MaineMoms.com Blog

Co-Sleeping...Yay or Nay?

2008-09-20T11:07:00.004-04:00

Imagine this. It's 7am, your snuggled in your nice warm bed, you roll over and hear the cute, innocent little voice of your 3 year old whisper "Good Mornin' Momma!" Yeah, it instantly puts a smile on your face, how could it not. But to have this happen every morning, it starts to get old.

Yup, we've fallen into the trap. We've become weak parents and every night our 3 year old, quietly climbs into our bed. I've read in some mom forums that some parents are all for this, they believe it is best for the child and parents. I don't see how getting kicked in the side, head butted or slapped at in the middle of the night is good, let alone what it has done to our sex life.

When my brother was a young child he slept in my parents bed til he was almost 5. Noooooo! I will not let this happen! But what steps do I take to stop it? He's so quiet and sneaky that some nights I don't even hear him come into our bed. And the nights that I do hear him, I immediately take him back into his bed, but some nights I don't have the energy to go through the tantrum of putting him back in his bed. He's recently been telling us that he's scared, that he has monsters in his room (oh what TV can do to a child's mind.) And while hearing him tell me these things wants to make me hold him til he feels safe, I'm getting the impression he's learning how to work us. Little Devil

Please tell me that I'm not alone here. Are we the only family who wakes up making the human 'H'?

It's the Second of the Month...

2008-09-02T18:11:00.003-04:00

Have you called your Buddy?

Buddy 2 Buddy is our program to encourage women and their buddies to do a monthly self-breast exam.

My Baby's Going to Preschool

2008-08-29T00:15:00.002-04:00

So, in just a few short days my 3 year old is starting preschool. I am feeling so many different emotions about this that it's making my mind go crazy.

Nervous - Obviously, I know. But I'm sending my child. My only child. My pride and joy. The most important person in my life to someone that I barely know. What if he needs help going to the bathroom, will she be able to help him? What if he won't eat his lunch or snack, will she know what to say to get him to eat? All the people that have been watching Jordan and caring for him for the first years of his life have been able to give him their undivided attention and I'm nervous that he won't be getting it now.

Sad - Another obvious one, but this just means that my little Baby J is growing up. He's three years old. Wasn't it just yesterday that he was born? Is he going to miss me while he's there? Oh my gosh, what if he doesn't miss me? Ahhhhh

Excited - Having family members watch Jordan has had it's good points and, as we have found out, it definitely has it's bad points. Because grandparents love to spoil their grand kids, Jordan has gotten away with a lot lately. He's never really had a set schedule. I'm excited to have the same person watching him most every day, a person who lives by schedules, a person who won't be taking him to McDonald's every day. I'm excited for him to get out and meet other kids his age and learn about sharing and playing with others.

I know in a couple of years I'll forget these emotions that I'm feeling right now and I'll probably be feeling different or maybe similar emotions for whatever reason, or for whatever may be going on in my life at that point. I can only hope Jordan handles it better then I will.

3 Years Ago...

2008-08-21T00:26:00.003-04:00

3 Years ago I was not having conversations with a little person about why they had to go to sleep and eat and pick up their toys.

3 Years ago I was not asking someone if they needed to go potty.

3 Years ago I didn't take as much time planning out meals and ate pretty much whatever and whenever.

3 Years ago there wasn't stock of applesauce, raisins, yo-go bites, fruit bars, easy mac, chicken nuggets, fish sticks or juice boxes in my house.

3 Years ago I was not hearing things like "Momma, you're a goobah!" or "Momma, are you so happy?" or even "Momma, hold you."

3 Years ago I wasn't singing songs like "A you're adorable" or "You are my Sunshine" or "I love you, you love me", as a night time ritual.

3 Years ago I was able to have quiet conversation on the phone and eat a hot meal all by myself.

3 Years ago I could sleep in as late as I wanted and I was never late for work.

3 Years ago I cleaned my house everyday and never tripped over toys.

3 Years ago I had complete control of my thoughts, my body and I slept through the whole night and got plenty of rest.

3 Years ago I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew that I would love being a Mom.

3 Years ago I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body, and I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, just 3 year ago.

