UPDATE: Number 2 on the way!!!

It's been a rocky path this year.  After losing my mom to lung cancer, I thought that nothing was going to get better.  But, a month and a half later, I learned that I was pregnant.  At first, I was terrified, since it was not planned, and I didn't have my mom there to help me like I did with Alex.  But then, I got some of the craziest news.  My baby was conceived just days before I lost my mom.  That alone was a sign.

So, with my first, I planned to have a natural child birth.  Unfortunately, that didn't go as planned, due to my lack of research and resources.  But this time, I have a doula (which I didn't know about my first time around), and have done lots of research on The Bradley Method and natural pain management techniques.  And I still have 5 months to go, so there is lots more research to do!

If anyone has any advice on different childbirth methods, please leave a message in the comments section.  I would love to hear what others what to say, and about other women's experiences.

Kid's Snack- Dessert Nachos!

What you need-

Flour tortillas, any size

Bananas

Strawberries

Chocolate syrup

Cinnamon /sugar mixture

Pam

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cut tortillas in whatever shapes you like.  We did hearts.

2. Lightly coat each of the chips with Pam cooking spray.  Bake for 10-15 mins.

3. While the chips are cooking, take your bananas and strawberries and slice them up. 

4. Prepare your plate with a drizzle of the chocolate syrup.  Add about half of the bananas and strawberries on top of the chocolate.

5.  When the chips are crispy, take them out and VERY lightly spray with more Pam.  I am serious when I say just VERY lightly.  Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mix.

6. Put the chips on top of the strawberries and bananas, then top off with the remaining strawberries and bananas.  As a delicious finish to the dish, drizzle with more chocolate syrup.

Natural Cold Remedy

Let me start by saying that I am not a doctor, and have no medical training.  But, I heard of this bath while talking to some friends, and a few weeks later, after getting sick, decided to give it a try.  I'm not sure if it was the bath itself, or a placebo affect, but it seemed to do a pretty good job.  If you are pregnant or have any health concerns, consult a physician before trying this.

1. Run a hot bath. It opens pores and prepares body for cleansing.

2. Add three pints of hydrogen peroxide (3%). This oxygenates the body and helps purge toxins. It’s also antibacterial and antiviral.

3. Add two ounces of ground ginger, a natural anti-inflammatory that increases blood circulation and helps promote the elimination of toxins through sweat.

4. Soak for about 30 minutes.

5. Drink lots of water; You need to replenish what’s being pulled out of your system.

Within 5 minutes of soaking in the tub, my body felt like it had turned into a faucet. Sweat started pouring down my face and out of every pore. Afterward, I drank two large glasses of water and crawled into bed. I slept like a baby that night, and to my surprise, woke up feeling more energetic and less achy than the day before. Miraculous! I only need that one soak to feel vastly better, but my aunt suggests repeating the bath for up to three days if symptoms persist.

What do you do when your kid is the bully?

I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL, AND THESE ARE ONLY METHODS THAT I HAVE USED.  THESE ARE ONLY OPINIONS.  FEEL FREE TO COMMENT WITH YOUR THOUGHTS OR ADVICE! THANK YOU!!

The Story:

As my daughter got older, and time for kindergarten got closer, I began preparing her for dealing with the kids at school.  Kids can be cruel, so I made sure that she knew that she was beautiful, smart, etc.  I warned her that maybe all the kids at school wouldn't be nice to her, and how to handle it.

One thing that I wasn't prepared for happened while I was at work.  I got a phone call, and when I took the call, the woman identified herself as a guidance counselor  at my daughter's school.  My body shook, as I was worried at first that something had happened to her.  But my blood ran cold when the woman on the other line continued.  "I have Alex with me, and there was an incident at recess today."  She continued to tell me that Alex got in a fist fight with another girl in her school.  My blood boiled as I talked, and afterwards, I had to excuse myself from my work and step outside.  

