The Mom Crowd

If you’re anything like me, getting the kids moving before school is exhausting. From the moment the alarm goes off, I feel like a drill sergeant telling them to stop talking, quit day dreaming, or hurry up and finish eating. It’s a true nightmare just to get them to school on-time and for me to face my morning commute to work.

Although not fool-proof, recently I’ve found some things that have helped our family come closer to an overall successful track record (with less yelling on my part ).

• Verify the next days weather and lay out clothes the night before. My pre-teen daughter is notorious for last minute wardrobe changes, so she prepares two outfits to choose from.
• For breakfast, I actually have the bowls and spoons out/ready to go, along with oatmeal packets or their preferred brand of cold cereal. That way, when they come downstairs, they can choose which they’d like, and I simply heat some water up or grab the refrigerated milk (along with their gummy vitamin).
• Backpacks are now neatly placed by the door to just grab on the way out to the car. They used to be scattered wherever homework was completed just yesterday.
• Another trick is to set their bedroom clocks for 5-10 minutes earlier than the actual time. This helps settle them into bed earlier the night before and those “extra” minutes can be spent perfecting their hairstyle of the day, swapping out matching accessories, or getting that tank of gas you were too tired to stop for after work the other day.

I hope some of these tips allow you to maximize your morning routine (if not be a lesson to your children on organization and structure). What are some of the things you do to get out the door faster in the morning?

If you have a toddler, then you know how eager they are to explore everything they come across. This is a fun and exciting time in their little lives but your son or daughter’s thirst for activity can and will wear any adult down in a matter of hours when you aren’t prepared for endless play.

Tricks for Working with Toddlers
Here are a few tricks of the trade I learned when working with roomfuls of toddlers. The following activities are age appropriate play ideas that can help any parent keep their child occupied and entertained.

• Roll of butcher paper: A roll of butcher paper has a variety of uses. They are inexpensive and can be found at craft or home improvement stores. They can also be purchased on Amazon and shipped right to your front door for about $10; and moms, this may be the best $10 you ever spend. Taped to the table top, this surface is perfect for drawing, coloring, or painting with much less mess than when we try to get our toddlers to stay on a small piece of paper. You can trace shapes one day and finger-paint the next. Whatever you decide to do with your blank canvas, your toddler will be thrilled with the freedom to color all over the table!

• BUBBLES, BUBBLES. BUBBLES! This is an often overlooked cheap activity that will hold your child’s attention for a long time. You can blow bubbles while they pop them or you blow them and see if they can then blow them through the air. After they tire of chasing the bubbles around, you can give them a bubble wand to try. This can be done outside or inside, but if you are doing this as a rainy day activity, I recommend laying down a sheet to catch all those soapy explosions.

• Kiddie Pool: Still have that Kiddie Pool hanging around since last summer? Toddlers love it when you fill the pool with unexpected items for them to explore. Crumple up old news papers or magazines and throw those in the pool, you will see your toddler has a lot of fun crawling through them or stomping them beneath his feet. There are as many possibilities as you can imagine.

• Scarf Play: Round up all of your old scarves and bring them to your play area. Toddlers love the feeling of all the different textiles and will enjoy a little “dress-up” play with all the different ways you can wrap these fabrics around them and yourself. Put on a little music and now you have dance party props!

As you can see, an added bonus to these ideas is that they will most definitely not break the bank! Hope you have fun with these easy ideas that keep the good times rolling!
Feel free to add your own ideas in our comments section. We can always use new ways to keep our little ones happy, learning and exploring!

Your child is wetting his bed and of course as a mother this is a concern for you. Before you start to wonder if there is there something wrong with your child you need to be made aware of the fact that bed wetting is actually quite common amongst young children. Punishing your child for doing this is not the solution and will only make a bad situation worse.

What then can you as a mother do to help your youngster to stop wetting the bed? Here we offer some helpful suggestions for you:

Make an effort to take notice of when the bed wetting occurs

Do you find that your child is more likely to wet his bed after something has upset him? Bed wetting is often related to stress and often occurs right after a child has had to deal with something uncomfortable or disturbing in his life. In some instances though it may be related to an under developed bladder or your child may not wake himself up in time to go to the bathroom.

Pay attention to how much your child drinks in the course of a day

It is important that your child consumes enough fluids throughout the day and does not fill up on too many beverages in the evening and right before bedtime. If he does then his bladder is more likely to be full when he goes to bed. Make it a rule to get your child to drink more during the earlier parts of the day and less after supper.

If you have other children who are aware of the situation then talk to them about it

Make them understand that their brother or sister cannot help what is happening and tell them not to tease or make fun of their sibling. If the child is made to feel ashamed or embarrassed by family members then the problem may get worse instead of better because now there are deeper feelings attached to the behavior.

As a parent you should not scold your child for wetting his bed

Nor should you ridicule him for what is taking place. Just as teasing from other children in the household can make matters worse so can harsh words from you. Your child wants to please you after all and he wants your acceptance. If you get after him then this will affect his self-esteem and make him feel worse about himself.

Purchase a plastic sheet to fit onto your child’s bed

In this way changing the fitted sheet after the accident has occurred will be so much simpler and more convenient for you. The plastic sheet can be cleaned very easily.

If it is your toddler that is experiencing bed wetting problems then put training pants on him when he goes to bed. If he is able to get through three to four nights in a row without wetting his bed then tell him that he does not need to wear them anymore. Make sure you keep a few pairs of training pants on hand in case it happens again. If need be then start the training pants routine over again. Just make sure that your son or daughter knows that this is not a form of punishment!

In some cases bed wetting is the result of a medical problem such as a urinary tract infection

If your child shows other symptoms of a physical problem and you believe that this may be the root of the bed wetting then take him or her to see the family doctor for a check-up.

