Playgrounds

Oh man. Today is such a beautiful to go outside! It's the end of November and it's feels like the middle of September. I love global warming! Hahaha no I'm just kidding.
There's this app for iPhone called "Playgrounds" from Parents.com and Kaboom. It's pretty awesome! The only thing that's not so awesome is that I don't know anyone who also had it.
You can find local parks and make play dates.

Switched, but surprisingly easy..

Hey, it's been a while and I'm so tired! I want to lay in bed and knock out! Anyway I totally forgot to inform you that I switched from bottle to sippy cup for my daughter's milk. So it's official, no more baby bottles. Wow, I'm kind of upset that she can't stay a baby forever.
Can you believe I cried the other day thinking that the day that she is a teen and says ugh I hate my mom is coming soon! I'm terrified! I don't want her to hate me, but it's the stupid cycle of life isn't it? Moms or whoever is the one constantly takin care of a child is super person. You give and give, and sacrifice so in the end your kid can despise you. :(
Anyway let me get back to the original topic of this post.
So it went smoothly. My daughter hasn't asked for the bottle or complained so that was easy, unlike the rest of the things in parenting.

Toys for the Picky Toddler

As the holidays of gift-giving approach, we like to shower our kids with gifts. Well at least I do. I went to toysrus.com and made a wish list for my daughter. (By the way, I just had a Roasted tomato and mozzarella panini from Starbucks and it was SUPER delicious! Along with that, a Gingerbread latte. Plus I'm listening to Christmas music and having some alone time while my little gingerbread naps). Just wanted to share the little bit of joy bestowed on me on this lovely Saturday afternoon. So as I was saying, I made the wish list in hopes of adding it to Christmas cards I planned on sending out. I don't know when that's going to happen, because we just spend too much money on our Christmas & Birthday gift; my husband and I. We got iPhones, not the new one (4s) because that's way too expensive.
Moving on, lol, I added to the wish list toys I know my daughter wants. It also helps that when I was a kid my dad spoiled me with lots of toys :) He was pretty strict with everything else. So with that being said, I know about cool toys. Now, let's keep in mind that my daughter has a nice variety of toys now so if I don't mention it, she probably has it lol.
I had a shopping cart on her list, but I took it out because I saw one at Walmart for $10!!! Amazing! So here's what's left:
Crayola Color Wonder Makers and Coloring Pad
Crayola Color Wonder Fingerpaints and Paper
She loves dogs so a fake "real" one will do. FurReal Friends GoGo My Walking Pup
Teach My Baby/Toddler Learning Kit
Imaginarium Sensory Ball- Jumbo
Power Wheels Fisher Price Barbie Little Trail Rider ATV Girls Sports Quad
Fisher Price Little People Noah's Art Playset
Hello Kitty CD Boombox (she loves music)
Step 2 Neat & Tidy Cottage
Folding Slide
Fisher Price Little People Wheelies Stand n' Play Rampway
Mega Bloks Building Bag 80 Piece
Just Like Home Angled Broom
Step 2 Prepare and Share Kitchen Set
Pink Doodle Pro
So far that's it. If you got any ideas please let me know :)

Kids Can Have An Anxiety Disorder?

Hello there!
I haven't been here in a hot minute. lol I'm trying to be current with my vocabulary. Actually I wanted to know if there was a list of the acronyms young people use nowadays. I used to be young :( I don't remember getting too old to use "tubular" language. haha. Anyway, I read this article in Parents Magazine about shy kids. Which is so funny, because I used to work with children, before having one of my own. There was a little girl who never spoke and played by herself or with one other girl. The moment she actually spoke I began clapping and saying, "Good job; using your words!" I was so excited I told her mom that she used her words to express her feelings, and her mom said, "Oh yeah, she's a bladder mouth at home. She's always talking." I just thought to myself that maybe she's just not comfortable with me or the amount of students in the room. Well according to this article she could have a socializing problem.
So if you want to read the article its in the November 2011 issue of Parents on page 38. I'm not sure, but maybe you can find it on their website. Now why am I writing about this? You might have a child who's like this and never knew it might be an issue. I, on the other hand, have a child who socializes with all whether it's nicely or evilly. lol!
The proper name for this anxiety disorder is Selective Mutism (SM). It affects "1 in 140 early-school-age kids." Don't worry! It's not like you can't do anything about it, you can! If you don't do anything about it, it might "lead to broader social anxiety." The Child Mind Institute in NYC recommends that you help your kid by practicing a few things that might will help in this "freeze-up" situation. An example they gave in the article was this: If you plan on going out to the ice-cream store, for example, you might want to practice what you want your child to say. Rehearse asking for vanilla on a cone with sprinkles. Then do it a few more times before going to the ice-cream shoppe. After she completed the task, tell her she's a big girl for speaking up and for using her words, and that is wasn't so scary to ask for what she wanted. If you want more information on this check out childmind.org

