My little bundle of joy is now just turning 4 months and we are about to tackle foods. So I decided to take a look back at the first 4 to see what I did right so I can do again and to see what I will do better next time.
First Tip to any mom to be SAVE UP Save every cent you can, you never know what will come up once the little one arrives. Stick to the necessities when buying for baby and WAIT TILL AFTER THE SHOWER TO SHOP. Also have the shower early on so you have time to prep after your shower I had mine near the end and then I had to dash to get what I still needed. Wait to buy toys till after the baby comes. Normally a newborn can’t play with anything and once the baby is home in my experience all the parents start giving you really awesome hand me down toys. NEVER be afraid to let people know you will take their hand me downs. Just ALWAYS clean with vinegar or boil them NEVER USE BLEACH. Freezer Meals Saved me from fast food, takeout, and delivery Nightmares Yes it’s nice to order out once in a while but if you’re like me after having the baby you don’t want to stand for long periods or at all and the only option for hubby cooking is to call or pick it up then you probably will get tired of that kind of eating. Freezer meals are the way to go and I mean homemade I will be doing a series this fall on freezer meal I have “Fallin In love” with So make sure your signed up to get the newsletter you will receive an email once a week if there is a new post. Don’t bulk buy unless it’s diapers and wipes. I thought I would need a ton of swaddles because of everything I read. No I didn’t my little one hated to be swaddled she like to have her legs free to kick. Also she always seemed cold so even though she was a May Summer baby she would need long sleeves of course I didn’t plan for that but luckily I had be gifted a supply of clothes I had everything I could ever need (Thank you Friends). When dressing baby I found I liked the outfits the button up the front (not zipper) you can lay the baby right down in the outfit and then just button them up. It much easier considering you need to keep their head supported and if like mine they want their legs free you just don’t button the bottom. Sign up for the Newsletter or come back next week for my list of must have’s to be ready for baby to come home
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9 Things We Should Get Rid of to Help Our KidsMarch 16, 2014 by Kristen
She borrowed something from me. And then she lost it. Accidents happen. But it was the whole “It only cost ten bucks-you can get another one” attitude that I couldn’t let happen a moment longer. So, I gave her a job that required hard work and gave her the $10 she earned and then I made her pay me for what she lost. Listen, when I realized I was more than half the problem in this whole entitlement parenting challenge, it was a wake up call. Kids naturally want what they haven’t earned, especially if we are handing it out for free. But what we have is an entire generation of young adults who got everything they ever wanted with little or no work; we have a cultural norm and it’s a problem. Because reality is, life doesn’t give us everything we want. We don’t always get the best jobs or a job at all. We don’t always have someone rescue us when we have a bad day or replace our boss just because we don’t like them. We can’t always have what we want when we want it. We aren’t always rewarded in life. Here are 9 things we can get rid of to begin eliminating entitlement in our children: 1. Guilt: Often we give into our kid’s requests out of guilt. We need to stop feeling guilty for not giving our kids everything they want. It’s hard to swallow, but we foster the attitude of entitlement in our homes when we are ruled by a guilty conscience. It’s okay to ask kids to be responsible for what they lose and to require consequences for actions. 2. Overspending: I think it’s good for our kids to hear us say, “We can’t afford that” Or “We will have to save for it.” Because that’s real life. We don’t have All The Money to Buy All the Things. I’ve known families before who are working multiple jobs to keep kids in extracurricular activities, when honestly, the kids would probably be happier with more family time. 3. Birthday Party Goody Bag (Mentality)-I’ve been guilty of this like most of us. But, really? We take our kids to parties so they can give a gift, but they take a small one home so they won’t feel bad? It’s not their birthday. This concept of spoiling kids (which usually goes far beyond goody bags) is temporary fun. It’s okay for them not to be the center of attention. 