Nov 24th, 2009 by Sarah E. Ludwig
Poor Logan.
He had a pretty good cough going when he left for school, but every time he gets a cold, it stirs up his asthma, so I chalked the cough mostly up to that.
I arrived home from picking up groceries today to find him on the couch, sleepily rubbing his eyes and red-cheeked with fever.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, smoothing his shaggy hair back from his forehead.
“Not so good,” he croaked. “My brain really, really hurts.”
What’s your most recent kid speak funny?
Nov 23rd, 2009 by Sarah E. Ludwig
After a 4-day hiatus, I wanted to write something profound, pass on some gem of parenting advice or otherwise compose a post worthy of a Stumble or Digg.
It’s not going to happen though, folks, as I find myself sitting here feeling like I’m living among ice cubes with a headache that waves between pure fog and dull pain. No gems from me tonight.
So instead I decided to list some of my favorite words in the English language, some of which inspire me, and some that paint vivid mental pictures in my ridiculously active brain. It’s about all I can muster at the moment.
Here goes:
torn, rich, warm, gold, rose, shatter, glisten, fall, harp, comfort, jewel, green, lilac, grace, candle, weave, wonder, piano, wine, crimson
What words inspire you?
Nov 19th, 2009 by Sarah E. Ludwig
Congratulations to
Karry from Ontario, Canada, winner of the Modest Middles giveaway!
Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing.
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Have you entered my giveaway for a LeapFrog Tag Junior Book Pal bundle? Take a second and enter to win!
Nov 19th, 2009 by Sarah E. Ludwig
My mom always told my two sisters and me when we were growing up to treat each other better than anyone else because someday we’d be each others’ best friends.
Yeah, right, I’d think to myself. There is NO way I’m going to be best friends with these jerks!
Well, as moms often are, she was right. The two I once dubbed as geeks, tattle-talers and stupid pains-in-the-neck as I sat, punished, in one of many corners pondering the best means for their mutual demise, are definitely my best friends. I’m grateful on an almost daily basis for them. Though as kids we fought Every. Single. Day. (sorry, Mom!), now we’re all confidantes, sources of support and lookouts. We’re fiercely defensive of each other, happy to lend a listening and sympathetic ear and we share just about everything. My sisters are two of the few people in the world I know I can trust with anything, including my life. I don’t know what I’d do without them and often feel sorry for other women who aren’t lucky enough to have a sister, let alone two.
It strikes me as beautifully sweet when I hear my twin daughters say, “I love you” to each other, as they often do before bed. Andie says to Rachel, “You’re the best sister in the world,” and they hug. Just as my mom reminded us of our future relationships with each other, I tell my daughters that they will always be best friends, even more so than they are now, and that looking out for each other is of the utmost importance. When Andie’s friends choose to be mean to or ignore Rachel, Andie needs to stand up for her sister.
After all, they will be there for each other for the rest of their lives. Grade school classmates most likely won’t. Little do they know just how deep a bond they are forging for the future.
Do you have sisters? Daughters? What is the best part of the sister relationship, in your opinion?
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Have you entered my giveaway for a LeapFrog Tag Junior Book Pal bundle? Take a second and enter to win!
Nov 17th, 2009 by Sarah E. Ludwig
One word: Distraction.
It’s one of the best lessons I ever learned from my kids’ paternal grandmother.
Toddlers have notoriously short attention spans. They also have very few resources from which to draw to know how to effectively and calmly express their emotions. The result? A little person with unpredictable moods and unstable actions.
Distraction is simple, really. So obvious, it’s easy to overlook. I mean, who wants to be constantly saying “no” and engaging in a battle of wills with a person who still wets his pants? Especially when the solution is so much more pleasant, gets parents a lot further and almost always works?
Let’s say, for example, your 2-year-old decides that she doesn’t want to take a nap. (That never happens, right?) Instead of engaging her in a power struggle, you tell her she can play for 2 more minutes (they have no concept of time, after all) and then show her how to march to her bed. This takes the focus off of bed and puts it on how we’re getting to bed. Marching worked wonders with my kids. I felt like an idiot sometimes, chanting, “March, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, hup, two, three, four,” and marching somewhere, but they thought it was a hoot. It always, without fail, distracted them from my goal.