When your child wakes up in the morning and is dry praise him for it

This will make him feel good and it will also make him want to work harder to end the habit for good.

As a parent you must bear in mind that bed wetting is a stage that some children go through

It is not something permanent by any means. You need to be as patient as possible and you need to show your child support and understanding. If your child expresses worry over the situation then be reassuring and let him know that this is something that he will overcome. Tell him that lots of children go through this and he is not alone in this.

Babies do not generally require high chairs until they start to eat solid foods. For most infants this happens around six months (or thereabouts). Even before babies start throwing food from the tray of their chairs, high chairs can make it possible for a little one to spend quality time with other family members at the table for a meal. Babies often enjoy being included in meal times with other household members.

Your infant’s first chair is his or her high chair. The purchase of such a chair is very important. You may wonder what you need to think about when it comes to making such a significant purchase for your baby. After all as a parent you cannot try it out for yourself as you might a new sofa or loveseat because the fit is not quite right for you! Just as you need to consider a variety of factors when you buy a crib or a car seat for your baby daughter or son there are numerous things to think about before you make a high chair purchase. Here we look at those factors for you to bear in mind:

Know what your budget is

Your finances should not be the only deciding factor for the type of high chair you buy your baby but they must be one factor. The range of prices for high chairs is vast which is why it helps for you to know how much you can and cannot afford for this purchase.

In that way when you go shopping you will be able to zero in on the chairs that are most fitting for your budget and this will save you time. Ask others such as family members and friends what high chairs they can recommend to you. Other new mothers would be one of your best sources for finding the right chair for your baby!

Safety and security should be a top priority. Only purchase a high chair that you feel completely confident about when it comes to your baby’s safety and security. If you find one that you are just not sure about then keep looking. You need to find a chair that is strong and resilient.

It must be able to resist your baby pushing against it, rocking it and even kicking it. It must securely fasten into place when your baby is seated in it. It should be as steady as possible and should not wobble. To find a safe high chair you need to look to a quality brand. It is an investment that is worth it for the sake of your sweet little one.

Be mindful of the height of the chair. You want the high chair to be at a comfortable level for you to feed your baby, whether you are standing, sitting or bending over the chair. For this reason you should take a height measurement of our table before you go shopping. An adjustable high chair is a good idea but you must ensure that it is secure before you buy it.

Consider the size of the tray

All high chairs have trays but they do not all have the same size trays. Food will fall from the high chair onto the floor no matter what you do but the larger the tray the less food is likely to end up on the floor. Decide what size tray is best for your baby before you start looking.

Ease of use and convenience makes a difference

Let’s face it some baby furniture is not so easy to use and that is not what you want. As a mother you want a chair that is lightweight and easy to move around. You also want a chair that you can get your baby in and out of as easily and as quickly as possible. If your little one is crying and you want to get him or her out of the chair as fast as you can the last thing you want is to have to struggle with a complicated chair!

This will cause more stress for the both of you! If you travel or plan to take the chair with you go to visit family members then you need a chair that is easy to lift and put in the car.

Consider the lasting quality of the chair.

You want to buy a chair that will serve its purpose for your baby until he or she outgrows it. If you plan to have more children then the longevity of the high chair matters. If you can reuse it for your future babies then this will save you money in the long run.

It is so incredibly easy to get bogged down in the traditions of Christmas, all the shopping, decorating, festivities, etc, and to forget the real meaning behind the holiday.  While I’m not a Santa-fanatic, we still get gifts from Santa for our kids and let them participate in the “fun” of it, however our focus on Christmas is Christ.

I was thinking of ways to keep my children’s focus on Jesus instead of the presents and Santa and came up with a few ideas I thought I’d share.

Teach about Jesus year-round and not just at Christmas - The more your children hear about the goodness and mercies of Jesus all year, the easier it will be for them to understand the importance of Christmas.  Daily read books and the Bible with them and encourage them to pray.  Amanda gave some great tips on teaching your children to pray yesterday.

Remember to put YOUR focus on Christ and not the traditions – Your children will see what you put the most importance on and will follow your lead.  If you are more worried about presents, they will be too.  The same goes for Santa Claus, if your family chooses to participate in that tradition.  If you are constantly saying “Santa is coming”, your children will get the impression that Santa is the reason for Christmas.

Encourage your children to have the giving spirit - Remind your children that we give gifts on Christmas in honor of Jesus.  Just like the three wise kings who brought gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus to show Him their love, we give gifts to those we love.  Make it more about the giving than the getting.  A great way to teach this is to have your child pick something out for another child who will be receiving gifts as part of a ministry.  Your child will get to learn that giving makes them happier than getting.

Read your children the Christmas Story – Reading straight from the Bible is always a good thing with your kids!  You are speaking truth and love over them when you do and you are ministering and preparing their hearts for their future relationship with Jesus.  Matthew 1:18-2:23 and Luke 1:26-38 and Luke 2:1-29 tell the story.  There are also many books that are more on toddler and preschooler levels that tell the story without all the “grown-up” and potentially scary details.  We currently have The Story of Christmas by Patricia A. Pingry and our kids love it.

Decorate your house with more Christian items than “holiday” decorations – We currently have two nativity sets out that our children love to look at and talk about.  We also made a construction paper nativity that takes up an entire wall.  I did the major cutting out and my 4 year old drew faces on Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and the Angel.  He also glued the pieces together and helped me hang everything on the wall.  We also have the scriptures from Luke telling of the birth of Jesus printed out and on the wall above the nativity.  Having a toy nativity, like the one Fisher-Price has in their Little People brand, is a great way for kids to learn and interact with the story.

How do you keep the Christ in Christmas with your kids?

Photo Courtesy of Loci Lenar