4. Making our day-week-month, our world about our kids-Working in the non-profit world has redirected our extra time. We simply can’t center our lives around our children when we are centering our lives around Christ. Child-centered homes don’t help children in the long-run. 5. The desire to make our children happy (all the time). If you visited my house, you’d find out pretty quickly that someone’s always unhappy. It’s not our job to keep our kids happy. Don’t carry that impossible burden. Typically when our kids are unhappy, it’s because we are standing our ground. And that makes for much healthier kids in the future. 6. Made Up Awards: You know what I’m talking about. Rewarding everyone who participates in every area only fosters an inflated self esteem. Kids don’t need rewards for every little thing. It’s okay to lose, they learn through failure as much as success. 7. Fixing all their problems: I don’t like to see my kids struggling. There’s a part of every parent that longs to make things right in their child’s world. But it’s not healthy to create a false reality. You won’t always be there to do so and not only that, if you’re doing it all for your child, why would they need to learn to do it themselves? Fixing all their problems is really only creating more challenges in the future. 8. Stuff: We could all probably fill a half dozen trash bags with just stuff. Excess. Try it. Bag it up and get your kids to help you and give it to someone who needs it. 9. Unrealistic Expectations: My girls are always asking for manicures. I didn’t have one until I was married, pregnant and 27 years old. I’m not opposed to the occasional treat, but it’s the attitude of expecting it because you as a parent or others have it. Just because I have an iPhone, doesn’t mean my children will get one. We don’t have to give our kids everything we have. It’s okay to make them wait for things in life. It’s okay to toss out these things. Go ahead, give it a try. - See more at: http://wearethatfamily.com/2014/03/9-things-we-should-get-rid-of-to-help-our-kids/#sthash.W0BDYIHK.xjly31go.dpuf Original post at http://teachingmama.org/20-ways-to-keep-toddlers-busy/
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support! I’m always thinking of ways to keep my toddler busy. As I was thinking about this upcoming school year, I began to wonder how I’ll keep my 2 year old busy while I’m teaching lessons to my preschooler. There are activities that I’ll include my toddler in, such as sensory bin time. However, when I’m doing an actual lesson, I want to be free from distraction, as much as possible. I know that may be unrealistic, but I also know there are activities that my toddler can do independently. That’s why I came up with a list of 20 ways to keep toddlers busy. It’s going to be a good list for me to keep in mind and I hope it will help you as well! (Side note: I always make sure my toddler is next to me so I can watch them. If your child puts objects in their mouth, some of these ideas would not be good to play with. Please use discretion.) 1. Color Matching Game This game using colorful pom poms is perfect for toddlers! You will need to introduce this game to them before just letting them play independently. My toddler plays this game ALL the time. Check out this post for more details. 2. Playdough Playdough is great. I like to put it on a tray or cutting board to contain the mess. I love playdough because kids can be creative and it also builds strength in their hands for fine motor skills. We use homemade playdough, and we especially love our jello playdough. You can find the recipe here. 3. Pipe Cleaners and Colander Have your toddler stick pipe cleaners in the holes of a colander. This is excellent for practicing fine motor skills! 4. Shape Sorter I made our own shape sorter using soft shapes from Michaels and an oatmeal container. We get this activity out frequently and keeps my little one occupied for a long time! For more details, see this post. 5. Contact Paper Art Place a piece of clear contact paper on the table. Tape the sides down. Then give your toddler materials to stick on there. Check out this post for details. 6. Paint in Bags Place paint in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Seal the bag, then tape them to a window. Let your toddler move the paint around in the bag using their fingers. (FYI: This activity usually goes pretty quick for my toddler.) 