3 Years ago I could have never dreamed of feeling the way I do today as my baby is now 3 years old.

Happy Birthday Jordan!

By Gosh, I think we've got it!!!

2008-08-13T00:12:00.002-04:00

A couple of months ago I wrote this post about my frustrations with Potty Training my 2 year old. Then a couple of weeks ago, I read and contributed to this forum about Stress-Free Potty Training on our MaineMoms.com Website. Well a couple people have been asking how it's been going. I'm here to tell you today that about a week ago, after telling my son that if he really didn't want to poop in the potty, that he could poop in his pants, but I begged him to tell me if he had to poop so I could put a pull-up on him so I didn't have to throw away another pair of underwear. That day, directly after lunch, my beautiful, adorable, awesome, brown eyed boy looked at me and said "Momma, I have to go poop on the potty." And he did it!

(Insert Applause Here)

Then he did it twice later that day. And I don't want to jinx us, but he hasn't had an accident since that day.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you very much! It gives me great joy to now say that I have potty trained my kid.

Memories of Soap Scum

2008-08-11T22:38:00.003-04:00

They say when someone dies, they don't truly die, for they live on forever in our hearts and minds. Religion paints a rosy picture of a gated heaven opening up for a life in eternity. I want to believe that, but I kind of think it's all baloney. But I tell you one thing, our loved ones really do live on forever in the tiny quirks that made them who they were. For my mom, it was soap scum.

My mother loved to clean. She would be so excited to come to my apartment and make it spic and span. Oh, I was never proud of this, yea, I was an adult and my mother was still coming over and helping me clean my house... but seriously, who can resist? It was like having your best friend come over who liked to do maid service on the side for free.

But the one thing she always nagged me about during these cleaning trips was the soap scum in my bathtub. She would come to my apartment equipped with comet and a pair of gloves and head right to the bathroom. Then she'd get on her hands and knees next to my tub, grab my hand, and make me 'feel' the soap scum along the sides of the tub.

"Jenny, that's soap scum, you can't see it, but you can feel it, and it's gross." She would be absolutely appalled at me that I didn't (first)-- notice the scum, (and second)-- clean the scum. So she would proceed to scrub my tub and then she would take my hand again and have me physically 'feel' the difference. I always nodded and gave an appreciative grunt for her service, but after she left I could have still cared less about soap scum. But then two things happened in my life. For (one)-- she died. And for (two)-- I had a baby.

The baby finally caused me to care about the amount of soap scum in my tub. It started the first time I ever placed my daughter's precious little body into that same bathtub my own mother obsessed about. Like most mothers, I didn't want any impurities touching my daughter's skin. I finally noticed the soap scum, and I finally scrubbed the soap scum. I cleaned it because my own mother wasn't around anymore. She died eight weeks before my daughter was born. I, like my mother before me, became obsessed about the soap scum.

The point of all this is that tonight I got on my hands and knees in my apartment and scrubbed the soap scum off the tub and walls. My hands became pickled. The bleach stung my eyes. And the whole time I could hear my mother and almost feel her hand on my own. "Jenny, that is soap scum, you need to scrub it off."

I clean the soap scum for my daughter. I clean the soap scum for my mother. I clean the soap scum and I remember. Soap scum, now that's eternity.

The Moody Teenager

2008-08-11T14:29:00.005-04:00

Just the other day my daughter and I were headed to the store, she was in such a happy, pleasant mood I couldn't help but point it out. I told her it's so nice when you smile and you are so happy! I asked her how a kid can go from being happy to sad to miserable and grumpy in 2.2 seconds. She laughed. I said, aha! You know, you do it. We laughed together. I told her that it was normal and I did the same thing when I was her age. Maybe now she could prevent it from happening in the future because she was aware of it...yeah right! Wishful thinking on my part:)

I know that as far as 13 year olds are concerned right now I have it made, other than the moodiness, she is a great kid. I guess it's good to communicate as much as possible with them and to remember that this is all normal and that she is no different than any other kid her age.

Here is a little snip it from and article I read recently...it was just nice to get the confirmation of what I already knew, in writing.

