About Kids and Summer-- And Gray Hair.

Summer time and kids. I have a true love/hate relationship with my kids summer. I get so excited at the thought of lazy mornings, no lunches to pack, no last minute homework mishaps to deal with, and no carpool. I always envision how happy I will be to spend leisurely fun days with my kids enjoying having them home with me instead of away at school all day.

Cutest Video This Week!

Babies apparently really do have their own language!



Are you smiling yet?

What Tops Your List as the Yuckiest Thing You've Ever Done For Your Kids?

Moms are the champions of grossness. Really who else does things for their kids like we do? Even dads would probably come in third, at best, with maybe Grandma coming in second. I am talking things like cleaning your baby's pacifier with YOUR MOUTH (yes, I have done that--eek.) when there was no water anywhere near by--things like that!

Thanks to motherhood, I have found myself doing things I would have never ever have thought I would. Here is a sampling of the grossness I have been involved in ~

letting my kids use my shirt as a tissue (ew)

that pacifier cleaning thing I mentioned before

cleaning poop from surfaces it should never have been smeared found on

cleaning vomit from my hair (not my vomit either) when holding a sick child who used me as a throw up solution

going through (very icky) garbage looking for something that was lost by a child (sometimes going through it twice when hysterics over lost item threatened to scar my kid for my life)

It is amazing what we moms do out of love for our kids. More amazing is that we would do any of them again, in a second, for our kids.

So what is one of the grossest things you have done for your kid?

Disney Hoping To Inspire Toddlers With Poems

The Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney is changing it's name to Disney Junior this February. Along with the name change, Disney is introducing a new show called A Poem Is... .

Gatorade "Beat The Heat"

The heat is still on here in our neck of the woods. The kids have gone back to school, and the summer months are turning into fall, but still I have the air conditioning on pretty much most of the day still.

My kids still run, play and have a great time outside, heat or not. But as a mom, I do worry about them out in the heat so much. Little ones as well as us older ones can very easily become victims of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Of course we always try to make sure everyone drinks water when outside in hot temperatures, but water may not always be enough to help prevent dehydration and heat stroke. And I really was surprised to learn why-

In drinking water, the brain may turn off the perception of thirst before the body’s overall fluid needs are met and stops the athlete from fully rehydrating. The electrolytes in Gatorade help maintain the stimulus to drink so athletes drink enough to replenish and refuel. Plus Gatorade supplies the proper amount of fluid, electrolytes and carbohydrates to rapidly put back what your young athlete loses in sweat and provides energy to keep them going.

Gatorade has a “Beat the Heat” campaign which educates athletes, parents and coaches about heat-related illness and the importance of proper hydration. Their goal is to reduce the number of heat-related injuries and deaths and help raise funds for organizations dedicated to preventing heat-related illness.


As part of this campaign, we received several bottles of Gatorade G2 to try out. I already knew all of my kids loved Gatorade, we have had it many times before. However, I have to admit the sugars in the Gatorade drinks always made me a little worried. My kiddos really do not need any extra sugar! So I was happy to learn that Gatorade G2 has about half the sugar as the original version. And needless to say, everyone enjoyed the flavors.

And For every unique download of a free Gatorade Heat Safety Kit at www.nfl.com/trainingcamp, Gatorader will donate $1 to “Beat the Heat” charities up to $20,000.

Here are a few tips and facts for parents from Gatorade regarding heat illnesses and dehydration:


Without taking precautionary measures, young athletes might experience a heat-related illness. In some cases, they might be unaware they are experiencing this condition and continue practicing. Make sure your child knows the signs of heat-related illness and encourage his/her coach to periodically check players during practice or workouts for the acute warning signs of heat illness, which can include:

• · Nausea
• · Headache
• · Weakness
• · Fainting
• · Poor concentration
• · Flushed skin
• · Light headedness
• · Loss of muscle coordination
• · Fatigue
• Vomiting

Equipment Makes a Difference

• · Encourage young athletes to wear net-type jerseys
• · As they acclimate to the heat, athletes should wear T-shirts and shorts, not pads
• · Remind athletes to remove helmets when not playing or scrimmaging and avoid wearing sweatshirts and excess clothing
• · Young athletes should change sweat-soaked clothing as soon as possible after activity 

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Gatorade’s “Beat the Heat” campaign and received Gatorade samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Let Go of Those Eggos!!

There is trouble a-brewing in frozen waffle land : There is an Eggo Waffle Shortage. Shocking, I know and maybe a tad frightening for all us mommies  who depend on those frozen miracles of breakfast entrees on crazy school mornings (and weekend mornings too.......so I'm not the "hot pancakes on the griddle type mom....what can I say??)

