Just an average summer day!

Little guy was so zonked after his first real swim in the pool that he passed out with both feet in the air!

It was a seemingly restful sleep until his wonderful siblings woke him and I discovered welts on him! He was bitten several time by Army Ants! 

Yuck! Ow!

Soccer & Gelatto

MY MOUTH HURTS

I can't talk or eat or move or breathe!

Gosh darn Wisdom teeth!

I WANT MORE!

WE ALL WANT BETTER FOR OUR CHILDREN… BUT BETTER DOES NOT MEAN MORE STUFF I was clearly born into the wrong America, the wrong generations of Americans… We live in an America where I don’t feel pretty until I put my earnings in… I want to chew bubble gum, play baseball, salute a solider and have a pop at the corner store, NOT blab about celebrity relationships, and attire.

I'm dating my husband

We've hit over ten amazing years, and we've still got that flame, however "free" "alone" or "dating" time is no longer a luxury we can afford.

We have always had our date nights, at least once a month in order to 're-connect' and share the value of our relationship, because the BEST things we can be for our children are not only good parents, but good models of a relationship built on mutual love and respect.

In addition to our date nights, I have created a self-imposed challenge of NOT talking about work, or the kids when we are on our dates.... without television to fall back on, that pretty much leaves NOTHING for me to talk about, unless he wants to know how much I just spent on a 1/2 lb. of string beans, I am all out of ideas.... or at least I thought was. That was until I asked some of my mom friends, and their ideas reminded me of what it was like to "date", and the awkwardness of finding converstational topics that were not to risque, yet revealed something about the partner...

I decided to compose a list of questions:

• if you were granted one wish, what would it be
• if you could spend one night alone with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be
• if time travel were possible, where would you go
• if you found out for certain there is/isnt heaven or hell, how would it change your life
• if you had to name one thing in your life that you feel the most guilty about, what would it be
• if you could rid the earth of one thing, what would it be
• if you had the power to hypnotize anyone, who would you pick and why... what would you ask, say, do
• what one thing gives you the most comfort
• if you had to give up your favorite food forever, what is the amount of money you would demand in exchange
•  what frightens you most about growing older
• if you could be more ambitious in one aspect of your life, which would it be
• what is the most sensual part of your body
• if you had to make one for a public place, what would your nonverbal sign be
• if you had to grab the buttock of a famous person, whos would you
• what is the biggest turn off
• if you could only be intimate at the same time of day, forever, what time would you pick
• if God were to grant you one favor, what would you ask for
• where do you think your fears come from
• what is something you intended to do today but did not
• what is one word to describe you, me
• what do people do in traffic that bugs you
• what is your biggest parenting goal
• what is something you have never done, but want to, why
• what is your favorite memory of our wedding day
• whats your favorite smell
• what type of volunteer work do you think you are best suited for
• what attracted you to me before we married
• what is the most romantic thing i could do for you
• if walls could talk what would ours say
• what makes you feel loved
• what could i do to help you best for the next 30 days
• if you could change anything about the way i treat you, what would it be
• in what way would you like me to change personally over the next year
• what causes most of your stress
• if you had only 6 months to live, how would you spend it
• what do you see as your greatest strengths, mine
• what action of mine provides you with the most pleasure
• what do you enjoy doing with me
• what is the craziest dream you ever had

Relatives Day

I always seem to find the strangest "holidays", thanks to my neat little phonw app & BrowineLocks.com.
For National Relative's Day, my children read "The Day the Relative's Came", and we had a great time discussing the story and members of the family. The funniest part was naming the members of our family and the characters of the book that reminded us of them.
Our next task is to create a 'family tree' using photographs.... Taking silly pictures is the MOST fun and definately the most time consuming!

MAY grocery shopping deals!

Now that it's May we can shop for seasonal products at reduced sale prices. In May look to buy:

• Memorial Day: BBQ Sauce, Condiments, Charcoal, Salad Dressing, Potato Chips, Dips, Grilling Meats, Hot Dogs, Hamburger Meat, Marinade, Salad Greens
• Paper Products: Plates, Utensils, Insect Repellant, Sunscreen
• Cinco De Mayo: Salsa, tortillas
• Seasonal Produce: Artichokes, Asparagus, Avocado, Beans, Green, Beets, Blackberries, Carrots, Sweet Vidalia Onions, Peas, New Potatoes, Raspberries, Strawberries

Flower Month

In conjunction with other activities, children will explore flowers.

Activity ONE -
Children will create "Muffin Flowers".
Using:
# Construction paper
# Muffin tray cup liners
# Glue
# Markers, crayons or paint
Children draw or paint flower stems and leaves on their paper. Students then glue muffin cups in the center of the flower for a 3-D effect.



