Jun 30

Tidy Up Tuesdays: 10 Minutes of Bliss

Tidy Up Tuesdays 3 Comments »

I love the joy of having a completely clean house, but unfortunately it only lasts for about 10 minutes before someone spills or wants to make a cheese and crackers feast in the kitchen. Years ago I learned how to let this go and only have clean house envy when I visit the homes of friends whose children have long since left the nest.

Since that season is a long ways off for me, I’ve decided to find happiness amongst the chaos best I can. It’s especially challenging when we’re all home during the summer months. I’m constantly jumping over elaborate Barbie villages or abandoned stacks of books. I let them spread out and have their merry good time until the end of the day. I give everyone a five-minute warning and then I say, “It’s time for 10 minutes of tidying up.” (The reward for this is watching TV until Dad comes home, so I can make dinner in peace and the house is [mostly] clean when he gets home.)

Sometimes I assign them rooms to clean up depending how bad the damage is and depending on how well they work together to clean up. It’s amazing how quickly they can clean when they have new episodes of “Hannah Montana” waiting for them on the TiVo. I use this 10 minutes to supervise and to clean up the kitchen for dinner.

To make it more fun we’ll throw on some music or I’ll bribe them with a pre-dinner snack. If it’s not messy enough to warrant a full 10-minute commitment I’ll have each of the girls pick up 10 things and put them away. The first one to finish gets to pick the show to watch. My four-year-old is such a great worker that the threat of watching “Dora the Explorer” if Cam finishes her chore first usually makes the older two stop whining and get on their feet.

Question: What do you do to motivate your kids to pick up their stuff at the end of the day?

 

 

Jun 29

Mommy Mondays: A Taste of Testosterone in a House of Hormones

Mommy Monday 2 Comments »

 

As we left our girls’ school talent show a few weeks ago, the auditorium door burst open and dozens of parents walked along the front of the school. All eyes were on a little boy “watering” one of the dwarf palm trees planted on the front lawn beside the school’s entrance.  

There were lots of stares and giggles as the young fellow proudly did his business. His mother nervously paced back and forth hoping he’d finish up and go back to playing Star Wars with the other boys on the lawn. But he just kept on going – and going – and going. I wanted to ask his mom, “What did that kid have to drink that day?” I didn’t know kids could even store that much liquid in their bladders. But I could tell she wasn’t exactly up for hosting a press conference following the event, so I would miss out on my chance to ask her my question in the Q & A session. By the time we got to our car, which was in sight of the tree, the little boy had finished his business. Through it all, he was oblivious to the audience he had drawn.

I smiled and laughed as I opened the car for my three daughters because I’ll never know the joy of having sons. Sure, someday I’ll have sons-in-law, but certainly it’s not the same as having your own. I don’t feel cheated as a parent to not raise a boy; instead I find myself a little intrigued by how different my life would be if we had just one boy. 

I forget how ”girlie” my house is until we have boys come over for a play dates. The boys are stunned when I tell the, that we don’t own a single Star Wars movie, or that we have no Bionicles. Instead the boys usually find a fairy wand and a Princess Sing-A-Long book and use them as a sword and a shield. I usually just try to buy off the boys with food because I figure that offering a Polly Pocket or throwing on the Taylor Swift karaoke would threaten their manhood. (And I hate to think that they’d go home and tell their parents that they played with Barbies at my house.) 

I doubt I’ll ever stand in line for Star Tours at Disneyland or spend much time playing Transformers with my daughters, but I don’t really feel like I’m missing out on much. It’s kind of nice having three girls. We didn’t have to redecorate any rooms, we can easily pass clothes down to the next child, we have every girl toy known to woman already, and my husband and I never did come up with a boy name that we both agreed on. I guess it was meant to be.

Questions: Enlighten me on life with sons. What is your favorite thing about raising a boy? What could you only have learned through having a son?

Jun 26

Foodie Fridays: Breakfast Ideas – Week 1

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After we loaded up on berries and other yummy items from the Farmer’s Market, I immediately began salivating as I thought about making crepes. Now that we’re on summer schedule we’ve got more time to make more elaborate breakfasts and we don’t have wolf down our food to get to school in time.

Don’t get me wrong, breakfast is a big deal in our house. In fact, it may be the only meal my kids actually eat well during the day, so I feel the need to kick it up a notch as Emeril would say, and offer them something really fun and hopefully nutritious too.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll share some of my favorite recipes from our breakfast table. Enjoy the crepe recipe. Don’t be intimidated if you’ve never tried making crepes. They can be tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a snap. I got this delicious recipe from my younger brother. Who knew he’d be such a great cook?

