1:

2011-10-12T21:19:00.000-07:00

Let's have the subject for this coming week be:

The letter "Aa"

The number "1"

The color "Red"

So for this coming week, post here as many times as you want with lessons/activities involving the subject of the week.

Preschool Activities/Lessons

2011-09-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how many of you guys are still checking the blog. It's been a while since we all posted something.

Anyway, one thing we all have in common is that we all have relatively small children close or of preschool age. I am planning on doing preschool at home for my 3 yearl old daughters rather than sending them to a preschool. I figured heck I didn't go so many years to college to earn a degree and not use it (I got my degree in elementary education). As soon as I have a little more extra time I plan working on a preschool curriculum for my girls so that I can begin implementing it at home. I also thought that maybe some of you guys might be interested in teaching your children at home (regardless if you send them to preschool or not) and thought it could be good to share some lesson ideas on here.

I thought maybe each week we can post a theme on here and we can post as many times as we want that week, with lesson/activity ideas that go with the theme. Could be shapes, letters, first words, music, science, you name it. By doing so, we could use this as a resource for lesson helps.

So please let me know what you think and if you would be at all interested in doing something like this.

Bored...

2011-04-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

So I just took my "Welcome Spring" sign down because really, where IS spring? Well, it is definitely not here in Utah.

Yesterday I watched my daughter as she laid on the couch and watched a movie and I felt so bad because we'd stayed home all day long. For many of you, this might seem normal, but for me it's, well, not. I'm fine with staying home all day for a couple days, but then I need to get out. Even if just to go to a store, or something! I feel even worse for my kids. I'm pretty sure they don't care, but they absolutely love going outside and playing on the playground, and just being out. I know I could bundle them up and go, there's really no excuse, except I'm pregnant and a little lazy. And I obviously hate the cold.

So, if you're like me and feel bad for your kids that have stayed inside all day long (and maybe even for a few days now) I have found a cute activity to do with them at home. I don't know if the littlest ones will get this (it's probably more of a preschooler activity) but it's just an idea for you to get creative and have many other ideas to do at home.

It's a color scavenger hunt by The Artful Parent. What a neat idea, don't you think?

I'm also ~~planning~~ thinking about starting preschool at home with my two kids. I have a 2 1/2 year-old and a 3 1/2 year-old. My oldest will start preschool in August but I wanted to get things going already. The thing is, I used to be a preschool teacher and I had tons of material but it's all stored at my parents' house...In Brazil! So now I don't have anything and have to get creative. So if any of you know of some good websites/blogs (I used to know a ton but I lost it all along with my old laptop) I would very much appreciate it!

As soon as I get all my ideas organized, I'm going to start posting about our little preschool. I'm only planing on doing it twice a week, so we'll see.

Cheers!

Welcome, Spring!

2011-03-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

I know, we just got some snow today, but now the sun is shining again! And guess what? Friday is supposed to get up to 66 degrees Farenheit here in Utah. SO exciting!

Anyway, I've compiled a few of my favorite crafts for spring, all really easy! Some of them are for you, some of them for your kids, but most of them you'll have to do together with your kiddos. But then you get to join in the fun!

Click here for the flower easter egg tutorial.

Click here for the Bunny finger puppets tutorial.

Click here for the Easter Egg Hunt bags.

Click here for the No-Sew flowers for mom tutorial.

Sheep Egg by Disney Family Fun.

Bee Egg by Disney Family Fun.

Seven Flowers. Awesome Pop Up - Click here for another funny movie.

This is a video tutorial for a Flower Pop-Up card from instructables.com

Wash Cloth Easter Bunnies by Sitting at our Kitchen Table.

And here's one for April Fools':

Chicken Not-Pie from Disney Family Fun.

HAVE FUN!

What to do?

2011-01-25T14:05:00.000-08:00

Yup. We're all snowed in. If you live around these areas, you're probably going through the same thing right now. Stuck at home, kids are bored, making huge messes. How about trying something new?

Have you ever made Gak?

Kids love 'em. Make sure if you have little kids that you watch them while they play with it, otherwise they might just want to eat it.

Click here for the recipe.

Got some Twizzlers at home? Try making a twizzler candy bracelet with your kids. If you don't have any twizzlers you can use cheerios, fruitloops... Use your imagination! Click here for a tutorial (or not, since it's pretty much self explanatory).

Or if you dare go outside, you could bundle them up and go make a snowman! You could get different wooden shapes at the craft store and make your own snowman kit like the tutorial found here. Or even better, you could let your kids' imagination go wild and find things around the house and outside to use as props.

But if you're the one who's bored at home, with nothing to do (or with nothing FUN to do), try making a simple craft, like a felt flower hair clip for valentine's day. You can make it for your daughter or even wear it yourself. Here's the tutorial.

Whatever you decide to do today (or this week) make sure you have fun and be happy! These cold, gloomy days are a perfect excuse for us to just sit on the couch in our pajamas all day long and feel depressed. But don't let that get to you! Make sure you're always busy doing something. Even if that means cleaning the house. I'm sure you'll feel pretty good about yourself after you're done.

Have a good, fun, happy week everybody!

Ready for a Giveaway?!

2011-01-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

Well, head over to Let's Cook. Paty and her friends are always sharing great recipes and this week she is hosting an awesome giveaway! Go check it out!

Couponing 101

2011-01-10T23:45:00.000-08:00

cou·pon·ing (kpnng, ky-)

The sending out or turning in of coupons,

especially the regular redemption

of a manufacturer's coupon for cash.

A couple weeks ago I saw a especial on TLC about couponing called Extreme Couponing. I was shocked. I couldn't believe why and how I was missing out on this! The people shown on the program, were slightly extreme - no pun intended, which I have no plans on becoming, but still - we can save a LOT of money couponing.

So when I wrote up my resolutions for this year, I decided I would learn how to be a couponer. And get really good at it. Though you will not see me dumpster diving or walking aroung the neighborhood collecting coupons daily I am totally serious about this.

I'm still learning. Researching and trying to understand the jargon of it all. There are lots and lots of sites out there that explain everything there is to know about couponing. My favorite so far: The Krazy Coupong Lady.

The concept is simple. You gather as many coupons as you can and then combine them with a store's sale to get a crazy discount. The trick is just getting all the coupons, getting all the sales and being smart!

Right now I'm focusing on Albertson's. They always have great sales and so it's easy to coupon there. However, Walmart now is not only matching prices, but also matching coupons. So you can take a Target or Walgreens Only coupon to Walmart and they will accept it.

Here is an example. Last week, Albertsons had a General Mills Cereal Sale - 2 for $4. Pretty good right?! Well, I combined a $1 off two GM Cereals that I had, and ended up only paying $1.50 each. Really good right?! However, every once in a while, Albertsons will have these crazy sales where cereal is only 89 cents a box... so combine that with a coupon like the one I had and you end up only paying 39 cents a box - CRAZY!!!

So if anyone out there is interested, I'll starting sharing my findings, tips and discoveries here.

And if anyone has any tips - please share!

New Years Resolution

2011-01-03T11:33:00.000-08:00

There are few things that I love more than a brand new year. It's the perfect opportunity to start over, to start a new and to be better.

For years I use to make huge long lists of goals for the new year... only to not even accomplish 1/3 of them all. Then I realized that it was no use making so many goals...

So a few years ago, tired of ending the year feeling really lame for only crossing off one or another of the my goals, I decided to only make 2 maybe 3 goals for the next year - and really focus on those.

Now I only make 2-3 goals, it varies every year, but I always put a lot of thought into it. And there is aats a constant - learn a new skill (not part of the 2-3). It's been fun to find something different and really work towards perfecting the art of whatever it is. A few years ago it was scrapbooking, last year it was sewing and this year is couponing. My other goals are to do something good for someone every month, to have more patience, and to lead a healthier life.

So whatever it is that you do in terms of goals for a new year I encourage you to do it. And whether your goal is to pay off debt or be more friendly or to lose weight or to learn how to whistle - here is my advice to you.

Write it down.

Because as my grandfather would tell us every year - an unwritten goal is no more than a wish.

Happy New Year!

click on the image above to download then print this to jot down your goals for the year (8.5x11 inches)!

Sneak in a little nutrition

2010-12-28T23:59:00.000-08:00

I know, it's 12:34 a.m and I'm still awake. And I don't even have the excuse of my kids still being awake or anything like that. I'm just here, by myself, thinking about life. Don't get me wrong, I am tired, but there's just too much going on in my mind right now. So since it will probably be a waste of time to even try to go to bed at this moment, I decided to share a little something on here.

Today I was thinking about my kids' nutrition, it's funny how they go through fases. My oldest daughter used to be a really good eater and my youngest a very, very picky eater. Well, that hasn't changed much but my youngest IS eating a lot more. He used to eat very little, if any food at all. I nursed him until he was a year old, and that's pretty much all the nutrition he got up until that point. He never liked any baby food, except for some occasional pureed fruit. He wasn't just picky, he was, and still is, a very MESSY eater. It's funny how I still get fooled thinking he has eaten pretty much all of his food only to find most of it on the floor. And that happens pretty often. I should've learned not to get my hopes up before looking down by now. But I guess us mothers never lose hope when it comes to our children. WOW. How deep. Okay, nutrition! Geez. It's late!

Well, the other day I was at Anna's house and we were talking about our picky eaters and she mentioned how her son absolutely LOVES pizza. And since he's a very picky eater, she decided to make a pizza but throw all kinds of veggies on top. Pretty smart, eh? And since it was a pizza, he ate it! I haven't tried this yet but I'm pretty (almost) sure my son wouldn't eat it. He's THAT picky. He would just look at it and make a grossed out face or if he dared to try it he would probably spit it all out (and maybe even gag a little). But I will try making this and will tell you all if I was right or if I was right. Okay?

After that day, I started thinking about other ways I can make healthier foods that my children (or more specifically my son) WILL eat. There is one book called Deceptively Delicious which I really want to get. A friend of mine suggested it. Have any of you read it?

Also, I found a couple ideas on the What to Expect website. I've probably mentioned this website on here many times before but it's got some great information. For the entire article, click here.

If you just want to stay on this page and keep reading, here are the tips they give you:

Slip in some veggies. Add finely grated vegetables (carrots, beets, zucchini work well) to rice, cottage cheese, or even macaroni and cheese; they add a little color and a lot of nutrition.
Say cheese. Boost the calcium quotient by grating mild cheeses such as cheddar, Colby, or Monterey Jack over veggies, or mixing cottage cheese into pasta.
Redo the recipe. You can hide almost any veggie inside a meatball. Whenever you cook chopped meat, toss in some grated vegetables (again, carrots, beets, zucchini). They add a mild flavor, lighten the texture, and up the nutritional ante. Serving tomato sauce? Whether it's homemade or from a jar add in some finely chopped peppers, carrots, parsley, or beans, and cook till the veggies soften. If you like, run the sauce through the blender or food processor to totally hide the additions.
Get fruity. Mash super-nutritious blueberries into pancakes to make "bluecakes"; make whole-grain raisin muffin-cakes with cream cheese "frosting" — this muffin trick works just as well with carrots, pumpkin, and zucchini.
Sundae best. Layer pureed (or finely chopped) fruit with yogurt or cereal in a tall parfait glass. Or make a banana split for breakfast with a quarter of a banana, a dollop of yogurt, and a sprinkling of cold cereal.
Pizza time. Sprinkle small pieces of soft-cooked (or roasted) veggies on top of homemade or store-bought pizza.
Bake it in. For a real treat, make (good-for-you) cookies together. Look for healthier recipes such as oatmeal raisin or ginger snaps made with whole grains. Or grate zucchini or carrots into the batter of plain cookies or muffins to boost the fiber and vitamins.

Now you probably already know many of these. But I want to know more! Even MORE sneaky! So tell me what is YOUR secret to making your picky eaters eat healthy? Please share! =)

I think I can sleep now. Sweet dreams!

12 Days of Christmas - The Final Day!

2010-12-24T10:03:00.000-08:00

Do I even have to tell you what we're doing and what you should be doing today?!

Well, just in case:

We'll be opening presents, enjoying a wonderfully delicious breakfast, watching A Christmas Story and probable some other Christmas movie, we'll be enjoying family and friends, laughing, and most importantly remembering Christ's Birth. :o)

Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful day.

12 Days of Christmas - Cookies for Santa

2010-12-24T09:44:00.000-08:00

For me, this is one of the cutest Christmas traditions - and yummiest too of course!
Since my kiddos are still way too young to actually understand what's going on, we're not actually leaving cookies for Santa, but we are making cookies and eating it all up while listening to some wonderful Christmas music.

Here are some really yummy recipes:

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies (my personal fav by far)
Gingerbread People
Lemon Pistachio Wreaths
Thumbprints (this one I want to try out with guava jelly instead, like the casadinhos in Brazil)
Cut out Butter cookies
Chocolate Pretzels

After all... I'm sure Santa would appreciate some variety right?!

(oh and we're reading The Night Before Christmas... not that we haven't read that book a million times already, but I just love it, and there is nothing like reading it THE night before Christmas.)

Naitivity

2010-12-21T13:36:00.000-08:00

My Nativity Sets are really special to me, plus they are fragile, so I decided to not put them out this year.

After a few days I started really missing them. So we made this: Our own little kid-friendly-non-breakable-recycled-nativity set!

I used a basket we had laying around, some toilet paper roll, tissue paper and construction paper, and a glue stick and marker. Just glue it up and place it how you wanted. I had plans to also make a sheep and a cow a shepard and the wise man, but we ended up just doing the "main characters". But it was fun and super easy. My two year old loves playing with them, moving them around and I love that I can let him!

Christmas Lights

2010-12-19T23:58:00.000-08:00

Less than a week!

Bundle up and go see some Christmas lights! And watch these videos of musical christmas lights - they are so cool!

Hot Chocolate and Christmas Movies

2010-12-18T11:16:00.000-08:00

There are SO many Christmas Movies out there, that it's hard to pick a favorite. Here is a list of a few that are worth checking out this Christmas.

And then... why not pair it all with some delicious hot chocolate?! Check out Our Best Bites and their gourmet hot chocolate recipes, and be sure to check their smores hot chocolate!

Satined Glass Cookies - Snow Globe

2010-12-17T07:32:00.000-08:00

Have you seen these around blogosphere?! I think they are just daring!!!

Great for eating, but I also saw this great idea - stained glass cookie snow globe. It's genius!

Damaris at Kitchen Corners give a great little how on it. Go check it out... it's actually quite easy!

CHRISTmas Ornaments

2010-12-16T09:07:00.000-08:00

We're up to the 9th day! Can you believe it?! Christmas is just around the corner and with that, the end of the year...

So I wanted to also bring a little more CHRIST into our Christmas, and really try to teach my two year something about the true meaning of Christmas. So we made some CHRISTmas Ornaments for our tree.

Again, this can be as involved or as simple as you'd like it to be. I just cut out some pictures of Christ from the Liahona, and together we glued it to some construction paper, then I taped some ribbon to the back and that was that!

I let him color the "frames" and then put glue the pictures on them. As we were making the ornaments I started telling him that Christmas is Jesus "happy birthday". I think he at least understood that Christmas and Jesus go together, and that it's special (he knows birthdays are special).

So then, we even had a second activity which as totally his idea - he decided to make a card for Jesus. You see, for my husbands' birthday we made cards and porters and put them all over the house - and that's what he wanted to do! So we did it -I thought it was so cute of him, and that it really was a great idea... after all - it really is Jesus birthday!

Cheri at I Am Momma - Hear Me Roar also has a great idea on how to make these a little nicer/classier/long lasting.

Ginger Bread House

2010-12-15T01:02:00.000-08:00

I actually opted for a faux-ginger bread house this year (aka foam house). I just figured it was WAY too much candy for a two year old to be dealing with, because, I am pretty sure he (and I) would just eat all the candy, and the house would be left bare...

You can either get your own foam sheets and make this yourself, or buy a kit like this one where everything is ready to assemble - just peal and stick. I know, not half as fun as a real ginger bread house - but it will yield lots of fun for your kids just the fun! I know we had lots of fun.

Another thing you do, is do something like the paper stocking on the previous post... cute out a house and have your kids decorate it with whatever you have at home.

Or... you can go for the real deal.

What you'll need:

7 graham crackers
Frosting for glue (recipe below)
Assorted small candies for decorating
Ribbon
Pastry bag and tip or Ziploc bag and scissors

Frosting

1/2 pound confectioner's sugar
3 tbs. butter/margarine
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 - 2 tbs. Milk

How to make it:

Mix all the ingredients together until smooth and easy to spread, but not runny. Add more sugar if too runny.
If you have a pastry bag, place frosting in bag and use a small tip. You can use a Ziploc bag cutting a small hole in the corner.
Place one graham cracker flat on the table, squeeze a little frosting around all edges. You may need an extra pair of hands.
Place one cracker on each side standing up. It now looks like a box without a top.
Carefully squeeze more frosting on all outside corners from top to bottom and around the bottom of the box.
Let stand for a short while to let frosting harden a little. This will make working with the roof a little easier. (a tip when doing this with kids is to make the house ahead of time!)
Now squeeze frosting on two of the top edges of the box and place the last two graham crackers in a V shape on as the roof. Looks like a triangle on a box now from the side. It may overhang if you can get the frosting to hold for you.
Squeeze frosting along the top of the roof where crackers join. Let stand again until frosting hardens a little. (a tip when doing this with kids is to make the house ahead of time!)
Now comes the fun part - with leftover frosting, cover the roof to look like snow. (two sides are left open) Then squeezing small amounts on candy, place candy on the house to decorate. You can use the frosting to add things like doors and windows. Just use your imagination.

So, don't be lame like me, make real gingebread houses!

Paper Stockings

2010-12-14T00:50:00.000-08:00

This activity hardly needs a how-to, and it's so simple and so fun and to make it even better - the possibilities are endless!!!

I simply cut out the shape of a big fat stocking on a piece of construction paper, got out some glitter glue (because, believe it or not, that's the only kind of glue I had) squirted all over the place and let my 2 yr old go wild with scraps of xmas fabric.

He had a blast, and I had a blast helping him while I made some real stockings for our family - aren't they cute?!

So like I said, possibilities = endless! You can just let them color, or finger paint. Or you could use magazine cut outs, or junk mail cut out, or just other colors of construction paper. You could do this in felt. You could add other things to the party life buttons, pompoms, glitter (if nor not using glitter glue, or if you just want MORE glitter), stickers.

You could plaster the stocking with glue and then let the kids make scrunched up balls of paper or tissue paper and let them place it wherever.

You could use popcorn! Or macaroni! Or cereal!

See... endless possibilities!

12 Days of Christmas

2010-12-13T09:41:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow starts the musical countdown to Christmas! And to celebrate I'll be sharing with you, one or more things everyday to make these days extra especial. We'll be doing everything from gingerbread houses, to homemade ornaments to cookies for Santa, everything so we can enjoys as much as we can this 'most wonderful time of the year'!