Activity TWO -
Creating Tissue paper carnations -
1. First you take about 5 to 6 pieces of tissue paper squares, depending on the thickness of your desired depth of the flower.
2. Stack all sheets together one on top of the other.
3. Begin folding your paper back and forth like an accordion or a fan.
4. When complete secure in the middle with a rubber band or twist tie.
5. Now its time to peel up each sheet one at a time. Work from side to side, left to right.
6. Bring all sheets to the middle until your done.
7. If you want the flowers smaller cut the sheets down by length.
8. To make different shapes clip off the tips, only a trim. (triangle, points, wavy, square, etc..)

Easter

The Easter bunny stopped at our house, TIMES THREE!

Date Night

Parents need nights off, and together time. Even if it is the night before a big important race, with  baby in tow.
At least we can enjoy each others company, good food and little man can sleep through the whole thing!

Palm Sunday

In families there are always traditions, like dinners and Easter Egg hunts... The later is becoming more fun as the children are able to participate...

I dressed up my little cuties and off we went to Aunt Sue's for a little Palm Sunday fun...

RUN for the families

My first 5k after Christian was born and it could not have been for a better cause! Matt and my friend Katie worked diligently creating the Sandy Hook Run for the Families and participating in the race could not be missed!
It was so cold, so we bundled. It started to sleet, so we bundled more, but we did not stop running. We could not stop running in the memory of those poor babies taken too soon.

It was so hard to keep moving, and that had nothing to do with the temperature or the fact that I had a baby weeks earlier and was running with him strapped to my chest while pushing the 'big' kids in a double jogger... I couldn't stop, not while I was thinking about how lucky I am to be running with my babies, when other moms, will never again have the ability to do that.

The race was put together very well, down to the stuffed animals awarded to every child participating in the kids fun run race.

Bowling Buddies

Its about time we got these monkeys together!

A little duck-pin bowling and Fro-yo was JUST what we needed!

Too minivan or not to minivan

I am torn between the space I could have and the comfort I have gotten used too.
I enjoy some of the options available in a mini van, but I really don't know if I want to be one of those mini van driving moms.

A great number of my friends have converted... to the dark side. They have become moms of two or more and subjected themselves to mini-van-dome.

I have always sworn I would not convert to a min van driver, but with three kids and two jobs that require loads to transport ... I just might have to.

The sliding remote-controlled doors, the ample storage space, the captains seats (far away from siblings)... ugh, what is happening to me?!!?

Breakfast with Cousins

This morning my cousin, RJ invited us all over to share a breakfast together. He has a 6 -year-old daughter, who gets along smashingly with Jacks AND Trina, which considering the age difference is quite awesome!

I love that they get to play together, and RJ and I can pick up where we left off years ago.

PARENTING

It’s not easy being a parent. No matter if you work outside the home, inside the home. No matter if you have one, two, three or fifteen children. No matter if you have a small house in a big city or a big house in a small city. No matter if you have money coming out your ears or very little money.

Raising children is hard work — at least it is if you are doing it right.

And yet our children don’t care how fancy we are, or how many messages we get in an hour on our blog. The smaller they are the more they need us. The bigger they are, the more they need us. Sometimes, the more they need us, the more we want to slink away and find some blanket to crawl under. But it doesn’t have to feel that way.

Breaks for parents are absolutely essential.

Absolutely.

There is a time and place for media and screens and technology.  It’s about being conscious, as a parent and a human being, about when and how we are turning to the computer or TV for simply boredom or laziness.

To truly be awake to this life — these few fleeting impressionable years — we have but one choice to make each day: embrace our blessings and honor those around us. Practicing mindful choices each day is something that we have to model for our children.

There are many ways that you can just be with your children that are not hard work, challenging or tiresome. You may discover that your child will reach out to you simply because you are suddenly available. The magic in this list is that it’s just simply being together for a solid half hour or so but it offers up the most beneficial memories we can offer to children. Here are some of our family’s favorites:

• Turn off the TV/computer/phones for one hour. (In our house, we limit daily screen time to a total of one-two hours on our weekly movie nights).
• Have a work hour — they do homework and you work on a hobby like art or reading while sitting at the same table.
• Just listen to music. At our house, we call this a dance party.
• Surprise them with a celebration for trying hard on a test or homework and eat cookies and milk, or ice cream or hot chocolate.
• Sit on the couch while they play and read magazines. They will sit next to you eventually and ask, ”Whatcha reading?”
• Grab two balls and challenge everyone to find something fun to do with them outside.
• Snuggle under a blanket or put a puzzle together.
• Ask them open-ended questions about their day.
• Tell them something surprising about your day.
• Draw together, taking turns adding new lines on the same paper.
• Take a drive, taking turns picking the direction and sitting in silence as the unfamiliar landscape passes you by.
• Look at their baby photos.
• Tell them a funny story from their younger days, or your own childhood. In fact, tell them any story you can think of telling.
• Ask them to teach you how to do something. This is big. Very big.
• Announce that there will be no cleaning for just one day.
• Give them a coupon for a hug to use anytime they need it.