Crepes

6 eggs, well beaten
1 cup flour
½  cup sugar
½ teas salt
 
Beat all ingredients above together. Add 1 ¾ cups milk.
Coat pan or skillet with butter or Pam and heat to about 275 or 300 degrees if you have an electric skillet. If not, use medium heat. Fill with fresh fruit and top with whipped cream or powdered sugar.
 

 

Jun 25

Tried and True Thursdays: Surviving the Toddler Years

Tried and True Thursdays 2 Comments »

 

Instead of featuring products this week, I’m featuring advice from readers and from friends (gotta love Facebook) on ways to banish binkies and triumph over toilet-training. Thank you to everyone who asked for advice and for those who offered it up.

Binky Retirement

Since I can’t speak from experience on the topic – none of my girls liked a pacifier for long – I couldn’t offer my own personal stamp of approval, so I asked my most trusted pals who have lived to tell.

Lots and lots of folks recommend cutting the tip off – either slowly or in one giant snip – and then calling it good. Once the tip is cut it really doesn’t function properly and the child no longer wants it. Many said going cold turkey, and sucking up the misery for the week or two it takes to live without the plastic plug, is the way to go.

Others offered the suggestion of trading binkies in for a grown-up gift (everything from Disneyland tickets to a new a toy). I call this bribing, but you can call it an incentive if it makes you feel better.

On the same vein, many moms suggested the toddler trade-up for something better, and suggested using a Binky Fairy to help make the exchange more fun. The Binky Fairy takes the binkies to new babies in need of comfort, and in return leaves a big kid gift for the generous offering. Another mom said she lets her child “pay” for a new toy at the store with binkies offered as “cash.” Obviously the store clerk would have to be in on the arrangement in advance.

Potty-Training the Princesses

Again, I feel like I have zero authority to speak on this subject. I think I hate potty-training more than any other motherly duty on the planet. I all but gave up on one of my children ever being fully potty-trained and nearly cried to our pediatrician because I was so frustrated. He offered some wonderful words of encouragement, and said what I knew but didn’t want to hear. “It takes time, but she’ll figure it out. Don’t worry.” Of course, he was right and she’s perfectly fine now.

After consulting with other mothers, I provide here some of the tips they’ve offered. I can’t say I endorse any or all of them because I don’t have a potty-training child any more.

Again, many moms offered the “go cold turkey” advice. They also said you shouldn’t be too willing to make them comfortable if they have an accident. Some recommended not bringing them a change of clothes or rinsing them off with cool water instead of a nice fun bath. I think this approach is meant for kids who have caught onto potty-training, but can’t completely seal the deal, and not for kids in the first stage of potty-training.

For night-time challenges, one mom suggested limited liquids before bedtime. Other moms take their children to use the restroom right before bedtime and then again before they hit the sack hours later. If a child is school-aged and still not making it through the night you may want to consult the pediatrician.

Best of luck. Please let us know what ends up working for you or add to the list if you have found a trick that has worked like a treat on your toddler.

 

 

Jun 24

Wildcard Wednesdays: Mom to Mom Advice & Answers

Wildcard Wednesdays 3 Comments »

 

Last week I opened up 3 Girls and a Pug to my readers to seek the advice of fellow readers. Here are two challenging problems many mothers have faced during the toddler stage. Please offer any suggestions you’ve found helpful to get over these hurdles.

From Nancy:

Our biggest challenge for the past year at least (probably longer) is potting training. My daughter just turned four at the end of May, yet she still has accidents. She cries because she doesn’t want to wipe herself. It’s a definite battle of wills. We’ve bribed, threatened and reward and everything in between. The worst is the hope I feel when she goes for 3-4 days without any accidents, then it happens again. It is definitely by patience trial.

From Kim:

Our biggest challenge has been pacifier separation. We are on a successful week #2 without it but my oh my what it took to get to this point. I started out by slowing cutting it down but then it got lost and then I lost my patience. So we have had several nights of yelling for an hour but are making significant progress! Yeah for us!

Question: Need a suggestion for handling a sticky situation in your house? Tell us about it.