I didn't know how to react, or handle the situation.  I knew that my daughter wasn't a perfect angel (she's 5, and all parents know how 5-year-olds can be), but I didn't expect such a big situation.  So, with the punishment given at school- 3 days of recess detention, and her punishment at home- loss of t.v. for the next 2 days, and no use of the family computer or her handheld gaming device, I thought I had sent the message.  We also had several very long discussions on why it was bad to act like that, and alternative ways to deal with her anger.  The next day at school, she apologized to her teacher, and gave the other kid an apologetic card that she made.  I thought she had learned her lesson.

Two days later, I got another phone call.  I immediately recognized the phone number as the school, and was shocked when I answered and once again informed that my child started another fight.  I immediately took every toy, toy box, doll house, and game out of her room and up to the attic.  She also lost t.v. until she goes to school for an entire week without getting so much as a warning.  She was in shock when she got home and discovered that her room was empty, aside from her bed and dresser.

I'm not sure what the next step will be if it happens again, but I'm hoping that this extreme punishment will teach her exactly how bad this behavior is.

The Lesson:

-Keep communications open.  I have discussed this behavior with everyone that has an administrative role in her life.  I have exchanged several emails with her teacher(also learning that she has been having other issues in class), and I have talked extensively with my mother and boyfriend, who care for her in the mornings and after school on days that I work.  I am very pleased with the help that I am getting from the school, as well as her other caregivers.

-Don't be afraid to be extreme.  The first time that she got violent at school, I had fiddled with the idea of the more extreme punishment, but decided against it.  I regret that decision.  Now I wonder that if I would have been more extreme the first time, that perhaps the second incident wouldn't have happened.  The severity of violence is too high for a lenient punishment.

-Listen, listen, listen.  Even if it is your child's fault that there was a fight, listen to their side of the story.  And listen closely, because the simplest phrases can lead to finding the reason for the behavior.

-Talk.  Discuss what circumstances they can face if it happens again- from you, from the school, and from their peers. 

-Put them in the other children's shoes.  Alex really responded to me asking her how she would feel if someone else did to her what she did to the other children.  I made her realize that the other children were not only hurt physically, but they were hurt emotionally.

Christmas Craft- Reindeer Headband

Reindeer Headband:
      What you need- Brown construction paper
                             - Scissors
                             - Google eyes
                             - Red pom poms
                             - Popsicle sticks
                             - Glue
                             - markers
      What you do-  Cut out the "headband" from brown construction paper.  Make sure its about 4ish inches wide, and long enough to fit around your child's head, but tight enough to stay in place, taking consideration for the inch or two to glue together.  Glue on the eyes, a red pom pom for a nose, and draw on a little smiley face.  Glue the ends of the headband together and fasten with a paperclip to dry.  While it's drying, trace your child's hand on the brown construction paper and cut them out.  These are the antlers.  Glue them to popsicle sticks, leaving a few inches of the stick to glue to the headband.  Let everything dry before gluing the popsicle sticks/antlers to the headband.  Hold the sticks in place until they are dry.

Christmas Decorated Goodies!!!

                 Bake cupcakes.  Add a bunch of icing, a marshmallow on top and decorate with icing.

Dip pretzel sticks in candy melts or chocolate, and use your imagination to decorate however you want.  Nuts, sprinkles, M&Ms, coconut, and Andes peppermint pieces all work and taste great!

Rice Crispy Treat Ornament.  Just Decorate with icing, stick red and green M&Ms on with icing, a marshmallow and string of licorice on top, and that's all there is to it.

Santa Strawberries.  Cut the tops and bottoms off, fill and decorate with icing and put the bottoms back on.  A slightly more healthy Christmas snack.

Snowman Donuts.  decorate with black frosting, and i like to use candy corn for the nose 

Nutter Butter Reindeer.  Put the pretzel antlers into the peanut butter in between the two cookies, dip in chocolate and decorate with a red M&M and icing.

