Cut it Out February 5, 2009

I loved the binkie.

I was excited and put at ease when my daughter took to it.

It soothed her when at times I couldn’t, and keep her pretty much content. But now, I look at the binkie with slight amusement and much despise.  Just like another good ‘ol habit, I want to step on it, burn it and kick it to the curb.  Sometimes I find myself asking, who invented the binkie and did they have children?

The binkie should come with a warning label.

This product can be addictive. Withdrawal can cause major distress to the user and the parent. Addiction can cause all parties involved sleepless nights, temper tantrums and crying fits. Please use with extreme caution.

My son never sucked his thumb or used a binkie.

To my daughter on the other hand, the binkie is her security blanket, in all situations. It was attached to her lip like a growth, a cute one, but a growth.

Although it doesn’t feel like it upon withdrawal, I am sure benefits outweigh the risks, increased brain function and reduced risk of SIDS seem like a far cry when your child wants the binkie, you can’t find one in your purse and find yourself sweating as you dart to the nearest baby aisle to calm the latest public display of “binkie attachment”.

Not only should the binkie come with a warning label, it should come with a withdrawal manual: Tips to successfully “detatch” the binkie from you toddler, physically and mentally. I’ve heard tips that range from going “cold turkey” , burning the tips off, to dipping the tips in coffee (which seems like a disaster waiting to happen).

I tried the cold turkey trick and only lasted about 5 hours because the entire 5 hours, my daughter cried for her binkie. So I went for a slightly more gradual approach, after all, my daughter is persistent, demanding and not one to fall to any old cheap trick.  I cut off the tips to the binkies and laid them on the floor in her “usual” spots. As she spotted the binkie, she excitedly made her way to the binkie and as fast as she put it in her mouth, she took it out in disgust.

“Broken” she proclaimed, and dropped it on the floor.

A bit confused she looked at it for a while and walked away. I approached her with the binkie (the broken binkie) and she turned her shoulder to me and walked away. I said, “It’s broken. Should we put it in the trash?” And she nodded her head. As we said bye bye to the binkie.

It has only been one day and I do let her keep one in her crib to use in her crib only. I’m all for not using the binkie during the day, but I wasn’t ready to give up a couple sleepless nights. Not quite yet.

Like I said a couple days ago, we are trying for a third and I wonder if I will find myself at wits about whether or not to give my newborn the binkie. Afterall, binkies now come personalized, in fashionable colors and blinged out.

How could I resist!

Reality Check August 26, 2008

This morning, while my kids where watching their usual PBS shows, I announced that I needed to take a shower. My son startled me at what he said next.

“I need to take a shower. I’m all dirty and stinky.” I said. (I had just done my usual morning workout)

My son looked at me and explained, “You do need to take a shower. I like my color, not yours,” as he pointed to his cheek.

I hesitated, not knowing what to say next.

“What do you mean?”, I asked. ” You don’t like my skin color?”

“I like Sophia’s white shirt.” He explained. That should have been key enough that he didn’t mean what he said, or what I thought he meant.

Probing. “You don’t like me skin color?” I asked again, trying to get into the head of my 3 1/2 year old son, an impossible task itself.

“No, I like your skin color.” he said.

I don’t know why, but I was close to tears.

I called my dad.

“George is 3. He has no idea what he is saying. If he was 10, then you discuss it, but he is 3. You told him you were dirty and stinky. He probably relates it to when he is in the dirt and you tell him he is dirty and stinky and needs to take a shower.”

I know this is probably true.

But still.

I don’t know if I am ready to talk about race stuff or if I am ready to handle it. I know it’s not now, but it will be some day. What if your child, who now looks at you with such unconditional love, all of a sudden has questions to why mommy is “different”?

My dad, who is part Caucasian and part African-American, insists that even though your kids probably will ask questions, they will always love you because you are there parents.

And I guess that’s true. I remember being called an Oreo Cookie (kids can be mean) at school but it never made me not like my parents for being one race or the other, it made me not like the kids calling me names.

So I guess all I can do is tell my kids that there are many different types of people in the world and being one way or another doesn’t make you better, it just makes you different. And differences are what make our world what it is today. People are different sizes, shapes, races, religions, and so much more.

Besides without all these different people we wouldn’t have Sesame Street, Spongebob (a sponge) wouldn’t live in the Ocean with a squirrel and a star fish and Bob the Builder wouldn’t be good friends with Scoop, Muck or Dizzy.

Now that, my 3 year old should understand.

