Well, the tooth fairy has paid us a visit. It was a long time coming. Betsy has been wanting this to happen for, oh, at least a year. At school, she was one of the only kids who still had all of their baby teeth, so she is elated that she can go back to school toothless.
For Nick, it was bittersweet. She is growing up and there is just nothing to be done to stop it. Anyhow, I thought that I would use this moment to impart wisdom when it comes to kids' teeth and the dentist.
First off, my kids enjoy brushing their teeth. How did this happen? Well, I think two things, in addition to the fact that my kids are weird. I have brushed their teeth (with a toothbrush) since they were each 6 months old. At least twice a day. Usually after every meal. So they think nothing of it. Also, we have a timer in each bathroom. It is like an hourglass, only it only goes for 3 minutes. My kids know that in the morning and at night we are brushing with the timer.
I still brush their teeth. After lunch, they each get to brush their own teeth. And they don't have to use the timer then. I do this so that they will learn and also because they like it, but they are neither one good enough at it to do their own teeth all the time.
Every night we also floss (we use those floss sticks because it's easier) and they use floride (which we call swish) for one minute. That involves singing (it's not always easy to do something for a minute when you are six and three).
We also visit the dentist every six months. If you live in the Zanesville area, I highly recommend Dr. Robert Malek, who is the girls' dentist. They love going to the dentist. He has video games for them to play and they get a toy at the end of the visit. But mostly, and this is especially for Betsy who loves knowing how things work, he allows them to watch everything that he does. He allows Betsy to get right up in Felicity's face and watch all that he is doing.
Finally, of course, some great books about going to the dentist and good dental hygiene:
1. What to Expect When You Go To The Dentist by Heidi Murkoff. Obviously, I love these books. It answers every conceviable question they could have.
2. Just Going to the Dentist by Mercer Mayer. I love Little Critter. This one is cute and it can calm some dental fears.
3. Show Me Your Smile! by Christine Ricci. This is a Dora book. I like it beacuse Dora asks a lot of questions to engage the child in the book.
4. Meet Michael's Dentist! by Lori Froeb. This one is the girls' favorite. It is a Little People book with flaps (they love flaps).
5. I Know Why I Brush My Teeth by Kate Rowan. I like this book because it goes into detail (in a kid-friendly way) about all of the teeth in your mouth and the importance of keeping them clean.
6. This Book Bites by Timothy Gower. This is a cool book. I got it at a book sale at the library. It goes into so much detail about the mouth. Everything that you could ever want to know, it's in there.
Anyway, I hope that my girls always love taking care of their teeth. Most of my back teeth are gone, due to horrific sinus problems. I love that they no longer hurt me, but it is difficult to eat without molars. So I know whereof I speak. They know that there are some things that Mommy cannot eat. So I'm hoping that they put a premium on their teeth...
Friday, August 19, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Of cleaning and allowances...
This has been a hectic week! We had bible school all week long, so in anticipation of being very busy, I cleaned my house on Saturday. This is not how I normally do things, and I have missed my usual daily grind a lot.
So, I thought that I would make a blog about how I normally clean, just because I am convinced that it is the best way to get the house clean and retain my sanity. First off, I'm really nuts about having my house really clean, because I was raised by Dina Watson and she is the most obsessive cleaner in the whole world. My mom loves, loves, loves to clean. And she is perfect about it (my mom is pretty near perfect, period). I am as far from perfect as human beings come. And I definately do not like to clean. But I work really hard to have a clean house because, someday, my mother will agree that it really is a clean house. Someday. I hope. And also because I was raised in this nutso way that everything has to be a certain way.
Now, as to how I go about doing it: On Mondays, I clean the bathrooms. (I do this on Mondays because I feel that this is the absolute most important thing to get done in the week. If something happens and my week goes all wacky, I will have this done.)
Tuesdays, I run the vaccum and sweep/mop the floors. (I do this on Tuesdays because I hate doing it and I want to get it out of the way.)
Wednesdays, I do the girls' laundry. (In the summer, I do all of our laundry, for two reasons. One, there is less to do with mostly t-shirts and shorts, and two, I hang things on the line.)