BIG surprise--- SNOW

We had so much snow fall that the kids needed to dig and tunnel to escape the house!
M

My dad

National Bubble-Wrap Day

Hug Day

National Hug Day or National Hugging Day is an annual holiday created by Rev. Kevin Zaborney. It occurs on January 21 and is officially recognized by the United States Patent and Trademark Office,but is not a public holiday. The holiday was founded on January 21, 1986 in Caro, Michigan, and has since spread to multiple different countries. The purpose for the holiday is to help everyone show more emotion in public. There is only one way you are supposed to celebrate the holiday, offer a hug to anyone and everyone you want. While National Hug Day and the Free Hugs Campaign share many similarities, there is not actual association between the two. Whether you hug a family member or a stranger, the mental and physical health benefits are the same.

Vocabulary: Children need to understand what they are feeling. There are a range of books you can use to help with a child's emotional vocabulary. My favorite is "Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods That Make My Day," by Jamie Lee Curtis.

In order to teach emotions, one effective tool is to help them by labeling how they feel. When a child cries, tell the child you know he or she is feeling sad; when someone takes away a toy, say you bet he or she feels angry. This way, your child will begin to associate feelings with the words that define them.

Put a Face On It
Children need to learn to relate facial expressions with emotions.
Help children with this skill by calling out emotions during morning meeting and asking children to make faces that go with those emotions. You may also ask them to draw those emotions on paper or to point to a photo of someone experiencing that emotion (from a selection you will provide). When you watch a movie together or read a story, you might pause and ask how a character is feeling and how your child knows that.

Own Your Emotions:
Help children identify how they feel by letting them express it regularly.

• When they walk into the classroom every morning, have them put their name next to their emotion on an emotions board.


• On a sheet of poster board, put names and facial expressions of several common emotions.


• Kids can have their names on cardboard with velcro or written on a clothespin. Their task is to identify how they feel and put their name next to that emotion. They can always change their name position as their emotions change.

When conflicts arise among children, ask them to explain how they feel to the other child or children. Teach children that if someone is sad we should not laugh at them; if someone is angry, we should try to understand why. Help them learn to positively express themselves without physical violence or negative reactions.

Ask “How do you feel when…” questions:

• You just found out that your grandparents are coming today and bringing you a very special surprise.


• You dropped a big object on your foot.


• Your little brother/sister broke a tower you just finished making.


• You picked up all of your toys without being asked.


• A group of friends won't let you play with them.


• A friend calls and invites you to come over and play.


• Some people you don't know are coming over today for supper.

Each question may have more than one answer. Have the child explain why they chose each emotion.

Tin Can Craft

Create tin can luminaries....

Little Brother is Born...

I had a plan.
We had a plan, a very specific plan.
Not everything works out according to the plan.
The plan was I was going to wake up in the morning with contractions five minutes apart and ninety seconds long, just as I had with my previous two births. I was to drop my oldest off at school and my youngest at my in-laws, have the in-laws pick up the eldest and keep both children overnight. My husband was to call out of work for the day, phone my doctor’s office (as well as my Doula – Coretta ----- Read her blog here.) to relay the contraction information and state we would be on our way to the hospital.
The plan was to deliver a happy healthy boy in delivery room one, while taking advantage of the Jacuzzi tub for a water-birth.
The plan was to go IV and medication free through the duration of my stay, which I planned on making as short as possible.

What follows is what actually happened, with Baby Brother’s birth story, I want to express that this is not how birth is for everyone, nor should it be expected to be. 

Every mother, every baby, every birth is different. 

None is better or worse than the other, each is merely a process, a beautiful process we as mothers endure in order grant life to our precious little ones. I had an all-natural birth and I thought it was awesome. BUT...I know that a lot of people do not choose the route that I took and I want to say that I completely respect that and I do not judge. Just because I think natural-birth is great, does not mean that it's for everyone. 

After two separate solid evenings of all-night contractions over a week apart leading to a whole lot of nothing and being weeks late, I was convinced of two things. 

1) My baby hates me. 

And 

2) He’s never coming out. 

I had a routine OB visit on my birthday, in which we had the unpleasant (for me) discussion of induction and the ‘risks’ of waiting for the little guy to appear on his own clock. I was ordered to complete another Ultra-sound, in which the little guy appeared perfectly healthy and I was able to buy some more time before a nearly mandated induction. 

I was given Friday (two days away), I refused. 

I was then scheduled for Monday morning to which I complied (having full and complete intentions on canceling when/if he did not arrive). 

I left the office in tears again, for nearly the 30th time this pregnancy. The most frustrating part being MY body was ready to deliver, HIS was not ready to enter the world, and so many of the conventional and even unconventional ways to speed up the process would not accomplish a darn thing. I woke the next day and BAM. 

NOTHING. 

AGAIN. 

