A Mother’s Plea

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Mae

It is almost 10 pm, both girls are asleep in their rooms and all I want to do is go in an apologize, hug them, and tell them I love you more then ANY phone call or text. Today a little 4 year old boy lost hid life and it appears that it was caused by his Mother who swerved into another lane while on her cell phone and hit a truck that had 3 men inside.

Though the details are still surfacing I am sitting her trying to cry for her, for their family, for the family of the 3 others who were in the oncoming car.

We heard the sirens today, saw the trucks flying down the road. I posted on my Facebook wall and was told that there was an accident. This accident has really made me think about life and how precious it is.

Munchkin is almost 4 so full of life, curiosity, and excitement for each day. I can not imagine what this Mother is feeling (or will feel when she is faced with the information of losing her child). No CALL -NO TEXT is worth it. I can not judge this Mother because I am guilty of taking phone calls ALL the time with out using a hands-free device. Hell, I even have Bluetooth in my VAN and yet I still answer and chat on the phone.

This.stops.NOW!

I am begging you… pleading that you do the same. Your children are more precious than the call. Remember 15 years ago or so… when no one really cared about talking to anyone until they were home. Nothing is more important then a human life. No sale at Target, no vent about your husband, no lunch date… NOTHING.

Please… stop using your phone while driving. Stop putting the people in your car and on the road around you at risk.

Leave your phone in your purse in the trunk or back seat if you can’t trust yourself. Turn it OFF. Invest in a hands-free device… there are TONS of options to make driving safer.

I am asking you to join me in this effort to honor this 4 year old child who lost his life today… let us do our part in protecting others and stop driving distracted.

Life is precious.. ditch the cell phone and drive.

My prayers go out to ALL involved in the crash this morning and to all the Firefighters, Medical Personnel, and Police on the scene.

Edited to make some corrections that of course were needed since I was an emotional basketcase when I wrote this last night!

Can I Eat a Successful Meal at a Restaurant with a Toddler?

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Mae

Here is the answer you wanted… YES! A local store asked this question and I was quick to respond with an answer. I decided to elaborate with a full post on the topic!

The key to a perfectly lovely meal in public with your toddler is to set your child up for success in a restaurant environment.

Munchkin is 3 1/2 (how did this happen!) and she has only been removed (by us) from a restaurant one time (we found out the next day she was SUPER sick- double ear infections/bronchitis ugh!). I think it is VERY important to set your child up for success out in public. Set the boundaries early and you won’t have to do much to have a well behaved child in public. I have taken the girls a bunch by myself and they both behave well (most of the time!).

Here are my tips that have worked over the last almost 4 years!

Do Not Attempt a Meal when your Child is Tired

I don’t care how hungry everyone is… this is why some one invented the drive thru. No kiddo is going to happily sit through a meal if they are overtired. I would also NEVER attempt a full shopping trip at the grocery store when they are that tired either. This can happen at nap time or bedtime.

Do your best to get to the restaurant before you child believes he/she is starving!

Is your child actually starving.. no! But haven’t we all been there… believing there was no way the waitress was going to make it to our table before we ate our arms off! Now explain to a toddler who has limited verbal skills that the sweet guy or gal is doing their best to get the food out. We try and get to a restaurant around 11/11:30 or right around 5pm to avoid the busy times too.

Bring snacks!

See above… It is quite possible you have a starving child on your hands. Having your own provisions to avoid this is key. Cherrios, squeeze apple sauce, anything will do. This should give the waitress/waiter time to find some bread to entertain your kiddo for a minute or two!

We LOVE these in our house! Both girls can eat one in about 2 minutes

Order your Kids Meals ASAP

We always order the girls’ meals with our drink order. This gives them a start on it in the kitchen. Also, tell the wait staff to please bring out their meals first!

This Menu is from LoneStar Steakhouse ... looks yummy!

