parenting — MomStart

Their Characteristics Unify Us as a Family

May 24, 2012 By Momstart 3 Comments

While watching the movie The Odd Life of Timothy Green (which I loved by the way), I started thinking about all the different characteristics and qualities we have as a family and what’s displayed in my children and how much I love them. You know, when you become a parent you look at your child and think you have the most precious gift in the world; because well you do. As they grow older that love for them deepens and you carry those feeling to their school, your place of work and everywhere you go. You say, or at least in my case, “my children are so smart. They are smarter than the average child.” “My son is hilarious, adorable, handsome……” “My daughter lights up a room with her smile” To me, no child comes close to my child. Everyone thinks their child is special or uniquely better than every other child, I’m not saying my child is better than yours except that I am (because we all do it)

When I think about my own children and their unique qualities, I was actually surprised at how different each one of them are and how uniquely they display different characteristics of my husband and I the good ones and the bad ones

My son

no attention to detail like me
loves to eat like me
social, outgoing, and loud. You can’t *not* notice him… we’re not sure where this came from
smart like his dad
musical like me
naturally funny like his dad
stubborn I want to say like his dad but perhaps both of us
negotiator like me

My daughter

quiet and shy like me and her dad
notices everything like her dad
smart like me
not an athlete like her dad
honest to a fault like her dad
beautiful like me
smile to die for like me
beautiful singing voice like me
goofy as all get out like me

And with all of these characteristics they bring complete joy and magic to my life. My daughter’s most magical moment for me was that she was born with her amazing smile, I adore her smile. They say children don’t smile until they are a few months old, she was smiling from the first second. My son’s magical moment happens every time someone walks up to me and says, my child loves Miles. He wins people over and his amazing ability give me great joy. For our family the absolute most special magic and joy they brought into my life was how they influence my husband to be the father I always knew he could be.

Of course they drive me crazy and I make mistakes yelling at them. I’m not perfect, they’re not perfect, parenting is not perfect, but we’re a family and love each other and support each other and learn from each other no matter what.

I saw the movie The Life of Timothy Green at an early screening thanks to Disney

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: Family, parenting, the odd life of timothy green

Traveling With Kids & Sleeping Away From Home #SproutTV

March 19, 2012 By Momstart

Traveling with kids can be more than anyone can handle especially when no one is sleeping. I remember one time when I took my kids to Texas to visit my parents and my kids had the worst time sleeping. I wasn’t sure what the reason was. They weren’t in their own beds, we were all sharing a room, they were on the floor, I wasn’t laying down with them. Every night one of them would come out crying and I wasn’t sure what to do. So eventually I just decided to lay down with them until they fell asleep. But even then they would still wake up crying and I had no idea what to do.

As I’ve had more practice with them and from other great parenting sources like Sprout’s bedtime tips. I have a few ideas that work for our family. We have a bed time routine that we do at home. We brush teeth together while singing a song (just like The Pajanimals suggests) . Then we read the bible. If we’re traveling and we left our kids’ bible at home then we’ll read some other book. The kids love to read. Then after we read we pray and then we tuck the kids into bed. What I’ve found is if we keep the routine they are more likely to stay in bed (also suggested by The Pajanimals stay consistent).

Oh, plus we love to make sure that we take their bedding with us. Not all of if mind you but just their favorite blanket and pillow. It helps them sleep at night because it’s something else that’s familiar to them. Another added bonus is it makes them more comfortable on the airplane. So when we’re traveling I tuck them in tight with their favorite blanket and it makes a world of difference.

The Pajanimals, available only on 24-hour preschool television channel Sprout, features four cute fuzzy friends who wind down for bedtime in a cozy and reassuring way. The show helps parents tackle common bedtime issues like getting out of bed, bad dreams and scary monsters. With the singing and dancing it sure does captivate Miles and Zoe. Check out Sprout’s bedtime tips!

Oh! And, by replying below four of my lucky readers will win a prize package – including a Pajanimals DVD and The Sleepeasy Solution book, proven by Hollywood’s celebrity parents and written by the sleep experts at Sleepy Planet. Just be sure to leave a comment!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sprout. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

Filed Under: personal, travel Tagged With: kids sleeping, parenting, Sleeping habits, sleeping routine, SproutTV, Traveling with kids

My Earliest Oreo Moment #OREOmoment

March 11, 2012 By Momstart

OREO is celebrating their 100th Birthday with an OREO moment. On the OREO 100th Birthday website you can share your OREO moment to be entered to win $200. Here’s my moment:

Growing up my step mom would make this OREO ice cream cake for me every year and I loved it. She would buy a carton of OREO ice cream, OREO cookies, Cool Whip, and toffee bits. She would mix half of the Cool Whip with all of the ice cream and a strip of the OREO cookies all crumbled up. That would then go in the cake pan. Then she would top it with the remaining whipped cream and then sprinkle the toffee bits on top of that. It was to die for. I’m looking for an occasion to make this in my house. I know the whole family will like it as much as I do.