Thomas trumps the Potty….any day of the week! August 6, 2008

How many accidents are too many? And is there such a thing?

What do you do when your son is dry for 3 hours and then starts playing with his favorite toy and refuses and fights to get up to go to the potty? Do you drag him to the potty with every little bit of your potty training desperation ? Or do you let him wait it out and “wet” it out,over and over again?

Is this all just part of the training process for him….and for me?

Maybe my desire for him to potty train is not as strong as his desire to be “trained”?

Or maybe that’s the problem.

What do you do when the potty becomes you and your child’s worst nightmare?

Look for answers on your blog ? Or maybe a sign from the Porcelain King?

My son maybe a potty training late bloomer.

He is completely resistant to all attempts at potty training so now my plan is to let him be and let him go when he wants to go. I don’t know what else to do.

I thought he was ready, he stayed dry for long periods of time, asked to go on the potty, etc, etc, and then it all stopped. I thought maybe it was the whole pull-up action. Because it is really like just wearing a diaper. It allows you to get wet and for as long as you want to, stay wet. You can go in a pull-up and I think, or at least I thought that was the problem. So, I tried just letting him run around bare naked, but that didn’t work, George peed and pooped on the floor, and then played in it.

Then I tried underwear but and he stayed dry and was successful that is until he got busy playing. I even set a timer and told him to try and go every hour, but once he began playing with his trains, there was no stopping him. I would literally have to drag him in kicking and screaming.

Thomas, Percy and the gang ruled over peeing in the potty any day.

So I am at a loss, I have no idea what to do. Maybe it is just the fact that he is not ready yet. My sister-in-law, whose 3 1/2 year old son just became potty trained about a week or 2 ago, agrees that George isn’t ready and insists that I wait until he is 3 1/2 and something will just click and he’ll want to go on the potty.

I hope it, no let me rephrase, I wish would be that easy.

Well, so that gives me 5 weeks and counting. I know every kid is different and they all develop at different rates, but quite frankly I’m not buying it.

What if my son happens to be lazy at potty training and his smarts have outwitted my attempts when it comes to the P-O-T-T-Y?

It’s not that fact that George doesn’t want to go on the potty. When there is nothing else to do, like at night when he doesn’t want to go to bed, or in public when he wants to see the new potty, or well…just because, he’ll stay completely dry, number one and 2. But for the most part during the day, nothing. I tried rewards and he was great. But when he didn’t want the rewards anymore he stopped going on the potty. I hope someone has some great advice, all you potty training experts out there.

My husband always reminds me that I should expect my son to be a little late jumping on the potty training bandwagon because he was also a stubborn one. When my husband was 4 years-old my mother-in-law wondered why she hadn’t seen him go number one or number 2 for a good amount of time and then she realized he was going behind that garage with the dog.

See what I have to work with!

Long time, No Write August 6, 2008

It has been a while since I have written in my blog. Between moving, getting settled and taking care of my sister’s 2 month old daughter-long story, my time has been pretty much occupied. But now that things are getting settled, I have lots of stories to tell, adventures to share and hopefully you’ll join me again for this crazy fast moving roller coaster we call motherhood. Anyway, until my next post which will be tonight, here is something I thought you might enjoy to check out from Cool Mom Picks, one of my favorite websites to check out for just about everything having to do with babies, toddlers, mothers and everything in between. With school right around the corner, they have posted their own Back to School guide, consisting of their favorite picks to get you and your little one ready for that first day of school. Check it out.

Mother’s Day May 8, 2008

Mother’s Day is steadily approaching and what a better way to show mom you are truly thinking about her, of course other than breakfast in bed, a spa treatment and something with a big and sparkley jewel, just kidding, is to take her out and about. I know I would love any of these (hint,hint) and there is still time left to plan her special day. So, here are some great things happening around town that you may want to take your mom to, maybe I’ll see you at one of them.

1. Longwood Gardens is celebrating mother’s day with special musical events throughout the weekend to make your mother’s day unforgettable. If you can’t go Sunday, go Saturday or make it a weekend trip. On Saturday participate in the Bird watching tour and then end the day with a special swing concert from the John Clark Big Band. On Sunday enjoy the beautiful chimes of the Harp Music by Janet Witman, followed by a Carillon Concert featuring Dough Gefvert topped off by a Chimes Tower Tour. Events are throughout the entire weekend from 9:00am to 6:00pm. Check out their website for more information.

