Visit the Shaks

After shopping with my three little boys yesterday, I have decided to never do it again! What was I thinking? Here is a short video with tips for shopping with your children.

I am really trying to decide how I feel about kids having cell phones. What is the right age? Is giving your child a cell phone spoiling them excessively? Does the convenience outweigh the seemingly ridiculous notion of it? These are some of the thoughts going through my mind about the subject.

My oldest son is just nine and many of his friends have cell phones already. I just think it is a little too much a little too soon. Although, having a cell phone on your child might provide an extra measure of safety. They would be able to reach you quickly if they needed you. You would also be able to keep tabs on them a little better I suppose.

I was reading a blog called Motherwise Cracks and her article about "Cell Phone Snobbery". This type of thing is what makes me lean towards giving kids cell phones is spoiling them too much:   

"I handed my cell phone to my son’s friend so he could call home. He handed it back to me and asked someone else to use their phone. I asked what the matter was and he replied, “I’m not used to such a basic model.”

Where do you stand on this subject? Kids and cell phones: too much or just normal for the times?

Baby D is almost 22 months old now. He just loves taking off his clothes and running around in his little birthday suit. That is very normal at this age and  it is kind of cute and funny. The problem comes when he is alone in his bedroom. He strips down and takes off his diaper. For two days straight, I walked in to a room full of little poopies spread (and smeared) all over his room! He had also taken aim at his carpet and bed!

A friend suggested a possible solution to this problem. She said to put his diaper on backwards because he might have a harder time removing it. I am going to give it a try but have a feeling that mischevious Baby D will work his way around that one quickly enough. I also wonder if a backwards diaper will absorb properly, and I already have a problem with him waking up wet. Another thought she had was putting a onesie on him because the snaps might deter him.

I would truly appreciate any suggestions that someone might have. It wouldn't be a big deal for him to take off his clothes but I am starting to dread opening his door after a nap. I already know what he ate, I don't need to be reminded in this yucky way!

"A good dad is.......", that is the question posed to you by Become A Better Father. Do you think you can answer that question?

Enter the 1st Annual Father's Day Writing Contest and you could win "A free one-hour consultation with Scott Hammond, a $25 Starbucks gift card, a full-featured blog post on Become A Better Father, and much, much more!" 

I am not sure why there is a need for a potty training awareness month but, June is it! Luckily, I only have one more little boy to train. He is not ready yet, but I am looking forward to the days of all undies and no diapers!

Is your little one ready to train yet? If you are not sure, you can take this potty training readiness quiz to find out. While we are on the subject, how about leaving your best training tip here in comments? Your tip might just be the one that helps another mom get over this hump!

At my son's baseball game last evening, my husband mentioned that he does not think I am as "focused" as I was before I had kids. To borrow a term from the kids that cause me not to be focused, I say "Well, DUH!". 

I truly hope to get back to being more "focused" when my boys are older. I am using quotations around the word "focused" as a way of trying to be slightly sarcastic. See, there were many responses I could have given my husband. I am sure he is not quite as "something" as he used to be either. Instead of finding flaws to sling back at him, I prefer to "focus" on this post and tell you that I found an article that explains why I have this problem.

The article is called  Mom,Interrupted and is on ParentingHumor.com. It explains just how I feel and why I am not "focused", but in a very funny way. Now, what the heck was I doing???

Today I have to take my four year old son for his check-up. He will be getting four immunization shots at this appointment. Although I know they are for his own good, I just dread appointments like this!

It is hard to watch your little one get shots when they are newborns and infants. The thing that makes it a little easier is that you know they won't remember it. All they know is one minute something hurts them, and the next minute mommy is holding them and making it all better.

However, when they are older, they know what is going on. They see the shot coming and anticipate the pain. Usually the doctor wants you to help to hold them still. I feel like such a traitor by helping someone cause pain to my child. I know that might sound silly, but that must be how the child sees it. They must wonder why mommy is doing this to them!

I am probably just being a ninny about the whole thing. My son will probably handle it better than I do. I just can't help but feel a little guilty. 

I would like to wish my middle son a Happy 4th Birthday! Not only is it his birthday, but it marks the most joyful day of my life. The birth of each son was a joyful experience, but Lou's was special in its own way.

On the morning Lou was born, I got out of bed and my water broke. We went to the hospital and anticipated a long day of labor. Once I was there, they hooked up all of the usual monitors to me. My husband took my oldest son down to the cafeteria to get some breakfast, thinking there would be plenty of time.

All of a sudden, the monitors started beeping. The nurses came in and tried to readjust them but quickly realized that my son's heart had stopped beating. They moved me around to see if that made a difference but it did not. At that point, they paged the doctor to come to my room immediately. My OB told me that I was going to have my baby now by emergency c-section.