Even with that awesome memory of OREO cookies that’s not my earliest memory. My earliest memory would have to be sitting with my grandparents in their kitchen. My grandmother always had cookies in a cookie jar on the very top of a china hutch. Even with a chair there was no way I could reach it. My papa would get it down for me and give me two cookies, and sometimes they were home made and sometimes they were store bought. I remember one time when they were OREO cookies. Usually we would dunk our cookies in coffee. Yes my grandparents let me drink coffee at a very early age, but it just encouraged my sweet tooth. My coffee was milk with sugar and then some coffee.

My first memory was of my grandpa opening a package of OREO cookies and giving me two and he took about five. Then he put the rest of the package in the cookie jar. We had our milk and our coffee, and he said it’s better in milk and to this day I still agree. OREO cookies are much better dunked in milk than in coffee. I remember leaving my first on in the milk to long and then when I pulled it out it folded over into my cup. I dipped my second one where it was soft enough to melt into my mouth. Then I gulped my milk down so that I could eat my first cookie that ended up in the bottom of the glass.

OREO is celebrating its 100th Birthday by encouraging all of us to take a moment to slow down, and celebrate the kid inside. Celebrate with us for a chance to win $200! Simply follow these two steps to enter:

1. Add your photo or video to the OREO Moments Gallery

2. Come back & reply below describing your photo or video, and tell us about your earliest OREO memory

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Oreo.The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: blogfrog, oreo, OREO 100th Birthday Party, OREO cookies, parenting

Brushing with a Lightsaber and Darth Vader

March 8, 2012 By Momstart 13 Comments

Bed time routines go fairly well except brushing their teeth. I can’t quite figure out why we’ve tried lots of things, I think it’s mostly me. At that time of night I get grumpy and out of patience and it’s contagious. The kids catch it like wildfire. So Silliness needs to be found in any shape or form. Look at these happy kids brushing their teeth.

Zoe has the Darth Vader toothbrush just released by GUM. The GUM® Star Wars^TMPower Toothbrush is available in two of our children’s very well known characters, Darth Vader™ and Clone Captain Rex™.(Miles just calls him Storm Trooper) Zoe actually chose to have Darth Vader over the Light Saber toothbrush. She said she wished it was Princess Lei though. This battery-operated power toothbrush features ultra-soft oscillating bristles that gently massage gums and teeth. Nearly all dentists surveyed agree that a power toothbrush like this one may make it easier for children to brush properly. And it certainly makes them happier!

Now Miles is using the GUM® Star Wars^TMLightsaber^TM Toothbrush. This toothbrush is exciting because it lights up. Nearly 90 percent of dentists say that most of their pediatric patients don’t brush long enough. This lightsaber-shaped toothbrush flashes for 60-second intervals to help train kids to brush longer and ensure better oral health. Available in three character designs, color-coordinated lights illuminate the entire brush in colors specific to each character’s lightsaber: blue for Anakin Skywalker™, green for Yoda™ and red for Darth Vader™. So if you don’t have a timer then you need to make sure you child brushes for at least two rounds of flashing.

I also wanted to make sure you knew about the funny video that GUM created, called Dark Side, Good Habits. Tell me what you think.

The kids found the other pack (GUM® Star Wars^TMManual Toothbrush Twinpack – Makes brushing fun with its colorful character-inspired design including brushes representing: Anakin Skywalker™, Yoda™, Darth Vader™ and Clone Captain Rex™. ) we received this morning and said, hey mom we can have Star Wars toothbrushes upstairs and downstairs. LOL, and side note, my husband LOVED the lightsaber toothbrush too.

I had to let you know that GUM® is currently hosting the GUM® Brush Like a Jedi™ sweepstakes on their Facebook page . GUM® will be giving away GUM® Star Wars™ toothbrush prize packs every day until March 15, 2012 @ 11:59 pm (CST). In addition to the toothbrushes, you will also be entered for a chance to win a trip for a family of four (two adults, two children) to the Star Wars™ Celebration VI event in Orlando, FL on August 23-26, 2012. The four-day package includes Celebration VI passes, travel and accommodations. For more about the event, visit www.starwarscelebration.com.