7. Pack ‘n Play Set up a pack ‘n play and put books and stuffed animals inside. Let them play quietly. This may take some training for them play independently (and quietly!), but if you work with them starting out for just a few minutes playing in there per day, they can work their way up to 20+ minutes. 8. Play with Puzzles Gather some easy puzzles for your toddler to complete. We use Melissa and Doug Puzzles and they are easy enough for my toddler to do on his own. 9. Pom Poms Through a Tube I love this activity! Just take a paper towel tube and tape it to the wall. Then have your toddler drop pom pomsthrough it into a bowl. It sounds so simple, but my toddler really loves it! And the best part is how quiet this activity is. 10. Race Cars on Tape Create a race track using masking tape on the floor. Then let your little one play quietly with cars on the track. 11. Fabric Scrap Box Cut up pieces of fabric and place them in an empty wipes container. Have your toddler pull the scraps out and then put them back in. This is great for practicing fine motor skills. For more on this, see this post. 12. Magnets on Fridge Simply have your toddler stick magnets on the fridge. We use alphabet letters and magnetic pom poms. I really like these foam alphabet letters. 13. Cotton Balls Let your child play with cotton balls. They can sort them in an ice cube tray. This is also a very quiet activity. They can also have fun tearing the cotton balls a part, which can get messy! 14. Corner for Toys Tape off a section of the floor for them to sit in. Also tape a spot where you place a bucket of toys. Have them stay in the taped off section for play time. This may take some training, so start off trying this for a few minutes at a time. 15. Bubble Wrap Have your toddler pop bubble wrap. This one can get noisy, but if you need a quick activity for your toddler to do, this would be great! Just please make sure you watch them because this can be a choking hazard. 16. Build a Tower Using cubes or blocks, have them build a tower. These unifix cubes would be great to use. We use this Discovery Toys Pegboard to build towers. 17. Coloring This is a simple activity, but have them color. Sometimes we get our window markers and I let them color on the windows. 18. Pipe Cleaners in a Tube This is just like #9, but use pipe cleaners to put through a paper towel tube. My toddler actually came up with this activity. He loves it! 19. Pipe Cleaner Sprinkles This activity is simply cutting up pipe cleaners (into 2 inch pieces) and have your toddler poke them through the holes in a parmesan container. This is awesome for working on fine motor skills! 20. Sensory Balloon Bugs We made sensory balloon bugs a while back and they are a huge hit. When I want my toddler to play quietly, I get these out and let him play with them. To learn more about them, see this post. Once again, please use discretion with this activity. If your child puts a lot of objects in their mouth, this may not be a good activity for them. I hope this list helps you out with your busy little toddler! What ideas do you have to keep toddlers busy? By: Ashley Crossman Blog Fabnewsblog.com As you know it's very important to protect young children in the sun. Here are some great tips and ways to protect your little one while having fun with the family. I surfed the web to find the best resources so you can save the time here's every I found: First Site is a full study and write up from the U.S Environment Protection Agency and has some great info on smog safety as well. full pdf here: http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/doc/summertime.pdf Top Tips I found ready this study where: Teach kids to Slip, Slop, Slap, and Wrap: Slip on a shirt. Less skin exposed means less skin damage. Slop on sunscreen. Twenty minutes before heading outside, generously apply products of at least SPF 15, and re-apply every 2 hours or after swimming or sweating. Slap on a hat. Find a hat you like and wear it. Wrap on sunglasses. Look for ones that block 99–100% of UVA and UVB rays. Know the day’s UV Index learn about the index in the pdf linked above. Or visit EPA’s UV Index Web Page www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html If you have a smart phone get the free UVI smartphone app from EPA at http://www.epa.gov/enviro/mobile/ To find the Air Quality Index visit EPA’s AIRNOW Web Page www.epa.gov/airnow/ Visit EPA’s EnviroFlash Web Page https://enviroflash.epa.gov & Sign up to receive the daily UV Index, Air Quality Index, and occasional UV Alerts directly by e-mail. 10 Tips for Sun Protection.
