On Friday morning my 13-month old baby boy Wills had his Prevnar booster vaccine. That afternoon he fussed, and by late evening had a fever of 38.5. On Saturday he stayed pretty much the same, miserable and with a low-grade fever that went up to around 38.7 a little past Midnight. I gave him his last dose of Calpol by then, and by the next day the fever was gone.
I’m always wary after my children have a vaccine. I suppose its because of all the news one hears on television and in the papers, that vaccines like MMR particularly, have been linked to Autism. Its something that parents dread hearing the most, especially after pediatricians (like mine) are staunch defenders of vaccines. It was actually reported in the Huffington Post a few weeks ago that in spite of a federal ruling in the “vaccine court” which showed NO link between MMR and autism, a little boy named Bailey Banks was also awarded nearly a million dollars because the courts found that his brain damage leading to autism was indeed caused by the MMR vaccine. You read horror stories on blogs like this one, called Vaccines Exposed, or even by celebs like Jenny McCarthy:
We believe autism is an environmental illness. Vaccines are not the only environmental trigger, but we do think they play a major role. If we are going to solve this problem and finally start to reverse the rate of autism, we need to consider changing the vaccine schedule, reducing the number of shots given and removing certain ingredients that could be toxic to some children.
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At least one or twice a week, my husband and I hear little footsteps in the dead of night, traversing from across the hall and into our bedroom, with “Mommy, I had a bad dream”. Usually, we are both too exhausted to take them back, so we end up with one (sometimes two) little bodies squeezed in between us. And putting them to bed is even more of an issue, with claims of “Mommy I’m scared”, “Mom I don’t want to be alone” (even if they aren’t alone, “Mommy I have bad dreams” etc etc., making the bedtime ritual stretch out even longer until bone tired Mom is about to pass out on the bunk with them.
So when I saw this product on My Daily Om, I thought, What a clever idea, I wish I thought of it!….followed by… I have to get one!. Formulated by a Mom, this fabulous spray gets rid of those bedtime monsters both physically and psychologically. Physically, because it uses essential oils and works it’s magic through aromatherapy, and psychologically, well, you know. We Moms are all amateur doctors, right?
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Recently, my sister sent me a link to download a new browser for kids, called KIDO’Z Browser.
My nearly-4 Ollie is budding computer geek, and would stay home and play on the computer or Wii all day if he could. After the long Christmas break it was a bit of a daily struggle to stick to the ” Friday rule” (which means he can only play on the weekends), but he’s a good little boy and now doesn’t make a fuss. Without much help from me, online he learned how to go through the bookmark folder I set up for him, with all his favourite sites like Sesame Street, Nick jr. etc. He even learned how to write his name on his own, and learn shapes, colors and so on, especially on Sesame. He never strays to “off limits” sites, nor does his sister, who also just sticks to their “Nat & Ollie” folder on my computer.
But I downloaded this KIDO’Z anyway, mainly because I trust my sister, who is good about giving appropriate, no viruses, non-spyware etc. things online (it won the 100% clean award!). And, it had really cute graphics!
Needless to say, both my kids LOVED it, as it is so easy to use. There is even a YouTube channel for kids videos, and they add new things regularly, which they claim are all child-friendly and safe (am still a little skeptical, so I check when I don’t know the site). Aside from a little bit of crashing the first day or so after I installed it on my Mac, we haven’t had any complaints.
Teething Bling
As any Mom (or Grandma, or Aunt) will tell you, babies love jewelry, especially if its hanging from your neck, as they can grab, pull and chomp on it. NOT good if we’re talking about precious gold, bejewelled, fatally-chokeable stuff. GREAT if its bling which the kid can actually chew, tug and and not only will it not break, but it’ll look good on Mom too!
And that’s exactly what the very clever people at Smart Mom made – lovely pendants and bangles which Moms can wear precisely for their babies to chew on. And as a proud owner of an orange pendant and bangle, I can honestly say that baby Wills, LOVES it too. I love love love the idea, especially because of what it’s made of:
“…We use only the highest-quality, phthalate-free, federally approved silicone in our Teething Bling™ line. The material is non-toxic, latex-free, food–safe, even dishwasher-friendly! It is the same silicone used in many other popular teething products and SGS test reports are available upon request. Although we stress that this is adult jewelry not intended for children to wear, all of our pendants come with a breakaway clasp as an added safety feature.”