It all happened so fast. They rushed me to the delivery room. I remember staring up at the bright lights on my way there and just praying over and over again to let my baby be okay. Shortly thereafter, I was awakened by the post-op nurse. The first words that registered through my foggy brain were "The baby is in the nursery". I cannot describe the immense feeling of relief that I experienced. I asked her many times after that if she was sure that he was okay and she reassured me that he was.

The reason his heart stopped beating was because the umbilical cord had tightened around his neck. I was so grateful to the hospital staff for reacting so quickly and saving my son. I was told later that he was born in the nick of time. I think I felt euphoric for weeks after his birth. Once again, I would like to wish my dear son a very Happy 4th Birthday! 

I am a little late here today. Little Baby D is sick and has thrown up three times. Normally I would not take my child to the doctor's office for that but considering what he did on Saturday, I had to play it safe.

We went away for the long holiday weekend. Another couple joined us and we all enjoyed the beautiful weather. We had a cookout on Saturday with barbecued chicken and rock fish. I had to run inside to get something so I put my husband to the task of keeping an eye on Baby D.

When I came back outside, my husband informs me that Baby D reached into the trash can and pulled out the discarded chicken package. Ewww!!! I immediately took him inside and washed him up. He seemed fine so I just crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

The doctor said that it is probably not salmonella because he has not had diarrhea. She told me to let her know if he were to get diarrhea and also to bring in a sample. Hopefully it is just a little tummy virus and not salmonella after all!

After reading a lot of information on products containing BPA (Bisphenol-A), I ended up deciding to replace all of my sippy cups. They were due to be replaced anyway as they were showing a lot of wear.

I started researching cups made of material that did not contain BPA. During the first stage of my research, I was quite disturbed. The cost of BPA free sippy cups were utterly ridiculous! It was quite obvious that some manufacturers were taking advantage of this scare. Some cups were as high as $17 a cup! Um, sorry.... no way will I pay that much for a sippy cup.

Finally, my search led to an old standard when it comes to baby products. Playtex makes a sippy cup called the Playtex Baby Coolster Tumbler. It costs a reasonable $4.99. The Playtex store is out some of the colors but a lot of other sites carry these cups. I bought mine on at Toys R US and Amazon carries them too.

There are more advantages to these cups. They do not have a spout. This helps train kids better for drinking from a regular cup in the future. Also, a cup without a spout is better for speech and is recommended by speech therapists. I was not sure how my 21 month old would do without a spout but I had no need to worry. He loves this cup and drinks from it just fine!

The cup does not leak. Now, we all know that if you hold a sippy cup upside down and shake it, a few drops will come out. That is true about this cup too but what cup doesn't? This cup is definitely one of the better ones when it comes to not leaking. Overall, I love these cups and so do my sons! If you are interested in BPA free cups that do not cost an arm and a leg, I highly recommend these!

At the end of a long day, it is nice to have a little something just for you. Call it an mental escape or just a well deserved break. Many people find a hot bath to be relaxing. Others might find a long walk to be beneficial. It is just a way to get some peace and gather your thoughts.

My escape is my favorite show...Day's of Our Lives! I have watched this for over 20 years. I tape it each day and watch it right before bed. It is just for me and is my little reward at the end of the day. It helps me to unwind and get lost in the drama of the character's lives.

Do you have a relaxing routine at the end of your day? Also, any fellow Day's fans out there?

School will be over for the year in a few short weeks. Time for summer vacation for all the kiddos. They will be shouting with joy and jumping with glee. How about you, the parent?

When I was growing up, my mother absolutely loved summer vacation. She really enjoyed having her girls home all summer. I know a lot of parents that feel that way, but I also know a lot of parents that dread it. I would say that I fall somewhere in the middle.

I do enjoy getting to spend more time with my oldest son when he is home for the summer. Also, there are the perks of possibly getting to sleep a little later and no homework to worry about. On the flip side, there is more time for sibling bickering. I can count on having my son's friends around my house constantly. The last two things I mentioned might not be such a big deal if I didn't work from home. However, the fact is, summer break means more of a work challenge for me.

So my question is, how do you feel about summer break? Are you a parent that loves it so much that you wish they did not have to go back in September? Or, are you a parent that eagerly awaits the start of the new school year? Maybe you are like I am...... somewhere in the middle?

My youngest little guy is 21 months old. He is talking quite a bit these days. Practically every day, he surprises us with by saying a new phrase.

Every night when I tuck him in to bed, I say "I love you" several times. A few nights ago, Baby D surprised me as I was closing his door by saying "I love you" back to me. It was so sweet! He has continued to do this each evening. Awww, it just melts me every time!

