Adventures in the ER

I am not a medical professional.  Please do not take any of my rambling opinions as sound advice.

I hate how I so often second guess whether it is right to take my son to the ER.  In the past, I have felt like I've waited and waited... tried to treat him at home, use home remedies to bring down the fever, put him in a steam filled bathroom to ease his breathing.  Only when it became painfully obvious that my efforts at nursing were failing did I take him in to the hospital, at which point they give you the "why didn't you bring this kid in three hours ago" look.  I'm sure medical professionals aren't nearly that judgemental, but as a mom, it's easy to feel guilty.

Spring Break: Getting ready for spring

Spring Break started Friday at the Toledo Zoo.  Little man had the day off from day care, so it was time for a family picnic at the zoo.  During the day, they had special Easter egg themed activities for the animals and story times for the kids.  We just liked that for a change, it was a sunny day to get out and walk around.
While at the zoo, we stopped at the polar bear exhibit; one of little man's favorite stops.  He really likes to point out that there is water in the exhibit.  There was a large crowd around the polar bears, as the two adult polar bears, in Little man's words were "wrestling."  They were playful, it was all very fun and cute.  That is, it was fun and cute until the two polar bears decided to do their part to keep the polar bears off the endangered species list.  Lets just say, the crowds around the polar bears dissipated quickly.
Later that night, Little Man and his cousin met at Grandma's house to color eggs.  This was an interesting experience.  The concept of gently placing eggs in the color was a little lost on them.  Splashing commenced and the newspaper below was very colorful when all was said and done.

Saturday was spent with my family.  We took our bird nest treats (see this post) I also made a hot artichoke and spinach dip that was amazingly simple to make. Alton Brown's Artichoke and Spinach Dip Recipe. 
Little man and his cousin had a great day.  After nap time, they had a blast searching for Easter eggs in my parents back yard.  We did an Easter egg hunt last year too, but I was surprised by just how much he remembered.  He didn't need a reminder as to why he should go gather Easter eggs this year--he knew what was inside!  Little man had a zigzag method to searching that must have burned tons of energy.  He would spot an egg at the edge of the yard, then come back for one near the house, only to spot another at the far corner of the yard.  His cousin was far more methodic in her approach.  Surprisingly, they ended up with the same number of eggs. 
After eggs we played Frisbee and blew bubbles outside.  It could have been a little warmer, but we couldn't have asked for a better day at the rate nice days have been coming.

Easter was spent driving up to visit Little Man's other Grandma up north.  We hadn't planned to go because Grandma is recovering from surgery and we didn't want little man to cause her to "overdo it."  We decided to travel the night before, on the suggestion of my father who said that grandkids were probably the best medicine out there.  They still have snow up North, but it was totally worth it to surprise grandma. We sent little man in the house first, to a grandma who didn't even hear him come in.  It wasn't until she looked up from the deviled eggs she was making that she noticed he was standing there, smiling.  That may have been the best part of spring break.

When we arrived home, we noticed that our first crocus bloomed. This week we are tackling some major outside projects.  I know it's too early to plant outside, but I really can't wait for spring.  It wasn't a hard winter hear, but it just seems like winter won't let go quite yet.

Splash N Boots Review and Giveaway

I promise, we did try to keep little man from commercial efforts and to minimize his television exposure.  That said, commercial images and television still managed to find Jack.  I've come to the realization that as noble as my intentions were, I am not going to keep peanut TV free.  In fact, as a working parent, sometimes you need 15 minutes to get the dishes done, 20 minutes to work on dinner etc.  With a super active kid like little man, finding something that will hold his attention ensures that he will be in the same place without injuring himself.  Somehow, finding quality programing helps ease the guilt I often feel in doing this.

For these reasons, I am grateful to have been offered the opportunity to review a recent DVD and CD release from Splash N' Boots.  Ever hear of them?  I hadn't before the review, yet their work is highly acclaimed, awarded and extremely popular in Canada.  Having witnessed their work, I can honestly say I agree with the hype.

Splash N Boots are the infectiously enthusiastic duo of Taes and Nick Adams.  Their music and programing is very imaginative and energetic.  Lyrics are clever and very catchy--be careful, songs will get stuck in your head--while maintaining semblances of educational content that makes the programing mom approved.  I listened to their "Coconuts don't fall far from the tree" album and their "Act 2: A whole lot of Awesome!" DVD.  The DVD can be described as" a mash-up of over 50 minutes of infectious melodies and hilarious music videos with a plethora of skits featuring dedicated Splash'N Boots fans."  While there are a few random for Canadians only references, and the alphabet ends in "zede", these small things do not detract from the overall enjoyment.  In fact, if your children are like my son, they will likely not even notice. They will be too busy spinning, dancing and clapping along.  Splash N Boots really offers entertaining programming your children will love.