We received samples.

Filed Under: personal, review Tagged With: brushing teeth, gum, parenting, toothbrush

Tom’s of Maine Silly Strawberry Pajama Twitter Party #SillyStrawberry 8 pm EST 3/7

March 6, 2012 By Momstart 14 Comments

It’s a busy Twitter week for me. Today I participating in two twitter chats and tomorrow I’m co-hosting the Tom’s of Maine Silly Strawberry twitter Party. My kids favorite toothpaste is Tom’s of Maine Silly Strawberry. When we recently ran out and they had to use mom and dad’s they grumbled quite a bit. Tom’s of Maine is great because it’s natural comes in fluoride and no-fluoride for the little ones.

Join Me @MomStart and @TomsofMaine for the #SillyStrawberry Twitter party.

We’re going to be chatting about healthy bedtime routines and reading to your kids. There is a rumor that there will be prizes but I can’t verity what they will be and if there really are some. But I get the feeling there will be and most importantly that it’s going to be a fun and informative chat.

DETAILS:

Date and Time: Wednesday, March 7 from 8pm – 9pm ET

Hosts: @TomsOfMaine

Co-Host: @MomStart

Promotion: Silly Strawberry Pajama Party

Hashtag: #SillyStrawberry

And Next week there will be a live story hour with @KristiYamaguchi

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: bed time routine, kids, parenting, Silly Strawberry, toms of maine

Getting Kids to Eat Healthy How Do you Do It? #TysonNuggets

March 4, 2012 By Momstart

When it comes to eating in our house, I’ve never really had to battle with my children. My children were born with a love of food. They love to eat and I’m really fortunate I know. As Zoe is getting older she’s becoming more finicky about some of the foods she likes to eat. Miles however, still likes pretty much everything. I would say he prefers to stay away from green foods but usually changes his mind after he finds out his sister actually likes it.

Now as I was saying about Zoe, she’s developing her taste buds deciding that there are things she doesn’t like. That includes most meats are and a few veggies. She also insists that veggies are not a snack in her opinion. And sometimes she has issues with texture. I hear that’s a common problem with kids. So how do we get her to eat the things she doesn’t like.

We try a few different methods and sometimes none of them work. First off, in our house we have a rule that you eat what mom and dad make for dinner or you don’t eat. Sometimes, she’s fine just not eating and since I know she ate every other meal that day, no big deal. I don’t fight it. Other times, we try really hard to get them to have a no thank you helping. I have yet to actually get them to say no thank you. Most of the time it’s that’s gross mom. I don’t know about your house but we’re a work in progress working to say no thank you.

Also the biggest tip I can give you is telling you that we always have a variety on our plate. I try to have two veggies on the plate and I give them one that Miles like and one that Zoe likes. In addition to the variety we often add a dip of some kind. Low fat yogurt, hummus, and mustard are favorites in our house. It’s also worked in getting Zoe to try the meat she thinks she doesn’t like. Most of the time she ends up liking it, it’s just getting her to try it.

Tyson is offering you the chance to have your child features in ads in People Magazine, Parents Magazine and on a billboard in New York Times Square in the Get A Smiles Give A Smile contest. They are also donating 4 million meals to hungry families in need.

Thanks to Tyson’s 100% All Natural Chicken Nuggets, now you don’t have to choose between making your kids happy and feeding them balanced meals.

But I’m curious, how do you ensure your child maintains a balanced diet? Join the conversation and Tyson will select a winner and donate $500 in the winner’s name to a local food bank!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tyson Nuggets. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: blogfrog, eating, kids, parenting, Tyson, veggies

Trick Or Treat Safety Tips

October 29, 2011 By Momstart 2 Comments

By Ashley

In our house, we’re not quite to the “walking the neighborhood” stage of trick-or-treating. We do have a toddler on the go (with the new ability to run), and so many friends with kids who will be hitting the streets (or the mall, or the shopping center, etc.) on Monday. It reminds me how important it is to be safe on Halloween.

