Vicks Winter Warmer Event Recap #BehindEar

Dec 102011
 

I had an opportunity to attend an informative winter warm-up event in Boston!  The event featured somet of the latest gadgets from Vicks to help aid in cold and flu prevention.  I was really excited when the email showed up in my inbox last week because I’ve been using Vicks products since I was a kid and it’s a brand that I trust.

Dr. Meg Meeker was the guest speaker and she was just phenomenal.  She gave us some great tips on how to stay healthy this upcoming cold and flu season.  I learned so much from her and I am excited to share some of her great advice with you.

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The Guilt Olympics

Nov 182011
 

Ever since my family got back from our Disney World vacation, I’ve been struggling to get everything done.  It never even dawned on me until one day towards the end of last week that Thanksgiving is next week.  Holy crap!  I’m hosting dinner for 12 people and I have absolutely nothing ready.  No food, the house is a mess and I’ve been busy playing catch-up from my week away, so a trip to the grocery store just isn’t in the schedule right now.  Jeez – I hope they have some turkeys left by the time I get my butt in gear and head out to buy one.

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Swearing at Your Kids

Nov 162011
 

Mommy, I’m tired.  Mommy, I’m hungry.  Mommy, I’m thirsty.  Mommy, my feet hurt.  Mommy, I’m hot.  Mommy, I’m cold.  Mommy, I want ice cream.  Mommy, I have to pee.  Mommy I want this.  Mommy I want that.  Mommy, can we go there.  Mommy, I don’t want to do that.  Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!!!

Sound familiar?

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Texting Abbreviations Every Parent Should Know

Oct 052011
 

My boys are still much too young for cell phones of their own, but even at their ages (four and seven), they know what it means to text and eventually, they will start asking for their own phones.  My 14 year old stepson does have a cell phone and he basically has his freedom with it.  He’s a really, really good kid and never gets into any trouble, but it got me thinking about the what if’s.  He’s in high school now and I’m not naive about what goes on in teenagers heads.  Even though it was quite a while ago now, I still remember what it was like – the only difference now is that there is all of this technology at their fingertips and they can stay in constant contact about god knows what.  

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Eating Out With Kids

Oct 042011
 

I love going out to eat.  I wish I could say it was because I liked to try new things, but that’s not always the case…I just like to go out and not having to cook for a change.  I’m pretty lucky in so far as that my two boys go with their dad at least one night a week, so I get a chance to go out with my husband alone sometimes, which is pretty nice I have to admit.  I love my kids, but taking them out to eat can sometimes be a challenge and there is definitley some planning involved when they come out to restaurants with us.

Here are five things I do to help ensure things go well while we’re eating out at a restaurant with the kids:

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Before I Was a Mom

Sep 302011
 

Before I became a mom…….

1.  I never had to pick anyone else’s nose.

2.  I actually fit very nicely into size 8 jeans and had no idea how much things would sag change after I had kids (and how little I would actually care about it).

3. I had never been pooped on, peed on, spit on, puked on, drooled on, sneezed on or had boogers wiped on me.

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When Kids Misbehave in Public

Sep 282011
 

The other night I went to pick up the pizza that I had ordered for dinner.  I ran to pick it up and as I was inside waiting in line to pay for it, I couldn’t help but notice a mom & dad sitting in a couple of chairs towards the back reading magazines - while their two little kids were tearing up the place.  I’m not positive, but I would guesstimate that the kids were maybe 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old.  They were running all over the place wreaking pure havoc and the parents did absolutely nothing to stop them.  The kids seemed to be playing some sort of game in which they were tripping each other, leaving a path of destruction in their wake.

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Giving Back

Sep 192011
 

This past Saturday morning, my family and I had an opportunity to give back to our community and it’s really a great feeling. 

I found out last week, thanks to my buddy (and fellow townie),Mark, about a group in town that met up once a month to pick up trash/litter at various spots around town that are in need of some cleaning up.  Great cause, right?  Littering is one of my biggest pet peeves, so when I found out about the group, I immediately knew I wanted to help out and get my kids involved.   My house is located on a fairly high traffic road and we’re apparently upwind of all the stores, gas stations & the Burger King up at the end of my street, which means that all sorts of trash blows into my yard and it drives me CRAZY!  I’m not sure why people can’t be bothered to put their trash into a trash barrel where it belongs, but clearly there are a lot of lazy people in the world.

