Wordless Wednesday

Baby Shower Gift Ideas

I'm going to be an auntie again!

My sister in law is currently in labor right now with my nephew Carter! It's their first child and my 5th nephew. :-)

I had a bit of an issue though when it came to shopping for a shower gift. I've never actually purchased a gift for a little boy. And when I say little I mean infant. I've bought my other nephews Dragon Ball Z toys, Transformers, etc. But a baby? I had NO idea. Every little item of clothing that I saw was cute, but not cute enough. I didn't know what to get as far as toys were concerned. And I couldn't find a THING to match their nursery theme.

Grrr.

SO... what I did was shop for his mommy instead.

I figured I'd give you guys a few ideas what you can get as shower gifts when clothes and toys fail you like they failed me. Hehe.

Bottom Butter (or Desitin or ButtPaste or Bottom Paste, etc). It's a diaper rash ointment/preventative made by Palmer's. I personally chose this because it helps baby butts but doesn't have that awful smell like some diaper rash cremes do. It spreads easy, it's not as messy, and it's moisture-proof.

Travel baby wipe containers. They're useful because they don't take up too much room, but still carry those life-saving babywipes. With my first, I used plastic baggies because I didn't feel like carrying those HUGE baby wipe containers. With Lydia, though, I used the travel containers a lot more. And a lot of them have cute little designs like this one over here. And doing a google search, I see a lot of people customize their own with cute little fabrics, or letter stickers so they can personalize them for their little ones.

This little gem right here is a Fisher Price Precious Planet Bath Kneeler Knee Pad. WOW. That was a mouthful. I never had one of these beauties, but I did buy one for Kearsten to use when she gives little Carter his tubbies. This is going to make me sound old but... my knees kill me. Ok so not literally, but they like to stop working when I need to stand up. Kneeling on the floor to bathe babies can take a toll on you. One that's absolutely preventable. This definitely provides a more cushy alternative.

Scratch mittens. We've all seen babies with their precious little fingernails on their tiny little fingers. And we've all seen babies with scratches and knicks and what not from scratching their poor little faces with those fingernails. Scratch mittens obviously help prevent that. I say help because we all know how good babies are at some how maneuvering in a way that everything that's not buttoned down falls off.

Those are just a few goodies, but if you're ever in the need for shower gift ideas and just don't know what to get, these work for little girls as well of course. Hope that helps someone with gift buying block. :-) If I can save anyone from walking around a store for 2 hours without a thing in their cart like I did, I will.

Happy Monday!

Happy Easter

(this "poem" does not belong to me)

Greatest man in History, named Jesus.

He had no servants, yet they called Him master.

Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.

Had no medicines, yet they called Him healer.

He had no army, yet kings feared Him.
He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.

He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.

He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

 

 

Isaiah 53:5 (New King James Version)

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.

John 11:25-26 (New King James Version)

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.
Do you believe this?”

Happy Easter.

Remember the reason we celebrate!

Adventures In Homeschooling

I have made the decision to homeschool my 8 year old this coming year. It's something I had thought about before she entered preschool and something I've been thinking about a lot even this school year. She has agreed to be homeschooled prior to today, although I'm not 100% certain she understands what that means. I truly believe that it's what's best for her.

I've already looked into the laws on homeschooling in my state so I'm confident that those won't be an issue and I've already started looking for a homeschooling group/co-op. I've been checking out tons of different websites to get an idea on curriculum.

There's TONS of fun and interesting things that we can do. I've been kind of worried as to whether or not I would make a good teacher for her but really, who better? And I've decided to get her started in Awana's after the summer. Over the summer there are some "camp" like sessions that run 4 weeks at a time that I would like her to be a part of that happen to run the same time Awana does so we're going to do those first. Sign Language being one. And Animals (with hands on experience with live animals) being the second.

I'm excited to see where this takes us. And I'm excited to be a part of her learning. I know her behaviors and how to teach around her difficulties. This will definitely be a great experience. For both of us. She's such a bright little girl and I hate to see her so disiniterested in her school work, the way she is now. She went from being what all her teachers told me as "one of the brightest kids in her grade" to someone who was in trouble for talking, not taking work seriously, needing a lot of teachers' assistance etc.