Kids and Dogs- A professional's point of view

As a dog groomer, I have learned a LOT about dog breeds, and I see SO many common mistakes when it comes to combining children and dogs.  It's difficult to correct many of the mistakes in my job, because the "damage" is already done.  Here are some things to consider BEFORE picking out that perfect puppy

These are only my OPINIONS based on personal experience.  You should ALWAYS do your own research before welcoming any pet to your family.  And, remember, there are ALWAYS the exceptions.  I mean no offense in this article, and this is only meant to be things to consider before bringing a dog home.

1.  Not all breeds are good around kids.  Even when bought as puppies, these breeds grow older and start to develope their breed temperments.  One of the most common misconceptions is with dalmations, because of the Disney movie "101 Dalmations".  Here are a few more breeds to avoid when you have children under the age of 13 (these are just generalizations based on breed temperment)- Chow Chow, Dalmation, Saint Bernard, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Rottweiler,  Jack Russel, and any tiny breed dogs.  Dogs considered to be pitbulls (staffordshire bull terrier, american pit bull terrier, american staffordshire terrier) can be a great choice, but must be very well trained and socialized.  All breeds on this list have different reasons for being considered not a good fit for children, and like I said before, there are exceptions.

2.  DO NOT GIFT A DOG!  Ok, well, giving a dog(or any animal) as a gift to a kid is ok, but don't bring it home on the day of the occassion(birthday, christmas, etc).  Holidays and special occassion are loud, exciting, and chaotic, which is NOT a good environment for a new dog.  Think about it- this dog, whether it be a puppy or an adult dog) does not know you, your home, or your family, so they are already scared and stressed out.  Now, imagine a child coming down stairs on Christmas morning to this adorable puppy, with the bow tied around it's collar, and then the child's excitement becoming very vocal.  They will want to hug and play with the puppy briefly, and then continue to rip through the rest of their gifts, vocalizing their excitement for each gift.  Add in the lights, music, mess, and everything else that goes on on these particular occassion, and you have a puppy's worst nightmare.  If you want to get your child a pet as a birthday or Christmas gift,  try instead to wrap them a rawhide bone, or put a pet store giftcard in a card telling them that they will be getting the pet, and give them a few days to prepare.

3.  Do not expect your child to take care of the dog.  I always encourage parents to give their children the responsibility of caring for a living being, but expect that you will be the one doing most of the care.  I see parents coming in to my grooming salon ALL the time with shih tzus that are so badly matted that they must be cared for at a vet.  And when the parent hears that bad news, they turn to their child and blame them for the dog's condition.  I understand that you are trying to teach your child a lesson, but the dog is suffering for this lesson.  Punish the kid another way for not brushing/feeding/walking the dog, and do the work yourself.

4.  Avoid small breeds.  It makes me sad to say this, because there are several small breeds that I feel would be great for kids, but the smaller the breed, the higher of a rosk for that dog to be injured.  Think about it, a small breed puppy is so darned cute, your can't resist picking them up.  Neither can your 6-year-old, who is much clumsier than you are, and more likely to drop the dog, or fall while carrying it.  Or, your child is running around the house or yard, and runs right into the puppy/dog.  Bigger dogs can handle a child's roughness better.

5.  Never leave the dog alone with your SMALL child.  Older kids are better with being alone with a dog, but smaller kids will get the urge to mess with the dog, whether they are awake or asleep.  I learned this mistake personally with my mom's dog, who was asleep.  My mom wanted me to see something, so, not thinking of it, I went with her, leaving my daughter in the room watching cartoons, while the dog was sleeping in the corner.  Within two minutes of being gone, I hear a yelp, and then my daughter crying.  She just wanted to sit next to him and pet him, but her sitting down and touching him while he was asleep startled him, and he bit her.  Luckily it was just a warning snap, and it barely left a mark.  This is normally a VERY sweet dog, who is normally VERY good with my daughter, but when he was startled the way he was, he resorted to his natural instinct for just a split second.  We were very lucky that the damage wasn't worse.

Dogs make GREAT pets for kids.  They help build confidence, a sense of responsibility, provide moral support, provide friendship, and have many many more benefits.  But not every dog is a good fit for a child, and the more you research, the higher your chances are of finding that perfect fit.