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6 Tips for Preparing for Back to School

Sep 072011
 

Today is the best day of the year as far as I’m concerned – it’s the day my kids go back to school.  We had a blast traveling, going on day trips and doing all sorts of fun things over the summer, but the time has come to get back into a routine.  Now that the new school year is upon us, so are some big changes to routines and schedules.

Aside from practicing our skills over the summer (reading for my seven year old and alphabet & numbers with my four year old), here are a few things I do to help the transition from summer fun to back to school go smoothly.

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Avoiding Meltdowns at Preschool Drop-off

Sep 012011
 

My little man is heading back for his second year of preschool next week and I’m curious to see how he handles it.  Last year he went two days a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays), but in preperation of kindergarten next year, he’ll be attending three days a week this coming year (M/W/F).  Drop-offs last year weren’t always smooth for him and he had a really hard time seperating from me.  I’ve been home with him since the day he was born and he’s a real “mamas boy” (and I mean that in a good way – I love it).

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Preparing For a Trip to the Pediatrician

Aug 252011
 

I’m fortunate that both of my boys were both born in August, so I can get their well visits done in one fell swoop.   For me personally, I think it’s easier to get them both done and over with at one time, although I’m sure not everyone would agree with that.  

Although I absolutely love my boys pediatrician, it’s still quite a bit of “work” taking them for a double visit like that.  I usually try to prepare myself and the kids in advance for the visit, which I’ve found tends to make the visit go a bit smoother.   I just took my boys for their visits on Tuesday and even though my four year old needed shots, the visit went really smoothly.

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Prepping Your Child For Their First Visit to the Dentist

Jul 212011
 

The other day I brought my three year old to the dentist for the first time.  My older son, who’s now six, also went for his first visit at age three. I know some people start taking their kids at a younger age, but three is what my pediatrician recommended, so I did what I was told.   As for me, I hate, hate, hate going to the dentist – with a passion.  Of course my kids don’t know that, and I always talk about the dentist with a smile on my face, but being the good mommy that I am, I wanted to do everything possible to ensure that both of my kids had positive first experiences at the dentist.

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The Trick to Getting Your Kids to Eat More Veggies

Jul 132011
 

Hide them in their food.

No joke.  I buy baby food because I am too lazy to puree vegetables my self (plus I don’t even own a food processor).  It’s so easy to do & the kids literally don’t even know their eating something that’s actually good for them.

My kids are like so many others – they wouldn’t eat veggies if their life depended on it.  Then  one day I was watching Rachael Ray and her guest was Jessica Seinfeld, who talked about a book she wrote called Deceptively Delicious and it was filled with amazing recipes that included, well, you guessed it – pureed vegetables.  Genious.

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Five Car Ride Essentials for a Road Trip With the Kiddos

Jul 082011
 

Have you ever taken your little ones on a road trip?  My family goes up to New Hampshire several times a year (at least).  We’re heading up to NH again very soon & in order for me to be able to actually pay attention and drive, I literally have to pack up a car full of things to keep the kiddos occupied.  Technically the NH border is only about an hour or so from my house, but where we going this time (the North Conway area) is about a three hour ride from our house - and I’m pretty sure three hours is an eternity to a small child.    Literally, I usually pack almost as much stuff for the car ride as the stuff I need for the actual trip, but it’s worth it.  Trust me on this.  Keeping them busy is just as good for your sanity as it is for them!

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Beach Checklist

Jul 012011
 

I’m so excited.  Today is our first (of many)  trips to the beach of the season!  Usually by this time of the year, I’ve gone several times, but with school getting out so late (last Friday) due to all the snow days they had this winter, this is our first chance to go.  Yay.

I was so excited about going today that I packed up our beach bag (s) last night.  I remember the good old days like they were yesterday - you know, when it was just me.  I’d have one bag with all my stuff, so I could just grab it and go.  With kids, it’s a whole different story.  There are several bags and coolers that contain a whole slew of things I never would have thought to drag with me to the beach pre-children.

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