CRAZED MIND: Parenting

Showing posts with label Parenting. Show all posts

Last of the Baby Shower Gifts

Good morning everyone! It sure has been a busy week here. How about with you? We have a revolving door on the house right now it seems. With 7 adults here and schedules all up and down. Gosh you never know what is happening from one moment to the next.

This weekend we are going to go to Waco and have a combined visit for both of our grandbabes birthdays and the turtle baby shower. It has all been going on this month but instead of three trips we are doing ours all in one. I have tons of stuff to take, you know I have been telling you all about it. But my last minute additions are "The Pregnancy Test" to help out the new momma. I think she will be thrilled with this one. It has 150 of those questions we do not want to ask out loud. And most of all, the answers too! You know the ones....can I ride a horse, is it okay to burn scented candles and why do my nipples sting. Odd ones for sure but they cross our mind when we are thinking of our unborn. What ones did you have or hear. The one I have always hated hearing was that cats were dangerous to newborns. Of course we would not have them sleeping in the crib with them. But they are not going to suck the life out of them.

Another one for them is "First Time Dad" to help out for my step son. John Fuller of Focus on the Family helped put this together. You think mom's have questions, well new dads are just as nervous. It is great though to have a book to help you when your not sure of your role. A new baby sure takes up a lot of time and thought, but the role of Daddy is one of great power and responsibility. You may get to teach your son to toss a football or help your daughter ride a bike. But you will always be the one they look to for guidance, security and love. Having a lil reminder of the role a dad plays is never a bad thing. Also in all of those new task he also has to remember to love that wonderful woman who helped herald those kiddos into the world. I have two of these books so I plan on giving one for the baby shower...and yes give the other away. I will remind you at the bottom of this post.

Another thing we are working on here is helping The Gentleman get his blood sugar levels down. A whole new shopping trip this last week helped reform the kitchen. We looked at sugar levels and sugar alcohol levels on everything. Too bad I can not see how much sugar is added when you eat a carb. We know those change too. But some good finds were had and great changes where made. With the help in diet change and medication his sugar levels are down from 700 (yes that high!) to 200. We even hit 129 once! So that is a great difference. One of the things that we found that he loves to eat is Quaker Cinnamon Oatmeal Squares. They have 9 grams of sugar so it is not an everyday item. But it is a whole grain so that is a major plus. I also like that it has 90% of his required iron in one serving too. I have to say they tasted great right out of the box as a snack too. We had tried two small single serving size boxes at first. So the luck was that there was a $1.00 coupon on each. Saved when we bought the big boxes for our Gentleman. The other benefit was College Girl likes them. She hates to eat oatmeal, says it is a texture thing. But she loved these. So she is also getting her fiber, iron and taste great
too!

Well guess I will get to work on the house work. Oh and don't forget you can win "First Time Dad". Just leave me a comment. Make sure you have a way to reach you in the comment to. Just tell me a good dad helpful hint. I can pass them on to my step son!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. I have been given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

Planning for the Turtle

I found the perfect gift for the Turtle Momma. With this being my third grandbabe, it is her first baby. So I thought it would be helpful to have all the information you need at your fingertips. No not one of those heavy your having a baby book. But instead a neat PINK organizer where she can keep the information she needs.

With the Family Facts Pregnancy Organizer & Planner everything she needs to plan for her baby’s arrival is at her fingertips. There are 128 pages for collecting information from whom to call when she goes into labor, to questions she will have for the doctor, to detailed lists including favorite boys/girls names, items she will need for her baby, items she will need for herself, and more and more. This is like having her own personal staff to find and keep track of all essential information dealing with her pregnancy. The wipe clean clear-view vinyl binder along with business card holder, pocket folder, zippered pouch, stickers, and pen makes this the go to pregnancy organizer. Helpful tips and advice throughout. This is perfect for both first-time moms and women who are having their 2nd or more births.