Trick or Treat Safety Tips (brought to you by Duracell)

It’s easy for a child to become separated from a parent amidst all the excitement. Having your child’s name and phone number attached to their costume is a great safety tip if they are too young to remember them.
Make your costume stand out! Remember to carry light producing or reflective devices such as a flashlight equipped with Duracell CopperTop batteries, glow sticks, reflective tape, or flashing Halloween decorations that will make you more noticeable in the dark. You can even add reflective tape to the costume or candy bag your child is carrying for extra visibility in the dark.
Remind your child that all treats should be brought home before eating them so you can inspect them. Although the risk that your child’s Halloween candy has been tampered with is extremely low, candy could be unwrapped or spoiled.
No one wants an injury while trick-or-treating. Remember to prepare your home for trick-or-treaters by removing obstacles from the front yard, restraining dogs and other animals, and lighting the house well. Keep in mind that artificial lights and battery-operated candles are a safer alternative to real candles with a flame that can pose a fire hazard.
Safety first! Instruct your child that they should never go into a stranger’s house or even ring their doorbell for treats unless you are there to say that it is okay. Make sure that they have a fully charged cell phone and Duracell Instant Charger that provides hours of extra battery life on hand to make communicating with you as easy as possible!

As I’m gearing up for our first partial trick-or-treating, I remember how many of these things my parents used to do. We always had flashlights, stayed with our parents, and had the official candy check once we got back home. I still think some of that was so that my dad could pick out a few of his favorites… but it definitely is a must when it comes to Halloween safety.

From all of us here at MomStart, we wish you and your family a spootackularly fun and safe Halloween!

Disclosure – A product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this post; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

About Ashley:

Ashley has a background in teaching Kindergarten and working with children K through 8th grade. She is now a SAHM and a very active member of our local MOMS Club chapter. She writes her own blog at Momicles.

Don’t forget to enter one of our Great Giveaways

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: Duracell, Halloween, parenting, safety tips, Trick or treat

Guest Post: Would More Programming Have a Positive Effect On The TV Zombie Effect?

October 6, 2011 By Momstart 21 Comments

The positive and negative effects of television are often debated in social circles and in families, and remain almost a controversial topic. Simply put, there are many benefits of television, ranging from the gathering of information to raw entertainment; but there are also negatives, such as wasting time, becoming attached to inappropriate material, and “zoning out.” Particularly with regard to kids who watch a lot of tv, it can be very difficult to strike a suitable balance between these basic positives and negatives. However, there are some expansive direct tv programming packages that can help a lot with the problem by simplifying kids’ television watching options.

The fact is, television is designed to be seductive. It is fun, constant, and available, and particularly for kids this combination can be all it takes. Furthermore, television shows from kid cartoons to heavy adult dramas are all specifically designed and written to “hook” viewers and make them want to watch more. Unfortunately, this often means that it’s easy for people to get caught up in programs that they are not even actually interested in. We’ve all been there – you’re sitting on the couch with nothing to do, and you start channel surfing until you find something vaguely interesting, and before you know it you’ve wasted an hour (or more) half-watching something that you don’t even care about. Again, kids are particularly susceptible to this sort of “zombie effect.”

Strangely enough, adding to your programming can actually help with this problem. Granted, more channels means more shows, and thus more potential things to become addicted to… however, if a child has a specific show to be excited about, he or she may be less likely to camp out in front of a television when bored. So, yes, the child will still watch television, and perhaps plenty of it, but he or she may be less likely to waste time idly channel surfing or zoning out in front of the screen.

Another benefit of adding a more complex programming package is that you may have more appropriate options for your children. Of course, most basic television packages include at least some sort of kids’ entertainment programming… however, you may also find that your children are watching things that you don’t approve of simply to fill time when their favorite kids’ shows aren’t on. With an advanced cable package, you will not only be able to potentially set parental controls (depending on your system and package), but your kids will also have more age-appropriate shows to choose from, which should cut back on their time surfing through more adult shows. Ultimately, as you can see, an expansive channel package might, oddly, be just what you need to enhance the positives of tv time and take away from the negatives.

I took this guest post and I want to know what your thoughts are about kids watching TV. So what are your Thoughts?

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: direct tv, parenting, television, tv, zombie effect

How Do You Prepare Your Child For Preschool? KinderCare #PreschoolPrep

August 29, 2011 By Momstart

One down another one to go, that’s me of course. Zoe went to preschool last year and Miles will be going this year. Boys verses girls, first verses second, I’d say this year it’s going to be a breeze but my son is always able to surprise me at that last second with a total freak out of the third kind. But like I said, we did do this with one child already. My kids are in preschool as young as age 3 because they are little sponges. All little children are sponges that absorb everything you throw at them at this age. But anxiety can be hard for mom and child on their first day.

Zoe has always been quite attached to me and I was terrified of leaving her on her first day, but she was so excited to go she didn’t even want to give me a hug good by on her first day. BYE MOM! That’s all I got, maybe it’s because we spent all summer hyping her up.