Sources:http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/out/summer_safety.html#
http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/doc/summertime.pdf http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/outdoor/sun_safety.html# http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/children.htm 7 places where you can get a free online education
Whether you're looking to brush up on your calculus or test your brainpower against Ivy League students, you can do it for free online. ByShea Gunther Thu, Feb 23, 2012 at 8:43 AM 28 Related Topics:MNN lists, Education, Web, Schools ONLINE EDUCATION: Although tuition has been increasing, a plethora of free online options has become available. (Photo: Ina Peters/iStockphoto) Anyone who has paid tuition or sent in checks to repay a student loan knows that education is not cheap. The cost of a college education can easily reach six figures, with some graduates leaving school with a diploma and more than $200,000 in debt. The costs associated with higher education are climbing even faster than inflation. When you factor in the added costs of books, meal plans and housing, it's enough to make even the most frugal savers cringe. Luckily, while tuition has been rising, a plethora of free online options has become available. Some websites like the Khan Academy exist to help students round out their understanding of subjects like trigonometry and calculus while top-notch universities have begun to put courses online for free. We can't all get accepted to Harvard, but we can click over and watch every lecture from an Introduction to Computer Science course and do all the assignments and tests like real Harvard students do. There has never been a better time to flex your brain with free online courses, so we scoured the Web high and low and found some of the best options for increasing your brainpower from the comfort of your computer without paying a dime in tuition. Here are some of the best options to be found. Enjoy! Khan Academy Khan Academy was started when founder Salman Khan started making videos to help his cousins with math homework. As he made more videos, he began to attract an audience outside his immediate friends and family. He has since branched out into science, history and economics and he quit his day job as a hedge fund analyst in 2006. He’s created more than 2,600 videos and attracted fans and financial backers like Bill Gates and Google's philanthropic arm. If you are looking to round out your knowledge of math, science, history or economics, a visit to Khan Academy is good place to start. The website has a great feature that will track your progress and test your comprehension in any given focus, giving you points for your work, just like a video game. MIT MIT is consistently ranked as one of the top universities in the world and has produced scores of Nobel Prize winners and Rhodes Scholars, astronauts, famed architects and successful entrepreneurs. The coursework is well known for being fast-paced and challenging, and the institution prepares its graduates to face a hungry sea of tech companies clamoring for their employment post-graduation. MIT is highly selective and tuition and expenses will set you back around $50,000 per year. If you don't have the grades, availability or cash to shell out for a proper MIT education, you can click over to the MIT OpenCourseWare site and dive right into whatever class you'd like. The school has put nearly all of its courses online and also makes homework and tests available for virtual students. The school spends millions of dollars every year on the effort and can be credited with spurring other colleges like Harvard and Stanford into doing the same with their coursework. University of Reddit The University of Reddit is an offshoot of the popular link-sharing website Reddit and was founded by people dedicated to the idea of setting information and education free. Classes are taken and taught by anyone and cover a variety of topics, including drawing, introduction to filmmaking, beginning computer programming with java, puppy training, how to speak Korean and Arabic, and how to play the (notoriously difficult) video game Dwarf Fortress. Since the University of Reddit is open to anyone who wants to teach a course, quality can be spotty, but it's easy to view each lesson to find the best material. The class formats make it easy to learn at your own pace. Stanford Stanford University, one of the top technology schools in the world, was founded in 1891 as a West Coast answer to Harvard. The university has deep ties in the world of technology and was an early booster of Silicon Valley. It counts as its alumni founders of companies like Google, Yahoo!, Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard. Stanford has been making many of its courses available online since 2006 and has a large presence on iTunes where you can download free lectures in subjects like business, engineering, history, math, science and education. Harvard Harvard University is perhaps the best-known top-tier school in the world and was established in 1636, making it the oldest university in the United States. It's also the richest school in the world with an endowment in the tens of billions of dollars. This wealth allows Harvard students with parents making less than $60,000 a year to pay no in tuition, and those making up to $80,000 a year pay just a few thousand dollars. That money has also allowed the university to make its online courses free to the world. Visitors to the Harvard Extension School can take eight online courses in their entirety. Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley is another top school that has invested in putting its coursework online for free. The university was founded in 1866 and is one of the top-ranked schools in the world with a widely respected standing in research and technology. The institution has been affiliated with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and its alumni have been credited with discovering 16 elements on the Periodic Table of Elements. Berkeley's online offerings cover many of the school’s courses and are recorded as videos on YouTube. Yale Yale University is the third-oldest university in the United States and was founded in 1701. Yale is another extremely rich school with a total endowment of nearly $20 billion. Yale has churned out five U.S. presidents, 19 U.S. Supreme Court justices and countless business, political and academic leaders. And now, thanks to the school’sOpen Yale Courses, many of the school’s introductory level classes are available to anyone with a Web browser. Courses are available in departments like English, astronomy, music, political science, environmental studies and more, andthey are available via video, audio or transcript. Photos: Khan Academy, University of Reddit, AntyDiluvian/flickr |
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