These are all simple ideas, made with things that you will probably have around the house!
So join in the fun!

Accidents in the kitchen

2010-12-04T11:34:00.001-08:00

The other day as my husband was cooking dinner, my two-year-old son (who can't stay away from his daddy) held on to the over door handle and went for one of the front burners that were on with boiling water. We have a gas stove and that is even more dangerous. My mom and I quickly grabbed him, but I'm sure my husband thought we were over reacting. He probably also thought he had total control of the situation and that he wouldn't let anything bad happen.

We can never be too careful when it comes to kids in the kitchen. It is definitely the place where children get hurt more often in a house. My mom got her whole arm burnt when she was only one year old. They were getting ready for a Christmas dinner and her mother was frying an egg before the dinner because her dad wasn't home yet and she was getting hungry. All my mom did was hit both hands on the oven door and since I guess the pan was a little wabbly the hot oil spilled all over her arm, ear, foot and stomach. Her left arm is still covered in scars. My grandmother put her arm immediately under running water and the doctor said that saved my mother's life.

I know of a little boy who picked up a bottle of olive oil and after it shattered on the ground he slipped and fell and got serious cuts all over his body.

Just the other day my two-year-old nephew was here playing with my son and we come downstairs to find out they had opened the dishwasher and had scissors and steak knives in their hands.

I'm pretty sure you've all had experiences like these or know people who have. We can never be too careful when it comes to little kids in the kitchen. The other day my son wanted to get his Buzz Lightyear from the kitchen counter so he went and grabbed his tiny little stool to climb on. He had never done that before or even thought of it, but since it was a toy that he really wanted he thought and acted fast.

Please keep all the knives up where they can't reach. Before you know it, they'll be tall enough to reach the places where we thought they couldn't reach before.

Whenever you're cooking, make sure they are away from the oven, and if cooking on the stove top do not use the front burners unless you really need to. And if so keep the pan handles to the back of the stove, never where the kids can reach and pull it down.

Always make sure you have the appropriate child locks for cabinets and drawers if you need them (we don't have any because we usually keep the dangerous stuff up where they can't reach).

If an accident does happen though, we have to be able to act fast. Here are some helpful tips of how to treat burns in children:

Burns in children vary in their severity — and are classified by degrees:

First-degree burns affect just the outer layer of skin. Your little one’s skin will be red and swollen skin and she’ll be in some pain.
Second-degree burns involve the first and second layers of skin. Your child’s skin will be bright-red, swollen, and blistery, and she’ll be in severe pain.
Third-degree burns involve all layers of the skin and underlying tissue. Your child would have a wound that looks charred, black, white, leathery, or waxy. She may not be any pain because the nerves on the skin are damaged.

How to treat burns in children

First separate your child from the source of heat as fast as possible.

If any part of a child is on fire, wrap her in a blanket, coat, bedspread, or even your own body, and (if you can) roll her on the ground to extinguish the flames.
If a chemical substance has burned your child’s skin, flush the area with cool water for at least five minutes before removing any clothes — this will prevent you from exposing any other parts of your child’s body to chemicals. Then continue flushing the area with water for up to 20 minutes. If the chemical is a powder, brush it off the skin before flushing the area with water.
If your child has experienced an electrical burn, disconnect the power source. If you can’t do that, separate your child from the power source by using a nonmetallic object (such as a wooden spoon, a rope, or a large book). Never use your bare hands (you risk getting a shock, too).

Next, treat the injury — though treating a burn depends on how severe it is:

To treat minor (first-degree and small second-degree) burns in children

Remove any clothes from the injured area. Remember that in the case of a chemical burn, you’ll want to flush the area with water for several minutes before removing any clothes.
Run cool water over the wound for at least five minutes or until your tot seems to be in less pain. Or put a clean, cool wet cloth (or washcloth) on the burn for several minutes or until her pain subsides — you’ll probably need to continue re-wetting the cloth to keep it cool. Do NOT apply ice, butter, or powder to the injury since this could aggravate it. And do NOT break any blisters since this makes the wound more vulnerable to infection.
Gently pat the skin dry and cover it loosely with a nonstick sterile bandage or gauze to protect the skin.
Give your little one a pain reliever such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen (but don’t give ibuprofen to babies under six months).
Call the doctor. Your pediatrician may recommend applying aloe or another topical ointment like Silvadene (for which you’ll need a prescription ) for treating a burn, but minor burns usually heal without much more treatment. Just watch for signs of infection — redness, fever, swelling, or oozing. Depending on the burn, the doctor may advise you to avoid exposing the area to sunlight for several months to prevent your child’s skin from becoming discolored.

To treat large second-degree and any size third-degree burns in children

Remove hot or smoldering clothing only if the clothes don’t stick to the wound. Remember that in the case of a chemical burn, you’ll want to flush the injured area with water for several minutes before removing any of your child’s clothes.)
Lay your little one flat, and, if possible, raise burned body parts above her chest level. Apply a cool washcloth (or any clean, lint-free cloth) for ten to 20 minutes. Note that you may need to re-wet the washcloth periodically to keep it cool. Don’t immerse large areas of her body in cold water since this could cause shock.
Do NOT apply ice, butter, or powder to the area since this could aggravate the wound. And do NOT break any blisters since this makes the wound more vulnerable to infection.
Gently pat the injured area dry and cover the burn with a sterile cloth or bandage (or a cool, lint-free sheet). Keep your child as warm and comfortable as possible to prevent shock.
Call a doctor as soon as possible (for a severe burn, call 911).

When to call the doctor

When treating a burn, it’s important to call the doctor as soon as you’ve dealt with the injury. Call 911 as soon as possible if the following conditions apply:

You think your child has a serious or large second- or third-degree burn.
The burn comes from a fire or is an electrical or chemical burn. (In the case of an internal chemical burn — your child has swallowed drain cleaner, for example — call Poison Control instead at 800-222-1222.)
Your child is having trouble breathing or isn’t responding.

I hope these tips were helpful. I got them from THIS website if you are interested in reading more about this subject.

Do any of you have any other helpful tips when it comes to child safety? It doesn't necessarily need to be in the kitchen. Please share!

Random Post

2010-11-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

Here's a random post. First of all, I would like you all to watch a video from my husband's work and possibly even show other people or post it on your blog, fb, etc. It would help out a lot! It's sort of a competition and no, he's not going to make the big bucks with this, it's just for them to reach a goal of so many viewers in a week.

Secondly, (and thirdly) I found a cool website for all the Utah mommies out there (and I wasn't even payed to advertise!) =)
http://www.utahdealdiva.com

Aaaand here's a neat Christmas activity for you (also in Utah) to do with your kids! It is sort of expensive but I think it would be SO worth it. I've never been and would love to hear from those of you who have!
http://www.hebervalleyrr.org/excursions/north-pole-christmas-train/

Thanksgiving Traditions

2010-11-10T22:45:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and seems like some times this is a rushed holiday... at least that is how I feel sometimes. Like " Ugh, can Thanksgiving just go already so we can get on with Christmas!?"

But even though Thanksgiving is not part of my culture, I think it's a great holiday to celebrate - no matter where you are from or where you are! It's about being grateful, giving thanks, being with family and cherising those moments.

So in honor of Thanksgiving, and its true meaning, not just the amazingly good food, and the ridiculous amount of it, the football and all the other stuff that it may be mistaken for... let's take some time these next few weeks and celebrate - what do you think?!

To start off... let's hear some traditions, shall we?! What kinds of things do you do on Thanksgiving day? Decor ideas maybe? Or even activities to do with the kiddos! Do you have any traditions in terms of food making, or games, or things to pass time with... whatever you've got - share with us!

I have seem some very cute ideas around the blogsphear and am excited to share with you!

This week...

2010-11-08T09:46:00.000-08:00

This week I will...

- clean my house.
- make dinner every night.
- not complaint about the yucky rainy-snowy weather.
- take some time for myself and my projects.
- organize my desk.
- make banana bread .
- get out all winter apparel.
- get out all the Christmas decorations.
- actually finish something.

What is your list for this week?

And the lucky winner is....

2010-11-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

Audrey who said : Yep...too hard to choose one! Little kids just look adorable no matter what costume they are wearing! My sweet little tinker bell nieces do look adorable though!
So yeah, give me the pillow!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;P

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Thanks to all who participated by sending pictures and to all who commented.. I had fun with this giveaway and already have plans for the next one... so stay tuned YOU may be the next Lucky Winner!!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

2010-10-30T23:39:00.000-07:00

I loved all the costumes that were sent in! I hope you enjoy the too!!!
(You'll have to look at all the cute photos in order to get to the giveaway!!!)

Faries

Clark Kent and Lois Lane

Batman and Robin

Pink Fairy

Little Reindeer

Pirate and The Cutest Clown I've ever seen!

Another Pirate... this one looks like he's about to send someone to the plank!

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe got sick so he didn't make it....

Charles Chaplin - probably the most original idea I've ever seen!!!

Pebbles and and her cute Mama! Can you believe she made this her self?! With Hot Glue!?!?!

Cute little kitty!

Lion costumes are my favorite, especially when they have such a chubby face like this little guy!

"Do the Monkey uu-aa-uu-aa!"

A very cute Princess Tiana!

The cutest bumble bee in the hive!!!

A not so happy piratess.... but very cute non the less

Edward's got nothing compared to this little stud!

This little pumpkin witch is just about to cast a spell.... or maybe she already did?!

Spider Man !!!

Dora the Explorer

Another very cute Bumble Bee

Flower Power

Peter Pan

Tinker Bells!

Captain Hook and Tiger Lily

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And now... for the Giveaway!!!!

You could win this super cute throw pillow case, made by - Yours Truly!

It's very very simple! Leave a comment on this post telling us what costume you liked best or what you were this year for Halloween, or say how cute the pillow is and how much you want it - or whatever....

Only one comment per person please, this giveaway is only open today - Sunday, October 31st and it will close at 11:55pm MST!!!

Anyone can participate, even if you live outside the US

Winner will be announced Tomorrow - Monday, November 1st - so come back to check if you won!

Halloween Fashion Show and Giveaway!!!

2010-10-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we'll be displaying all the pictures that are sent for the Fashion Show! This is a great oportunity for us to share our kiddos cuteness and to give ideas for next year!

Another exciting thing that will be going on on Sunday is a Giveaway! It'll be open SUNDAY ONLY, so be sure to come by and participate, details will be given that day (but basically you come in, leave a comment saying whose costume you like best and you'll be entered on the giveaway!) Anyone can participate in the giveaway, even if you live outside the U.S.!

But what will be given away you ask? This boo-tiful throw pillow!!!!

Now, here the fun thing about this pillow : t's actually a throw pillow-pillow case. The idea is that you stuff it with a little pillow and you can actually make more pillow cases for other seasons/holidays and then recycle it through the year!

So send us pictures by SATURDAY to amorimacf@yahoo.com and be sure to come back on Sunday to check out the Fashion Show and enter to win in the giveaway!!!

Lest We Forget

2010-10-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

This is such a cute poem my sister-in-law shared in her blog. It brought tears to my eyes (I've been having a pretty emotional day already).

LEST WE FORGET

She came tonight as I sat alone
The girl that I use to be...
And she gazed at me with her earnest eye
And questioned reproachfully:

Have you forgotten the many plans
And hopes that I had for you?
The great career, the splendid fame
All wonderful things to do?

Where is the mansion of stately height
With all of it's gardens rare?
The silken robes that I dreamed for you
And the jewels for your hair?

And as she spoke I was very sad,
For I wanted her pleased with me...
This slender girl from the shadowy past
The girl that I use to be.

So, gently arising, I took her hand,
And guided her up the stair
Where peacefully sleeping, my babies lay
Innocent, sweet and fair.

And I told her that these are my only gems,
And precious they are to me;
That silken robe is my motherhood
Of costly simplicity.

And my mansion of stately height is love,
And the only career I know;
Is serving each day in these sheltered walls
For the dear ones who come and go.

And as I spoke to my shadowy guest,
She smiled through her tears at me,
And I saw that the woman that I am now
Pleased the girl that I use to be.

And here's a picture of my youngest who is turning two in 8 days. *Sigh*

Introducing Solids.

2010-10-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

So I feel like I'm at a cross roads right now. My sweet little girlies are almost 4 months old, and with that, they are only two weeks away from being given a green light to solids. But I can't decide if I want to go ahead, or if I want to wait!

With my first, I waited until he was 6 months old. But with the girls I really can't decide. I know that there is the whole "if they are ready/interested" thing, and in that sense, they seem to be. But I'm posting this more to see what you think, did you wait longer, did you jump in eagerly into feeding solids and seeing all the funny faces? Did you really start with the cereal, or did you just went straight for the fruits and veggies (that's what I did with my first). And if you waited, why did you decide to wait?

Anyway... what were your experiences with introducing solids like?

Adjusting

2010-10-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

Whether your family is increasing by one, two or three babies, there will be some sort of adjustment phase to go through. It's never easy, no matter how many kids you have or have had, it's always something new and it never will be like when you had your first.

Sleep when she sleeps. I wish!
Ever since my twins were born I'm lucky if I can get a few minutes of sleep in the afternoon while my oldest is napping. Lucky for me, they don't always sleep at the same time. So my advice to moms of two or more is - go to sleep as soon as they fall asleep at night! Never mind doing the dishes, cleaning up, folding laundry or whatever it is that you like to do after they've gone to bed. Do it, in the morning, during the day, while some of them are napping. At night - sleep!

Make meal times quick and easy. I've started preparing a few meal starters every week, that way, when dinner time comes, I have at least one part of it semi-ready.I like to clean and cut some veggies like green/red peppers, onions, parsley, chives and other herbs and have them ready for use when I need it. I make a big pot of beans (a staple in our home) and then freeze it in portions, same with cooking ground beef and shredded chicken. Another great thing to do is make up our favorite chicken marinade, mix it in with some chicken breasts/tenders and then freeze it! It's totally safe and beyond helpful. Think about it, freeze some cut up chicken breast in a soy sauce, when the time comes, defrost the chicken, grab some of those peppers and onions, cook them, make some fresh rice and BAM! - a nice simple stri-fry!

click on the image to learn more about 1 hr-16 meal starters tip

Don't rush the adjustment process. It'll come to you. Maybe it will take 3 months, or more -ahem! - but it will happen! Eventually you'll get the hang of it, you'll learn what's the best bath giving approach. Maybe you'll bathe your oldest at night, and the youngest in the morning. Maybe you bathe them all at the same time, or maybe you won't bath them at all - just kidding. :oP Try different things, different approaches, talk to other moms, find out what works for them, and don't stress out if one night you really don't manage to bathe them. Just do it in the morning, and make it a swimming party of sorts. They'll love it!

Enjoy each kid individually. Set some time in your day to sit and enjoy each one of your kids. Give them some one on one time, play whatever they like to play, let them set the rules, read, play with play dough, cook something with their help, let them "fold" laundry with you. Enjoy them. Don't go through the day worrying only about a clean house, loads of laundry and etc. Have fun and enjoy your time with your babies... they grow up so fast. And before you know it, they'll be opening the fridge to get their own food.

These are some of the things I have learned so far. But I confess I am far from being fully adjusted. But then again, do we ever fully adjust? Either way, have two or more if definitely an adventure.

One thing I have not learned how to deal with yet, is the ridiculous amount of laundry... I feel like I'm always doing laundry...
But what are your tips to a new mom of two or more?! What have you learned, or not learned yet? Share away! Enlighten us... don't keep your secrets to yourself!

Halloween Jars

2010-10-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

This is a fun project that you can do with your kids and prepare for Halloween!

Supplies:
Modge Podge
Paint brush
Mason Jars or other jar/vases
Ribbon or paint for the rim
Tissue Paper
Black vinyl or black construction paper for the details

How - To
Cut the tissue paper into stips. Brush modge podge on the jar and lay the paper slowly and then put more modge podge over the paper. Go all around the jar. For the Lay it upside down to dry.
After it is completely dry you can either cut out the shapes for the faces out of vinyl or use construction paper and then glue it to the jar with more modge podge (under and over).

For step by step (and better) intructions go to Our Best Bites and check it out!

BTW : they also have some extremely fun Halloween food ideas that I'm dying to try out !!!

Tummy Time

2010-10-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Hello hello hello??? Is anyone out there there there?

It's been a while... but we're back.Well, I am at least! A lot has happened since that hospital bag got unpacked, which brings me to todays topic:

Tummy Time!

Tummy time is key to help baby reach physical milestones such as rolling over, crawling and eventually walking. Including tummy time in your little one's routine, whether or not it's a structured activity, is beneficial for many areas of development.

I remember with my first, he hated being on his tummy. He would only stay for a few short minutes until he started complaining. He learned how to roll over soon, but probably in an effort to get off his tummy. On the other hand, my girls love being on their tummy - notice the picture!?

Introduce your baby to tummy time around the 3- to 4-month mark. At this point, she has better neck strength and control, so she's able to lift and turn her head while lying down. Although, some babies have enough strength as early as 2 months and if that is the case - by all means get them on their tummies!

Start by placing her on a blanket on the floor and giving her several five- to ten-minute sessions each day. By about 4 months, your baby should be able to lift her chest off the floor and lean on her elbows with her head upright. She may even be able to lift her arms off the floor, arch her back, and kick her feet. As your baby stretches and pushes on the floor, she may accidentally lean to one side, fall over, and roll from her belly onto her back. Don't worry; that's normal. At 5 or 6 months, she will begin to pivot on her belly and use her arms to reach in front of her or to the sides.

Besides the physical benefits of tummy time, giving your infant playtime on his belly will minimize any flat spots on his head he may have gotten from back sleeping. There are also psychological pluses: When your baby learns to make his body do new things, he feels a sense of accomplishment. This gives him the confidence to try new skills as he grows and his coordination improves.

"Make tummy time part of regular play, not a chore," Dr. Shapiro suggests. Supervise your baby's activities -- never leave an infant unattended on her belly. And, of course, continue to put her to sleep on her back.

Start early. Place your newborn belly-down on your chest or across your lap for a few minutes so he gets accustomed to the position. Just don't do it right after a feeding; pressure on his full abdomen may cause him to spit up.
Think comfort. Lay your little one down on a flat, clean surface, such as a blanket or play mat on the floor. If she squirms or cries, try some extra padding. Roll up a small receiving blanket and tuck it under her chest.
Go head to head. Lie down on the floor and get face-to-face with your infant. Make goofy noises and expressions, or sing songs. You might feel silly, but your infant will be less likely to fight being on his belly.
Give her distractions. Hold a mirror in front of your baby to capture her attention. Or place brightly colored stuffed animals just within her reach. There are also plenty of tummy-time toys that can keep your baby from getting bored.
Get others in on the act. Encourage friends, relatives, and your child's caregivers to get down on the floor for short periods of tummy time with him as well.

-parents.com

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So what are your views on Tummy Time? What worked and what didn't? Share your experiences!