Now, I assumed if contractions or water breaking did not occur during the night, the day was lost and he was not coming. I made this assumption because of two things, first, BOTH of my older children were born at the 9 o’clock hour, and second, I know that MOST births begin when the mother is able to relax…which for me only happens when I am out cold. I went about my day in my usual misery of discontent but I felt a ‘little off’. 

My husband for the umpteenth time offered to stay home from work ‘just in case’, I laughed and he drove to work. 

After having a VERY few sporadic contractions throughout the day, I mentioned to Coretta (View Her Blog here) had been occurring suddenly stopped, I continued with my assumption that today is NOT the day. I then packed up my daughter and drove to pick up my son from school. 

On the drive there I had two decent contractions (on the 35 minute drive), nothing while I waited in the parking lot for a ½ hour and when I loaded the children back into the car I felt a VERY SMALL gush run down my leg. I attempted NOT to freak out as I could have just peed myself. 

The contractions were completely stopped again, so I assumed, it was a small leak and things would be moving along at a snail’s pace. I proceeded to my normal mommy duties, homework help, art project, hot cocoa, snack, brownie baking, dinner preparation and playtime supervision. As I did these things the contractions returned, although they didn't seem ‘right’ (each was only 2 or 6 or 3 minutes apart, lasting 20 or 95 seconds, consistently - inconsistent and unpredictable). I then chalked it up to false labor and continued on. 

At roughly 4:30, I was keeled over in pain, false or not I needed to get the kids out of the house before I scared them. I then asked my oldest son to call his grandparents to pick them both up and pack a bag for the overnight visit. (If you ask me the call took entirely too long, because I needed the kids gone ten minutes ago). Once he hung up, I then had him telephone my grandparents to inform them we would not be joining them for dinner. (This call took too long too!) Why was everyone asking so many questions? CLEARLY, they should know I am in labor!

I then texted my husband to come home. (To which he replied.. "Are you sure?") 

Seriously annoyed and seriously in pain... and now my phone keeps ringing! First, work. Next my sister. Lastly my mother. Everyone wanting to chat!

When my in-laws arrived I could barely speak, I kissed the children good-bye, told my father-in-law to “Get OUT” (I apologized later) and went into the bathroom to splash water repeatedly on my face. Once they finally left, I heaved myself over the birthing ball sobbing that my husband was not home yet and I would have a baby at home, alone. 

When I heard his car pull in the driveway, I nearly died. I had already pushed twice. He entered the house thinking it was a false alarm. Changed from his work clothes and walked around the house (for what seemed to be aimlessly to me). I handed him my phone and he knew it was real. He called my midwife and my doula, Coretta, and berated me with questions I was in too much pain to answer. 

I let out an “I cannot do this” as every woman in labor MUST say at some point, and he reassured me. I think he assumed I was refereeing to the whole birthing process. I was not. I was in fear that I would have to give birth at home. 

I knew we were in serious jeopardy of running out of time.

I was starting to get a little bit frantic during my contractions and had a hard time staying calm, the only thing I could think of is how a baby born ANYWHERE other than in the hospital would have to be in the NICU for observations for hours. 

My husband helped me to the car, holding both of my arms and walking backwards in front of me (the ONLY work-able position) each step excruciating… he couldn't even carry me successfully and I couldn't walk unassisted. Three times during our walk to the car he asked if I wanted to just go back in the house, and once more as we attempted to get into the car. 

It felt like it took forever to get into the car. And once we finally did, I felt some relief being in the car… until the urge to push came again… and again. 

Every light we came to looked red. 

I sobbed in the front seat of the car, praying and begging he would run every red light. 

I felt a huge gush and the urge to push again. 

I was concentrating so hard on avoiding the unnecessary pushes and staying calm. 

It was an enormous relief to me when we pulled up at the hospital. I then could face the reality that little guy’s head was about to crown. I heard my husband yell to the valet for a wheel chair and he and another man lifted me into it. 

I continued to tell myself not to push, to no avail. 

It seemed we hit every road block on the way. The doors opened sooooo slowly, the elevator was miles away and the doors on the elevator did not want to close. When we approached the entry doors to the labor and delivery, I let out a huge sigh of relief. My husband pressed the buzzer for us to be let onto the labor and delivery floor, and we were let in almost immediately…a nurse and my midwife were there, ready and waiting. 

My husband wheeled me into delivery room one where our water-birth was supposed to take place. 

The midwife and the nurse helped me to stand and asked me to get on a gown. I laughed, well laughed as much as a woman could in full labor. 

In this standing position I then pushed again and could feel his head. I could also feel the eyes of everyone in the room, sort of scared, sort of out of place, sort of wondering how I was going to get undressed and in a bed in the matter of minutes or seconds that this little guy was going to be born.