2. Why not give your mom the presidential treatment with brunch at the National Constitution Center! Enjoy a hot breakfast with made to order omelets, a carving station, a pasta station, salad bar and desert bar. Tickets include brunch, admission to the museum and a special gift for mom. Reservations are required to hop on over to their website to check it out.

3. This one sounds like fun…Treat Mom to a lovely Teddy Bear Tea party at the Garden State Discovery Museum. Featuring teddy bear songs, stories, cookie decorating and crafts. To top it off, Moms are free on Mother’s Day!!  The tea party runs Sunday from 1pm to 3pm.

4. Celebrate your Mom and Moms of all species at the Academy of Natural Sciences Animal Moms Weekend this Saturday and Sunday from 11:00am to 3:30pm. Bring your little ones and learn about the nurturing residents of the museum’s Live Animal Center. Home to 100 animals that are injured and cannot survive the wild. Complete with a Live animal show, Learn about a variety of animal eggs, and make a Mother’s Day Card to take home.

5. Maybe you want to give your Mom a break on Mother’s Day and give here a couple hours to go to the Spa, go shopping or just take a nap. Bounce U in Cherry Hill is helping you achieve a little quiet in the house by letting your kids cause a ruckus at their’s. Sunday from 12:00pm to 2:30pm join Bounce U for a laser light afternoon of fun with plenty of bouncing.

Whatever you do on Mother’s Day, and trust me, it doesn’t have to be a lot or cost a lot , just take some time ton show your mom how special she is to you.

April 26, 2008

Sorry about the lack of blogs this week.

I’ve been battling a house of sick kids and we are getting ready to move and finalizing all the inspections and all that good stuff.

I’ll be back in full force tomorrow with great updates on new places to play and what’s been going on.

Please join me back tomorrow.

The Potty Game April 21, 2008

I’m not good at this potty training thing.

I know there are people who are good at it. You have to be persistent, consistent and very determined. I am determined but I think I falter on the persistent and consistent.  I am really good one day, as is George, and the next day I start out good and get distracted by my daughter or whatever and soon it’s been 2 hours, I haven’t asked my son to go pee-pee on the potty and his diaper is hanging like a lead weight between his legs.

What can I say?

I should probably put on the kitchen timer. That way it remind me and him to go, but I haven’t done that. That would be too easy, right?

This potty training thing is hard.

It’s like a two way mind game.

You have to trick them into thinking that taking breaks from playing with their ever so precious toys and getting up every 20 minutes or so to go pee pee in the potty is better than sitting in a sopping wet diaper.

We see the logic, they may see it, but they don’t care.

To them (my son), that is what a pull up is for, to pee in, he knows he can go pee pee in the potty and can stay dry for hours at a time, but once he gets to building his train tracks or playing outside, there is no reasoning.

Especially when he senses how bad I want him to give it up.

So the mind game continues, and trust me, I’ve found that the ball is always in their court.

Big boys wear big boy underwear (as my friend would call it BBUs), ride bikes and go to school, big boys go pee-pee in the potty. But on the same hand big boys have learned that mommys will do anything to get them to go pee pee on the potty including giving them rewards.

What if the rewards aren’t big enough for the outcome?

As far as he’s concerned, his diaper can stay wet for one more day!

Oragnic or not April 13, 2008

I eat healthy and I try to eat Organic whenever possible, but sometimes, it’s expensive.

I would like to choose to eat the organic foods that I know would make a difference.

But when you have to choose, which foods are worth going organic?

My sister in law found this great article that helps with that decision, at least with the fruits and vegetables.

Check it out here.

TGIF April 11, 2008

I know it’s supposed to rain Satuday Morning but don’t let the weekend get washed away.

Here are some great things to do with your little or bigs ones this weekend:

1.Is your little one totally obsessed with Thomas the Train like mine? Visit your local Toys R Us for a Thomas and Friends play date Saturday April 12th from 11:00am to 1:00pm. The fun included Storytime every half hour, Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway Play time, Coloring Fun and special in store savings (of course you couldn’t get off completely free). Show up on time because while supplies last they are giving away Free Thomas trading cards.

2. Bounce U is open Saturday night for Family Bounce Time from 8pm-10pm. Plenty of bounce space will be available as both bounce spaces will be open. Don’t worry about grabbing a bit to eat beforehand, pizza and drinks will be served. Space is limited and reservations are recommended, so email your name, phone number and number of bouncers to cherryhill.nj@bounceu.com. Happy Bouncing!

