Smart time in the kitchen

I saw this during a random channel-flipping on Rachel Ray, and I hope I'm not the ONLY person who hasn't thought of it. It is genius.

Onions. Kids hate them. But, we all know that they make things taste better. So her suggestion was to cut it in half, and dice up the half without the roots/strings. Then you pull as much of the strings off as you can with your hands and just plunk it in. When your food is ready, just take it out and toss it. Genius! The food still tastes good, but isn't infiltrated by onion.

I do this now with celery too, in soups. My kids won't touch celery, but it makes such good broth, I just cut each stalk in half then take them out.

Dinner in a Pumpkin

Here's a little recipe that might be fun to try this year. It's one my mom would make every year at Halloween and we loved it. If you have picky eaters as discussed below, however, this might not go over very well! But it's worth a try and makes a fun Halloween night dinner. Here goes...


Dinner in a Pumpkin

1 medium/small pumpkin, cleaned out, rinsed, with a good size top cut out for scooping out the casserole
1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey or beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can mushrooms (sliced), drained
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. soy sauce (key to the flavor)
3/4 cups chopped onions
1 tbs. oil
1 1/2 cup cooked brown or white rice

Sautee onions in oil. Add ground meat, brown. Then add brown sugar, soy sauce and soup- simmer 10 minutes. Add cooked rice. Fill pumpkin with mixture and put top on. Bake at 350 for at least 1 hour.

Picky Eaters

Many of you, I'm sure, have experienced or are experiencing a "picky eater." I get the question "How do I help my child eat what we eat?" almost as much as the "My child doesn't talk yet but do I really have to take her to a therapist?" question. Hopefully some of this information may be helpful for you with your kids.

Background:

There are two types of "feeding disorders" (official term dysphagia), mechanical and sensory. Children can have one or both of these disorders. Sometimes, an aversion may be developed as a response to a physical condition, such as reflux, allergies, or indigestion. These issues should be consulted about with a doctor, as well as considering appropriate diet modifications.

Mechanical dysphagia is less common in children, but all children go through the learning stages of it-this is called "learning to eat." :) Children older than age 2 (possibly even at 18 months) who still drool excessively, have difficulty keeping food in their mouths as they chew (especially piecey food like rice or cooked vegetable bits), or cannot physically chew foods as solid as pretzels, pasta, or chicken nuggets would possibly fall into this category. Certainly, any regular coughing or choking during feeding is of concern as well.

Sensory dysphagia is more along what most people call "picky eaters." For some children, it is so severe that they cannot be in the presence of food without feeling sick. You may be able to relate to that from pregnancy where even the sight of a particular food made you feel so averse to it you had to look away. So, naturally, you avoid that food until it looks good to you again. Sensory dysphagia involves any smell, sight, touch, or taste of a food that produces a negative reaction or aversion in a child.

What can I do about it?
Mechanical dysphagia is best treated by a speech pathologist trained in feeding, and who will train you to work on it at home. Sensory dysphagia may require professional help in the most extreme cases (ie vomiting, persistent refusal of food with subsequent weight loss and malnourishment as a result). However, for picky eaters, usually you can make some small modifications at home to help your child get past it.

1. Evaluate your family's eating habits

Start with looking at what your family eats. Do you eat a lot of one kind of food? Do you have regular mealtimes? How much of your foods and snacks are high in sugar? My favorite thing is parents who complain their child won't eat at mealtimes, and it's because they get a huge snack RIGHT BEFORE dinner? Of COURSE they won't eat if they just had 10 Oreos. Do you do this? Children, just like adults, can easily set their bodies to know when it's mealtime. Just because they're hungry as you're cooking doesn't mean that they need a snack. It just means they smell dinner and their bodies are getting ready to eat. Are they drinking lots of juice, which is sweet and yummy, AND fills their tummy before they can eat anything?

2. Familiarize the child with food:

Starting with sight and touch, have the child experience foods that he/she is averse to. Have him/her help in the kitchen with preparation, let the child play with the food in perhaps a messy way. For example, if your child doesn't like foods with mixed textures (ie, pasta with meat or veggies, casseroles) let them have some dry rice/pasta, and pieces of whatever else you put in it and let them play with it in play dough or something else that could mock sauce. This will help their eyes and hands adjust to the idea of multiple textures in foods (thus eliminating 2 sensory pathways). Be sure to talk about how it feels in your fingers, what different "treasures" you can discover in your mudpile, and praise the child for touching the foods. If you can use the actual food, it is even better. As the child explores the food with their hands, they will become somewhat "desensitized" to it, and may even sneak a bite of something they find. This should definitely be encouraged.