If anyone has any advice they'd like to offer, any resources or curriculum ideas please don't hesitate to contact me @ wilirisros33@aol.com! They would be greatly appreciated!

Ultimate Blog Party

5 Minutes For Mom: Ultimate Blog Party 2011 

I started this blog initially to try and answer questions and offer advice to anyone who wanted/needed/begged for it. Ok, so maybe not a lot of people really begged, but I know there are people who might have felt like they were reaching that point. When I was a pregnant 19 year old there were a lot of questions that I had and a lot of things I was terrified of.

I was lucky to join an email loop on AOL full of other people in my situation. It helped to ease the fear of being a new mom. We shared experiences, questions, tips, tricks, you name it. And they were my friends. For YEARS we all emailed back and forth. I don't know what I would have done without those girls.

Diaper Bag

So this is more for the new(er) mom's that may or may not read my blog.

I was inspired by a youtube video posted by Kandee Johnson (check her out guys, she's soooo sweet and has tons of great videos, go here for all of her wicked awesome make up tutorials!) who just had a little baby girl not too long ago. Her video was about everything she carries around in her diaper bag with her.

Simple right?

A lot of people think so.

But after years of "Oh shoot I forgot it" or "I really wish I had...." you learn that there are some things that really should just never come out of it.

• Baby wipes are a must obviously. But instead of bringing a whole package of wipes, grab a travel container for them. That way you have what you need but it's not taking up too much space.
• Diapers. Duh, I know. But not just one or two. I don't think I ever left the house with less than 10. No matter how long I planned on being gone. You never know what's going to come out of your little ones. Hehe. Or how often. Or even, who you might be around who needs to bum one off you because they ran out of their own.
• Changes of clothes. Notice I said CHANGES. Not A change. But multiple. And I know I've emphasized this very point before, but I don't think it can ever be said enough. Imagine driving home and having your child throw up all over their clothes. You pull over and change them and clean them up as best as you can and then carry on your way only to have them do it again 5 minutes later. You need another change of clothes. I've put my oldest in my own sweatshirt before after she hurled all over her clothes because I didn't think to bring more than one thing for her to change into.
• Binkies (Nuks, Pacifiers, whatever you call them). And this obviously is only if your child uses one. Some don't. My oldest took one for all of 2 days. My youngest for almost 2 years. Maybe a little longer. And again, this is something you need to bring 2 or 3 of. Incase one gets dropped and there's no way to clean it off. Maybe it gets misplaced. Or they bite a hole in one.
• Snacks. If you've got a bigger little one who can snack on stuff, bring cheerios. Or puffs. You know, the ones that can taste like strawberries or bananas and all but melt in their mouths so there's no risk of them choking on anything.
• Extra bottles (if you bottle feed). With my youngest I used liquid formula so this was a little bit less user friendly, as the longer they were out the less they could be used. With my youngest, I used powdered formula so what I did was I'd fill one bottle with powder and water, shake it so it was ready to be had, and put it in an outside pocket. Then I'd take 3 or more (better too much than too little) with just the powder in them incase I stayed somewhere longer than I planned, or little one was just extra hungry.
• Bottled water. Not only does it help in the above bottle situation, but if you've got older kids or you just get thirsty and don't want to stop somewhere, you've got beverages on hand.
• Some kind of changing pad. Not all places have changing tables and, lets face it, even THOSE are wicked uncomfortable. At least with your own changing pad you know you're not laying them down in some other baby's goo or germs or whatever.
• Handi-wipes. Incase you DONT have a changing pad, you can wipe down whatever surface you DO put baby on and somewhat sanitize it. This goes for shopping carts, counters, booster seats/high chairs, tables at restaurants (no not saying you put your baby on those, but they touch them).
• Receiving blankets. For burping. Covering up. Or using as a headrest in the carseat, because I'm sure anyone who already has a little person KNOWS how uncomfortable they look when they fall asleep and their heads fall forward or just kinda hang their to the side. Helps cushion them a bit and make the ride a little easier on them.
• A bigger blanket to throw over their carseat to block wind or sunlight or, honestly, people. I know everyone has good intentions but sometimes a cough can slip out or someone can be getting sick and not know it. A blanket over the car seat helps to eliminate all the touching. I mean, I wouldn't walk up to someone who had a blanket over their carseat and yank it off and start playing with their baby. Would you?
• Teething rings. Gives them something to hold on to and shake around if they're not teething, and to chew on if they are.
• Any kind of rattle-y toy. I love the rattles that you can velcro around their wrists. Super cute.
• Diaper rash cream. Everyone needs it at some point or another, bless their little hearts. Makes it easier if you have it on hand instead of having to wait to buy it or use it when you get home.
• Tylenol, or whatever pain reliever/fever reducer you prefer (if you prefer any at all). Just incase. Hopefully it wouldn't be necessary to use, but you never know.
• Band aids. If you've got a little one just learning to walk, you will definitely need them. Or if you've got a baby who just loves to scratch at themselves these definitely help. Make sure you've got neosporin to go along with the bandaids though.
• Scratch mits. To put over their hands so they are less likely to scratch themselves. Babies' finger nails are dang sharp for such tiny people. And it breaks your heart when they hurt themselves.
• Grooming kit. Which usually includes clippers. One of those suction bulb thingies (that you probably play with more than you use). Tiny brush/comb.
• Bring a few pairs of socks. Socks always seem to fall off babies and go missing somehow.
• Two or three hats. Most of your heat can be lost through your head. And not all babies are born with a full head of hair (heck, some of them even lose most of the hair that they have within the first year and then it takes its time growing back).

