I love mom invented products. Not only are they usually useful, but some are even yummy! Enter this months MomPact Giveaway below!
Last week I attempted to have a Ladies Night Out/bring the kids Halloween Party. I’ve never really done the whole ladies night out thing. I would love to have a group of gals to get together with to chat and be adults with for a bit, but my kids and family are my life.
Whoops, I’m digressing from the point. So I planned a party, and had lots of treats and stuff to give out.
Sadly, no one showed up. They really missed out on some great treats (seriously, not one person that said they’d come, showed up, what’s up with that?!)
So what did I do? I threw a party on my facebook page of course! That’s just how I roll! We had so much fun over there, and we gleaned mom tricks from the old moms and young moms. Plus I got to give out a bunch of prizes, which come on? who doesn’t love that?
“Front pack, blanket, iPhone or other app device for music and distraction. Two-three small toys that can be linked together with play links. Then the diaper bag/back pack packed depending on how long and where. Usually one change of clothes, extra socks, and diapers/wipes for the day. If I am traveling and can plan places to stay/eat then I can accommodate food and sleep needs with their amenities.” – Robin M.
Check out diaper buds for short day trips, and something small to slip in your purse!
What are your favorite kid friendly meals and snacks?
“I am a HUGE fan of WowButter in this house it is great for lunches and it is dairy, gluten and nut FREE! Not to mention tastes, looks and smells exactly like peanut butter!” – Eschelle (mumfection)
Space Food Sticks are a great chocolate protein bar for an on the go snack and boost!
What are your potty training Tips?
“A timer so it’s not mommy and daddy telling them to go party instead every time the timer goes off see if they want to try and go potty…also talk up how awesome going potty in the potty is!” – Renee P.
Tidy Tots helps keep those potty training potties clean and ready to go every time!
What tricks help you stay organized?
“I like to set out to do only a couple chores a day that I know I can accomplish so within a week I have all the chores done!” – Kelsea Y.
With cold and flu season coming on, what do you do to keep your family healthy?
“Ohhh essential oils, definitely! And of course frequent hand washing, sufficient rest, and drinking water.” – Hannah J.
Boogie Wipes are great for keeping those little noses crust free.
Finally, I asked what moms favorite things are to do on a Ladies Night Out
“Eat out and just laugh and talk!” – Rebekah W.
Besides giving out the amazing products I mentioned here to the winners, I also awarded a Penalty Pal, Kissaboo, and ToothBands to 3 of my party goers! We love these products here, and hope you all do too. Thanks for partying with us. Sadly, we couldn’t get all crafty on our facebook party, but my kids sure had fun.
The more I grow as a mom the more I find how I could do things differently. With each child I seem to change my ways, and do things a bit differently.
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| Princess V as a toddler. I promise this isn’t really how I gave Time Outs. |
Have you ever done that? Not followed through? It really backfires on us. The kids think they can get away with something if we don’t follow through, and the next time they’ll push it even further.
I guess where my problem comes, is when they tell me I don’t love them because I did follow through. It emotionally effects me, because I do love them! I have to remind myself though, I discipline because I love them!
When Princess V was a toddler, and we started Time Outs, I would have to sit there with her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t stay put. It sort of defeated the purpose of Time Out. When Princess C was a toddler, we tried it again, and she would stay. So we began giving Time Outs again. At one point, I decided Time Outs just weren’t effective for every situation. Sometimes, the Princesses just needed time apart. Sometimes they needed a nap. And sometimes, mommy needed a Time Out. So for awhile I would send them to their rooms for “Quiet Time”. Time they could play alone, read a book, or take a nap. Usually this fixed the problem.
Now we have another problem. All 3 Princesses share a room again, so sending one to their room, usually results in the others following, and more problems or fighting or whatever was going on. We’ve tried sending them to our master room, but that has created other problems – like kids getting into things they shouldn’t – ahem my chocolate stash…..
Well, mompact send me a package of goodies, including the Penalty Pal. It inspired me to try a Time Out corner again. Somewhere I can keep my eye on them. The great thing about the Penalty Pal though, is it allows them something to look at. Something that is fun, yet serious. It helps distract them from what may have been causing problems (ya know, like their sisters!).
I’ve already tried this new corner out with Princess R, and it really helped! Instead of her trying to sneak out of a Time Out she stayed there. It distracted her enough to calm down. Once she was calm, I was able to talk to her about her behavior.
“Pushing both hands on baby brothers face is not ok. Laying across sisters head is not ok. Don’t touch faces please!”
I love babies! If it wasn’t obvious by the fact I’ve had 4 in 6 years, I don’t know how to make it more obvious. I just love their little baby smiles. Their pure innocence, as they snuggle into you. I just love it.
Prince L is 3 months old today! Can you believe it? The time went by so fast!! Since day 1 Lincoln suffered with acid reflux. After dealing with it in 2 of the other 3 kids, I was able to get a handle on it pretty quickly this time around.