3. Don't be afraid to use flavor!

As adults, we don't always like things with bold flavor, but children do not have as developed olfaction as we do. Sometimes, they can't even taste what is in their mouth. If your child likes sweet, try adding cinnamon or nutmeg to oatmeal, yogurt, pancakes, on toast, to warm milk-anything! If your child likes salty, add curry, paprika, chili powder, or garlic to anything-even what you wouldn't think to put it in (like oatmeal or pancakes, macaroni and cheese). If you cook a dish with any of those spices in it, add extra to your child's serving. The flavor will draw them to it, and drown out anything about it they may not like.

4. Build on what they like

Many parents say, "Well, they really like all these foods..." GREAT! Use them! If they like something, combine it with something they don't like. You may think it's weird to put cereal on spaghetti or ice cream on broccoli, but if it works for them-let them do it! It gives them a sense of control over what they're eating. It also bridges the gap between "will eat" and "won't eat" without you having to make everything "will eats." Ketchup, cheese, syrup, and ranch dressing can become your best friends with almost any meal. Either put it on top, or if they like to dip, give them a dollop and let them do whatever makes them happy. As they begin to eat the new food with more regularity, you can place conditions on it, such as "Eat this one piece first, and then I'll put cheese on it." You can also say, "This first, and banana next." Even very young children can understand that. See #5 below to see varying stages of "forced" eating.

I have tried a few of those pureed vegetable recipes made famous by Jerry Seinfeld's wife. To be honest, I'm not impressed. First, I just didn't like them. Second, I think it is very important to not DISGUISE the unliked food so much that the child is unaware of what they're eating. This is my personal opinion-I don't know that research anywhere supports or disproves it. It can be very easy to add some chopped broccoli or spinach to macaroni and cheese. If your child is like one of mine and doesn't like whole chicken, it can be chopped small and put in mashed potatoes or smothered in ketchup. But the original food is still there, so he knows he's getting chicken.

5. Always force "just one bite"-or not

For some kids who absolutely cannot tolerate a certain food, it is unreasonable to make them eat one bite. That is just going to make a psychological block to the food, and make their aversion worse. In these instances, use this hierarchy:
-touch with hands
-touch the food to their lips
-touch the teeth
-touch the tongue
-touch the tongue for several seconds
-hold the food in the mouth for several seconds, and spit out
-chew the food in the mouth and spit out

THEN, you make the child eat one bite and swallow it. As appropriate you increase the bites. It may sound silly to go through the steps, but I promise this works. Remember to moderate quantities, and they realistically may not eat all you give them. The general rule of thumb for a minimum is 1 tablespoon of each food for each year of age (ie, a 2 year old should do 2 T each of veggie, main dish, and side dish), or somehow a total of 6 T for the meal.

6. Make meal time FUN!

Most of all, there shouldn't be pressure at meal times. It should be a fun time. Some of the best things to do with picky eaters is play with their food. Yes, goes against all manners we have ever learned, but it makes eating seem more like something enjoyable to do when the child doesn't like to do it to begin with. Use cookie cutters for sandwiches, let them choose shapes for pancakes (that you have snuck apples or peaches into to give them varied texture), use food coloring, make sculptures out of pasta or mashed potatoes, throw in some goldfish and make them swim in the tomato soup. There are so many ways to make meal times more enjoyable for the child-which in turn, should make it more enjoyable for you.

7. Praise

Honestly, eating a variety of foods is something we expect our children to do. So, when they do anything that is a major step in broadening their repertoire, STAY CALM! Be sure to give praise, but don't break out in dance and song. They need to know they've done something good, but not be treated like they've won the Olympics because it is EXPECTED for them to eat the food you prepare for them. A quiet, "I am very proud of you for eating that" or "I love the way you held that in your mouth" will give them the appropriate encouragement. And you can anticipate, "I am excited to see you do that again another time."

There is SO much more to this, but this should give you a good start on getting the picky out of eating. If you have specific questions, feel free to email me. Good luck!

Scripture Stickers

Just thought I'd post a scripture study idea I got from MeckMom.com. I needed a quick and easy, daily scripture study idea for my girls (4 1/2 and 3) that they would be interested in.