So my first tip would be to get your child extremely excited about going to school. Pick out a stellar backpack, get a folder, a pencil, no they don’t need these things but it gets them really excited about going to school.

Make sure you go to the open house and meet the teacher. The more comfortable the kids feel in their classroom before you have to leave them there alone the better. I was really lucky last year because our neighbor was Zoe’s teacher so she was already in a familiar setting, but that didn’t mean that every day went smoothly.

Even if that first day goes well, be prepared for the DON’T LEAVE ME MOM meltdown on another day down the road. I actually had a few of those. On those days, I think Zoe was tired. Make sure your kids get a good night’s sleep on school nights. Sleep is so important to having a good day at school. So is a really good healthy breakfast.

Leaving Zoe on days where she was really clingy was hard. Sometimes I just left her crying, other times I gave her another hug and her teachers gave her a hug and then I snuck away. Other times, I tried to help her get into an activity like coloring. Then when she was busy I snuck away. They may be crying but once your gone they usually get over it quickly. Zoe was always fine within minutes after I left.

How have I prepared Miles?

He has an awesome backpack…. check

We’ve been hyping it up all summer….. check

We’re going to meet his teacher next week….check

My biggest concern is going to be when he realizes, Zoe isn’t in his class, and mommy isn’t staying. I’m a bit concerned but at the same time, I know he’s going to be fine. I think for him, if I don’t make a scene he won’t make a scene. If I just drop him off, give him a hug and a kiss, he’ll get right to play time. Of course, the worst part is going to be when I get home to an empty house. I’m not entirely sure how to deal with that.

I’m curious to know: What advice do you have for moms prepping for preschool? KinderCare will choose one lucky participant and make donation in their name to the Reach Out And Read chapter of their choice!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of KinderCare. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Contest Rules.

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: advice, Blog Frog, kindercare, parenting, Preschool, reach out and read

Importance of Meaningful Memories in Your Morning Routine

May 21, 2011 By Momstart 5 Comments

You know, once upon a time before children, I had the luxury of sleeping in. Even before that once upon a time way back in college and high school, I found getting up in the morning easy and I got up EARLY. Now, sleeping in just doesn’t happen because my two little preschoolers have a morning routine that can not be altered. It’s very important for both of them for things to be almost completely the same every day.

Our routine during the week starts off with getting up really early to get dad off to the bus stop, because we only have one car. My kids have to get dressed first, otherwise I would have ten more minutes to sleep in every morning, and I really enjoy sleeping now that I have kids. So we get dressed, take dad to his bus, and get back home for breakfast. Breakfast varies every morning depending on their mood, we have cereal, oatmeal, bananas, milk and I have coffee. At breakfast, sometimes I’m not that good at sitting at the table with the kids. I like to use that 20 minutes to get the dishes done, clean the counters or check my e-mail. We usually have a much better morning if I put everything down and start off our day talking to them. Helping Zoe prepare for her day at preschool by asking her what she’s going to learn about is much more productive then not spending time with her. Even Miles loves to talk and I really enjoy his conversation skills. He’s quite the conversationalist these days. So I’m working to have more meaningful memories in our morning routine.

Florida Orange Juice suggests that meaningful memories be a part of every morning routine. Families spend too much time rushing to get things done and aren’t connecting as much before they start their day. But despite the hustle and bustle that weekday mornings often bring, finding time to briefly connect over regular activities can set the tone for the day ahead. I’ve certainly found that to be true with my children and their moods. To help families get the emotional and physical fuel needed to start their day off right, the Florida Department of Citrus recently partnered with parenting expert and author, Dr. Michele Borba and nutritionist and author, Elizabeth Ward, to offer simple and healthy morning solutions.

One of the biggest suggestions is to use the morning time as “unplugged time”. And as you read above that’s difficult for me. Putting down my e-mail to give my children more of my time should be an easy thing to do, but it’s actually quite a challenge, but I am trying and I urge you all to try with me. We’re also working on not turning on the TV when breakfast time is over. Additionally, a nutritious breakfast has been associated with weight loss and weight maintenance, as well as improved nutrient intake, so sit down with your family around the breakfast table – you’ll help each person get a good start to the day.

To learn more about adding g a meaningful morning to your daily routine check out Florida Citrus’s Facebook Page

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of the Florida Department of Citrus and received an OJ Gift Pack and a promotional item as a thank you for my participation

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: Florida, Mom Central, Orange Juice, parenting