Female Rat Race

2010-07-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

I read something today that I think every one of you could relate to. I know I couldn't put it as well in my own words so I am just going to paste a link to it here:

Dropping Out of The Female Rat Race

A friend of mine and my old personal trainer wrote this. She is an amazing, exemplary person. She has three kids and one on the way. I would go over to her house for her to help me exercise and our kids would play. Every time I went over there she managed to make me feel so much better about myself. She was always so positive, outgoing, courageous, and funny. When she looked at you, you could see light and love coming from her eyes. I could go on and on about how amazing she is; obviously I admire her. She has "the worth of a soul" all figured out as you can see from this article. I hope that we can all try to step out of the comparison trap and just fill our cups with love instead of envy, self pity, and fear. The hard part is how do we stop comparing ourselves! Any suggestions?

p.s. Sorry I haven't blogged for a while, I now have a mobile baby and she is so much fun but keeping me constantly busy! That's a good thing though :)

What is YOUR style?

2010-07-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

So many of you already know that I'm moving to a different country and leaving everything behind. Furniture, appliances, EVERYTHING. Actually, I'm selling everything and have already sold all the big stuff (again, furniture and appliances). I still have SO many little stuff like baby clothes that I have been keeping in storage bags for future children. Christmas decoration, pretty much everything in my kitchen like cups, plates...I HAVE sold some plates but I still have some more. I'm taking all silverware and a few fancy crystal cups (I know, I'm crazy to take those in suitcases but I'm not leaving them behind).

We still have two desktop computers, a printer, baby bedding, and toys to sell. I'm leaving in a few weeks and I have no clue what I'm going to do with all this stuff if I don't sell it.

It's amazing how much stuff we can accumulate over the years. When I move, I'm pretty much starting all over again. As if we were newly weds, all over again. But now with children. We're going to have to buy beds, bedding, and other little things for them. We're going to have to buy (I keep writing BYU instead of "buy" 'cause I'm so used to it haha) a couch, a TV, a bed for us, a dining table, cups, plates...And this is just the basic stuff.

I have to admit I'm pretty excited to start all over again. Our house is going to be junk-free for a little while (probably not very long though). I'm going to be able to decorate again with stuff that is my style NOW, instead of having to stick with the stuff that was my style 4 or 5 years ago (because I wouldn't just sell everything and buy everything new "just because").

At the same time, I'm a little worried because I'm scared I'm not going to be able to sell the stuff we have left to sell and I'm also worried I'm not going to have enough money to buy (dang, I keep writing byu) everything we need to buy because we still need to buy a car, rent an apartment, buy food, EVERYTHING! And we're probably NOT going to buy all the house stuff at first, just the very basic. But I will want to buy a few things to make my house cute and comfy. It's not easy selling and giving away everything you have and then having to wait a long time to have it all again. I had so many decorations!!!! ARGH!

Anyway, I'm writing all this because this time around I really want to think about the big picture before I start buying things all over again and not just get a bunch of stuff that I like but that don't go so well together. I've been trying to find out what my style is, what kind of things I like...Because I probably won't have another opportunity like this anytime soon. Probably never again. But like I said, I'm not buying tons of stuff, just the basics, so I want to make sure I get nice pieces that I really like.

So since I've been researching all kinds of styles and still haven't found anything I really like, I thought about asking all of you this question: "What is your style?"

Lately I've been leaning more towards a more traditional style but nothing too fancy. I like simple, homey, and comfortable. But still stylish. I love pottery barn, but their living room styles all have a light colored sofa which is a big no-no for me. I wish I could, but it's impossible with kids. That's another thing, everything needs to be sort of child-proof.

My friend has recently told me about the website www.houzz.com which is pretty cool because you can make ideabooks with the styles you like for the different rooms in your house.

So feel free to comment and tell me about your styles, the kind of things you like, and the kind of things you hate (some people love leather couches and some hate it) and that you would never buy. Also, feel free to send me some links!

This is exciting stuff. I'll be seeing some of you pretty soon. ;)

Organize your hospital bag

2010-07-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

What should one take to the hospital when going in for a delivery?! Im sure we have all done some researching, asked our moms and friends what they took, what we should take and so on. There are lots and lots of lists out there of so called necessities and honestly, I never found one that fully satisfied me. And even though I had been through this already, with my second delivery, I still found myself searching for tips on what I should take.

So this is my take on it - I hope it helps!

- Gown/pijamas. Take 2-3. The hospital does provide you with a gown but I find it not only hideous but also extremely revealing (two huge slits on my front are not my idea of confortable). I personally liked wearing pjs better. I felt more at ease with my movements, but it will really depend on how you are feeling. It's hard bending to put on pants, even if you had the perfect normal delivery. Anyway, I brought 2 pjs this time and 1 gown and I'm glad I brought them!

- Underwear. Another item provided by the hospital. They give these great disposable ones that you can use and then throw away - wonderfulness! However, I like to bring my own. The ones given my the hospital made me itch and were rather unconfortable. So I'm glad I brought my won (3-5).

- Socks, it does get chilly so it's nice to have a few pairs on hand.

- Slippers - last time I had slippers and it was great, this time, I also brought some, but I'm favoring my flip flops a little more (maybe because it's summer... I don't know).

- Toiletries - shampoo, conditioner, soap, tooth paste and brush and all that jazz - bring! I also liked having liquid soap and a loofa.

- Makeup - who ever said you need to look like crap after you delivered?! He-llo!!! You need to look gorgeous and prettier than ever, after all there will be lots of picture taking! So please, do put on some make up before the going into the hospital and bring some along with you! It will not only help you look better, but it will also help you feel better! Also, put on some cute little earings too will ya?! No woman should ever be seen with at least some little amount of sparkle!

- Nursing bra - a confortable, rather loose bra. It's likely your milk won't come in until you leave the hospital (though it might), and if it does, you do not want to be wearing a tight, underwired braw. Trust me!

- Boppy pillow and nursing cover. Not necessities, but I have found it helpful to have them. The boppy pillow is wonderful and will make breastfeeding a lot easier, and the cover is very convenient when visitors come in and you're just about done and starting.

- Food. Yes, you will be fed, but where are you going to find food at 3am when you get hungry after a feeding (or an attempt at it)??? When I had my little boy, I friend brought some muffins and fruit when she came to visit instead of flowers. I loved it! It was the best gift and a wonderful idea. I got so hungry during the night and those muffins saved me! So unless you have a wonderful friend with wonderfully thoughtful ideas like I do - take a few snacks, or make your husband do a grocery run after the delivery!

- Cute going home outfit! Please, no sweat pants and a t-shirt! I'm sure we've all watched What not to wear and can agree, that Stacy and Clinton would be appauled at such a sight! You can look cute and be comfortable at the same time. A dress is always a safe bet, it's confortable, not tight or constricting and easy to put on. I'm not saying skinny jeans and high heels... just something cute. :o)

- CAMERA!!! Can't forget that one right?! Cam corders, a laptop and a blog/facebook account are also important in sharing with everyone the cuteness and perfectness of your baby!

But the most important thing is to not stress and enjoy your stay. If you forget something, or realize later that you should have brought that other random item - it's ok! Surely you don't live hundreds of miles away from the hospital and your hubby can make a quick run home to get whatever it is your crazy self desires!

That and the car seat, because you can't take baby home without it! ;o)

This is what keeps me going.

2010-07-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

Some of us might need this... :)

2010-06-28T07:51:00.000-07:00

I just found this cute little "toddler leash" tutorial for those of you who may run into the problem of carrying too many things while running errands and not having enough hands to hold your toddler's hand (or toddlers' hands in my case). I have to admit I have had to tell my daughter hold onto my pockets or my legs while I'm trying to do something else, like trying to get a diaper bag and other things out of the car.

I just love this idea! So click here for the tutorial. It's super easy!

Learning/Reading Systems

2010-06-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been doing a research on what to give to my daughter who will be turning 3 in August because I want to give her something that she'll really enjoy and be engaged in. Not just another toy for our huge collection.
I came accross this learning system called the "MobiGo" by VTech, it just came out and it's recommended for kids ages 3-7. Most of these learning systems are recommended to kids at least 4 years-old, so I was happy this one wasn't. You can also buy different cartriges with her favorite characters and she plays while she learns phonics, numbers, math, etc. Kinda like a Nintendo DS, but aimed for smaller children. It is also touchscreen but it has a slide-out keyboard which is also kinda cool.

My only problem with this kind of stuff is that I'm worried she'll be so focused playing she'll forget about the world around her (just like all those boys that take their PSP everywhere they go and have no idea what's going on around them).
I wish I knew other parents that have bought this for their children to see what they think. Knowing my daughter though, I think she would play with it in the beginning but if she doesn't get it she's only going to pretend play; like she's typing on a computer or something. So I don't think it would be a problem for us.
Now speaking of learning systems, I've also found all kinds of products, like reading systems (a pen that actually "reads" to your child and supposedly brings the story to life), and even an animated reading system in which you put the book inside the system (of course it needs to be a special "cartrige" book) and it turns into a virtual book, you see the story on a screen, flip the pages with a touch of a button, there's music, games, you can touch each word and it will say the word, touch the pictures and they'll come to life, etc.

What the heck?! This seems really cool actually, but is it taking away from the child the experience of actually reading a real book? Are parents too busy nowadays, that they can't read to their children? Is it taking away the child's chance to imagine?

Would this actually take place of real books or be just like any other electronic toy they have, but better since it helps your child learn? Would they be even more interested in books because of the fact that they can remove the book from the learning system and actually flip through the pages and put it back in and see it come to life as if it were something magical?

As you can see, I'm really torn and I can't decide what I really think about these learning systems. I need advice- Even if you're not a mom, even if your kids don't own these, whatever! Just share your opinion and I'd be grateful!

On another note, what do you think would be a great gift for a 3 year-old girl? ;)

And the winner is...

2010-06-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Dani Guerra on the Tiny Looks Giveaway!

This is what Dani wrote:

Daniguerra said...: I loooooove the cute dresses she makes!!! ANd I'm lucky enough to know her! I posted the link on fb!
Monday, June 07, 2010
Rebeca will contact you soon!

Presenting...The Tiny Looks Boutique & a Giveaway!

2010-06-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

My super talented friend Rebeca has finally opened her shop and is ready to take orders! Here are some of the cute things in her shop:

I LOVE this dress!

Denim ruffle skirt.

Wrap Dress.
Denim skirt and deer top.

How adorable is this skirt?

Car-seat canopy. Great baby shower gift (comes in many other colors)!

Nursing cover. Also a GREAT gift!

Hair accessories:

She makes these flowers to match the dress! How CUTE are they???

She also takes special orders like custom-made bedding! And this girl has some good taste. The fabric she uses are gorgeous!

And best of all...She's doing a giveaway! Check out this darling dress and flower hair-clip one lucky winner will get:
And if I'm not mistaken, she has it up to size 4T. So what are you waiting for?

To win:

1. Take a look at her blog www.tinylooks.blogspot.com,
2. Announce this giveaway on facebook, twitter, or your blog,
3. And leave a comment telling us what you like best from her boutique and where you announced the giveaway (don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you in case you win).

Rules:
a) You can have up to 3 entries (each place you announce counts as one entry).
b) please make sure to leave each entry as it's own comment.
c) using random.org, 1 winner of this giveaway will be chosen on Wednesday, June 16th @ 9pm EST.
d) open only to contestants in the U.S AND Brazil.
e) please don't forget to leave me an email where I can reach you in case you win.

One more thing! Place your order (of either a dress or a skirt) within the next 3 days and get a matching flower to go with the outfit you choose!

Fridge Organizer

2010-06-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

I saw this idea and though it was great! It seems like a rather simple project and I'm sure it could even be done in a non-sewing way!

It's great for those of us that have tons of stuff all over their fridges - like me. Which I don't usually mind but sometimes all those little notes, recipe cards, clippings and so on do bug me, and the tiny little note pads are never enough for me. Plus it's WAY cute!

So to read more on this project head over to the Little Big Girl Studio and read more about it HERE.

Or you could just do these Marble Magnets from Not Martha to pretty up your fridge!

Exchanging good ideas

2010-05-31T18:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Rebeca wrote me on facebook today and gave me the idea to do a post to exchange all of the good ideas and little secrets we have that make our lives easier. That can include anything from cleaning products to super easy/yummy recipes. Things that we wish we could share with the whole world and everybody would thank us because it's so good. Think about it, and if you can't think of anything, think harder! I know you have at least one.

I'm going to start with mine.

* Brownie in a Mug. So easy. So Yummy. Great anti-stress medicine.

4 Tablespoons flour
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa
2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons oil
dash of salt.
Mix all together in a mug and microwave for 45-60 seconds. It'll be slightly "fudgey." Let it sit for a few moments and put a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream on top. Sooo NOT fatening! haha. But ohhh sooo good! Give it a try and then tell me what you think!

* Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. Erases everything, even crayon marks on walls.

* Toy broom & Cleaning Supplies set. Who would've thought that such a silly, inexpensive toy would be so entertaining? My kids absolutely LOVE this almost over any other (even more expensive) toy they own.
There are more styles on this website.

See how random this was? Recipe, cleaning supply and a toy. So really, you can share ANYTHING you would like!

Rebeca here:

So my friend borrowed some of my clothes the other day, and when she returned them, they smelled SO GOOD I had to ask her what laundry detergent she uses. She said that besides her laundry detergent which is something like Gain, she also uses Bounce Dryer Bars. And we decided to give it a try. Boy, that stuff is good!! I hated it that my laundry never had that amazing fresh smell. Now it does :)

Another thing I loved: 2 weeks ago I bought this thing for our toilet bowl.

Our apartment is old and I believe it was never remodeled therefore, all the fixtures, toilets, tub, etc are old as well. There's always been this rust coming off of the toilet where the water comes of when you flush. I was always cleaning it up cuz it made me mad to see that...there was nothing I could do besides getting it cleaned every other day.
Anyways, I found this at the store. It cost me around $5 but it is worth it. I didnt clean the toilet bowl ever since we bought it. I don't need to clean it all the time anymore! It is always clean and smells good. I love it!!

Kika here:

Something that makes my life easier is the BUMBO SEAT! We don't have a lot of space for a high chair so I sit Olivia on the bumbo seat to feed her. When she wants my attention and I have to wash the dishes or (try to) cook, I put the bumbo on the kitchen counter where I can see it and do my thing while talking to her. She is entertained and the complaining stops. And when I want her to quiet down I put the bumbo on the floor and she sits on it with a book. It's funny. She likes that thing and it's very handy.

Kids shouldn't get sick

2010-05-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

I know that now I'm asking too much, but don't you just wish your children wouldn't get sick? They just get so miserable and your heart hurts just to see them like that. If you could switch places with your child, would you? I bet most of you would. But unfortunately (or fortunately for some people) we can't. So what is the best way to care for them when they're sick? What if you have more than one child and they get sick at the same time? What are some techniques you have used that have worked for you?
I've been having a big problem lately. My oldest is going to preschool and she's been constantly sick. We live in a very polluted city, so coughs and allergies are most often. She brings in the virus and her little brother always ends up getting sick as well. When one gets better, the other one gets sick and then both get sick and so on. It's a cycle!! How can I prevent all of this from happening? It is very hard work to have sick children, let me tell you! We've been doing inhalations 4 times a day, and they hate doing that! It's bad enough that I have to force them to do it the whole time, but try doing it for half an hour each time. That's how much the doctor has told me to do. Otherwise if they don't get completely better and keep having bronchiolitis they'll end up developing asthma (for life). Oh, great!
I've been doing my best followig doctor's orders with my youngest, but since my oldest didn't have it nearly as bad as he did, I didn't take her in (I took him to the E.R). But now it seems like she's getting worse and while I'm doing everything I can to get my youngest to feel better, I'm not doing much for her. She won't let the inhaling mask get near her so she's just getting worse. I took her to the doctor a little over a month ago because of a never-ending cough (that had been going for a month already) and the doctor said that she was getting over it so she wouldn't prescribe anything. Well...I know I should probably take her to the doctor again but you know when you just know what they're going to say and you're going to get out of there thinking you have just wasted your time and that you probably know better because you are the one who spends 24 hours a day with them? Well, I'm still taking them in. Even if I have to get out of there frustrated. Because today is the 5th day of medicine and inhalation for my youngest and he's still not 100%. But that's what us moms do. We don't want to risk it, right? We'll go to any length to protect our children and their well-being. I'm just glad my children don't have and haven't gone through any serious illnesses or injuries.

Taking care of sick children sure is a LOT of work, though. I admire moms that have 4, 5, 6 (or more) children because sometimes it seems like I can barely make it with two. My patience level gets at its highest sometimes and I get completely exhausted. Before I had kids I wanted to have about 6 children. Now my number has gone down. Way down. Before we have kids we're so totally oblivious to what having children is like, even if we think we know, we know nothing.

A few days ago my aunt and I were talking about the fact that our children seem to always be getting sick and one topic led to another and we ended up talking about all the things that happen before we get to church in the morning and how people that have no children (or even couples that only have one child) have no idea all the things that may happen before we get there. And that sometimes we're even judged by the fact that we're late!
Anyway, I went a little off the subject here, but I've been a little too exhausted lately and just needed to get it all out. I know that this is all part of motherhood and we all go through the same things, even though sometimes it seems like we're totally alone. I love being a mother and wouldn't have it any other way. ;)

Healthy Recipe Exchange

2010-05-20T09:12:00.000-07:00

For me one of the biggest challenges in staying healthy is eating healthy! I try and cook healthy but most of the time the rest of the family wont eat it. It's so hard to find a healthy recipe that the whole family will eat! So I thought it would be fun to share recipes that are healthy and family friendly. If you have a recipe that your family likes and is healthy please leave a comment with a recipe. Here's mine:

Zucchini Spaghetti Casserole

1 bag penne noodles boiled and drained
1 large zucchini or 2 small zucchini chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1 can Spaghetti sauce
lots of cheese

In a 9x13 pan combine cooked and drained noodles and chopped vegetables (you can change veggies to different ones if your family likes different ones), pour spaghetti sauce over, top with desired amount of cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Mommie Binder Follow Up.

2010-05-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

A lot of you said you were making a Mommy Binder. So now I would love for you to share it with the rest of us!

What did you include in your binder?
How has it helped?

And send us a link with a picture! We all love to see pictures right?!

Questions for mommies V

2010-05-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some more questions I got from some of you:

- Why do some women take longer to get pregnant than others? Is there anything you can do to be more fertil?

- What challenges did/do you have while breastfeeding and how to overcome them?

Please comment!