Jun 23

Tidy Up Tuesdays: Clutter Claustrophobic

Tidy Up Tuesdays 1 Comment »

 

A few years ago I saw a fellow mom from school drop her youngest son off for his first day of kindergarten and triumphantly parade around the school celebrating her new-found freedom. I had a new baby at the time and knew I was many years from her happy state, so like a celebrity gawker I jealously Iooked on and asked how she was going to spend her free time. Without missing a beat she said, “I’m going to organize my house! And I’m starting with the closets!”

At the time I was somewhat disappointed by her answer. I guess I thought she’d be taking salsa lessons or eating Bon-Bons on the couch now that she had more free time, but now I completely understand that she was reclaiming her house from her three school-aged sons. She finally had the chance to regain control of the castle and she had her sword out and ready to fight clutter. Instead of cringing every time she opened that kitchen drawer full of mystery junk, she now could clear it out without interuption. She could restore order and peace in her home and she was seizing her first opportunity.

When my girls were little, I had to turn a blind eye to toy clutter, and a lot of my own personal clutter, because there wasn’t time or energy to devote to constantly cleaning up after us all. But as we’ve now entered into a new phase, I’ve really put my foot on the gas pedal to accelerate us out of Clutterville and into Organized Town.

We live in a relatively small amount of square footage, so I try to maximize every inch of living space we have. But with five of us and a dog (yes the dog has her own clutter) our house can feel even smaller once everyone starts accumulating piles of stuff. It actually alters my mood to sit in a room full of clutter, so I’ve diagnosed myself as a Clutter Claustrophobic.

It doesn’t happen overnight. It takes over when you’re at your worst – when you have a cold, before or after a vacation, or when life hits especially busy patches. Clutter can sniff out opportunity and take over, so here’s how I win the fight over clutter.

1. Pick one room on which you’d like to focus. It feels overwhelming to look at your whole house and see the state of chaos it has become, but if you commit to cleaning one room at a time it feels more manageable. I usually start in my bedroom because it’s where I go to relax and unwind.

2. Choose one area in the room in which to begin. Maybe you have a closet that is overflowing with clothes that no longer fit, or mystery paper piles on top of your dresser. Tackle one area at a time and work your way out from that spot.

3. Sort wisely and quickly. As you begin to clear out your corner, surface, or drawer you must evaluate each item. Decide which category the item fits into: 1) trash, 2) belongs in another room, 3) belongs where it is, or, 4) should be donated. I like to keep an empty laundry basket free for items that need to be refiled to another location and two large bags for the trash and donations. Sometimes I set a time limit on myself so I’m motivated to move faster and make decisions more quickly.

4. Have a purpose. Many people make the mistake of storing items in one room that really belong in another because they claim they don’t have enough storage space in the room where it is intended to be stored. Rarely is this a good plan. Instead, you should really just pair down what you truly need and use. Imagine the room as you intend it to be and then use that mental image to help you as you sort through the clutter.

5. Talk to yourself. While you’re sorting ask yourself, Do I really need this? When did I use this last? Is this really the best place for this? Does keeping this really make me happy? Does this help get me to my goal of having a room that fulfills its purpose?

6. Don’t quit while you’re ahead. Daily clutter control helps keep small problem areas from flaring up into major fires. I try to go room to room every evening before the kids go to bed and put away what has been left astray. It’s amazing what 10 minutes can do when we all pitch in.

Question: What do you do to win the war against clutter?

 

Jun 22

Mommy Mondays: Once in a Lifetime

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A friend of mine decided to travel home for a week with her two toddler-aged children. Her husband couldn’t go along on the trip so she navigated solo through the airport and acquired a rental car. She thought she had planned for every scenario and felt confident she could make it on her journey until she hit a snafu at the security checkpoint. Her son had fallen asleep in the stroller and the security personnel required my friend to remove him from the stroller in order to pass through. After a major meltdown by her son, a nice stranger came to her rescue and helped her restore order to her plan. After listening to her plans to fly solo –literally – the stranger said, “I did that once.” Since then I’ve thought about what an interesting phrase “I did that once” is and what it really means.

“I did that once” is a polite way of omitting the truth. A more accurate statement would be, “I did that once … and it was an utter failure so I swore I’d never ever do something that ill conceived ever again.” Recently I sat across the dinner table from a man who told me how he took his family and another family in an RV across the country and I couldn’t resist making the comment, “I bet you only did that once!” We laughed and laughed.