The Battle of Teeth Brushing

Hey ladies! (and gentlemen, for those of you who aren't ladies lol) I just wanted to let you know what I recently did to help me with the Battle of Teeth Brushing. I read somewhere (forgot where, of course what's new), that buying a Spinbrush and having your child pick their own toothbrush would help with The Battle. It didn't work! No I'm just kidding lol. Of course, it worked! I had a hard time looking for one that my daughter would like, but nonetheless I found my helping buddy!
I went to Pathmark and they were having a sale on some Spinbrushes, plus I had a coupon for Arm & Hammer  Spinbrush for kids from last Sunday's newspaper. :) Score!!! You know how happy I was. I'm shopping, I'm saving, and it's going to make life easier.
They had mostly boy themed toothbrushes, and the girl's themed were Princess Cinderella, Dora and something else (again I forgot). I didn't pick the Princess (even though her plates are of the Disney Princesses) because she doesn't know who that is, and I didn't pick Dora, because she's a stranger too (we can't afford cable so she hasn't seen them). I found a dolphin one and I was going to take that one. But then, I found...There's two, there's four, there's six, there's eight...Thomas the tank engine. My girl likes that show and especially loves the theme song. So when I showed that one to her, she immediately let go of dolphin brush and played with Thomas the toothbrush!
This morning the battle was won, by Mom the smart lady who never gives up lol. She brushed her teeth with the Spinbrush, with my help of course and that was that!
Spinbrush selection

Location, Location, Location...for a changing table.

Hey guys!
So I moved my changing table right in front of the window in my daughters room. Boy does that help a lot! As I'm sure your baby does, she hates getting her diaper changed. Again, I had to find a way for her to calm down so I could change her. I keep the thermometer and tube of teething gel close by so she can play with that. I don't know why she likes both of those things, but hey I don't question if it's in my benefit. lol! By the way, if you're looking for something to entertain your kid while you change his/her diaper, make sure the object (or toy) you pick is only for diaper time or else they'll get tired of it.
Back to the position of the changing table. After bath-time I get my little girl ready fairly easy, even hough she fusses sometimes about getting her clothes on. She stares out the window while I put her clothes on, clean her ears, comb her hair etc. I'll ask her to look for a dog outside, because she likes them, or I say "Is the baby outside?" or she'll simply say "Vrrooom" while she watches trucks pass by.
Location for the changing table was important, because it helped me out with one of the many hectic parts of the day/night.
Oh and for those of you who care, I'm enjoying some hot chocolate... Yeah, no coffee. I know, what a surprise lol.

Parenting Tips

ParentingCounts.org has these cheesy commercials, but they're so true and I love them for that. Also at the end of the commercial there's a baby sitting and my daughter loves that. Every time she sees him she says "bebe" meaning baby in Portuguese (and a lot of Latin languages for that matter). When I first saw these commercials it actually gave me a lot of the parenting tips I use in my life. So Thank You parentingcounts.org for helping me out. Some things seem obvious, but for a first-time parent who's bombarded with how to do things, it's a big help!

Help with left-over candy

Happy Halloween, all! 

It's a day full of candy, for those of you who are going Trick-or-Treating. After you're probably left with a lot of can candy and don't know what to do with it. If you're like me you can probably save it in the fridge or basket and have your husband eat it lol. So I was reading this email and it had an idea for these extra sweets.

• An Advent calendar from Alphamom.com
• As a special dessert after having lunch all together (as a family).
• Use it to fill a Christmas stockings.
• Keep it in your purse when you need to quiet your kid lol ssshhh.
• Put it in your baking recipes.
• Chopped for toppings on ice cream or on top of whipped cream with strawberries!
• How about this one I saw on parenting.com: add it into some vodka and let it soak for a chocolate flavored cocktail. (I don't know if it's good, so let me know if you try).
• Save it for guests
• Maybe if you're kid's birthday is coming up, you can save it for goodie bags :) hey you have to save in times like these lol. 