I wish to thank Pam Socolow for sending me this wonderful organizer. Of course I was not paid, just have the great book. I sent this on to my daughter-in-law and she says it is perfect. With her not near her own mother she is relying on her other mother-in-law to help her with the steps she needs to take. Now with this aid she has a way of knowing what she has done, what is next and what to plan for after that. PERFECT!

Temper Tantrums

I told you that my niece, her husband and three children are staying with us for a time. Hopefully they will have luck and find work and a home of their own in a timely manner. I love them but having 5 more people in your home is not an easy thing to do. Now they are doing great about not being underfoot. And sharing and caring and all that ing stuff. But I am old and Granny M even older still, and we are set in our ways a bit. So when a child sassies you back or just is plain ol rude and mean....well that does not go over too well.

Last night our lil 3 year old did what she does best and told Granny M, No! Go Away! and I don't have TOO! Granny M had her full already and scooped up said 3 year old and popped her hinney. Oh the screaming that went from there was horrid. You would have thought that the 3 year old never had a hinney pop. Well guess what, she hasn't. Her mom (my niece) does not want to tell her no, make her mind or upset her because she is afraid that if so her darling lil 3 year old may not love her. WHAT?

Now my mom made me mind, I was put in time out, corners, grounded, hinney popped and so forth. And I always loved her. Never thought not to love my mom. You know, the same person that also handed out hugs, kisses, warm moments and tender loving care too. Parenting is not a popularity contest. It is about raising a child the way they should go. And that includes discipline.

Oh so I am ever ever ever giving my niece the book 'How to Unspoil Your Child Fast' by Richard Bromfield, Ph. D. because she needs it! Yes, it is not too late to fix this issue. No I am not saying to start beating her child....no way. But setting limits, standing firm to your decisions and not being an overindulgent parent is the way to go. Here she can read with empathetic and still good practical parenting advice on how to improve their lives all around. Oh, and she has a 2 month old baby too. Let's nip this in the bud before there is a whole out rebellion and the parents lose it all together.

I am all for ways that they can learn to take back their control in a loving fashion. On how they can get their daughters attention and exercise discipline consistently. Oh that is the key folks. Of course holding their ground rules and not making deals or bargains for good behavior. This will also improve their daughter's life. You are aware that spoiled children are prone to depression and anxiety. Yeah, they are. If a child does not ever know where the boundaries are then they do not know what is safe and what is not. Like in the pool, there is that rope with floats telling you that this is the deep end. And so you know if you go there your feet will not touch and under you will go. Well, children need to know where is that place in life. How far is safe. This gives them security and helps them move forward one toe touch at a time. Learning how to paddle in the water and finally making those first swimming stokes. So that one day when they are in the deep end, they can swim back safely to shore.

I am blessed to have this book sent to me by Sourcebooks, Inc. Now I am going to put it on my niece's pillow and see if she has some time to read. Maybe I can take the kids to the park today and let her have study time.

Values & Talking Giveaway

Image via WikipediaVintage-usually of high quality, characterized by excellence, maturity, and enduring appeal, classic. When you say something is Vintage, then your referring to the age and quality of that item. We love a good vintage wine due to it's bold flavor. Or the clothing that we wear may be vintage because it takes us back to a great time period. A vintage car is a classic and you can not find better these days. We look to our past to find a rating for quality. And in looking for life that is of quality we often say we have vintage values. Values that make our life have meaning and character.

But in that are we teaching our children of those same values? Today we have a fast pace modern life. But our children's lives are often faster than our own. Don't believe me? Try to keep up with a 10 year old and see how you hold up for just one day. I love saying I am a "June Cleaver" woman caught in a modern world. That is not just that I love the look of that era. But I love the feel of that life. One where manners were important. A man's word was his bond. Respect was given freely, not dished out only to the few. And I also felt that it was important to teach my own now College Girl from this value system. There are ways but it is easy to have a helping hand from 'Modern Parents, Vintage Values'. This is a great lil tool to help you instill character in your children. Isn't it USA that ask what kind of Character are you? Well I am one that values these things.