 Birthing in a hospital bed was not part of the plan. I strongly believe that is what caused the vast amount of stitches with my other births, the plan was to avoid stitches at all costs and by the looks of things not only was nothing going according to the plan, but tearing also seemed inevitable and stitches seemed realistic. 

As I pushed that eighth or so time, I told the midwife to cut off my pants and get the baby. She just looked at me very strangely and reminded me the pants had an elastic waistline. The three of us managed to get my pants to my ankles and I was able to lean back slightly onto a bed, push one more time and he’s head was out all the way…inside the water bag. 

The midwife was shouting for help and for someone to get her a ‘hook’ to remove the bag, nurses rushed in from everywhere. She managed to pull the water bag off of his face and guide him the rest of the way out unassisted. 

For a second I felt robbed. 

Robbed of the birth I had planned. Robbed of every having the birth I had hoped for. Then, I heard my little guy cry. 

And in that moment nothing else mattered.

I did not care that my plan had fallen apart; I did not care of all the blood and water all over my house and car, or the clothing that needed to be tossed. I did not care that I had endured momentousness pain for hours. I did not care that I had to wait several extra weeks to see his beautiful face. 

When he was handed him to me and instantly 

nothing. 

else.

mattered. 

The nurses walked around preparing medicine after medicine for me, since I was not given anything prior to the birth, but on my behalf (and knowing my wishes) my midwife stated I did not need anything. 

My husband called Coretta to tell her ‘not to rush’ and ‘he was already here’ and she didn't believe him. We all smiled and laughed over the ‘I told you so’s’ I had stated weeks ago of barely making it to the hospital. 

My little guy was bathed and returned to my arms. 

My husband phoned all the family to share the news and Coretta walked into the room shocked she had actually been in the elevator during his birth. 

Much of my plan had fallen by the wayside, since although he made me wait weeks for his birth, he had me wait only hours for his delivery, I didn't need stitches or medication or an IV, but I did not get my water birth.

I did end up with a gorgeous, alert, healthy, little guy and an early release from the hospital.

I Homeschool

I home-school... I’ve not forgotten the time wasted in the classroom.
I’ve not forgotten busy work and worksheets to keep kids quiet and sitting still.
I’ve not forgotten the homework and the projects that I feel should be kept at school and not at home if a kid is going to be there for the majority of their day.
I’ve not forgotten the boredom or the unreasonable rules.
Our “school-work”, as I call it, exceeds the same amount of time that the children spend on assignments in the classroom each day.
I had children because I am selfish. I stay at home with my children because I am selfish. I home-school my children because I am SELFISH. I WANT to be the one who educates my children, molds their hearts and minds... SO WHAT!?!
Even on my hardest days, when the kids are fighting, the furniture has been written on, and I can’t shower or pee by myself, much less clean or WORK, I would rather have my kids here, at home, with me than anywhere else. I don’t want to miss out special moments, THE MOMENTS I HAD WITH OTHER PEOPLES CHILDREN! (like that gleam in their eye and smile that crosses their face when they realize they can read or understand simple math or the earth rotates around the sun) Most parents, heck now, only SOME parents are around for their child's firsts, their first smile, steps, and first foods. I don't want to miss ANY firsts! I do not want to give those moments to someone else.
No teacher is ever going to care more deeply, about my children’s education and well being than I am. I want them to get plenty of sleep without being forced out of bed early in the morning to ride the bus or go through a carpool line. I want to take my kids on vacations whenever I want. I want my children to have healthy meals. I want my kids to run around the yard with wooden swords, or using sticks as wands to act – and I want to witness it. I want my kids to dress up stuffed monkeys and read them books and pretend to teach them geography or even better, pretend to take them off to some far off land while I take pictures when they aren't looking.
 I AM SELFISH! I NEVER believed homeschooling provides a better education than public or private schools. It can, in certain situations with certain parents and certain students, but across the board this is not true.

31 Reasons I LOVE being me...

On my 31st Birthday I decided to compile a list of the things I like about me...

• I am super strong!  Mainly physically, but emotionally too.

• I’m a great cook.  I enjoy cooking and baking too! And I always have the BEST little helpers!
• I will do anything for family and friends. Need someone to paint your house? House-sitting? Baby-sitting ?  Dog-walking? Moving? 
• I love to read and learn new things. 
• I have MAD skills in the multi-tasking department. 
• I’m caring and dedicated. To both my family, 'obligations' and activities commitments. 
• I’m creative and I LOVE sharing my creative ideas with others. 

