Parenting Win!

Parents, what do you do when your plans for an activity or play date fall apart at the last minute? Well, I ask Twitter!

Last Wednesday's play/swim date fell through due to a playmate under the weather. (Side note: I'm SO thankful for parents who are courteous enough to cancel when the child is sick!) I knew that I didn't have any craft ideas for staying home, so I tweeted about it and got some good ideas! Thanks to @BrennanAnnie for the suggestion of going to a store that has a train table so that Ladybug could play.

We went to one of our local bookstores, I got a yummy banana/strawberry smoothie with a shot of espresso (YUM!), and Ladybug and I went to the kids' area. There is a nice reading area and a train table. Ladybug and I spent an hour and a half occupying ourselves. Ladybug learned more about sharing with other children, while I chatted with a nice grandmother and another mom.

After a few other children arrived, it was time for us to move on, so we went to the reading area. Ladybug played with a great Melissa & Doug puzzle while I read The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle. I am a huge fan of Eric Carle's books. I didn't know about The Grouchy Ladybug until just recently, and I was surprised that no one had bought it for Ladybug yet, considering her nickname and the fact that we receive all kinds of ladybug gifts for every occasion. (Now we will be receiving this book, thanks to Grammy!)

It was a good time for both of us. Ladybug was on her best behavior, and I was very proud that she didn't fight with the other kids and didn't make a fuss when I said we were done with the trains.

So, if you haven't checked out your local toy store or bookstore for a train table, I highly recommend doing that! I know this will be a recurring activity for us!

Photo Credit: stock.xchng

Want to Win a Wii Fit?

In my blog series that I have been writing on my toddler's nutrition, I have mentioned Dr. Joanna Dolgoff, who I follow on Twitter. She hosts a weekly Twitter discussion on topics relating to kids, nutrition, and exercise, and I have enjoyed the information that she shares.

Dr. Dolgoff is having a sitewarming party tonight and you have a chance to win a Wii Fit! Here are the details:

With childhood obesity reaching an all time high across the country, many parents struggle with how to help their children maintain a healthy weight with proper nutrition.

Dr. Joanna Dolgoff, the official doctor of Camp Shane and a board certified pediatrician, has created Dr. Dolgoff's Weigh, a traffic-light system that allows kids to learn which foods are healthiest without counting calories. To spread the word about her site and program, Dr. Weigh, is sponsoring a Wii Fit contest to help you get your family up and moving this summer!

To Enter:
To enter to win the #KidsWeigh Wii Fit contest, check out client testimonials and fabulous Dr. Weigh success stories then fill out this secure contest form telling us which story was your favorite!

Form: http://tinyurl.com/kidsweighcontest

Want a chance to speak with Dr. Dolgoff about your nutritional questions and win more prizes?

Join her Friday, July 10th at 9 p.m. ET on Twitter for her #KidsWeigh discussion. Door prizes will be awarded. To RSVP and for more information go to: Resourceful Mommy.

Egg Carton Crafts

With the hot and humid days upon us, we can't always play outside in the middle of the day. I turn into a puddle of sweat. It's not great for a toddler to play outside in 100 degree heat. So I have been looking for some indoor activities for us to keep our summer days full and fun.

My wonderful Twitter friends came to the rescue when I asked about egg carton crafts. They had so many brilliant ideas, but what I discovered was, that with a little bit of instruction, kids' imaginations are the best at taking an idea and running with it.

Ladybug (2 years old) and I invited her cousins over for egg carton crafts last week. And we had a blast!

Our supplies were: egg carton, chenille stems (pipe cleaners), googly eyes, glue, crayons, and scissors. We could have used paint, but I am anti-mess when it comes to my toddler (I'm working on that!), so I wasn't Ladybug isn't ready for paints just yet.

The nieces made all kinds of bugs and creepy crawly things. Ladybug enjoyed pulling the legs off all the bugs. I just drew eyes and mouth on them for Ladybug, and the older girls used the googly eyes and chenille stems for mouths.

Little Mama showing off her creations
Drama Queen hard at workLadybug trying to be like the big girlsThe final product! (Minus the ones Ladybug pulled apart)

Works for Me Wednesday
Wordful Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday HQ
5 Minutes for Mom

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Ladybug (2 years old) loves playing with her animals and watching classic movies with animals, like The AristoCats, 101 Dalmations, and The Jungle Book. This provides lots of opportunities for her to learn new animals. Currently, she says, "Nake" for snake and "grrr" for tiger.

She also likes to tell me what the animals are doing. "Grr walk. Kitty bath. Bug jump."

There are a few things that she has own way of saying - these are SO cute! X is "ske." Yes is "sa."

When we are playing outside, we play our own version of Red Light, Green Light. I tell Ladybug to stop, go, come back. But sometimes she'll beat me to it, and she'll say, "Stop. Go. Back." All at one time!


For more Tiny Talk Tuesday, be sure to visit Mary at Not Before 7.