An Alternative to Shampoo

2010-05-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I ran out of shampoo and wasn't able to get to the store for a few days. Luckily I remembered a friend telling about using baking soda instead of shampoo to help your hair be less greasy and have less dandruff. The idea was that the baking soda actually helps the scalp skin stay moisturized instead of drying it out and that the baking soda doesn't have sulfates and other harsh chemicals that damage your hair. So I decided to try baking soda. At first it was a little weird because it didn't lather and I wasn't sure if it would actually clean my hair. Surprisingly it did a good job at getting all the grease and baby food out of my hair. It is supposed to take 2 weeks for hair to adjust and for you to see the difference. I tried it for 2 weeks and I am seeing a difference. My hair is less greasy and softer now. I am going to stick with it as my shampoo!

So here's how you do it for any who want to try:

Grab about 1-2 tablespoons of baking soda with one hand and in your hands mix a bit of warm water into it to make a paste.
With your fingers rub/massage the paste onto your roots and scalp, add some water if necessary.
Don't worry about getting the ends of your hair, they will get clean with conditioner and water.
Wash it out while massaging your scalp.
Condition hair like normal.
Try for 2 weeks.

Do any of you know of natural alternatives to shampoo or conditioner?

Questions for mommies IV

2010-05-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

- Did any of you ever give any vitamins for your kids before they were 1?

- How was it when when your children started eating solids? Is it normal if they don't like any kind of baby food whatsoever?

- How do you deal with picky eaters?

Becoming a picky eater or just a stage??

2010-05-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

So, what do you do when you have a child that used to be a super good eater and all of the sudden she doesnt want to eat anything unless it is yogurt or juice??

I am about to go crazy these last days. Rachel was a happy girl, eating everything and anything you would put in front of her, specially if it was rice and beans, meat, banana, breakfast cereal (honey bunches of oats) and now she doesnt want to eat anything. Seriously, I dont know what to do!!! I've tried everything already. She wont eat unless I am by her side and threatening her that she wont have juice or go play after dinner/lunch until she eats everything. Sometimes i just give up and let her go... and i end it up feeling so bad that she might be hungry during the night.
So, please, give me some advise.
I just want her to be a good eater again. I love seeing her eating everything in her plate and even asking for seconds.
Sometimes I think it is just a phase (an early terrible twos, maybe??) and that she'll go back to her eating habits again in a few days....but it's been a couple weeks already and nothing has seemed to work.

Please, help!!!

PS: I made this post on my personal blog and some friends gave me their opinion and help. Some of them told me it might be just a stage and that my daughter will get back to her eating habits; others said I could try some different strategies to get her excited again about food. If you have sometime, go check the answers out at my blog

Questions for mommies III

2010-04-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

I can't remember if I posted these questions already. If I have, let me know!!! But if not, please share your thoughts!

- If you and your spouse are from different countries, how do you teach your kids both languages? And does that affect how and when they start talking?

- Do you prefer a high chair or a booster seat? I don't like how low the booster seat is but I've heard that high chair kinda keeps baby away from the table... Ideas?

- How do you establish and stick to a schedule/routine with your child?

- What do you do when your toddler sends you to time out?

Project Organization : Laundry

2010-04-30T08:28:00.000-07:00

Who here loves doing laundry?!

Anyone? Anyone? Anyone?

I wouldn't say I hate it, but I don't like it either. And I'm yet to find a way to tackle this tedious job that works for me.

now if I had this laundry room.... the story would be completely different!

The biggest problem is that I usually forget I'm doing the laundry and get caught up in other household chores and then a day or two later I'll remember that load of whites in the drier. Or I'll start wondering what happened to that green shirt and then I'll find it at the bottom of the hamper.

I used to leave one day of the week for laundrering. That didn't work.
I started saving two days... that didn't work either.

Now I do one load a day. One SMALL load a day. So far, it's been working well. I don't get overwhelmed by the huge pile of clothes that will have to be folded after, I don't forget that I'm doing it and it keeps the hamper relatively empty.

Still I know some people have amazing laundry systems like this one

Either way it's a daunting taks and anyone who actually enjoys doing this has my eternal respect. But for us mortals who do dread this, here are some more helpful tips I've found.

Toss items that need dry cleaning into a special basket or bag as soon as you take it off. This way, when you are ready to go to the cleaners you can just grab them, rather than having to hunt for them in all the dirty laundry (ugh!)
Make a habit of always keeping a spare of laundry detergent, dryer sheets and whatever else you use regularly. That way you never have to drop everything and run to the store to complete your laundry (or use that as a reason to not complete the laundry...)
Put Away the Clean Clothes in a Flash!
Keep hangers and a folding hanging rack near the dryer. Save steps by putting hanging items directly on hangers rather than folding and toting them first. As you fold clean laundry, place items in baskets by person to simplify the process of putting it all away. Get everyone in on the act. Even small children can help put away some of their own clothes -- socks, underwear, etc. Older kids can put it all away. If you share the burden, it's not so overwhelming.
We know it's hard, but go through your drawers and closets and purge things that are never worn. Putting laundry away is much faster and more pleasant if you don't have to struggle to cram the clothes into an overstuffed space.
Set a side a small drawer or basket for socks that have lost their mate in the wash. Sooner or later the other sock will turn up and the pair can be put away with all the others.
Consider sprucing up and organizing the laundry area. A clean and well-organized space makes any task more enjoyable.
Schedule set laundry days and stick to them. It's amazing how much more you can get done when you have a schedule.

And in the meanwhile... what is your secret to tackling the laundry monster?!

Fabric Blocks, Burp Cloths, etc.

2010-04-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

You all know how much I love sewing. I've done a lot of stuff already and it seems like the internet has never-ending ideas for sewing, crafts, homemade stuff.

So the other day I gave a total homemade gift to my sister-in-law at her baby shower: a basket full of little good things for the new baby. Burp Cloths, fabric blocks, blankets and a changing table cover. All made by me, with the help of my sewing machine.

I must confess I dont have any imagination whatsoever, but the world wide web is always there for me...hehehe.

What a great present when you make it all yourself?! I think it is fantastic. It doesnt mean that if you just go to the store and buy something really cute, it wont be as meaningful as the one made at home. Of course not!!! I jsst think when you make at home you can be more personal and even save you lots of money!
Nowadays with all these baby showers and birthdays, you gotta find a way to save a little bit and give a good present to all.

So, many of my friends were asking for a tutorial teaching some of the things I made lately.
The blocks I made I saw an idea on a web site but they didnt have a tutorial for it... I just had to figure it out myself. Although, they had the tutorial for the burp cloths and I just made my version of it.
Homemade by Jill is such a cute blog that I love to go there and find great ideas. There you'll find the tutorial for the burp cloths and some cute baby bibs.

The other day I came across this other fabulous blog Make it and Love it . I found a real simple and easy tutorial for the blocks. You have to check it out!\

Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!!!

Post by Beka

Just a Good Quote

2010-04-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

"Motherhood is not what was left over after our Father blessed His sons with priesthood ordination. It was the most ennobling endowment He could give His daughters, a sacred trust that gave women an unparalleled role in helping His children keep their second estate. As President J. Reuben Clark Jr. declared, motherhood is “as divinely called, as eternally important in its place as the Priesthood itself."

--Sheri L. Dew, "Are We Not All Mothers?", Ensign, Nov 2001, 96

Mommies shouldn't get sick

2010-04-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

Do you all agree with me when I say that moms shouldn't get sick??? How are we supposed to care for sick children when we're also sick? Well, I'm lucky enough to have a husband that helps a lot, but...What if he also gets sick?

Well, that's pretty much what happened this weekend. Actually it all started last Wednesday, the 21st. It was a holiday here in Brazil and we went to a hotel. As soon as we got back at 1 a.m, my daughter started throwing up. She has been coughing a lot lately, and sometimes she would throw up in the middle of the night from coughing so much, but this time it was different. I knew it wasn't just from the cough.

After cleaning up her crib, switching her to my bed, taking off the sheets from my bed, sleeping on towels and getting new towls until we ran out, we decided to take her to the emergency room. I think I must have slept about two hours, max. It is quite funny too, because that night when we got home from our trip I was so exhausted and so happy to just lay down on my bed and sleep.

The doctor told us it was a viral infection which means the whole family would probably get it as well. On Friday (two days later) when I wrote about this on my blog and posted some pictures of Jasmine's barf (I know, gross), I started feeling a little weird. I thought it was because of that whole experience of taking pictures of throw up and looking at it on the blog. That whole day I had been feeling as if my head was floating, like everything around me was in slow motion. Now it all makes sense. That night I finally went and threw up after I couldn't possibly hold it in any longer.

(One thing is for sure: I cannot have morning sickness! I HATE throwing up! So, I don't know how some of you do it. Seriously. You're awesome)! Anyway... ;)

Then, right after me, it was my son's turn. We got sick at the same time. I only had my husband to save me and he wasn't feeling good either. It is so sad to see such a small child throwing up like an adult! It is just not fair! Poor thing, I felt so bad. And I didn't have the strength to get up and get him when I saw that he was starting to feel sick. Luckily, my husband was still sort of good.

(Okay, now single moms - I also don't know how you do it. You're amazing).

You probably already know what happened next, and I don't want to gross you out any longer.

So here's a picture of me and my son right after it happened to him. Misery!

We're doing a lot better now, although my kids are still going #3 (that's dia...you know what I mean). A lot. I hope they get better soon but right now I'm just so thankful that I'm able to take care of them. It was only a two-day ordeal for me and I know that many of you have it a lot worse.

So now I would like to hear some of your stories. Have you ever been incapable of caring for your children for one reason or another? How did you deal with it?

Project Organization :: Decluttering

2010-04-23T02:01:00.000-07:00

I have found that the number one problem in my home is clutter. CLUTTER is the reason for all other problems and cause of all my frustrations.

So lately I have made my number one goal to de-clutter every inch of my home and of my life as well. I'm always reading blogs, websites and books on organization (it seriously is a hobby of mine!), and these are the top tips I've found on de-cluttering.

Declutter for 15 minutes every day. It’s amazing how much you can get through if you just do it in small increments like this.
Don’t allow things into the house in the first place. If you are on a mission to get rid of clutter, make the commitment to not add more clutter to the already existing clutter. Even if you find a cute little whatever that will go great with your decor. Wait until you are done! And even then, think about it, real hard, you don't want to just start cluttering again!!!
Donate stuff you’re decluttering, so you don’t feel bad about wasting it.
Create a goal, write it and make it visible — maybe you just want to declutter your closet, maybe it's your entire house. Either way, an unwritten goal, is nothing but a thought!
Start at the corner by the door and move your way around the room, doing the superficial stuff first – surfaces, empy the bin etc. Repeat, but do more the 2nd time around – ie. open the cupboards.
The 6 month rule for spices: if you don't remember using it in the last 6 months, get rid of it. This goes not only for spices, but for other foods in your pantry like those chocolate sprinkles from last years birthday party. Also, if it makes you feel any better, spices older than 6 months loose their taste and potency anyway...
Use the “one in, two out” rule. The rule: whenever you bring in an item, you have to throw away two other items. First you cheat, by throwing out two pieces of paper, but soon you will have to move to big stuff. I've always done this with clothes. Before I go shopping, I go through all my clothes and pick out what doesn't fit, what I don't like and so on to give away. Then not only do I have room for my new clothes, but I also don't end up with a clother stuffed with clothes that I don't wear.
Make your storage space smaller and more minimal. If you have lots of storage, you’ll fill it with stuff.
Clothing rule: If you haven’t worn an item in 6 months, sell or donate it.
The One-Year Box. Take all your items that you unsure about getting rid of (e.g. “I might need this someday…”), put them in a box, seal it and date it for 1 year in the future. When the date comes, and you still didn’t need to open it to get anything, donate the box WITHOUT OPENING IT. You probably won’t even remember what there was in the box.
Declutter one room (including any closets, desks, cabinets, etc.) before starting on the next one. Spending time in that room will feel *so* good, and it will be so easy to keep clean, that it will motivate you to do more!
Keep a list in your planner labeled “Don’t Need It – Don’t Want It.” When you’re out shopping and run across some kind of gadget or other item you crave, note it down on the list. This will slow you down long enough to reconsider. Also, seeing the other things on the list that you nearly bought on impulse really helps.
Internalize that your value is not in your “stuff”. It is just “stuff”. And realize that your value grows when you share your “stuff”. Hoarding is a selfish act.
Have someone else (who you trust!) help you go through things. They don’t have the (sometime’s irrational) emotional attachment that you might have, but can still recognize if something should be kept.
Gift everything. Books you’ve read immediately get recycled among friends, family or local libraries. If you buy a new gaming system, donate your old one – and all the games.
Toys. leave only a small box of toys out. Your kids will get plenty of entertainement from those toys, and once they get tired from it, you can switch it up with other toys that have been hidden and it will be like Christmas morning every 2-3 months.

I'm not saying you should throw away everything, but at least with me, I know I am guilty of keeping things just in case I ever need it... only to find three years later that I never did need it.

So be smart with what you keep, be even smarter with what you buy and you won't need to go through decluttering!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you have any other tips on decluttering?!
Who out there is also on a mission to declutter?! How has it been?
Share! share! share!

Mess Stress

2010-04-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to write about this topic before I even created this blog. I think I just wanted to get it out of my system. ;)

The truth is (and I just figured this out), the way my house looks is the main trigger for my mood swings. Whenever my house is messy and/or dirty I seriously go crazy. You're probably thinking, "Well, why don't you just clean it then?" - But as a matter of fact, I have just finished cleaning. And it is getting messy fast. So fast I can't catch up. Whenever I am cleaning one part of the house (like the kitchen for example) another part is getting messy.

Gone are the days where I used to clean the whole house. Nowadays I always have to choose a day to clean one thing (like wash the balcony for example) and then just pick up the messes around the house. How am I supposed to vacuum, dust, sweep, mop, iron, and everything else while I have so many other things I should do when the kids are napping?

There is also the pollution issue here which makes everything worse. The house gets dirty so fast and it is so much harder to clean than the houses in the United States (or at least where I used to live in the U.S). Clothes here don't come out of the dryer all neat and straight, most of the time you have to iron them. And I am blessed enough to have a dryer because most people here don't have one. Most people here don't even have a dishwasher and a garbage disposal. I'm also fortunate to have both (although the garbage disposal has never worked so it doesn't count).

I just wish I would clean and the house would stay clean at least for a couple hours. Is that too much to ask? Probably. When you have kids it is. I guess the solution to this problem is just to take a chill pill and accept the fact that I will never live in a 100% - spotless clean house, ever! Lately I've been trying not to stress so much about it. Just laugh it out. But sometimes it gets a little bit tricky.
I have a gazillion tupperware containers. Maybe I should just get rid of them!

I also don't have any more high enough spaces to hide things. Why didn't home builders ever think of this and put cabinets close to the ceilings all over the house? We have high enough shelves but they're meant to display decorations and picture frames and not remote controls, crayons and computer cords. For those of you that are wondering, we do have childproof locks on a few things but some don't work with our cabinets and drawers.

Anyway, I would just like to know if I'm the only one that gets a little bit stressed with a messy house. How do all of you deal with this? I would love to hear what you have to say!

ps: Don't say the solution is not to have kids because that isn't the point. I love my chipmunks ;)

Project Organization :: Mommy Binder

2010-04-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was little my mom has had this binder, which we always called it Mom's Binder. She kept all sorts of things in that binder... and in the past couple of years I've come to realize that's it's because of ideas like having that binder that makes my mom awesome.

Ok, so it's a binder, but what's so great about this binder?

Well, you know those random little things that just seem to travel from one drawer to another and from one table to another but don't really have a home but are important enough that need to be right there when you need it? Well, that's what she kept in this binder.

- Ward/School directories
- Important numbers
- School calendars
- recipes to try, coupon clippings
- etc.

I have to modify this binder every once in a while to fit our needs. But as of right now this is what my binder looks like:

I have tab dividers for each of the following topics:

- Past Menus
- Recipes to Try (they go here before making it to my recipe book)
- Directories
- Thomas
- Misc

Pretty self explanatory right?

Then on the front flap pocket I have some note cards which is where I write the final version of the weekly menu, stamps (which I'm currently out) and some envelopes/cards.

I also keep a calendar where I write down the menus for that month which then will go to the past menus tab. (which I still have to make for this month! eek)

There are also some blank pages where I can scribble and write stuff on. I put the grocery sales paper things in here when we get them so I can use them for the menu planning, along with other coupons that I get/find.

On the back of the binder I have some other folders that hold other important things. One for the apartment and emergency information and so on and one for a program for which I'm part of that ends with a whole lot of handouts that I need to keep and have handy)

Anyway, that you should give you a general idea of the purpose of this binder. We all have different needs which will lead to different tabs, folders and sizes of binders.

My mom used to have a folder for each one of us, where she kept all school notes, field trip notices and anything else that she needed to keep, look or sign.

For me, the best has been the directories section. I can not tell you how many ward directories I have lost. I never know where I put them, so I can never find them when I need them - which only leads to a whole lot of frustration.

Under Thomas' tab I keep those handy dandy milestones and charts that he gets at every doctor visit, his nursery art work and anything else that I get that's related to him and that I haven't figured out what to do with yet.

Last but not least, on the very back, I keep a list of important numbers. This binder was also left handy for us and babysitters, so numbers had to be kept together and at arms reach.

There are some very fancy Mommy Binders out there. Like THIS ONE, and THIS ONE and even THIS ONE.

But really, why spend all that money when you can put one together for a fraction of the price and that will meet your needs 100%?!

Other things you can include in your binder:
- a calendar for more than just meals, include activities, important dates, birthdays, appointments.
- coupons
- handouts and pamphlets worth keeping
- appointment reminders
- bills to pay

It's really up to you. Maybe you just need a binder to throw some random things in so that they are not everywhere, or maybe you'll turn this into a planner/agenda sort of binder.

Either way, I'm sure it will help. So if you are tired of losing your ward directories or never knowing where you last left the stamps - join me and make your self a Mommy Binder!

PS: As always, if you're going to make one of these - I highly recommend making it cute and fun. We all deserve a little color and cuteness in our lives, especially in between spit ups and melt downs! ;oP So, if you're going to make one of these, I strictly forbid you to simply get a plain white or black binder - yuck! If you're not going to make a cover of whatever for it (notice mine is just a note card glued to a piece of paper - took me maybe 35 seconds?!) get a colored one and then enjoy putting this together!

Home-Made Facials

2010-04-14T20:23:00.000-07:00

Have any of you ever tried to make your own facial? Do you have any great recipes that you could share?

Here are some recipes if you would like to try one or two and let us all know how you liked it. Between all of us trying one or two of these we can figure out which ones are worth using and which ones are not.

For trouble-prone skin - Mix oatmeal with water to form a paste, spread over face avoiding eye area, allow to dry, leave on for 10/15 minutes, rinse.

For normal to oily skin - beat egg white until frothy, spread over face, allow to dry, rinse.

For oily skin - wipe cucumber all over face, allow to dry, rinse. Use witch hazel for a toner.

For removing blackheads - mix egg whites and a few drops of lemon juice, spread over face, allow to dry, rinse. (I am very excited to try this one :)

For spots - blend oatmeal in a blender until it's powdery, add some lemon juice to make a paste, apply to face, allow to dry, rinse.