Want to know more: Connect with Splash N Boots:
WEBSITE: www.splashnboots.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/splashnboots
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/splashnboots
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/splashnboots
INSTAGRAM: username: splashnboots

Would you like to give Splash N Boots a try in your home?  Enter my giveaway below.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/c6803a8/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

MMM.... Butter

It's official. Peanut is his grandmother's grandson.  His Paternal grandmother is a certified butter addict.  At dinner, the woman can go through multiple packs of butter on a single dinner roll.  Butter on steak, extra butter on the mashed potatoes... you get the idea.  In all fairness, my own family members are strong proponents of the creamy light yellow pats of heavenly delight as well. 
Little Man recently found two ways to express his fondness for this cholesterol inducing miracle food. Last week Jack learned to move and climb chairs.  While I was out of the kitchen, he moved the chair, climbed to the table and acquired a spatula from the counter top.  He proceeded to turn and attack the butter dish left on the table, which here to fore, had been beyond his grasp.  Next thing I know, I return to the kitchen to find Jack licking butter by the spatula full.
Last night Jack and I visited my parents where we partook in some of the first sweet corn of the season, which was surprisingly delightful for being so early in the year.   Anyway, Peanut doesn't do hot foods--so Grandpa gave him a half eaten half cob, that had previously been buttered and salted, while I pulled a hot cob to begin cooling.  Little Man is absolutely mad about his corn--on the cob any way.  He smashes in to the corn.  I'm not sure exactly how much he actually gets in his mouth, but he has the best time using all of his amazing teeth.  Anyway, when the second unflavored cob was cool, I offered it to Jack.  After just a few bites, he handed it back to me--a very odd occurrence, given how much the kid loves his corn.  Apparently his love of corn, is now second only to his love of butter, which he instantly began pointing at.  Once I'd slathered a light coating over the cob, he ferociously attacked his cob with the zest of a true victor.
 Unfortunately, not even butter will make him love broccoli.

Adventures in Day Care

Oh goodness. People do this all the time. I keep telling myself that he will be perfectly fine. Thousands of kids go to daycare everyday. Thousands of mothers trust thousands of professionally trained, well-qualified people to watch their children everyday. It's still a big step for us. My husband has been blessed with finding a great job. While this means finally attaining financial stability, I can't help but feel a little guilty that we'll be leaving little man in the hands of strangers. Okay, they aren't complete strangers; I mean we did shop around for a child care we were comfortable with. The first place we saw was near home. It seemed okay at first, but upon visiting places closer to work, it the first looked dingy, dirty and definately not as friendly. The second place we visited was closer to my job. All and all, it was an okay daycare, and we probably could have been very happy there. The big down side: age restrictions. Due to corporate regulations, little man would have been placed in the infant room. We looked at those other infants in the infant room. Some were barely sitting up. Then there's little man, the bull in the china shop, curiously running from station to station. He was much more suited to the toddler room, but wouldn't be permitted there until he was 18 months to the day.This obviously wasn't an ideal fit. Final stop, a religiously sponsored day care on the campus of my school. All the parents and children we saw were so happy. Even though it was the end of a long day, the teachers still seemed very positive and upbeat. Sure we asked the obligatory questions, but more than anything, it felt very homelike. Peanut seemed to really fit in. So I know he'll be safe. I know he will have tons of fun playing with the other kids. And I'm hoping that he'll be glad to see me right after work. I don't understand why I then feel so anxious about his first day. I think I hope the teachers see him for the very brilliant little guy he is, and not the very super active mister doesn't-sit-still that someone who doesn't love him like we do might see. I hope he doesn't break anything, or hurt anyone. I hope he doesn't become too clingy or miss us too much. People do this everyday. He'll be fine. I'll be fine. It will all be okay. Wish us luck!

Oral-B Stages Party! #OralBStages

Kat's Adventure Book was super excited to get to host an Oral-B mommy (and daddy) party! We've hosted a sponsored house party before, but never a mommy party--so we were all super excited. We invited cousins, family, friends, and co-workers with little ones.  There were tons of kids with there moms and some dads too.  We had a blast.

The party kit provided  the Winnie the Pooh DVD.  Before the movie, we played a few games with the kids, especially a super fun flashcard game that helped get the kids excited for the movie and reinforced the idea of good oral hygiene.  We talked about the toothbrush, and toothpaste, and even the dentist.  