I'm sure there was probably more that I'm not remembering. OH! Like I always brought a book in my bag because I'm a wicked book nerd and can't go anywhere without one. Put your wallet/keys/phone etc in there because it can get really cumbersome carrying your purse AND a diaper bag around.

But you get the general idea. And like I said, I forgot a lot of stuff or didn't bring enough of something or just didn't think to put something in that could have really been useful at some point (sometimes being a pack rat has its benefits). If I can save someone the trouble of doing what I did, then wonderful.

And just because I can, I'm going to show you the 2 reasons for my diaper bagging days. :-) When they were young enough for me to need diaper bagging days.

Alanna on the left and Lydia on the right.

That's All I Have To Say About That

It's been a while since I've posted in here. To be honest, I've been rather at a loss for things to post about. Today is not really any different. But I figured it had been long enough since I last graced your blogging feeds with my presence ;-).

Since I am unable to come up with a specific reason for this particular post, I decided just to post some helpful MOM tips. Hopefully these little tidbits of information will help to spare someone from having to learn the hard way (although, sometimes that is the only way to learn).

1. If you have an older child (and by older I just mean around the age of 1-2 and up) who is sick and vomiting (like mine did last night), milk is not a good idea. Really I would wait a few hours before trying to give them ANYTHING, but you don't want them to get dehyrdrated. Start giving them a few sips of lukewarm water. Not too much at a time or it can just upset their stomachs even more. If that doesn't come back up, move on to a few sips of ginger ale or for the younger ones, pedialyte. After a few more hours perhaps some saltine crackers would be ok for the tummy. We don't want blood sugar dropping too low. Sometimes I even throw in a popsicle or two.

2. With a newborn, remember, you're not the first person to get it wrong. You're going to be frazzled. You're going to be tired. You may even be anxious and think you're completely screwing up your child. Believe me, you won't have been the fiest person and you definitely won't be the last. Don't get discouraged. It gets easier. More like second nature. When you feel like giving up close your eyes, take a deep breath, and then say to yourself "I can do this". Now, I know it seems silly, and of course it doesn't automatically make you super mom. But the more you tell yourself you can do it, the more you believe you can.

3. You don't need to buy everything brand new or brand name even. Save your money. It's ok to take hand me downs. It's ok to buy in thrift stores. Heck, sometimes you get BRAND SPANKING NEW clothes in thrift stores for less than half the price. As long as they have clothes that keep them warm or keep them cool, and that fit well, it shouldn't matter.

4. Always always ALWAYS take a change of clothes for your kiddo wherever you go. No matter how old. You never know what's going to spill, stain, get peed/pooped on (ok so this one may not be so much for the older kids, but the other 2....). I've forgotten many many times to bring a change of clothes and I can't tell you how much I regretted it almost every time I did.

5. If someone offers to help you with something.... it's ok to let them. If someone wants to babysit so you can have a night out, why not? If they want to change baby, why not? If someone wants to make you dinner, why not? Let them help you. It keeps the stress down for you AND your baby/kiddo.