Category: Family and Friends

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Halloween Candy Buy Back

Are you worried about your kids eating too much Halloween Candy in the upcoming weeks?  Well, Operation Gratitude has an amazing program where you can bring your Halloween candy to registered dentists offices and they will buy it back from you for $1 a pound.  They then send all of the candy to our military troops in holiday care packages. This year they are working towards sending 60,000 care packages and they literally need tons of candy to fill all of the packages.

This would be an amazing opportunity for you and your children to support our troops, and prevent them from getting crazy sugar highs and or lots of cavities.  They’ll even get a few bucks in the process and can maybe use that money to purchase something that will last instead of the consumable candy that will most likely be gone in a few days.

**DENTISTS CAN SEND ALL CANDY TO:

OPERATION GRATITUDE/ CA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD 
17330 VICTORY BLVD.
VAN NUYS, CA 91406
ATTN: RICH HERNANDEZ / 262-674-7281
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Halloween Decor Inside and Out

Halloween is almost here.  I’m soo excited to see all of the kids this year in their costumes.  I’ve been stocking up on extra candy to hand out.  Every sale I’ve noticed I’ve bought at least 3 big bags of the good candy.  I don’t ever want to be known as the house with the crappy candy.  For almost the past month I’ve been diligently adding to the decor both inside and out of our home.

We have twinkling orange and white lights on the patio.  I have cute little bats with smiling faces hung up along he rails of the porch.  They are covered in pretty black and purple sparkle glitter.  There are friendly giant spiders sitting in plastic spider webs.  I can’t stand the kind that look too real and get in your face and hair.  It always creeps me out and makes me think I’ve actually walked into a real spider web.  We also have bales of hay set out with friendly scarecrows welcoming visitors.

Inside we have fall colored flowers set on our table surrounded by a wreath of sticks and twine.  I got a bunch of decorations on sale last year after the holiday marked down by at least 75%.  The picture frames are one of my favorite finds.  I found two black picture frames with, “BOO!” in a fun font on them.  I’ve placed pictures of the kids in their costumes from the past years in them.  They look absolutely adorable.  I thought it was a great way to reflect on the years past.

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Toys Now vs. Then

Growing up I don’t really remember having a lot of electronic toys.  Yes we did have our game console but most things were not battery operated   I had crayons, markers and coloring books.  We had dolls and slip and slides.  Kids of today are surrounded by soo many technological toys.  It amazes me how young a child can figure out an electronic device like a smart phone or iPad.

I see kids in the grocery store playing on hand held devices whether it be made particularly for children or if it’s just their parent’s cell phone.  I’m grateful for our technological advances that we have but I don’t want our kids to miss out on all of the fun they can have without technology.  I try to encourage their imagination with dress up clothes, lots of materials to build castles and forts to let their minds go wild.

I love seeing the light in my kids’ eyes when they create something.  They look like they have the biggest sense of accomplishment.  It warms my heart to see all of the new things they make.  Just yesterday my daughter had me put a skirt on one of her dinosaur toys because she wanted a dinosaur princess.  That takes imagination if I do say so.  She’s a genius.

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Breastfeeding In Public

I 100% support breastfeeding in public.  It drives me crazy when I see people give mothers dirty looks when they are breastfeeding their child in public.  The babies need to eat too.  It’s a completely natural thing to breastfeed your child.  I really don’t understand why people get their panties all in a bunch when they see a little skin.  Even if they were to see a nipple, big deal!

Many women breastfeeding in public extremely discreetly with fancy covers, nursing clothes, blankets, slings, carriers, etc, and are still criticized.  I don’t think I will ever understand why people don’t want to let a mother feeding her child. It makes me sick when I see all of the lingerie adds and commercials for underwear all over the place with women in provocative poses.  There is nothing provocative about a mother feeding her infant child from her breast.

I especially get peeved someone is told to feed her child in the bathroom.  I don’t want to eat my meal in the dirty bathroom. Why should my child have to eat in the bathroom?  I’m pretty sure if you asked the server to bring your meal to the restroom they would look at you like you were crazy.  It’s not really any different when you tell a mother to go feed her baby there.

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Over the Top Kid Birthday Parties

I went to a birthday party this past weekend that just seemed a bit over the top for a  5 year old.  It reminded me of the sweet sixteen birthday parties of celebrities that spend thousands of dollars for one day.  Don’t get me wrong, we had a great time at the party, but I don’t want my children to come to expect parties like this and think it is the norm.

I think it’s perfectly fine for a child to have a bounce house, or a clown, or a pony, or an entertainer, at his or her party, but when all of the above are present I think that’s completely overboard.  It’s a good idea to have some restraint when it comes to planning a party for a little kid.  I’m sure the child’s mom just wanted to shower her with anything and everything possible.

It just seems crazy to me and somewhat wasteful when the money that was used for all of the entertainment could have been put to soo much good to benefit other children.  I would rather instill in my child the values of hard work because I don’t want them to take what they do have for granted.

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Baby Fever Strikes

I keep seeing all of these adorable babies every where I go.  I think I’ve been hit with baby fever.  I just love looking at the cute smiling faces of the precious little beings. The smell of a newborn baby is intoxicating.  I just can’t seem to get enough of it.

I try to get my baby fix by going to the mall and baby stores.  Usually there are always a baby or two around that I can ogle at.  I always go to baby section and pick out the cutest little out fits.  Yesterday when I was in Walmart, I saw the sweetest child with his mommy.  They were picking out onesies.  I couldn’t help myself and had to say hi just to see the smile on the little guys face.  He was only three months old and had the fullest head of hair I’ve ever seen on a baby.