For a face scrub - mix olive oil and Kosher salt, scrub gently, rinse with warm water, apply a moisturizer after. This recipe could also be used on elbows, feet, or any rough skin area.

* TIPS: With all of these recipes you will want to make sure you avoid the eye area. Using upward and outward strokes is suggested to really get into the pores. You should always start with hot/warm water to open up pores and end with cool water to close pores. Moisturizer should be applied immediately after towel drying face to keep moisture in skin. When rubbing facials on face use your last 3 fingers (not your thumb or index) so that you don't put too much pressure on skin.

If any of you have any tips, recipes, advice, experience to add please do :) I look forward to hearing about these recipes! I plan on trying a few of these this week as well!

nursing dilemma

2010-04-12T11:18:00.000-07:00

I have a dilemma that I thought I would run by all of you other mommies. I am nursing my 5 month old but I seem to be drying up on only one side. Now my baby isn't getting enough to eat so I have started to give her a bit of formula. I really want to nurse her at least until 8 months because we just can't afford formula. Is there anything I can do to get that side producing milk again? Does anyone know why I would dry up on only one side? I nursed my other two and that never happened!

Couponing

2010-04-09T06:40:00.001-07:00

I thought a lot about how to write this post on Couponing… Well, I decided to write about my personal experience and to direct you to the websites that have taught me most of what I know. I check these websites daily. They list the deals, so it is much easier! Here are the links:
http://hip2save.com/category/couponing-101
http://athriftymom.com/coupon-101/

Couponing is awesome…but, mark my words, it can consume your life! I have always used coupons here and there, but I started really using them hardcore in last January. I do not necessarily love couponing, but I LOVE, LOVE saving money! It I such a rush for me! My attitude towards coupon changed once I realized that they are just like money. Would you throw away money if someone gave it to you? I am sure you would not, so, same thing with the coupons! I have been able to literally save my family thousands of dollars just by being organized, determined, disciplined, nice, firm, fast, and balanced. Here are some of the highlights of the great deals I was able to score:
- Huggies Diapers for 1.99 a package
- Free Dove and Olay body wash
- Free Toothpaste and Mouthwash
- Free tissues, and much, much more.

Yes, free or close to. That is the goal! Now here are my golden rules of couponing:

1. Be Organized: The first thing you will need is a coupon binder to organize your coupons according to categories. They explain it all in detail. I have my binder in categories with the coupons I think I will use. Before I go to the store, I get the coupons from the binder and sort them into the stores I am going. Little note clipped to them helps me to find the products I am looking for faster. I always keep my coupon binder in my car.

Also, ALWAYS keep your receipt! If something you bought today goes on 50% off next week, with your receipt you are able to take it back (as long as it is unused) and re-buy the item for the current price. Also, it is handy to have the receipt to take the item back if you change your mind.

2. Be Determined: If you want to get a deal, get the deal! It might take you running from store to store several times, but if it is something worth it for your family, don’t quit! I bought 45 packages of Huggies Diapers @ $1.99 a package at Walgreens, saving my family over $450. Since I do not clear shelves (buying everything and not leaving others the opportunity to enjoy the deal), it took me 3 trips a day to 3 different stores to purchase 2 to 3 packages per store. I also did not care of sizes; I just bought whichever sizes they had and then made more trips to exchange for the sizes I needed.

3. Be Disciplined: Couponing takes a lot of discipline. You can get coupons from many different sources: weekly newspapers, online, magazines, etc. I have found it very helpful to clip them and put them away as soon as I get them. It does not happen like that all the time, but I have procrastinated before and it was not good!

4. Be Nice: Being nice is so, so very important in every aspect of life, but if you want to coupon, and be successful at it, being kind is fundamental. You will need the cooperation of cashiers and managers, and they are much more willing to help you if they know you are nice about things. Also, being cordial to my fellow couponers is very important to me. I do that by allowing others to go ahead of me in line if I have several transactions and they only have one, by not cleaning the shelves, and just being thoughtful of others.

5. Be Firm: Now, there will be times that the cashiers, managers and fellow couponers will make your life a little difficult. If you are on the right, if your coupon is valid and it does not against the stores’ coupon policy, be firm about it.

Today I bought this gorgeous art on canvas at Bed Bath and Beyond using a 50% competitors coupon from Michaels, the cashier was not sure about it, but I was firm, since I had previously checked with the store about using it. She called the manager who finally authorized it. I was nice, and I was firm, and they listened. I have called Wal-Mart, Target, Olive Garden and other corporations’ Customer Service when I feel wronged by their local staff.

6. Be Fast: If you want those diapers @ 1.99 a package you will have to act fast. I found out that my local Walgreens gets trucks on Thursdays, so I was there as soon as I could to get the deal. Most places run great deals, but they last only for a week, sometimes less.

7. Be Balanced: As I mentioned, coupon can rule your life if you let it. For me it is only worth it was long as I am enjoying it. January, February and part of March were a little crazy for me because I was trying to stock up on items that were at incredible prices. Now I can just relax and enjoy not having to buy some necessities for a while. My family always comes first, so balancing my time is very important. I go out to shop after I put my baby girl to sleep and I always try to be back in time to kiss my little boy goodnight. These cherished moments with my family are priceless, and definitely what matter most.

I hope this is helpful. Again, this post is about my personal experience. I would recommend going to the websites I mentioned above to read about how to get started. These ladies, Collin and Sarah, are professionals, and they have some really helpful tips as well. They also have tips on each store. I recommend starting with one store only, then moving to others. Each store has different couponing policies. Please let me know if I can help you fellow mommies with anything.

(Post written by Kelly Hammer).

Natural skin care

2010-04-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

I decided to research natural skin care to go along with the green cleaning subject; here are some tips I found that I am going to try as well:

Tip 1: Give yourself a dry brush exfoliation (this is done with a natural soft bristle brush)

Stand in the shower, water off
Starting at your feet, start brushing in small circles towards your heart. Apply very light pressure, avoiding broken skin, skin rashes, or areas where the skin is thin, such as the face or inner thighs.
After you've finished both legs, move on to your arms. Brush from your fingertips, again towards your heart.
Reach around and brush from your back towards your stomach.
When you are finished, begin showering.

For me this tip is more difficult because showering is a major task in and of itself. I have to do it while my baby naps and the other two are watching a movie quietly and it seems like war breaks out whenever I do shower....so I am going to try this tip on the weekend when my husband is home to help with the kids =)

Tip 2: Rev up your Digestion

Good skin is a reflection of a good digestive system.
The most two common sluggish digestion culprits are not enough water and not enough fiber.
Suggested things to boost fiber are: more whole grains, apple, cauliflower, nuts, dried fuits, beans and legumes, flaxseed

Tip 3:
Invigorate Sluggish Circulation

One of the best things you can do for your skin, stress level, and overall health is to get moving!
Inactivity can affect skin and promote bloating and puffiness, acne, cellulite, and loss of muscle tone.

Tip 4:
Avoid Excess Sugar

Most people do not realize this but excess sugar is considered one of the main causes of premature aging.
Try a gradual approach - in the next week, choose one thing you're going to do to decrease the amount of sugar you consume.

Tip 5:
Eat some good fats

They are needed to make cell membranes, hormones, and other body chemicals.
They are also particularly important to people with inflammatory conditions such as eczema and acne.
People with essential fat deficiency sometimes notice bumps on the backs of their arms.
Suggestions: flaxseed, cold water fish, avocado, fish oil supplements

Green Cleaners

2010-04-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

I'm having some serious issues with my dishwasher lately. It's not washing the top rack and the detergent isn't diluting. I just found these amazing ways you can use vinegar, some I already knew but in the dishwasher????!?!?! Wow, I'm going to do this RIGHT NOW. I'll tell you if it works.

Here are some other ways you can use vinegar for cleaning purposes:

Laundry. Use 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar during the laundry rinse cycle instead of a commercial fabric softener. It'll cut down on lint and also break down the harsh chemicals of the detergent, which is great news for those with sensitive skin. For added greenness and savings, invest in reusable dryer balls (found at Target and many supermarkets and pharmacies). They may look like doggie chew toys, but they're phenomenal at fluffing up your clothes.
Cost Comparison (per load):
Fabric softener (washer and dryer): $.08
Dryer balls and vinegar: $.02
Kitchen. Use a solution of one-part vinegar to one-part water (1:1) to clean kitchen surfaces. (Again, due to vinegar's acidic nature, test on grout and tile before using, and shy away from marble.) Instead of expensive dishwasher detergent, toss half a cup of vinegar in the bottom of your dishwasher.
Cost Comparison (per dishwasher load):
Dishwasher cleaner: $.15
Vinegar: $.10
Bathroom. Pour three cups of vinegar in the toilet to get rid of rings. For continuous cleaning, pour three cups into the back tank once a week to keep the bowl fresh. Vinegar works great against soap scum and hard-water stains, even ones that have been around for years.

Here are some other "green" cleaning products:

Lemon. Commercial cleansers have long sung the praises of citrus, hyping the presence of lemon prominently on their labels. It's no wonder: Lemon's cleaning powers extend beyond a fresh scent. Its acidic properties can cut through grease and grime better than most manmade products.
- Living Room. Use a ratio of one-part lemon juice to two-parts olive oil (1:2) for an all-natural furniture polish; finish off with a soft, dry cloth (recycled, of course). If you have cats, lemon peels in your potted plants can deter them from digging -- or worse.
  Cost Comparison (per ounce):
  Furniture polish: $.42
  Olive oil and lemon: $.35
- Kitchen. Halve lemon and sprinkle with baking soda to scrub dishes. Dump leftover lemon (or orange) peel into your garbage disposal to eradicate nasty odors.
  Cost Comparison (per cleaning of garbage disposal):
  Commercial cleaner: $.43
  Leftover lemon peel: $.25 (or free, if you've already used the rest of the lemon)
Baking Soda. This seemingly benign white powder serves dual purposes: as an abrasive cleaner and a frontline odor fighter.
- Kitchen. Make a paste with water for tough stains on your counter, or store an open box in the fridge to keep it smell-free. To more easily clean the stalactites that have formed in the microwave, boil two tablespoons of baking soda in a mug of water, then simply wipe out the gunk.
- Laundry. Use a water-and-baking-soda paste on most fabrics to remove stains. Or put pure baking soda into sachets (stuff old socks or pantyhose) to remove odors from olfactory offenders like stinky sneakers.
- Bathroom. Sodium bicarbonate can even help clear drain clogs. Just dump a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by a cup of that other clean-all, vinegar. This may take a few tries, but it should clear even the nastiest of clogs -- with a lot less fumes than chemical methods.
  Cost Comparison:
  Commercial drain cleaner: $3.00 (per suggested use -- I usually used the whole container, at $6 a pop)
  Baking soda and vinegar: $1.50

I found this article at disneyfamily.com

Project Organization :: Bills Bills Bills

2010-04-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

Oh bills... all those endless bills and other paper things that we know we should keep and we know we should be keeping safe in case we ever need it.

I used to have my file drawer and put all the bills and important paper things in that drawer. I hated doing it though, because the drawer was so full that it was a pain to put things in it. Plus, putting things in it, also meant that I had to take things out.

Once I found a site that said listed all the bills you should keep and for how long you should keep it. Tax info : forever, Bank statements : 1 year, Bills : 1 year, and so on.

Seriously, can you imagine a more boring task?! So, of course, I never put the things in the file drawer and they just piled up around the house.

But, going back to what I started doing this year - since I hated having to take things out and so on this is what I did:

I bought a file folder (you could also use a file box like the one above) for 2010. Labeled each tab for a different thing, since we don't get many things on the mail anymore (long live online billing!) I made some general labels : Bank Accounts, Credit Cards, Car, Utilities, Health, Tax, School and so on.

Now, starting January 1st 2010, everything goes in that file and nothing comes out. For all the bills and so on that we had for 2009 I put them in another folder that I got for 2009 and same thing for the things we had from 2008. These folders just get put away and forgotten in a little corner. If I ever need something from a previous year, I can just go to that folder (that get the year written on the front all big and bold) and pull it out!

That file drawer is still in use. I keep the permanent things in there - birth certificates, ids, passports, and those sort of things that stay.

The current folder stays in an accessible spot and every time I get the mail I open it next to the folder and put it away as soon as I open it. No more mail laying around. No more figuring out what I need to take out and what needs to stay.

And make it fun! Get colorful, cute and fancy folders! It's totally worth the extra buck, and whoever said that just because it's bills they have to stay in an ugly folder!?

(I got this idea a long time ago from the blog http://crapivemade.blogspot.com/)

--------------------------------------------

Do any of you have any other wonderful tips on the matter?
I remember from our first post on organization a lot of us struggled with this...
What have you done that has worker? Or what are you doing that isn't working?!

You are Pregnant!!

2010-03-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

Ok ladies, this post has absolutely nothing to do with child development, but I just couldn't resist.

A little bit ago I wrote a post on my blog about when I found out I was pregnant. I think it's such an exciting time in our lives. Anyway, do you guys wanna share some stories about how you found out about your pregnancy/pregnancies? I just love those stories!!!

"A Positive Way to Discipline"

2010-03-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

There's this website I absolutely love and I always go there when I have a question, anything- They have all kinds of helpful articles. Many of you probably already know the "What to Expect" website.
I keep getting newsletters on my email and I love receiving the ones from this website and also from Baby Center (which is my very favorite). Today I got one that is called "A Positive Way to Discipline". The article is great, it's exactly what I believe in and try to do with my toddlers at home.

Here is a little bit from the article...

Turn negatives into positives. Your little darling has emptied the contents of your drawers onto the floor. Now what? Rather than scold, enlist her help in figuring out a way to remedy the situation ("How can we fix this? How about you help me put this stuff back?"). Praise her when she complies and don't forget to give her a firm, anger-free reminder that "Mommy's things need to stay in Mommy's desk.

Check in. Even if you're busy (especially when you're busy) take time to reach over for a hug, a tickle, or to comment on the progress of her block tower. That way, you'll head off her impulse to get your attention by doing something devilish.

Diffuse the situation. If your toddler is showing signs of defiance ("No! I won't take a bath!"), turn the situation around by using distraction ("Let's go find some fun bath toys!"), humor ("What if we put Mr. Teddy in the bath?"), or reverse psychology ("Don't you dare get into that tub!"). It doesn't take much to amuse a toddler. And diffusing a situation with creative approaches like these allows your child to give in without feeling like she lost a battle. Then you can thank her for her cooperation ("I love how you play in the water!").

If you would like to read the entire thing, click here.

Suggestions from the readers

2010-03-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that all of us know that we need to keep our bodies healthy and that part of that is getting enough exercise. The hard part is finding the time and energy to do it. For me, just taking care of my 3 kids and trying to stay on top of the dishes and laundry takes most of my time. Then of coarse once the kids are in bed I'm too exhausted to want to exercise! So I am wondering if any of you have found an answer to this notorious mommy exercise issue.

How do you find time and/or energy to exercise?

Questions for mommies 2

2010-03-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

So this is the continuation of the questions you've submitted a couple weeks ago. I'm posting 2-3 questions every week so if your question isn't on this post, it will probably be on the upcoming posts.

- How do you discipline your toddler?

- What kind of food does your toddler eat?

- How do you deal with picky eaters?
_____________________________________________________

What are your thoughts on these?

Why Breastfeed?

2010-03-20T17:21:00.000-07:00

As a breastfeeding advocate and currently working part-time as a lactation consultant, I may be able to answer this question.

My name is Barbara, I am 24 years old and I am a Health Science graduate from Brigham Young University-Idaho. My emphasis is Public Health and I had the opportunity to do my internship and then keep working for the WIC (women, infant and children) Program at The Eastern Idaho Public Health office. I’ve worked with a variety of clients and many different problems related to breastfeeding. It really is one of my passions. I feel like I was able to help first time mothers, who just like myself, had no idea what was going on when the nurse put that little bundle of joy in my arms. You are expected to feed, love and take care of it to the best of your ability.

I have to add that my biggest accomplishment and joy in this life is my family. I am absolutely crazy for them and I would not change anything. I am a proud stay-at-home mom and I want to be one. :)

I'm going to summarize one of the classes I teach weekly at the WIC office. I feel like this will be a good introduction to the topic of breastfeeding. As we keep the topic going I would appreciate any questions that you might have and if I’m not sure about something, I’ll make sure I’ll ask my experienced co-workers that have worked in this area for way longer than I have. If there’s any way I can help anyone on this issue, I would be more than glad to do so.

So, first of all, a little bit of a background from my experience with breastfeeding. I breastfed my oldest daughter until she was 15 months, until basically I was sick of it and when I found out I was pregnant again. I now have a 5 month old who is as much of a joy as her sister and she is also being nursed full-time. I loved and still love nursing my kids because it provides such a bond with them. I was going to school full-time when I had my first child and I was away from her for quite a while during the day. Being able to nurse when I got home gave me the feeling I was able to bond with her somehow.

So let’s start the question of why to do it first. When you compare formula to breasmilk they both have some commonalities: fat, protein, carbohydrates, DHA, ARA (fatty acids helpful for your baby’s brain development), vitamins, minerals and water.

Breastmilk has a few extras:

1- More than 15 antibacterial factors: This is pretty amazing because it is a protection from all the bacteria your body is exposed to. So your body will build the immunity and it will be transferred to your baby through your milk. This also happens the other way around: your baby will be exposed to harmful bacteria or viruses and will pass them to you by close contact, your body in return will produce antibodies and pass them back to your baby through breastmilk. Pretty cool huh????

2- Hormones: these will help your baby relax and better respond to stress (as will you). It will make him sleep better and also aid in the development of your baby’s immune system.

3- Enzymes: these will compensate for the immaturity of pancreas of your newborn and aid in digestion

4- Growth factors: helps your baby’s organs to mature, brain development and protects their gastrointestinal tract (gut)

5- Anti parasitic, anti viral and anti allergenic factors: breastfed babies have fewer allergies, asthma, ear infections, stomach aches and are less likely to be obese. Pretty much they are healthier and get sick less often.

If all of that wasn't enough, there are also some other benefits that are helpful to moms all around the world:

6- Mom jumps back to pre-pregnancy weight faster

7- Uterus goes back to normal size also a lot faster because as you breastfeed a hormone is released and your uterus contracts. (this can hurt in some people as it did with me, but after child birth, Ibuprofen will do wonders for this kind of pain)

8- Moms recover faster from child birth

9- If the child is jaundice, the colostrum- an antibody-rich, yellow-ish liquid produced as soon as your baby is born- has a laxative property, which will help your baby “poop” more thus getting rid of the jaundice faster (when the newborn defecates they get rid of the excess bilirubin which is accumulated in their body from their immature pancreas)

10- Your breasts do not become saggy from breastfeeding, and if they do, it is because of hormones produced during pregnancy and not because of breastfeeding (I bet a lot of you didn’t know that but have heard stories about breastfeeding makes your breasts sag!!!!! Another plus for breastfeeding: YAY!!!!!)