And best of all, the Moms who made this great product are also giving a part of their proceeds to charity, like Cure Search and Dress for Success.
So if you haven’t thought of a Christmas present for another Mom in your life, or as a treat for yourself, Teething Bling is a fantastic idea.
Green Mommy Green Baby
I’m a review-nut. Well, I don’t know if that’s the right term, but what I mean to say is that before I go on a trip, buy a product, eat in a restaurant or see a film or show, I almost ALWAYS read the reviews FIRST. That little extra time spent on Trip Advisor for example, has made our recent family trips hugely successful – gone are the days where my husband and I would end up in places which were nothing like the “brochure” promised!
When it comes to things for my family, I tend to be even more careful, especially with the kids and baby Wills. Obviously, I’ve jumped on the “Green Bandwagon” so to speak, and support anything green for the family. So it was great finding a community like the Green Home Huddle, a place where you can read and give reviews for loads of eco-friendly products.
Right now, they have a great contest going, sweetly entitled Green Mommy Loves Green Baby where you can win some fantastic baby and Mommy care products – all of which are natural and organic of course! All you have to do is review products that you already use (or want to use), which I consider the fun part (is it obvious that I like giving my opinion?), and hey presto, you’re in the running.
Good luck!
Secret Santa Mail
It’s all about Christmas these days, and since this is the first year that my daughter Nat has actually written to Santa on her own (in the past we’ve just “emailed“- and I did all the writing!), I thought it would be a special treat for her and her brother Ollie to receive a real letter from Santa. It is also the first Christmas where her reading skills have improved so much that she is finally able to read it herself – and best of all, and still believe! (my 3-year-old on the other hand, will be thrilled with that fact that something in the mail is actually for him)…..And what is Christmas without a bit of magic?
Online there are loads of places where you can get this sort of “Santa” letter, but the one I am using is owned by a stay-at-home-Mom like myself, called Secret Santa Mail.
It is pretty straightforward and easy (you can pay by PayPal, which I always prefer over using my credit card online), and all you have to do is to supply them with some information about your child, accomplishments and what they want for Christmas. They also offer two packages, both of which come with little extras if you choose, like Christmas stickers or a Santa teddy bear – a lovely touch that makes it more special, I think!
So with bated breath, I’ll be waiting for the letters to arrive….most especially to see my children’s faces when they open them!
Teething
Even though Wills’ nasty virus is on its way out (since my last post he went through 5 days of fever, wheezing and even diarrhea), his constant drooling and swollen gums show that my little guy is still teething badly. He’s smiling more now, and is back to his active self, but he still still has his moments (of sudden pain?). Because I don’t recall my two elder children teething as badly as this (or is it Mommy amnesia?) I had some questions. How painful was it? When did it usually strike worst? When would it be over?
So I sought advice from one of my favourite online doctors, Dr. Greene who said this:
“….Young teethers can’t talk. We don’t know the moment teething pain starts and stops. Teething pain and its remedies are very difficult to evaluate scientifically. Therefore, we must rely on observation — general observations by many parents and care-providers, as well as specific observations of our own children.
When the mouth becomes a source of pain, it is quite unsettling for some kids. If you’ve ever bitten the inside of your cheek, you know how distracting a bit of newly irregular flesh can be. For a baby, the intrusion of a hard, sharp tooth through tender, swollen gums can be quite an adjustment. Some get used to it quickly, but at first it can be more uncomfortable than a pebble in a shoe.
The teeth (or tooth) that causes the most pain varies from child to child. It is often the first tooth that causes the most discomfort — or those big molars, when they arrive. For many babies, working on several teeth at once is the worst…..”
In a nutshell? The golden rule of parenting: Each child is different. I got off lightly with my other two on the teething, but Wills didn’t put me through the torment of colic like Ollie did. Ollie is now a saintly 3 year old, but Nat was a terror at that age. So I as I watch Wills playing on his exersaucer, he stops, looks right into my eyes and gives me a toothy smile,
I realize that no matter how tough these baby stages can be it doesn’t really matter when they smile at you like that.
Photo via sarniebill
Animal School
Today I watched the
Animal School video of
Ellen Braun yet again. It never fails to make me somewhat teary, but more importantly, inspires me to be a better, or as Ellen rightly says,
effective parent.