Singing is another amazing tool that most parents don’t use enough. When a child is upset or pouting, often singing some silly songs will put him right back into his previously cheerful mood.
I’m not advocating avoiding discipline. We all know kids have to be disciplined at times. For a child who is too young to understand the reasons behind her parents’ instructions though, distraction is almost always the only thing that’s needed once you’ve said, “I don’t want you to do that.” There will be plenty of time for explaining the whys of your rules later.
After all, you want to enjoy his toddler years, right? Explore the wonder, the magic, the joy toddlers find in everything. Be goofy, be ridiculous, embarrass yourself. Pick her up and move her to another area. Surprise her with a short tickle session. Make up a story. Be spontaneous. Tell him what you need him to know, i.e., he shouldn’t be pulling the baby’s hair, and move him along to a new activity.
Some distracting activities:
♥ coloring, with washable crayons, of course
♥ singing
♥ having her copy your actions, i.e., clap your hands, stomp your feet, twirl, etc.
♥ going for a walk
♥ marching to your destination
♥ getting a snack and/or drink
The possibilities are endless.
Try it. And come back to let me know how it works for you.
Do you already or have you used distraction with your toddler? Have you found it to be effective?
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Have you entered my giveaway for a LeapFrog Tag Junior Book Pal bundle? Take a second and enter to win!
Nov 16th, 2009 by Sarah E. Ludwig
Tag Junior Book Pal
From the LeapFrog website:
A love of books starts long before children can read – and its benefits can last a lifetime. Using the same amazing touch technology as the Tag™ Reading System, the Tag™ Junior book pal is designed to encourage toddlers’ natural desire to explore, while introducing preschool skills through playful book-based activities.
The Tag Junior book pal is easy for parents and children to use. Parents can download audio for up to five books to the book pal, then let their toddlers explore. Each Tag Junior board book introduces a different preschool skill – such as the alphabet, counting or social play – through 24 playful activities and more than 130 audio responses.* Open-ended questions and fun sound effects encourage children to take charge, as they touch any part of any page to bring words, pictures or activities to life. After their child has played, parents can connect the book pal to the online LeapFrog® Learning Path to see their child’s progress and get printable activities to expand the learning!
* Included sampler book, If I Were…, has 16 activities and over 70 audio responses.
THE PRIZE:
A LeapFrog Tag Junior Book Pal and 2 books, ABC Animal Orchestra and Pooh Loves To…. This bundle is valued at nearly $57.
TO ENTER:
♣ Become a fan on LeapFrog’s Facebook page. You MUST do this in order to qualify as a winner.
♣ Leave a comment on my blog. Limit one comment per person, per day.
WANT BONUS ENTRIES?
♣ Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email, then leave a comment letting me know.
♣ Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment with the link. (You can do this daily.) Optional phrasing for your Tweet: I’m entered to win a LeapFrog Tag Junior Book Pal bundle from @MomofTwinsPlus2. Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/yge3vzp.
♣ Post on your blog with a link about the giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your post.
♣ Favorite me on Technorati (leave your username).
♣ Follow my blog on Networked Blogs and leave a comment letting me know.
♣ Become a fan of Parenting By Trial and Error on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know.
PLEASE READ:
Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time, Monday, November 30, 2009. Any comments left after this time will be deleted. Open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only. The winner will be chosen by using random.org. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to notification with shipping info. If no response, another winner will be chosen.
You can also enter the same giveaway on these blogs:
Blogging ‘Bout Boys
Frisco Kids
Ready Mom
3 Carnations
Momma Mia
These bloggers’ contests might not be posted yet, so keep checking back.
GOOD LUCK!
Nov 12th, 2009 by Sarah E. Ludwig
I’m not originally from the great rural state of South Dakota, though I’ve lived here for the past, gulp, 17 years. (Wow, has it been that long??) I spent my formative years in Boise, Idaho, and St. Louis, Missouri, so the whole agricultural/country living thing is still fairly alien to me in many ways.