So if you have noticed an empty space in the freezer section at the market....where normally you would find the "Chocolate Chip Eggo Waffles, and The Blueberry Eggo Waffles," and such.....get used to it. And/or find a substitute for the toaster. Kelloggs has posted this statement at the top of their website:

"Some of your favorite Eggo products are out of stock nationally. We are working hard to fix this short-term issue." 

Will it really be short-term however?  I think not. Kelloggs also has a statement saying that this dreaded waffle shortage could last......ready?.......Eight Months! Ack.

So now you are probably feeling sad for my kids. Frozen waffles for breakfast? What kind of mother feeds her hungry children frozen waffles.

I have just this to say:

Sometimes I let my kids eat waffles for lunch too.,


Thankfully, Kelloggs  understands my angst, and have left these words of comfort as well:


"Eggo is working around the clock to bring everyone's favorite waffles back to store shelves as quickly as possible.  We hope to regain full distribution of Eggo products by the middle of 2010. This is a top priority for Kellogg Company."

I feel better. Top priority . Thank-you Kelloggs!

Turning a Scowl into an Instant Smile

How to turn a scowl into an instant smile? Have a conversation with a kid--like mine:

Me: (feeling particularly cranky, irritable and kid-annoyed today) "Brandon, You cannot have any more cookies (voice rising) You Cannot Live on Sugar!!"

"No more junk today....I Mean it!" (picture Me with stern face.... You know the kind....comes with hands placed firmly on hips)


Brandon: (After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence--actually, kind of comfortable silence truth be told) "But Mom, I like living on sugar."

Me: Just smiling. About 5 lbs. of stress and frustration melted away. Kids.

Do Moms Really Need That Extra Hour?

October may bring Halloween and falling leaves, but that's not all it brings. This is the month when we set back our clocks one hour, thus getting an extra hour of "Quality Time" with our kids. Now one would think that having an extra hour of time would be a good thing, but for stay at home moms with little ones, this may not necessarily be the case.

The change in time is something that a toddler doesn't get, so how can they not wake up at their regular time..say 6:00am...and understand that it is really only 5:00am? Or understand why mommy is groaning and covering her head with her pillow. Just come by my house at 5:00am one of these mornings and see how excited I am to have that extra hour!

With the sun up earlier every morning, just like you and your kids, you may mourn that few minutes of alone time you used to have with just you, the silence, and your coffee cup. But we can smile bravely and try embracing this extra quality time with our kids, along with those flying spoonfuls of oatmeal.

And what mom wouldn't just love an extra hour of The Wiggles? Oh yeah, now that makes me smile.

But that extra hour can help moms practice their negotiating skills. A cookie for a 5 minute truce between big brother and little brother? Not a bad deal. But just think how we can polish up our bribery techniques with that extra time.

Instead of the kids practicing their future musical skills with the pots and pans while you get the bathroom all to yourself--for 3 minutes, try throwing in a purse to go through and a book or two to tear pages out of and get 5-7minutes? That deal will be sounding good come 3:00pm.

We can always use that extra hour to ponder the meaning of life. And perhaps the meaning of Barney.

And when we glance hopefully at the clock, praying to see the numbers 7:30 just to see that though darkness is creeping in, it is really only 4:30, remember that the cocktail hour cannot tell time either. Just like your toddlers.

And in those moments when the kids are finally drifting off to sleep, all tuckered out from their extra hour of play, remind yourself that Spring will be here again some day, taking pity on moms everywhere by confiscating that extra hour Fall so graciously bestowed on us.

The Perfect Mom?

I am so sad right now. I watched Oprah today as I worked on my laptop, and it was an episode about a mom who left her little girl in the car All Day while the mom was at work. So sad.

The mom, a school principal, was herself on Oprah talking about that horrible day. The mom was supposed to drop her little girl off at the babysitter on her way to work. Apparently the dad usually did the dropping off of their two daughters in the morning, and as part of their daily routine the mom picked up both her daughters from their daycares on her way home from work. That morning the routine was interrupted because the dad had a dentist appointment. So the mom had to drop off the two girls. But the routine she followed every morning was too ingrained in her mind--the little two year was asleep in her car seat, and as mom got on he road towards her job as a school principal, she kept going. Mom did not drop off her daughter. She forgot the baby was even in the car. The little two year old died from heatstroke and her mom never remembered her daughter was in the car in the school parking lot. It was not until that afternoon when a teacher walking past the car saw the baby inside, and ran to tell the mom that her daughter was in the car.

