You know that expensive kids soap Kandoo made by Pampers. Well my kids love it and one time I broke down and bought it but when it ran out I decided to make my own using the Kandoo pump and it worked. I filled the container with 1/2 water and 1/2 liquid hand soap. It gives the fun foaming but way cheaper.
Enjoy.
Hamburger holder
Use a coffee filter. I use a cone shaped coffee filter and cut about an inch and a half off the top and put the hamburger in and it helps my 3 yr old to hold the hamburger without making a big mess.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Teething Help
So I have an 17m old little one the just is biting anything and anyone in his way when he is frustrated and in pain?
It is so sad to watch and not so nice to get bitten either. But I came up with a teether that actually works for him.
I take a baby cloth, put an ice cube in and wrap a hair elastic around it. Then I smash it with a tenderizer or a hammer if it is too big. He chews on it and the ruffness of the cloth and the cold of the ice makes him feel better. The downside to this is you have to wring it out every 10 min or so if he doesn't suck the water off it, especially if you smashed the ice.
Good luck.
It is so sad to watch and not so nice to get bitten either. But I came up with a teether that actually works for him.
I take a baby cloth, put an ice cube in and wrap a hair elastic around it. Then I smash it with a tenderizer or a hammer if it is too big. He chews on it and the ruffness of the cloth and the cold of the ice makes him feel better. The downside to this is you have to wring it out every 10 min or so if he doesn't suck the water off it, especially if you smashed the ice.
Good luck.
Camping with Small Children
Just got back from camping with my family and it was amazing how different camping was with little ones. My children are 1, 3 and 5. I went earlier in July with just the 2 older ones and it was easier but not like it was in the days prior to kids. The things I learned were:
- Bring a stroller or playpen to lock up the baby when cooking or having a fire.
- Don't expect the kids to eat or sleep like they would at home.
- Bring a canopy in case of rain to give you more space for the children to do their activities as well as provide shade during the hottest times of the day.
- A play tent can provide a nice shady spot for the kids to play.
- Warn the children in advance of what the treat limits are. Such as '2 treats each; marshmallows, candy, etc.' and let them choose what combination they want.
- Serve raw veggies with every meal. Saves cooking and cleaning dishes.
- Don't expect any time to yourself if you have a baby with you but as they get older your time will increase.
- Camping at these ages is for the kids not you so enjoy your children's fun and book a spa day after you get home.
Healthy Yogurt Popsicles
1/2 cup Frozen Fruit and/or Berries
1 cup full fat Yogurt
1/2 cup Cool Whip
1 tsp Vanilla
Add all ingredients in the food processor till well blended. Dish into popsicle forms or ice cube trays and insert sticks. Freeze overnight. Serve as treat to children.
1 cup full fat Yogurt
1/2 cup Cool Whip
1 tsp Vanilla
Add all ingredients in the food processor till well blended. Dish into popsicle forms or ice cube trays and insert sticks. Freeze overnight. Serve as treat to children.
Napping
Now my mom says that I am a slave to my children's schedule but I disagree. I believe that the kids are on the schedule I have set for them based on their age, number of naps and how their behaviour is affected.
Currently my youngest needs 2 naps a day and luckily he is somewhat adaptible. He has a certain rhythm that is natural for him but at least a couple days a week I am not able to have him in bed at the time he needs because of another childs activity and he goes down an hour later and there are days I have to wake him up so we can meet up with friends for a playdate or go to the gym. Obviously my older 2 don't have morning naps but we do hang around the house while the baby naps. On the otherhand my older son needs one nap in the afternoon and my daughter needs quiet time and lets be honest so do I, so we all rest or sleep during this time. The days we go out, I make a point to have us all home by nap/rest time
I think of it as our schedule not their schedule. A little give and take to keep everyone healthy and happy. I find it amazing the difference in their behaviour based on their sleep or lack of it. There are definately people in my life that would prefer us to be available more hours or different hours of the day but OUR schedule does not afford us that but those same people like the fact that my children are well behaved. That comes with some sacrifices and really it won't always be that way will it?
Currently my youngest needs 2 naps a day and luckily he is somewhat adaptible. He has a certain rhythm that is natural for him but at least a couple days a week I am not able to have him in bed at the time he needs because of another childs activity and he goes down an hour later and there are days I have to wake him up so we can meet up with friends for a playdate or go to the gym. Obviously my older 2 don't have morning naps but we do hang around the house while the baby naps. On the otherhand my older son needs one nap in the afternoon and my daughter needs quiet time and lets be honest so do I, so we all rest or sleep during this time. The days we go out, I make a point to have us all home by nap/rest time
I think of it as our schedule not their schedule. A little give and take to keep everyone healthy and happy. I find it amazing the difference in their behaviour based on their sleep or lack of it. There are definately people in my life that would prefer us to be available more hours or different hours of the day but OUR schedule does not afford us that but those same people like the fact that my children are well behaved. That comes with some sacrifices and really it won't always be that way will it?
Oatmeal Breakfast Bar - Revised
I grew up with a terrible diet that has left me with weight problems my whole life. Obviosly I didn't want my children to suffer the same fate so I was very strict with their diet. Vegetables, Whole Grains, Fruits, etc.
Not only do I think breakfast is the most important meal, I feel that oatmeal is a very important part of that. It is whole grain and packed with lots of healthy stuff and digests slowly so that child doesn't get hungry soon after. Of course I have the best of intentions but my middle son didn't like it and this made every morning an unpleasant experience. Being a fix-it mommy I had to find a way to get my son to eat oatmeal without a fight. I went to the internet and found a recipe that had less sugar and more good stuff and it was for Oatmeal Bars. As you will see you can add whatever seeds, nuts or fruit your children enjoy. The only negative is they are quite crumbly while he eats them.