Kindness
Compassion
Forgiveness
Gratitude
Integrity
Responsibility
Patience
Confidence
Manners

I am sure you do too. But do you see that around you? Are you sharing those things with your children or grandchildren? How do you teach these lessons? Is it possible with all that bombards our kids. The internet, social media, the issue of entitlement...do you see these battles in your life? How about the lack of respect that is now in society. That we have to jump through hoops just to be seen then ignored once we are there. Can you change that? I think so. And teaching our children to share from their hearts and souls is the beginning. I bet you would love to have this lil gem of a book to hand out to your family and friends too. I love it. That along with my pearl necklace and high heel pumps.

Now once we have done that it is time to tackle the really hard part of life. You know....the questions. Those tween years of why? how? when? and do I? I know that when I was first learning of my own womanhood I had a shock. My mom did not talk to me. I had seen the cheesy film at school but did not understand that. When my BFF first started her 'cycle' at a slumber party we all thought she was dying. The first ladies visit at the doctor for me was a shocker. He wanted to do what! Why! And my mom was not even in the room! I did not want this to be the lessons for my daughter. I wanted to educate her in a wiser fashion. We did some things. Like go to a hands on exhibit of how a baby is brought about. Well, not that hands on. But where the child was and how did it grow. Funny, I thought I was being so good and my daughter never even remembers us going to that museum. But she does remember the doctors visit. Why? Well, because I thought I would teach her from one of my own visits. Let her attend, hold my hand, ask questions, all with a nice female doctor to make her feel comfortable. Easy...right? NO! Instead we went. We had a female doctor. I got ready with my daughter in the room. And then when the hand holding question part was to start, things went south. WAY SOUTH!

Image by Maggie Osterberg via Flickr
Yeah, my lil innocent lil girl decided to see what was this all about. And see she did. Yep! She headed on down with the doctor and got a good up close look at her mom in a way I never expected. She asked questions. And she learned. But I thought I was never going to be able to look her in the face again. Gosh! There has to be an easier way. And I think now that I don't need it I have found just the right thing. 'Start Talking' is a girl's guide for you and your daughter about health, sex and whatever else you may come across. It is great at questions and answers from the top to the bottom of our bodies. All those things women have to learn about and control. And it goes on from there to some of the harder questions of relationships and body image. I wish I had had this book before. Way before!
But I can share it with you! Yeah, I scored one to giveaway. So maybe some other mom does not have to have her daughter learn up close and personal. Or so that some lil girl one day finds out she is a woman before she was ready. I want you to leave a comment for the entry to win this book. Make sure you leave an email to reach you. But most of all....tell me how did you learn, tell your child or make that transition? Be honest...I was!

A New Niece and a Giveaway--(not the niece)

My great niece Caylan Jane Green was born today! Yipppeee! I am so happy to have a new family member here all safe and sound. I can't wait to meet her. My mom (Granny M) is there now helping out. You see there are other small kiddos and it is going to be hard on my niece to do all the juggling of a newborn and a full household too. You know how that all goes. Well I sent some goodies on to her. And a few things during the pregnancy too. Thought I would share them with you.

First one was for my nephew (by marriage) was how he could both help out my niece and be a great part of this mystery. I sent him the book Dad's Pregnant Too! This is a great guide to help dad prepare and enjoy the first nine months of his childs life. You know how it is. Focus is all on mom, after all she is carrying the baby. But where does dad fit in after the deed is done? Well here is a way for him to know where and what to do. What type of partner is he? How he can make mom feel special. The trap of those baby stores where everything looks like you need it. And all those in between things like the baby's development and why mom's mood keeps swinging. Even how to navigate sex with your very pregnant partner. I feel that this is something that all dad's need. No matter if this is kid #1 or #5. A refresher course if you ask. Yeah, even us moms need that too. So here is a great go to source for the dad.

Next I sent a budget saver. With child #3 there now I am sure that money is tight. I found that The Complete Book of Baby Bargains can be such a help. This is a collection of all the best money-saving baby advice that has been on the web for 10 years. But all in one book. So now not having to comb from site to site to site eating up precious time. Here there is over 1,000 tips on what to do from bedding to diapers and advice for free stuff too! Yeah! We all like free. I also like the itps on how to reuse and what you really don't need. I am so sure that this is one book that will have many pages with bended ears on them to bookmark the best ideas.