Entertainment is Crucial to Success

You can’t expect idle chatter to entertain your toddler. Nor can you expect 3 crayons and paper menu to be the golden ticket. We had a bag of quiet toys that could be easily wiped clean ready to go in the car at all times. Some favorite toys are- puzzles, links with toys attached, color wonder markers, little plastic figurines (any character your kid likes), some little matchbox cars, extra crayons and paper , stickers, mini Slinkies, and some books. These toys may seem run of the mill but… they are special because they are only in the bag! A dollar store/bin is a great place to find most of these items. Let’s face it they will be near food and it is highly likely they will end up in ketchup. Plus, if you forget one at a restaurant it isn’t a huge deal.

These markers are great because they can't stain fabrics or wood!

Smart Phones, Tablets, and iPads OH MY!

I am going to start this by saying I have a smart phone and a tablet, Munchkin has an Innotab kid’s tablet. So I am in NO way against kids using technology! But there is a time and place for everything! I have had the occasional meal where things moved slower than molasses. However, a typical meal is on the table within 15-20 Minutes. So if you pack a bag of toys there should be plenty for your kiddo to stay occupied during the wait time. Munchkin rarely gets to use my phone. However, she enjoys a puzzle app and some matching games from time to time. This usually happens when I am finishing up a conversation or my meal. She doesn’t watch movies on it because I want her to be part of the family… kids should be able to talk and communicate during the meals too!

The iPhone

What do I do if all of the above fails…

Nothing is fool proof… there I said it! Now before you start mumbling “I thought she said we could have a successful meal out with our toddler”… give me a second to explain. There will be a time or two your child will test you… even if you have set him/her up for success. This is when you provide the Exit Strategy. Yup I said it… EXIT! There is no point tainting someone else’s dining experience. Let’s be honest you aren’t enjoying your food either if your kiddo is acting this way.

The way I see it… You have two options:

1. Get everyone’s food to go. If you are with your spouse/or a friend remove the child, while boxes are packaged and the bill is paid. You will feel much less stressed eating your burger reheated at home instead of fighting off glares from the booth next to you.

2. This works great if you have multiple children… Have one parent take the offending child to the car. They can eat there. While the other parent is in the restaurant with the other children. Now my parents did this with us when we were little (I ate in the car at Friendly’s and my sister had to at the Coach Diner- Left a LASTING impression on me over 20 years later I can vividly remember it!). My parents then rewarded the behaving child with a dessert! They didn’t say you earned this… but guess what?!? When we got into the car we were soo excited to share. Made the other sibling think twice about misbehaving in the restaurant. Never know what you are going to miss out on… when you are eating in the car!

What are some of your tips or tricks for eating out at a restaurant with kids?

Thoughts From a Breastfeeding Momma

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Mae

Let me start this post by saying FEED your babies. I don’t care how you choose to do it, just do it! The AAP puts out AWESOME guidelines you should follow those, NOT what your family did in the past. Standards for feeding have changed over the years, yes we are all alive but so were people who didn’t have seat belts in cars.

I wanted to make sure it was known that I am not anti-formula. I am however, pro-breastfeeding. Some might see these two as being the same but they really are not. There are a few reasons why I am pro-breastfeeding.

It is what our bodies were intended for. This is why women have breasts we are mammals and mammals produce milk to feed their young.
It is basically free. I was going to say free but I have taken supplements and teas at times to boost my production.
It really is the best option for a baby. Despite what formula companies try to market this is what babies’ tummies are designed to digest.

I know not everyone can breastfeed easily. In fact, I have had challenges with both girls. Munchkin was lip tied (until she broke the frenulum on her top lip in a fall ) and Peanut battled some Jaundice early on. Both girls were difficult to feed. We all struggled but I sought help and was determined to continue. With Munchkin I was not in a place with many lactation consultants (in fact one was male… say what?!?!) so it wasn’t easy.

Lately there has been quite the drama with nursing on the social media circuit. A mother in Texas was harassed by Target Employees for nursing her child at the store. I am not sure why but people will actually suggest that a mother should feed the nursling in the bathroom. Would you eat in the bathroom at a public place? Exactly… why should a baby? BLEH!