11- The price of formula is outrageous. They can go from simple formulas to sensitive ones depending on how your baby responds to them. It can range from $25-45 dollars a can. Where on average a baby goes through a can a week. If you do the math that’s about $1700 dollars a year.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that women breastfeed their babies exclusively until they are 6 months old, with an addition of solids from that point on. Breastfeeding is still encouraged until they are one. (After that it’s up to you whether of not you like breastfeeding enough to keep it going, but the absolute health benefits they NEED go until they are one.

Also, I want to add that your child will still benefit from the immunity provided through breastfeeding even after they are 1 too, so if you choose to keep going, NEVER feel bad and know that they are extra protected.

Now I do have a DISCLAIMER. This post is not intended to offend or to make anyone who was not able to breastfeed feel bad. If there’s one thing that I learned from working with women at WIC is that we are all different and our bodies respond to situations in life different ways. I have seen people that try their absolute hardest to breastfeed their baby, do everything we tell them and more and do not succeed. Did they fail?? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! I have also seen people that after feeding their baby still pump 6 ounces of milk from each breast (did I mention after the feeding??? Yeap!! it’s a ridiculous amount of milk, it’s what we call an oversupply) and stop breastfeeding because it’s just too much for them. Did they fail? Well….NO!! One day of breastfeeding is better than none right??

Formula is still the next best option if breastfeeding does now work for you. Do not feed your baby cow’s milk, goat’s milk, soy milk or any of that when they are newborns up until they are one. Also don’t dilute formula if you are running out of it, it can cause serious problems to your baby by giving them a mineral imbalance. ALWAYS follow the instructions of the formula manufacturer. ALWAYS!

Also don’t feel bad if for some reason you have had to supplement your baby with formula because you didn’t have enough milk. If you are following your lactation consultant’s advices and it’s still not working, the most important thing is that your baby grows and develops how he/she is supposed to. First and foremost they need nourishment, after that we can work on whatever else you are facing. The general rule is the more you empty your breast the more milk you will produce. Again: the general rule. In rare cases it does not go that way (REPEAT: rare cases).

I have a lot of stories I would love to share, but first I want to hear your questions or anything in specific that came to your mind during this post. Please keep them coming. I will base my next post on your questions.

Cheers to all the mommies out there that try so hard and give their very best to their little ones. The world needs more people like YOU!

Living on a tight budget

2010-03-18T11:03:00.001-07:00

I think one of the most difficult things to deal with as a family is the financial ups and downs. The economical situation has changed so much in these last few years and we cannot predict what's going to happen or what will our bank account be like in a couple months. Last year was probably the hardest one for many of us...the recession hit us all very hard. Some f our husbands got laid off at work, or maybe we were lucky enough that they only had hour reduction. At the time that the recession hit its peak, while many of my friends were losing their jobs, I found myself so blessed for my husband having TWO jobs. It was a real blessing and we are so grateful for that, and he had to work really hard to continue keeping both jobs.
Even with two jobs, there were really hard times. We lived a couple of months with only a little over $1,000. How did we do it? I really don't know, to be honest with you. Probably divine help, but also our hard work on our monthly expenditure planning.

Budgeting is the key when you live on a tight income. Living on a budget is sure not easy, but it will bring you peace of mind and you'll feel more secure IF you stick to it!!!
So here's a couple of things you should keep in mind when rethinking your economical situation:

CREATE A BUDGET: keep a record of your expenditures. Record and review monthly income expenses and determine what you need to reduce...especially nonessential things. On your budget you have to include FIRST all the obligations you have such as tithing and offerings (for those that contribute to whatever church you are a member of), housing, transportation, insurance, food, utilities, and so on. Everybody has their own budget and limitations. Some think that $2,000 is way to little for a family of 3 (mom, dad and one kid), some think that $3,000 is too little for just the two of you.

Just to give you an idea, I here present you my budget:

Total monthly income : $2,900
Rent: $975
Cable/Internet: $85
Electricity: $65
Car Insurance: $130 (for 2 cars)
Car loan: $210 (only 1 car..the other we bought with cash)
Groceries: $250 (anything we buy at Smiths, Sam's Club, or any other grocery store is counted as grocery.)
Gas: $240 (both cars. My husband works 35 miles from home, 5 days a week, which makes 70 miles/day for him. I work only 5 miles from home, 3 days a week.)
Fast-food: $60 (we like to have a budget for fast food or any eat-out we have so we'll keep track of how much we are spending on it. Since we love to cook, we don't spend much eating out, we do all at home. But days off are usually when we spend the whole day out and we use that money for these days or any eventuality with friends. Regular days, we eat at home)
Personal: $70 for me, $70 for Brandon, $70 for Rachel. (some months I end up spending MY personal money buying things for my daughter - as all moms do :) - but I still keep it within our budget).

GRAND TOTAL: $2,225
PS1: after paying our tithing and offerings, we still have some to put on savings!
PS2: next month we'll have an addition on our budget: health insurance ($120)

Whatever you do, however you do, just make a REAL thing for you and you family, and that works for you. Make sure you are not overdoing/overbuying and being rational about it.

SAVINGS: sometimes they can be impossible, but try to put aside what you can. Gradually build a reserve and use it for emergency only.
SHOPPING: change your shopping habits and look for good values, cheap shops rather than the ones that offer brand name. AVOID sales unless you need something in particular. Even 20% off sales + 30% off coupon can cost you a lot at the end of the day.
CREDIT CARD: keep ONE credit card (if you have any. I never had one!) for emergencies and destroy the rest.
MAKE A GROCERY LIST: before going to the grocery store, list everything you need to buy. Better yet, keep a notebook on your kitchen counter so you can write down something you need whenever you notice you need it or it is almost gone. At the store, stick to the list and don't buy any unnecessary thing. Grocery lists saves you time AND money!!!
MAKE A MEAL CALENDAR: when you plan what you are going to cook during the week/month you know what to buy and won't be clueless when dinner time is coming up. Check out Weekly Menu Planning for more details on it.
GET GREEN: pack lunch to work/school on regular food containers (Tupperware) instead of using ziptop bags. Bring you own thermos/bottle with water/juice, instead of buying bottled water or boxed juice.
CAR: avoid using your car unless you have to. Maybe now would be a good time to become car free.
INDULGENCE BUDGET: Set a personal money that you and each person can use for personal indulgences: dinning out, movies, shopping or whatever you want. And once it's gone, it's gone. In my house, this money is "rollover". If you don't spend it all the current month, you have left over for next month and so on. My husband uses his personal money to increase his arsenal of knives (he's a chef). But his knives usually cost over $100, so that means he'll have to wait 2 months to get what he wants..

And last but not least:

AVOID DEBT: Spending less money than you make is essential to your financial security. Avoid debt, with the exception of buying a modest home or paying for education or other vital needs. If you are in debt, pay it off as quickly as possible.

I am not a financial expert, don't get me wrong, I do have my splurges here and there. But I learned very young how to handle my money and what I could do with it. Value your money. You work the whole week/month to get it and it is very important that you use it wisely. Be smart, Be realistic. Live Happy!

A Hard Lesson Learned

2010-03-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

All of you know how easy it is to be too tired to think clearly, remember things, or take care of yourself. For me that was a big problem when my second baby was about 4 months old. He was born just 16 months after my first baby and needed a lot of my attention. I was constantly holding him and trying to keep my oldest out of trouble. I hardly slept, neither kids slept through the night, and I hardly ate. who has time to eat with a newborn, right? I hardly did anything but care for the two babies, and of coarse a husband as well who didn't get home until 10 or 11pm.

Well in the midst of all this chaos I started having my periods again. These weren't your normal run of the mill periods either. These were extremely heavy periods that usually required the use of a tampon and pad together (hope this doesn't get too graphic). One day after another sleepless night I went to put in a tampon like any other day. Later that day I forgot about the previous one and put another one in. After a few days I started thinking I had the flu. I felt dizzy, body aches, nauseous, headaches, chills, and couldn't think straight. Apart from feeling so miserable, I did my best to be a good mommy to my two babies until finally I physically could do no more. I laid on the sofa helpless and confused waiting for my husband to get home. At this point I honestly felt like I was dying. The whole time I thought to myself, "if I die, what will happen to my kids". Finally, my husband came home and forced me to schedule an appointment with the doctor.

The next day I saw the doctor. It wasn't long before the doctor found the extra tampon I had forgotten about days earlier. He told me I had Toxic Shock! My organs were literally shutting down. I really WAS dying! He put me on very strong antibiotics and sent me home hesitantly but did anyways because my husband was graduating that week and we were moving to another state right after. Just when I thought everything was going back to normal something else happened to me. While holding my son I experienced a minor seizure. A seizure is not a very fun thing to experience especially when you're holding a baby. The whole time I was conscious, but could not control the shaking! I was so scared of dropping my child. Fortunately I didn't drop my baby. After the antibiotics and a blessing my condition quickly improved.

After that experience I have had a new outlook on life. I don't know how to put it into words, but perhaps it was the reality of loosing my life that showed how much it meant to me. Being a mother is so much more important than it was before. I can't help but think to myself everyday what my kid's life would be like without me and how grateful I am that I survived. There is one lesson that I personally needed to learn from this experience, and that was the importance of taking better care of myself. If I don't take good care of myself, then I can't take care of others. Eating healthier along with sufficient rest is essential to motherhood. Before, I wanted to do everything myself. I wanted to be the one cleaning the house, doing the laundry, and changing the diapers. Even though I needed it badly, I was unwilling to accept or, heaven forbid, ask for help. I wanted to be a super mom! I have come to realize that I can't do that anymore.

Lets face it, we all want to be super moms because we love our kids so much! Being a mom should be an Olympic sport because it takes strength, endurance, and more endurance! Those Olympic athletes MUST be healthy to perform their best; MOMS MUST BE AS WELL!!! I know it's harder than it sounds when you have little ones, but we must find the time to take care of ourselves. Even in the Bible we find examples of the Savior taking time out for himsel. About a week ago I read an article on postpartum depression (from the Liahona-an LDS magazine) it said the following:

"It is vital that new mothers care for themselves by resting as much as possible, eating a nutritious diet, and taking “time out” with mothers’ groups or children’s play groups. In addition, because motherhood is physically and emotionally demanding, mothers should set realistic goals that allow for flexibility, remembering that “to every thing there is a season” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)."

I strongly agree with this statement! What I'd like all of you to do is to make a simple/realistic goal to improve your health in a specific way. This goal could be anything from going to playgroups, social workshops, or even a nice walk through the neighborhood. Feel free to share your ideas and experiences. I will start - I am making a goal to eat less sugar and drink more water.

Get Crafty

2010-03-17T06:52:00.001-07:00

I would also like to share a cool website I just found of crafts for toddlers and preschoolers. What I didn't like about it was that there's a lot of things that the parent/caregiver has to make, so it's not really crafts that your children will make but more like crafts you will do for them to play with. Did that make sense? Hope so.
Anyway, I still thought there were some good ideas (and there are a few things children can make).
Sometimes I feel like Jasmine is too young for those sorts of things (she's two and a half) so that's why I researched specifically for toddlers.

Do any of you have any websites of crafts for children you would like to share? Do any of you have a fun craft idea for toddlers? Please share!

Here's the website I told you about:

http://stepbystepcc.com/toddlercrafts.html

preschool website

2010-03-15T22:15:00.000-07:00

I can't afford to send my kids to preschool so I do my own at home preschool with them a few days a week. I am always looking for fun ways to help teach my kids. I just found this fun website that I like and thought I would share it with any of you who have preschool age kids. The link is http://www.starfall.com/

It gets better

2010-03-15T05:43:00.001-07:00

When Trevor and I got married we agreed to try to have a baby around our one year anniversary, but that first year went by super fast and we didn't feel "ready." Around our second year anniversary, Trevor wakes up one morning and says "ok, lets have a baby!" and I was overjoyed. But there was a problem... I had been told by a few different doctors that I was infertile because of endometriosis. We went to our doctor who had instructed us to stop birth control for a few months now to see how my fertility would go, suggested ovulation kits and etc, but still told me to come back in six months to try some feritlity treatments - which made me feel ZERO confidence that I would get pregnant. I guess I was meant to prove science wrong, though, because on our first month trying, we got pregnant! And I was freaking out! I wasn't feeling "ready" yet because in my head this wasn't supposed to happen, especially this fast. I mean, I had come to terms with adopting and everything! But there I was, with little seed in my belly.

My pregnancy was great. I worked full-time till a week before I was due. No sickness, no crazy cravins, no fatigue, gym and zumba, just a little heartburn close to the end, and a sprained ankle! Sometimes I felt this was a dream and I would wake up and not be pregnant because of how good I felt. Olivia's due date came and went and one week later I was induced, pushed for almost 6 hours, little stinker went UP and I underwent a c-section to get her out safely. She was born on March 21st at 7:47pm, 6lbs10oz and 20in. But it was when she first came into my post-delivery room that I noticed something was off.

I didn't want to hold Olivia. I looked at her in that little plastic box, so pretty, so peaceful, but I didn't want her close to me. My mom and the nurses would bring her close to me on the bed and tried to cuddle but it felt weird. In my head I was thinking, "if I don't touch her, I don't get attached, and if I don't get attached, she's not really mine." I think I was fearing all the responsability that comes with motherhood. Everytime I looked at Olivia I asked myself "What in the world was I thinking? I can't do this! I can't raise a daughter of God! There is no way! What the heck did I get myself into?" We went home and I seriously cried almost the entire day for about 3 weeks. I cried while I took a shower, I cried while I tried to eat, I ran to my room crying when people came visit, I cried when I looked at her, I cried when I watched tv, I cried... all...the... time! My poor mom was so worried, and thank heavens she was here cuz I was in no shape to cook or clean or take care of a baby. Trevor would call our dr desperately asking for a solution to my crying, to which he was told "it's hormones, it's normal, it'll go away in a couple of weeks." But it didn't go away. I think the fact that I couldn't breastfeed made it even worse.

My milk barely came. I mean, I had drops at a time. At the hospital poor Olivia was hungry for two days because the nurses wouldn't give me formula and I didn't have much to feed her myself. They brought a hospital pump and after pumping for 10 minutes still nothing came out. Nada! On our last night the nurses finally gave me some formula and told me to feed her 10ml at a time. TEN MILLILITERS! That's not enough, but I didn't know it then. My poor baby was still hungry, and I felt guilty.

My doctor told me it could be because of all the stress my body went through with the c-section and all the meds. He said while most moms get their milk by the third day, I might get mine by the fifth day. So when the fifth day came and went and still no milk, I started to freak out. I REALLY wanted to breastfeed! That was the plan!! I started taking brewer's yeast, mother's milk plus, my mother was making sure I ate 6 healthy meals a day, lots of fluids, I was stimulating, pumping to try to stimulate even more, I was putting Olivia on the breast at every feeding, I saw three lactation specialists and did everything they told me to... but what am I gonna do when my child starts crying because there is nothing there? Am I going to let her starve? I chose not to. Finally that week, her fourth week in this world, I started to accept that breastfeeding was not going to happen. My doctor asked me to relax and enjoy Olivia, he said breastfeeding is not supposed to be stressful or depressing for me or the baby and if it doesn't happen... move on. I cried almost every time I had to feed her a bottle and not my milk. I think this was my first experience as a mom that showed me that things don't always go as we planned, as we wanted, as we thought would be best. For some reason it wasn't meant to be that I breastfed my baby, my first baby, and maybe my only baby. It makes me sad, it makes me feel like a bad mother, it makes me wonder what else in the future I won't be able to do for my daughter...

Olivia turns one in a week. Things have been getting better but it's still a struggle for me to just feel happy, to have joy for life, to want to go out and DO things. I love her to death, I absolutely LOVE her and I tell her everyday that she saves my life. To someone who hasn't suffered depression, it is very hard to understand it. It's a fight, a daily counscious effort to want to live. It's counting your blessings and wanting really bad for them to make the black cloud over your head disappear. Over this past year I have tried four antidepressants, welbutrin, prozac, zyprexa and prestiq. if you don't know about antidepressants, they usually take four to six weeks to "start working." I haven't felt that one of these have "started working" for me, so right now I am not on any of them, but thinking about trying them again. I am thinking on trying another antidepressant again because once you find the right one, it WILL help. It will help you sleep better, it will help you not feel so anxious, it will help you not have crying spells on your way to work, it will help you have energy to get out of the couch, it will help your stomach and bowels work better, it will help you FUNCTION. Depression is not new to me, I was diagnosed with clinical depression when I was in my late teens and since then have tried different types of treatment, so over the years I have learned some things about this illness. I know that counseling is key and I see a therapist a few times a month, which helps. Post Partum Depression, though, has been way stronger than any other phase I have EVER experienced. My depression worsens when I am under stressfull situations and I think we all agree that having a baby does add some stress to our lives.

Some days are harder than others. There are still days that I get home from work and lay on the couch and pray that Olivia won't get hurt playing by herself on the floor. Sometimes I fall asleep and wake up to her playing with my face, kissing my cheeks or laying her head on my stomach. There are days and days that go by without me showering, or brushing my teeth, or eating anything healthy or wanting to go out. I go to work and come back home and that's about 90% of my energy for that day. Sometimes I don't even talk to Olivia much... I don't know what to say, I have exhausted the word sorry and I just really think she would be better off with another mommy. There are days that I just cry all day, wanting desperatly for this "thing" to leave my mind, my body and my soul. Why me? Why ME? It will get better, right?

So this is my experience. The only thing that I really want to stress is that depression is a clinical illness that needs to be treated. Our society overall is so uneducated in regards to "mental illnesses". You have no idea how many times I was told things like "if you say your prayers you'll feel better" or "your problem is the lack of the Spirit in your life" and etc. Those comments are hurtfull but above all, they are ignorant. Actually Sundays are some of my worst days because when I do go to Church I feel even worse about myself, about not being able right now to feel the joy that I know I should be feeling in life. Being active in the Gospel and doing what we know is right does not keep us from being ill, unfortunately, and just like a diabetic needs insullin, someone who suffers from depression might need some medication too. So if you feel less happy than what you used to feel, if you sometimes see no joy in life, if you feel overwhelmed and desperate or if you just want to go back to being your "old self", talk to your doctor, be honest to yourself and to him/her. They are there to help us and we need to feel better, we DESERVE to be HAPPY! I can sincerely say I do not feel 100% happy all the time, but I am trying, a day at a time, faith and hope till the end. Good luck to us all :)

With love, Kika*

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What are some of the things us moms can do to feel better at times of sadness, fatigue and distress? Please share your ideas! - Aline

A TREAT FOR US MOMMIES!

