More Fun Than Allowed…with Kids

Puddin Pop and I decided to do a little playing outside yesterday since the weather was so beautiful and the weather people predict rain and thunderstorms for the next 5 days.  I decided to make it a photo session and managed to get a few good ones before she got camera shy.  Who knew that at 3 she would all the sudden start shying away from the camera.  I even heard “No more pictures Mommy.  Just stop.”  I snapped a few more and put the camera away.  She’s such a good sport.  I did get a few “posed” pictures but mostly just some candids.

I can’t believe my baby girl is 3!

Happy Birthday Puddin Pop!

It’s about that time of year again…Birthday Season.  I’m not sure why, and I guess it will change as the kids get older and create new friends, but all our current friends (kids) have Summer birthdays.  Our Summer’s are packed with birthdays including one of our own.

I like to get unique gifts, something that broadens the mind of the children receiving and either teaches something, reinforces lessons already learned, or promotes imagination.  I have a friend that sends out a registry for both her boys and tells everyone what they are “currently in to”.  I avoid that list.  I try to find something unique that no one else, including the child, would think to get but that I know they will enjoy.

ebeanstalk.com helps me pick an age appropriate toy or game that has been through rigorous testing from their team of experts.  I can search by age, by gender or by Top Toys in each category.  They have a huge selection and offer expert advice on what is appropriate for each age as well as what developmental mile stones are reached at each stage.  I think the feature I like the best, especially as a shower or “new baby” gift, is the Gift Series.  You can send a years worth (total of 4 gifts, sent every 3 months) of developmental gifts for any age level.  You can choose from pre-selected gifts from the expert’s top picks, or you can modify the series and choose which gifts you want sent.  What a great way to celebrate a new life (or a not-so-new) with a new “surprise” every three months.

If you have not already heard about this site I encourage you to check it out. If you, also, find yourself on the eve of birthday madness, you can use the code:TGS345 for 15% off your order between now and June 30th.

I love to bake with the kids.  They love to help pour ingredients, crack the eggs, and sample the batter.  On Friday, in anticipation of Movie Night, Puddin Pop and I decided to make soft Oreo cookies.  It was very simple and they tasted Awesome.  Even got Hubby’s approval.  He thought I should go to the store to get something chocolate to go with the popcorn and High School Musical 3.  We sure fooled him.  If you’d like to try these for yourself…the recipe is below.

Warning:  The kids usually get to “clean the bowl” when we make cakes or cupcakes.  Since this recipe uses cake mix, PP was a little confused.  We put a batch of cookies in the oven and then I went to rotate the laundry.  When I came back she had removed the mixing bowl, from the counter, with all the “dough” and was munching on it, claiming to “clean the bowl.”  You’ve been warned. 

Soft Oreo Cookies

1 box Devil’s food cake mix

2 eggs

1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Mix together all ingredients.  Roll into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet and slightly flatten.  Bake at 350 in a preheated oven for 8-12 minutes.  Immediately upon removal from oven DROP cookie sheet onto a flat surface to flatten cookies.  Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes and remove from tray.  When completely cooled put a healthy amount of creme cheese frosting between two cookies for a creamy, delicious soft Oreo cookie. 

Enjoy!

I must confess.  My 5 year old has his own cell phone.  My husband’s company works with Virgin Mobile and they have given him several phones with top up cards over the past 2 years.  We actually prefer Verizon for our service so Boog got his own phone.  He currently has no available minutes and unless the company provides more free top up cards, he won’t be getting any.  I think he is still too young.  It did prove to be a fun way to teach him his numbers.  He’s known his (our) phone number since he was 2.5 but recognizing numbers didn’t come until he was almost 4 and that’s about when he was given a phone to “play” with.  In no time he was dialing his dad’s cell and Grandma’s house.  He would merely ask for the number and dial away.  It happened to be a fun tool.  I am in no way suggesting that 5 year olds should have a cell phone.  But what age is appropriate?

For me it will be when he is able to go off somewhere by himself.  Like around the corner to a friends house, or to a movie with a friend and their parents.  I’ve read of parents insisting that their children take a phone to school in case of an emergency and I can’t say that I disagree with that.  We hear of “lock-downs” at schools for various reasons and it would be nice to be able to find out if my kids are okay by just calling them.  Currently I am on the emergency response team for the school, I am one of the first people called if something happens and then I am responsible to callthe other parents.  I am keeping that job as long as possible.

I think phones made specifically for children, with limited features is the way to go.  I also like the new GPS features that these phones come with.  Being able to locate my child if need be would bring enormous peace of mind.  We get season tickets to Busch Gardens each year and I know that it won’t be long before the kids will be going off to do their own thing at the park.  I would not feel comfortable allowing this without being able to contact them, and more importantly without a way for them to contact me.

When the time comes for the kids to get phones I think to insure their safety (and our costs) we will strictly monitor their calls and use whatever parental features are available to make sure the phones are being used for the right reason(Initially, for contact with us only).  I also think that a child who is responsible enough for a phone needs to contribute to the cost.  Initially by doing small chores around the house,  as they grow and require more minutes (for personal use) by maintaining good grades and demonstrating appropriate behaviors at school and home, as well as increased responsibilities around the house.  I think setting limits on when the phone can be used, like NOT during school, homework time, dinner time or after bed time, is also important and I do not believe that texting needs to be enabled.

Do your kids have cell phones?  What age were they when they got one? Would you feel safer if they had one?

Oops.  I joined the party and forgot to introduce myself…How Rude!  and Sorry.