Thursdays, I dust. Fridays, I do our laundry. (In the summer, Friday is a day to catch up on strange things, like, for example, I clean the windows a lot in the summer to let the sun shine in). And on Saturdays, I wash the whites. Sunday is my day off, every week, no exceptions.
I use Saturdays to do odd things that need doing once a month. On the first Saturday of the month, I give the dogs a bath. On the second, I clean the refrigerator/kitchen. I'm supposed to wash the sheets one of those Saturdays, but sometimes that gets pushed to the back burner.
Also, the girls have chores every day. They are age appropriate things, like making their beds and setting the table. Every Saturday night they then receive an allowance of five dollars. I know that's kind of a debated thing, to give them an allowance. But I feel that it's important for a lot of reasons. First of all, they receive four dollars bills and four quarters. Fifty cents (ten percent) goes into their Sunday School envelopes. Fifty cents goes into their piggy banks to save. And the remaining four dollars is theirs. They can use this to shop, if they want. If they are invited to a birthday party, the money for the gift comes from their money. I am hopeful that this is teaching them to be responsible with their money.
So, I thought that I would make a blog about how I normally clean, just because I am convinced that it is the best way to get the house clean and retain my sanity. First off, I'm really nuts about having my house really clean, because I was raised by Dina Watson and she is the most obsessive cleaner in the whole world. My mom loves, loves, loves to clean. And she is perfect about it (my mom is pretty near perfect, period). I am as far from perfect as human beings come. And I definately do not like to clean. But I work really hard to have a clean house because, someday, my mother will agree that it really is a clean house. Someday. I hope. And also because I was raised in this nutso way that everything has to be a certain way.
Now, as to how I go about doing it: On Mondays, I clean the bathrooms. (I do this on Mondays because I feel that this is the absolute most important thing to get done in the week. If something happens and my week goes all wacky, I will have this done.)
Tuesdays, I run the vaccum and sweep/mop the floors. (I do this on Tuesdays because I hate doing it and I want to get it out of the way.)
Wednesdays, I do the girls' laundry. (In the summer, I do all of our laundry, for two reasons. One, there is less to do with mostly t-shirts and shorts, and two, I hang things on the line.)
Thursdays, I dust. Fridays, I do our laundry. (In the summer, Friday is a day to catch up on strange things, like, for example, I clean the windows a lot in the summer to let the sun shine in). And on Saturdays, I wash the whites. Sunday is my day off, every week, no exceptions.
I use Saturdays to do odd things that need doing once a month. On the first Saturday of the month, I give the dogs a bath. On the second, I clean the refrigerator/kitchen. I'm supposed to wash the sheets one of those Saturdays, but sometimes that gets pushed to the back burner.
Also, the girls have chores every day. They are age appropriate things, like making their beds and setting the table. Every Saturday night they then receive an allowance of five dollars. I know that's kind of a debated thing, to give them an allowance. But I feel that it's important for a lot of reasons. First of all, they receive four dollars bills and four quarters. Fifty cents (ten percent) goes into their Sunday School envelopes. Fifty cents goes into their piggy banks to save. And the remaining four dollars is theirs. They can use this to shop, if they want. If they are invited to a birthday party, the money for the gift comes from their money. I am hopeful that this is teaching them to be responsible with their money.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
A poem a day...
Okay, every single morning I read my girls a Bible story and a poem. And every night I read them a book (chapter books for Betsy, a board book and a picture book for Felicity) and then another poem. I'll do another one of these for my favorite bedtime books, but today I want to talk about the poems.
I firmly believe that every single person in the world would benefit from reading at least one poem every day. Poetry, in my world, opens my eyes to things, says things in ways that I sometimes just couldn't wrap my arms around otherwise. I am not all that great a poet myself, although I do like to think that I learned at least a few things in my creative writing class in college. But I love and admire many, many different kinds of poetry and I want to instill a love for that in my kids, just the same way I want to instill an appreciation for art and music in them.
With Felicity, who is 3 years old, I stick mostly with nursery rhymes. My favorites are:
1. Animal Crackers edited by Jane Dyer. I love love love this book. It is full of all different kinds of nursery rhymes, and Jane Dyer's drawings are beautiful. I highly recommend this, and I think that it makes a great baby shower gift too.