2010-03-13T12:17:00.000-08:00

Here is a nice treat I would like to offer everyone who participates in this blog in any way:

Next week, from the 18-21, will be the GIVE AND GET at GAP (for those of you who don't know, I work at BABY GAP in Park City) and we employees get to give out 30% off coupons to our friends and family to go shopping at GAP, OLD NAVY, BANANA REPUBLIC, and PIPERLIME. You can use this coupon as many time as you want during these days and at any of these stores, so it's a pretty good deal. The reason they're doing this is so they can donate a % of the money to a non-profit organization and I chose the TEACH FOR AMERICA. So if you need an excuse to go shopping, HERE IT IS!

I know I don't know all of you, but I would like to give each of you a coupon, since I know how nice it is these days whenever we can get a discount! What I'm trying to do is, if you live in Utah I would like to send you one through the mail, and if you don't, then I can e-mail you one. I get 25 paper coupons and 25 e-mails to send out, so that's why. And if you don't even live in the US, this coupon let's you shop ONCE online, so it's also a good deal that way!

If you're interested, please give me your e-mail or your home address, and if you don't want to do it in the comments, just e-mail me at audreyholjeson@yahoo.com

I need to mail them soon so you can get them on time, so HURRY!!!!!

The importance of reading to little ones

2010-03-12T21:04:00.001-08:00

While I was trying to find an important document to take to the kids' doctor's appointment today, I noticed Eric was really quiet somewhere in the house. Jasmine was at my parents' house and she and my mom were going to meet us before we went.
I was so busy trying to find this document, that I didn't bother to go see where Eric was, even though I was a little worried he might be getting into trouble. Minutes passed, and I finally decided to go see the reason for such silence. I checked in the kitchen and he wasn't there. Looked in the computer room and nothing. Then I went to check in Jasmine's room and to my surprise, he was right there sitting in Jasmine's reading corner looking at books. I just kept observing by the door without him noticing me. He was turning the pages slowly and was very concentrated. I just smiled.

(This is Jasmine's reading corner).

I love the fact that my children are so hooked on books, like it's something magical to them. Every night when Jasmine lays down on her bed she says, "Mamãe, conta historinha!" which in English means, "Mommy, tell a story!" Her new favorite is "the owl story" as she calls it, but it's really called "Vidinha Boa" which means "Good Little Life".

I know that most of you have children from the ages 0-5, right? So what kind of books do you read to your children? You read to your children, right? Right????

Well, sometimes us new mothers can be quite clueless about some things and that's okay; babies don't come with an user's manual.
I can say I was totally clueless to this subject before I took a children's literature class and read an amazing book called The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. And today I would like to share with you a little bit about the importance of reading to your children from when they're first born.

So let's start with this question: Which book is better for infants?
Since infants don't really concentrate and understand what you're reading, I would say WHATEVER you're reading. Even if it's one of the Twilight series' books or a magazine. Read it while you're nursing, whatever! But do read aloud. The child will get accustomed to your "reading voice" and if you do it while nursing, cuddling, rocking, or feeding your baby, they will associate it with a relaxing-happy moment. You can also read them books with rhymes and colorful books because they will stimulate hearing and sight. A book I really like (and Jasmine used to ak me to read it to her over and over again) is The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss. I read it so much I ended up memorizing it. Rhyming books are also a wonderful tool to help children with their reading skills later on.

Here's another question for you mommies: What is normal behavior by the infant or toddler during the readings?
(This also varies from child to child, but most children act this way. If you're new at this reading aloud ordeal, this might help you). This is all directly from the book:

At four months of age, since he has limited mobility, a child has little or no choice but to listen and observe, thus making a passive and noncombative audience for the parent, who is probably thinking, "This is easy!"
By six months, however, the child is more interested in grabbing the book to suck on it than listening (which he's also doing). Bypass the problem by giving him a teething toy or other distraction.
At eight months, he may prefer turning pages to steady listening. Allow him ample opportunity to explore this activity, but don't give up on the book entirely.
At twelve months, the child's involvement grows to turning pages for you, pointing to objects you name on the page, even making noises for animals on cue.
By fifteen months and the onset of walking, his restlessness blossoms fully, and your reading times must be chosen so as not to frustrate his immediate interests.

I used to love sitting on a rocking chair with Jasmine when she was about 2-5 months old and just reading away. Book after book. She was such a good baby and most of the time she would just sit there, listening to my voice and looking at the pictures.

There are many, many (or should I say countless??) benefits from reading aloud to your children (and we'll talk more about this next week). If you haven't already, start now! Start early! If you are pregnant, start a children's book library right away! You don't need to buy tons of expensive books. Start with one that you love and go from there. And there's alwayays the library too, so there are no excuses. You can even find some at the thrift store in good condition.
My mother-in-law gave me this website (click here) a few days ago and told me that a friend of hers buys books from them. There are some great deals, you should check it out!

So to give you guys a head start...Here are a few rhyming books that I LOVE:

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by bill Martin, Jr.

The Napping House by Audrey Wood

The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss

There's a Wocket in my Pocket by Dr. Seuss

There are so many more I could put on here and I will if you guys want me to. But first I want to know what are some of your favorite books for babies and small children. Do share!

Project Organization - Weekly Menu Planning

2010-03-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

What's for dinner?

It's the question of the hour. Too many of us look for answers in the supermarket at 5 p.m. Hurried, harassed by hungry children, we rack our brains for an answer to the dinner-hour question.
Three meals a day. Seven dinners a week. From supermarket to pantry, refrigerator to table, sink to cupboard, the kitchen routine can get old, old, old.
No wonder we hide our heads like ostriches from the plain and simple fact: into each day, one dinner must fall.

What's the answer? A menu plan!

Menu planning doesn't have be complicated. A small investment of time can result in great rewards:

A menu plan saves money. Reducing trips to the supermarket, a menu plan reduces impulse spending.
A menu plan saves time. No dash to the neighbors for a missing ingredient, no frantic searches through the freezer for something, anything to thaw for dinner nor those last minute rushes to the store to get that one missing ingredient.
A menu plan improves nutrition. Without the daily dash to the supermarket, there's time to prepare side dishes and salads to complement the main dish.

So dare to do try it. Menu planning is great way to start organizing you home.

Here are some tips that have helped my in my quest for no drama, no hassle and happy dinner making:

Start Simple

Seven dinners a week, simple meals. Sure it would be nice to index all our recipes, entering the data in a relational database and crunching menus till the year 2015, but resist the urge. Think - next week.
Where to start? The food flyers from your local newspaper. Try to make your menu plan and shopping list the day the food ads appear. Add to that your favorite cook book and/or recipe blogs and you're off to a great start!

The Basics

So, this is what I do, ads in hand, calendar on one side, grocery list on the other, and recipe blog/sites opened up in front of me; I sit down on Sunday night for 30-45 minutes and start browsing. I look at recipes I've made in the past weeks, I look at what I've bookmarked as recipes I want to try and I look at what's on sale on the ads. Putting those together, I get 7 meals (sometimes more that I get to carry over for the next week). Then I spend a few more minutes putting together the grocery list for that week, and ta-da! I'm done!

Be flexible

A good idea is to set certain days for certain things. For example, here in the Baer home:

Monday-Wednesday :Varies
Thursday: Left overs
Friday: Pizza Night (homemade of some sort or ordered)
Saturday: Grillin' Day
Sunday: Pasta/Lasagna

But sometimes, on Thursday, I don't feel like left overs, I want something fresh, or maybe pizza. It's ok to switch things up! Be flexible, plan 7 meals, set each one with a day but if you want to or feel like, go ahead and switch Thursday and Saturday up, or Monday and Friday. It's supposed to give you guidance and accountability, but it's not set in stone.

Make It A Habit

Simple or not, a menu plan won't help you if you don't make one. Weekly menu planning is a good candidate for the Habit Patrol. Get into the habit of planning before you shop, and you'll get hooked.

Recycle Menu Plans

After you've made menu plans for a few weeks, the beauty of the activity shines through: recycle them! Your family won't mind, and you'll save even more time and energy. You can repeat the whole week and even use the same shopping list if you've saved it, or you can just look back and pick the meals you'd like to repeat.

Adapted from The Organized Home - Menu Planning
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I love cooking, but always stressed tremendously over "the question." I tried, many moons ago, a monthly menu. It worked for a while, except that I didn't really make it a habit nor did I really ever do it right.
But lately in my quest for organization and sanity, I realized I needed a weekly menu plan and I needed to be serious about it.

And this what I have been doing: every Sunday I sit down and plan, one week at a time, sometimes I can even get a few days of the next week. No more daily runs to the store, no more impulse spending, no more hair-tearing-drama over what to make for dinner!

I've made a point to keep meals simple. Sure I'll whip out the fancy utensils here and there, but on most days, it's simple, quick, 30-40 min meals max.

So, I dare you. I dare you to organize you meals. It may not work for you for some reason or another, and if that's the case, it's ok!

But, if you struggle with coming up with what to make for dinner; if you hate the many trips to the grocery store for just one or two items, repeatedly; or if you just want to give it a try. Do it - I dare you!

And if you already have some sort of menu planning dealy-o going on, do share!

What works for you?

What doesn't work?

Where do you go for ideas?

To inspire you, here are a few recipe blogs and sites that I really enjoy and always use when looking for recipes.

- Our Best Bites
- Good Life Eats
- Let's Cook (that's Paty's blog, she's got some good ideas!)
- Chef Britta
- This week for dinner
- Anna Cooks (that's me!)
- Simply Recipes
- For the Love of Cooking

Another use for baby powder

2010-03-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

Okay all you moms out there, I know that I am not the only one who finds it difficult to shower everyday and gets the greasy hair blues. Well I found a trick that I thought I'd share.....and it's not wearing a hat!

Step 1 - get a small amount of baby powder in between fingertips (you may have to experiment to get the right amount for your hair, if you get too much your hair may stay white)

Step 2 - With fingertips rub the baby powder at roots of hair. This can be done all over roots or in specific places where grease has built up.

Step 3- Blow dry hair (yes you blow dry your dry hair) and run a circle brush under top sections like you are styling it. You can tease the hair too if you like to do that.

Step 4 - admire the added volume and less grease

In the summer I actually do this to my hair everyday, even if I had showered, just to help my hair have more volume and look better by the end of the day.

Let me know if any of you try this and if it works for you :)

Playdough

2010-03-10T07:18:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from a book titled 365 Days of Baby Love. It's a pretty neat book with lots of activities for babies and toddlers. There are many recipes out there for playdough, this is just one of the many variations. It is smooth and pliable and can be stored in a plastic container or ziplock bag for several weeks (it doesn't have to be refrigerated).

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon food coloring
2 cups water

Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until dough leaves sides of pan. Continue to stir dough ball around in the pan for a minute, then remove it from pan and knead for several minutes. Once cool, you are ready to play! My girls love to play rolling it and using cookie cutter shapes.

Questions for mommies

2010-03-08T14:46:00.000-08:00

A few of you have asked me if we were going to have a day for questions, and I thought that was a great idea!

Since we have had many questions (and you can still keep sending them through facebook or directly to my email) I'm going to post about 2-3 at a time so it won't get so confusing. So if your question isn't on here yet, don't worry, it will be. This is just in order of whoever sent it to me first.

So here they are:

- When and how should I transition my baby from a crib to a toddler bed?

- When did you start potty training your kid? I have a 19 month-old girl and I really want to start potty training her...So I won't have to change diapers anymore.

Now all you have to do is answer whatever you would like! Please share your own experiences if you've already gone through any (or all) of this. If you haven't you're more than welcome to leave tips and suggestions.

Now let's learn from one another, shall we?

A Tough Time

2010-03-08T05:58:00.000-08:00

Did you know that 15-20% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage and 80% of those occur within the first trimester. Three and a half years ago I didn’t know that.

My husband and I had been married for about 8 months or so and had just found out we were expecting. Our plan was actually to wait a about a year after marriage before trying to start a family, but for many of you that live in a university town where everyone seems to be pregnant…that’s a little hard. It seemed like half the population of that town was pregnant. Then, there’s always people asking “when are you gonna have a baby?” Anyway, I guess we kinda got baby hungry and we decided that we would stop birth control, we really weren’t trying to get pregnant, we figured whenever it would happen, it would be fine with us. About three months after we stop birth control, we found out I was pregnant. I seriously couldn’t believe it, I thought it would take longer. I bought a pregnancy test, but I was so sure that the test was going to be negative. When I took the test, there was no mistake, the pregnancy test flashed a quick “PREGNANT.” After the shock and nervousness went away, we both got really excited and started to call our parents to tell them the good news.

About two weeks later (six weeks pregnant), while at church, I began spotting, we left church early and I was lightly bleeding. I had zero pain so I wasn’t really sure if it was really a miscarriage or not. I asked my husband for a blessing and he did. In the blessing, he blessed me to accept what was happening and blessed me with comfort. I couldn’t believe it! I was a somewhat upset with him, because I wanted a blessing that would say that everything would be fine and the baby as well. Instead, I knew right at that moment that the pregnancy wasn’t going to continue. We continued with our day normally, had friends over for dinner, but couldn’t help to feel sad once our friends left and we were both back to facing what was going on. The next day, I had a doctors appointment, but they still couldn’t tell if I had miscarried or not. They confirmed it by the end of the week.

I felt so alone, like this was only happening to me. The Dr. told me how common miscarriages were, specially early on in pregnancy, but it was hard to believe him, when I hadn’t heard of anyone in my family or friends/acquaintances who had suffered a miscarriage. I felt abnormal. We called our families to tell them the news, a couple of friends found out as well. At home I would sometimes just start crying, and my sweet husband was always there to comfort me whenever I needed. I wasn’t really planning for this baby, but at the moment I found out I was pregnant, I wanted him/her so bad! I remember a comment someone said two days after the miscarriage, “well, I think the best thing for you to do is wait at least seven months before you start thinking about getting pregnant again.” I didn’t like the comment, I didn’t tell her that…I just sorta ignored it. I figured it was easy for her to say because she had a ton of kids already. In my head, I was going to try and get pregnant as soon as I could.

Early January I found out I was pregnant again. It was a very exciting time, but a time full of worries again. I think miscarriages are traumatizing, it was a constant worry in my head. Every time I went to the bathroom, I would check to see if I was bleeding. As much as I tried not to think about it, I couldn’t, I really couldn’t get away from the thought/fear. I passed the six week mark…felt a little better, but not enough for the fear of miscarriage to disappear. It just felt like I had passed my first check point. I couldn’t wait for my first Dr.’s appointment (scheduled at 8 weeks), it seemed like an eternity.

The time finally came for our appointment…I think I was a nerve wreck (I didn’t show it too much, but inside I was). The Dr. did an ultrasound and quickly said that it wasn’t a good pregnancy. He didn’t see a heartbeat and the sac was not nicely round I guess. He quickly suggested a D & C or to take some pills to end the pregnancy. My husband and I on the other hand felt the need to wait. I continued going every two days to get my blood levels drawn, and they were doubling like a normal pregnancy. We decided to wait a couple more weeks before a decision was made. We didn’t want to terminate the pregnancy unless we were 100% sure that it wasn’t a viable pregnancy. After two weeks we went for a scheduled ultrasound and it was confirmed that the pregnancy wasn’t viable. I was given a prescription to terminate the pregnancy, because I was already around 11 weeks pregnant and hadn’t miscarried on my own, they feared that I would get an infection. I picked up the pills and on our way home, I read all the possible side effects, it was quite a scary list. If I remember correctly one of them was the possibility of not getting pregnant again. I chicken-out and decided not to use the pills. I told my husband, that I would give it another week before I took the pills, and hopefully I would miscarry on my own.

As we drove into our apartment complex, a friend met us there, we had found out the same week we were both pregnant, her due date was a week after mine. She had picked up a bouquet of flowers for me and brought it over cause she knew of my appointment. I told her of my plans of waiting on the pills and she invited me to a church activity so that it would help distract me. I thought it would be a good idea so I went…I was sorry I did. The majority of the time I like church activities, but this one happened to be focused on motherhood. The speakers were talking about how we shouldn’t be selfish and postpone motherhood in order to pursue other interest, to be good mothers, anyway, just a whole array of topics that I thought were great, but not something I wanted to hear at the moment. I felt really sad/angry, here I was, with a full desire of being a mother, but yet for the second time, the opportunity was taken away from me. I was fighting the tears throughout the meeting.

I think Heavenly Father gave me the strength and comfort I needed, now instead of being super sad about the miscarriage, my focus and hope was that I would miscarry naturally so I wouldn’t have to use the darn pills I had. The following Friday, at around 10 pm, I began to feel light cramps, I figured it was time, and I was glad I wasn’t going to have the pills after all. The cramps got worse as the minutes passed, I had contractions. The pain kept getting more and more unbearable and I kept going from my bedroom to the bathroom. The pain was so bad, I felt I was going to pass out. I felt nauseous and had the chills. My husband was scared, he didn’t know what to do, he was helping me as much possible trying to comfort me, but I was in so much pain, I was making him nervous. A little over two hours later, he was determined to take me to the emergency room. I told him to give me a blessing instead and then we would go from there. He remembered the pain pills that they had prescribed for when I would take the pills to end the pregnancy. I told him to give me half of one pill (I hate pills, specially if they are big ones). He brought me half a pill, some water, and then immediately gave me a blessing. It was a very quick blessing, only a minute or two long, but by the time he said Amen, the pain was completely gone. I felt perfectly fine, not even light cramps, nothing.

After the second miscarriage I was really worried about the possibility of being a mom. Would it ever happen for me? I really understood what the Dr. was telling me, that our bodies are smart, and if something is wrong with a pregnancy, our own body takes care of it. I finally decided that Heavenly Father did want me to become a mom, be it by having a biological child or through adoption, but I WAS going to be a mom. About three months after our second miscarriage, I was pregnant again (definitely getting pregnant wasn‘t an issue). Once again, the worries started, luckily I was able to get an early appointment because I couldn't stand not knowing. We went to our appointment and immediately we saw a little heart beating! It was the most amazing feeling in the world. There was life!!! Yay!! I seriously thought nothing could top the happiness I felt at the moment except, for the second little heart we saw beating. Amazingly enough, we were pregnant with twins!!!! Nine months later, we welcomed our beautiful daughters to our family. Motherhood is amazing and I feel blessed and privileged to be a mother.

Although these two experiences in my life brought me so much pain, I came to the understanding that those first pregnancies weren't meant to be. Luckily I received a lot of support from my husband, family and friends as I overcame that tough time in my life. I think my experience also brought hope to people I knew that miscarried. Here was someone they knew that had gone through something they were going through and now she had healthy daughters.

Children's Books

2010-03-06T05:14:00.000-08:00

I absolutely LOVE children's books. I started my collection long before I even thought about having kids. There's just something magical about them. I also love art, and some of these books' illustrations blow me away.

I would like to start this topic by asking each of you:

what was your favorite children's book growing up? What was so special about that one book that made it your favorite?

