Archive for September, 2013

So Far So Good

Friday, September 6th, 2013

From Friday Mom – Erin:
Rory started daycare this week. After a reasonably smooth transition period last week, this was the first week he stayed full days. After the first day, I have to admit, I doubted our well-reasoned and over-analyzed decision to move him from a sitter to a child development center. He had a terrible time napping the first day, and only slept for a total of 1.5 hours over-all. As a result, when his daddy picked him up at the end of the day, he fell asleep in his car seat. Then, when we woke him up to eat his dinner and get ready for bed, he cried the entire time. I know he was simply overtired, but it was still very hard to watch him so upset. And, from a purely selfish perspective, it was hard to spend the short window of time I saw him that day fighting an exhausted child… especially when I was used to playing with him for a few special moments each evening.

The only saving grace that first night was reading the notes from his teachers and knowing that he was all smiles all day long. I also spoke with his teachers at two different times during the day because they had questions about his schedule and how they should handle certain things that they had encountered during the day. I was pleased to see them so willing to reach out and proactively seek my input. It helped put me at ease — somewhat.

In an effort to calm myself a bit, I wrote out slightly more detailed instructions and spent a little longer during drop-off talking with his teacher. I’m not certain if it was necessary, but his second day went far more smoothly. He napped just over an hour in the morning and in the afternoon. He was happy throughout the day, and even remained in good spirits when he and his daddy arrived home. There were far more smiles involved that evening. I’m hoping it’s a harbinger of things to come.

Summer Favorites

Wednesday, September 4th, 2013

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
It is hard to believe summer is just about over, especially with the lingering heat here in Mississippi.  I talked to the boys over the weekend about what they enjoyed most about their event filled summer.  I am always surprised how much they remember, even the smallest details.  In no particular order, here are Jack and Tate’s fondest memories:

Road trips– Singing along to music, eating cherry Twizzlers, playing the game “I spy with my little eye,” counting trees, and eating cheeseburgers for dinner.

The Beach – Boogie boarding, playing in a really, really giant sandbox, swimming at night time, burying Tate in the sand, catching fish, buying a squeaky shark, and playing sharks and minnows with their cousins.

The Pool – Swimming like a fish, going down the slide a thousand and thirty times, eating ice cream treats, cannonballs, Daddy’s big splashes, hearing the loud fire siren, and sunshine.

Factory Tours (Ice cream, chocolate and Crayola) – Making our own crayons and markers, eating ice cream and making up a flavor of ice cream, wearing a factory paper hat, LOTS of chocolate, especially the free chocolate bar after the car ride (Chocolate tour ride), riding in an elevator, and playing/jumping on gigantic crayons and markers.

Movies – Watching all the movies in 3D, wearing the 3D glasses, trying to touch the characters when they jumped out, the giant screen, eating popcorn, eating Mexican for dinner before the movie, and handing the worker their ticket pass.

Campfires – Roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, watching how high the fire (flames) goes, hearing the crackle sounds, eating s’mores, getting gooey on our fingers, and watching grass melt into ash.

Cousins/Family – Playing games in the yard, riding bikes, older cousins cool shoes, baby cousin’s toys, swimming, roller coasters, UNO card game, making crafts, pizza night, and being able to talk right next to them (makes me sad we live so far away 🙁  )

Parks – Swinging really high, flipping on the bars, tube slides, playing tag and hide and go seek, eating popsicles, petting a dog, and eating cupcakes at Tate’s birthday party (Tate’s party was held at a local park.)

Lake Fun – Swinging on the hammock, boat rides, catching fireflies, swimming with Candymum, fireworks show, especially the big firework lights, swimming in the lake with the fish, driving the boat, playing choo-choo, and lying on the cool drop down bed (Murphy bed.)

Mommy’s favorite – Family time – I love spending time with our extended family.  We are lucky to have both my side and my husband’s side of the family just minutes from each other when we travel back to Pennsylvania.  We’ve been back home in Mississippi for several weeks now and all of us reminisce of all the fun times we had this summer.  We try to provide a memorable summer for our boys with lots of activities.  I know not every summer will be as busy as this summer.  Some of the their best memories are from the simple pleasures of being a kid and that makes me so happy. The big trips are nice, but this summer was made great by spending it together as a family.

 

Cooking for Kids

Monday, September 2nd, 2013

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
Lately I’ve been putting more effort into eating the right foods. It seems like everywhere you look, people are talking about doing your own gardening, taking your kids to farmers’ markets, and making sure that they understand “where food comes from.” It’s true that having a little one around puts nutrition in perspective. As an adult, I’m okay with making the choice to sometimes eat processed foods with strange-sounding chemicals, but that’s hardly what I want Haley to put into her body.

On the other hand, when your kid refuses to eat ANYTHING, that fluorescent colored macaroni and composite-chicken nugget look pretty good. Haley is a picky eater, and although I’m trying to add more healthful foods to our diet, I know she’s not going to touch sautéed kale or quinoa. So the question becomes, do I give up completely and just cook kid-friendly food for the whole family? Do I cook nutritious food and let her not eat for a few months? Do I short order cook for each family member?

I take a middle-of-the-road approach. There are a few foods Haley really likes and asks for frequently. The healthiest of these, including oatmeal, fruit and cucumbers, I give her pretty much whenever she wants them. I try to save hot dogs and French fries for weekends or days when I’m really rushed. I also cook healthfully for my husband and myself. I’ll put a little bit of everything on Haley’s plate, and hope she’ll try things. We had leftover meat from a weekend cookout so this morning I made steak and eggs. Haley asked for bacon (which she loves) but we told her that steak is a lot like it and she should try it. I was really glad that she did! It was a victory not because I want her eating red meat all the time, but because beef is the kind of food that she’s usually completely uninterested in. I want to expose Haley to a variety of foods.

Another approach is to hide vegetables in recipes like tomato sauce or brownies. I’d rather Haley learned to eat healthy food outright, so I’m going to avoid that path for now. But I’ve learned when it comes to parenting to never say never!