Perhaps my biggest beef with living here is the legal driving age, which is 14. The license is restricted, but if they pass the tests, kids this age can drive by themselves between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. While I get that kids this young sometimes need to be able to drive farm equipment, I see no good reason for the typical 14- or 15-year-old to be driving. Let’s face it — most teenagers are stupid. They think they’re invincible, they often like speed and they’re inexperienced. Bad combination of factors.
I realize each kid is different and parents have their own reasons for letting their young teenagers drive, including being able to drive themselves to and from school and sports practices. I can definitely see the appeal there, especially in a place where many of us have to drive a fair amount of miles to get to school.
Maybe I’ll change my mind when my daughters turn 14, but for now I’ve told them that there’s no way in this life that they’re getting a driver’s license until they’re 16. I know there are mature, responsible 14- and 15-year-olds out there, but in my opinion, and obviously it’s colored by not having grown up around here, driving is way too heavy of a burden and responsibility for someone that young. My kids definitely won’t be driving or riding in cars full of other teenagers either.
What do you think? Is 14 or 15 too young to drive? Why or why not?
Nov 11th, 2009 by Sarah E. Ludwig
I was browsing through Tweets today for a bit when I ran across a link someone had posted to what was presumably a blog post. It was entitled, “Do you apologize to your kids?” I didn’t follow the link because I wanted to write my own thoughts on the subject without any other input.
My answer is yes, I do apologize to my kids. I’m sure there are plenty of parents out there who think that it shows weakness to tell their kids they’re sorry, but I believe it’s just the opposite. Parents need to worry less about appearing weak and more about being a good example for their kids. Decent, compassionate human beings apologize when they hurt someone or otherwise wrong them.
If I yell at my kids or lose my temper for no good reason, I apologize. I say, “Look, I’m sorry I yelled at you when I shouldn’t have. I’m feeling really crabby right now and everything is getting on my nerves, but that’s still no excuse to yell,” or something to that effect. In one short lesson I’m teaching them that A. it’s good and necessary to apologize when appropriate; B. even though we all feel irritable sometimes, that doesn’t give us the right to treat anyone with any less respect than they should be treated; and C. I’m human too and I mess up on occasion (well, more than that, but they don’t need to hear a list of all my transgressions).
I do not, however, apologize when I yell at them because they aren’t listening or when I discipline them because they chose to misbehave. Those things are just part of parenting and apologies aren’t necessary. I’m talking about saying I’m sorry because I acted in a way I wouldn’t approve of them acting. It may be easy to think, “Well, I’m the adult, I shouldn’t have to apologize,” but it’s not about us being the authority figures; again, it’s about us being good examples of how a person should behave. When we mess up, it’s our responsibility to teach our kids how to rectify the situation as much as possible.
How about you? Do you apologize to your kids?
Nov 10th, 2009 by Sarah E. Ludwig
This post goes along with my nursing tank top giveaway in a strange way, I suppose. My friend Jenny Fink over at Blogging ‘Bout Boys talks about an article she read by a mom of boys on why she’s raising her boys free of typical gender stereotypes. What mystified Jenny, and me as well, is how many people jumped on the author of the article because she let her boys pretend to breastfeed their “babies.”
Perhaps I’m just supremely naive, but I never would have thought that this sort of playacting would cause such a reaction. These are portions of some of the comments that were left (thanks for letting me borrow these, Jenny):
“If my girls were pretending to nurse, it wouldn’t be so bad. After all, I nursed mine til they were a year. But, I would be offended if I saw my son ‘nursing’ a baby, I would not if he had a bottle (it can always be a bottle of ‘breast milk’). They don’t have the ‘equipment’ and I just don’t think it’s right. I think this kind of raising (in the article) may turn him into a ‘girly man’, and I hate that.”