That was my original post but I have revised the recipe and now find that it does not crumble and he doesn't complain about the large chunks of dried fruit. He is eating them without too much of a fight now.
Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
Ingredients
2 cups 9 grain oatmeal, uncooked
1 cup oat flour (can be made by pulverising quick cooking rolled oats in a blender or food processor)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup packed currant or raisins
1/2 cup finely chopped apricots, dried apple slices
1/4 cup chopped nuts, pieces
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Grease a 9 inch by 13 inch pan, or two 8 inch by 8 inch pans.
3. Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix well.
4. Put mixture in prepared pans and spread evenly and press down.
5. Bake for 30 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and cut into squares while still hot.
7. Wait until the bars cool before trying to remove them from the pan.
Not only do I think breakfast is the most important meal, I feel that oatmeal is a very important part of that. It is whole grain and packed with lots of healthy stuff and digests slowly so that child doesn't get hungry soon after. Of course I have the best of intentions but my middle son didn't like it and this made every morning an unpleasant experience. Being a fix-it mommy I had to find a way to get my son to eat oatmeal without a fight. I went to the internet and found a recipe that had less sugar and more good stuff and it was for Oatmeal Bars. As you will see you can add whatever seeds, nuts or fruit your children enjoy. The only negative is they are quite crumbly while he eats them.
That was my original post but I have revised the recipe and now find that it does not crumble and he doesn't complain about the large chunks of dried fruit. He is eating them without too much of a fight now.
Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
Ingredients
2 cups 9 grain oatmeal, uncooked
1 cup oat flour (can be made by pulverising quick cooking rolled oats in a blender or food processor)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup packed currant or raisins
1/2 cup finely chopped apricots, dried apple slices
1/4 cup chopped nuts, pieces
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Grease a 9 inch by 13 inch pan, or two 8 inch by 8 inch pans.
3. Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix well.
4. Put mixture in prepared pans and spread evenly and press down.
5. Bake for 30 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and cut into squares while still hot.
7. Wait until the bars cool before trying to remove them from the pan.
The Great Toy Purge
From December to the end of February we have had Fake Christmas, Hanukkah, Christmas, my daughter's birthday, the joint friend party for both Madison and Jack, the joint family party for Madison, Jack and me and then Jack's birthday. Now that is a lot of excitement and a lot of presents. It happens every year and the children get very overwhelmed and start to act erratically and misbehave more. But I started a new tradition last year, the Great Toy Purge, and it seems to calm everything down.
I have explained to my children that we only have so much space and therefore we can only have so many toys downstairs so they decide which toys they will be leaving downstairs and which are going up in the toy closet for the rest of the year. Then once a month they can swap something of equal size for something in the closet. This way they have new toys to play with every month. This also gives my children a sense of choice and responsibility for their own toys. They make a lot of the decisions together as a team and therefore teaches them to work together to get what they want.
It is a week later and I have seen a drastic change in both my older children towards me and towards each other and their younger brother.
I have explained to my children that we only have so much space and therefore we can only have so many toys downstairs so they decide which toys they will be leaving downstairs and which are going up in the toy closet for the rest of the year. Then once a month they can swap something of equal size for something in the closet. This way they have new toys to play with every month. This also gives my children a sense of choice and responsibility for their own toys. They make a lot of the decisions together as a team and therefore teaches them to work together to get what they want.
It is a week later and I have seen a drastic change in both my older children towards me and towards each other and their younger brother.
Awsome Mommy Trick #3: Bag Balm
The baby started getting a diaper rash just before my husband and I went on vacation to Mexico. I tried 4 different diaper creams and it seemed to hold it at bay so we dropped him off at my MIL and when we were away it got increasingly bad so my MIL called our dr and he told her to get Canesten because it might be a yeast infection. She used that 6 days and would leave him bare bum whenever possible to dry it out but there was no improvement and it was BAD. He had ulcers that bled and red bumps from penis to back. I thought well maybe its a bacterial infection so I tried Polysporin for 2 days and Hydrocortisone .5% and again no improvement. I took him to the doctor and he gave us a prescription for a Hydrocortisone 1% and Canesten compound, Maalox in the diaper and we added baking soda to the bath. We tried it for 2 days and again no improvement. Finally I googled 'home remedy for diaper rash' and I came across a posting board for which mentioned a product for Bag Balm
The funny thing about this is that Bag Balm was created and is used to fix cracks and engorgement in cow udders. You can purchase it at large animal feed stores and Lee Valley for gardener's hand issues. The mom claimed that her son had the same rash as my son and she had tried this product and it had started to fix it in 3 hours. Now I was a bit skeptical so I read the comments from other parents and 20 people made the same claims so I bought it ($12) from my local pet food store. I started using it on a Thursday afternoon, in 24hrs I did see and improvement and by Saturday the red bumps had turned to pink skin and the ulcers had improved. Not the 3hr miracle but definately a diaper rash cure I will use again.
The funny thing about this is that Bag Balm was created and is used to fix cracks and engorgement in cow udders. You can purchase it at large animal feed stores and Lee Valley for gardener's hand issues. The mom claimed that her son had the same rash as my son and she had tried this product and it had started to fix it in 3 hours. Now I was a bit skeptical so I read the comments from other parents and 20 people made the same claims so I bought it ($12) from my local pet food store. I started using it on a Thursday afternoon, in 24hrs I did see and improvement and by Saturday the red bumps had turned to pink skin and the ulcers had improved. Not the 3hr miracle but definately a diaper rash cure I will use again.
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- CFS Fairy
- A Canadian Stay-at-Home mom of 3 beautiful and awsome golden cupcakes. I have been a mom since 2005. This is the best job in the world but it is sure tough sometimes, don't you think? This is my journey.