Well, here's my all-time favorite children's book:

King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood.
The story talks about a kig who doesn't want to get out of the bathtub and everybody in the castle tries to get him out but ends up in the bathtub as well.

I bought it when I was bout seven-years-old and what really caught my attention were the illustrations. But it made it even better when I read it for the first time and realized that the story was good too! I just remember thinking how I had never seen anything like it before.

So there you go, I really recomend this one! And make sure to check out all of Audrey Wood and Don Wood's books, they're all great!

Organization is Key.

2010-03-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

As mothers, I'm sure we have all come to this conclusion.

At one point or another, one way or another we have realized that we need some sort of organization in order to avoid chaos.

As a teenager, I used to be organized. Extremely organized. And by extremely, I do mean, extremely. I have insomnia, and back then I used it to my advantage and when I couldn't sleep, I organized my room.

Everything was organized, from the tinniest paper clip to the thickest wool sweater, everything was color coordinated, separeted by size, use, style, form, shape etc. Everything had it's place, everything was always in place.

But of course, that was back when I only had to worry about my room. I didn't have do my laundry or stocked up the toiled paper. It all just magically appeared.

Being organized brings harmony to a home. You don't have to be a neat freak about it, you don't have to color coordinate all your shirts or alphabetize your pantry. All you need to do is find your level of organization and find out what you need.

- Maybe you're the kind that is never behind on laundry, but toys all around, every where, all the time.
- Maybe you're the kind that has an impeccable pantry, but piles and piles of paper,bills, letters etc. on the kitchen table.
- Maybe you're the kind that always knows what to make for dinner, but whatever you do, don't open the hallway closet...

If it works for you. Then it's ok!

The keys is knowing that some sort of organization is important, and finding what it is that you need.

I like organization and like to have a place for everything and a time. After all, organization is not just about object placement, but also about schedules and routines, right?!

Now, I'm not the most organized person. In fact, if you were to see my house right now you would think I am the most DISorganized person in the world. Which right now, I really am. My house is mad chaos, everything is out of place, and because we're moving in less then a month, nothing really has a place.

There is an endless array of topics within this topic for which I'm WAY excited to talk about. After all, I am an Organizational Behaviorist (according to my diploma anyway...).

Most of what I know, I have learned from other moms. Some old, some new, some stay at home and others I only know through their published books.

But either way, let's start off by getting organized shall we?

What's your biggest organization pet-peeve?
What can you deal with and what can you not?
What do you wish you were better at?

My biggest pet-peeve is homeless things. Everything needs a place, a container, a drawer, something to be with his friends and not clutter other places. It's so much easier to find things when they have a home and are at their home!

I can deal with toys all around, it doesn't really bother me, but I hate being behind on the laundry (even though I usually am).

I wish I were better with keeping up with filing letters, bills and such, and not just letting them hang around for weeks in my kitchen counter...

Topics - Continued...

2010-03-04T05:42:00.000-08:00

So not many people volunteered to write about our different topics, just Anna, Kika, and Paty (she didn't leave a coment but I've been talking to her) but you can still choose a topic and just write about it on the day it's on.

Anyway, these are the days we're going to be posting about each topic:

Monday: Things we go through
Tuesday: Child development
Wednesday: Crafts for children
Thursday: Health & Safety/Beauty & Nutrition for mom (breastfeeding will be under health)
Friday: Organization/Home & Fashion
Saturday: Children's literature

So we're going to start tomorrow with organization. I'm excited to see what Anna's been writing! I also LOVE organizing and wish I had more time to do so.

Okay seriously girls, we have like 16 contributors so let's pick a topic!

Do You Still Love Me At 2 am?

2010-03-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

My husband sent me this today on my email. He wrote it himself. We've been having hard nights with our children lately, especially Eric. It is funny because one of the times I got up last night I thought of exactly this. So here it goes:

"Do you still love me at 2 am?"

I think my son wonders this – seriously!

Recently he has been waking up in the middle of the night and SCREAMING! I can’t quite figure out why he is doing it – is it teeth? Is it his stuffy nose? Is it gas? Is he scared of the dark? Or is it just to see if I really love him unconditionally?

Well, I had a lot of time to think about it last night, and although there were times when I questioned my feelings for him (not really), I came to the following conclusion: I am going to cherish EVERY SINGLE moment I get to hold him and cuddle him, even if that means I need to drag myself out of bed multiple times in the middle of the night to do it.

Sooner than I can imagine, I know this magical, special time will be over, and he will be all grown up. Let’s be honest, when he is 13 years-old and he sleeping even more than he should, do you think I am going to remember how hard it was to get out of bed when he was a baby? I think not. All I will remember will be his quick, little heartbeat and his shallow little snore as he peacefully, and happily fell asleep.

There are those who say: “Don’t pick him up because it will become a habit.” I mean, heaven forbid he become addicted to the security of my loving arms and gentle kisses, right?

Give me a break!

I know we are all concerned with our health, and sleep is the one thing we all wish we had more of, but I think we all need a little paradigm shift on this one. What do we value more, a few extra minutes of unconsciousness, or the sweet, unconditional love and trust of our dear children? We won't remember if we got 8 hours or 4 hours of sleep during the night of March 2-3, 2010, but the subtle message we send to our child of, “Don’t be scared, don’t cry – I’m here and I love you,” will have a lasting effect on his/her heart and will forge a relationship of love and trust that will live forever – literally.

So... I am going to get up. I am going to pick him up. I am going to hold him and love him, and I am going to LOVE DOING IT while I still can!

Topics

2010-03-03T06:19:00.000-08:00

Here are some topic ideas I've had from what I read on your comments and from talking to some of our contributors.

- Crafts for children
- Breastfeeding
- Beauty & nutrition for mom
- Health & Safety
- Home & Fashion (fashion includes tips on what stores are on sale, what's cute & comfy for mom, etc).
- Organization tips
- Things we go through (this includes things like weight gain, pregnancy,miscarriage, post-partum depression, working after having a baby, daily struggles, etc)
- Things to do for cheap or for free (in your area)
- Children's literature
- Child Development (this includes things like sleeping through the night, potty training and everything child-related)

I would like each of you (contributors) to think about 1 or more topics you would like to be in charge of. There can definitely be more than one person in charge of a certain topic, especially because I don't want any of you to feel overwhelmed with this. After we have it all sorted out we will pick certain days of the week to talk about each topic; some will even be like every 2 weeks or so.

If any of you are interested in writing on this blog but don't have access to it, please give me your email and I'll add you as a contributor.

Also, if you don't speak/write english very well you can still do this. Just write it in Portuguese, save it as a draft and I'll translate it and post in English and in Portuguese, which is even better.

Another thing: don't be shy and just GO for it. If you don't contribute, than there is no reason for us to keep going with this blog. I'm not an expert and this isn't a blog only about my life and my kids. It's about all of us mommies out there and our different experiences. We are here to learn with one another.

Oh, and if you have any more ideas on topics for this blog, please let me know!

Thank you girls SO much, you are the BEST! We're going to have SO much fun with this thing!

"You WILL Need This"

2010-03-02T17:21:00.000-08:00

This is a post to all the new mommies or mommies-to-be out there...

BABY GEAR!

What do I absolutely need?
What can I do without?
What is a non-essencial, but nice thing to have for a new baby?

If you are expecting a baby, you have probably thought about some of these questions. If you are expecting for the second or third time, you are probably wondering what you will do differently this time around. Am I right?

I really haven't had a lot of time to think about this and so I want to start a little "dialog" here.

One of the contributors of this blog, Camila Amorim, is expecting her first baby and she asked me if we could write about this topic.

So here we go:

Just the other day I found this website called simple mom and she wrote an article called "The things you don't need (but they say you do) for a new baby." And here's her list:

1. More than one stroller
2. Shopping cart cover
3. Baby wipe warmers
4. Full-size highchair
5. Diaper pail
6. Baby detergent
7. Changing table
8. Glider
9. Baby lotion

(If you are interested in reading her reasons, click here to see the original post).

Well, I am almost embarrassed to admit, I bought every-single-one of the things on her "You Don't Need" list - except the glider anyway (My mother-in-law still had the rocking chair she used with her last baby, and that's what I used).

Here is what I think:

1. STROLLERS
I bought a travel system (stroller/car seat combo) with my first child, but I sold it when I moved back to Brazil. I brought a "double stroller" to Brazil instead, so I could haul around my two kids at the samem time (I was expecting my second when we moved here, and my daughter was only 15-months-old when Eric was born so we really needed it). After they graduated from the "double stroller" (we rarely use it anymore, it's too heavy and I never go out by myself anyway), we bought two Maclaren Quest strollers which are the BEST strollers EVER! I absolutely love them and I am so glad we purchased them even though they were a little pricey (around $250 each). They are light-weight and fold so easily. They are so easy to manuever and they just glide so smoothly. I don't regret buying the "double stroller" first though, it really helped us a LOT. Sometimes I wish I had a double Maclaren stroller for when I go out by myself, but like I said, that rarely ever happens.

(This is the exact one Jasmine has, and Eric has a brown-and-blue one).

When it comes to strollers, I believe every situation is different - it really depends I guess. All I can say is, take some time to really consider what will work best for your situation.

I think for my next child I am going to get something like this:

Maclaren's Easy Traveler. Can you tell I just love this brand? A woman at my church has this stroller, and it looks like it's so light, and it has this huge, oversized basket underneath it. The only problem is, I'm not sure it comes with a cup holder, which is the ONE thing I really miss from having a "travel system". It says on the description it comes with one, but I can't see it in this picture.

I already have a Graco carseat I could use with this stroller, and best of all, it's only $88!!

For 1st time mothers, if I would have known how bulky those travel systems can get, I would definitely just purchase a carseat and this (and then later on, a light-weight stroller).

2. SHOPPING CART COVER
I bought a shopping cart cover and I thought it was nice because my kids like putting their mouths on the handle - GROSS! I'm no germophobic but I do think it's gross. And plus, you can hang toys and stuff on it to keep your child entertained. Another thing I really liked, there's a little pocket where you can put your car keys in as soon as you lock the door (which was GREAT for me since I hate trying to find my keys in my purse everytime I leave a store).

Truth is, it's not all that necessary, but it's nice to have.

3. BABY WIPE WARMER
I also bought a baby wipe warmer and I don't think it is necessary if you live anywhere outside of Idaho. It was nice to have when Jasmine was a newborn and she would cry everytime I wiped her bottom with the cold wipes. I wasted too much time trying to warm them up in my own hands like Simple Mom suggests, and I don't think it really helped. I used it during the winter months and when she was really little. I didn't use it with Eric and my husband hated it because he said it made the wipes dry out.

4. HIGH CHAIR
I have had 3 full-sized highchairs in the past 2 years and I think I'm just plain stupid. I will get rid of them and will never buy them ever again! They take up SO much space, the child gets isolated from the rest of the family during family dinners, and I always trip over it and hurt myself! Once I even broke my big toe nail in half!

Booster seats work great. We have one at my parent's house and I love it, I wish I had 2 of them at my own house. I even think all the messes they make when they eat would be easier to clean if they both ate at the table because the food wouldn't fall on the floor so much.

This fisher price booster seat (the same one my parents have) only costs $19.99!! You attach it to a chair and it works like a high chair when they are little, and when they get older, you can remove the tray and it works as a booster seat at the table.

5. DIAPER PAIL
I bought the Diaper Genie II and I liked it when the my kids were newborn babies and their poop didn't stink so much, but now I have to keep it outside because I can't stand the smell. So it is nice to have for a while, but if you don't mind going outside and using a regular trash can just for the diapers, I don't think you really NEED this.

Baby Trend Diaper Champ Delux ($34.99)

6. BABY DETERGENT
I don't use baby detergent anymore, but when my kids were born, and up until they were about 6 months to 12-months-old, I used it just because a baby's skin is so delicate and I just think regualar detergent can be too agressive on their skin. Baby detergent has less ingredients that would more likely irritate a baby's skin. You can also use coconut detergent, although I'm not sure if they have that in the USA.

7. CHANGING TABLE
Simple Mom's reasoning behind not getting a changing table was because she believes a dresser with a changing pad on top works just fine, and it's better because it's 2 in 1. I totally agree with her if you already have a dresser, but if you don't, you can buy a dresser that has a changing table on top. I believe having a changing table is a necessity, otherwise you'll kill your back trying to change you children on the bed, couch or floor (pleeeease don't ever change your baby on the floor without a pad or something... I think it's gross)!

We bought this one from Wal-mart for Jasmine, and we still have it, but both the drawers are broken (the front of the drawers came unglued and came off), and it's not very well made. It broke when she was only like, 3 months old, too. I should've returned it, I know.

8. GLIDER
I didn't have a rocking chair when Jasmine was born, my mother-in-law gave us hers after a while, but I didn't really need it because I didn't nurse her. I would bottle-feed her on the couch or on my bed (which I also did in the middle of the night with Eric when I nursed him), so I guess you'll only really use this during the day, and that is IF you have company or something. I don't know, I guess it's nice to have because it's comfortable for the mom, but I don't really think it's necessary, especially if you're on a tight budget.

9. BABY LOTION
Her reasoning behind not purchasing baby lotion was because she doesn't believe babies need lotion when they're little because they already have the softest skin ever. Well, I disagree. Even at the hospital they gave me this special lotion to put on Eric's skin because it was peeling so much. I think you should be careful with which ones you use during the first few months (I would use a very nutral one, probably even unscented), but I always useed lotion after I gave the kids baths. Jasmine also has very dry skin - especially during the winter - and her skin gets so dry it cracks sometimes. I think this woman probably lives in a more humid area, so it all depends on the situation I guess.

Boy, I wrote so much! It's almost one o'clock in the morning here in Brazil and I'm tired! And I tend to make lots of grammar mistakes when I'm tired so please forgive me.

Okay mommies, what are your thoughts?

My Kids

2010-03-01T13:20:00.000-08:00

I was asked to write a little bit about my kids.

I met my husband at BYU-Idaho. We got married on July 8th, 2006. We knew right away that we wanted to have a baby. Nicolina Love was born on August 6th,2007. When she was about 4 months I started to feel like I wanted to get pregnant again. We had talked about having our first two kids kind of close in age. It didn’t take long for me to get pregnant and on November 3rd, 2008 we welcomed our son Lionel into our family. Lionel was nothing like Nicci had been as a baby. He had acid reflux and cried almost 24/7 for the first 6 months. I was always tired and frustrated with all the crying. I was definitely not thinking about getting pregnant or wanting to get pregnant at this time. We felt like we wanted to have 2 years or so between Lionel our next child.

When Lionel was 5 months I started to notice that my milk was drying up. I also started to act a little bit more emotional than normal and my husband joked and told me to take a pregnancy test. Days went by and I didn’t think much about it…but then I found an old pregnancy test from the past year when I was pregnant with Lionel. I decided to take it. I really wasn’t expecting it to be positive at all. I put it on my desk and waited. When I looked at it, but heart jumped….it was positive….what????????? I didn’t know what to believe so I got another test and….positive. I told Eric and he didn’t sound too surprised. I was in shock that whole day…and week. I had no idea how far along I was because I had not started my period yet. I called the doctor and they scheduled an ultrasound. The day of the ultrasound I prayed in my heart that I was going to be between 5-10 weeks along. I needed as much time as possible to prepare for this baby. During the ultrasound I found out I was about 5 weeks along….phew. I calculated and Lionel and this baby would be 13 ½ months apart. Crazy! Jordan was born on December 19th, 2009. He is as cute as can be. Nicci and Lionel adore him. He is our easiest baby so far and I’m so grateful for that.

Having three kids under the age of 3 is kind of crazy. Nicci started to wake up in the middle of the night after Jordan was born and Lionel sometimes wakes up because he loses his pacifier, so we not only deal with a baby during the night, but the other kids too. I hope Nicci can go back to her normal sleep habits soon. It’s getting kind of old to have to get up 3-4 times every night to put her back to bed. I usually take care of Jordan during the night and Eric takes care of the other kids. Jordan is a really good sleeper so sometimes I feel bad that my husband gets up more than me. Sometimes I don’t even hear the other kids get up. I should try to get up more and help when Jordan has a good night. One thing that’s kind of hard right now is nursing. As soon as I sit down the two older kids decide to do everything they are not supposed to do. Nicci’s favorite thing to do is to open the bathroom door and let Lionel play in the toilet. She has been potty trained for over 5 months so we can’t just lock the door in case she needs to go. Another annoying thing is how much Nicci likes to fight with Lionel. They always want the exact same toy and it drives me crazy. But they also have times when they love to play together especially when they are outside. Nicci is an amazing sister and tries to help Lionel and Jordan as much as she can.

Some days are rough and what helps me feel better is getting together with other moms. I have two friends that I see about twice a week. Without them I would go absolutely crazy. They both have two kids and their youngest are 4 and 5 months. Their older kids are Nicci’s age. We get together and vent and talk about things. Oh, how grateful I am to them. We give each other advice and laugh about things that are hard.

Another thing I am grateful for is our house and big backyard. The kids do so much better outside than inside. So as soon as they go crazy I feed the baby and go outside. Outside they can run around as much as possible and get all their energy out.

I get out of the house one night every week and go to a water aerobics class with one of my friends. (I’m so happy Jordan takes a bottle so I can go). That hour is heaven and I get to be by myself and have fun.

I try not to put myself in situations that can get crazy. I just recently took all three kids to the grocery store with me for the first time. I brought a lot of snack with me to bribe them with if things went crazy. I have lowered my expectations of what I can do with my three little ones. I can’t just go wherever I want, whenever I want. Some places are just suicide to go to by myself with the kids. I’m kind of outnumbered. My kids love to run away from me too. I know that things will get a lot easier when Jordan is a little older. He is only 2 months now. It will get easier when he has routines and stuff.

One thing I had to do is to learn how to prioritize my time. I don’t like to have a messy house, but sometimes I just need to drop it and spend the time with the kids instead of cleaning up. I try to give the kids individual attention every day. Last weekend I went grocery shopping with just Nicci, she was so excited to be there just with me. Sometimes I sit down on the couch and just hug them. I’m so grateful for my little kids. Jordan takes good naps every day and that gives me some time to spend with Nicci and Lionel. Sometimes I have a whole list of things I want to do when Jordan falls asleep and that’s when I need to remember to spend some time with my kids. I don’t get as much stuff done during the day like I used to but I try to be patient and take the time and make my kids happy instead. I have learned to accept that it is okay to shower at 1 pm if that’s what I have to do.

One thing that is nice is that the two older kids go to bed around 7.30. That gives me some time to do things at night. I also treasure the time I get when they take their naps. Eric gets home from work around 4-4.30 and that helps a lot too.
I think the kids will have a lot of fun when they get a little older. They will always have each other.

We want more kids probably three more-but not for a while. Right now I want to focus on the three we have. We are so grateful for them. I love to see them grow and learn new things. I love to see them play and give each other hugs. I love how they do and say things that make me laugh. I feel so blessed to be their mom.