2. Lucy Cousins' Book of Nursery Rhymes. Lucy Cousins' writes the Maisy books. I love all of her books because she uses such bright colors. They really resonate with the girls.
3. A Pop-Up Book of Nursery Rhymes by Matthew Reinhart. This is a special book that has to be put on a high shelf. But it is lovely to look at.
Now, Betsy is 6 and a half years old, so we have moved on to harder poetry. Here's what we love:
1. A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson, illlustrated by Tasha Tudor. I was introduced to the world of Tasha Tudor through this book. It goes without saying that eveyone should have this book, and most people do have it in one form or another. But I love this one especially because of the beautiful pictures that Tudor adds.
2. A Family of Poems edited by Caroline Kennedy. This is a great book of poems, with pictures by Jon J. Muth, who is a fantastic illustrator.
3. Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein. Must-haves. They are perfect for Betsy's age. They are a wonderful, funny way to introduce poetry to your kids.
We have some more, including some seasonal poem books, like poems for winter and poems for Thanksgiving. I've never really found a poem book that I didn't like. Now for bedtime we do two different things. Felicity gets her poem from one of 3 books, which I just cycle through all the time. They are Animal Crackers Bedtime (this is a board book version of Animal Crackers), Care Bears Book of Bedtime Poems, and Mother Goose Bedtime Poems.
With Betsy I use Good Night, Sleep Tight: A Poem for Every Night of the Year edited by Ivan and Mal Jones. I like this one because it gives you a new poem for every night of the year (there's even one for February 29). We've read it so many times we have our favorites. (I think that I've read it to her since she was 2.) I intend to start reading this to Felicity eventually, but some of the poems are long and wordy, so for now I'm sticking with the easier ones for her.
I hope that this inspires you to read a poem to your kids. It's easy and fun and I think that it's so beneficial to them...
I firmly believe that every single person in the world would benefit from reading at least one poem every day. Poetry, in my world, opens my eyes to things, says things in ways that I sometimes just couldn't wrap my arms around otherwise. I am not all that great a poet myself, although I do like to think that I learned at least a few things in my creative writing class in college. But I love and admire many, many different kinds of poetry and I want to instill a love for that in my kids, just the same way I want to instill an appreciation for art and music in them.
With Felicity, who is 3 years old, I stick mostly with nursery rhymes. My favorites are:
1. Animal Crackers edited by Jane Dyer. I love love love this book. It is full of all different kinds of nursery rhymes, and Jane Dyer's drawings are beautiful. I highly recommend this, and I think that it makes a great baby shower gift too.
2. Lucy Cousins' Book of Nursery Rhymes. Lucy Cousins' writes the Maisy books. I love all of her books because she uses such bright colors. They really resonate with the girls.
3. A Pop-Up Book of Nursery Rhymes by Matthew Reinhart. This is a special book that has to be put on a high shelf. But it is lovely to look at.
Now, Betsy is 6 and a half years old, so we have moved on to harder poetry. Here's what we love:
1. A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson, illlustrated by Tasha Tudor. I was introduced to the world of Tasha Tudor through this book. It goes without saying that eveyone should have this book, and most people do have it in one form or another. But I love this one especially because of the beautiful pictures that Tudor adds.
2. A Family of Poems edited by Caroline Kennedy. This is a great book of poems, with pictures by Jon J. Muth, who is a fantastic illustrator.
3. Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein. Must-haves. They are perfect for Betsy's age. They are a wonderful, funny way to introduce poetry to your kids.
We have some more, including some seasonal poem books, like poems for winter and poems for Thanksgiving. I've never really found a poem book that I didn't like. Now for bedtime we do two different things. Felicity gets her poem from one of 3 books, which I just cycle through all the time. They are Animal Crackers Bedtime (this is a board book version of Animal Crackers), Care Bears Book of Bedtime Poems, and Mother Goose Bedtime Poems.
With Betsy I use Good Night, Sleep Tight: A Poem for Every Night of the Year edited by Ivan and Mal Jones. I like this one because it gives you a new poem for every night of the year (there's even one for February 29). We've read it so many times we have our favorites. (I think that I've read it to her since she was 2.) I intend to start reading this to Felicity eventually, but some of the poems are long and wordy, so for now I'm sticking with the easier ones for her.