For most boys and girls, adolescence starts between the ages of 10 and 14 and continues until 19 or 21. The child becomes introspective again, often giving both himself/herself and his/her parents a rough time.
For the teenager, it is a time of concern about many things: acne, weight problems, menstruation, late development, early development, sexual arousal, school pressures, boredom, parental hassles, peer pressures and money problems.
It is a time of confused feelings, particularly in relationships with parents. Teenagers fight for independence yet fear too much freedom; they resent overprotection but need and want parental attention.
For parents, it is a challenge to keep a balanced view of their teenager's emotional roller coaster ride. As their children bounce back and forth between childhood and adulthood, parents often do not know what to expect. They must discipline when needed, yet understand their teenager's growing need for independent action.
Parents need to remember that life is stormy for all teenagers, that moodiness and changing interests are normal and that a certain amount of rebellion is not only usual but healthy.

Please feel free to comment and share your experiences too!

Article: 10 big parenting mistakes

2008-08-07T10:16:00.006-04:00

I found this article on the 10 biggest parenting mistakes. I believe there is allot of good information here...thought you might like it as well. Let me know what YOU think!

10 Big Mistakes Parents Make
While we all love our kids, in this day and age of two working parents and insane schedules, we tend to cut corners and neglect important things. That being said, here are 10 big mistakes parents make.

1) Spoiling kids There is no doubt that parents love their kids and want them to have all the things they didn't. However, this comes at a price. A ton of well-intentioned parents have ended up spoiling their kids to such a degree that the kids aren't even happy with all the stuff they have. This causes them to never be satisfied and always want more. Junior doesn't need one more piece of crap, what he needs is some special time with his parents. Think of it this way: How will they ever be prepared for disappointment throughout their life - or learn to be thankful for anything?

2) Inadequate discipline When your'e too lazy to adequately discipline your kids, you pass the little devil you've created on to your relatives, coaches, teachers, and his friends' parents. It's not OK to let your kids treat your house like it was a Jump Planet because that's exactly how they'll treat other people's homes. They should also be much better behaved when they leave the house and visit elsewhere. I've lived through this nightmare first-hand, with the same kid at my house treating my $1,500 couch like a trampoline, and then calling my daughter "ugly" while the kids were eating dinner. All within a 15-minute span. If you don't discipline your kid, someone else will - and you won't like it.

3) Failing to get involved at school School is where your kids will spend more time than any place besides your home. It's also the place that will have the most responsibility for shaping their life—from teachers and their peers. That being said, how can you not want to be involved in what's going on there? It doesn't matter if it's you or your spouse: Your family needs to have a presence at that school. And don't use work as an excuse - take a vacation day if you need to. You'll see immediately that it's time well spent. You should also have at least an e-mail relationship with their teacher. It's a great way for that teacher to see that you're interested in your child's development, and the teacher can alert you to anything concerning that may be going on with your son or daughter. Your kid's teacher may take a much more active role with your child if they know you're keeping close tabs.

4) Praising mediocrity While we all want to encourage our kids to do well and build their self-esteem, there is a point of going too far. Building a child's self-esteem is great, but having a big party for a mediocre accomplishment skews what they view as a real achievement. One big place I see this is in sports. A participation trophy for anyone over the age of 6 just ends up devaluing the meaning of a real trophy. It's happening in my own household. While I was against trophies for my 7-year-old son's basketball team, a few moms overruled. My son has played exactly four seasons of sports and has earned more trophies than I did in my 40 seasons growing up. Something is out of whack.

5) Not giving kids enough responsibility Your kids shouldn't be expecting any payment for doing chores around the house. It's a home, not a hotel. That being said, an allowance is a great idea...for extra work. They should be pulling their weight as part of the family. If they grow up without enough responsibility, how in the world do you expect them to hold down a job, or get through college? When they get "of age," make sure they're taking some of the burden off you around the house - from unloading the dishwasher to picking up dog crap in the backyard. While they're not your slaves, they sure aren't on vacation, either.