3. The Discovery Museum seems to be throwing some great weekend events with great themes. This one sounds good enough to eat. And you may to be able to enjoy a taste of the Italian countryside as you join the Discovery Museum for An Italian Affair on Saturday, April 12th. Along with food you can channel Michelangelo and paint your own ceiling fresco or prepare your own pasta. They will also feature a special storytime in the storybook castle with author Strega Nona.

4. Hopefully the rain doesn’t stay too long because this should be a fun one. Venture over to Longwood Gardens this weekend and learn and art of Kite Flying during their annual Kite Festival, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am to 4:00pm. My husband, master kite flyer (a funny story for another time), would enjoy this one. Anyway, enjoy the art and skill of kite flying as the Leigh Valley Kite Society takes over the Cow lot filling the air with colorful and unique kites. Kids can join in on the fun by making their own kites.

5.Love baseball. Show your children the effect baseball has had on the society through the history of the Negro Baseball League. Discovery Greatness: Illustrated greatness of the Negro League Baseball. This traveling exhibit features 90 photographs that showcase the history of the African-American baseball from the late 1880’s to the 1960’s. It also pays tribute to the National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, pennants, replica uniforms, posters and more. This traveling exhibit will be on display at the African-American Museum in Philadelphia until May 4th.

Here is a great charitable event happening this weekend at the Pump it up in Marlton in support of Autism Awareness Month:

Just don’t bounce! Bounce for a cause! Join Pump it up in Marlton, NJ and Bounce for Autism  Wednesday April 16th from 5:30pm to 8:00pm. Not can you bounce, enjoy pizza and drinks and take your turn at the prize wheel, but 100% off all proceeds will be donated to the Autism Society of America. Tickets are limited. Click here to purchase you tickets and visit their site (www.bounceforautism.org) for more information.

If Sophia Likes it….. April 6, 2008

My one year old is a bottomless pit.

She eats her breakfast and finishes off her brothers leftovers, if I don’t get there fast enough to take it away. I swear she begs worse than my mother-in-law’s dog.

While I am cooking, she walks in to the kitchen with a direct radar for any recognize able food that may be on the counter top. She points and gives me that sign for “give me” (like a wave, but turns her had palm up). If she doesn’t get what she wants, and most the time she doesn’t, she has an immediate breakdown, drops to the floor, hangs onto my leg and persists with her “give me” sign.

It is somewhat annoying, but slightly hilarious. I find myself wondering if I am feeding her enough, at the same time chuckling. She verbal and persistent, my husband would say she is definitely her mother’s daughter.

My mom, claims I was the same way at her age,verbal,persistent,happy,and full to the brim with confidence.

As a baby, I also liked to eat, not only my food but everyone’s left overs.

My cousins would claim I was like Mikey!

If I liked it, they would decide it was worth a try.

I chalk up her curiousness on part what I call, “the evolution of the second child”, although I wasn’t the second child. At her age my son had 8 teeth. As what I like to call, a “survival” instinct, Sophia has 16 teeth including all her molars.

She wants to try everything her brother eats. Some of the stuff I would have never considered giving my son at her age, because he didn’t have enough teeth to chew it, she has no problem.

There is nothing she can’t, or for that matter, won’t eat.

Not only does she want to try everything he eats, she wants to try everything he plays with, climbs on and jumps from.

She is completely into cars, truck train, dirt, and couches or anything that is at least 18″ off the ground.

She is completely non-stop, from the minute she wakes up.

She keeps me, my husband and her big brother on his toes!

It makes for interesting days!

Anyway, I don’t know quite how this ties in to, if anything, but I was just out searching for a birthday gift for my sister-in-law. I don’t really know her well enough so I  went with a beach themed gift. Her family goes to the beach for at least a week every summer, so I didn’t think I could go wrong.

But then again you never know.

I did venture into Crate and Barrel. I saw some great things I wanted to get (emphasis on “I”), but she is not much of a cooker, at least I don’t think so, but this would have been a great gift for my other sister-in-law who shares my love of baking.

Anyway, I have to share…so, if you have a friend or family member who likes to bake, as do I, I think this would be a great gift, especially if they have kids.

A year of Cookie Cutters

Make a cookies with your kids for every season or holiday (I sure do)? It’s in there.

A great gift at just $24.95.

Cupcakes are a hit with kids, and adults, and perfect or every occasion.

And I am sure with this book you could find one for every occasion.

Don’t forget about the accessories!

(cupcake stencils)

(a cupcake carrier, I need one of those)

(and super cute pink polka dot cupcake liners)