MeckMom has the Gospel Art Picture Kit download that you can make into to scripture stickers- it's the pictures from the kit, made smaller and the colors lightened, so that when you print them on clear sticker paper, you can cut them out and stick them over the scripture (as seen in above picture). Go to THIS website to download the pictures pdf's, and then go to any office supply store to get Avery #8665 Clear Full Sheet Mailing Labels to print them off on.

I also put the pictures kit pics in a binder, with the stickers in the back. So in the morning, we grab our Scripture Pictures & Scripture Stickers, and one girl gets to choose a picture. Then I tell the story and read 1 or 2 scriptures about it, and then they get to put that sticker in their own little Book of Mormon. It has been a great way to do scripture study for this age. They love it!

Potty help!

Another potty training question, moms. Brigham (4 and 1/2) is potty trained. Until he isn't. And I don't know what to do. When he has some emotional trauma (ie, new preschool, Daddy out of town, leaving the Grandmas) he regresses. All the way. And I mean, all the way-both ends. Although, recently, there has been no reason.

I even pulled out his old sticker charts the other day. Seriously, if this is the one developmental thing that's hard for him, I can cope. But honestly-there have to be some better ways.

HELP!!

Halloween Fun

What are some of your favorite memories/activities to do with your kids for Halloween? I know I've seen lots of you with super crafty pictures on your blogs of things you make together-PLEASE SHARE!

Mommy quotes

I was just going back over my May 2008 Ensign (411-LDS church magazine) and found so many good quotes that I had completely forgotten about that really pertain to motherhood.

Sooo, in anticipation of another conference, I thought I'd share a couple "mommy quotes" and invite you to share some of yours as well.

Elder Russell M. Nelson-Salvation and Exaltation

"The home is to be God's laboratory of love and service."

"Do not try to control your children. Instead, listen to them, help them to learn the gospel, inspire them, and lead them toward eternal life. You are God's agents in the care of children He has entrusted to you. Let His divine influence remain in your hearts as you teach and persuade."

Cheryl C. Lant-Righteous Traditions

"Are [our traditions] what we want them to be? Are they based on actions of righteousness and faith? Are they mostly material in nature, or are they eternal? Are we consciously creating righteous traditions, or is life just happening to us? Are our traditions being created in response to the loud voices of the world or are they influenced by the still, small voice of the Spirit? Are [they] . . .going to make it easier for our children to follow the living prophets, or will they make it difficult for them?"

Please share your favorites before we get more great info this weekend!

Lynes Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Lynes Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family history - Genelogy

Lynes Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Lynes Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Lynes Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Geneology - Free pedigree charts

GUITLY as charged...

So this isn't an Emotional Development question for children, it's my OWN emotional development question! Is that allowed in this category? I hope so... I need help! So I'm hoping any of you Smart Mommies can share your thoughts-
I think my biggest challenge with being a mom is this constant nagging guilt I feel. If I'm running on the treadmill, I feel guilt because I'm having my girls zone out in front of a TV show for an hour every morning while I run and shower. But if I don't run I feel guilt because I'm not taking care of myself. If I say "I can't play with you right now, I'm cleaning/cooking dinner/etc" I feel guilt because I should be paying more attention to my kids. But if I play with my kids, I feel guilt because my house isn't getting any cleaner and there are a thousand projects I should be doing. If I practice my music lessons I feel guilty because it takes time away from my kids and house. But if I don't practice I feel guilt because I'm wasting money on lessons and not helping myself develop talents. If I am strict with my kids I feel guilt. But if I am too lenient I feel guilt. And the list goes on... I know, it's ridiculous.
I know there is a HAPPY medium somewhere, and several times I feel like I've found it- where I can enjoy the moment and not worry about other things, and enjoy my children and be content with how things are going. But all too soon it slips away and the guilt starts creeping in again.
Does anyone else struggle with this? Is this just a common factor of being a mom? What do you do? Any good books/scriptures/quotes you can recommend? I would love to read your insights of how you enjoy being a mom, move past guilt, and be satisfied with your efforts as a mother without being guilt-ridden. Please share!!!

Happy Cards

This is a discipline idea that I've used, and honestly, it was more my salvation than beneficial for my kids.

