It came, it came! The cooler weather came! (And my husband even said he was "cold" today!) Something about the change in seasons sure does conjure up excitment, doesn't it!!?!
Your "Friend" Card Has Been Revoked
Posted Monday, October 05, 2009
I'm on notice and have been informed that...SweetPea is no longer my friend. Well, for about 10 minutes the other day, anyway. I can only imagine she picked up that gem of a phrase at school. It's certainly nothing we would say here at home and there isn't a show I can think of on TV that I'd let her watch that would use it either. Regardless of where she heard it...I was on the receiving end of it. What inspired her to revoke the friend privilege? If I remember correctly, SweetPea was playing learning games on the computer and I told her that she'd had enough and that she needed to find something else to play with. Clearly that wasn't a popular decision. To be honest, it's not the first time she's told me "Mommy, you're not my friend". That honor came when I told her that I couldn't take her to China. Am I a mean mom or what?
After the first time, I tried to tell her she wasn't being very nice and that it hurt my feelings when she told me that she didn't want to be my friend. I told her that I loved HER and that sometimes, even though she might do something that didn't make me happy, that I'd always be her friend. I'll admit, that first time, it did hurt my feelings, if just a little, even though I understood that she was saying it because she was angry that I told her no. Eventually she apologized and told me that I was "still her friend". I thought the lesson was learned...until the other day we had a repeat performance...and not only did she tell me that she wasn't my friend, but she rambled off a list of people who WERE her friends...but not me..."Lil Buddy's my friend...Baby Rosa (her teddy bear) is my friend...Queen Narissa (her stuffed, purple dragon) is my friend...Maw Maw is my friend...Grammy is my friend...but you aren't my friend". This time, I had to keep myself from laughing. I don't know why, but it was funny. So again...we have the talk. This time she doesn't say much, but about 5 minutes later she begs me to help her with something and I shoot back "well, you know, if I was your friend, I'd help, but since I'm not your friend, I'm not sure why you'd want me to help you." Voila...we're friends again.
At the end of the day, I know that what she's trying to tell me is that she's not happy about something I've told her. Obviously, saying "no" isn't always going to be popular, but it is a necessary evil. The funny thing...I think it's finally setting in. Yesterday afternoon, SweetPea was getting very frustrated that something wasn't working right for her and she asked me for help...then got mad that what I did to help was NOT what she wanted me to do...she threw a mini fit and I sent her to her room...which of course made her REALLY mad. When I went to talk to her in her room she told me "Mommy, you made me very upset and I'm sad"...which in the long run, is what I think she meant all along by "you're not my friend anymore". And to think...we still have the teenage years...UGH!
Re-posted from The Mama Dramalogues
Fall in Full Swing!
Felted Acorn Placecard Favor from Fairyfolk
While it's a bit hard to tell here in Texas with the 90 degree heat (granted, we were in the high 80's last week ~ hooray!!), there is nothing more refreshing to me than the joys that come with the upcoming holidays right when the weather begins to change, especially as the parent of little ones!
Fall Garden Peasant Top from Spiced Sugar
...so may there be refreshed spring in your step and a wonderful leaf pile awaiting your spring ~ happy fall and have a great week!!!
It Really Does Make a Difference...
Posted Saturday, October 03, 2009
OK - so we all know I work full time so every day of the week, im up before the sun, showered, hair, bla bla - then off to work so on the weekends Im afraid Im a bit of a slob - I usually stay in my pjs all day unless we're going somewhere and I sludge around both days like flunkie - but I thought that I needed a break from the day to day routine BUT OMG - I read 2 articles in the past month and the women talked about getting up and dressed just like they do on the weekdays -and what a difference it makes in their productivity - so last weekend I tried and it's incredible the difference in how I felt all weekend - I made so many dresses last weekend it was unreal. I'm doing the same this weekend, but I've got appointments everywhere - so I'm not sure Ill get a lot of sewing done BUT I feel GREAT! If you doubt it - try it!....unless I was the only one not doing it....sheesh! LOL!
What to Do When Baby Has a Chesty Cough...