To their credit, some kids did watch the movie.  Most, like my son, are super active kids.  They alternated between video watching and game playing. The kids had the best time getting together to play.  Having so many kids together, they were able to entertain themselves, which meant more time for the parents to talk.    

As parents we talked brainstormed ideas for taking care of our kids teeth.  Some said their pediatrician say they should see the dentist when the first tooth comes in, other said their dentist didn't want to see kids until they were at least 3.  My cousin said that she was encouraged to bring her daughter to her cleanings, to help her get used to the dentist by seeing Mommy do it. We haven't yet taken peanut to the dentist, but we have used a clean wet cloth or finger brush to clean up after he eats (we should probably be more consistent than we are).  

Lately we've been having trouble getting peanut to cooperate with brushing.  I was relieved that some of the other parents had the same problem too.  They recommended turning brushing time into a game.  They sing special brushing songs.  They also recommend modeling good brushing behavior by brushing with your kids.  Finally, many agree that having age appropriate brushes like the Oral B stages with characters that their kids love helps to make the time a pleasurable activity and not a chore.

What movie would be complete without concessions.  We had popcorn--which in no way came close to Cadillac 5 movie theatre popcorn, but we made due.  We also had Rabbit's Favorite Carrot sticks, Piglet's Parfaits--yogurt and fresh sliced berries layered in clear cups, Pooh Bear's Bagel Pizzas  and Peanut's favorite, Eeyor's Cheerios--served in paper cups with Eeyore stickers.  In short, we all ate our fill and still had plenty of left overs!

When the movie ended, it was definately getting toward nap time for some of our youngest guests.  Each kid received an amazing goodie bag to take home.  I was so thankful I had taken the time to prepare the bags in advance.  Each bag contained an Oral-B toothbrush (either Stage I or Stage II depending upon the child's age), a tube of Oral-B toothpaste featuring Disney Princesses or Pixar Cars or Toy Story characters, Winne the Pooh lavender scented baby wash, coupons, a fact sheet, and a balloon.  The kids all seemed to really love these pre-Christmas presents!

Personally, our favorite item in the goody bag has been the bottle of Lavendar Disney Daily Renewal Baby Wash---it just smells so good.  The first few days we used it, we couldn't stop sniffing peanut's hair.  We also love the Stages toothbrush--it really is perfect for his small hands.

We all had a great time and would love to thank Oral B, Disney, and MomSelect and MommyParties for providing us with this wonderful opportunity!

 
Be sure to follow Oral-B on Facebook and twitter, and Crest on Twitter too to keep up with their latest news and updates!

 If you would like to learn more about MommyParties, please visit their Facebook page.

*I was chosen by MomSelect and Oral-B to host this party. I received free products to keep and to distribute to my guests. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.  They were not influence in anyway.  No form of monetary compensation was provided.

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Happy Halloween

This wasn't Jack's first Halloween--but for all intents and purposes it might just as well have been.  Sure we dressed him up last year--but he didn't go trick-or-treating.  It was way too cold and he was way too little.

Fun in the Fall

I love the fall.  Hands down, it must be my favorite time of the year.  Of all the seasons I missed while living in the South—I missed the fall most of all.  There are just so many great family activities in the fall, it is impossible not to find a great way to spend time with the family. With every sip of locally produced apple cider I am reminded how glad I am to be home.  I especially love how fall festivities are very low key in preparation for the much more stressful holiday season. 

Read for the Record

I hate "borrowing" content from other sites, but this is such a great idea, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to spread the word.

What are you doing on October 6? How does breaking a world reading record while raising awareness about America’s achievement gap sound? 

I strongly encourage you to participate in Jumpstart’s Read for the Record® presented in partnership with Pearson Foundation. Its a national campaign that mobilizes adults and children to close the early education achievement gap by setting a reading world record.

This annual campaign allows Americans to demand that all children receive the quality early education they deserve. On October 6, 2011, more than 2 million voices will call for an end to America’s early education achievement gap by reading Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney – setting a world record in the process!

Get involved at www.readfortherecord.org to help Jumpstart close the early education achievement gap:

1. Pledge to Read: Submit your official pledge and help us reach more than 2.1 MILLION children. 
2. Spread the Word: Use our simple tools to educate your friends and family about America’s early education achievement gap and invite them to read.

Peanut and I will be reading on the 6th and we hope you will join us.

For more information visit www.readfortherecord.org