Hug those babies!

   Yesterday I went to my son’s Kindergarten program. A friend of mine told me that a boy in the morning class had been killed in a car accident. This boy had never been in any of my son’s classes but he had been in the same preschool and the next door Kindergarten class. I know his mother and had seen his picture in her office many times. All I could think about for the rest of the day was that she should have been there taking pictures along with the rest of us.

   I didn’t know this boy personally but his death hit me hard. I made sure to give my kids an extra hug that night before bed and tell them how much I love them.

   Hug those kids and make sure they know without a doubt that you love them!

And in this corner we have…..

I have three boys who fight constantly. I mean like fist fight, not like most kids do. One of my sons spilt the others lip recently. I have become so tired of stepping in and breaking them up that I finally started letting them fight it out. That (obviously) didnt work. So today I tried a technique that my mother talked about. It is called the hugging time out. I make them stand in whatever room i happen to be in and hug for 5 minutes because that is how old the youngest is. It honestly works! I was in shock! After 5 minutes they had forgotten all about what it was they were fighting about. Each time they got mad and stopped hugging, I started the timer over. You can tell just how happy they were over this time out by the look on my youngest sons face.

Now if I could just find a way to get them to pick up their rooms.

Great Toddler Out-of-the-House tips

We all know what a pain it can be to take kids out of the house. Whether their babies, toddlers, or young kids. Here are some tips to keep them quiet and happy, and you with all your sanity.

•  BRING FOOD: Always make sure your loaded down with snacks. No matter whether your driving 4 hours, or just popping out to the store, you never know when the hunger bug will strike. And I can almost promise it will happen quickly the first time you forget them. My personal choices are: Raisins (for toddlers, fun to get out of the box) apples; pre-cut in baggies  (chewy, and very easy clean up) bananas (great for toddlers and early foody’s, easy to carry and tasty to boot), and for the younger ones, simply throw cheerios in a sandwich bag for snacks on the run.
• TOYS:On the the most important things you can bring! No matter the age, a variety of toys is always an essential! What’s worse then a screaming kid in the middle of rush hour traffic? A screaming kid with nothing to distract them! This one is pretty self explanatory. Although one quick note: if you choose toys that make alot of noise or sing songs, make sure you can stand it when their playing it for the 100th time straight in a row.
• EXTRA ESSENTIALS:If you child needs bottles, diapers, binkies or anything such as that, make sure you take twice as much as you think you’ll need. Monster as a very bad citrus allergy, and you’ll never know when he accidentally gets orange instead of apple juice. I always have children’s allergy medication on me, and at least twice the amount of what I could possibly need. As for diapers and wipes, ever tried to change a extra-poopy diaper on a Taco Bell bathroom floor when you forget your wipes, and didn’t bring a changing pad? Trust me, it’s not pretty. You may think you won’t need it, but you never know with kids!

Call me the Mom-enator.

My name is Megs, and I’m the mom to a beautiful 2-year-old son named Jack, who we all affectionately call Monster. My husband is a soldier in the US Army, so I spend alot of my time being a single-married mom. I don’t claim to know everything about being a mom, but my son is teaching me everyday. He’s in full-on two year old mode, and just about as energenic and crazy as they come. I also watch a 2 year-old girl during the day (she’s 2 hours younger then my own son!) so I’m starting to learn about dealing with 2 at a time!

Bedtime

Bedtime is all important for the well being of both you and your child. They need the structure and you need the time off. My oldest son used to stay up until 11:00 or later. It got so bad that I wore out before he did. I finally started putting him to bed 15 minutes earlier each night until he was going to bed at…..are you ready for this?……6PM! That’s right, he went to bed at 6 and hubby and I had the chance to snuggle on the couch and watch something that wasn’t animated. It was hard for a while and you will need to find what works best with your child. For my son I would lay on the floor next to his bed and sing songs after we read a story and said our prayers. The first few nights, he cried and screamed and yelled. Be patient, this is so worth it. After three or four days he only cried for a few minutes. Eventually he would just go lay down and be asleep before I got through the first song. And once he got a bit older, I could put him in bed and actually leave the room without hysterics. My kids get out of control at bed time. This is a sure sign that they are tired and need sleep. They are old enough now that they can stay up until 8. Unless there is some reason for them to be up later, bedtime is strictly enforced. Bedtime is bedtime and there is no room for argument. My kids still sleep until it is time to wake up and get ready for school but your might not. You will need to find your own time and methods but I have tried several so if you have any questions, feel free to ask! Good luck and sweet dreams.

I am Legend but you can call me Amanda

My name is Amanda and I have three boys ages 8,6, and 5. I have both whiners and fire starters, but those are stories for another day. I am happily married and love to talk about my kids and take care of my pets. I work with an animal rescue orginazation and my children help me with that. My kids are all hyper active and have done things that most children wouldn’t even think of doing. I have learned many tricks over the years to keep my adventurous boys safe and in one peice (more or less) so if you want advice, just let me know.