These are some things you can do with your Halloween candy. Have your little one help you out, so they can feel like a big kid. They can help make the calendar, they can fill a stocking, sprinkle on a cake or frosting, or even hand some out to your guests. 

A little post of Joy

I can't help it but melt when I see my baby sleeping. All of the mess, screaming, and crying, oh and of course pickiness, of the day seem to fade away when she falls asleep. It usually starts with a bottle of warm milk and we lay on the couch. I caress her hair or give her a little foot massage and she's off to dreamland (if she's not fussy). I can't help but let her sleep there next to me. I don't want to go put her in her bed. It just feels like, I don't know how to explain it. Is it a feeling of pure love, pure happiness, safety, or just a great feeling of overall accomplishment? Accomplishment in the sense that the day was conquered, and in the end everything's good, or "Great success! I'm a good mom." Maybe it's all of those feelings put together, that's why it's hard to explain. But all I know is that I'm so full of joy when my princess diva is sleeping in my arms. :) Just wanted to end the night with this post. Thanks for listening :)

Discipline

Ok about discipline.. This is a difficult subject because different things work for different kids. You definitely have to be consistent though. For example, cleaning up baby's toys. My little girl was used to me picking up her toys. I would tell her to help me, but she would just stare or run off and do something else. Then I decided that I have to enforce this rule, because we're civilized people and we need to organize our things. So I would constantly ask her to clean up and bring her arm down to pick up a toy and bring her to the toy basket to drop it off. It worked! Patience is a big part of being a mom and that's what toddlerism requires. Now when its time to clean up she'll do it, especially in the bathtub. She won't leave the tub without pointing at the toy mesh bag and placing her bath toys in there. I know that sometimes it's easier to give up on your rules, but just think of the importance of it in the long run.
Next, if your child made a mess in the kitchen, instead of putting him/her in time-out have him/her help you clean it up. At least that way they're learning that you have to clean up after yourself. Tell him/her what you guys are doing and why. Because if you answer the why's now, you won' have to deal with "But why? But why?" later on. No I'm just kidding. That will still happen. lol
One thing I find important is praising your pumpkin when they do something good. Think about it. If chubby cheeks is always getting your attention when he/she is doing something wrong, they'll probably continue. Now, if you say great job when you catch them cleaning up (without you asking) they'll find a great accomplishment. This helps a lot when you're trying to be consistent. It goes hand in hand with the first thing I was talking about.
Also try to keep your explosiveness to a minimum. It's hard, I know. But think, the way you react when you're stressed is what you're teaching your kid. They learn everything from you. Pressure! So if you have to relax for a minute, just do it. Sometimes I'm cleaning and my daughter is crying and wants to be picked up and I'm trying to go as fast as I can; it'll just stress me out. So at that moment I just stop. I take off my gloves, pick up my pumpkin and go play a little bit. Sometimes she just wants a little attention, just to make sure mommy didn't forget about her. About 2 minutes later she's fine and I just go back to continue my work and let her play alone. Maybe if you make a schedule for yourself, in the morning, it'll help your day run smoother. Make sure you plan a moment to relax. Like, at nap time you can sit and read and drink some coffee, check your email, call a friend, do your hair or your nails, or even try to finish up your chores so that you'll have more time to be with baby when he/she wakes up.
These are just some ideas I've tried that worked for me.

10 Meals Under $2

10 Meals Under $2
That's right! Click on the link and see how making your own food, instead of buying it made, can save you dollars. Not only is it cheaper to make food at home, it's healthier and you know what's going in your meal.