I have two children of my own but now I’m thinking I might want another one.  Maybe I’m crazy.  I’m not sure I really want to go through all of the no sleep and diapers again.  But really it is oh soo worth every minute of it to hold your child in your arms as you gaze down into their tiny eyes.

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Supplies for Adventures in Potty Training

Potty training is big milestone in every child’s life.  It can be harder than people think and take pounds of patience.  It’s important to make sure you start potty training when your child shows you signs that he/she is ready.  If you force it on him/her it probably won’t turn out like you expect. There are a a few things that you will need in order to be successful in your potty training adventure.

Potty training supplies:

1. Pull Up training  pants – feel free to get your favorite brand or even the local store brand. I’ve tried a few different brands and found that it really depends on the child.  Some brands have characters that children prefer over others.

2. Child size potty – I like the kind that is convertible.  We have one that turns into a step stool when the lid is closed.  It also plays music as a reward when anything is out into the potty.  Another great feature about the potty we have it that the seat that the child sits on can be used on a adult sized toilet as well so you don’t have to buy any additional inserts.

3. Child size potty seat insert – this is important if your child is really little.  A big adult toilet can be scary.  Kids can often be afraid of falling in when there is a lot of open space around them. A child sized seat will eliminate all of the extra room and prevent and accidents of falling.

4. Stickers – we have always used stickers in our home.  Our kids love to have stickers.  We tried temporary tattoos once too because they don’t peal off when you put them on a hand.

5. Incentive chart – When children can see their progress they get excited.  My girls like to count the stars or stickers they earn on their charts when they use the potty.  We always give 1 sticker for pee and 2 for poop.

6. Lots of dry clothes – accidents are inevitable.  It’s always a great idea to travel with a few extra sets of dry clothes with your kids during potty training time.

7. Patience – Remember your child will learn to use the potty.  It probably won’t happen over night.  Just keep encouraging your children and before you know it you will have your own potty training success story.

 

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5 Quick and Easy Meals for a Family

On days when I’m exhausted after a long day at work or a day of fun for the family I loo for quick and easy meals to feed my family.  I have a few go to meals that don’t really take any time at all that the kids love and so do I.

1. Pasta – all your have to do is boil water and toss in some pasta.  It’s done in about 20 minutes or so when you include waiting for the water to boil.  It is pretty effortless because you can walk away and do other things like change your clothes, vacuum  unload the dishwasher, or put away the laundry.

2. Couscous, garbanzo beans and a veggie – couscous literally takes 5 minutes to cook.  I start the water for the couscous, open a can of garbanzo beans and toss them in a pan with a few spices and let them heat up.  I add a steamed veggie that I can put in the microwave to cook at the same time. Everything is done and on the table in under 10 minutes.

3. Stir Fry – thinly slicked meats and veggies cook really fast and are delicious with your favorite stir fry sauce.  I like to serve it with minute rice on nights like these when I’m tired.

4. Soup and Sandwiches – a favorite of my family is grilled cheese and tomato soup.

5. Quesadillas – I always have lots of shredded cheese on hand. My kids also love to eat anything in a tortilla so I always buy them in bulk.  I can turn out a few quesadillas in minutes if I toss them under the broiler and then slice them up like pizzas.

 

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Things I Never Thought I Would Say As A Mom

Becoming a parent really opens up the world to a vast array of things you’d never thought you would say in your life. What are some of the crazy things you’ve said since becoming a parent?  What are some of the silly things you’ve heard parents say? These are just a few things I’ve said as a mom that I never dreamed would come out of my mouth.

1. Tampon applicators are NOT toys.

2. Dog food is NOT for eating.

3. The dog is not a pony.

4. Get that out of your ear.

5. Don’t tickle mommy’s nipples.  They are for food not a toy.

6. Stop eating your sister’s lunch.  You just had your own.

7. We don’t lick the dog.

8. No, marshmallows are not a breakfast food.

9. I do not want to smell your socks. Please get them out of my face.

10. Put the dog poop down.

11. That’s my belly button. Stop digging in it, it hurts mommy.

12. Poop is not for finger painting.

13. Get out of the tub so I can clean up the poop.

14. I want a mini-van.

15. No mommy doesn’t wear diapers.

16. There’s a party in your tummy. So yummy so yummy.

17. Get your finger out of mommy’s nose.

18. Yogurt goes in your mouth, not in your hair.

19. No we don’t put shampoo on our tooth brushes.

20. Why are there bubbles all over the bathroom?

 

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Cell Phones for Children at What Age

It took me a very long time to get a cell phone.  I was very anti-cell phone actually.  I thought of them as electronic leashes and I didn’t want to have anything to do with them. That changed one year when I was a senior in college and my car broke down in the middle of an intersection.  I was all alone and needed help.  At that moment I realized that having a cell phone in case of emergency was probably a good idea.

Now, my kids are starting to ask when they will be able to have a cell phone of their own.  They use mine all of the time to play games.  They don’t use it to make calls because they aren’t old enough to want to hang on the phone for hours.  Right now I think it’s more a fascination with all of the apps on the phone that serve as entertainment.  But I’m starting to ask when will that age be gone and it be time to get them phones for emergencies.

I’m thinking when the kids are in middle school will be a good age.  I will have strict rules about NOT using the phones during school to play or chat or text friends.  I don’t want them to disrupt other students or break school rules.  However, I do want them to be safe if they are walking home from school or are hanging out at the mall with friends.  I guess I’ll take it one day at a time for now.  I still have a few years to go before I really have to worry about it.