6) Not being a good spouse How you treat your husband or wife is very important to the way your kids will develop relationships, especially as adults. If you treat your spouse poorly, or if your only way to settle any kind of dispute is to yell and scream at each other, you're teaching your kids to handle themselves the same way. Kids learn from watching you much more than they learn from listening to you. If you treat your spouse with love and respect, it will also show your kids the value of their family. It will also make them feel their family is a safe haven in what can be a dark, scary world.

7) Setting unreal expectations When dealing with kids, you need to set reasonable expectations for them - especially the little ones. If you want to go out to a nice dinner and expect your 2-year-old to sit there like a little prince, you are setting yourself up for major disappointment. Also, if you have visions of a football star and your son weighs 80 pounds and likes to play the clarinet, you need to reset those expectations. Don't have unreal expectations for your kids: The expectation you should have is for them to be happy.

8) Not teaching kids to fend for themselves Many parents tend to baby kids these days and cater to their every need, and that eliminates the value of hard work and becoming independent as they grow into adults. I fear that we're raising a generations of wimps. Kids nowadays expect everything to be done for them, from cleaning their room to band-aids for hurt feelings. Teaching them to toughen up and do things on their own doesn't mean that you love them less; it means you love them more.

9) Pushing trends on kids Let kids be kids. Parents shouldn't push their trends or adult outlook on life on their kids. Just because it was your life's dream to marry a rich guy doesn't mean we need to see your 4-year-old daughter in a "Future Trophy Wife" t-shirt. The same goes for the double ear piercing - that's what you want, not them. Teaching kids about your passions is great, but let them grow up to be who they are. And yes, this goes for you pathetic stage parents as well. It's hard enough for kids to figure out who they are in the world without you trying to turn them into what you couldn't be.

10) Not following through I have trouble with this one sometimes. If you're telling your kids that they'll be grounded if they paint the neighbor's dog one more time, you'd better follow through. Unfortunately, following though on punishments or promises makes your life a little more difficult, but building trust is what's most important. If you're not true to your word, your kids will assume anything you say is just talk. Then you have a real problem on your hands. You'll also end up with kids who don't trust their parents.

A New House, A New Cat, A New Diet

2008-08-03T08:30:00.006-04:00

I have had a very busy week, it's been just plain emotionally and physically draining.

To start off, I have decided in the past month that I want to buy a house. Since Matt and I are not married, nor are we financially entwined, I am venturing this journey alone. I am sure any of you homeowners out there can relate, it is a grueling process, from the house-searching, to the showings, to the offers and counter-offers, and then to the loan process. O.k., my head hurts right now just thinking about it.

Next, I decided (as if I wasn't stressed enough this week) to adopt a cat. Actually that has alleviated a lot of stress because Trout is so loving and very easy. We have wanted a cat for a while since Rosa, my 11-month old daughter, LOVES cats! She learned to crawl by chasing my father and my aunt's cats. Now she tries to crawl after Trout and just giggles hysterically. I went to the Coastal Humane Society in Brunswick several times to find the perfect, patient cat for a small child. She is so sweet with Rosa, I'm very happy!

Finally, I ran the TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10k Road Race on Saturday in Cape Elizabeth. I thought it would be a good idea to lose a couple pounds just before the race to optimize my time. Bad idea. I hate dieting, and on top of stress, life is pretty miserable in my world! I did get a time of 50:40. That's about two minutes slower than three years ago, but as my father says, I'm three years older and had a baby.

So it's been a good week overall, just busy. Keep your fingers crossed on the house-hunting situation, because as you can see, I've got a full apartment.

Twilight Trailer...

2008-07-23T22:25:00.002-04:00

Finally!! I am able to attach the trailer for the movie. I tried in an earlier post but had some problems...so here it is. My daughter is almost done reading the book...I'm next and plan on having it done in time for the movie which comes out 12/12/08. Is anyone else reading the book or plan on seeing the movie when it comes out?

Attachment Parenting

2008-07-23T08:34:00.005-04:00

I was browsing through the daily forums on Mainemoms.com and noticed a thread on "Attachment Parenting". My first thought was ... um... Huh? What's attachment parenting? So I did a little research, envisioning this strict, cult-like parenting method, and to my surprise, I realized "Attachment Parenting" is very similar to my own parenting method!