On-the-Go Bag

Hey, so when you're on the go you need to be well equipped, no? Yes. I'm known for always carrying a huge bag with me. Big and Proud haha. Anyway, since being a parent now means being a frugal shopper, I just went to a thrift store and got a big bag that I could use as my "diaper bag." Lo and behold I find a "Mary Poppins" looking bag and BAM I'm set. So here's what my luggage contains: (I like using these bullet points lol if you haven't noticed)

• Wallet
• Phone
• Keys
• Extra pacifier (I just put it in a snack size Ziploc bag)
• 4 or 5 small bags (these bags you can also get at the thrift store or even the dollar store)

Each bag:

• One for diapers, ointment, wipes carrying case and a disposable changing pad thingy lol
• One for snacks or food. I like this one for snacks.
• Another one for toys (a variety of toys to choose from)
• One for extra clothes just in case of a poop or pee accident (change occasionally according to your growing toddler and changing weather). For example, I have a thin sweater, long sleeve onesie, pants and bib, oh yea a a small plastic bag to put the dirty clothes in.
• And one with a pocket for an ice pack for the sippy cup.

Now that it's getting cold outside I keep an extra blanket in the car. I also have a travel size pillow for when my little big-diva falls asleep in her car seat.

Conquering the Pickiness

Hey just wanted to let you guys know some tricks I've made up to conquer my daughter's pickiness. So for breakfast she sometimes doesn't want to sit and eat. Therefore in a sippy cup, that has a wide straw, I just add her cereal (baby cereal) with milk and yogurt. Then I just mix it around and boom there's breakfast for my little runaway.
She loves to eat her foods with her spoon or fork too. When she doesn't want to eat her lunch or dinner (that is just finger food) I just give her the special utensils and magic! She begins to eat. Not everything of course. I mean why would a full blown miracle happen at dinnertime?right? lol But it's better than nothing.
Also for those of you wondering about bottle feeding. I've found what works well for me was that when my toddler was a baby just a few months ago :) I began giving her a sippy cup with a straw (because she didn't know that you had to lift the other ones up for liquid to come out). That sippy cup had water and her bottle had milk. She began to understand that there was a difference. When she wanted water she'd reach for the sippy cup and vise versa. Also I've cut down on the milk because she was drinking too much of it and not eating her food. Oh and snacks as well, that used to be her meals lol. I was just telling @tutu_tuesdays that I read somewhere that at this age 16oz of milk a day was good enough. But then again I'm not a doctor so do what you think is best. So milk is for nap and bedtime. That has worked very well for me. Soon I have to give up the bottle completely. I'll let you know how that goes.
Oh another thing! My girl loves milkshakes. And who doesn't? I put a banana and some strawberries and milk in the blender and voila! There's a satisfying snack. No sugar though, fruit is already sweet and added sugar is not all that healthy. Then again who am I to talk about healthy when I'm always drinking coffee and craving sweet things (no I'm not prego probably PMSing). And you know what? It's a great snack for you & I and we're getting our daily fruit in our system. :) Ok I gotta run! You know how it is.

Fruits & Veggies

Every time I read something about helping your picky toddler eat the right foods, I just say that my daughter will just stare and most likely throw it on the floor. Here are some veggies and fruits that you might want to try and give your child if your not to sure on what they might like:

• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Figs
• Apples
• Tomatoes
• Blackberries
• Raspberries
• Cherries (take out the pit, of course)
• Melons
• Blueberries
• Beets
• Cucumbers
• Squash
• Carrots
• Corn
• Peas
• Sting Beans
• Beans (in general)
• Broccoli (maybe with some melted cheese)
• Mango
• We all know fresh fruit is best, but if you're going to feed your tot fruit from a can just make sure that it doesn't have extra sugar or some type of added syrup.
• Please, please remember that you must always supervise your child while they try new foods and just in general when they're eating. You never know..

I didn't add potatoes or bananas because I'm assuming your child imaginably prefers that anyway. I know that's all my girl will eat in the veggie and fruit department (especially if it's fried). Don't worry about the fried stuff, I learned that my little one isn't the only one, so it's nice to know that it's normal. You should know that this "pickiness" will last a while. They're just trying to mold their likes and dislikes. Something my dad has always said to me, since I've become a mom (of a picky eater) just be creative. That also means try whatever you can. For example, for my daughter to start eating fruit I chose banana because it's feasibly the easiest fruit (just peel with your hands and give). Then the problem was that she didn't want to even try the banana. Oh man! So since my baby girl is a huge fan of ice, I decided to freeze the banana on a plastic popsicle stick and give it to her like a Popsicle. And can you believe that she LOVED it? Now she eats it when I just simply cut it up and put it on her plate. But this time she'll only eat it with her little fork. She loves that. :) I'm glad that it's also helping her learn how to use a fork. Let me know some of your creative stories I would love to read and use them myself :)
XOXO  (coffee making time, lol)

Mad at Dad - Parenting.com

Hey all! I just really needed to come and tell you (yes, you) that I have found this article that just totally changed my morning. Thank you @Martha Brockenbrough! Mad at Dad - Parenting.com gave me the strength and helped me feel better to tackle on the day. Its amazing how you are not alone, even though it feels like it most of the time.