Baby D seems to know what it means even if it is not said to him first. His big brother was leaving for school this morning. He gave Baby D a hug on his way out the door. Right before he walked out, Baby D said "I love you". That just melted my big and tough 9 year old, who was just so happy to hear that from his baby brother. We all enjoy waiting to hear what he is going to say next!

I have referenced The Law Of Attraction several times throughout my time here. A friend introduced me to the concept and I find it very interesting. The reason it interests me is because I can look back on my life and see how my positive thinking has produced the outcomes that I wanted. To me, it is not about "The Secret", it is more about how your positive thoughts will influence events in your life.

I have had some challenging mommy moments lately. My youngest is approaching two and has become a poster child for "the terrible 2's"! Between him and my other two boys, life around my house is often chaotic. I wondered if I could use the law of attraction to help calm my house down a bit. Maybe I have not been doing things right?

I found this article   "Law of Attraction used for Your Parenting Success" - by Kelly Nault M.A. on Rebecca J. Burns' blog.  The author asked some questions that really made me think:

*How am I contributing to my kids behavior? (Gulp!)
*Are my kids responding to my lack of patience and skyrocketing stress?
*Are my children desperately seeking quality time with me because I haven’t been giving them much special time lately?
*Are my kids no fun to be around because frankly, I am not fun to be around?

I admit that my patience has not been very good lately. Working from home and tending to three little boys makes for rather stressful days. It is very likely that my stress level has been attracting more negative behavior from them. I am going to make a great effort to use this parenting strategy described in the above article.

This time of year, the sun is very strong. Although the weather might not be hot, it is time to start applying sunscreen on yourself and your children.

If the sun is out, then you are at risk for a sunburn even if you are out for a short time. Not only should you protect your skin, but you should also protect your eyes with some good sunglasses.

May is national skin cancer awareness month. It is a good time to make an appointment with your doctor to check out any moles on your body for signs and symptoms of melanoma. Also, read up on the 5 best ways to prevent skin cancer. My days of laying out in the sun are long gone. I still enjoy outdoor activities but I play it much smarter these days!

Although April is almost over, I wanted to mention that it is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Childwelfare.gov has a resource packet on preventing child abuse and neglect. The resource packet "Includes information on supporting families, protective factors, public awareness, community activities, positive parenting, prevention programs, and more". (This information is free to use in reference to National Child Abuse Prevention Month or the availability of the packet.) You will find an outline below of the information contained within the packet:

Overview
Understanding child abuse prevention and what to do when children are at risk. Includes frequently asked questions and links to related Federal and national organizations and State contacts that work to prevent child abuse.

Promoting healthy families
Information on how to enhance protective factors in families and ways to support and partner with parents. Includes a calendar of family activities and parenting resources.

Public awareness & creating supportive communities
Tools for sharing a child abuse prevention message with your community and building community support.

Prevention programs
Standards for prevention programs, research on what works, information on the role of related professionals, and resources for specific types of programs.

Developing & sustaining prevention programs
Developing a prevention program, conducting a community needs assessment, finding and sustaining adequate funds, and collaborating with community partners.

Evaluating prevention programs
Evaluating program effectiveness and performing cost analysis. Features the Evaluation Toolkit and Logic Model Builder.

I absolutely love this song by Trace Adkins called "You're Gonna Miss This". I keep trying to tell my oldest son this same message. To tell you the truth, on difficult mommy days, I have to remind myself of this sometimes. This song really hits home. If you have not heard it, listen to it and see if you don't feel it too.

Through Blog Catalog, I have met a blogger named Shirley. She is a very ambitious blogger with high ideals and goals to help children. Her blog is titled Proof Positivity and she sees it as "an opportunity for children of all ages to find their voice through positive news".

Shirley's vision: "For every child to have an opportunity to write or report no matter what their grades are."

She explains why: "A child sometimes needs to develop a love for something before they are motivated enough to bring their grades up."

Shirley's goal: "My goal is to put a studio in every school and for that, equipment is needed. I hope to eventually be able to go to my schools and discuss: Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?"

Kudos to Shirley for her love of children and her strong desire to help them. Take a minute and check out Proof Positivity for yourself.

The sun is shining and the birds are singing. What a beautiful morning to enjoy a cup of coffee and think about the the wonderful day to come. This calm and peaceful feeling lasted all of about ten minutes. Then my little boys started waking up!

Sometimes I wonder if they have a little pow-wow meeting the night before and all agree to wake up in a bad mood the next day. First up was my middle son way earlier than usual. He proceeded to say "Mommmmm" in a whining voice at least twenty times since his awakening. Next up was my oldest boy who is notoriously grumpy in the morning. He didn't let me down and played his grumpy morning bit to the hilt. Last up was Baby D who let out a ferocious howl to let me know that my last sunshine boy was awake.