As horrible as this is, I feel for this mom. I know I have gone into auto pilot so many times. We get into such a rush...we need to get so many things done....how many times have I jumped ahead in my thoughts to the next task I have on my list that I forget what it is I am supposed to be doing at the moment?

This mom will live with the horrendous guilt all her life. The "what ifs, the how could I's" will never go away.

This was a sad reminder to me that I have to reprioritize my days. I have to slow down, learn to say no, learn to not worry if I don't do everything I wanted to get done in my day. Moms are not super-human. Accidents can and will happen if we try and be perfect, if we steam roll our way through our days trying to be the perfect mom and the perfect wife and perfect in our jobs.

Slow down. Take a breath. The most important things in our lives are our kids, right? Chances are your little ones already think you are the most perfect mom. Ever. So who really cares what anyone else thinks of us anyway.

It's Fall Break From School Already??

It seems like my daughter just went back to school and already she is on a Fall break. That means no school for this week. I do not remember having so many days off school when I went to school (I know...that was an eternity ago..but I'm just saying). Needless to say my daughter is happy. Saturday we all went to see Igor. My 23 month old was definitely not impressed and actually was scared and crying so I left with him rather quickly while my hubby stayed with the other two kids. Btw, the reviews were mixed...my daughter "loved" Igor, my 4 year old thought it was "OK" but not great, and my hubby...a thumbs down. Then Sunday my daughter went to a sleep over. Now she is home and the strains of "Mom, I'm bored!" are starting up. Sheesh. And my 4 year old is stuck on going to of all places...Coney Island! Where on earth he got that I don't know. But this is all he has talked about all day.
I think it's going to be a long week.

A Perfect Day

A perfect day for me I think would be a day spent with my kids and my hubby. I can picture us having a wonderful breakfast together with coffee, juice, fruit, pancakes and eggs. And I know the restaurant we'd be at (because a perfect day for me of course means no cooking,lol). There is a great cafe in Malibu that sits right on the sand. The couple of times we've been there we had a great time. The kids can actually play in the sand right by the table as hubby and I sip our juice and watch all the people on their various beach bikes go by. The ocean is still quite a bit away, but you can see and hear the waves from the restaurant. The seagulls call out as they fly about looking for left over morsels of food, and the whole setting is simply and gloriously relaxing. If I could, I'd start my day everyday this way. Of course then it probably would not feel as special any more, and I would probably never get anything accomplished except getting a sunburn!

Do You Believe In Spanking Your Kids?

There was a spanking debate of sorts going on at a playgroup the other day. For the most part, the moms seemed to not believe in spanking their kids at all. But there were a couple who firmly believe a good spanking on their child's bottom is a solid form of discipline that they feel really works. Then there are some of us moms that do not believe in spanking but confessed to the occasional butt swap that happens almost spontaneously when nerves have frayed beyond repair, so to speak.
I personally don't believe a child should be spanked as a consequence. I remember a childhood friend of mine being purposefully spanked by her mom as a punishment for what I don't remember, but some minor infraction I'm relatively sure. It was embarrassing for me as her friend and a kid to have to watch my friend being told to bend over so she could be spanked. I cannot imagine how humiliated my friend must have felt. From that day on I promised myself that when I became a mom I would NEVER spank my kids. But I have on occasion swatted a butt, but more out of a sense of urgency like when my now 4 year old started to dash out into the street one day when he was 3. And when I grabbed him and was shaking in my feet, I did swat his little rear end and loudly told him to never do that. Does that count as a spanking? I didn't think so, but it does make me feel badly when I think back. Anyway, I do know that never ever would I deliberately plan to spank my child, any of them, as a punishment. We do time outs, toys taken away, etc., but no spankings.
How do you feel about spanking? Yes? No? Sometimes depending on the situation? Or undecided until you have kids?

Cherishing The Fun Of Halloween and Halloween Costumes

I cannot believe how fast September is flying by. I say this every year about this time, but I never get used to it. Once school starts again it's like a blink of an eye before the holiday season sets in. Halloween is in the air (as well as the shelves at our local CVS store!), and I'm loving the beautiful Fall colors I am beginning to see. As I mentioned before, the main topic in our house these days is Halloween Costumes, and who wants to be what. We really have no strong contenders yet in the costume department however, and I am curious to see what my daughter will finally zero in on. Of course much depends on what Halloween costumes her friends will be wearing. The choices of costumes is such a bittersweet reminder of how quickly my little girl is growing up...long gone are the days of fairy princesses and animal characters. And soon enough will come the Halloween where my sweet daughter will decide that dressing up in a costume is too childish for her. So I plan to enjoy every minute of this Halloween, and cherish the fact that all three of my kids will be giggly and happy in their costumes of choice as they prepare to ravage the neighborhood for candy!