Now for a lil bit of fun and a break in day to day life. I had to send my all time favorite short cut book to my niece. In Life's too Short to Fold Fitted Sheets we have the ultimate guide to domestic liberation. I am so OCD about my home that I drive myself crazy. I mean we can not have everything picture perfect all the time. Well not if we actually live in the house along with our kids, pets and husbands. So we have to have some secrets that help us master the code to housework. My fav lil secret that I do is I don't fold sheets at all. Nope.....not one. Instead I take the sheets and stuff them all in the matching pillow case. Now I can just grab the ones I want and the whole set is there. All in there own lil bags. Whoot! Time saved. I do plenty of giveaways but this was the hardest book to pry out of my lil OCD hands. So go find one and save yourself some time, worry and energy.

And last but never least (you know the best is always saved for last...just like dessert), we have a Chicken Soup for the Soul book. And this one has a giveaway too! Yeppers! I sent a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Power Moms to my niece. Here she has some reading that can fill her with happiness and joy. Well and some tears too. Gosh we all need a good cry sometimes. We have stories of all the mommies out there. From stay at home to work form home to doing it all moms. As with all of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, the short stories are perfect for end of the day reading or getting the day started stories. We all see ourselves and those we love in these text too. I am thrilled that I can share this one with you too. So now here is the giveaway. THREE Chicken Soup for the Soul: Power Moms to three of my readers. Please leave me a comment (with your email too!) on what your favorite mom moment of the day is. Extra entries are always the same. Entries are with the normal comments. Another for following me anywhere....here, facebook, twitter...leave a comment for each place you follow me at. Make sure your email is with you profile or on the comment. I will have a winner withing two weeks.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copies of these books to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided.

Going to be New Parents

Did I tell you that my niece and her husband were going to have a new lil one? They are hoping for a son. My niece has an older daughter from a previous relationship and they have a younger daughter together. So a son would be really nice for them. Now without bringing up any real past I do want to say how proud of them I am. You see they are both very strong Christians. And they recently moved to a new town. So leaving their home church and finding a new one is always hard on a family. But it seems that God has led the way.

I wanted to do something special for both of them. So for my niece I gave her "Mom's Bible: God's Wisdom for Mothers" (the NCV version). I know that she has her trusty KJV and that it lives with her. But a companion bible is always nice. And I loved the way this one was both a study bible and a devotional too. My niece knows that her guidance is very important in their home. Especially since her husband has to travel for work so often. So having these tools at her finger tips is always helpful. I do wish to thank Thomas Nelson Publishers for letting me share this gift with her. What a great mom's gift to give to a expecting mother.

I also have a good book that I am sharing with her husband. He received "I'm Going to be a Dad: Now What?" It is a wonderful book to answer all those questions. We all wish our children came with an instruction book--right? Well here is the help that those Dads are looking for. I was thrilled to read all the information it shared on how to be a supportive husband during the pregnancy. And then the great parenting tips to help from the 3 a.m. feedings to dealing with teething on to juggling work and being a parent. Whew! What a job it all is. I also thank Atlantic Publishing for helping me with this gift too!

What tools or books have you cherished as you traveled down the path of parenthood? Where do you turn to keep your head on straight during the whirlwind? Has there been that one special gift you would like to share with young parents? My favorite two are actually children's books. There is the "Potty Book" (one for boys and one for girls) that was quite instrumental in helping out my own daughter. And then the always popular and tear jerker "Love You Forever". Remember the one where the mother sings to her sleeping baby: "I'll love you forever / I'll love you for always / As long as I'm living / My baby you'll be. ... Yeah! It gets me!

Yes You Can!

"Can you hear me now?" That is a phrase we most often associate with cell phones. But it seems to be a under current of how we feel. Do you, can you, will you hear me? How often do you speak only to feel that your not heard. I think that is almost every mom's downfall.