According to my research, Attachment Parenting is based on constant bonding with your child. According to AskDrSears.com, the method is based on the 7 Baby B's: Bonding, Breast-feeding, Babywearing, Bedding, Belief, Beware, and Bedding. The article I found went into a lot more detail of course, but I was pleased to see that my own style of parenting actually resembles an organized method. The only difference I found was that I DO use pacifiers (although I did not for the longest time) and I do NOT co-sleep, (but only because my child won't, she can't settle down in our bed and chooses to sleep in her crib.) She also goes to daycare twice a week, but only because I need to put food on the table! If I could be a disciplined AP--- I would, but it simply doesn't work for our family.

Since my daughter Rosa was born, I have parented according to my own instinct and gut-feeling-- not a schedule or advice of others. The largest difference I have found with other parents is that I allow my child to set her own schedule according to her needs, not by a watch. I have found this to be the best way for her well-being and happiness. I can't tell her when she is tired or hungry and playful, she tells me and I try to accommodate. I don't allow her to run my life, but I also don't try to run hers! I hope to instill a mutual respect.

To get back to the subject, I actually believe Attachment Parenting sounds a lot like parenting back to our tribal roots. If you look back in history to native times, there were no cribs, bottles, beds, baby-sitters or watches; our babies were with us all the time, our families slept together in a hut on the floor, and our breasts served just one purpose: nourishment. I'm not saying we should all go throw on a loin cloth and go back to our "true roots", but seriously, how did we fall so far away from them?

So overall, I guess I'm not calling myself a true "Attachment Parent", simply because it's not realistic for my family's lifestyle, but I definitely wanted to give it some recognition. Your thoughts?

The Lesson In A Bite

2008-07-16T23:26:00.009-04:00

If you're wondering what the heck you're looking at, imagine my horror when I first saw this sight on my daughter's back. Yes, those are teeth marks on my child! She was bit! No, not by an animal... but by another child!

O.k., so being the "first-time mother", my initial reaction was to completely freak out. Daycare called and warned me immediately after the attack, and told me they have never seen Rosa so upset. She actually stopped breathing for a moment before letting out the loudest blood-curdling scream they had ever heard from her tiny body. The bite broke skin. It left a welt. I was so sad, and immediately left work and rushed to daycare to embrace my little survivor. Matt and I were steaming mad...we called the doctor, we discussed pulling her from daycare, we...we...oh... whew... we didn't know what to do. But after a deep breath, and many conversations with other parents, we calmed down.

You see, I guess I just never realized (here's that "first-time mom" thing) that children bite other children. It just happens, especially when they're little. And I hear that parents feel even worse when it is your own child that is the biter.

So after this small crisis, I'm a little wiser, Rosa is a little tougher, and all is well again. To prove it, here's a look at how she's survived...

The College Roommate

2008-07-16T16:40:00.002-04:00

Too many rites of passage with my son lately, and they are all making me feel old and own a bit of a nervous stomach.

My son turned 18 a couple weeks ago. How did this happen? He was blond and sweet and 6 year old just last year - I'm sure of it. Now he's tall, dark, hairy and still sweet - but I'm still not sure how this happened. With this birthday, now he has to sign a "permission slip" for his mother to obtain information to send to his college concerning medical files. A permission slip for his mother - boy has my life changed.

Last week he recieved word on who his roommate in college will be. Some "wangster" (his word, not mine) from Flushing, NY. So I immediately have my son bring him up on facebook and he has nothing but party pictures on his page. DEEP BREATH. We are talking big red keg cups, funnels, Yegameister - aaarrrgggghhh!!!

My only words to my son - "BE TRUE TO YOURSELF" - what else can a mother say?

Stepping on Toes

2008-07-16T12:26:00.002-04:00

Before I write anything I just want it to be known that I am very fortunate to have such great in-laws. I love them so much, they have done so much for us and I wouldn't trade them for anything. With that being said, nothing is ever perfect. When it comes to my MIL, she is the type of person who likes to be in charge, and she can sometimes be known as the queen bee. Now, there's nothing wrong with this, unless it comes to the point where she's not letting me be the mother to my child.