Shh...It's a Secret

We are thinking about a special vacation in the next few months. We'd really love to take the kids to Orlando Florida and visit Disney World there. If we can manage it, this will be a huge surprise for our kids (shh!) So I have been checking out Orlando and getting information together. One service that I am finding very helpful is Dexknows.com. It's like having a Orlando Phone Book right at hand. You can locate almost any business in Orlando Florida using this site, even something like Plumbing in Orlando. Pretty cool.

The Tooth Fairy Jar

Omg..this is so cute I wanted to share right away. This idea comes from Jess of Lost Button Studio.

When it is time for a tooth fairy visit at your house, instead of doing the tooth under the pillow thing, add some magical mystery with the tooth fairy jar. Use a glass jar and fill about 3/4 way with water. Then have your child drop in their tooth. When your child wakes up in the morning they will see the jar now filled with a beautiful colored water (few food coloring drops added in by mom or dad), and some magical glitter floating inside as well! Tooth will be gone of course, replaced with some shiny coins.

Jess has many more cute ideas on her blog so go check it out!

Hiding From The Kids

Do you ever try and hide from your kids for just a few minutes or so? You know --- not long enough to cause a panic or anything, but just a couple of minutes where you can take a few long breaths and just "be" for a minute?

I confess I am guilty of this. I will hide out in my bathroom long enough to regroup, or until I've been found out (which usually happens first). I do this when my youngest is napping, and my 4 year old is happily watching Blue's Clues. I will seize the opportunity to hide out a few minutes and simply do nothing but sit and meditate and enjoy the silence. And for as long as it lasts, it's heaven.

So do you hide out? And if so, where is your favorite hiding spot? Come on,'fess up--I won't give your hiding place away, I promise!

Frozen Juice Flavored Icee Drinks

Perfect for hot summer days, these easy to make fruit juice icee drinks will kep your little munchkins cool and happy.

What You'll Need:

3/4 cup pureed fruit of your choice such as watermelon, lemons or oranges, (use as much of the fruit's juice as possible)
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup

What You'll Do:

Combine all ingredients and cook on low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves completely.
Allow to cool.
Pour into sturdy plastic cups halfway full.
Cover and freeze until solid.
Eat by scraping a spoon across the top. Or let sit out and melt a little to get slushier and softer.

Looking For Some Family Fun Time?

What about the rodeo? My two little boys would seriously go nuts if we went to a rodeo. They may be just a bit too young (imho), at 4 and 1 1/2, but maybe not.

The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo will be here in December-- which is basically right around the corner at this point (!). The NFR is the ultimate championship rodeo event in the United States. It's sponsored by The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association ( Cowboys--oh my 4 year old would be in heaven me thinks), and is being held over 10 days in Las Vegas.

The actual dates for the NFR are Dec. 4th through Dec. 13th. There is also a Cowboy Christmas Show held concurrently with the rodeo at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

This is the final event of the PRCA season. At its end, eight world champions are crowned in the following seven events:

* Bareback riding
* Steer wrestling
* Team roping

* Saddle bronc riding
* Tie-down roping
* Bull riding
* Barrel racing, the only event exclusive to women

Las Vegas gets so involved with this extremely popular annual event, that many casinos carry the events live in their sports books or host special parties to accommodate all of the fans in town who can not get tickets for the events. Most of the major hotels and casinos book special entertainment into their showrooms with a country theme offering many of the regular shows an extended break.

But the catch is that NFR Tickets sell out months in advance. Which means if you have thoughts on going to this fun event, it is best to get started checking out seating and available tickets soon, if not now.

Make Computer Play Count

Web sites with games for kids and teens are all the rage it seems these days. I know my daughter has several sites she is a member of and visits and plays on daily. While they seem to be fun for her and her friends, I don't think there is much value in these online games however.
But there is a website that I am excited about and I am hoping my daughter will enjoy. Whyville.net is a free online community for ages 8-15. The cool thing about this site is that it's like a virtual town in which citizens can run for Senate, write for The Whyville Times, and learn about civics, art, science, and economics. Citizens can even start their own business.
Kids can socialize while running their town. It sounds so much more beneficial to me than playing dress-up games online. I am going to have my daughter join today and see how she likes it. Hopefully she will be giving Whyville a thumbs up-I will let you know!
If your kids already are on Whyville, can you let me know what they ( and you) think about the site? If you haven't heard of Whyville.net yet, you may want to check it out with your kids today.