• I’m hard-working and determined.  
• I can have a conversation about anything, some might find this to be a flaw..lol 
• I’m honest and sincere. I have truly embarrassed the "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" philosophy. 
• I’m good with kids, my own and others. 
• I’m intelligent. 
• I want to make the world a better place. 
• I try to improve myself. It's a challenge, but I recognize that I am human, I have flaws and there are ways I can improve myself. 
• I believe in God. 
• I’m thoughtful and old-fashioned. Even if it makes me "weird", I don't mind. 
• I can write great stories, and I love trying to. 
• I’m open- minded and do my best NOT to judge people JUST BECAUSE they are different than me or make choices that differ from my own choices. 
• I love my resilience and keep fighting attitude. 
• I love for family 

• I am a dreamer and I always will be. I am not giving up on my dreams,and still working on them. 
• Not being into drugs and smoking,and not be dependent on alcohol. 
• The sense of humor I even manage to find when I’m depressed (even if it is dry and sarcastic!) 
• The desire to teach myself new things, like American Sign Language or guitar. 
• My very high pain threshold! (Comes in very handy birthing babies). 
• My perfectionism (sometimes!), although I am not afraid to ask for help when I need it. 
• I can laugh at my own expense. 
• My schedule oriented nature. 
• My natural inclination to research everything like crazy (even when it freaks me out or gets me into trouble). 

• The fact that I have found a soul mate in my best friend and I love him with all of my heart! 
• The (almost) three delightfully wonderful little people I have brought into this world.

Where is this Baby?

EVERY single one of my EDD's given to me has been surpassed.
It sounds funny to say, "every one of them", but with an irregular cycle and inconsistent measurements, it seemed every doctor or midwife I have seen during the past 41 weeks has had a difference in professional opinion as to when this little guy is coming.

• January 4, Nope.
• January 7, Not it.
• January 9, Nada.
• January 13, Goodbye.
• January 15, See ya.

When you first see your midwife or doctor they give you a date that your baby is due. Sometimes this date is changed during the course of your pregnancy, but mostly it stays the same and is looked forward to with great anticipation.

The reality is however that only 5% of babies arrive on the day they are expected. Ideally you should allow two weeks either side of your due date. Giving birth anywhere between 37 to 42 weeks is considered normal.

So where does that leave me?
In a tizzy!
I am anywhere between 1 and 12 days late.
Not quite two weeks, but pretty dang close.

Around 10% of pregnancies do go beyond 42 weeks.

In the majority of cases the outcome is good for prolonged pregnancies. It’s only a minority of cases where problems occur.
Commonly induction of labour is offered once the pregnancy exceeds 41 weeks.

There is very little a woman can do to avoid going overdue or have any control over the actual length of pregnancy, when waiting for labour to start naturally.

• Sweeping membranes – during a vaginal examination the midwife or doctor gently separate the membranes from the opening of the uterus.
• Sexual activity – A woman’s orgasm causes oxytocin to be released, as does nipple stimulation. Oxytocin is the hormone that causes the uterus to contract. Semen also contains prostaglandins, which can help soften the cervix.
• Acupuncture or acupressure – consult a qualified practitioner
• Homeopathic remedies – consult a qualified practitioner
• Herbal preparations – consult a qualified practitioner
• Walking
• Good hot bowl of curry
• Castor oil. Castor oil can cause cramps, nausea, vomiting and spasmodic contractions of the uterus. Basically it is down right unpleasant.
• Breaking the waters: The waters are broken with an instrument shaped like a large crochet hook. The cervix needs to be open a couple of centimetres before the bag of waters can be broken. Breaking the waters can be an uncomfortable procedure, particularly if the cervix isn’t open very far. Breaking the waters may be enough to start labour on its own, but usually a Syntocinon intravenous infusion is required.
• Prostaglandin gel: Prostaglandin gel is placed in the back of the vagina and helps soften and ripen the cervix. In some women, labour may start without further intervention. Prostaglandin administration increases the risk of developing a temperature, diarrhoea, fetal distress and haemorrhage after birth.
• Syntocinon through an intravenous infusion: Once the waters have been broken, an intravenous drip containing the drug Syntocinon can be used. Syntocinon is a synthetic hormone that makes the uterus contract and is a fairly reliable method for starting labour. Problems associated with induction with Syntocinon include failure to progress (resulting in a caesarean birth), increased need for pain relieving drugs, need for continuous monitoring of the baby through labour, increased risk of baby becoming distressed and increased risk of haemorrhage after the birth.

Reasons of an Overdue Pregnancy:

• The exact date of the start of your last menstrual period isn't known
• This is true for me, although the date of conception IS known...
• This is your first pregnancy
• NOPE
• You've had prior overdue pregnancies
• Not as far as I originally thought, however after switching doctors it was brought to my attention that my little Bean was 10 days late!
• Overdue pregnancy runs in your family
• NOPE
• Your baby is a boy
• Ok, true, but I also had a premature boy...
• You're obese
• NOPE

Welcome Home...

Matt Ran a HUGE race weekend AND met with some 'interesting' and 'influential' people all the way.

...and Minnie Mouse too.

Shortening Labor

Since my little man is not here yet, I have these last few (I hope) late nights in which I am able to devote to research and writing... One of the topics I have resarched is

How to Shorten Labor

which seems to be a lost cause for me!