I made little pouches for each out of paper, and wrote on the front "I can be happy" with a smiley face. We have a million Thomas cards around the house, so they each get 3 to start each day in their happy card pouch. On the first instance of freaking out, disobeying, sassing, whatever, they lose the first happy card and we decide what the punishment will be when all 3 are gone. This works well, because by this point in the day I can see what will be important to them, thus I know what privilege to revoke. The next time they misbehave, they lose another happy card. The third time, they lose the happy card and the privilege (usually a favorite toy, playtime outside, going to a friend's house). If they continue to misbehave, they just continue to lose privileges.

They can, however, have their happy cards reinstated by getting "super star" cards. These are given out after the happy cards are gone, and can be traded to get a happy card back. Each instance of good behavior, helping with a chore, showing good manners, earns a super star card. When he gets 3 super star cards, he can trade for 1 happy card, and his privilege is restored. I know is sounds complicated, but it actually is very logical to their little brains.

The best thing about this, is that instead of losing my temper or feeling like all I do is time-out or take stuff away, this gives us both a gradual outlet for discipline and learning consequences. It really worked well for the 2-4 age range, and Brig has kind of out-grown it now. He did make happy cards for Mommy and Daddy too, which was good, because we couldn't argue when he took our happy cards, just like he can't argue when we take his. It gave us some useful insight to what he feels is inappropriate to him!

Teething Idea

My youngest Adin is teething, which at 8 months I'm not complaining. But the other day he was unbearable because he was not only hungry (there is only so much that breastfeeding can do) but his teeth were bothering him. I had a brilliant idea at dinner time. I have some bananas that I fast froze in my freezer. I pulled out one and gave it to him (actually I held it while he bit it because it was quite cold). It worked like a charm!! Not only was it cold to help with the teeth but he got some nurishment because it was a banana. Beware though because as it melts it gets messy and gooey.

Super Saturday?

Okay Smart Ladies...

Any ideas for great enrichment meeting - super saturday activities? I've planned too many of these the past few years and my ideas are running short!

What have you guys done or would like to do??? Anything jumping out at you?

Thanks in advance!

Summer Boredom

Help!! I'm not sure what is going on but ever since my 6 year old finished kindergarten we have been in an "I'm bored Mom" stage. He doesn't express himself that way, mostly in other ways like pestering his brother and sister, wanting to watch TV constantly, destroying things around the house. Every suggestion that I make is met by a "no." I try to do or go to one fun thing a day and there are friends in the neighborhood to play with, but the attitude and problems remain.
Any suggestions will be most welcome!!

How do I know if my child has a speech or language problem?

This is the most common question I get from parents, friends, neighbors, and the lady standing behind me at the grocery store when they find out that I am a Speech Language Pathologist. So, let me share...

First of all, let's talk about the difference between Speech and Language.

When a person has trouble understanding others (receptive language), or sharing thoughts, ideas, and feelings completely (expressive language), then he or she has a language disorder. When a person is unable to produce speech sounds correctly or fluently, or has problems with his or her voice, then he or she has a speech disorder.

This is the way I would explain it to my students: Speech deals with sounds, Langauge deals with meaning.

Speech
So, if you are having difficulty understanding what your child is saying and if they are becoming frustrated, it's most likely a speech problem. You can check an articulation chart to see if your child's speech is developing appropriately. Here is a good handout from Super Duper Inc. or here is a chart from Talking Child.

Keep in mind that there is a wide range of normal development and that charts will also differ depending on when the research that the chart is based on was completed.

Language
If you are having difficulty understanding the meaning of what your child is trying to tell you or you worry that they are not using language at an appropriate level for their age, it's most likely a language problem. Here is a great post from Mommy Speech Therapy that includes some communciation milestones to check. The Child Development tracker on PBSparents is also a great resource.

If you still have concerns after looking at these resources it may be a good time to contact a Speech Language Pathologist in your area.


This is some broad advice to get you started, if there are any specific questions out there I would be happy to answer. And I'm sure the other SLPs on this site are sitting on the edges of their seats ready with advice as well. :)

Raindrops on roses. . .

What is your favorite part of being a mother?

Rachel Pierce Bio

Here's the first bio of many. Rachel White Pierce was my (Megan) freshman roommate at BYU. I have memories of coming home from class with her standing in front of the mirror, cutting her own hair from very long to VERY short, Food-4-Less calamari, and talking all night about (what else?) boys. She studied Recreation Management and Youth Leadership, which translates into "I do as many volunteer programs as possible so that I have absolutely NO free time." It seems her incredible multi-task-ability continues (which is a compliment).