I hope that this inspires you to read a poem to your kids. It's easy and fun and I think that it's so beneficial to them...
Monday, June 6, 2011
Books and breastfeeding...
Okay, to start, I am fully and one hundred percent behind breastfeeding. I breastfed my own kids until they were each 2. However, I try very hard not to be a bully about breastfeeding-my sister does not breast feed at all, and that's okay. I can reem off lots of facts about it, and why I chose it, but I realize that it's not for everyone.
That said, there are precious few books that portray breastfeeding as natural, so far as children's books go. I was adament that we have at least a few, since my children were each only given a bottle a handful of times. These are the best of the paltry bunch:
1. I'm Made of Mama's Milk by Mary Olsen-this is a board book, seemingly made of fuzzy digital photos. This is the absolutely only board book I could find on this topic. It's a bit...off, really, but my girls liked it and we read it until basically each of them had given breastfeeding up.
2. We Like to Nurse by Chia Martin-again, this book is a little odd. There are all kinds of different animals shown nursing, and the text basically matches the picture. Not great, but okay.
3. Only the Cat Saw by Ashley Wolff-this is one of my favorite bedtime books with the girls. It is about all the things that the cat sees at night while the family is sleeping. I am including it here because there is a nice, normal picture of the mom nursing the baby included near the end.
4. Michele: The Nursing Toddler by Jane M. Pinczuk-Michele is pretty much a normal toddler and this book is about many normal things she does. She nurses one time near the end of the book. Again, it's okay, since there isn't much out there on the topic, but it is by no means great.
5. Maggie's Weaning by Mary Joan Deutschben-I really like this one. Maggie is an older sibling telling all about how she breastfed for a long time, and then eventually gave it up. This helped in our house with the transition to not nursing any longer. The pictures are all black and white, but beyond that it's a good book.
And that's pretty much it. Like I said, it's a kind of weird lot. But if you're looking for these books, this is bascially the best you can do...
That said, there are precious few books that portray breastfeeding as natural, so far as children's books go. I was adament that we have at least a few, since my children were each only given a bottle a handful of times. These are the best of the paltry bunch:
1. I'm Made of Mama's Milk by Mary Olsen-this is a board book, seemingly made of fuzzy digital photos. This is the absolutely only board book I could find on this topic. It's a bit...off, really, but my girls liked it and we read it until basically each of them had given breastfeeding up.
2. We Like to Nurse by Chia Martin-again, this book is a little odd. There are all kinds of different animals shown nursing, and the text basically matches the picture. Not great, but okay.
3. Only the Cat Saw by Ashley Wolff-this is one of my favorite bedtime books with the girls. It is about all the things that the cat sees at night while the family is sleeping. I am including it here because there is a nice, normal picture of the mom nursing the baby included near the end.
4. Michele: The Nursing Toddler by Jane M. Pinczuk-Michele is pretty much a normal toddler and this book is about many normal things she does. She nurses one time near the end of the book. Again, it's okay, since there isn't much out there on the topic, but it is by no means great.
5. Maggie's Weaning by Mary Joan Deutschben-I really like this one. Maggie is an older sibling telling all about how she breastfed for a long time, and then eventually gave it up. This helped in our house with the transition to not nursing any longer. The pictures are all black and white, but beyond that it's a good book.
And that's pretty much it. Like I said, it's a kind of weird lot. But if you're looking for these books, this is bascially the best you can do...
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Just like a merry-go-round...
Okay, we have started something new this summer as far as discipline goes. We have adopted a behavior wheel. This is nothing new, as most schools have something at least similar. But it is the first time that we have tried it. It is working well.
Green means good. (I'm sure that there is a much more psychologically sound way of saying that, but, for all intents and purposes, it means good.) Yellow is a warning. Red means a 15 minute time out. Blue means you get no dessert. And gray means you have to give up a dollar of your allowance for the week.
And so, we start the day with everyone's clips on green. Then, if there is a behavior problem, your clip moves. We have a list of rules, but it basically boils down to-no hitting, no yelling, no whining, pick up your mess...that kind of thing. We have been as far as blue on one particularly bad day, but most days not.