For example, the other morning Jordan was tired, and he was not listening to me for nothing. We all were getting a little frustrated. My MIL had stopped over for a minute and when she saw that Jordan wasn't listening she kind of took over. She stepped right in and yes did get Jordan to listen (by turning on cartoons might I add) and I just kind of stepped aside as my toes were being crushed. After she left, I looked at my husband and he knew exactly what I was thinking and he agreed with me.

Neither one of us said a thing. Yeah, we probably should of and we did say afterward that we were going to say something the next time she did something like that, but that kind of makes me feel uneasy. I am not a confrontational person and in the past when things needed to be said, I said them, but with the "ah I ah didn't re, re really like what ah you did" voice. And it all just comes out sounding pretty pathetic, so even thinking about saying something to my power tripping MIL freaks me out a little bit.

What about you? Has your toes ever been stepped on by anyone and how did you handle it?

Strawberry Fields Forever

2008-07-07T15:57:00.004-04:00

We went strawberry picking July 4th. It was awesome!

Look, he's been caught "red-handed"

These guys are ready for their weigh-in...

Life is short, eat the berries while they're ripe!

Our NEWS CENTER Promo

2008-07-02T11:09:00.005-04:00

First off, I want to apologize to my three loyal readers; I have been very busy at work due to summer vacations and did not have time to blog last week. But this week's blog comes just in time to bring you the brand-new NEWS CENTER promo I spoke of a few weeks back which features my family.

If you watch the promo, we are the family with the jogging stroller, and that baby is my beautiful daughter Rosa. Everyone else in the promo is also a NEWS CENTER employee or connected in some way.

Take a peak, our promotions department worked very hard on this. And yes, Rosa is available for autographs.

Some Are Slacking (Summer Slacking)

2008-07-01T11:09:00.003-04:00

Summer is finally here, and after a particularly busy spring, I am ready to embrace the big "nothing". Curl up with a good book or two (or five) and work on nothing more than a tan. Sure there are a few things to get out of the way before I park myself poolside, but really, how much could there be?

All I have to do is:
some light garden work,
clip the shrubs,
clean up the basement after that yard sale,
pack for camping this weekend,
arrange the camping trip for next weekend,
reorganize the closets,
begin renovating the downstairs bathroom,
a little touch up painting,
get Mary-Cate ready for preschool (can you say "wipe your own bum"),
take the kids to swim lessons,
write a blog or two,
help Nick prepare for college (making his bed made would be a start),
and did I mention laundry? Man, do we have laundry!

I'm not complaining. I'm sure you all have as much to do (maybe even more) than I do. I'm just amused that we tend to think of summer as vacation time when it really is just more work dressed up as fun.

Peeeeee-yoooooo!!!

2008-06-27T10:09:00.005-04:00

As you may have noticed, this blog has become an opportunity for me to blab about family life as much as about motherhood. Well, have I got a good one for you.

Last night at about 9:30, our dog Shaggy, a bichon frise, got sprayed by a skunk. This had never happened to me before, has it happened to you? OMG, the smell! When I got a whiff, I came VERY CLOSE to vomiting.

Well friends, let me tell you, we learned a lot from this.

1. DON'T BRING THE DOG IN THE HOUSE. That was mistake Numero Uno. I have now learned, the hard way, that the smell literally tracks in. Bad, bad, bad.

2. DON'T TOUCH THE DOG WITH YOUR BARE HANDS.

Use some of these.

Or possibly these.

3. NO, YOU DON'T NEED TOMATO JUICE. First we tried white vinegar (I had heard that works, and it did diminish the, ah, aroma), but I found this website to be a godsend last night.

So Dave was "boots on the ground," as they say, and I was the rear guard.... my sense of smell is much more acute than his, and it was truly more than I could take. Shaggy was totally traumatized ("Why do they keep washing me?"). I must say though, that concoction took the smell out, and he went from slightly grubby to sparkling white.... the hard way.