She met her husband Tom (PriceWaterhouseCoopers Accountant) at The Colony Apartments in Provo and they have now been married for 5 years. She has Ella (4), Mia (2) and another baby girl just born two weeks ago-Lyla. Rachel is very good at coming up with visual learning tools for her children, much in the Pottery Barn style. She's an avid runner who is anticipating the loss of the buddha and the gain of the running shoes again after her little one arrives. She self-professes to love "gardening (if this crazy Utah snow will ever stop!), photography, and organizing (OTHER peoples houses)." She is very active in the local MOMS CLUB. She is very loving of others, and a VERY hard worker (as all good moms are).

We're so excited to have her insights on SmartMommies!

Church schedule

Here's the church schedule we use-only it's not the actual binder because that one fell apart.



Instructions: Print/take pictures of various parts of sacrament meeting schedule (ie, hymnal, bread, water, speakers, bishop, prayer, choir). Print, cut and laminate. Cut the soft side of a velcro roll into small pieces, and apply to the back of each picture. Cut the "pokey" side of the velcro into strips and place INSIDE the binder (tip: putting it on the outside will leave your skirt with lots of pokes and snags in it). You'll probably need about 3 rows, depending on how big your pictures are. If I ever redo these, I'll probably try to make them 1.5 inches wide by 2 inches long-2x3 was a little big.

Before sacrament meeting, look at the program and put the pictures on as they coincide with the program. Then, as the program proceeds, the child can take off each event after it happens, and put the picture back in the bag.

This really worked well for about 2 months, and then Brig didn't need it anymore. He was 2 then, so it works VERY well from that age and up.

Sacrament Meeting Woes

I have three children, ages 4, 2, and 5 months. Each Sunday we do our very best to have a relatively calm, reverent experience during Sacrament meeting, but each Sunday we leave church wondering why we bother to come. I understand that at their age they can't be expected to sit perfectly still and listen the whole time, but I really worry when our family becomes a distraction to others.

Part of the problem is that we have to get there about 20 minutes early because I'm the organist and have to do prelude. So, they have to sit there a full 90 minutes, which is long for anyone! One particular problem is that my two-year-old refuses to whisper and gets quite loud, especially when you ask her to be quiet...this provokes even louder talking. We've tried a variety of things, but nothing seems to be too effective. What can we do to help our kids make it through the whole meeting without going bonkers?! Has hanyone had any success in this area?

Toilet training & Teething

So I am an experienced mom with 4 children, but I still like trying new parenting things (especially if they work :)).

My 2 1/2 year old doesn't want to wear diapers anymore so I have decided to potty-train her. I have two older boys and they didn't have any desire to try until they were 3 and they were very difficult. Six pairs of pants & underwear in a day is not my idea of a good time. So any advice would be appreciated!

My 5-month old is teething, which is a joy!?! Any advice on how to make his (and consequently my) life easier?

Vampire Children

Anyone have some advice for 2 year-olds who bite?

He's bitten his brother a few times before, but we were at a friends house and he full on bit a little boys face (2.5 year old), causing bleeding. I wasn't right there so I don't know exactly what happened.

I made him watch the little boy he bit get cleaned up and talk about how bad it was, made him say sorry and give him a hug, but I am at a loss for how to stop this behavior (this by far was the worst).

So--what do you do when your 2 year old bites? (besides just tell them no---I need something to STOP the behavior)

Complexion troubles

Does anyone have any recommendations for facial cleansers? I had hoped I'd be out of my adolescent complexion by now, but I can't rid myself of it.

I'd love suggestions. . .

New Baby Advice

So I'm not a rooky to having a new baby- I'm due in a week with our third girl. But I AM worried about how her two sisters will react. They are four and two years old and are very excited about having another sister, but I know the novelty will wear off when the baby has been home, and I'm nursing her 24-7, and there's no room on my lap, etc.!

Are there any moms that can give me some good ideas about: sibling jealousy issues, nursing a baby successfully with other little ones around, keeping siblings busy and happy while tending to a new baby, bedtime routines for siblings with a new baby around, etc. etc. etc. Any ideas you have heard about or tried are definitely welcome. Obviously, I'm a little nervous about how it will work to be outnumbered, 3 to 2, kids to parents! So I would love to hear what ideas there are to make the transition as smooth as possible. Thanks!