• Evening Primrose Oil
• Evening primrose oil can be used from from 35 weeks.
• The oil contains prostaglandin, a natural form of the gel that is often inserted during a medical induction of labor.
• Its main function is to soften the cervix, meaning that your body will have to do less work to dilate you to the full 10cm required for birth.
• You can take the pills orally and also insert one internally – this is best done at night with a pad in place.
• Raspberry Leaf Tea or Pills
• Raspberry leaf has long been used to treat a variety of women’s problems including menstrual problems; it also has the added benefit of strengthening the uterus and decreasing the risk of bleeding and haemorrage during and after birth.
• Stronger uterus muscles achieve more with each contraction, which generally shortens labor times.
• The best option is to take raspberry leaf in the tablet form, as it is far stronger than the tea and therefore more likely to have the desired effect.
• You can start taking the tea or pills as early as 32 weeks – starting too late will decrease the chance they will help when labor begins.
• Good Posture
• Try your best to sit up straight and with your legs as wide as possible – slouching can be bad for two reasons:
• Baby is more likely to move into a posterior position if you slouch, causing painful back labor.
• Correct posture helps your body open up, push baby into the correct position and align your pelvis correctly.
• Avoid warm showers/baths
• Although hot baths or showers are a common recommendation to help speed up labor, they can actually have the opposite effect in early labor.
• It’s important to not have a bath or shower till you are in full established labor – otherwise labor can slow down or in some cases, stop altogether.
• Don’t avoid showers altogether though – you may get a bit smelly! But if you are having intermittent contractions or think you are in early labour, hold off for awhile.
• Pain Relieve
• Although the idea of labor without pain relief can be quite scary to many women, if you’re able to manage it, it can help shorten your labor.
• Drugs can interfere with the body’s natural ability to contract properly and therefore increase your labor time. But if you can’t go without pain relief – don’t stress. Sometimes you need it to help you get through the most painful parts of the labor
 

Baby Introduction

All parents have gain experience through parenting itself. None of us are experts in any area of parenting....Most of what I know about raising kids comes from my years of teaching, counselling children and adolescence, educational experience (child development and early elementary education) and my own grandparents example, who successfully raised five children and two grandchildren spanning two decades – who all get along. 


Now my family and I are facing a great parenting challenge...bringing home a sibling:

• When a new baby arrives, the older siblings’ role as an older sibling is as important as the new baby. 
• Explain special treatment the baby receives in terms of the baby not being able to do things the older sibling can do. (baby needs to nurse because they don’t have teeth, baby is carried because they can’t walk)
• If an older sibling expresses disgust or disdain for the baby having dirty diapers, build empathy instead of distance by commenting on how nice it is that the older sibling doesn’t have to wear diapers any more.
  
• Emphasize the older siblings’ ability to teach the baby new things. 
• When older siblings interact with the baby inappropriately, teach them an appropriate way to interact rather than getting angry or frustrated with them. 
• Talk about how much the baby likes their older siblings.
• Give lots of positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior.
• Allow room for the older siblings to regress a bit in the early months after a baby is born. There are a lot of changes happening in the home, and everyone is feeling more tired and strained than usual. Make sure the older siblings are still getting plenty of attention.

The transition should be eased...

• Have the baby bring siblings gifts, and let siblings bring baby gifts to the hospital, but ONLY IF they want to.
• Wear the baby when you want to give the baby a break from siblings.
• Encourage siblings to look after a baby doll or stuffed animal while you look after the baby.
  
• If siblings get rough with the baby and won’t redirect, sadly say that you have to remove the baby, because they aren’t being kind to the baby. I usually put the baby in a baby carrier at this point. Remind siblings that babies are people, not toys.

January 1. New Year’s 2. Motivation & Inspiration 3. Straw 4. Tom Thumb 5. Bean / Bird 6. Three Kings 7. Harlem Globetrotter’s 8. Bubble Bath / Argyle 9. Static Electricity 10. League of Nations 11. Morse Code 12. Fruitcake / Miss America Pageant 13. Rubber Ducky Day 14. Organize 15. Humanitarian 16. Appreciate a Dragon 17. Judgment 18. Winnie the Pooh 19. Popcorn / Tin Can 20. Inauguration 21. Hugging 22. Celebrate Life 23. Pie 24. Belly Laugh / Peanut Butter 25. Pre-school Fitness 26. Seed Swap 27. Peace 28. Bubble Wrap Appreciation 29. Freethinkers / Puzzle / Seeing Eye Dog 30. Silly message 31. Inspire with Art

January Crafting with the kiddos Month...