I’m an over (barely) 40 Mom of two precious children.  Boogie will be 6 this summer and his sister Puddin’ Pop will be 3 next month.  I waited my whole life to have these kids (or so it felt…the waiting) and made the decision just before Boog turned one to be a SAHM.  I was a restaurant manager/GM for 17 years and I could no longer be away from my precious baby boy.  Then his sister came along and my decision to stay home was solidified.  My children are my life when I’m not busy having one of my own.

I enjoy spending time with my family, going out with the girls, drinking wine, cooking and so much more.  I’m adventurous and love to try new things.  I started blogging in June (08) and am absolutely hooked.  This particular blog is #4 and I am currently working on starting a 5th.  If you are interested in visiting my others they are:

Because Someone Cares, , Wine at Five and Letters. 

I’ve met some wonderful people through blogging as well as some things about myself.  It’s a great outlet to get your feelings out in print and getting comments to validate your hard work really makes one feel good, doesn’t it.

I think this blog party is one nifty idea and I look forward to meeting a lot of you and making some new friends.  Grab a beverage, and take a look around.  No one here bites.

My MIL gave me a bag full of old sheets a while back.  She gives us a lot of her old stuff…and we’ll leave it at that.

While trying to decide what to do with the sheets (donate, throw out…) I came up with a plan to create a new environment for the kids to play in.  I hung all the sheets in the kids play room, blocking off the toys, books, games and TV and made an “empty” room for them to play.  It obviously requires imagination when there are no visual aids to rely on.  The kids thought it was very cool.  They used it as a stage and performed singing acts.  They also used it as a secret hideaway since I also hung a sheet in the doorway, thus giving them the feeling of privacy.  They told secrets, laughed, and enjoyed each others company without the struggle of toys to share. 

I would love to create a permanent environment where they can bond together or with friends and feel independent while still close to the comforts of home.  We’ve discussed making a clubhouse in the back yard where the pool used to be and seeing how much the kids enjoyed this space I think it may be in our near future.  Anyone want to come help?

What space do your kids have all to themselves?

My 5 year old asked me last night “If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell Dad?”  I replied “yes”.  Today I am rethinking that choice.  First, let me say that that was the end of the conversation.  My son said “Okay.  I was just wondering.  Maybe I’ll tell you tomorrow.”  So I’m not keeping a secret yet.  But is this the message I want to give my children? 

Part of me knows that I should let them know that Daddy and I are a team and share everything (even if that’s not totally true), but part of me wants the kids to know that they can always come to me (or their dad) with anything and we will help them through it.  I’m sure there will be times when our son will feel more comfortable talking about certain things with his dad, and I don’t think I would be insulted not to know.  I also think that if I told my husband something that our child said in confidence, he would be hurt and want to know from that child why they didn’t feel like they could talk to him thus betraying the original confidence and putting the child on the spot.  Not knowing what to do if this situation arises again, I went looking for answers.

First of all, there seems to be a lot of articles about keeping secrets with kids from parents that are divorced, but that’s not the case here.  The only relevant information I could find was from Dr. Gregory Ramey PhD, a child psychologist at the Children’s Medical Center in Dayton.  Here is what he had to say: (and the original question posed)

Question:
The other day my 12-year-old daughter told me something in confidence about a friend at school. She was quite upset, but didn’t want her dad to find out about our discussion.

My husband asked me about the conversation later in the day, and told him it was about her schoolwork. I didn’t want to let my daughter down. Don’t you think that there are some conversations that should be kept personal between a mother and daughter?

Answer:
Relationships are all about trust. You made a serious mistake in lying to your husband.

I don’t think parents should keep secrets between each other when it involves the children. If you really felt that you wanted to keep something private between you and your daughter, then you should have honestly told your husband that the conversation with your daughter was personal.

Be very careful whenever you are asked by your children to keep a conversation confidential. There are times when kids say things to parents that require you to act on their behalf.

I think the next time I am asked if I can keep a secret from my spouse by one of my children I will let them know that “it depends”.  I think keeping a secret about a crush they have is really harmless, but would not want to promise to keep a secret that just shouldn’t be kept.

I recently came up with a new idea to keep my (almost) 3 year old busy while I help her brother with homework after school.  She is usually so excited to have him home that she wants to do everything with him, including his homework.  At the beginning of the year she was satisfied sitting at the table with a blank sheet and some crayons, but as the year wears on, she demands more of his attention and it makes it difficult for him to focus when she is singing silly songs, dancing on chairs and doing anything else she can to make him laugh and get his approval.

What does a toddler love to look at more than anything?  Themselves.  What if that image moved right along with them?  What if it captured sound?

Here’s my little broken record amusing herself while her brother and I finish homework.  You may want to try this with your toddler, it’s definitely worth a good laugh.

I received an e-mail a little while ago from George DeCell at SafetyCaps and I’m glad I did. 

 After a near fatal accident involving his young daughter, Sage, and an outlet cover that made it’s way into her mouth, he has invented a better way to cover our outlets and insure that if (more like when) a child accidentally puts one in their mouth, suffocation can be avoided.  The regular ones act like a plug and prevent air from getting through.  While no one anticipates their child putting this item in their mouth, if you have or have had small children around, you know nothing is off limits to them when curiosity is sparked.

George did his research and used the same regulations used for pacifiers (brilliant idea) and came up with SafetyCaps.  Made right here in the good old U S of A, these caps could prevent a tragedy in your home or the home of a loved one.     SafetyCaps have won the National Parenting Centers Seal of Approval, the New Parents Seal of Approval and the Baby Planners seal of Approval, just to name a few, and are made to “blend in” with any color outlet.

 Go to www.safetycaps.com if you are interested in more information or would like to purchase SafetyCaps for your home.