I also instituted a reward wheel. If the girls end up the day on green, they are allowed to spin it. (It's from Twister and the colors coincide with the reward.) There are 4 rewards: go to the Dairy Duchess for a treat, have a popsicle, get your toenails painted, or get to stay up an extra 10 minutes. (To my quite sheltered kids, these are big time rewards.) They decided that they like to do things together, so they only spin the wheel one time and they both get the thing (unless one is not on green, then she does not get to participate in the reward).
Anyway, it is working out well. They are behaving well, I am not having to yell, and best of all they pick up their stuff without being asked several times.I'm liking it...
Green means good. (I'm sure that there is a much more psychologically sound way of saying that, but, for all intents and purposes, it means good.) Yellow is a warning. Red means a 15 minute time out. Blue means you get no dessert. And gray means you have to give up a dollar of your allowance for the week.
And so, we start the day with everyone's clips on green. Then, if there is a behavior problem, your clip moves. We have a list of rules, but it basically boils down to-no hitting, no yelling, no whining, pick up your mess...that kind of thing. We have been as far as blue on one particularly bad day, but most days not.
I also instituted a reward wheel. If the girls end up the day on green, they are allowed to spin it. (It's from Twister and the colors coincide with the reward.) There are 4 rewards: go to the Dairy Duchess for a treat, have a popsicle, get your toenails painted, or get to stay up an extra 10 minutes. (To my quite sheltered kids, these are big time rewards.) They decided that they like to do things together, so they only spin the wheel one time and they both get the thing (unless one is not on green, then she does not get to participate in the reward).
Anyway, it is working out well. They are behaving well, I am not having to yell, and best of all they pick up their stuff without being asked several times.I'm liking it...
Friday, May 27, 2011
accidents happen...that's what they say...
Okay, this is my first official "hoping this blog can be helpful" blog. Potty training. I speak as a mom who has, yes, two fully potty trained children. Fully, as in, underwear all the time. As in at night. If you are a parent, then you understand the significance of this moment. Felicity has just attained this overnight status in our house this past week. I am a proud mama.
However, potty training is one of this most important things that a person does in the first couple of years of life and, at least for me, it was hard to find good books to help us get through this phase. As a lover of books, I am always up for a book to help us through any life experience. This is my list of suggested books:
1. What to Expect When You Use the Potty by Heidi Murkoff. This is like the gold standard. It basically answers any and all potty related questions your child could think up. It has an illustration of a septic system. It goes through the whole process, even including what to do when you are not at home. And it talks about washing your hands, something that, quite sadly, most potty books for some reason skip.
2. Going to the Potty by Fred Rogers. I am the biggest fan of Mr. Rogers on the planet. His book is just like the man himself, calm and reassuring and very explainitory. He talks about different names for bodily functions, which I liked, and he also goes into what to do when you are out and about and need to use the restroom.
3. What Do You Do With a Potty? by Marianne Borgardt. This is a moving tabs book that both of my girls really love still.
4. You Can Go to the Potty by William Sears, Martha Sears, and Christie Watts Kelly. I like this book because it using really loving language to discuss this issue. The Sears' are big into attachment parenting and this book illustrates this.
5.Too Big for Diapers. This is a Sesame Street book starring Ernie. I love Sesame Street, plus this book doesn't skip over the hand washing step.
6. Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi. This is a book that the girls have always enjoyed. Just because, indeed, everyone poops, I guess.
Now, these books are just kind of fun potty books:
The New Potty by Gina and Mercer Mayer (I have become a Little Critter fan)
Potty! by Mylo Freeman (a silly book)
Let's Go Potty by Moira Butterfield (another book with flaps)
A Potty for Me by Karen Katz (a lift-the-flap book)
The Potty Book for Girls by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (I bought this because I like Biscuit so much, however, I find this book really wordy)
Also, I recommend two DVDs on this topic-Elmo's Potty Time, which is just fantastic, and Bear in the Big Blue House Potty Time. Both are excellent and my girls still like to watch them, even though we are beyond the training period.