Through-the-night potty training

How have you taught your kids how to sleep through the night without wetting the bed?

Bispheno-A (BPA)

Ok scientists, has anyone been able to sort out the mess with BPA? I have read all kinds of things on it, but can't really seem to decide if I really have to throw out my precious Nalgene bottle or not. Has anyone talked to their doctors about it? What are you doing with your baby bottles/water bottles?

Ask an Organic Food Buyer...

Hey moms, I was wondering if their are any nutritionists, or just those interested in it, out there who have info on buying organic. I am trying to make an educated decision on whether or not it's worth my money. If you have and articles, or studies, etc. that you know of, could you post them? Or just leave them in a comment? Anything is appreciated!

Tasty Treat

I am always looking for healthy/fun snacks for my kids...so I thought this might be a useful category to have! Feel free to post any of your favorite snacks too!

I found this basic recipe online years ago...but tweaked it enough over time that I now consider it my recipe! Give it a try...and the beauty of this one is that you can switch it up to whatever you like or what sounds good at the moment!!! Granted it's not the healthiest thing out there...but it's whole grain, slightly filling and I know what ingredients are going into it - no crazy preservatives or anything!!!

Chewy Granola Bars

Ingredients:
4 ½ cups rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter – melted
2/3 to ¾ cup honey
¼ cup brown sugar

Add-ins…these are some combinations that I’ve liked.
- Chocolate chip (1 cup) and marshmallows (1 cup) - my kiddo's favorite!!!
- Chocolate chips (1/2 cup) and peanut butter chips (1/2 cup) - my favorite combo! :)
- Craisins, coconut, chopped almonds – really good! Add in a ½-3/4 tsp of cinnamon with other -dry ingredients!
- Cinnamon and raisins
- Anything that sounds good.

Mix together the oats, flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in any add-ins. Melt butter and stir in honey, vanilla and brown sugar. Pour over oat mixture and mix well. Press mixture into cookie sheet (or just a 9x13 inch pan if you want really thick bars). Press mixture in firmly! Bake at 325 for 18-22 minutes (less time for thinner bars, more time for thicker bars). I press my bars down again after I take them out of the oven with a spatula. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan, and cut into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing. They’ll crumble if you take them out too soon or don’t press them firmly enough!!!
You can wrap them individually or place in an airtight container. They also store well in the freezer. They actually taste pretty good frozen too!

Sewing Help???

Has anyone ever sewn a baby shopping-cart cover? And if you have...is it easy? And where did you get your pattern? I'm thinking it's about time that I move my almost 1 year old out of his car seat when we go to the store (don't worry...I have shrimpy kids so he's totally fine in there still, but I know the ideal containment will have to come to an end sometime!!!) But my search for the cart covers has been maddening...they're either totally ugly (why don't they make cute stuff for boys?) or they're SOOOOOO expensive! So, I'm planning on putting my sewing skills to the test and trying it out, but I just don't know where to start!!!

I've found these instructions on etsy...shopping cart cover instructions. Or should I go purchase a real pattern from a sewing store??? Or should I just wing it and make up my own??? Any advice???

FHE Idea

Here is a fun and easy Family Home Evening idea. We first did it when Jachin, my oldest, was 2. He then requested the same lesson every Monday for 6 weeks. We have to do this lesson at least twice a year, but every time we add more details. First tell the story of Samuel, the Lamanite. If you have access to the picture it helps. Then choose someone to be Samuel, tie a blanket/cape around their shoulders and have them stand on a "wall" (we chose our couch). Then "Samuel" tells the people of Zarahemla to repent. The "people of Zarahemla" aka the rest of the family throw jumbo marshmallows at Samuel (trying not to hit Samuel, but it doesn't hurt if one goes astray). The treat at the end is, of course, marshmallows.

Etsy

Has anyone tried to sell something on Etsy.com? How did it go?

Girl's Hair

I have a two year old girl who has long hair. She gets compliments all the time about how beautiful her hair is, but there is a problem. She will not let me do it, even brush it. Sometimes I can sneak in a comb when she is eating. If she is really into a show I can do her hair and she doesn't even notice. At what point to I give up and chop it all off? Or do I let her go around like a rag-a-muffin with food, snarls and who knows what in her hair?

Anxiety help?