While Dave, who had also gotten some skunk smell on him, took the decontamination shower from hell, I worked on getting everything cleaned up WITHOUT WAKING LITTLE MAN. OMG, that would have been the icing on the cake.

Bleaching the kitchen floor at 11:00 at night is my kind of fun. Not.

So at 12:30 we finally collapsed in bed. Shaggy was whining in his crate, but there was NO WAY he was sleepin' on my bed. Wet dog, NO, wet slightly skunky dog, definitely not.

This morning LM could smell skunk. I could not... to me it's a bizarre combo of bleach, dirty towels, Oust, Febreze, scented candles, with just a hint of skunk, um, musk. And friends, if I smell a little "off" today, now you know why.

What was I thinking?

2008-06-19T16:22:00.003-04:00

Ok remember that blog not too long ago when I said that we moms need to remember to take care of ourselves first? Well, I need to remember to take my own advice.

This skin atrocity is the result of three things:

1. Excitement at summer's arrival.

2. This passing thought that I'll skip the sunscreen because I'd like to get "a little bit of color," but in my sunbaked mind, that means "golden brown," not "boiled lobster."

3. Two hours of a cloudless sky at the beach, two days before the summer solstice.

Oh and by the way, it hurts... a lot.

Again, what the heck was I thinking???

The happy news here is that the SPF 30 I slathered all over Little Man did the trick. Yes, it looks like diaper ointment going on, but he is as pale as can be, and pain-free.

Let's Get Excited!

2008-06-18T11:27:00.004-04:00

This week, I am using my blog entry as a chance to give the MaineMom readers out there a big "Thank you."

Every week, the bloggers at MaineMoms.com work really hard to find interesting topics to lure you to our blogs. But it is your feedback that makes this site work. Our entries would mean nothing without your advice and comments.

Just for example, a few weeks ago I posted a blog called "Answers Wanted" and answers I got! Many of you emailed me your words of wisdom or left a comment.

And just remember, even if you disagree with our blogs, we always appreciate a comment. That's how we know you're out there.

Thanks!

Maybe I'm trying to hard

2008-06-17T08:21:00.002-04:00

or maybe it's because there's no consistency, or maybe he's just not ready, or maybe I'm not ready...no wait I am so ready. If you haven't figured it out yet, we're in the midst of potty training in our house and nothing has made me question my parenting abilities quite like the task of trying to teach a toddler to pee and poop in the toilet rather than in his pants. If anyone was to ask me for tips on potty training, I would suggest not reading about how some people had their kids training in one-joyous day, because you will want to hunt those people down and beat the piss out of them.

We started introducing the potty a year ago, but we didn't really start pushing it until about six months ago. In the last six months we've tried bribery, punishment for going in his pants, and even the handy trick of offering M&M's as a reward, and I think I've learned that my kid doesn't really enjoy M&M's due to the fact that after I explain that he can have an M&M after he pees in the potty, he completely looses interest.

I just recently signed Jordan up for preschool in the fall, stand by for my teary post on September 2ND and how I'm going to make it through that day. In order for him to start preschool he has to be completely potty trained. So, this past weekend, along with putting him in a big boy bed (yup, he figured out how to climb out of his crib, so we were forced) we also decided we were going to go full tilt and put him right in big boy underwear. Let me just say that by noon on Saturday we'd gone through SIX pair of underwear. Along with putting him in time-out, I had to take a mommy time out myself after spending 15 minutes trying to talk him into at least trying to pee on the potty and then having him pee on the living room floor right in front of me. Then an hour later, as I was still fuming from that endeavor he walks up to me, waves his cute little hand and says "Hi Momma....I just peed!" And no it wasn't on the potty, unless my living room floor is now called a potty?!?

My next plan of action is to keep pushing this potty thing through then end of this week, if I can make it that long. And if by then we're still at the same point then...frig it. if he wants to continue to sit in a wet diaper, if he wants to make me go broke by continuing to buy diapers, if he doesn't want to go to school in the fall, so be it.

My final thought is kids will be ready when they are ready. The more we push this as a parent, the more frustration comes with it. In the end, I'm sure I'll learn and most will learn that eventually, everyone uses the toilet.