I’ve blogged about this in the past, but I just can’t give enough praise to this video, or to Ellen’s website, Raising Small Souls. I’m fortunate to say that my parenting experiences have been wonderful, but as every Mom will know, there are just days (ok, weeks or even longer!), when things do get on top of you, when you find yourself shouting in the morning rush for the school bus, at homework time (“for the last time, come and do your homework NOW!!”), at bedtime (“stay in bed, please!”) and throughout the day (“don’t hit your sister!”).
My husband, who has infinite patience with the kids and has only ever blown up with them just two or three times in the 6 1/2 years we’ve been parents, keeps me in check by saying very calmly,
“you’re very angry these days”
And that’s always a good wake-up call! But aside from spousal intervention, there are a number of things you can do to stop the Mom fury ( I’ll be listing my favourites down in a future post). Ellen has an interesting article in her site which tells you to “yell at your kids in the afternoons, not in the mornings“, which is a great idea, because you can still yell, just not all day, which is do-able, right?
Now I’m all for a “joyful morning atmosphere”, but
some of her other “Rise and Shine” ideas, like making blueberry pancakes WITH the kids, is downright impossible in my household on school days. Like my husband, my daughter is a zombie for at least the first hour upon waking, so the idea of baking at 6.00 a.m. would probably solicit more yelling from me anyway. But she does make a good point in saying that:
“Let us begin with the premise that the morning sets the tone remainder of the day. We all know that ‘waking up on the wrong side of the bed’ can forecast the beginning of a troublesome day, so the opposite must hold true as well: a pleasant morning will foretell the wonderful afternoon that is ahead!”
I do not have a teenager girl – yet – but I am sure that some of our readers do. I am actually a little bit anxious about having a teenager daughter as I can still recall clearly the headaches that I gave my mother when I was that age – literally. Yet I do believe that it could be a great time to create stronger bonds between mother and daughter, especially since the daughter is starting to come into her womanhood.
One of the ways by which mother and daughter can bond is by engaging in activities that relate to beauty and fashion. This is particularly true if mother and daughter have the same interests in regard to this topic. We received an e-mail from one of our readers who works for Blossom4Girls, a web site that offers a line of skin care products for teenagers.
I like their mission statement:
At Blossom we feel that girls should not ‘make up’ their face, but should care for their face. By using only natural, pure and gentle ingredients, Blossom is formulated to work with the delicate needs of blooming skin. With four unique collections, for skin, hair, bath and body, every product is personalized to work with a variety of complexions.
I have never tried their products but from their description, I think that it may be a good idea to check them out. They also currently have a contest:
To celebrate the beginning of summer vacation and school letting out, Blossom will be throwing a slumber party for one lucky winner and her friends. The slumber party attendees will receive a Pizza Hut gift certificate, Blockbuster gift
certificate and spa products from Blossom including Pure-Fection Cleanser, Get
Real Facial Mask, All Star SPF 30 and Sugar Bomb Body Mist. Tweens interested in entering the contest can visit http://www.blossom4girls.com/FunStuff/Contest.
Do I have what? What in the world is parental street cred? Well, let’s start with street cred. According to the Urban Dictionary, street cred is:
1. Commanding a level of respect in an urban environment due to experience in or knowledge of issues affecting those environments.
2. Your “coolness” factor.
3. Imaginary “points” you get when you do something cool.
So what does it have to do with parenting? Pam Stillman, one of our readers, brought a new site to our attention – ParentalStreetCred. It is about being seen as “cool” by your children and at the same time exhibiting good parental skills.
I paid a visit to the site and was immensely amused by the instructional videos on offer. I like how they used a geeky (sorry for the term but it seems so appropriate) man to give tips to parents. In this site, parents will learn how to relate to their kids, who may seem to be worlds apart from them. Topics include saying hello, dance floor etiquette, skateboarding, clothing, dissing, and video games.
Though the videos may seem a bit goofy at first, the pointers offered are quite practical and provide various insights to our children. Let us say that it is a refreshing way of looking at the differences in generations. One thing I’d like to say, though, I really prefer the PS3 to the Xbox360, which is the sponsor of this site. 
Does that mean I have more parental street cred???