Ok gals. We seem to be having a severe issue with Brigham (4) with anxiety. Since Adam's return from Iraq (now 3 months ago), he has had a really (and I mean, REALLY) hard time anticipating typical routines like bath time, bed time, soccer, cleaning scrapes, etc. Literally, he freaks out screaming and yelling and fighting me for as long as I would last, I'm sure. I've tried prepping him verbally, but honestly I'm just sick of the FIGHT every single time. He's always fine once he's into it, it's just getting him over the anticipation, I guess.

Do/did your 4 year olds have a hard time with this? Any ideas on how to help him?

Another Special Time Idea!

This is a little addendum to the "Kid Date Night" post earlier. It's such a great idea to give kids their own time with us parents. I just thought I'd add my own experience and thoughts.

My mom and dad had something similar to a kid date night but called it a "Special Time" for me and my sibs all growing up and we LOVED it. The only difference was that, because there were 4 of us, we each got a "special week" of each month. During our special week, if we went to the store with my mom, we got a special treat. One of the nights of the week we got to stay up and have a "special time" with my mom and dad where we got to pick a game and treat. Then my parents would write us a little note in our "special time notebook"(one of which I still have and treasure!). And all during the week would be my mom's designated time to think about just us, and focus on our needs- whether it was replenishing our clothing, helping us with a certain school project, praying for something specific for us, etc. Not that she wouldn't do that at other times during the month! But, that week she just had it scheduled in to do those things for each of us- so noone got overlooked.

Make sense? Just thought I'd add these other ideas as options to the Special Day idea. We do this with my 4 and 2 year olds and they love it. They also love their Daddy Daughter Dates on the weekends. Usually this is just going to the pet store to look around, and then getting a treat. Or going to a park with ice cream. Or even just going to the store and picking something out. They just crave that one-on-one attention, and I can tell it's really good for their daddy-daughter relationship. That's all for now!

Happy Cards

This has been a great discipline tool for Brig-and me-because it is an immediate discipline that's not tragic (because time out just doesn't work anymore). It makes me feel less mean, too.

So he starts each day with 3 "happy cards." If he disobeys or is sassy or tells a lie, he loses one card for each instance of poor behavior. If he loses all 3, then he loses whatever is important to him that day (which is decided before the removal of the last card)-a particular toy, outside privileges, his one TV show.

Adam has added a reward component that we're trying out-Daddy cards (Brigham wasn't really at the level for this until recently). For each day Brigham keeps all his happy cards, he gets a Daddy card. If he has 5 by the end of the week, Adam takes him to do something fun.

Kid date night

This came from my cousin Tricia Weinert in a comment but I love the idea and I need to make some categories so I'm moving it:

The latest great idea that I've heard and tried came from the magazine Family Fun. (A great magazine with LOTS of fun ideas, crafts, foods, birthday ideas, physical movement, articles etc.) The idea was to assign a special night of the week to each child. We are going do this every week so we don't forget. So we put most of the children to bed and the child whose special night it is gets to stay up a 1/2 hour past their bed time. That child gets one on one time with both of the parents. We play games or whatever the child wants to do. We were trying to do date nights with the children once a month but we were always forgetting and this seemed like a great way to spend quality time with each of our children.

General Conference Bingo

This was a spin I had off the usualy bingo game for Brigham to pay attention during conference, that worked SOOOO well. We even let him put candy in repeatedly when he heard something more than once. He actually made it through 3 sessions with it!

Running question

Ok, runners, I miss running. BUT, when I run, my right knee starts to grind between the knee cap and tibia, and then goes into sharp pain that lasts for a few days afterward. Any suggestions?

What works for your baby when it won't stop crying?

Welcome!

I know so many of you who are such SMART mommies, I thought it would be fun to exhibit all the smartness in one spot. After Elder Ballard's talk today in Conference, I thought we could make a spot to talk about the good, bad, and ugly and to just be supports for each other. We need all the help we can get!

I thought of having a few categories to keep on a regular basis, let me know if you think of something else:

Busy hands equal busy minds
Baby advice
Ask a. . .(teacher, nurse, super cook, speech pathologist, health nut-LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW A LOT ABOUT)
Hobbies, hobbies, hobbies
Mommy Spa (ie, just for moms)
Tricks of the trade
Resources (send me any links you like)

Let me know your ideas-this is meant to be a free for all post!