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THE WHAT: Each week beginning February 18, 2012 (on going to April 29th) a different family movie will be offered exclusively at participating Cineplex theatres on Saturday mornings at 11 a.m. (local time) at a discounted admission price of$2.50 for all ages. A portion of all ticket sales will be donated to the Starlight Children’s Foundation.
THE GOOD: Great price for a family field trip!
Have the kids compile lunch and dinner menu suggestions for a week. Then when you go shopping you have an idea of what their taste buds are hankering for.
As long as it is good for them and they will eat it what is the
problem? (Do insist on at least one veggie and one fruit per meal) If their choices are not exactly what you feel like you can always have a nice quiet late dinner for two later in the evening. Win, win.
Have a bunch of kids with runny noses? Having trouble keeping track of whose kleenx is whose?
Wipe a child’s nose and put the kleenx in their hoodie. Kids forget the kleenx is there (out of sight out of mind). And it helps you keep track of whose kleenx is whose.
I saw a caregiver, of multiple toddlers, use this and thought it was a great tip to share.
But baby it’s cold outside! That classic song rings true in these cold winter months…however baby is less than understanding that he can’t go out. How do you bust the winter boredom?! Indoor activities – fun, engaging, activities – whether you need to kill some time between naps or play away the afternoon – I’ve got some activities to bring the fun into your living room.
I don’t know if this will be an informational post or a rant post (could go either way from this first sentence). Little Thing 3 has his 5th ear infection in 4 months. FIVE. Which means he is (almost – I’ll explain this is a minute) on his 5th round of antibiotics. FIVE. 5 is a lot for a baby so little.
So how do I know it’s an ear infection…
And my (good) doctor is good not to put the little boy on the same antibiotic twice (we don’t want to build up a resistance right)…so 5 different antibiotics (which have ranged from berry to banana to vomit flavour…this last one being the latest vomit flavour and thus the minute it hits his tongue he throws up…so he’s on it but since he throws up each time I wonder how much is actually being ingested…thus I think he’s “almost” on antibiotics).
I was going to try not to put him on antibiotics this time…after seeing the CBC David Sazuki report: Austim Enigma which linked rampant antibiotic use to upping the chance of autism. Also connected diet with autism. It’s a good watch if you are in the autism community (or not in the community).
But back to the ears.
So we are seriously thinking tubes. And we have had several suggestions of naturopathy – but I believe his ears are infected because they aren’t draining – which would make it structural and not environmental…any opinions on this?
And tubes are scary because putting a 12 month old under general anaesthetic is scary (wait…putting your child…at any age…in surgery is scary).
So I guess this is an informational rant about babies and ear infections. And it will probably turn out to be a series since we have to wait another 2 and half months to see the ENT specialist. ugh.
NEWS!
I am proud to share that I am a founding member of Mom Bloggers For Social Good.
The driving force of this tribe is Jennifer James (from Mom Bloggers Club). “Mom Bloggers for Social Good is a global coalition of mom bloggers who currently span eleven countries – United States, Canada, UK, India, Spain, Nigeria, Singapore,
Netherlands, Malaysia, Jamaica, and the Philippines – who care about spreading the good news about the amazing work non-profit organizations and NGOs are doing around the world. ”
In the past, I have used Parent Club site and social media platforms to share social good changes like We Day to globally inspire youth to be part of the change movement. Now, this movement comes right to my keypad…where I can personally help drive change.
This areas of social good I look forward to concentrating on are as follows:
I am one of 400 founding members but I am sure this community shall grow and grow. Because change needs to happen. And Mom’s are great at making change happen.
Homework can be tough – on kids and parents. When dd1 was in Gr. 2 I remember spending 2 hours a night supervising homework. 2 hours! Finally, at parent/teacher interviews I casually, but purposely, mentioned how long it was taking to finish homework and the teacher was shocked. It shouldn’t take that long – maybe I’m giving too much. Ya think?!
A few homework tips to pass along
And when you hit the homework wall (for me that is Gr. 6 math – yikes!) know to call on your resources.
http://www.sosdevoirs.org/ - FREE Canadian and available to kids in French public schools SOS DEVOIRS connects real teachers with your real kid to help with homework questions via telephone, email or chat.