Just shut it, for now :)

I just want to make it clear for those of us who are unaware of the damages fighting in front of your child may cause. I've always heard that it's not good to fight in front of a child. Now I never really had to question that because it seemed, without a doubt, obvious. Recently this thought (or moral) has been challenged by the obtuseness of someone I don't want to mention. So, of course, I did some research just to inform myself, because fact of the matter is that I could be wrong (no biggie). Shocker! I was right and I also found a remarkable reason for why we shouldn't fight in front of our mini me's.
You see, toddlers are psychologically unprepared for these situations; they can't deal with it. The only thing that he/she believes in, confines in, relies on, and gives him/her security is breaking apart in front of his/her eyes. The child doesn't know that his/her parents are going to still be there in the end. He/She doesn't understand that you guys still love each other and him/her. Their sense of protection is being demolished. Believe me I know how hard it is not to argue with your spouse in front of your little one, but it's in the best interest of your little angel to swallow all of that anger until you are alone with your significant other.
For now, your precious cherub isn't capable of figuring out how relationships work. Actually, have you ever noticed that when there's another child crying because your child hit them all your kid those is stare? That's because they are learning about cause and effect. They don't know that they're suppose to hug and say sorry. I mean if you look at it, they're not the ones feeling the pain so they don't know that what they did caused pain. It's like that. Their little brains don't know the meaning of probability. So for the love of your tot and his/her development just shut it for now. :) lol and I mean that in the nicest way possible.

Holla if you hear me!

Jeez, where do I start? There's so many topics and so many things to talk about. Let's being with what's most recent (in my mind) to speak about. I hate when people pressure me to do things that I don't want especially if it involves my child. Maybe I'm just easily pushed around. Ugh! Who's on that boat? When I make decisions and someone tries to change my mind and they haven't succeed the first or second time, just drop it. I just end up getting upset at the fact that the other end does not understand me and because both parties won't be content. Holla if you hear me (lol). I make my decisions based on what I believe will happen next (only if the outcome is predictable, of course.)
Oh I just remembered. One thing I don't like is being rushed. That totally throws me off guard. Now that I can't just leave the house with my purse (contents: phone, keys, wallet..mostly), I have to pack my ginormous bag with an abundance of toddler necessities (extra clothes, toys, diapers, wipes, ointment, food, drink and then my own things). It's just too much that I have to worry about in such a short time. Not only will I probably forget something (and later get mad about it) I'll just get frustrated trying not to forget anything. Did I dismiss the fact that your being changes as well, in my little list in the previous post? Whatever. :) Where's my coffee? I need to go brew a cup, which by the way I love my sister-in-laws coffee. She makes it taste like Christmas lol. Yeah, I don't know how. Ta-Ta for now. Enjoy this: Mom forgets baby.. (takes a bit to load)

Toddler: its own spieces

Let's start off by saying: If you have a picky toddler please don't beat yourself up. It's not your fault your L.O. is that way. Toddlers grow in their own ways and some like to break out of the pack and be the boss of what they eat or do. Of course, some of their diva-ish ways can be cause by too much independence. Don't take my word for it, I'm not a doctor or anything, simply just a mom. Sometimes mom's experience is better than others (ssshhh lol).

I have a (now) 14 month old toddler who is a DIVA! She basically does what she wants 90% of the time. I'm not proud to say that, because I always thought I'd be the correctional officer mom. I convinced myself that my kids would listen to me when I said no and that they'd respect me. Wow! Everything really does change when a baby comes into your life. Everything meaning: your relationship with your husband/partner, your daily routine, your precautions, your time, your sleep (I don't even know what a restful sleep is), your thoughts, your pantry, your stress level, I can create a list (if I haven't already) about the massive turn your life takes.

Duty calls I'll be back!