Good Things Come in Threes

2008-06-13T16:36:00.002-04:00

Unless you work in an OB-Gyn office, here's something you don't see every day...

These are my sisters-in-law, and..... my two nieces and one nephew :-)

Their faces are awful cute too...

Meet Diane, Paula, and Liesl.... last weekend we had a baby shower for all three of them. I promised (warned?) them I was going to blog about them.....

A little later this summer I should have photos of the "finished products" for you!

Extended Breastfeeding

2008-06-12T09:50:00.006-04:00

The other morning I was listening to a radio talk show on my way to work and they were joking about a British documentary on extended breastfeeding. This radio show is targeted towards immature males-- and happens to be one of my favorites. (What does that say about me? I don't know!)

Anyway, I laughed along with them but it did spark my curiosity so I found a clip of the documentary on YouTube. Watching the report without the vulgar male comments and sound effects was a much different story. It was a serious news report without bias on a woman who chose to breastfeed her children until they chose to wean themselves. I am mixed on the issue, so I posted it and will let you decide for yourself.

Warning: This video shows a woman's naked breast since it is about "breastfeeding." If that offends you then please don't hit play.

When You Don't Know Where To Turn

2008-06-06T15:23:00.003-04:00

I just finished up a big project at work, and with that big deadline behind me, I've had a little more opportunity to follow some of the threads on MaineMoms. One thread really got me in the heart this week, and the frustration that one mom was feeling was really clear in her writing. I feel for her, because I have felt frustrated and discouraged as a parent myself, sometimes.

As moms we give and give and give to our children, sometimes to the point that we are totally depleted ourselves. Have you ever heard that analogy that being a caregiver is like an airplane emergency? Put on your OWN oxygen mask before trying to help someone else with theirs. Too true.

I don't pretend to have all the answers, but here are a few resources that have helped me in my life:

1. Your employer's (or your partner's employer's) EAP (Employee Assistance Program). When you have a problem and don't know where to start to get help, this can be a great resource.

2. Ingraham: 1-888-568-1112. This is a 24-hour crisis hotline, and wow, that night when my life felt completely bleak, and I was up crying at 3:00 in the morning, this was the right number to call.

3. 211. Did you know that you can call "211" toll-free from any Maine phone and connect with a real, live human being who has access to information on all the social services available in Maine? If you need help for any reason at all, this is a great place to start.

MaineMoms is a place that many of us have been able to get feedback from other moms who've "been there," but sometimes life can just feel so hard.... I just want you all to know that help is available if you need it.

Are you an organized freak like me?

2008-06-05T12:09:00.003-04:00

Well, I wouldn't say freak really, but there are some days (more often than not) that I just get in these moods. If I'm having a slow day at work I make little labels for everything, I put things in order alphabetically, and I even will clean out my pen jar if it looks too cluttered ( I know pretty sad huh?) I'm also a big list person, you usually can find a To-Do list both at work and home and my husband always has a honey-do list going, which he loves....not really. I recently found this new website, ListPlanIt.com, where you can find and download any list that you could possibly think of. You can find Grocery Lists and Menu planning, Holiday and Party planning, even Calendars and To Do lists. It's so great, and better yet, the founder, Jennifer Tankersley, is from Maine. Now as I agree it's great to be organized, there comes a point and some people may get stressed because as we all know there is always a To-Do list going and generally the second you complete one thing another one comes up "My plate will never be clean." is a nice saying that my co-worker always has to remind himself of, with saying that though, at some times in our lives, especially with kids there's usually so much going on that we tend to forget and that's where a list really comes in handy to me.

And while you are checking out ListPlanIt, make sure to check out Jennifer's blog where she blogs 'List style.' It's another blog that I'm addicted to myself. I find that I relate to so many of the list that she's posted. And right now she's got a contest going where if you post a comment in one of her posts you could win a free Home Eplanner from ListPlainIt. I won one myself and trust me when I say it's AWESOME. Thanks Jennifer.

So, whether you love lists or love the idea of Lists, make sure to put these websites on your To-Do List.