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/elearning/homework.html FREE, Canadian and available to English speaking math students (grs. 7-10) who can log in from Sunday to Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. EST for 20 hours a week of individualized confidential math tutoring.
As said above, don’t be afraid to talk to the teacher about homework struggles (hey, you don’t know the answer to a question if you don’t ask).
And above all, try, try, try to keep homework positive. Yes, it can be exhausting but you can add “COACH” to your résumé. Because, in the end, homework builds the foundation of learning, life skills, focus, confidence and self-starting. Skills that, we – the parents – use everyday when we supervise homework 
2 weeks with the kids and this Mom has her mojo back (not the nudge nudge wink wink mojo…the MOM mojo).
What is Mom mojo?
Everything is just new and shiny (funny how being off schedule for 2 weeks makes you embrace schedule oh so so much more).
Back to regularly scheduled naps. Back to normal dinner (no more of this 5 course holiday meal stuff). Back to basics.
And my mojo is all ready for…
And I will no longer resent the fact that I do not write as much…I will appreciate that I have a new-ish baby…and my life is now about playing more.
And there should be mojo in that as well.
2011 Little Thing 3 and moi
Forgive me dear readers,
Andrea Buckett shares brunch menu ideas with Parent Club
Perhaps something from the Parent Club Archives to munch on while I’m off on a staycation. Like Sunday Morning Brunch ideas shared by Andrea Bucket. Make ahead goodness like: Cheese & Broccoli Strata, Sunshine Fruit with Honey & Mint, Sparkling Raspberry-Lemon Tea.
Thank you dear readers – for your reading. I truly appreciate you taking a bit of time out of your busy day to surf over to Parent Club and read, comment, enter giveaways and the like. I. truly. appreciate. it.
Wishing you and your families a new year filled with health, activities, and sanity. Be sure to meet me back here for more suggestions, stories and shameless recommendations for tips on making your busy lives easier. Because we all deserve a little easier don’t we?!
Play lots and take pictures…
–Caroline
Anyone else feeling overwhelmed and rushed and underprepared about all this Christimas-is-coming stuff? Presents and prep, food and festivities – it should be a time of enjoyment n’est pas? But I am not enjoying. I am lugging sleeping baby to and fro crowded stores picking up that “one last thing”. I am feeling guilty and resentful. This is wrong for a Mom, about to watch her son celebrate his very first Christmas, feel so…right?
Bad Mom. June Cleaver would not be proud.
Thus, I youtube-ed one of my favourite videos Reflections of Motherhood (produced by my friend Alison at nummies.com). Trivia: Alison invited me to be part of this video but I was too pregnant to put it on my calendar — and I should have pushed myself — because it is fantastic…lesson: sometimes you should push yourself).
And which is why I am sharing it with you today…it is a great reminder for us Moms to relax and yet push forward…both at the same time. If I had gone to the taping – and written my message – it would have been BREATHE. Because we all need to be reminded to BREATHE – especially during the holidays.
The goodness – is that today was good…like gooood kind of good. Whoever invented early years centres really created a day changer for parents. DS was up at 4:44 this morning (yes, 4:44) and in between he’s feeding, pooping going back to bed, quickly writing a blog post and then the biggies were up for breakfast and making lunches and squabling out who breathed near who…I was tired. Le tired.
But I dragged myself and DS to the early years’ centre anyway (sanity saving does take effort). And he watched the kids. He toddled about. He fell and got up (good life philosophy there). Me? I chatted with other parents. Real grown ups. And my tiredness was replaced by goodness of being out in the world productive.
And the barley battles? A twitter friend gave me a baby food recipe (which also works as a veg. side dish). Barley risotto. Actually quite good (and I’m picky). Put it on the table -> baby loved it, dear husband liked it, I liked it, DD1 put up a battle of tears and pity party about having to try something new (you would think that at tween age she would be beyond this). DD2 ate it just to show off she was a bigger man than DD1.
So the whole “you’re not getting anything else” and “that’s ok I’m not hungry…sniff sniff” conversation looped and looped (lingering…much like these run on sentences of mine this evening). I suppose one should pick their battles and not barley.
Bringing me full cycle back to tiredness. Which I suppose…at this hour…is good.