There are rare mornings where my little angels get up smiling with the son. Today was not one of those precious mornings. However, the birds are still singing and my coffee is still warm. Maybe Mr. Sun and I can talk these little guys into a smile before the morning is over.

Do you or your teenager have an account on Facebook? If you do, you might be aware of the tracking and displaying of personal information that occurs with Facebook Beacon.

Facebook Beacon creates cookies that collect information and in turn, informs that user's friends about his or her purchases. This is done by tracking information of Facebook Beacon users on third-party partner sites. Shortly after the release of Facebook Beacon, quite an uproar occurred once people realized the serious violations of privacy this system imposes.

For example, you buy a book entitled "How To Save Your Marriage". If that book was purchased through a Facebook Beacon partner site, then all of your Facebook friends will know you purchased that book which could lead to an uncomfortable situation. What if your teenager has a Facebook account? You might purchase acne medicine for your teen and through cookie tracking, the acne purchase could be broadcast to all of your teen's Facebook friends.

Computerworld.com explains it further "New plug-in gives Facebook users another way to dodge Beacon":

"The groundswell of criticism began when a security researcher said that the ad system tracks user activities on third-party partner sites -- including the activities of people who never signed up with Facebook, who deactivated their accounts or who were not signed on to the site."

A new Facebook plug-in has been developed that will allow users to monitor and delete cookies created by the Facebook Beacon advertising system. The toolbar provides an updated list of Beacon retailers which allows you to decide which sites you would like to block. This free plug-in was developed by Flugpo (a social classifieds network) who has always been an advocate on Internet safety and privacy.

The free plug-in can be found at MyDataIsMyData.org along with detailed information.

I am starting to wonder if they make diapers like they used to. My youngest son ends up soaking wet by the time morning comes. This happened occasionally with my other sons, but it was not an every day occurrence like it is with Baby D.

I have tried switching brands, the overnight diapers and using a larger diaper. In addition, I have cut back on the amount of liquids my son drinks later in the day. I always put on a fresh diaper at bedtime. The poor little guy still wakes up soaking wet practically every morning. This little problem is not only gross, it is costly considering the water and detergent I have to use to launder his sheets daily.

I read about something called Diaper Doublers. I am going to try them but will have to order them online. They do not sell them at my local grocery store. In the meantime, I did discover a trick last night. I had some old pull-ups from when I was potty training my other son. I put one on Baby D over his diaper and he remained dry! The pull-up absorbed the liquid that would normally have leaked. Who knows, I might just stick with this method as long as it continues to work!

I must ask: Is it just me and my kids?? Is it normal to dread taking your children to the grocery store (or most any other store for that matter)? Are my boys extra naughty or is there a boat full of mothers in the same situation?

Generally, I do my grocery shopping on the weekends so my boys can stay at home with my husband. Sometimes I need to go in between and it turns out to be an unnecessary stressful event.

Baby D is 19 months old and has been difficult at the store for the last several months. As the groceries pile up in the cart, he squirms around in his seat and reaches behind him to grab at the items. Next thing I know, he is trying to eat away at some package. The bread gets squished, he gnaws at some cardboard or is trying to get his hands on the dirty meat.

Today I had to run out and only needed a few groceries. Although he could not get to any of the food, he practically threw a tantrum the whole time! As soon as we got back in the truck, he was happy as a lark!

I won't even go into the nightmares that my 3 year old presents at the store. Quite frankly, even my 9 year old son makes a shopping trip more difficult than if I was alone! Geesh, should it be this hard??

My youngest son is very attached to his special little blanket. This is my first child that has formed an attachment to a security object. His reaction to his blanket is quite adorable although it comes with some challenges! 

I have to be sneaky when it is time to wash his little blanket. If Baby D sees me putting his blanket in the washing machine, he gets very upset. I have tried to find the exact same blanket at the store it was purchased from but have been unsuccessful.

Why do some children form attachments to blankets or other soft objects while other children could care less? Does it mean they are insecure or more needy? ToddlersToday.com says it is actually a very healthy attachment:

"Studies have shown that children who are attached to security blankets are securely attached to their mothers and psychologically healthy," says Dr. Julie Lumeng, of the University of Michigan's Center for Human Growth and Development in Ann Arbor, Mich. "The same studies show that when these children are in stressful or new situations – for example a new playgroup, preschool, going to the doctor's office, a babysitter – that if they have a security blanket they are much better able to keep themselves calm than children who do not have such an object. These children are actually better able to socialize, to learn and to regulate their emotions when they have a security blanket."

Personally, I love having a Linus baby! He is so cute and cuddly with his blankie and it makes him happy.