This past weekend we took our first camping trip in years. We had a great time and struggled to remember why we hadn’t made this fun family time a bigger priority lately. Then we watched a young family set up camp across from us as they wrestled with their restless 24-month-old son and we remembered why we hadn’t spent much time in the great outdoors in recent years. We took our show on the road several years ago, our youngest daughter was only 14 months old. The day exhausted us so much that my husband and I fell asleep before the sun even set. As we watched this couple’s youngest son throw a tantrum during a diaper change in the tent we quietly mumbled under our breath to each other, “We did that once.”

Question: What have you done that you could look back in hindsight and say, “I did that once—and never again?”

Jun 19

Foodie Fridays: Sneaking In the Healthy Snacks

Foodie Fridays 1 Comment »

Last week I posted a list of healthy options for summer snacking, but having healthy alternatives is only half the battle. I don’t know how many times I’ve watched the fruit in our fruit bowl turn rotten while my kids whine that they can’t find anything to eat. I hate wasting food because it’s like throwing money in the trash.

Here are a few ideas for making sure your snacks are gobbled up and you don’t hear every mother’s favorite words: “I’m hungry. What can I eat?”

1. Make a snack drawer. We have one in the pantry for dry goods and one in the fridge for cold stuff. Both are low enough for everyone to access independently.

2. Keep a fruit bowl at eye level. Have the fruit washed and ready to go so even the smallest hands can access a snack.

3. Put snacks in grab-and-go baggies. I like to wash cherries and grapes and put them directly into snack size bags that we can stash in the pool bag or my purse if we our out running errands. Isn’t food more appealing when it’s packaged well, too?

4. Keep snacks in the car. I always have water bottles, juice boxes, and granola bars stashed in my car for those instances when hunger pains strike while we’re out running around town. I can’t tell you how many trips through a drive-thru (and time and money) that has saved me.

5. Keep a magnetic dry erase board on the fridge with a menu of what snacks are available inside.

6. Make a snack menu. I have a friend who plans out every meal down to the snack so her kids know what to expect.

7. Have each child make a list of what snacks are tops on his or her list. If your children choose the snacks and you have veto power (to get rid of unhealthy indulgences) then everyone wins. You can also use this as a way to hold picky eaters accountable for their bird-like eating habits. I frequently send my daughter to her list and remind her that she made the list. She can edit the list, but for every item she removes, she has to add one back on.

Question: What do you do to keep snack time healthy and happy?

 

Jun 18

Tried and True Thursdays: Generic Goodness

Tried and True Thursdays 3 Comments »

I’ve always been a loyal fan of certain name brands. For example, I love Surf laundry soap. I buy Tillamook cheese because I really think it’s tastier than the other brands. I buy only real Oreo cookies.

But there are items for which I really can’t see a difference between the name brand the store brand. And I love the savings that going generic provides. Also, many store brands are now better than ever and some offer organic options for the same price as leading brands. If you haven’t tried some of these in a while you may want to take these nameless products for a spin.

Here’s a list of my favorite store brand deals:

Medications: prescription and over-the-counter

Wipes

Diapers

Canned vegetables

Canned fruit

Canned tomato sauce

Canned beans

Breads

Pasta

Milk

Butter

Ice cream

Juice

Soap

Cleaning products

Question: For which items do you buy the generic brands? For which ones do you only buy name brands?

Jun 17

Wildcard Wednesdays: Mom to Mom Advice

Wildcard Wednesdays 2 Comments »

 

After a trip to the dentist I discovered that my daughter’s addiction to sucking her thumb carried more severe consequences than I originally thought. In fact, she was altering the structure of her upper pallet. My other two daughters weren’t big thumb suckers and never really used a binky, so this was new terrain for me. I guess I figured she’d give it up on her own, but that was really a fantasy of mine.

Action had to be taken, so I tried the ideas the dentist gave us. They didn’t work. Then I looked online to see if I could find some tips, but everything I tried failed. So, I sought out advice the old fashioned way – through other moms. I’d love to report that the thumb sucking has ceased in our home, but I can say we’re making progress thanks to the advice of a trusted friend.

When I started this blog, I wanted it to feel like a forum for moms everywhere to find more joy in the journey. Certainly when we’re jumping over large hurdles it’s harder to find joy than when things are sailing along smoothly. I’d love to hear what hurdles you’re trying to jump over in your house. It’s always easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you’re friend is holding a flashlight on the other end, cheering you on because she’s already walked through that dark tunnel. I know it can be hard to ask for help, but others likely have the same concerns.

Question: What is your biggest hurdle you’re trying to jump at home?

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