Posted Monday, September 28, 2009
I know, I know. Isn't that the saddest thing you've ever seen? (It gets better, I promise)
When my daughter (who is now 3) was a baby, I took her to the doctor for everything. And if the doctor's office wasn't open, I took her to the ER. We've spent at least 10 nights camped out in an emergency room waiting area for no reason at all. At the time, I would have argued that she needed to be there, something was very wrong, she was going to die! Now being a Mother of two, I can see where I went wrong. I think part of it was hormonal, honestly, but the rest of it, was I just didn't know any better.
Little Charlie came down with a runny nose the other day. When I got him out of bed, his nostrils were crusted over, his whimper was congested, and his eyes had a solid ring of pink around them. "Awww, noooo, Mommy got you sick", I pouted. When we cozied up on the couch for breakfast, poor baby cried every time he got a good latch. He couldn't breathe through his nose at all, making meal time a wide awake nightmare. We dealt with it, suffering through the day together, and eventually the sniffle simmered and the smiles returned.
Or so we thought.
Instead of draining out of his nose, it was draining down his throat. Of course, right? Dangit.
A day later, he was projecting a chesty cough that sent echoes bouncing from the floors to the ceiling. I plugged in the vaporizer near his play mat, and hoped for the best. Later that night when he went down for a nap, since he hadn't slept all day, there was the cough again. Louder than before, and bad enough to wake him up after his 5 minutes of peaceful slumber. Somehow the cough, that a day earlier had just been a sniffle, had turned into an awful miserable hacking. It was too late to take him to a doctor, and I knew that even if I did, they wouldn't be able to do anything for us. Not, a dang, thing.
I did what came natural. I hopped onto Twitter (I'm @TiaColleen if you want to be friends, *waves*) and asked for help. All of my lady friends were a huge help, not only showing concern for grumpy bear and support for a tired Mama, but they offered up some really great advice that came in really handy, and eventually did the trick! Man, I don't know what I'd do without the Internet sometimes, ya know?
So the whole point of this blog post, is to help another Mother out there, who maybe doesn't know what to do for her baby with a chesty cough. I am by no means a doctor, and always always trust your gut instinct. If you feel like your baby needs to see a doctor, or go to the ER, take her. These are just suggestions that have personally helped me (and others) when help was needed.
Things to do when your baby has a chesty cough (or just isn't feeling well):
-Humidify and vaporize. If you have a humidifier, clean off the dust, fill it with fresh water, and plug that thing in! If you can't afford an expensive one (and really, who can?), Vick's makes a cheapy that works extremely well, something like $12. You can get it at Walmart, Target, all of those drug store type places. We use that one more than we use our larger less affordable model.
-Put baby into a steam room. Take baby with you into the bathroom, close the door behind you, and with baby nowhere near (seriously, we're not trying to burn the baby here) the tub/shower, turn the shower part on as hot as the knobs will allow. Let the room turn into a sauna. Its uncomfortable, you'll start to get sweat and your skin will get sticky, but its what baby needs it (and really, you know you probably need it too). Strip baby down to nakedness, tickle his tummy, give him some raspberries, and before you know it, the mirror will be completely fogged up (write redrum with your finger, draw smileys, mess it all up, because you know you can't resist), and you'll be ready to put baby into a warm bath. Adjust the water temperature, fill up a bath for baby like you normally would, and hang out in there as long as you can possibly stand it.
-Pat baby on the back, almost like you're burping her, but this time you're patting her to loosen up the lung clogging gunk. Someone told me that this worked best after baby gets out of the steam room, and I agree. However, you can do this at any time, and it would probably still be effective.
-I got an email last year from my husband's Nana, something about putting Vick's Vapor Rub on baby's feet, and then covering his feet with socks. She said that my Sister in Law had tried it, and that it had worked for her. Well... if you've got some in the closet, its worth a shot, right? As soon as we pulled baby out of the steam bath, we loaded up Charlie's feet with a few swipes of the stinky stuff (stinky in a good way), and then put his footy pajamas on.