I actually was part of a small group of moms who met at our local Target for a ‘nurse in’. No one said anything to us while we all fed our beautiful children. It was quite empowering to sit with a bunch of women all happily nursing! Rand McNally said please don’t do anything crazy! HAHA He knows me all too well! There wasn’t any media coverage at our small store (though there was at other stores around the area and country!).

Facebook has been removing photos of moms nursing their babies’. Flagging them as inappropriate. Let’s be honest here. I am not one to put up a picture on Facebook. However, there is NOTHING inappropriate about these photos as long as they are done tastefully. I have several friends with BEAUTIFUL photos of their little ones having a snack. I honestly think that I have seen pictures of girls in bikinis that show more breast than when people post a breastfeeding picture.

It isn’t gross, sexual, weird, strange, ________ (<<<insert your adjective here) to see breastfeeding. You don’t stare when someone breaks out a bottle right? So don’t stress breastfeeding. It is natural. There is NOTHING wrong with it.

I am really thankful that I was able to overcome all the challenges I was faced with early on while breastfeeding both girls. It wasn’t easy but I knew this is what I wanted to do… I nursed Munchkin for 14 1/2 months and still nursing Peanut 12 + months and going strong. I don’t have plans to wean her anytime soon (and she doesn’t seem to want to discuss it either!). She is my last baby and I am willing to nurse her for as long she wants!

And now just for laughs

If you want your own Boobie Infant Hat check out Etsy.com!!! I would own one if Peanut would wear it HAHA

What’s for Lunch, Baby?

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Mae

I had a friend ask me this question, what do are my go to lunches for the girls? This is a tricky question. Peanut is just over 8 months and Munchkin is 3 years and a few months. Right now they aren’t eating the same thing because Peanut isn’t ready for everything that Munchkin can eat! That being said there are many things they can both have!

The key to feeding kids is try to serve the rainbow. You want their plate to be colorful! Color comes from fruits and vegetables.

One of my favorite go to sites for ideas for baby/toddler meals is Wholesome Toddler Food. They have lots of great suggestions and easy recipes. I am going to give you a list of some of our standby foods. I will let you in on our food style. We try to avoid canned and processed foods. I will admit there are things that I don’t do this for but when it comes to the girls I really try to keep to this!

Breakfast

Pancakes/Waffles/french toast- I make a big batch and freeze them in zip lock bags. I pull what I need that AM (usually what Munchkin decides) and microwave them for 15-30 seconds and voila breakfast! Much cheaper than the box pancakes and waffles
Bagels with cream cheese or no/low sugar jam or both!
toast with cream cheese/peanut butter/sun butter(made from sunflower seeds- baby friendly!)/jam
scrambled eggs w/cheese
baby omelets-add peppers/tomatoes/carrot shreds/zucchini shreds/any veggie works

Lunch and Dinner

Boil Baby Carrots they are easy to hold and they can gnaw on them! (Great cold for teething too!)
peas/corn/carrots/ green beans(cut up small)- We use frozen veggies mostly because they are picked at their freshest and then flash frozen. You can find everything w/o sodium if you look. Canned veggies have TONS of unneeded salt.
cut up pasta
meat that is either shredded or cut up into soft manageable bits- boil one chicken breast and you have meat for days!
mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, baked sweet potatoes
shredded cheese
tortillas/quesadillas
grilled cheese (Munchkin prefers the healthier sans butter route- bread + cheese + Microwave for 15 seconds
baked apples, peaches cut up
mango/banana/avocado/smashed blueberries you can coat them in cereal dust for easy pick up

I wanted to add, I really try to feed both Munchkin and Peanut bits of whatever we are eating, I just break it into really tiny bites for Peanut. I rarely make Munchkin something different for dinner than what we are having. Don’t be afraid of flavor! Add garlic, onion, peppers … whatever you use! There really isn’t a need for salt or butter though. Kids don’t know what it tastes like and like junk food will learn to love it in good time!

Ok so this is a start… be sure and check with your doctor about some of the food allergy concerns. I will do a follow-up post as more ideas pop into my mind!