January

1. Salt Painted Winter 

• First, we cut wavy lines for our landscape and glued them to the bottom of the blue paper.
• Then, I helped the kids paint their hands brown and make a print on the blue paper for the tree. Make sure that you hold on to a young child's wrist through this whole process to reduce the risk of getting paint everywhere :) You'll also want to have a towel or baby wipes nearby to wipe off their hands until you can get to a sink.
• Next we used the paintbrushes to paint the trunks of the trees.
• Once the trees dried, the kids used their paintbrushes to paint glue dots all over their pages to look like snowflakes.
• We then sprinkled salt onto the glue and let it dry. Once the glue dries, gently tap your page to remove the excess salt and it will leave you with a beautiful winter scene.
• Print the poem: See the pretty snowflakes, Falling from the sky, On the trees and housetops, Soft and thick they lie.

 2. Handprint Snowflake

• I painted the kids hands with blue paint using the sponge brush and helped them place their hands in different directions to create a unique snowflake design. We ended up putting more paint on their fingers a few times.
• Then, they picked glitter pens to decorate with or sprinkled their snowflakes with glitter.
• After they dried, we cut circles around them and mounted them on blue paper. Next, we hole-punched them and tied them with ribbon so they could hang in the windows. 
• On the back of each circle, I printed this poem: My handprint's like a snowflake, Unique in every way, Keep it close to your heart, I'm growing every day.

 3. Snowman Sock

• If you end up with larger socks, trim them down so the stretchy part is separate (this will be used for the snowman's hat).
•  Pour 1/2 cup of rice into the bottom of the sock. 
• Fill the sock about 3/4 full of polyester fiberfill (or until you have the desired size snowman). Securely tie off the top of the sock with a rubber band. Use a second rubber band to create the head of the snowman.
• Tie the red strip of felt around the middle rubber band to form a scarf for your snowman.
• Glue buttons down the side for the snowman.
• Cut a triangle out of orange felt for the nose and use the googly eyes to make the snowman's face.
• If you used a smaller sock, you can just fold the top of the sock over the rubber band to form the hat and glue a pom ball to the top. If you used a larger sock. you need to secure one end of the cut portion with a rubber band and then fold over the remaining side to form a separate hat. Glue a pom ball to the top of the hat
• Put the hat on the top of your snowman and use the puffy paint to create a smile.

4. Shape Snowmen

• After reading the story,  "Snowman at Night" give the kids materials to make their own snowman out of shapes:  3 white circles (2 large, 1 medium), 1 square, 1 orange triangle nose,
  2 googly eyes, 4 buttons, brown marker
• Using their materials, the kids assembled their own snowmen on blue construction paper based on what they thought a snowman would look like from the story. 

5. Marshmallow Igloo

• With a few numbered cups and bag of miniature marshmallows, we were able to do a lot of differentiated math lessons. :
• Identifying numbers - the kids told me what numbers were on each cup
• Ordering - we put the cups in order from smallest to largest
• Counting and One-to-one Correspondence - They counted the correct number of marshmallows and put them in the cup
• Adding and Subtracting - We worked with adding piles of marshmallows together and counting to 20
• Even work in some fine motor skills by using tweezers to put the marshmallows in the cups.
• Construct an igloo using the foam cups, white frosting, & miniature marshmallows
• To prep the cups, cut a small hole for the 'door' of the igloo. 
• Put each child's cup on a paper plate to help contain the mess and gave them a few spoonfuls of frosting with spreaders. 
• Spread the frosting on their cups (some of the younger ones needed covering the whole cup) and then stuck the marshmallows on.

6. Paper towel roll penguin

• To prep for this craft, cut out 2 black oval wings, 2 orange webbed feet, one orange diamond & a white 'dome' shape for each.
• Wrap the toilet paper in black construction paper and cut out penguin pieces.
• Glue the pieces on as shown in the picture. 
• Add googly eyes and a Popsicle stick (if desired) to make a puppet.
• Can read a Penguin story while the children are working.

7. Snowman Marshmallow Painting

• First, model how to use their marshmallows to make large circles for the snowman and small circles for the snow and dragging the marshmallows across the bottom to make a snowy landscape.
• Once they dry, use the other materials to decorate snowmen, making eyes, nose, and hats.

8. Cotton Ball Snowball FIIIIIIGGGGHT!

9. Painting with Icicles (on construction paper)

10. Snowman Treat

• Place 3 snowman on a toothpick
• Use a fruit roll-up for a scarf, and edible markers to decorate

11. Create a winter sensory bin (cotton balls or packing peanuts or popcorn or icicle paper)

12. Waterless Snowman Globe

• Small paper plates, cut out the natural center of them, use one half of a resealable bag glued to the edge of the hole on the inside and cut off the extra plastic, then cut one extra plate like that and cut it in half to make the toques.
• Paint the toque, & add glitter.
• Allow to dry.
• Glue onto the snowman head and take the full plate for the backing of the snowmen, fill it with fake snow and, match toque, use glitter and glue the front of the snowman head onto the backing with tacky glue.
• Chose pompoms to go on top of the toque .
• Next glue googly eyes, and trace glue shapes on the face for the nose and the mouth.