-Baby Vick's Vapor Rub. I read the back of the adult Vick's, and the jar states that it can be used on children ages 2 and older, and it when it comes to medicines, you can never be too careful. My neighbor just happened to be going to the store to pick up some allergy meds for her little girl, and she was nice enough to pick up a jar of Baby Vick's for us. When Charlie woke up for his midnight feeding, we put a little bit on his chest. Maybe write that down on your shopping list right now while you're thinking about it, so you don't find yourself making a trip to the store at 11pm?
-Elevate baby. My Twitter Mama friends suggested using a Boppy pillow, or even putting books underneath one end of baby's crib. I never used a Boppy pillow, so we didn't have that option, but we do have books. Good tip! Christopher went out into the garage and found some books right away, and put them under Charlie's bed legs.
-Hydrate your baby. If your baby will take water or juice, great. Mine won't, haha. If you're a breastfeeding or formula feeding Mama, don't be afraid to offer baby an extra round or two of milk. Normally I try to offer Charlie solid food in between breast meals, but while he was sick I gave him all the breast he could stand. And what really surprised me, was there was no spit up, which means he needed it. The more fluids you can give your baby while he's sick, the better. Drink up little one!
Alright, so we did all of those things combined, and our sad faced baby (remember the picture from earlier?) actually got some sleep.
I told you it got better, didn't I? ;o)
Re-posted with permission, from The Mama Dramalogues.
September Design Challenge…and the winner is
Congratulations to the winner of this month's challenge - 5. Knot Apron Dress- TEAL ROSES by: KateEmersonDesigns! Kate Emerson Designs is an absolutely fabulous store filled with stylish and adorable garments for children. All are made in Huntington Beach, California, USA, and can be found online and in Boutiques across the United States and Australia. Please, be sure to visit this store, it's fantastic!
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This month we had a sensational palette of incredible designs. Cheers to all of you that participated and we look forward to seeing more of your wonderful creations next month.
Sibling Rivalry...
Posted Saturday, September 26, 2009
...irritating, yes. But sib squabbles are dress rehearsals for life.
(this is a snippet from an article in Better Homes and Gardens October 09 Issue p.262)
Siblings are the best and worst of friends during childhood, which is right on psychologically-their sole purpose is to gain a parent's attention, and irking a sib is often the way to do it.
I hated when my mother refused to get involved in our spats. "Work it out," she'd say. "I don't' want to hear about it."
But my mom was right. That conflict resolution she forced us to learn not only taught us to navigate relationships, it made us the best of friends as adults.
Many experts say parents shouldn't try to eliminate it as much as moderate it. "Sibling rivalry is a dress rehearsal for life," says Elaine Fantle Shimberg, the Tampa Author of Blending Families and mother of five..You have to learn to communicate and you have to make compromises."
Think before stepping in. "Parents, wishing only to see their kids smiling, sometimes hijack the process," says Chicago psychologist Aaron Cooper, author of I just want my kids to be happy! Why you shouldn't' say it, why you shouldn't think it, what you should embrace instead. They mix in when sibs bicker or fight, thinking it's the way to promote peace. In fact, it backfires much of the time."
Siblings are the best and worst of friends during childhood, which is right on psychologically-their sole purpose is to gain a parent's attention, and irking a sib is often the way to do it.
I hated when my mother refused to get involved in our spats. "Work it out," she'd say. "I don't' want to hear about it."
But my mom was right. That conflict resolution she forced us to learn not only taught us to navigate relationships, it made us the best of friends as adults.
Many experts say parents shouldn't try to eliminate it as much as moderate it. "Sibling rivalry is a dress rehearsal for life," says Elaine Fantle Shimberg, the Tampa Author of Blending Families and mother of five..You have to learn to communicate and you have to make compromises."
Think before stepping in. "Parents, wishing only to see their kids smiling, sometimes hijack the process," says Chicago psychologist Aaron Cooper, author of I just want my kids to be happy! Why you shouldn't' say it, why you shouldn't think it, what you should embrace instead. They mix in when sibs bicker or fight, thinking it's the way to promote peace. In fact, it backfires much of the time."
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