– stuff some blankets under one side of the mattress to create a slight incline.
– After feeding, sit them up long enough to get bubbles out, and let the milk settle down.
– Lots of snuggling.
Prince L still spits up a pretty fair amount, but he sleeps on a flat mattress now, and enjoys his meals. He lets me know when he needs to burp (seriously I have one amazing 3 month old!), and so I can help settle his stomach before he over feeds and spits it all up.
Although Prince L is really one of the calmest, happiest, easiest babies I have ever had, he still has his moments. Sometimes I just don’t know what’s wrong. He’s eaten, burped, had his diaper changed, and napped. Yet he is still crying and just unhappy. My arms and legs (because he loves to bounce!) can only take so much. I’ve slowly been introduced to essential oils, and natural remedies. I really like the idea. Our favorite so far has been Lavender.
Earlier this week we tried out the Happi Tummi. It is this really soft wrap that goes around your babies tummy. On the front is a small pouch that holds an herbal pouch. You heat the herbal pouch in the microwave for a few seconds, and then tuck it inside the wasitband. Your baby gets a warm tummy with the calming scent from the herbs. Guess what? The herbal pouch contains lavender! Even if it doesn’t work to calm your baby right away, having the scent of lavender fill your nose while you comfort your little one, is just as relaxing. When you relax, your baby will take cues from you and relax as well.
Chores. We all have them. We all need to do them. We all try to avoid them (you know you do!). Part of living in a home with others is learning to share the space so everyone is comfortable. The home is just the beginning though. I personally feel what we learn in the home, will reflect in our relationships with our coworkers, community, and extended family.
Being a parent and needing to teach the basic essentials of living with others can be a daunting task sometimes. We may resort to anger, yelling, tears, bribes and eventually just doing things ourselves because we’re the only ones who can do it right. All we manage to do with those choices is deprive our children of learning important life skills. Having chores helps teach kids about responsibility.
For awhile now we’ve been doing a Daddy Dollars/Mommy Market rewards system. It was working for awhile. The kids never knew when they would get Daddy Dollars, but they started asking to get them, and would only do things if they got a Daddy Dollar out of it. I didn’t want them learning a sense of entitlement, and only working to get something. I want them to learn that doing chores and helping others out can bring them joy and others. The whole feel good for doing something good aspect.
So we’ve been trying out these “Hands Around the House” by 3R Cards – a product made by moms for moms. What I really like about the Hands Around the House is that the idea behind it is to teach our kids how to live in a community. The first community we join, and I feel is the most important is our family. We just learn so much in the home that will shape who we are and the choices we make throughout our life.
The “Hands Around the House” by 3R Cards is a chore system based on 3 R’s
Although I’m not a big fan of using rewards as a means to get my kids to do something, I do believe in setting goals to work towards. I like to use the rewards to set goals the kids can work towards, or as a family we can work towards. For example, this weekend we were blessing Baby Prince, which meant a lot of family coming over to our house. So yesterday we pulled out the 3R chore cards and got to work cleaning the house. We were all working towards the same goal, a house that could welcome company and make the time with them enjoyable.
The Princesses have never been so excited about chores as they are using the 3R cards! To start getting into the routine, we are only doing 1 chore a day so far, but Saturday the Princesses decided they wanted to do as many as they could. So I let them pick a chore, complete it, and then pick another one. I tell you what, our home has never looked good so fast, with all of us still happy at the end of it. Out of all the chore cards that come in the Hands Around the House set, I’d have to say Making Lunch has been the favorite. They get to spend a little time in the kitchen with mom, and they get that immediate gratification of food when they’re done.
The least favorite, or most difficult to accomplish has been Clean up the Toys. It feels almost too broad, and since all the kids make the toy mess, it almost seems – dare I say it – unfair. When that chore is picked I usually still have to help accomplish it, but I no longer have to fight for it to be done.
We have yet to use the Rewards cards that came in the set, but that’s because our Mommy Market is still stocked and working pretty well as an extra treat for doing the work.
~Giveaway~
*I received this review opportunity as part of MomPact.com. All opinions are my own.
I was thinking today how I really enjoy some quiet time. Especially since my children seemed to be non stop screaming today, and my head hurt. How do you find some quiet time for you? Is there a time that you set aside to just sit and ponder?
For me I find the best time is early in the morning before anyone else is up. I used to be a morning person, getting up before the sun, to just have that time to myself. Listening to the birds wake up and begin singing, and watching the sun come up. It’s such a pleasant time. Having three kids, that started to change, I reveled in my sleep, and didn’t get up until the kids got up. I am slowly starting to change that though. I want to be a morning person still. For me, the morning should start right with a little pondering on the day and reading my scriptures. I personally have a better attitude and more patience with my kids when I follow this routine. I become less lazy and more gets done around the home. So watch out, I’ll be getting up early from now on!!