However, potty training is one of this most important things that a person does in the first couple of years of life and, at least for me, it was hard to find good books to help us get through this phase. As a lover of books, I am always up for a book to help us through any life experience. This is my list of suggested books:
1. What to Expect When You Use the Potty by Heidi Murkoff. This is like the gold standard. It basically answers any and all potty related questions your child could think up. It has an illustration of a septic system. It goes through the whole process, even including what to do when you are not at home. And it talks about washing your hands, something that, quite sadly, most potty books for some reason skip.
2. Going to the Potty by Fred Rogers. I am the biggest fan of Mr. Rogers on the planet. His book is just like the man himself, calm and reassuring and very explainitory. He talks about different names for bodily functions, which I liked, and he also goes into what to do when you are out and about and need to use the restroom.
3. What Do You Do With a Potty? by Marianne Borgardt. This is a moving tabs book that both of my girls really love still.
4. You Can Go to the Potty by William Sears, Martha Sears, and Christie Watts Kelly. I like this book because it using really loving language to discuss this issue. The Sears' are big into attachment parenting and this book illustrates this.
5.Too Big for Diapers. This is a Sesame Street book starring Ernie. I love Sesame Street, plus this book doesn't skip over the hand washing step.
6. Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi. This is a book that the girls have always enjoyed. Just because, indeed, everyone poops, I guess.
Now, these books are just kind of fun potty books:
The New Potty by Gina and Mercer Mayer (I have become a Little Critter fan)
Potty! by Mylo Freeman (a silly book)
Let's Go Potty by Moira Butterfield (another book with flaps)
A Potty for Me by Karen Katz (a lift-the-flap book)
The Potty Book for Girls by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (I bought this because I like Biscuit so much, however, I find this book really wordy)
Also, I recommend two DVDs on this topic-Elmo's Potty Time, which is just fantastic, and Bear in the Big Blue House Potty Time. Both are excellent and my girls still like to watch them, even though we are beyond the training period.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
One more thing I'll probably quit...
Okay, here goes. I am under no illusions that anyone is actually interested in my thoughts-this is more of an exercise in writing for myself than anything else. I don't write anymore, which is sad in and of itself. I used to write so much I literally couldn't stop. In college I wrote that it was my cancer-this undeniable thing inside of me, forcing its way out of my fingers. And now I don't write anymore.
I don't do much of anything anymore, except raise my girls. I say that not begrudingly. They are happily my life for right now. I am the most contented I've ever been in my whole life right now, at this very moment. I live in the house I always wanted to live in, with a guy I love, raising two girls that are amazing and smart and beautiful and did I mention amazing? But then what? What do you do when you actually attain everything you ever wanted?
I'm not complaining. I'm not gloating. I'm just trying to find things that validate my life. I don't get a paycheck every week, so I have to find validation in the things that I do. When I clean my house, do the laundry, save money on groceries...that is my validation. I've learned the hard way not to let anything that the girls do be my validation. Their accomplishments have to be their own. Whenever I get up on my high horse about what a great mom I am, God swoops in and pushes me right off.
Mostly I think that I'm going to use this to talk about the books and movies that I share with the girls. Maybe some other stuff. I'll likely quit at some point, because I can't stand feeling like I am obliged to do something. We'll see...
I don't do much of anything anymore, except raise my girls. I say that not begrudingly. They are happily my life for right now. I am the most contented I've ever been in my whole life right now, at this very moment. I live in the house I always wanted to live in, with a guy I love, raising two girls that are amazing and smart and beautiful and did I mention amazing? But then what? What do you do when you actually attain everything you ever wanted?
I'm not complaining. I'm not gloating. I'm just trying to find things that validate my life. I don't get a paycheck every week, so I have to find validation in the things that I do. When I clean my house, do the laundry, save money on groceries...that is my validation. I've learned the hard way not to let anything that the girls do be my validation. Their accomplishments have to be their own. Whenever I get up on my high horse about what a great mom I am, God swoops in and pushes me right off.
Mostly I think that I'm going to use this to talk about the books and movies that I share with the girls. Maybe some other stuff. I'll likely quit at some point, because I can't stand feeling like I am obliged to do something. We'll see...
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