Well as you know by now, I think the books that are written for the work force are great to use at home too. The issues are the same just on a different front. And us moms want not only to be heard but for the follow through to happen also. "Yes You Can!" written by Stacey Hanke and Mary Steinberg gives us tips on how to influence others to take action. Here we learn that it is not just what we say but how we say it.

A prime example is my Dear Hubby. He does not tell me what to do...he ask...in a loving way. In response I almost always want to comply. I mean how do you not say yes to a request that has Dear, Thank You, Please and Appreciate You all in it? Now this communication is not something that came natural to him or I. But through trial and error (we both have been married twice before).

And in return I have had to learn a few things. With my type A personality (you know the Mrs. Always Right issue) I have to stop myself and remind myself that I do not know it all. And what I do not know, I DO NOT know. And also to pause. Listen. Hear! Less is more you know. Or as so many designers will say, edit edit edit.

What I do like is the point of direct communication. Looking in the eyes when you talk. To speak to be heard not to just talk. And that we should speak less and listen more. What great skills to pass on to our kiddos.

CG Hi-Jacked Crazed Mind

College Girl here, hijacking my Mom's blog for a guest review. Yay! When I first opened the envelope (with Mom's okay, of course) and saw Shannon Honeybloom's book Making a Family Home, I grinned my biggest grin and turned to Mom. Yes, at twenty-two, I'm still fully capable of pulling out the pleading puppy-eyes look when I need to. ;) I wanted to review this book, so I asked before even showing it to her. Better yet, after she saw it, she agreed! So, here we are and I get to tell y'all about this wonderful book. Also thanks so much to Tolly Moseley for sending it our way!

One of the first things I noticed were the beautiful photographs by Skip Hunt. These pictures are just as wholesome and clear as the book's message. As an amateur photographer myself, I love looking at and occasionally critiquing the work of others. The images in this book are beautiful and very well selected and placed. Amazing work.

The book itself is very straight-forward in its message, telling the
reader different ways to bring the focus of the home back to the
family, one room at a time. I love this idea, especially since its the
way I was raised and its how I want to raise my own family someday.
Shannon heralds the idea of a front porch area to prevent the social
isolation that so many seem to practice these days, whether they're
aware of it or not. She speaks out against the "electronic babysitter"
and toys that offer too much stimulation and not enough imagination.
Kids are encouraged to help out in the kitchen, which I always loved
to do.

The quote that I feel best summed up the book was in the chapter on
living rooms. "A lot of institutional architecture...strikes me as
lacking any real warmth. Designed with a strictly utilitarian or
pragmatic approach, they do not often have a personal, individual
touch. A home is different..." Reading this book was very much like
going back to my own childhood, days when I spent all my time outside
or curled up with my books. I thoroughly enjoyed doing this review and
plan on keeping this book in my personal collection. It's refreshing
to know that someone else out there gets it, that people still
understand that life isn't always about electronic gadgets or spending
money or going to work. Social activity for the sake of itself is
healthy, necessary to us as humans.

Thanks for letting me do this, Mom. I'm stealing your book. ;)

A note from mom and blog owner. Ok, yes College Girl grabbed my site, but you gotta let the kid help out some. She is really wonderful. Thanks to her for this review. But more so to Shannon Honeybloom. Shannon, a fellow Texan, mirrors my thoughts so well on making your house a home. Not the trappings of what looks the best but helping the family work as a unit. That stuck togetherness that gets you through hard times and makes celebrations wonderful. I would love to tell you I would share my book, but CG stole from me already. Yep! In her bags to go back to the dorm with her. But I can host a giveaway! Yes, Tolly is helping out here. So if you would like your own copy then pop over to Shannon Honeybloom's site for a visit. Come back to comment and of course do the regular entries. Additional entries can all be done with a separate comment for each for following, having my button, twittering, links on face book, sending others to the giveaway (they have to credit you) and blogging about this great giveaway. Make sure that I can contact you some how in order to let you know if your the winner.