Taking Time for Me

I had always heard that moms struggled with taking care of themselves. I admit that I never understood this before I became a mom, because I was very good as self care as a single person. Granted, some of that started to slip when Hubby and I got married, but I still made time for myself and had my own hobbies and interests.

But lately, both Hubby and I have been burning the candle at both ends. He with his grad school internship plus work, me with trying to be a round-the-clock parent when he isn't home. It's much harder to care for a child all of their waking hours when you are completely alone than I realized.

Now, I know that there are parents out there who have much more difficult circumstances than I do on a daily basis. But because we are all unique beings, our capacity for difficulty differs. I struggle to balance self-care with my "job" as a wife and mother.

As a Christian, I *KNOW* that my relationship with God needs to be my first priority, but I admit that there are many days that I don't have my quiet time. I have always been in the habit of lifting up prayer concerns as I go through my day. But finding time that I can actually sit down and read Scripture and meditate has been difficult lately.

Even in neglecting my own spiritual walk, I feel like there isn't enough time in the day to do all the things that need done. But one thing I am learning to that even if I don't have that daily time for myself, I try to make sure it is still a part of my weekly routine. Days when Hubby is gone from 8 am to 9 pm do not leave much time for me, but I try to make sure the other days have time for me built in.

Here are a few things that I am doing to find weekly time for me:

~ when I go to the chiropractor (generally once a month), I get someone to watch Ladybug. Between my mother-in-law and two friends, I can usually find someone who can watch her so that I can reduce my stress. I have drive time to be quiet and waiting room time to read. And since Ladybug DOES NOT like anyone touching Mama, not having her there reduces my overall stress.

~ When Hubby is home and not working on a paper, I have asked him to be the parent so I can sit outside or lock myself in a room alone to read. Very refreshing!

My main priority during these alone times is to quiet myself and the thousand thoughts that are racing through my brain, read Scripture, meditate, and maybe read another inspirational book if there is time.

I know that I need to take care of myself. I am not a nice person to be around when I am lacking sleep. My sinful nature takes over when I am not staying connected to God. I know that in order to be the wife, mother, and woman that I want to be, I *MUST* take time for me.

Any suggestions out there? I'd love to hear how you deal with making time for yourself in the midst of a busy family life.

Potty Training Success

Friday morning, my nieces came over to do crafts. I started making a potty sticker chart and told Ladybug what I was making. She said she had to go potty. So we went and sat on the potty, and she pee'd!!!! I think she surprised herself because she stopped then had to start again. Only the 2nd time I've had her sit on the potty.

And she did the same thing on Saturday after playing outside. We came in she said she had to go potty, and she did! So proud of my girl!

My Toddler's Nutrition - Dairy

We had a great Twitter discussion this week led by Dr. Joanna Dolgoff who specializes in childhood obesity. This is a recap of the discussion, with points that specifically apply to my toddler.

Dr. Dolgoff shared some interesting facts regarding recommended daily allowances of dairy for kids. "Toddlers (age 1-3) need about 500 mg calcium each day (amount in 2 glasses milk). Kids age 4-8 require about 800 mg calcium (amount in 3 glasses of milk). Kids age 9-18 need about 1300 mg calcium (amount in 4 glasses of milk). This increased level is important during puberty."

Because Ladybug still nurses, we have not introduced cow's milk. But I know that weaning her will come soon. I asked Dr. Dolgoff her recommendation regarding whole milk vs. skim milk for kids. She said that the AAP recommends skim milk after age 2. That was new info to me! But I'm also glad to know that I won't have to buy different milk for Ladybug when she weans, because Hubby and I drink skim milk.

Other than dairy products, there are a lot of other foods that contain calcium. These include: fortified cereal, fortified orange juice, soy products, figs, sardines, tofu, collards, canned salmon, spinach, kale, rhubarb, canned clams, rainbow trout. In our house, we do eat tofu, collards, canned salmon, and spinach.

And of course, Ladybug loves cheese. The only kid I know that doesn't like cheese is my very picky niece. And Dr. Dolgoff recommends only low-fat or fat-free cheese. I'll have to pay closer attention to that.

Some great facts that Dr. Dolgoff shared:

- 8 oz milk has the same amount of calcium as 2 oz of cheese (300 mg)
- 6 oz of yogurt has 225 mg of calcium
- 4 ounces of soft serve ice cream has 120 mg (about1/3 of the calcium in a glass of milk or 2 oz cheese)
- 1/2 cup broccoli has only 35 mg of calcium
- 1 ounce of almonds has 80 mg of calcium
- People who eat diets rich in (LF or FF) dairy products may weigh less and have less body fat

And most amazing to me was the list of diseases that a diet high in low-fat and fat-free dairy can help prevent: osteoporosis, colon cancer, breast cancer, obesity, dental cavities, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and decreases total and bad cholesterol levels.

Not only was this motivating to help Ladybug eat well, but for Hubby and I to make sure that we are eating a diet high in low-fat and fat-free dairy foods!

I learned a lot from this week's discussion. Thanks to Dr. Dolgoff for leading our discussions and for sharing such great info!

Photo Credit: stock.xchng