“Of course a child acts out nursing. Because he saw you do it. He’s testing you to see your response. If you don’t guide them, and teach them, they will grow up as an animal in captivity and will be very sad when they hit the ‘real world’ and probably ill-equipped to cope.”
You know, I just have to say, I don’t see the big deal. Yes, kids act out what they see. Logan pretended to nurse his sisters’ dolls when he was younger (say, 2 or 3). He’s seen his aunts do it and he knows that’s how many babies get their food. So what if he doesn’t have the “right equipment?” To me, it just shows a nurturing, kind, sweet personality. Cody would never even think to pretend this way.
This seems similar to wanting to put on makeup while watching me do mine or wanting to play with dolls. Why would I purposely shame my sons for demonstrating care and compassion or a desire to be like their momma? I know someday Logan is going to make a wonderful father just by watching how carefully he takes care of his babies now (though he doesn’t “nurse” them anymore, as he has long since drawn the conclusion that only females can do that).
Just recently Andie got out one of her old dolls with all its accessories and got it ready to send to her little cousin. Logan found it first though and has since spent a long time taking care of his new-found child, making it meals, bathing it, changing its clothes. (Because evidently he doesn’t have enough babies with the 10 or so he’s already “adopted.”) I know this isn’t typical behavior for a boy, but I don’t care. Logan spontaneously tells me he loves me, hugs me as tightly as his little arms can grasp, is the empathetic, thoughtful, kind soul whose personality I wouldn’t trade for anything. Who am I to damage that part of him?
As for the “girly man” comment — I’d just like to say that we need many more “girly men” around! Men who really understand, respect and relate to women are far too few and I hope my boys grow up to be compassionate, nurturing, affectionate individuals. If that makes them “girly,” then so be it.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think it’s wrong for boys to pretend to nurse or not a big deal? (Call me crazy, but it just seems like there are much more important things in life to worry about.)
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Have you entered my giveaway for a nursing tank top from Modest Middles? Take a second to leave a comment to win!
Nov 9th, 2009 by Sarah E. Ludwig
Obviously I’m way past the stage of nursing babies, so the sample nursing tank top I received from Modest Middles went straight to my then-pregnant sister, who had her baby in mid-August. I was reluctant to give it to her at first because it was a size Large, and she’s a tiny, petite little thing, but I gave it to her anyway to try.
The results? She loves it! The sizes evidently run small since the Large fits her pretty well and she is close to her pre-pregnancy size. “I like the fact that you don’t have to grope with clasps on the tank top, not to mention with a bra” (the top sits underneath your bra), “and the most obvious plus is that you don’t have to bare your fat, stretched-out belly to everyone. I’d like to have one in every color!” she says. (The tanks come in black, white and nude.)
The best part about Modest Middles is that you can wear any pre-pregnancy shirt you like. Just put on your nursing bra, your Modest Middles tank top and your shirt. When it’s time to feed baby, the tank top will cover your back, sides and belly.
FYI: This is NOT my sister
Designed by a fellow mom of four, Modest Middles turn any shirt into a nursing shirt so you don’t have to buy special nursing clothes. They’re made in the U.S.A. with stretchy modal and spandex. They make a great gift for a mom-to-be!
If you’d like to win a Modest Middles nursing tank top (value of $29.99) for yourself or someone you know, here’s how:
TO ENTER:
♣ Leave a comment. That’s it! Limit one comment per person, per day.
WAYS TO GET BONUS ENTRIES:
♣ Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email, then leave a comment letting me know.
♣ Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment with the link. (You can do this daily.) Optional phrasing for your Tweet: I’m entered to win a Modest Middles nursing tank top from @MomofTwinsPlus2. Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/yeq7a6k.
♣ Post on your blog with a link about the giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your post.
♣ Favorite me on Technorati (leave your username).
♣ Follow my blog on Networked Blogs and let me know.
♣ Become a fan of Parenting By Trial and Error on Facebook and let me know.
Giveaway ends at 11:59 Central Standard Time, Tuesday, November 17, 2009. Open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only. The winner will be chosen using random.org. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to notification with shipping info. If no response, another winner will be chosen.
Good luck!