Whale Done Winners

Here is our 5 winners for the Whale Done Parenting. Congrats to all the winners!



jenjo3d of Rants and Raves said...
Ok, I have to have one! I love the way they redirect negative attention and replace it with a good suggestion simply replacing bad behavior with good! Also, I will link to my blog. People will enjoy reading it even if they don't have kids. Jen and Poo
nchokkan said...
WOW, I read the first book in this series and simply loved it .. now can't wait for this second one!: From the sample chapters, what I liked most was, the 'supposed-to-be-complex-management-concept' is broken down into a useful theory for the real life, So that any parent could read, enjoy and benefit it!- Naga

Josie

In honor of their brand new baby that is growing in her tummy right now!

The poor college students guide to raising a baby

Kitten

Things About Things
To help with her lil lady as they both learn something new each day.

Lauren

A new mom and how I kick ass at it. I pretend to be domestic and would rather get a tattoo than don an apron. I am neither funny nor profound. What I am is medicated.

MOMMYISROCKNROLL.COM

Whale Done Giveaway

I have been a fan of Ken Blanchard for many many years. He helped me with the One Minute Manager when I was a young executive. Well he has now teamed up with a great group of trainers to give us Whale Done Parenting.

First I have to say that I think we all can use parenting help. Kids do not come with owners manuals (and some should). And there is all sorts of ways to help children become healthy adults. Here is a book to share positive parenting techniques for you and your kids.

Here we start with killer whale trainer-in-training Amy Sheldrake, who is able to get a killer whale to preform amazing tricks but had a hard time getting her own son to do simple task. So Amy and her husband started using the same principals that they used on killer whales on their own son. Once Amy and Matt were able to get the hang of the five Whale Done principles, they then saw a dramatic difference in overcoming challenges like following bedtime routines, dealing with tantrums, introducing new foods, sharing, avoiding overuse of the word no, learning to care for a pet, and instituting time-outs. Isn't this something we all would like to have a handle on?

Well, we are going to share this with you too! Yes, a giveaway! You can get your own copy of Whale Done Parenting right here. We are giving away 5 copies, yes 5! To enter first and foremost visit Whale Done Parenting and look at their first two chapters previe w. Tell me something you found interesting there. (This is mandatory to enter.) You can also have extra entries too. Additional entries can all be done with a separate comment for each for following, having my button, twittering, links on face book, sending others to the giveaway (they have to credit you) and blogging about this great giveaway. Make sure that I can contact you some how in order to let you know if your the winner.

Jump Time

I have been really lucky to get to have Emma here several days a week. She is College Girls lil sister (but not my child) and I am her sitter when mom and dad are at work. Well, Emma loves to go and 'extra-size' with me at Curves every day. But 3 year olds have lots and lots of energy. So we find other ways to get her 'extra-size' here at home too.

This last week we discovered Jump with Jill! A great lil cd of fun lively music that we danced around the living room too. Emma was bouncing around with her cute lil booty as I showed her my smooth disco moves. We had a great time. And the messages on the songs were great. About how to take care of our bodies with healthy food, drinking our water and getting our muscles all moving.

I know that Emma will be here today. And sadly Curves is closed for a holiday for the owner. So it will be a JUMP, JUMP, Jump with Jill day here for sure!

Using Your Strengths

Kids do not come with instruction manuals do they? And we all feel like we should have some sort of booklet that says "Now Your a Parent". So there are many self help guides out there and many have some sage advice. But our lives are changing and sage advice does not always work in today's situations. So where do we go from there.

"Parenting by Strengths" is a workbook for the challenging situations that we have in today's world. This workbook is made up by 7 different authors. A collaboration of advice that they have found works. Using positive psychology and personal strengths to help us guide our young ones. Also giving advice on how to work as a team to parenting. There is also a website with more information with a blog like feel to it.

So if your looking around and wondering how the kids got in control or where is the other half of your equation then you may want to look at this guide. You may find some workable solutions and helpful ideas waiting for your here.

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