Kidding
We have a toddler, and a baby in utero. Not exactly ready for school, one would think. But you’d be surprised how often I get asked where my 18 month old will go to school, or which schools we’ve checked out, or what our schooling philosophy is. And, sure enough, we have talked about it, discussed it, read up on options, and generally looked around at what the Twin Cities have to offer in terms of schooling. There are lots of great options! One that we discuss is homeschooling. Nothing like throwing gas on a fire to bring up the topic in the company of parents or teachers. 🙂 Some people are convinced that it’s the only and best way to go, others think it’s like putting your child in a time capsule, inhibiting her social growth, and turning her into a potential oddball. We think it offers wonderful flexibility with travel, learning beyond the classroom, and incorporating the whole family into the educational process. That being said, I don’t know that it will be what we choose, or what works best for us. We love the Montessori Method, and there are several great schools nearby that offer a wonderful Montessori education for young children: Cathedral Hill Montessori School, etc. There is also a great charter school in our area as well as our parochial school, St. Agnes, and both are excellent, A friend just posted on Facebook a link to 10 Celebrities Who Homeschool. The article shows them, and says…
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I love a good bargain. Mostly I love a good bargain on lovely things. Like adorable baby clothing, or great wooden toys. My favorite bi-annual source for both of these genres of goods, and more, is Just Between Friends Consignment Sales. No, I have no stake in the sales, nor do I consign myself, nor do I know any of the franchise owners personally. I’m just an appreciator. Also, they only sell things in good condition–no spots, stains, or too much wear & tear. Look for events in your location here. In the Twin Cities, we are fortunate enough to have NINE consignment sale locations. I think they’re all individually owned as a franchise sort of deal. Most of these nine hold 2 annual sales, fall and spring. As I’m expecting a little girl in April, and have no little girl things (except what’s pictured above), nor much in the size of newborns as J was a big baby and grew out of everything quickly, I’m looking at shopping dates already. Some of them aren’t up, but the ones that are are listed below. The structure is usually the same: you have to pay a few dollars the first day, but the second two are free admission, and Saturday is 50% off most items. Sahweet! Eagan: March 15-17th Elk River: May 10-12 White Bear Lake: May 17-19 Woodbury: May 10-12 I’ll let you know about other consignment dates and sales. Who doesn’t like a good deal?
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We had a bad scare Sunday night. SuperBoy inadvertently had peanut butter spread on his carrot cake waffles, a family favorite from Willow Bird Baking. And yes, we now know he’s allergic to peanuts. This was the first time he’d ever had peanut anything, and the first time we learned of his allergy. Until now. By accident. After hives, swelling, vomiting (his medicine as well), and a trip to the ER to get IV benadryl, an epi shot, trouble breathing, etc, he is just fine. Thank God, and although his breathing was labored, he made it through all of this like a champ. The real question is, what is next when you discover your child is allergic to peanuts? 1) Follow up checkup with family practice doc. We couldn’t love our doctor more. She’s all of our doctor (as a family practice doctor) and we just love love love her natural approach to things. She’s a very wait-and-see-but-not-if-it’s-bad sort of physician. SuperBoy had a checkup with her today. She gave us a referral to an allergist in our healthcare system, and advised against any sort of nut contact until he’s been tested. He has happily eaten almond nut butter, tahini, drank almond milk, and had contact with other nuts aside from peanuts up until this point. No sense in retesting those waters as who knows what this allergic reaction has set off inside his body toward otherwise unsuspecting nuts. She also recommended probiotics for him, and a continuation of…
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This is a biggie to address: teething gel! When your little babe or toddler is screaming with what appears to be teething pain, and your dad suggests rubbing a little whiskey on it, you respond: “They have oral gel for this nowadays, Dad!” But is that gel safe? Last year a number of warnings came out about benzocaine, the primary agent in oral baby teething gels, and the prognosis was not so great. 1) FDA & AAP warnings. “The FDA has learned that benzocaine products can cause a serious life-threatening condition known as methemoglobinemia. Methemoglobinemia (MET-hemoglobin) is a condition where there is a build-up of methemoglobin in the blood, which reduces the ability of the blood to transport oxygen throughout the body. ” Baby411. “The FDA says benzocaine products should not be given to children younger than age 2 unless under the supervision of a health care professional. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends giving children with teething problems a teething ring that has been chilled in a refrigerator, or gently rubbing the child’s gums with a finger.” Read more specifics of the FDA warning here. 2) Alternatives. A few articles from the Whole Parenting past: teething at night {Toddler Night Sleep Trouble} & teething {Teething Pain in Young Children}. And a few ideas: a) a great teething biscuit recipe here from Weelicious!; b) frozen breastmilk in cubes in a mesh feeder; c) warm washcloth; d) cold washcloth; e) teething rings in freezer/ pacifier in fridge or freezer; f) toys like Sophie the French giraffe that are…
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I’ve written a good deal about our little toddler’s quirks in previous posts about teething, toddler sleep trouble, traveling with a toddler (comprehensive packing list), quick tips for toddler travel, running errands with a toddler, surviving pregnancy and toddlerhood simultaneously, tantrums, toddler naps, and toddler obsessions. And I’ve amassed the best advice from my fellow mamas. Thank you for all your feedback! Now to ask for MORE feedback 🙂 1) Full fledged tantrums. They’ve arrived. He’s 18 months old and can tantrum with the best of them. Anything from a routine diaper change, to preventing life threatening maneuvers, to dinner time, to wanting to see the moon at 9 am with his Baba (an impossibility on multiple levels). If you are in a similar situation, take a breath. You’re not alone! (Nota bene, self: I’m not alone!) A few things seem to work at setting appropriate boundaries while respecting that he is a human being too. What works for you? a) Tone of voice. We try to be consistent in our tone of voice when it is really a “no” situation. This voice should be lower, sterner, and not emotionally charged. At a girlfriend’s excellent suggestion, I break it down to “SuperBoy mad, SuperBoy wants X, but Mama said not now. SuperBoy listens, J respects Mama” instead of lengthy loquacious appeasement treaties. b) Appeasment. Appeasing does not work in the long run. I realized this when SuperBoy had to have 2 pacifiers, a toy, and a book to achieve a…
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My son is obsessed with his swiffer. He wants to swiffer the walls, the dogs, and the carpeting. He wants to climb up the stairs with it, taking it into his crib, and refuses to share it with anyone. I am wondering if this is an actual diagnosis: toddler object obsession. It can result in extreme tantrums or serious love fests (the former when I remove the swiffer from his kung-fo grip, the latter when I present him with it). My dad has even shortened the handle on it to make it toddler size, enhancing the delight of using it! How to handle toddlers with object obsession? A few things we’ve tried: 1) Hide it. As with all things that bring on tantrums, the less the child sees the object, the less he can obsess over it. The swiffer lives in our pantry in the kitchen. I should say lived as now it lives in the basement. After many episodes of toddler-running-to-pantry-to-get-it and then hitting-dog-mama-stove-etc, it was time to remove the accessibility of the weapon! 2) Ration it. My dad comes over and gets out all the “fun” toys–swiffer, vacuum, anything that can move easily and make noise. J loves his Baba. Swiffer gets rationed naturally then, as it usually gets a few times a week play time with my dad. Also, by rationing the obsession object, it stays a good distraction as it’s fresh and not the every-day object. I’m hoping it will temper J’s love of the swiffer as…
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